have you ever been made to feel that you
weren’t good enough ever been told that
you should just settle ever been told
growing up in a poverty-stricken
community I experienced a lot I saw and
heard a lot of negative things and found
the influential people within my
community to not be so good at
influencing positive growth with just a
few months left in my senior year of
high school I can remember sitting
behind the computer in the guidance
counselor’s office applying for colleges
now I have to be honest with you I had
no idea what I was doing but I was
excited excited to be graduating excited
to be done with homework and excited to
party all summer but that moment that
moment was short-lived for me because in
that exact same moment I had the
guidance counselor come to me in the
most sincere voice that she could come
up with and tell me that I should just
apply to the local Technical College
because that was more realistic for me
she told me that I shouldn’t get my
hopes up applying to a four-year
university because it was basically out
of my league in that moment I felt
ashamed and I felt defeated not knowing
what had to feeted me it wasn’t until
later that I realized that what that
guidance counselor was really telling me
was that she
and meaning like her had not prepared me
for anything more than the local
Technical College what she was telling
me was that she and many like her had
not done their job what she was telling
me was is that she and many like her had
failed me it took a couple of days for
me to decide to not tell my granny what
this counselor said to me sorry granny
but I would like to tell you how I got
here after hearing that my life was no
white picket fence and I just so
happened to have the most amazing
grandparents in the world don’t argue
with me on this studies have proven this
my grandparents made sure to instill a
certain amount of confidence in me at a
very young age that no one could
diminish for example I could just be
walking through the house looking down
checking out my new shoes and my granny
would come to me and tell me Queenie
pick your head up always walk with your
head held high the older I got
understood why she constantly said this
to me and no matter what I made sure to
walk with my head held high now my
grandfather has never been a man of many
words but whenever he wanted to have a
serious conversation it always consisted
of him telling me he loved me he was
proud of me and that I was smart oh yeah
and to not let the guys get me off track
I am more than fortunate to have had and
still have my grandparents around to
encourage me but had I allowed those
influential people that turned out to
not be so influential influenced me
where would I be I can assure you that I
would not be standing here today but
with my grandmother’s words always stuck
in the back of my mind Queenie
pick your head up always walk with your
head held high and with my grandfather’s
I love yous and I’m proud of youse I did
apply to more than the local Technical
College and I guess I wasn’t so out of
my league because that four-year
university that the counselor told me
wasn’t realistic for me is now my alma
mater upon my arrival I was astounded by
the educators the amount of help care
knowledge and motivation they gave was
amazing office hours
what were those you mean to tell me that
after class is over the students have
gone home the educators actually sit in
their offices just waiting for a student
to come by for help and that’s if a
student comes by at all now that’s
dedication to understand my amazement
you have to know that I am a
first-generation college student I am a
first-generation college student that
graduated from a four-year university I
am a first-generation college student
that now holds a master’s degree don’t
get me wrong though it was not easy
getting to this point when I started I
was four hours away from home in an
unfamiliar place I had no friends and I
was extremely shy
honestly there were times when I just
wanted to give up nobody prepared me for
this with all that I could think to
myself this isn’t fair
how does this guy know the answer but I
don’t for a lack of better words it
sucked and right when I was at my
breaking point and I did give up
I had an educator come to me and
motivate me to press on he took the time
to listen and understand what I was
battling with he cared when he had no
obligation to do so at that moment all I
could think was why does he care if I
stay in school or not if I did stay in
school why should he care if I did well
while I’m here these are the things that
you think when your mind has been molded
to expect educators to not care but he
explained to me that educators are
supposed to care educators are born to
care or to put it in the words of
educator Linda Wayman educators are born
to make a difference
kids need someone that will never give
up on them kids need someone to believe
heard a story once a howl of how a
teacher gave a quiz with just 20
questions on it a student missed 18 out
of 20 of those questions rather than
writing minus 18 the teacher wrote plus
2 with a little smiley face next to it
now I know you’re wondering why I write
plus
with a little smiley face next to it
well that student wondered the same
thing the teacher had looked at the
student and told him you’re on a roll
you got to write and you didn’t miss
them all the minus 18 can suck the life
out of you but plus 2 says I ain’t all
bad
we need more educators to motivate
students to press on we need more
educators to bridge the gap of
self-doubt to confidence so I want you
to be mindful of the example that you
are setting and to hold others
accountable for the example that they
are setting for our youth I want you to
leave knowing that individually we all
have a responsibility to inspire the
youth of the world and always remember
kids need a champion someone that will
never give up on them there were people that didn’t give up on me thank you