My earliest memory is of my godmother holding me in her arms, her soothing voice lulling me to sleep. Back then, she was just my daycare provider, not yet the mother figure she would become. But I like to think she’s always been my mom, and the fact that my very first memory is of her feels like proof that we were always meant to be family. She was everything my birth mother wasn’t—warm where my mother was distant, calm and sure where my mother struggled and became overwhelmed. My godmother, with her numerous degrees and impressive doctorate, stands in direct contrast to my mother, who on the other hand, didn’t have the chance to finish elementary school. At first, they may seem like complete opposites, but in reality, they share more similarities than you would expect. Both hail from poor mountain villages in the Caribbean, places where illiteracy was common, and the next meal was never guaranteed. While my birth mother became caught in the trap of a cycle of crippling insecurity, causing her not to return to school and ask for help when she needed it, my godmother’s parents instilled in her the importance of learning as a way out, a way to pave a path for the next generation, causing her to ask for help more frequently and build her confidence. For both of them, education represented the only path to breaking the cycle of poverty, a chance to achieve what no-one in their family had done before. My godmother recognized this, and became a trailblazer, paving the way for me and my cousins. My mother, in spite of her lack of education, tried her best to give me everything she had, but her knowledge could only take me so far. My godmother, on the other hand, became the role model I’ve followed my entire life. When I face struggles in my education, and my mother can’t help, I turn to my godmother. She always knows what I’m going through, she's been there herself —and always knows exactly how to help me through it. While my mother nurtured me and raised me on her love, my godmothers' support has been the steady foundation driving me to pursue higher education. She's shown me how much a quality education can impact my life, and given me the perseverance and confidence to pursue it. Together, they've shaped me into the person I am today: someone who knows the value of both love and learning, someone who is determined to pave a way where there is none.