I come from a very urban background. Where I grew up, either you went to school and graduated (which didn't occur too much, my high school drop out rate was over half the size of the student body); or you got pregnant and got on welfare; and for the guys if you didn't graduate you hit the streets and became drug dealers. Now what does this all boil down to? The hustle. You hustle the case workers for your welfare money or you hustle the streets for street money. Now I did not do either of these. I've always believed in hard work. I finished high school and did 2 years of college when I started to have my girls. (By the way, I did get pregnant at 14, but that didn't stop me from graduating. My son is 13 years old.)

I want everyone that reads this article to stop and think about what hurtles life has thrown at you and what you did to overcome it? Then I want you to utilize those same strengths to allow you to fulfiil your dreams and goals. Let me share my goals with you. 1) Give my children the life I always wanted but never had. For example, I had to share a room with my 2 little brothers because my parents couldn't afford a bigger apartment. I will buy a house for my children to grow up in comfortably for generations to come. 2) Get out of the ghetto. Observe the sun set from the countryside. For example, to watch the sunset I have to go up to the roof of my unsafe tenement building. No one should risk their lives to watch a sunset. 3)Be the best role model to my kids and peers. For example, I've walked down these streets since I was a kid. There were hardly any role models or people that I would want to be like when I grew up.

I want to share my dreams and ambitions with other moms trying to get out of the hood. I think that leadership and crewmanship can tak

I come from a very urban background. Where I grew up, either you went to school and graduated (which didn't occur too much, my high school drop out rate was over half the size of the student body); or you got pregnant and got on welfare; and for the guys if you didn't graduate you hit the streets and became drug dealers. Now what does this all boil down to? The hustle. You hustle the case workers for your welfare money or you hustle the streets for street money. Now I did not do either of these. I've always believed in hard work. I finished high school and did 2 years of college when I started to have my girls. (By the way, I did get pregnant at 14, but that didn't stop me from graduating. My son is 13 years old.)

I want everyone that reads this article to stop and think about what hurtles life has thrown at you and what you did to overcome it? Then I want you to utilize those same strengths to allow you to fulfiil your dreams and goals. Let me share my goals with you. 1) Give my children the life I always wanted but never had. For example, I had to share a room with my 2 little brothers because my parents couldn't afford a bigger apartment. I will buy a house for my children to grow up in comfortably for generations to come. 2) Get out of the ghetto. Observe the sun set from the countryside. For example, to watch the sunset I have to go up to the roof of my unsafe tenement building. No one should risk their lives to watch a sunset. 3)Be the best role model to my kids and peers. For example, I've walked down these streets since I was a kid. There were hardly any role models or people that I would want to be like when I grew up.

I want to share my dreams and ambitions with other moms trying to get out of the hood. I think that leadership and crewmanship can ta

I come from a very urban background. Where I grew up, either you went to school and graduated (which didn't occur too much, my high school drop out rate was over half the size of the student body); or you got pregnant and got on welfare; and for the guys if you didn't graduate you hit the streets and became drug dealers. Now what does this all boil down to? The hustle. You hustle the case workers for your welfare money or you hustle the streets for street money. Now I did not do either of these. I've always believed in hard work. I finished high school and did 2 years of college when I started to have my girls. (By the way, I did get pregnant at 14, but that didn't stop me from graduating. My son is 13 years old.)

I want everyone that reads this article to stop and think about what hurtles life has thrown at you and what you did to overcome it? Then I want you to utilize those same strengths to allow you to fulfiil your dreams and goals. Let me share my goals with you. 1) Give my children the life I always wanted but never had. For example, I had to share a room with my 2 little brothers because my parents couldn't afford a bigger apartment. I will buy a house for my children to grow up in comfortably for generations to come. 2) Get out of the ghetto. Observe the sun set from the countryside. For example, to watch the sunset I have to go up to the roof of my unsafe tenement building. No one should risk their lives to watch a sunset. 3)Be the best role model to my kids and peers. For example, I've walked down these streets since I was a kid. There were hardly any role models or people that I would want to be like when I grew up.

I want to share my dreams and ambitions with other moms trying to get out of the hood. I think that leadership and crewmanship can ta

I want everyone that reads this article to stop and think about what hurtles life has thrown at you and what you did to overcome it? Then I want you to utilize those same strengths to allow you to fulfiil your dreams and goals. Let me share my goals with you. 1) Give my children the life I always wanted but never had. For example, I had to share a room with my 2 little brothers because my parents couldn't afford a bigger apartment. I will buy a house for my children to grow up in comfortably for generations to come. 2) Get out of the ghetto. Observe the sun set from the countryside. For example, to watch the sunset I have to go up to the roof of my unsafe tenement building. No one should risk their lives to watch a sunset. 3)Be the best role model to my kids and peers. For example, I've walked down these streets since I was a kid. There were hardly any role models or people that I would want to be like when I grew up.

I want to share my dreams and ambitions with other moms trying to get out of the hood. I think that leadership and crewmanship can ta

I want to share my dreams and ambitions with other moms trying to get out of the hood. I think that leadership and crewmanship can take us far. Willingness to learn and use what you've learned is the key to success and my personal key out of the hood. With this in my mind, I will keep going and will not stop till I've accomplished my role in life and THAT will our freedom.