On the surface, it may look like we don't have much in common. I'm not from the East Bay, not even from the city. I'm old enough to be your mother.

But look deeper and you may find we have more in common than you think. I grew up poor. Not, "I don't have a cell phone" poor, but "I don't have shoes" kind of poor. The schools acted like it was a waste of time to try to educate the kids from my neighborhood. Seems like every other girl I knew was pregnant way before she was 18, everyone spent more time getting drunk or high than working or going to school, lots of kids ended up dead from guns or car accidents, and if they lived they usually ended up in jail or dropped out and went on welfare or sold drugs for money. Nobody went to college.

Does any of that sound familiar?

But I got out. Much to everyone's surprise, I didn't end up pregnant, I finished high school, I even went to college and graduate school. I got to travel the world (14 countries and counting!).

I always said if I made it, I would help other people find their way out too. And now I have this great job, teaching at a university and working with CHAA and the RYSE Center, helping other people find their way to the life they want.

So what about you? You've got dreams for your life, right? But lots of stuff getting in your way.
Maybe we have something in common after all.