Growing up, I was raised by a single mother and my grandparents. I didn’t think twice of everything that they provided for my brother and me. There would be nothing to eat except Ramen Noodles twice per week and I thought that I was high class. Whenever we had garage sales, I got to sell some of my old items and actually keep the money for myself. I was living large.
When I got into high school, I realized what I didn’t have. Some girls got $50 makeup from Sephora and I was perfectly fine with my Covergirl from Wal-Mart. Miss Me jeans were a huge thing freshmen year, so I just bought my friend’s old pair for $20. Prom season rolled around and my mom refused to buy my dress for junior year. I had to borrow my best friend’s dress while everyone else laid down $300 for theirs.
Reality really slapped me across the face after I was accepted to Southern Methodist University. I knew that SMU was way out of our budget, but if there’s a will, there’s a way. From the day that I was accepted until the first day of class, I worked my butt off to get as much financial aid as I could. I didn’t have an exciting summer, but I did get my first year at SMU all paid for and some for next year.
Attending SMU this year has made me thankful for what I don’t have. I am thankful that I was not raised so that I got everything that I wanted (sometimes). I had to work hard for anything that I wanted. If I wanted the electrical puppy that walked around, you'd better believe that I was doing my brother’s chores to earn the extra money.
My first semester at SMU was not the best experience. Students who were given everything at the snap of their fingers somehow constantly surrounded me. Some were bragging 24/7 about how much their parents made and that they had school all paid for. I was also made fun of because I bought clothes at Target. I’m sorry, but Target literally has the punniest shirts around.
The only place where I am able to escape all of these problems is at the dance studio that I go to. I told my dance teacher about the problems that I was having and her statement back really shocked me. My dance teacher is a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader, so I assumed that she was raised by wealthy parents and had everything that she wanted. However, she grew up close to my reality. Her parents did everything that they could to pay for her dance classes because that is what she loved. She didn’t receive her first car until sophomore year of college. She also agreed that she buys shirts at Target because they are the cutest!
I am currently doing a news package about the Vickery Meadow community, just ten minutes from SMU. When I first visited the community I was not sure what I was getting myself into. I drove around the apartments and it broke my heart seeing the living conditions of the residents. The next day, I had to go back to film a youth program that the children from Vickery Meadow are a part of. I got there early, so I drove around for a bit and was literally terrified. There were cops everywhere and they had roads shut down that I was on the previous day. I remember thinking, "God, please have your guardian angels over me."
Once I got to the school, I set up my camera to start filming. Students of all different cultures were coming up to me and introducing themselves. They had a huge interest in why I was there. All of the kids wanted to be interviewed in order to have others hear their stories. I was talking to some students afterward and I didn’t realize how much I related to them. They haves dreams like I do and aspire to go to college one day. Some even dream of attending SMU and nothing is going to stop them. I got really jealous of the girl who has a Tiffany Blue Polaroid camera.
When I left, I had no fear about what area of Dallas I was in. I realized that, at the end of the day, we are all a community. It does not matter how much money you have, what college degrees you have under your belt, or if you buy clothes at Target. This past year has made me thankful for what I don’t have in order to appreciate what I do have. I am thankful for what I don’t have because, without all of that stuff, I am the happy and successful person who I am today.
