I was born to two immigrant parents. My mom is from France with roots in Cameroon and my dad from Trinidad. Coming from an immigrant background it can sometimes create an environment for instability, which my childhood upbringing was. My parents divorced when I was six due to severe domestic violence. Prior to the divorce, I attended a Montessori-magnet elementary school that I thrived in. I was in the gifted program, consistently at the top of my class, and academically challenged. After the divorce, my mom faced significant financial adversity, and my siblings, mom and I experienced homelessness and uncertainty in moving from shelter to shelter.
This caused me to move from the school that I loved and excelled into under-resourced schools in my newly zoned districts that reflected the poverty and violence of the neighborhoods they bordered. I went to schools that were not responsive to my needs as a student, with children whose life trauma manifested through their negative conduct, and with teachers who vocally cared less about the individual child and more about their wages.
Despite my circumstances, I developed a sense of drive, resilience, and a dedication to academic excellence that carried me through hardship both in and outside of school. That is why upon learning about the SEED School of Miami, a charter boarding school that targeted South Florida’s most vulnerable students and geared them towards a college preparatory curriculum, I pleaded for my mom to consider it.
After further research, a home visit and interview from staff, and multiple conversations, I enrolled at SEED my 7th grade year and thrived. I became involved in clubs and consistently made straight A’s. I found my voice in public speaking and advocacy through a student ambassador program. There, I found my passion in law through mock trial and the committed efforts of a dedicated civics teacher and a board member who became my close confidant and mentor.
I bonded with students and teachers who truly became my second family amidst the most difficult times of my life. At SEED I found a community of people, from the janitor to the chair of the executive board of directors who truly cared about each student, their story, and their potential as an individual. It was the first time I attended a school that was committed to a greater mission of college success regardless of circumstances. I graduated as valedictorian and eventually earned a seat on the Board of Directors where I currently serve. I earned a full merit-based cost of attendance scholarship to the University of Miami in part due to the social and academic support I received at SEED.
In my case, school choice didn’t just give me a school, but it gave me a voice, direction, and most importantly a home.
