“The likelihood that a young male will engage in criminal activity doubles if he is raised without a father and triples if he lives in a neighborhood with a high concentration of single-parent families.” “While people of color make up about 30 percent of the United States’ population, they account for 60 percent of those imprisoned. (http://www.gpo.gov)” Those are real statistics, and I witness them—everyday. I do not know why I am different; I do not want to know the reason, I am just grateful that I am. Both of these statistics apply to the person writing this essay. I did not make excuses saying that my dad is not in my life, I did not make excuses saying that I live in place where we say, “I made eight teen years old Instead of saying I am eight teen now”, and not one time did I say life is too hard. Thank God for my grandma, because if it was not for her I would have spent most of my nights in a shelter or under a bridge. I am not the only one that is living like this and I am certainly not complaining— this is just how it is. There are plenty of people that have overcame “this”… I hope to be one of them.
When I was growing up I saw my dad. I cannot remember how often I saw him, but I do have memories. My mom told me that when it was time for me to go visit him I would pack up all my stuff and wait outside on the porch by myself—for hours. He never came. We knew he had another family, and because of him disappearing when I was 6, I was going through life thinking that I was meant to be left alone, that no one wanted me, or I was just that bad to be around. I had it in my head that I was an outcast to existence. By the time I realized a teacher actually cared about me I was in fifth grade. This is when I learned to appreciate people that were trying to help me. I was not going to let her get away from me. Her name is Ms. Upperman—and I still talk to her on a daily basis till this very day.
Growing up with a single mother is hard. My mom has had over 11 different jobs over my life. Income was never something I noticed when growing up until my mom got divorced. We were used to living in an old house with no central air conditioning, so when it got cold you had to turn on the oven and if the oven was broken like it is now, well, you are just out of luck. I am not complaining this is just how it is. I am used to seeing the rats and roaches running through the house—even though our house is clean. When I used to go on field trips kids shared their food with me. We do not have a lot of money. Again, I am not complaining—this is just how it is. I am glad that I grew up with very little because when I do get something, no matter how small, I cherish it and am very thankful.
My mom was married for 4 years then got a divorce. My grandmother’s husband, my grandfather, was a crack addict. My mom has trust issues with men—that made me worse. I was getting fed wrong information about my grandpa. She would make it out to seem as if he were the bad guy because of all the pain my granny was going through. She was not doing it to shun my grandpa. She was just very emotional and did not know how to explain things to me. I love my grandpa more than most people love their own kids. He used to say that I could call him “dad”, so when he was ripped away from me by a drug, that made me want to hurt people. I hated looking at a son with their farther or grandfather! I felt that it was not fair. Why me? If I cannot have my grandpa you are not allowed to have one either. Despite all of the pain I struggled with, this only brought me and my mom closer.
I can go on and on about my life— probably can write a book I am proud to say that I will be one those people that convey with others that, “I overcame.” I have accomplished so much since I have been in high school. I am an honor roll student athlete, a beta club member, a Youth Entrepreneurs of Atlanta alumnus, and a national HOSA winner. Life is hard sometimes, but because of God I found out that he puts us through hard times so we can learn how to persevere. Everything happens for a reason. There is purpose behind the things that have happened in my life at the time they did. I have always been grateful for everything I have had. I am in no way, shape, or form headed to jail. I find that to be an accomplishment in itself. I have grew up around gangs, drugs, and violence my whole life—and not once have I participated in them. Despite all the negativity around me I have kept my head up and I stayed on the right path. My biggest dream is that I can be an inspiration to others and help greatly impact their lives. I am going to end with this, I learned the most valuable lesson of my life when I was 4, “Don’t worry about a thing, cause every little thing is gonna be alright.”- Bob Marley
Current Whereabouts:
Finding a way to pay for the rest of my 20 thousand dollars off so i can play football at Clark Atlanta and not have to take out student loans.
Life & Professional Aspirations:
Graduating Clark Atlanta with at least a 3.7 GPA with a major in criminal justice with no student loans to pay off are my academic aspirations. My athletic aspirations are to be a All-American safety at Clark Atlanta.
