P.O.M.E. - Product of My Environment....And Proud of It
It did not take much to make me want to stay in Washington DC for college. It was this city that provided the tools I needed to attend college and continue on the road to success. As a native Washingtonian, I have an obligation to act as an ambassador for a city that has been so good to me and where I have many memories of people and places that shaped my values and made me who I am whether they are good or bad. I live in a city unlike any other and visitors do not adapt quickly to the world of go-go music, dreads, Solbiato hats, New Balances, Nike Boots and whatever else you see folks do. Ironically, in the center of the city is the United States Capitol, not too far from the Supreme Court and the White House. These qualities alone make Washington DC an enigma to many.
My journey to this point in my life was not without a few bumps in the road. High school was a clashing of personalities and egos that got treacherous at times. I fell a couple times but learned that I cannot associate with people with no orginality that try to mold you in their likeness. While I knew I wanted to pursue journalism and held my own academically, life outside was not without incident. While Banneker did little to feed my hunger to be a journalist, it did teach me many life lessons that I still try to apply to this day. Those lessons in school in addition to other lessons I learned interacting with different kinds of people in the district helped me to read people and connect on a level with whoever I meet – a quality missing in many journalists that if used successfully could help attract a loyal readership. How much do I apply, sometimes – but at least I am still trying. All I know is that battling my insecurities while battling those with large egos helped to increase my confidence and take pride in my individuality – a quality also missing in many journalists that in the end hinders their ability to challenge the status quo and induce serious debate among scholars.
I am still home and I do not regret that decision. I’m far enough to concentrate on my studies but close enough to never forget where I come from. In my lifetime, I’ve developed seasonal relationships and at the same time developed relationships with those who do not have the same opportunities as me. I think about them and our difference in circumstances and life decisions that put us different paths. What is happening in the city – the rising crime rate, gentrification, an ailing school system, the rise of a generation with little to no hope is no coincidence. All problems are intertwined with each other and as I put the puzzles together I learn more so when I leave GW I can write more and help solve these problems.
So, yes I love my city to the fullest. Expect me to keep talking about it because by the end of the day it is the essence of who I am. My calling is journalism and as a journalist, my responsibility lies in spreading the word and trying to make the world a better place, starting with this region first of course.
It did not take much to make me want to stay in Washington DC for college. It was this city that provided the tools I needed to attend college and continue on the road to success. As a native Washingtonian, I have an obligation to act as an ambassador for a city that has been so good to me and where I have many memories of people and places that shaped my values and made me who I am whether they are good or bad. I live in a city unlike any other and visitors do not adapt quickly to the world of go-go music, dreads, Solbiato hats, New Balances, Nike Boots and whatever else you see folks do. Ironically, in the center of the city is the United States Capitol, not too far from the Supreme Court and the White House. These qualities alone make Washington DC an enigma to many.
My journey to this point in my life was not without a few bumps in the road. High school was a clashing of personalities and egos that got treacherous at times. I fell a couple times but learned that I cannot associate with people with no orginality that try to mold you in their likeness. While I knew I wanted to pursue journalism and held my own academically, life outside was not without incident. While Banneker did little to feed my hunger to be a journalist, it did teach me many life lessons that I still try to apply to this day. Those lessons in school in addition to other lessons I learned interacting with different kinds of people in the district helped me to read people and connect on a level with whoever I meet – a quality missing in many journalists that if used successfully could help attract a loyal readership. How much do I apply, sometimes – but at least I am still trying. All I know is that battling my insecurities while battling those with large egos helped to increase my confidence and take pride in my individuality – a quality also missing in many journalists that in the end hinders their ability to challenge the status quo and induce serious debate among scholars.
I am still home and I do not regret that decision. I’m far enough to concentrate on my studies but close enough to never forget where I come from. In my lifetime, I’ve developed seasonal relationships and at the same time developed relationships with those who do not have the same opportunities as me. I think about them and our difference in circumstances and life decisions that put us different paths. What is happening in the city – the rising crime rate, gentrification, an ailing school system, the rise of a generation with little to no hope is no coincidence. All problems are intertwined with each other and as I put the puzzles together I learn more so when I leave GW I can write more and help solve these problems.
So, yes I love my city to the fullest. Expect me to keep talking about it because by the end of the day it is the essence of who I am. My calling is journalism and as a journalist, my responsibility lies in spreading the word and trying to make the world a better place, starting with this region first of course.
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