“I am washing windows to pay for school. I am majoring in criminal justice at South Alabama. I am thinking about a crime scene investigator or a firefighter. I lost my mom two years ago to breast cancer. My brother died in a bad accident this past year. He was 25. Life is short. We aren’t promised tomorrow, so I wake up with a smile every day. I have one more year and I am trying to finish strong for my mom. She had cancer for five or six years. She fought it every day with a smile on her face.

I love sports. I played football for South, but I quit my sophomore year when my grades got rocky. It was hard to let it go, but I knew sports wasn’t going to pay for my school. Now I play rugby. It is tough, you have to be strong and fast.

After my mom passed, I had to prioritize. You do what you have to do. I want to be successful and wake up happy and have everyone around me happy. I can be a garbage man or plumber as long as I am happy. Money isn’t everything and it can’t dictate what you do. I have learned to never put a stamp on somebody or internalize the role that people try to give you. Be your own person.”