I’m from Alexandria, VA Born February 24,1999. My Parents were in their late 30s mid40s when I was born. I am the youngest of 3 daughters. Everything in my life was going great, until my dad needed a kidney transplant. I was in about 6 or 7th grade when it started. He was on dialysis for about 5-7 years and due to that he got more health issues. But through it all, they remained strong and prosperous. My parents are immigrants from Ghana, they arrived in the US in the late 90s to start a better life and family. Both worked minimum wage jobs to make a decent living in the early years of my life.

My parents always taught me how important it is never to give up no matter what happens because if you do something wrong, everyone will make fun of you, so don’t be afraid of getting embarrassed (America, 2019). They weren’t too young, but they were young enough that it could have been an issue if I had been raised by another generation. But instead, my parents were able to raise me as best they could and make sure that I was happy and healthy throughout my childhood years.

They were also old enough to know what was right for them in terms of raising a child— and knowing how important it is to be able to provide for your family even if you’re not getting paid anything for doing so (or can’t get paid).

Growing up in a family of five

I grew up in a family of five consisting of a two-parent household my two older sisters and then me. I’ve lived in Alexandria all my life. I and my sisters made friends in the neighborhood, and in the widespread Ghanaian community in northern Virginia.  We’d enjoy going to traditional events and how they kept the Ghanaian culture alive in the US.

I had an average childhood. I tended to stay out of trouble and keep quiet. I was a good kid, but not the kind that would get into trouble or do anything illegal. In fact, I was shy as a child and didn’t like being around people much. Therefore, my grades were never too low I just was too lazy and content with where they were than to get them any higher.

I’m sure you can imagine how lonely it must feel when you’re stuck in your own head all day long (and night), but there are some benefits: For one thing, if you don’t have any friends at school then you’ll have no one who will know about your favorite shows on Netflix or tell you about the latest pop culture craze happening online right now; likewise, if nobody likes what’s happening in Hollywood right now then neither should we bother trying to watch some crappy comedies with our friends because none of us would watch them anyway.

My college life

Started my college career at Norfolk State University, then transferred to ODU Spring semester 2019. It wasn’t too hard for me to find a job, just to stay focused on school. Then when Covid 19 hit it was even harder. But I made it work. It was a relief to give my parents a break from me, financially. I am 23 years now. My parents supported me financially in school and the use of refunds.  The beginning of this year was hard on my family, because we almost lost my sister due to malaria and Covid upon her return from Ghana.

My parents always encouraged us to stay close as a family; they wanted us all under one roof so they could help us through any hard times that came up in life. So, when this had arisen it had me focusing more on family and putting school on a backburner once again. Most of my memories aren’t always sad, but now adays they have gotten a little happier. It’s just that I look back at these tough times and remember that they don’t always last forever.

I have learned that you can’t change the past, but you can learn from it. You can also change your future by making better choices for yourself in both the present and future.

One day when I was nine years old, we were just sitting down for dinner like we did every night: Chinese food from a local restaurant in town. We had just finished eating and were cleaning up our plates. My parents were talking about their day while my older sister and I watched TV and listened to music in the background. Then my dad looked over at me and asked if he could ask me something important: “What do you think of your mother?” He encouraged me to imitate my mother’s beautiful character and ways of dealing with people and taking care of a family.

My years of 18-23

A lot can happen in a person’s life during that time. My life changed dramatically, and I was able to grow and learn from their experiences.  My years of 18-23 were the most interesting (Aue, 2008), exciting, and challenging years of my life. The first year was all about learning how to be a woman. I learned how to dress appropriately for my age, that there are many kinds of women in the world and that they are all beautiful in their own way. I learned that it’s okay to be loud and outgoing, but also important to listen to others.

Last two years I was able to learn about myself and what makes me happy. In these years I learned about being myself no matter what anyone else thinks or says about me. It was hard at times because no one wants to be different from everyone else, but it made me stronger in the end because now I know who I am and what makes me feel good about myself no matter what other people think or say about me (Chen-Bouck & Patterson, 2015).

In my years of 18-23, I have grown in many ways.

• I have learned that life is not about what you do, but about who you are.
• I have learned to be more patient and kinder to others.
• I have learned to give back to those who help me and those who need it.
• I have learned that there is no one way to live your life and no one person who can define who you are or what you stand for.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that all of us have been through difficult, painful times in our lives and we can never be too sure if there is a light at the end of the tunnel. It seems like it may be true for some people but not everyone who has gone through these types of experiences will stay positive and upbeat throughout. However, it’s important to remember that there are people out there who care about you enough, so they’ll stick around even if things seem hopeless at times.