Being born and raised in the state of Maryland for 12 years, moving to Lumberton, North Carolina was a difficult transition. I overcame my culture shock and learned to adapt to my new environment by keeping an open mind and building relationships with my new teachers and people in the community. Through these connections, I was encouraged to apply to the Robeson Early College Program on the campus of Robeson Community College; this program changed my life.

Refusing to settle for the standard education, I began taking college classes in addition to my high school classes during my sophomore year of high school. While maintaining a 4.0 GPA in both high school and college, I also stayed involved by serving as President of Phi Theta Kappa and a member of the National Technical Honors Society. With the support from my family and the wonderful instructors at RCC and the teachers at Early College, I will be graduating in May with my Associate of Science and as valedictorian of my high school class.