Growing up was very hard . It started when I lived 3 families to a 3 bedroom house . My mom and I , my grandmother and her companion , along with my aunt and her family. Education is a key factor for my family . Not everyone had the opportunity to even come close to attending college but I will break that curse and earn this degree for them. Attending elementary school was a little hard for me being that , everything was already hand picked and they knew who to give certain awards to. I tried to my best to stay ahead of everyone but I always seemed to fall short. I can recall running for 9th grade maid. I was scared because I knew in the back of my mind that , no one was going to pick me but to my surprise I was the ONLY person to run for this position . Fellow classmates and peers were like “ well she was the only one to run so why not “ . That brought my spirits down a little but it didn’t stop me . Soon after that , I began to be active in extracurricular activities . I started playing softball , I joined the varsity marching band , and the varsity basketball team . Out of all three of those sports , band stuck with FOREVER . I went and saw things that I couldn’t even dream about . Band was my escape from this cold cruel world . People doubted me my entire life but when it came to band , they were the ones who had given me hope . I still put my school work first and that brought me on top every time . Then coming to an end with my senior year COVID-19 came about which took things for a twist . I had to stop attending school so that meant no band . I lost interest in even finishing school , so I just got a job to start supporting myself for college in the upcoming fall . I had planned on attending THEE Illustrious Jackson State University in hopes on majoring in Elementary Education. Although I did attend for a short time , something with wrong with finalizing my registration so I was forced to leave. That hurt me because I was finally away from the people I’d known my whole life and went to new beginnings to having to start all over again . My love for education had slipped away yet once again. I was forced to go back into the work field full time. This caused me to fall into a deep depression that no one knew about . I had the chance to move and start over again and I NEVER looked back . Now I’m currently a sophomore at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College majoring in Early Childhood Education and I plan on graduating in May of 2023. When I get my degree I’m going to frame it and hang it on the wall to stare with the biggest smile of accomplishment on my face . I can finally say “ you did it dee “ in peace . Receiving this award would be very dear to me knowing that it’s others out there , that still have hope in me with furthering my education.