From a young age, I struggled to form meaningful connections with many of my family members. This lack of connection left me feeling rejected and damaged my self-confidence. However, my mother and grandmother were always there for me and provided me with guidance. They gave me both the inspiration as well as the knowledge to fight through most of my obstacles and life lessons. They taught me that I had to go out and get what I wanted in life, and it took me many years to truly understand and believe in this advice. One of the most difficult times in my life was when I was living in Martinique and had to endure the hateful comments of some family members. At just eight years old, their words made me feel isolated and self-hating. I was too afraid to speak up about how I was feeling and felt like I was always being targeted. The following year, I made the bold decision to move to a different country without telling anyone. I knew that this could be a great opportunity to start fresh, but I also knew that it could be a huge mistake. I struggled to make friends at first due to the language barrier, but I eventually found the right people and started to feel more confident in myself and my ability to make connections. High school helped me overcome my fear and anxiety, and I was able to excel academically despite the language barrier. Despite my successes in high school, I always felt like I could do more. In late 2020, I was forced to live on my own while still in high school. I had to balance school, two jobs, and my passion for design. I participated in a workshop with a company called Incop[HER]ated, where I designed a pair of shoes and asked the coaches if they would be willing to mentor me. This led to my first internship as a content creator with one of the coaches from Incop[HER]ated. Through my work, I gained valuable skills and was able to network with people I never would have expected to work with. I am now working with Maxwell Osborne on his new clothing line, AnOnlyChild, and I have also started my own clothing line called "Éphémère," which translates to "ephemeral." In conclusion, my relationship with my mother and grandmother has been crucial in helping me overcome my struggles and reach my goals. Their guidance and support have been invaluable and have helped me become the confident, successful person I am today.

From a young age, I struggled to form meaningful connections with many of my family members. This lack of connection left me feeling rejected and damaged my self-confidence. However, my mother and grandmother were always there for me and provided me with guidance. They gave me both the inspiration as well as the knowledge to fight through most of my obstacles and life lessons. They taught me that I had to go out and get what I wanted in life, and it took me many years to truly understand and believe in this advice. One of the most difficult times in my life was when I was living in Martinique and had to endure the hateful comments of some family members. At just eight years old, their words made me feel isolated and self-hating. I was too afraid to speak up about how I was feeling and felt like I was always being targeted. The following year, I made the bold decision to move to a different country without telling anyone. I knew that this could be a great opportunity to start fresh, but I also knew that it could be a huge mistake. I struggled to make friends at first due to the language barrier, but I eventually found the right people and started to feel more confident in myself and my ability to make connections. High school helped me overcome my fear and anxiety, and I was able to excel academically despite the language barrier. Despite my successes in high school, I always felt like I could do more. In late 2020, I was forced to live on my own while still in high school. I had to balance school, two jobs, and my passion for design. I participated in a workshop with a company called Incop[HER]ated, where I designed a pair of shoes and asked the coaches if they would be willing to mentor me. This led to my first internship as a content creator with one of the coaches from Incop[HER]ated. Through my work, I gained valuable skills and was able to network with people I never would have expected to work with. I am now working with Maxwell Osborne on his new clothing line, AnOnlyChild, and I have also started my own clothing line called "Éphémère," which translates to "ephemeral." In conclusion, my relationship with my mother and grandmother has been crucial in helping me overcome my struggles and reach my goals. Their guidance and support have been invaluable and have helped me become the confident, successful person I am today.

From a young age, I struggled to form meaningful connections with many of my family members. This lack of connection left me feeling rejected and damaged my self-confidence. However, my mother and grandmother were always there for me and provided me with guidance. They gave me both the inspiration as well as the knowledge to fight through most of my obstacles and life lessons. They taught me that I had to go out and get what I wanted in life, and it took me many years to truly understand and believe in this advice. One of the most difficult times in my life was when I was living in Martinique and had to endure the hateful comments of some family members. At just eight years old, their words made me feel isolated and self-hating. I was too afraid to speak up about how I was feeling and felt like I was always being targeted. The following year, I made the bold decision to move to a different country without telling anyone. I knew that this could be a great opportunity to start fresh, but I also knew that it could be a huge mistake. I struggled to make friends at first due to the language barrier, but I eventually found the right people and started to feel more confident in myself and my ability to make connections. High school helped me overcome my fear and anxiety, and I was able to excel academically despite the language barrier. Despite my successes in high school, I always felt like I could do more. In late 2020, I was forced to live on my own while still in high school. I had to balance school, two jobs, and my passion for design. I participated in a workshop with a company called Incop[HER]ated, where I designed a pair of shoes and asked the coaches if they would be willing to mentor me. This led to my first internship as a content creator with one of the coaches from Incop[HER]ated. Through my work, I gained valuable skills and was able to network with people I never would have expected to work with. I am now working with Maxwell Osborne on his new clothing line, AnOnlyChild, and I have also started my own clothing line called "Éphémère," which translates to "ephemeral." In conclusion, my relationship with my mother and grandmother has been crucial in helping me overcome my struggles and reach my goals. Their guidance and support have been invaluable and have helped me become the confident, successful person I am today.

From a young age, I struggled to form meaningful connections with many of my family members. This lack of connection left me feeling rejected and damaged my self-confidence. However, my mother and grandmother were always there for me and provided me with guidance. They gave me both the inspiration as well as the knowledge to fight through most of my obstacles and life lessons. They taught me that I had to go out and get what I wanted in life, and it took me many years to truly understand and believe in this advice. One of the most difficult times in my life was when I was living in Martinique and had to endure the hateful comments of some family members. At just eight years old, their words made me feel isolated and self-hating. I was too afraid to speak up about how I was feeling and felt like I was always being targeted. The following year, I made the bold decision to move to a different country without telling anyone. I knew that this could be a great opportunity to start fresh, but I also knew that it could be a huge mistake. I struggled to make friends at first due to the language barrier, but I eventually found the right people and started to feel more confident in myself and my ability to make connections. High school helped me overcome my fear and anxiety, and I was able to excel academically despite the language barrier. Despite my successes in high school, I always felt like I could do more. In late 2020, I was forced to live on my own while still in high school. I had to balance school, two jobs, and my passion for design. I participated in a workshop with a company called Incop[HER]ated, where I designed a pair of shoes and asked the coaches if they would be willing to mentor me. This led to my first internship as a content creator with one of the coaches from Incop[HER]ated. Through my work, I gained valuable skills and was able to network with people I never would have expected to work with. I am now working with Maxwell Osborne on his new clothing line, AnOnlyChild, and I have also started my own clothing line called "Éphémère," which translates to "ephemeral." In conclusion, my relationship with my mother and grandmother has been crucial in helping me overcome my struggles and reach my goals. Their guidance and support have been invaluable and have helped me become the confident, successful person I am today.

From a young age, I struggled to form meaningful connections with many of my family members. This lack of connection left me feeling rejected and damaged my self-confidence. However, my mother and grandmother were always there for me and provided me with guidance. They gave me both the inspiration as well as the knowledge to fight through most of my obstacles and life lessons. They taught me that I had to go out and get what I wanted in life, and it took me many years to truly understand and believe in this advice. One of the most difficult times in my life was when I was living in Martinique and had to endure the hateful comments of some family members. At just eight years old, their words made me feel isolated and self-hating. I was too afraid to speak up about how I was feeling and felt like I was always being targeted. The following year, I made the bold decision to move to a different country without telling anyone. I knew that this could be a great opportunity to start fresh, but I also knew that it could be a huge mistake. I struggled to make friends at first due to the language barrier, but I eventually found the right people and started to feel more confident in myself and my ability to make connections. High school helped me overcome my fear and anxiety, and I was able to excel academically despite the language barrier. Despite my successes in high school, I always felt like I could do more. In late 2020, I was forced to live on my own while still in high school. I had to balance school, two jobs, and my passion for design. I participated in a workshop with a company called Incop[HER]ated, where I designed a pair of shoes and asked the coaches if they would be willing to mentor me. This led to my first internship as a content creator with one of the coaches from Incop[HER]ated. Through my work, I gained valuable skills and was able to network with people I never would have expected to work with. I am now working with Maxwell Osborne on his new clothing line, AnOnlyChild, and I have also started my own clothing line called "Éphémère," which translates to "ephemeral." In conclusion, my relationship with my mother and grandmother has been crucial in helping me overcome my struggles and reach my goals. Their guidance and support have been invaluable and have helped me become the confident, successful person I am today.

From a young age, I struggled to form meaningful connections with many of my family members. This lack of connection left me feeling rejected and damaged my self-confidence. However, my mother and grandmother were always there for me and provided me with guidance. They gave me both the inspiration as well as the knowledge to fight through most of my obstacles and life lessons. They taught me that I had to go out and get what I wanted in life, and it took me many years to truly understand and believe in this advice. One of the most difficult times in my life was when I was living in Martinique and had to endure the hateful comments of some family members. At just eight years old, their words made me feel isolated and self-hating. I was too afraid to speak up about how I was feeling and felt like I was always being targeted. The following year, I made the bold decision to move to a different country without telling anyone. I knew that this could be a great opportunity to start fresh, but I also knew that it could be a huge mistake. I struggled to make friends at first due to the language barrier, but I eventually found the right people and started to feel more confident in myself and my ability to make connections. High school helped me overcome my fear and anxiety, and I was able to excel academically despite the language barrier. Despite my successes in high school, I always felt like I could do more. In late 2020, I was forced to live on my own while still in high school. I had to balance school, two jobs, and my passion for design. I participated in a workshop with a company called Incop[HER]ated, where I designed a pair of shoes and asked the coaches if they would be willing to mentor me. This led to my first internship as a content creator with one of the coaches from Incop[HER]ated. Through my work, I gained valuable skills and was able to network with people I never would have expected to work with. I am now working with Maxwell Osborne on his new clothing line, AnOnlyChild, and I have also started my own clothing line called "Éphémère," which translates to "ephemeral." In conclusion, my relationship with my mother and grandmother has been crucial in helping me overcome my struggles and reach my goals. Their guidance and support have been invaluable and have helped me become the confident, successful person I am today.

Acquiring the skill to be independent is something that I was pushed to do for the past year. Throughout my senior I was placed in a studio with two strangers by my father before he disappeared without giving me a heads up about how I was supposed to provide for myself. that event pushed me to give up and Track and focus on how I would be about to provide for myself for senior year of high school. My father was the only family I had in this country; my mom's family lives in France; leaving me with no support and nobody to fall back on. However I fought and managed to graduate on time while working 25 plus hours a week so I could be able to pay rent, my phone bill, and put food on my table. it was defiantly an uphill battle and affected me mentally and physically. been completely alone in a country you are still new to can damage someone in many ways. Regardless of everything I had to deal with and the struggles I had to overcome; I am still struggling to maintain a healthy mental status and sometimes feel lost. Having to deal with all of these issues changed me to become overly independent; the person that I am today do not depend on anyone for help and I want something I go for it and fight for it. However, something that I have learned by becoming overly independent is that I still got to be self-aware of when I am not to do something by myself and to not let my pride consume me. My story is definitely a lot to unpack but this me I am Marty Moise and I am looking forward to impact others people lives.

From a young age, I didn't have the best relationship with the majority of my family and this led to me struggling with feeling accepted and over a longer period of time, this affected my self- confidence. However, the presence of my mother and grandmother guided me to fight through most of my obstacles. Not to contradict my previous statement, they also tried to teach me that if there’s something you want in life, no one will give it to you, but instead you have to go out and get it yourself. It took me almost half my life to realize it for myself. I remember living in Martinique and often refraining from interacting with particular family members because of the hateful things they would say things like, “He should not be here…”, “His mom and dad are not even together.”. Over time, such negative comments would push a pubescent 8 year old kid to the brink of self hate and extreme isolation. I found no interest in expressing my issues with the constant feeling of having a target on my back. In middle school I was put in a few "fight or flight" situations that altered my views on how I see life. However the event that really altered my desires from life was the day I was patiently waiting at the bus stop after school and was threatened by five teeagers that proceeded to reach for my pockets in an attempt to steal my phone. In that moment of fight or flight, I chose fight. Doing so resulted in me being slammed in the middle of the street and almost getting hit by a car. To my relief, the driver managed to brake on time but acted as if the five teenagers trying to attack me were invisible and showed no sympathy. The lady in the grey sedan only yelled and honked at me to get out of the road. After the shock went away, the time following allowed me to reflect on how much emotional angst I held. I didn’t want that life anymore. The following year I chose to leave my life behind and start fresh. “Start fresh” as in move to a completely different country without telling anyone beforehand. I did this knowing it would either be the best or worst decision of my life, but I wouldn’t ever know which one until I did it. Although I was excited to be learning about new cultures and experiencing new things, I still struggled with making friends and the language barrier did not help. After meeting the right people and switching the language of my phone from French to English, I quickly adjusted to my environment and was able to feel proud of my decision. I finally felt accepted and acquired enough confidence to make new connections regardless of my past traumatising experiences .

From a young age, I didn't have the best relationship with the majority of my family and this led to me struggling with feeling accepted and over a longer period of time, this affected my self- confidence. However, the presence of my mother and grandmother guided me to fight through most of my obstacles. Not to contradict my previous statement, they also tried to teach me that if there’s something you want in life, no one will give it to you, but instead you have to go out and get it yourself. It took me almost half my life to realize it for myself. I remember living in Martinique and often refraining from interacting with particular family members because of the hateful things they would say things like, “He should not be here…”, “His mom and dad are not even together.”. Over time, such negative comments would push a pubescent 8 year old kid to the brink of self hate and extreme isolation. I found no interest in expressing my issues with the constant feeling of having a target on my back. In middle school I was put in a few "fight or flight" situations that altered my views on how I see life. However the event that really altered my desires from life was the day I was patiently waiting at the bus stop after school and was threatened by five teeagers that proceeded to reach for my pockets in an attempt to steal my phone. In that moment of fight or flight, I chose fight. Doing so resulted in me being slammed in the middle of the street and almost getting hit by a car. To my relief, the driver managed to brake on time but acted as if the five teenagers trying to attack me were invisible and showed no sympathy. The lady in the grey sedan only yelled and honked at me to get out of the road. After the shock went away, the time following allowed me to reflect on how much emotional angst I held. I didn’t want that life anymore. Believe it or not, a near death experience can really make a person make the decision to take every beautiful moment of life and make the most of it. The following year I chose to leave my life behind and start fresh. “Start fresh” as in move to a completely different country without telling anyone beforehand. I did this knowing it would either be the best or worst decision of my life, but I wouldn’t ever know which one until I did it. Although I was excited to be learning about new cultures and experiencing new things, I still struggled with making friends and the language barrier did not help. After meeting the right people and switching the language of my phone from French to English, I quickly adjusted to my environment and was able to feel proud of my decision. I finally felt accepted and acquired enough confidence to make new connections regardless of my past traumatising experiences . High school particularly helped me overcome my struggles of living in fear and I became more confident in myself and where I stand along with understanding other people.

From a young age, I didn't have the best relationship with the majority of my family and this led to me struggling with feeling accepted and over a longer period of time, this affected my self- confidence. However, the presence of my mother and grandmother guided me to fight through most of my obstacles. Not to contradict my previous statement, they also tried to teach me that if there’s something you want in life, no one will give it to you, but instead you have to go out and get it yourself. It took me almost half my life to realize it for myself. I remember living in Martinique and often refraining from interacting with particular family members because of the hateful things they would say things like, “He should not be here…”, “His mom and dad are not even together.”. Over time, such negative comments would push a pubescent 8 year old kid to the brink of self hate and extreme isolation. I found no interest in expressing my issues with the constant feeling of having a target on my back. In middle school I was put in a few "fight or flight" situations that altered my views on how I see life. However the event that really altered my desires from life was the day I was patiently waiting at the bus stop after school and was threatened by five teeagers that proceeded to reach for my pockets in an attempt to steal my phone. In that moment of fight or flight, I chose fight. Doing so resulted in me being slammed in the middle of the street and almost getting hit by a car. To my relief, the driver managed to brake on time but acted as if the five teenagers trying to attack me were invisible and showed no sympathy. The lady in the grey sedan only yelled and honked at me to get out of the road. After the shock went away, the time following allowed me to reflect on how much emotional angst I held. I didn’t want that life anymore. Believe it or not, a near death experience can really make a person make the decision to take every beautiful moment of life and make the most of it. The following year I chose to leave my life behind and start fresh. “Start fresh” as in move to a completely different country without telling anyone beforehand. I did this knowing it would either be the best or worst decision of my life, but I wouldn’t ever know which one until I did it. Although I was excited to be learning about new cultures and experiencing new things, I still struggled with making friends and the language barrier did not help. After meeting the right people and switching the language of my phone from French to English, I quickly adjusted to my environment and was able to feel proud of my decision. I finally felt accepted and acquired enough confidence to make new connections regardless of my past traumatising experiences . High school particularly helped me overcome my struggles of living in fear and I became more confident in myself and where I stand along with understanding other people.

From a young age, I didn't have the best relationship with the majority of my family and this led to me struggling with feeling accepted and over a longer period of time, this affected my self- confidence. However, the presence of my mother and grandmother guided me to fight through most of my obstacles. Not to contradict my previous statement, they also tried to teach me that if there’s something you want in life, no one will give it to you, but instead you have to go out and get it yourself. It took me almost half my life to realize it for myself. I remember living in Martinique and often refraining from interacting with particular family members because of the hateful things they would say things like, “He should not be here…”, “His mom and dad are not even together.”. Over time, such negative comments would push a pubescent 8 year old kid to the brink of self hate and extreme isolation. I found no interest in expressing my issues with the constant feeling of having a target on my back. In middle school I was put in a few "fight or flight" situations that altered my views on how I see life. However the event that really altered my desires from life was the day I was patiently waiting at the bus stop after school and was threatened by five teeagers that proceeded to reach for my pockets in an attempt to steal my phone. In that moment of fight or flight, I chose fight. Doing so resulted in me being slammed in the middle of the street and almost getting hit by a car. To my relief, the driver managed to brake on time but acted as if the five teenagers trying to attack me were invisible and showed no sympathy. The lady in the grey sedan only yelled and honked at me to get out of the road. After the shock went away, the time following allowed me to reflect on how much emotional angst I held. I didn’t want that life anymore. Believe it or not, a near death experience can really make a person make the decision to take every beautiful moment of life and make the most of it. The following year I chose to leave my life behind and start fresh. “Start fresh” as in move to a completely different country without telling anyone beforehand. I did this knowing it would either be the best or worst decision of my life, but I wouldn’t ever know which one until I did it. Although I was excited to be learning about new cultures and experiencing new things, I still struggled with making friends and the language barrier did not help. After meeting the right people and switching the language of my phone from French to English, I quickly adjusted to my environment and was able to feel proud of my decision. I finally felt accepted and acquired enough confidence to make new connections regardless of my past traumatising experiences . High school particularly helped me overcome my struggles of living in fear and I became more confident in myself and where I stand along with understanding other people.

From a young age, I didn't have the best relationship with the majority of my family and this led to me struggling with feeling accepted and over a longer period of time, this affected my self- confidence. However, the presence of my mother and grandmother guided me to fight through most of my obstacles. Not to contradict my previous statement, they also tried to teach me that if there’s something you want in life, no one will give it to you, but instead you have to go out and get it yourself. It took me almost half my life to realize it for myself. I remember living in Martinique and often refraining from interacting with particular family members because of the hateful things they would say things like, “He should not be here…”, “His mom and dad are not even together.”. Over time, such negative comments would push a pubescent 8 year old kid to the brink of self hate and extreme isolation. I found no interest in expressing my issues with the constant feeling of having a target on my back. In middle school I was put in a few "fight or flight" situations that altered my views on how I see life. However the event that really altered my desires from life was the day I was patiently waiting at the bus stop after school and was threatened by five teeagers that proceeded to reach for my pockets in an attempt to steal my phone. In that moment of fight or flight, I chose fight. Doing so resulted in me being slammed in the middle of the street and almost getting hit by a car. To my relief, the driver managed to brake on time but acted as if the five teenagers trying to attack me were invisible and showed no sympathy. The lady in the grey sedan only yelled and honked at me to get out of the road. After the shock went away, the time following allowed me to reflect on how much emotional angst I held. I didn’t want that life anymore. Believe it or not, a near death experience can really make a person make the decision to take every beautiful moment of life and make the most of it. The following year I chose to leave my life behind and start fresh. “Start fresh” as in move to a completely different country without telling anyone beforehand. I did this knowing it would either be the best or worst decision of my life, but I wouldn’t ever know which one until I did it. Although I was excited to be learning about new cultures and experiencing new things, I still struggled with making friends and the language barrier did not help. After meeting the right people and switching the language of my phone from French to English, I quickly adjusted to my environment and was able to feel proud of my decision. I finally felt accepted and acquired enough confidence to make new connections regardless of my past traumatising experiences . High school particularly helped me overcome my struggles of living in fear and I became more confident in myself and where I stand along with understanding other people.

My name is Marty Moise, I'm 19, and I'm currently attending the University of Hartford. Throughout this pandemic, I have come across many obstacles and went from having a "Home" to having nowhere to go. I am French and moved here on July fifth, 2017. I was living with my father in New Rochelle, New York, and my mom's family lives in France. However, everything started to go downhill with him when the pandemic started in March 2020. During that pandemic, I was dealing with depression-like many of us and decided to open up about it to my father but his response to what told him was completely unexpected. out of nowhere he decided to move out of the place we were live at without telling me any of his upcoming plans. a couple of days later he introduced me to the place I was going to live meanwhile he got himself a new place and did not tell me how to find him. at first, it made it look like everything would have been fine and that he would be taking care of the rent but that did not last for long. After a few weeks, my father told me that I had to get a job regardless that I was still in high school so I could afford myself and the rent that was 400 dollars a month. After my father told me that I had to take care of myself he completely disappeared and was completely unreachable. this event pushed me to change my whole lifestyle to become an adult sooner than I thought. I started working 25 plus at stop&shop so I could afford my living situation. Regardless of everything I had to do I managed to get into every school I applied to such as LSU, University of North Texas, University of Hartford, and many other ones. I was rewarded many scholarships based on my academic records however the University of Hartford was the one that was the cheapest and that is why I committed there but I am still short by a couple thousand so this is why I hope you guys will reward me with your Scholarship.

From a young age, I didn't have the best relationship with the majority of my family and this led to me struggling with feeling accepted and over a longer period of time, this affected my self- confidence. However, the presence of my mother and grandmother guided me to fight through most of my obstacles. Not to contradict my previous statement, they also tried to teach me that if there’s something you want in life, no one will give it to you, but instead you have to go out and get it yourself. It took me almost half my life to realize it for myself. I remember living in Martinique and often refraining from interacting with particular family members because of the hateful things they would say things like, “He should not be here…”, “His mom and dad are not even together.”. Over time, such negative comments would push a pubescent 8 year old kid to the brink of self hate and extreme isolation. I found no interest in expressing my issues with the constant feeling of having a target on my back. In middle school I was put in a few "fight or flight" situations that altered my views on how I see life. However the event that really altered my desires from life was the day I was patiently waiting at the bus stop after school and was threatened by five teeagers that proceeded to reach for my pockets in an attempt to steal my phone. In that moment of fight or flight, I chose fight. Doing so resulted in me being slammed in the middle of the street and almost getting hit by a car. To my relief, the driver managed to brake on time but acted as if the five teenagers trying to attack me were invisible and showed no sympathy. The lady in the grey sedan only yelled and honked at me to get out of the road. After the shock went away, the time following allowed me to reflect on how much emotional angst I held. I didn’t want that life anymore. Believe it or not, a near death experience can really make a person make the decision to take every beautiful moment of life and make the most of it. The following year I chose to leave my life behind and start fresh. “Start fresh” as in move to a completely different country without telling anyone beforehand. I did this knowing it would either be the best or worst decision of my life, but I wouldn’t ever know which one until I did it. Although I was excited to be learning about new cultures and experiencing new things, I still struggled with making friends and the language barrier did not help. After meeting the right people and switching the language of my phone from French to English, I quickly adjusted to my environment and was able to feel proud of my decision. I finally felt accepted and acquired enough confidence to make new connections regardless of my past traumatising experiences . High school particularly helped me overcome my struggles of living in fear and I became more confident in myself and where I stand along with understanding other people.

Hashtag: #funny Caption: - Scholarship prank

From a young age, I didn't have the best relationship with the majority of my family and this led to me struggling with feeling accepted and over a longer period of time, this affected my self- confidence. However, the presence of my mother and grandmother guided me to fight through most of my obstacles. Not to contradict my previous statement, they also tried to teach me that if there’s something you want in life, no one will give it to you, but instead you have to go out and get it yourself. It took me almost half my life to realize it for myself. I remember living in Martinique and often refraining from interacting with particular family members because of the hateful things they would say things like, “He should not be here…”, “His mom and dad are not even together.”. Over time, such negative comments would push a pubescent 8 year old kid to the brink of self hate and extreme isolation. I found no interest in expressing my issues with the constant feeling of having a target on my back. In middle school I was put in a few "fight or flight" situations that altered my views on how I see life. However the event that really altered my desires from life was the day I was patiently waiting at the bus stop after school and was threatened by five teeagers that proceeded to reach for my pockets in an attempt to steal my phone. In that moment of fight or flight, I chose fight. Doing so resulted in me being slammed in the middle of the street and almost getting hit by a car. To my relief, the driver managed to brake on time but acted as if the five teenagers trying to attack me were invisible and showed no sympathy. The lady in the grey sedan only yelled and honked at me to get out of the road. After the shock went away, the time following allowed me to reflect on how much emotional angst I held. I didn’t want that life anymore. Believe it or not, a near death experience can really make a person make the decision to take every beautiful moment of life and make the most of it. The following year I chose to leave my life behind and start fresh. “Start fresh” as in move to a completely different country without telling anyone beforehand. I did this knowing it would either be the best or worst decision of my life, but I wouldn’t ever know which one until I did it. Although I was excited to be learning about new cultures and experiencing new things, I still struggled with making friends and the language barrier did not help. After meeting the right people and switching the language of my phone from French to English, I quickly adjusted to my environment and was able to feel proud of my decision. I finally felt accepted and acquired enough confidence to make new connections regardless of my past traumatising experiences . High school particularly helped me overcome my struggles of living in fear and I became more confident in myself and where I stand along with understanding other people.

From a young age, I didn't have the best relationship with the majority of my family and this led to me struggling with feeling accepted and over a longer period of time, this affected my self- confidence. However, the presence of my mother and grandmother guided me to fight through most of my obstacles. Not to contradict my previous statement, they also tried to teach me that if there’s something you want in life, no one will give it to you, but instead you have to go out and get it yourself. It took me almost half my life to realize it for myself. I remember living in Martinique and often refraining from interacting with particular family members because of the hateful things they would say things like, “He should not be here…”, “His mom and dad are not even together.”. Over time, such negative comments would push a pubescent 8 year old kid to the brink of self hate and extreme isolation. I found no interest in expressing my issues with the constant feeling of having a target on my back. In middle school I was put in a few "fight or flight" situations that altered my views on how I see life. However the event that really altered my desires from life was the day I was patiently waiting at the bus stop after school and was threatened by five teeagers that proceeded to reach for my pockets in an attempt to steal my phone. In that moment of fight or flight, I chose fight. Doing so resulted in me being slammed in the middle of the street and almost getting hit by a car. To my relief, the driver managed to brake on time but acted as if the five teenagers trying to attack me were invisible and showed no sympathy. The lady in the grey sedan only yelled and honked at me to get out of the road. After the shock went away, the time following allowed me to reflect on how much emotional angst I held. I didn’t want that life anymore. Believe it or not, a near death experience can really make a person make the decision to take every beautiful moment of life and make the most of it. The following year I chose to leave my life behind and start fresh. “Start fresh” as in move to a completely different country without telling anyone beforehand. I did this knowing it would either be the best or worst decision of my life, but I wouldn’t ever know which one until I did it. Although I was excited to be learning about new cultures and experiencing new things, I still struggled with making friends and the language barrier did not help. After meeting the right people and switching the language of my phone from French to English, I quickly adjusted to my environment and was able to feel proud of my decision. I finally felt accepted and acquired enough confidence to make new connections regardless of my past traumatising experiences . High school particularly helped me overcome my struggles of living in fear and I became more confident in myself and where I stand along with understanding other people.

From a young age, I didn't have the best relationship with the majority of my family and this led to me struggling with feeling accepted and over a longer period of time, this affected my self- confidence. However, the presence of my mother and grandmother guided me to fight through most of my obstacles. Not to contradict my previous statement, they also tried to teach me that if there’s something you want in life, no one will give it to you, but instead you have to go out and get it yourself. It took me almost half my life to realize it for myself. I remember living in Martinique and often refraining from interacting with particular family members because of the hateful things they would say things like, “He should not be here…”, “His mom and dad are not even together.”. Over time, such negative comments would push a pubescent 8 year old kid to the brink of self hate and extreme isolation. I found no interest in expressing my issues with the constant feeling of having a target on my back. In middle school I was put in a few "fight or flight" situations that altered my views on how I see life. However the event that really altered my desires from life was the day I was patiently waiting at the bus stop after school and was threatened by five teeagers that proceeded to reach for my pockets in an attempt to steal my phone. In that moment of fight or flight, I chose fight. Doing so resulted in me being slammed in the middle of the street and almost getting hit by a car. To my relief, the driver managed to brake on time but acted as if the five teenagers trying to attack me were invisible and showed no sympathy. The lady in the grey sedan only yelled and honked at me to get out of the road. After the shock went away, the time following allowed me to reflect on how much emotional angst I held. I didn’t want that life anymore. Believe it or not, a near death experience can really make a person make the decision to take every beautiful moment of life and make the most of it. The following year I chose to leave my life behind and start fresh. “Start fresh” as in move to a completely different country without telling anyone beforehand. I did this knowing it would either be the best or worst decision of my life, but I wouldn’t ever know which one until I did it. Although I was excited to be learning about new cultures and experiencing new things, I still struggled with making friends and the language barrier did not help. After meeting the right people and switching the language of my phone from French to English, I quickly adjusted to my environment and was able to feel proud of my decision. I finally felt accepted and acquired enough confidence to make new connections regardless of my past traumatising experiences . High school particularly helped me overcome my struggles of living in fear and I became more confident in myself and where I stand along with understanding other people.

From a young age, I didn't have the best relationship with the majority of my family and this led to me struggling with feeling accepted and over a longer period of time, this affected my self- confidence. However, the presence of my mother and grandmother guided me to fight through most of my obstacles. Not to contradict my previous statement, they also tried to teach me that if there’s something you want in life, no one will give it to you, but instead you have to go out and get it yourself. It took me almost half my life to realize it for myself. I remember living in Martinique and often refraining from interacting with particular family members because of the hateful things they would say things like, “He should not be here…”, “His mom and dad are not even together.”. Over time, such negative comments would push a pubescent 8 year old kid to the brink of self hate and extreme isolation. I found no interest in expressing my issues with the constant feeling of having a target on my back. In middle school I was put in a few "fight or flight" situations that altered my views on how I see life. However the event that really altered my desires from life was the day I was patiently waiting at the bus stop after school and was threatened by five teeagers that proceeded to reach for my pockets in an attempt to steal my phone. In that moment of fight or flight, I chose fight. Doing so resulted in me being slammed in the middle of the street and almost getting hit by a car. To my relief, the driver managed to brake on time but acted as if the five teenagers trying to attack me were invisible and showed no sympathy. The lady in the grey sedan only yelled and honked at me to get out of the road. After the shock went away, the time following allowed me to reflect on how much emotional angst I held. I didn’t want that life anymore. Believe it or not, a near death experience can really make a person make the decision to take every beautiful moment of life and make the most of it. The following year I chose to leave my life behind and start fresh. “Start fresh” as in move to a completely different country without telling anyone beforehand. I did this knowing it would either be the best or worst decision of my life, but I wouldn’t ever know which one until I did it. Although I was excited to be learning about new cultures and experiencing new things, I still struggled with making friends and the language barrier did not help. After meeting the right people and switching the language of my phone from French to English, I quickly adjusted to my environment and was able to feel proud of my decision. I finally felt accepted and acquired enough confidence to make new connections regardless of my past traumatising experiences . High school particularly helped me overcome my struggles of living in fear and I became more confident in myself and where I stand along with understanding other people.

From a young age, I didn't have the best relationship with the majority of my family and this led to me struggling with feeling accepted and over a longer period of time, this affected my self- confidence. However, the presence of my mother and grandmother guided me to fight through most of my obstacles. Not to contradict my previous statement, they also tried to teach me that if there’s something you want in life, no one will give it to you, but instead you have to go out and get it yourself. It took me almost half my life to realize it for myself. I remember living in Martinique and often refraining from interacting with particular family members because of the hateful things they would say things like, “He should not be here…”, “His mom and dad are not even together.”. Over time, such negative comments would push a pubescent 8 year old kid to the brink of self hate and extreme isolation. I found no interest in expressing my issues with the constant feeling of having a target on my back. In middle school I was put in a few "fight or flight" situations that altered my views on how I see life. However the event that really altered my desires from life was the day I was patiently waiting at the bus stop after school and was threatened by five teeagers that proceeded to reach for my pockets in an attempt to steal my phone. In that moment of fight or flight, I chose fight. Doing so resulted in me being slammed in the middle of the street and almost getting hit by a car. To my relief, the driver managed to brake on time but acted as if the five teenagers trying to attack me were invisible and showed no sympathy. The lady in the grey sedan only yelled and honked at me to get out of the road. After the shock went away, the time following allowed me to reflect on how much emotional angst I held. I didn’t want that life anymore. Believe it or not, a near death experience can really make a person make the decision to take every beautiful moment of life and make the most of it. The following year I chose to leave my life behind and start fresh. “Start fresh” as in move to a completely different country without telling anyone beforehand. I did this knowing it would either be the best or worst decision of my life, but I wouldn’t ever know which one until I did it. Although I was excited to be learning about new cultures and experiencing new things, I still struggled with making friends and the language barrier did not help. After meeting the right people and switching the language of my phone from French to English, I quickly adjusted to my environment and was able to feel proud of my decision. I finally felt accepted and acquired enough confidence to make new connections regardless of my past traumatising experiences . High school particularly helped me overcome my struggles of living in fear and I became more confident in myself and where I stand along with understanding other people.

From a young age, I didn't have the best relationship with the majority of my family and this led to me struggling with feeling accepted and over a longer period of time, this affected my self- confidence. However, the presence of my mother and grandmother guided me to fight through most of my obstacles. Not to contradict my previous statement, they also tried to teach me that if there’s something you want in life, no one will give it to you, but instead you have to go out and get it yourself. It took me almost half my life to realize it for myself. I remember living in Martinique and often refraining from interacting with particular family members because of the hateful things they would say things like, “He should not be here…”, “His mom and dad are not even together.”. Over time, such negative comments would push a pubescent 8 year old kid to the brink of self hate and extreme isolation. I found no interest in expressing my issues with the constant feeling of having a target on my back. In middle school I was put in a few "fight or flight" situations that altered my views on how I see life. However the event that really altered my desires from life was the day I was patiently waiting at the bus stop after school and was threatened by five teeagers that proceeded to reach for my pockets in an attempt to steal my phone. In that moment of fight or flight, I chose fight. Doing so resulted in me being slammed in the middle of the street and almost getting hit by a car. To my relief, the driver managed to brake on time but acted as if the five teenagers trying to attack me were invisible and showed no sympathy. The lady in the grey sedan only yelled and honked at me to get out of the road. After the shock went away, the time following allowed me to reflect on how much emotional angst I held. I didn’t want that life anymore. Believe it or not, a near death experience can really make a person make the decision to take every beautiful moment of life and make the most of it. The following year I chose to leave my life behind and start fresh. “Start fresh” as in move to a completely different country without telling anyone beforehand. I did this knowing it would either be the best or worst decision of my life, but I wouldn’t ever know which one until I did it. Although I was excited to be learning about new cultures and experiencing new things, I still struggled with making friends and the language barrier did not help. After meeting the right people and switching the language of my phone from French to English, I quickly adjusted to my environment and was able to feel proud of my decision. I finally felt accepted and acquired enough confidence to make new connections regardless of my past traumatising experiences . High school particularly helped me overcome my struggles of living in fear and I became more confident in myself and where I stand along with understanding other people.

From a young age, I didn't have the best relationship with the majority of my family and this led to me struggling with feeling accepted and over a longer period of time, this affected my self- confidence. However, the presence of my mother and grandmother guided me to fight through most of my obstacles. Not to contradict my previous statement, they also tried to teach me that if there’s something you want in life, no one will give it to you, but instead you have to go out and get it yourself. It took me almost half my life to realize it for myself. I remember living in Martinique and often refraining from interacting with particular family members because of the hateful things they would say things like, “He should not be here…”, “His mom and dad are not even together.”. Over time, such negative comments would push a pubescent 8 year old kid to the brink of self hate and extreme isolation. I found no interest in expressing my issues with the constant feeling of having a target on my back. In middle school I was put in a few "fight or flight" situations that altered my views on how I see life. However the event that really altered my desires from life was the day I was patiently waiting at the bus stop after school and was threatened by five teeagers that proceeded to reach for my pockets in an attempt to steal my phone. In that moment of fight or flight, I chose fight. Doing so resulted in me being slammed in the middle of the street and almost getting hit by a car. To my relief, the driver managed to brake on time but acted as if the five teenagers trying to attack me were invisible and showed no sympathy. The lady in the grey sedan only yelled and honked at me to get out of the road. After the shock went away, the time following allowed me to reflect on how much emotional angst I held. I didn’t want that life anymore. Believe it or not, a near death experience can really make a person make the decision to take every beautiful moment of life and make the most of it. The following year I chose to leave my life behind and start fresh. “Start fresh” as in move to a completely different country without telling anyone beforehand. I did this knowing it would either be the best or worst decision of my life, but I wouldn’t ever know which one until I did it. Although I was excited to be learning about new cultures and experiencing new things, I still struggled with making friends and the language barrier did not help. After meeting the right people and switching the language of my phone from French to English, I quickly adjusted to my environment and was able to feel proud of my decision. I finally felt accepted and acquired enough confidence to make new connections regardless of my past traumatising experiences . High school particularly helped me overcome my struggles of living in fear and I became more confident in myself and where I stand along with understanding other people.