From the first point from where we got on the bus to where we stepped our feet on the university, it was just high energy. We just had fun from the get go. It was real humble. Everybody introduced their selves to each other and we got real personal the first day as far as getting to know each other. We knew each other from outside our hearts and just like it was like, there was no other experience like this.

I think I was chosen because the way I was using myself, I think that's how I want to say it. I think it was because of the way that I walked around school not, you know not following people but being a leader. And me being into the school, interactive with everybody.

Getting to college

At the college, I learned how to do personal statements, how to be friendly with people, you know you've got to talk to a lot of people. How to make, do my FAFSA [application for financial aid], you know it seems real complicated,  but when you get on it, it seems like it's real easy, just a lot of questions.

Now at the College Summit class I have helped many people fill out their FAFSA financial aid forms. I helped out many kids with their personal statements. They, at first they really didn't know what to say. One girl, she was just like, I don't know what to write, my life is boring. Huh, can you help me? I was like, okay, well like what do you do after school? I'm a cheerleader but I don't like it. I say well you can write about that. If you're a cheerleader you know you can say about all the games and why you want to do it and what motivates you to come everyday. She was like, yes, that's a good idea. So she wrote about it and she had like three pages of, as she says, she dont like it.

I also helped my mom out with the FAFSA, financial aid. She attends Stanford Brown College. She's working on her medical assistant and she was trying to get through it and she got frustrated on this part, it was just like, she just didn't know what to do and it was like, no mama, I did this before. She was like, well, just show me, just show me. And I went up there and . . . and she was like, what? What? My baby know how to do something! I felt good.

I've known that I want to go to college for three years and I was excited at first. I wasn't like jump out your shoes kind of happy at first until now. Cause its just right around the corner. But knowing that I was going to go to college is like, its putting me on another level because I feel like I can become anything I want to be. And do whatever I want.

Family an important part of the process

If I can do it, if my big brother can do it, and I could do it, everybody else can do it. And it seems like everybody's starting to look up to me now because I'm doing things that my family hasn't done and it makes me feel like I'm actually putting my print in history right now.

My cousins have been calling me lately just like, hey you going to this college, you going to that college? Show me how to do this, show me how to do that.

If you ask what I'll be doing in 30 years, I would like to possibly have a masters degree or PhD in psychology. And also if I had the money to I should, I want to have the money to start a business, possibly some necessities that the world needs like water, give it to the needy in other countries. I don't think you should sell water. I plan on being married too. I'd like to be married.

I have family behind my back that's got the experience to push me through those tough times and I have people that actually already went through it at the schools, that they can actually help me through the process and paperwork. And you know I have people that actually care about me and make me feel like I'm somebody instead of just like this is just business or just like, you know, you're just a number.

Most likely I would like to major in psychology based on I like to get to understand what people are thinking and most people in my background actually did do psychology or have something to do with psychology. I think that if I could give back to the community like that, it would make me feel better and help out the community that I came from.