Personal Childhood Web

This page is dedicated to the people who nurtured and cared about me as a child.

Grandma

I came to live with my grandmother when I was six years-old. I felt very loved and secure upon exiting foster care and entering this environment. I was well cared for and nurtured by my grandmother. Although she encouraged me academically, she never placed any pressure on me. She also advocated for me to remain at the same school when we moved. My grandmother was my motivation to earn my doctorate. She was diagnosed with cancer, and before she passed away, I promised her I would earn my degree in her memory.

Ashley

Ashley is my younger sister and best friend. Our love for each other is unconditional and she is the only person who I feel truly comfortable around. The love and support I received from her, as well as my desire to set a good example, motivated me as a child. We still remain close, despite living in different states now, and I am still motivated to set a good example for her through hard work and perseverance.

Brian

Brian is Ashley's dad. To make a long story short, my biological mother kidnapped me as a child and fled to another state. While searching for me, my father died in a construction accident. I was eventually taken from my mother, placed in foster care, and reunited with my paternal grandmother. During this time, my mother met Brian and had my sister, Ashley. She left them shortly after Ashley was born. As a single father, Brian had to work a lot, so my grandmother watched Ashley. Despite the quirks of our family, there was never any division over relationships. Brian became "Dad" and never treated me any differently. I always had his love and support growing up, and he was quick to tell me how proud he was of my accomplishments, using them to encourage the same drive in my sister.

Jennifer

Jennifer was a school peer and friend. We have known each other since kindergarten and remained in the same classes until we graduated from high school. We were the only two students in our elementary school that were enrolled in a gifted and talented program, and we lived in the same neighborhood, so we spent a lot of our childhood together. That friendship was very fulfilling, nurturing, and encouraging. We both participated in the Teacher Cadet program in high school, which first sparked our love of teaching. Jennifer actually went on to become a teacher, won Teacher of the Year, and is now an educational instructor for other teachers. Her success makes me proud and motivates me to also achieve similar success in my own career.

Thomas

Thomas was another childhood best friend. We both lived with our grandmothers and lived one street away from each other. We were very close and remained so until his untimely death a year after high school. We didn't attend the same school until high school, so he wasn't so much of an academic peer, but he was a lifelong best friend who provided endless amounts of love and encouragement. I continue to strive for success in my present life, both to make him proud and to fully live the life that was taken from him.