Chapter 7: Against the Grain

Unapologetically different from the majority of people, including family members, in my early life, it seems that going against the grain has been a way of life for me. Being different has afforded me many amazing, lifechanging opportunities that have helped me continuously grow both personally and professionally. If success is being happy with your journey through life as you focus on and reach your goals, my life has been quite successful thus far, despite ongoing adversity at every cornerstone.

My mother, aunts, uncles, cousins, two older brothers and even my younger sister had attended and graduated from the local high school in our community, but I decided to attend the rival high school, despite the longer commute and lack of popularity. This rival school was on the other side of town in an area perceived to be of a higher socioeconomic status than my low to middle class, predominantly Black and Mexican, gang affiliated, and drug-infested neighborhood. I was not allowed to walk down certain streets and always walked quickly to get home after getting off the school bus. Still, my family and friends tried to encourage me to follow the family tradition by buying me South Mountain spirit T-shirts and constantly expressing their disappointment. Some of my friends who had chosen to attend the local high school reminded me about the rival’s past losses to the local school in sports and called it a “nerd” school. Yet, I attended the “nerd” school and was able to be exposed to the most rigorous curriculum available through the International Baccalaureate program. I gained new lifetime friends in my peers and teachers, earned college credits, and developed a taste for all things international, which grew into an international career and travel experiences of which most people only dream.