Setting a good example for my son has been the driving force in my life. I previously struggled with addiction and mental illness and found out I was pregnant with him in a rehab center when I was one month sober. When I discovered I was pregnant, I was determined to change my life and myself for the better. When I was three months pregnant, I left my abusive relationship with his father, flew from California back to my home state, Kentucky, and moved in with my parents. I knew I did not want him to grow up in a toxic environment and wanted him to have the best life possible. Many people stay in bad relationships because they become pregnant, but my pregnancy with my son served as the push I needed to leave mine. Upon returning to Kentucky, I immediately enrolled in community college at Bluegrass Community and Technical College. I completed the spring semester and applied to transfer to the University of the Cumberlands. I started my first semester at Cumberlands when Roman was only six weeks old. This past weekend, I graduated Magna Cum Laude with a 3.92 GPA as a J.T. Vallandingham Scholar with a BS in Christian Studies and a minor in Communications. My son, who will be three in July, watched me walk across the stage. This summer, I will start my Master's of Business Administration at the University of the Cumberlands. I overcame many obstacles during my undergraduate career. It was sometimes extremely difficult to juggle being a new mom, a single parent, a student, and an employee. I had to find many new positive outlets and learn to cope with stress and other emotions without turning to destructive habits. Sometimes, I felt like giving up, but my son motivated me to keep pushing forward. I learned to play guitar and write songs to release and confront pain and stress instead of running from and burying it, and I wrote over 60 songs over the course of two years. I hope my son will learn healthy coping skills through my example and avoid many of the struggles I have faced in life. I have also dedicated much time to church, ministry, and volunteer activities over the last few years and my son has tagged along for much of it. I hope to instill in him compassion and a love and desire to help and serve others. While I was completing my degree, my son and I were able to go from living with my parents to project-based housing for single parents, and now we have our own apartment from a private landlord. I know someday we will own our own home. My son is young, but I hope that through my example, he always knows he can overcome every obstacle to achieve anything he sets his mind to in life. I am pursuing my Master's in Business Administration because it will open many more job opportunities and a pathway for greater career advancement than my undergraduate degree alone. It is a shift from what I studied in my undergraduate program, but I am excited and know it will be the best choice for our future. I also hope my son sees that he does not have to put himself in a box and that it is possible to have many different passions and interests. My son motivated me to be an overcomer, and I pray my example motivates him to be one.