I believe that I am a beautiful young woman of color. From gunshots to robbers, I come from a place where you dare not to be different. College has allowed me to explore different opportunities that life has to offer. As I packed my bags to leave for Bowling Green State University, I left bad memories behind and I never looked back. Most people wouldn’t call this college home, but for me this is. This place has given me time to grow, time to appreciate and time to acknowledge. I live by my grandmothers words every day, “When life gets a little tough, look up and know that everything has been taken care of.” I realized that God placed me here for a reason. My purpose for attending this university is to become someone, not only for myself, but for my family. Throughout this journey, I have learned to pick up pieces from all aspects of my life, and put them together. I remember when people left me behind just to get ahead in life, or left me because our views were different. When people walk out my life, I don’t regret it because everything happens for a reason. My mother and grandmother have been my inspiration for the longest because even when the struggled, nothing kept them off their two feet. Some try to knock me off my feet because they think people that come from the ghetto are stupid and ignorant. People, who doubt me or don’t think highly of me, are my motivation. Motivation is what got me to Bowling Green State University. I believe that motivation is the cousin of success. I am destined to become someone great because I have worked hard for everything that I have. In these last 12 weeks, I have transformed to a young woman of integrity. Nothing in this life is handed to you, and working to achieve a goal is a process. My goal is to receive a higher level of education and make my family proud of whom I am. It is not easy being the second one in my family to go to college because it is so much pressure to do beyond expected. Education is what makes a solid foundation for my future. I am now putting my foundation together, brick by brick, and step by step.