Amora, Brown Who am I My life to me has always seemed to be what many would call “the struggle” I grew up with my grandfather and his many other foster kids despite the circumstances those were the days. Those days where short lived. When I moved back with my mother at the age of 8 my life turned into every person for themselves. When I entered the 7th grade my family of 5 and I were homeless my older sister who was pregnant at the time left us and I was the next elder sibling In line so I was left with the responsibility of putting on a tenacious act and holding my family together Dealing with my family problems at home caused me to push away people at school. Little by little I began to say less to everyone because my sharp tongue combined with my attitude could have been the reason me and my family would be kicked out on the streets because people simply couldn’t deal with my mom and all her kids yet alone a disrespectful kid. My grades dropped and I began to believe I was dumb and incapable of doing the work administered to me. I stopped speaking in class whether I knew the material or not because I felt as if my opinion did not matter. When graduation came around my 8th grade year it was me that would not be walking the stage. Not graduating came as a huge shock to me because no matter how much I thought I didn’t know I always did my work. My teachers all said something like “Amora you’re really smart and I like you but your just not here enough to pass.” Every part of what they said was true. Getting to school was not easy: although I had moved many places I never switched schools and when I was not at school I was at home babysitting my cousins kids while she was out doing lord knows what. Life got better for me and my family when we moved into a shelter. The last place I ever thought I would be but potentially the best thing for my family now that we were in a secure place I was relived. The weight of my family was no longer on my shoulders. School was still not going well I was still partaking in my old rituals of simply not going. It was until my sister admitted to being molested by my father that I realized something had to change in my life for the better. I looked at all the things that had happened and how they affected my and it wasn’t looking good. My 9th grade year was over and I had a gpa that didn’t pass 1.00. My 10th grade year was when I began to make those important changes in my life I was no longer going to be living for my family it was time for me to live for me and take care of myself. My 10th grade year for the first time ever I made honor roll and I was able to prove to myself that I am smart, that I am capable of doing the work administered to me. I joined the drama club and found something that I really enjoyed doing and found a pair of friends who showed my motivation and passion. My life was seemingly falling back into order even though there was still a lot of unhealed pain affecting me. I joined a local church and I accepted Christ into my life as my personal savior it was then that I was able to let go of all the negativity I held inside. It is now my 12th grade year and I am drama club and young African Americans on the move (YAMM) president I am aware of my strengths and weaknesses. And I’ve set out my goals and I’ve made the decision that I want to dedicate my life to teenage girls who’ve experienced problems similar to mine who have no one there for them and are in need of a little guidance to help them overcome their obstacles. I only have one chance to write one chance to graduate one chance to make it so every thing counts