I was born with a tenacious spirit. A spirit that drove me to accomplish a mix of both remarkable and ridiculous things. Everyone should be able to sing the alphabet backward and read the Harry Potter Series in 5 days, right? From the beginning, I was always chasing something one step out of what I “should” have been able to do. I was thriving in a culture that was merely surviving.

As I began thinking about my future, it became clear that not many people could see or understand what I was pursuing. Unlike most teenagers, I was chasing a future that wasn’t explained by degrees and diplomas. My ideal future looked more like experience developing a reputation. I was eager to get in, get my hands dirty, and start learning practical skills as soon as possible. As I was concluding high school, I began pursuing some type of post-secondary education that would provide me with freedom and opportunities. I searched and searched and searched.

I was introduced to Praxis a company that gives you the freedom to chase down your passions with guard rails to make sure you avoid getting sidetracked. I had applied and been rejected twice. While I knew that this was the path for me, I was obviously facing a wall. I gloomily started applying to colleges looking for a new plan. I couldn’t fathom being a moving part of the expected societal pattern. Thinking logically, spending four years doing what everyone else is doing and expecting to come out with a different reality is genuinely just insanity. So, on a whim, I began the application for Praxis one more time.

I tediously began applying the feedback I was given upon my previous dismissals. I agonized over my application, over grammar and punctuation, and most of all over content. Was simply diving head first into this feedback going to be enough? Thoughts of giving up occupied my head. I pressed on knowing that nothing worth anything in life comes easy. A few excruciatingly long weeks later, I was accepted! I was granted access to the door of my dreams.

Throughout this process, I have developed some deeper passions for racial reconciliation and cultural separation. Currently, my long-term goals look like exploring options to provide actual relief for these social injustices. My dream is to create a culture of truth and freedom. To me, this looks like providing education to the public on real issues and establishing a space where people can gather in community.