During my childhood I dealt with tons of obstacles that challenged me mentally and emotionally.  In grade school, my peers teased me about my voice and looks. Even though teasing is something every kid deals with, it destroyed my self-image. I thought I wasn't good enough and I worked overtime to try to please my peers. This cycle continued into high school, but during my senior year everything changed. My focus switched from struggling to interact with my peers to thinking about life after high school. At that time I wanted to go to college, because it is what society said I should do. But I thought, "Why should I go?"

My CollegeBound counselor Ms. Jamie Tang (now a Retention Specialist) helped me answer that question. She said college will create new opportunities for me, enhance my skills, build up my self esteem, and allow me to meet new people.  After she explained that to me, it seemed like it was my destiny to attend a university. I graduated from Mergenthaler High School in 2007 and attended Morgan State University as a business/economics major.

College was a big adjustment for me, and I had issues with time management.  But, CollegeBound was there to assist me with my problems, and they came to check on me every month. They helped me learn to management my time and responsibilities which let me relax, focus on my priorities, and create goals for myself. My five-year goal is to be an underwriter for Travelers Insurance, and my ten-year goal is to own an insurance business, because I know it is an everlasting market.

 
Now, after everything I've learned from Morgan State and from College Bound, I am looking forward to employment after college and later becoming a business owner and giving back to my community.