College has been a long journey for me. I am grateful to have been able to learn and grow from my experiences in college. I laughed, I cried, but most importantly, I enjoyed myself along the way. Anytime I wanted to give up, I had my friends and family there to help me keep my focus. My friends, LaTanya and Ajara, always pushed me to get out of my room and have fun. College would have been boring and lonely without them! I appreciate my cousin, Eboni, for always checking in and just talking to me. I don’t think people understand how much a phone call means to a college student, especially those who are so far away from home.  Of course I owe all my hard work and motivation to my mom and my grandma. Besides sending me money and buying things I needed for school, both of these ladies have always shown up and shown out for me  no matter what I wanted to do. I am grateful to have gone to a university that is only 45 minutes away from my grandma. She was always my home away from home. My mom always told me that I had to finish school. She never got the chance to go to college, so I always made sure that I succeeded in school and experience things that she couldn’t. I might pay her back one day, when I finish paying my student loans! I would also like to add that the Dean of Students, Jennifer Jones-Hall, and the Associate Dean of Students, Dr. Love, have helped me tremendously during my time in college. Both of these ladies have pushed me to reach my goals and go beyond my expectations of myself. They both have given me opportunities that I would not have been able to get by myself.  I cherish the conversations I have had with them; I always learned something about myself whenever I spoke to them. 

Overall, it is extremely important to have a support system in college. There will be times when you are in financial need. There will be times when you are not in the best mental state and you need someone to talk to. Your support system will be all that you have sometimes. They are the people who will motivate you to stay in school and stick with whatever goals you are working on. They are the people who will be there for you, even when you are not there for yourself.