"I've never been very fond of the word, 'no'" 

            I do not believe my distaste for the word is solely on the premise of being denied an opportunity to do something silly. I believe it is the idea that someone other then myself is attempting to create some kind of preconceived notion of what my life should be. In their eyes they are right. The funny thing is, I feel the same way. As a young boy, you can imagine this mindset got me into my share of trouble. Though as it is today, my hard-headed thinking has allowed me to travel, grow, learn, and continues to provide me with many opportunities.

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            Growing up I was raised by my father. Due to circumstances out of my control at the young age of fourteen, I began my journey into the foster care system. It was through this transition in my life that I experienced constant adversity and hardships. When I turned 16, I transferred to a group home where I was finally able to complete my first full year of school at one institution. Prior to this new opportunity, I had attended five other high schools. Many could say that there were a lot of moving parts. Though through it all there was always one constant variable that kept it all together. I told my self every day that I was going to be successful and there were nothing and no one that could stop me. Not even myself.

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            I graduated in 2015 and decided to continue my education at one of the three Universities I had been accepted to. At this point in my life, I was looked at amongst my peers as someone who had done the impossible. On June 5th, 2015, my mentor woke me up to a shocking reality. He stated that for the entirety of the program that I resided in which had been around for almost eight years. Not one kid had ever attended a four-year university. This would make me the first out of thousands to ever make it out. The sad reality is that many of my peers from my younger days are no longer with us, incarcerated, dropouts, or homeless. The truth is that the odds were stacked against me. 

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            As of today, I have celebrated Mardi Gras in New Orleans, paddle boarded in the Gulf of Mexico, snorkeled in the Pacific, had pizza in time square, waffles in Belgium, coffee in Amsterdam, and oysters in Paris. I have walked through the stairwells of the capitol, partied in Miami, drank a coca cola in Atlanta where it all started, and much more. I am a proud Graduate from the University of South Alabama with a B.S. in Finance with a focus on Foreign Service and Public Relations. I've founded a student organization which empowers students as they transition into the career force and created a $20,000 endowment fund for first generation student leaders. I am a brother of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity and I continue to add to the list. Most of all, I have met many interesting people along the way. People that have helped make the journey enjoyable and that I can call family.

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            The reality is that behind all of my success there will always be my past. Through my journey in life there has and will always be rough times. Some harder than others. Though, I believe it is not our past that dictates our future, but what we choose to do in the present that determines our fate. Life is not easy. It is easy to fall into complacency and negativity given the situations we find ourselves in, but it is by enduring these obstacles that we have the potential to become all the better. I believe my past experiences have given me the tools and the knowledge to better navigate life’s challenges, having already become familiar with many of them at a young age.

            I choose to be motivated and to work harder one day at a time to pursue my dreams. Everyone has their own life experiences and dreams that make them unique, but what separates a dreamer from a DreemChaser, is whether they choose to use what they have learned and the situations they find themselves in to grow as a person and achieve the dreams they hold. That is why I proudly call myself a DreemChaser, because, despite the struggles I have faced, I have trudged through life becoming a better person, as I gain experience and knowledge to match my ambitions to achieve my dreams.