Throughout my whole life, I’ve always been one to defy the odds. Before I was born, I only had a 10% chance of making it to viability. I was predicted to take multiple years to catch up to the rest of my peers due to my being born premature, whereas it only took me 6 months. My teachers told my parents I was too quiet and needed communication lessons, when really I was learning and using ASL. In the eighth grade, I applied to the B.L.A.S.T. Program, and got in on the first try. During my Freshman and Sophomore years of High School, I applied and got into the Virginia State Parks Youth Conservation Corps. Throughout all of these situations, I took a chance when I was told there was no use by my peers and my teachers. I chose to live my life as though it was a miracle, and it’s brought me all the way to where I am now at Old Dominion University.