11/03/2026
I learned at a very young age that perseverance isn't just about overcoming your own struggles. Sometimes, it's about recognizing the struggles of others, even when you have very little yourself.
When I was approximately two years old, my family's world was turned upside down. My mother attempted su***de during a difficult period in her marriage to my father. In those days, mental health was not understood or treated with the compassion and resources we have today. My mother was institutionalized, and our family was separated.
My father was awarded custody of four of us, while my three older siblings from my mother's first marriage were placed in foster care.
Life was not easy. We were poor. I remember times when we ran out of basic necessities that many people take for granted, like toothpaste and toilet paper. But as a child, you don't necessarily understand poverty. You simply know the life you're living.
One of my earliest and most defining memories happened around Christmas when I was just four or five years old.
We went to the Salvation Army to receive Christmas presents. Each of us was allowed to choose one gift.
I remember a little boy who desperately wanted a soccer ball. He was crying, and I remember looking at him and thinking that he seemed to have even less than we did.
So I gave him my one Christmas present.
I don't remember whether I received anything else that Christmas.
But I remember that little boy.
And I remember thinking, even at that young age, he needs this more than I do.
That moment shaped something deep within me. It taught me that no matter how difficult my circumstances might be, there is always someone else facing struggles I may never fully understand.
My mother eventually recovered, and when I was ten years old, she regained custody of us. She would often share a saying that has stayed with me throughout my life:
"I cried for new shoes, until I met a man who had no feet."
Those words became more than a saying. They became a way of looking at life.
I learned that gratitude and hardship can exist together. That compassion doesn't require wealth. And that our circumstances do not have to determine the person we become.
Looking back, I believe those early experiences helped shape my life's purpose.
Today, I have the privilege and responsibility of helping students overcome barriers, gain access to educational opportunities, and discover pathways to academic achievement and career success. I am intentional about using my leadership and influence to open doors, challenge limitations, and help young people recognize their own authority to make decisions that shape futures they may never have imagined possible.
I know what it feels like to grow up without certain advantages. I know that behind every child is a story we may never hear, a struggle we may never see, and potential that deserves to be discovered.
My journey has taken me from a little girl standing in line at the Salvation Army to a career dedicated to education, leadership, and opening doors for others.
And through it all, I have carried one simple belief:
You don't have to have everything to make a difference in someone's life. You simply have to care enough to give what you can.
Perhaps that is what perseverance has meant most in my life.
Not simply surviving difficult circumstances, but allowing those experiences to develop a heart for others.
