I was raised in Inkster, Michigan, a small city outside of Detroit that most people do not know about. I appreciate being from a city like Inkster because it showed me that anything is possible no matter where you came from. I am influenced by those who keep pushing through whatever is thrown their way. I know that I attend the University of Michigan for a reason, there is no way I am going to give up. My mom has made a huge impact in my life because even though I did not grow up in the best neighborhood, she made sure my siblings and I were always pushing ourselves to be better than our surroundings. She made sure I was always active in sports and school. At times, this made me mad, I always thought to myself “why couldn’t I relax?” Now I understand without all my participation I would not be who I am today. Staying involved helped me realize what I like to do and how I want to spend my time.
Being in the Comprehensive Studies program at Michigan has taught me that I have allies even when I think I do not. This is shaping my future by giving me the early opportunity to expand my network, while most freshmen were trying to understand what a network was. The program overall, helped me learn how to make the most of my time at Michigan. This will impact my future because I am learning about what is all available to me now, which will benefit me later.
🔑learning experiences
One of the largest experiences that have made me who I am is realizing how important my race is. When I was younger, my race was not a huge factor in my life, at least I did not realize it. As I began high school, I noticed how my race impacted things I did, or how it made people think of me. Understanding that many people believe in the many stereotypes about black people makes me want to work hard for everything. I pushed through racial barriers in high school and only plan to continue throughout college and the rest of my life. I learned that I cannot let my race define what I am capable of achieving.
