When did my answer to the age old question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” change from a Pediatrician to a Gang Affliate? Initially, I did not understand how a bright child of a dedicated Special Education teacher and a PHD graduate take such a misguided journey in life.
The unfortunate inner city child that overcomes all is not my story. My mother was not a drug addict; she is a recently retired elementary Special Ed Teacher. She stressed the importance of education and exemplified this in her own life. By the age of twenty-one, my mother was teaching full-time and later went on to obtain her Masters in education. My father was not an absentee alcoholic Dad; he is a PHD graduate in Educational Technology. The fact that he achieved his PHD at the age of fifty-seven is a testimony to his motto that “learning is a life-long process”.
My parents laid the foundation for me to follow successfully in their footsteps. They enrolled me into one of the top ten elementary schools in Chicago. I was involved in swimming, karate, and, dance. They protected me from the world’s undesirable elements. My childhood was a well-packaged gift with a perfect little bow.
My bow began to unravel when the same undesirable elements that my parents tried to protect me from became desirable. The choices that I made were out of rage and hopelessness. I surrounded myself with people in similar circumstances to justify my emotions and actions. I polluted my mind and made decisions based upon my perceived injustices the world thrusted upon me.
What made me change directions?
There was a moment when I was at a crossroads. I could fully immerse myself into the gang life, or start over as a contributing member of society. I decided and knew deep in my heart that I was worth much more.
