About
Attending nine different schools during my K-12 education was no easy experience. I quickly realized that our education system is far from equal as no two schools had the same resources or expectations. I left one school at the top of my class and moved to another where I needed remediation after school just to stay afloat. Some schools that I attended didn't have lockers, yet alone textbooks, and others offered foreign language and music courses along with after school clubs and programs. Because of these experiences, I learned at a young age that some people are "smarter" or "better off" not because of a genetic predisposition, but because they simply had more access, better resources, things that I didn't have. Most would say that this moment in my life would have been a good time to "accept my place" and just be content with the world being unfair. Well I decided that that simply was not good enough. The "smart girl" identity was already established, so instead of accepting the disproportionate privileges of America, I chose to combat them in the best way I knew how; staying true to my claimed identity.
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It's because of my sacrifices of sleep, my Nile of tears, my refusal to give up, and a lot of prayer, that I graduated high school with a 4.94 GPA and enrolled into college as a first year sophomore. While I was ever grateful and ever proud of my accomplishments, I'm now in grad school and no one EVER mentions high school accomplishments! Shoot! They barely bring up undergrad. I then had the realization that perhaps my GPA was important at the time, but that it loses its importance over time. I assume I'll have a similar experience when I finish school forever. Ultimately, I had to teach myself that I am more than my GPA. My worth and my value are defined by my own standard, rather the systemic expectations of education which weren't designed with people like me in mind to begin with. Therefore, when I become a professor, I will encourage my students to work hard because these days it's hard to get much of anything without a degree or two. However, I will also show them the importance of having an identity outside of their academics; one that they created themselves, not the one that minimizes and dismisses the beautiful characteristics that make them who they are.
Education
May 2022
MA Mathematics
University of North Carolina - Greensboro
May 2020
BA Mathematics
University of North Carolina - Greensboro
Dec 2019
MS Clinical Mental Health Counseling
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.
May 2017
BS Biological Sciences: Human Biology Concentration
North Carolina State University
Favorite Quotes
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"You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated." - Maya Angelou
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"The struggles along the way are only meant to shape you for your purpose." - Chadwick Boseman
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"I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept." - Angela Davis
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"Be the change you want to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi
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"It doesn't matter if a million people tell you what you can't do, or if ten million tell you no. If you get one yes from God, that's all you need." - Tyler Perry
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"Stop letting people who do so little for you control so much of your mind, feelings, and emotions." - Will Smith