Little did I know; my fresh start of a new chapter would lead to a traumatic event that changed my world forever. My grandmother, my best friend, and my cheerleader was very sick and passed away my third month into high school. I was devastated because my grandmother was the person who had been with me throughout my entire life. She did any and everything I needed, and for that, I am forever grateful. She was my second mother. If anyone knows how it feels to lose someone so close to you, then you understand what I went through. Even though this traumatic could have been the thing that broke me, I decided to let her live through me. The last conversation we had before she slipped into a coma was all about how she felt that I was going to be strong and I was set with the principles every strong, black woman would need for life. She let me know that she was proud of everything that I had accomplished so far, and she never wanted me to stop or give up. Her wish was to see me graduate high school. From that day forward, I made a commitment to myself to fight and work hard for whatever I set my mind to