UA Class of 2004
College: University of MO – Columbia (2005 – 2008)
Degree: English
Advanced Degree: J.D. Candidate at Texas Southern University-Thurgood Marshall School of Law
I began school at University Academy in 2000. I really wanted to go to Hogan Prep because that was where all my friends from middle school were going. I did not want to go to a school that no one had ever heard of. I remember my first year. My parents were very excited about the possibilities. I was completely intimidated by the teachers and the curriculum. My favorite part of most days was the end because I walked home with friends from my neighborhood. At that time the school building was on the corner of 56th & Troost. I lived 8 blocks away. This foreign place was dropped into my small world.
My classmates became like family. We laughed and struggled through each class and first moments. We realized that if we wanted something we would have to do it. We were the first at everything from football to debate. We also realized the responsibility that came with this great gift. We saw people come and go. Some couldn’t handle the rigorous curriculum. For others, life happened. In the end there were only 12 in my graduating class.
I graduated from UA in 2004. Everyone told us we were something special. We were the first graduating class and meant for greatness. Our class motto was “We are such stuff as dreams are made on” by William Shakespeare. How could we possibly do anything different? I fought hard for what I thought was the idea of success. Thankfully, I discovered that success is what I define and what I choose for myself. I started helping others succeed at living life and continue to do so wherever I serve.
Since graduation I have been working in the nonprofit sector and enjoy making a difference in my community. I continued that tradition of firsts by sitting as the first Alumni Success Fellow at Friends of UA (now UA Foundation); with the understanding that I have the responsibility of encouraging and leading students toward their own definitions of success. Now, I’m fulfilling my dream by attending law school starting in the fall of 2020.
