Do you see limitations as hurdles or brick walls? This thought came to me in the middle of the night. As a child of a single parent working two jobs in a low-income household and the first child in my family to attend a four-year institution, I was susceptible to falling into the trap that said I could not dream big or hope for things like traveling the world, going to college, or getting a great job. I was the person in my family who dared enough to even think of studying abroad, let alone going abroad, and the banner of limitations and reasons why not were placed in front of me. Money was a major issue along with many other things. Dreaming of both seeing the world and studying in it seemed like a far reach for me. I saw my limitations as a brick wall. However, once I got to study abroad once, to see that there was still a chance to dream big and see those dreams come true regardless of limitations, they became hurdles instead. My first time studying abroad was the summer after my freshman year. I remember going to an advising meeting and my advisor told me about a Creative Writing in Ireland class abroad that ODU was offering. In high school, I was a “closet poet”, someone who wrote over 200 pages of poetry yet only about 2 people really knew about it. Because of that, this class abroad sounded exciting and I could not think of a more perfect trip…but money. It would have been easy to shut the idea out altogether because of my financial situation. That could have easily been my default, but something inside of me said “Go for it.” The opportunity presented a choice: succumb or believe beyond what I could see. Would I believe in myself and in God or believe what society and my bank account said? I started telling people about my dream and what studying abroad meant to me. I made donation pages and donation cards and set goals. People just gave and gave- my family, my church family, my friends, my mom’s friends and their friends and their friends. They believed in me and continued to support me. Before I knew it, not only did I have enough to cover the trip, tuition, and airfare, but I had more left over and my study abroad trip was a reality! Ireland was amazing and eye-opening and the journey getting there was even more. I came back from that trip more hopeful than ever that anything was possible. I was crazy enough to dream more, bigger, and more often. Since then, I got the chance to live and intern abroad with people from all over the world in Madrid for a month last summer. This summer, I will be studying abroad in the Netherlands, Belgium, and France- my financial situation being the same, yet my perspective on it just as strong. All it took was one. It took one choice to say “yes” despite the external “no”s. It was one choice that I had to repetitively make every single day. It took one vision and dream to multiply into countless visions and dreams. It took one person to believe in me and say it was possible. I hope to stand today as one of those people, a voice saying, “You can do it”. If it happened for me, it can happen for anyone. I tell my story with that hope in mind. So now I ask you, “Do you see limitations as hurdles or brick walls?” If right now all you see is brick walls, I hope this story removed a brick. If you see hurdles, see them shorter and your stride longer. No matter who you are or where you are or what you have or what your dream is, dare to see those limitations as moveable, defy-able, overcome-able, see-through, inconvenient yet small, tall yet able to be knocked over or go untouched, as just a thing set, not a thing cemented.To my entire First-Gen family I say, “You can do it!”
May 14
Destini Harrell
