When you ask children, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” they typically have high aspirations — maybe a doctor, lawyer, police officer, or astronaut. Their minds are filled with unlimited possibilities because they see the world as their oyster, with so much potential for what could be. But if you asked me that question as a child, I would have had one answer: alive. That’s all I knew. I grew up surrounded by poverty, crime, and low expectations. I struggled in my public school and was desperate for a way out, and I knew what was at stake if I didn’t get it.

I was bullied and would often get in trouble for being late to class because I was hiding in the bathroom to avoid the bullies. Coming from a blended home, I often dealt with problems before I even set foot in the school, including abandonment, low self-esteem, and little inspiration. I felt like a cog in the machine of mediocrity and, ultimately, disappointment.