During my junior year of high school, I moved back to Minnesota from Milwaukee. It was a tough year, but one of its highlights was a summer internship at 3M. My experiences at 3M taught me so much and showed me that an education can take me places that I never imagined.

In the year since I left my first internship with 3Mgives, my life has changed significantly. Starting my senior year, I experienced a significant (and unplanned) life change, finding myself with a new home in the family of my best friend. But as a hurdler, I know that you have to run the distance and confront the hurdles to finish the race. So I started my senior year with renewed vigor.

I participated in College in the Schools courses through the University of Minnesota, made it to state championships in track, earned two academic letter awards and was again selected for an internship at 3M. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, I had the opportunity to attend the Twin Cities African American Leadership Forum, where I got to meet the first African American president of Hamline University, Dr. Fayneese Miller! It meant the world to me since I’ll be attending Hamline this fall. When I arrived that evening, Dr. Miller warmly welcomed me with a hug, and I met her Board and team. Dr. Miller even gave me a shout out during her speech. My experiences for the last two summers and this opportunity to get to know the president of my university will have a lasting impact on my life.