No Struggle, No Progress
No Struggle, No Progress
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Contrary to popular belief, I highly dislike living in the south. I'm not Cajun or Creole, but I'm from north Louisiana, which has loomed over me most of my life. I skipped kindergarten, and instead of being praised or accepted for it, everywhere I go in north Louisiana, I'm constantly being torn down or discredited. When I got to high school, I worked hard enough to accumulate over 30 dual enrollment credit hours with a weighted GPA of 4.27. This hasn't been discussed or acknowledged once by my...
Purpose over potential? What does it even mean? Purpose over potential, am I clean? Purpose over potential don't you understand? We live for our purpose, not our potential. Purpose over potential I can hardly breathe. Purpose over potential, is there really something in me? We're put on this world with a purpose not to live to our "fullest" potential, listen to what I have to say. Purpose over potential, you got it in you girl. Purpose over potential, don't let them ruin your world. You're...
In life, we all have choices to make. We can choose to be angry, sad, or happy, etc. What I often wonder is what drives most of our choices when we have emotions tangled into one. For example, I have already received numerous college acceptance letters and some scholarships, and my emotions are all over the place. Don’t get me wrong; I am very thankful for each one, and I feel this should be the happiest time of my life. However, sometimes, I worry about choosing the correct college or even b...
It’s no easy challenge, and it's an ongoing battle for people of color every day. True enough, we’ve blamed others for our own misfortunes, but the true villain lies within us as a community, especially in today’s America. We as a community of black people have been turned against each other from day 1 and we haven’t fully figured out how to use our odds for the better and work together. To be a black person in America, you must be strong no matter what. Not just physically, but mentally as well...
Choosing how to respond and react when you have been treated unfairly is very critical to your overall happiness, peace, and success. Even as a young adult, I can vividly remember times when individuals would mistreat me simply because of how I looked and how intelligent I was. I was never the type to really “clap” back and I still don’t today, but it would hurt me on the inside. My mom, on the other hand, would always take up for me and my sister when things would go wrong or when people would...
Every year the month of October sends me through so many emotions. My grandfather's, the late Rev. John Allen III, birthday is at the end of this month. It is specifically on October 31st. My grandfather passed away when I was just about to turn 13 years old. He was the most wise and strongest man I knew. Of course, I felt like I was his favorite grandchild. I could always remember him being there for me at my lowest and my highest points in life. In those short 13 years of life, he taught me...
It seems like I have waited to become a senior in high school forever. Even though I skipped kindergarten, it seems like it took this year forever to come. Now that it is here, I have so many mixed emotions. I sometimes wonder how life will be after leaving my parents, how college life will be, etc. Although my mom has exposed me to so many different colleges, and I have seen the college life for myself, there still is a feeling of nervousness that I can’t shake. Another thing that is s...
On July 22, 2023, Franklin Parish hosted its first-ever Open Mike Youth Summit. The event was organized and hosted by site coordinator Mr. Jamie Johnson, who happens to be my uncle. Mr. Johnson works for the Lasalle Community Association. The event was held in Winnsboro, LA, and there were over 100 youth in attendance. The event's theme was “This is Why I Feel the Way I Do”, purposed to listen to the voices of the youth. There was both a youth panel and an adult panel. I had the honor and opp...
Sisterhood is more than something that you get with a group of girls or a specific person but a relationship to last you for the rest of your life. I've been impacted and influenced by amazing girls and women in my life, but I've never felt more led to lead one of the most important people in my life, my own little sister. My sister is 9 years old with every bit of 16 and by far the most caring person you will ever meet. She is filled with so much energy and light. She had a stump recently in...
When we stand alone, it's not something we want to do. Standing alone means leaving behind things and people that we love or care for dearly. What we don't see are the intentions of those people or what they truly mean to us. People are placed in our lives for a reason and a season whether it be temporary or forever. When we stand alone though, it's something that needs to be done. For some of us, standing alone calls for just being alone and figuring out who you are by yourself. However, for...
This past week, I had my Junior class ring ceremony to be officially inducted as a Senior of Franklin Parish High School. As one the gifts I received, I got flowers from my dad and I forgot to leave them in my house and put water on them so they could grow. Well, I went over to my friend’s house for most of the day and by the time I made it home, my flowers looked as if they were dead. Now, the environment they were originally in was hot, brittle, dull, and hurtful. However, when I took the time...
What does the word mean to you? I can tell you exactly what it means to me. It means patience, love, hope, and loyalty. I come from an average size family, and we are all unique in our own different ways. We may fuss, but we are always going to be there for each other. Many people feel as though they must be around a large crowd or even that they must have many friends. I must admit, I use to be one of those people. Not as much as needing or wanting to be around a large crowd, but I did want to...
Where do I begin, as a young “gifted” black girl growing up in the South, things can be rough. I hesitate to say the word gifted simply because I am not big on labels. I used to put my head down whenever my mom would tell people I skipped kindergarten and was making straight A’s. I am not sure if I was hesitant about letting others know my educational gifts because it made me a target or simply because I wanted to keep it to myself. Growing up in a small town in the south, it was somet...
This year 2023, I believe that the whole purpose is for new seasons and breakthroughs in life. As the 2023 year begins, I feel like we will all prosper and go through changes that we wouldn’t imagine. No matter how long it takes or when it will happen, we all are going to go through a new season. These new seasons will make us and mold us into better persons for our futures. Whether it is getting rid of bad habits or bad people in your life, always remember that change starts with you. You m...
It seems like just yesterday we were eating Thanksgiving food and now with a blink of the eye, Christmas approaching. Now that the year is ending, I felt like it was relevant to write about the season. This year, I think the main goal that life has taught us all is to be thankful and find joy in the small things. This year has taught me many things about life that I wasn’t prepared to know. Personally speaking, I’m proud of the things that this year has put me through because of how I’ve overc...
A strong liking or desire for or devotion to some activity, object, or concept. For some, it takes a while to find your passion and that’s perfectly okay. Personally, I’ve been struggling lately to figure out what my passion is and how to find it. I’ll be going off to college soon, and I don’t have any idea what my passion is. However, I stumbled upon a quote recently that read: “If you’re contemplating on finishing something or doing something because of how long it’ll take, remember, you...
We all look forward to the future but are not prepared for the future. Last weekend, I had the opportunity to attend Grambling State University for their high school day and it made me realize that growing up is something I'm not ready for yet. I've done the necessary preparations, such as taking the ACT, looking into majors, etc., but I'm not prepared for growing up and being on my own. I think this realization may be true for many of us, but we're scared to admit to it. Growing up, I was used...
This week, I’ve felt the need to do different things in my life, so I hope you all enjoy this short poem I’ve written. Hearing is the act of perceiving sounds yet why do we not listen? A few of us will learn to by listening, but we don’t see the vision. If we can’t see our vision, then we may perish. Things unheard yet seen are deep within our souls and hearts. Only God can tear them apart. We should write the vision and make it plain. The poem is short, but I would like everyone to understand t...
In life, it is often very easy to lose our purpose or forget why our path is different from others. We’re all unique and we were all created differently but from the beginning of time, we’ve all always tried to follow the path of others. Is it fear? Is it anxiety? Who really knows but what I can tell you is that we all have our own path. Think of it as you driving on a divided highway; two directions of traffic yet they’re both on the same road. Your drive is going fine until you see a detou...
Everyone gets tired, it’s natural and very human. However, it becomes an issue when we allow that to consume us and when we don’t rest. When I say rest, I don’t mean taking a nap for a few hours and then getting up and participating in something that made you take that nap in the first place. I say this because I do it almost every day, and I’m always drained by the end of the day. When I say rest, I mean taking an entire day to do nothing. It sounds silly, especially if you're a busy person but...
Every day, something always upsets us Whether it is something small or large, it affects our feelings and may even impact how we react the rest of the day or how we do a certain thing in our lives, leaving us with an attitude. This attitude that we have is most likely negative to something that affects us, and I want to know why. Why do we let something affect how we feel and potentially alter our life? You’re upset with your job, you may have financial issues , or even home problems but why sho...
As you all may know, this year is coming to an end and we're at the 6 month or the halfway mark of 2022. My question to you all is, what have you done that appeals to you? What have you done that has genuinely made you happy? If it took you more than 10 seconds to answer I have a solution for you, take the remainder of this year and figure it out because it’s almost over. We're near the end and who knows what’s in store for tomorrow or the next day? Why aren't we living our lives to the ful...
Recently, it’s come to my attention and realization that life isn’t promised. Yes, we sometimes hear it, but I never truly let it sink in. Looking around, I’ve noticed how much my life has changed and how fast time moves. One minute, I’m watching the sunrise and complaining about how hot it is outside, and the next, I’m watching the sunset. I know you probably think this is irrelevant, but I’m getting there. One day feels like an hour, a month feels like a week, and a year feels like a mont...
We all go through things. Some are worse than others, but every time we go through something we have two options: One, we can sit and dwell on it and let it ruin our plans in life or two, we can let it make us stronger. Everybody goes through something in life. Everyone. There isn’t a single person on this planet who hasn’t been through something that either upset them or changed their life. Yet here’s where most people tend to mess up. Will you let it break you or will you let it make you?...
Growing up, I was always an outgoing and friendly child and I loved speaking in public and to others. Now, I barely enjoy talking to people, I prefer to be alone, and I don't hang out with my friends like I should. Mental health is an important yet rarely discussed topic among black young teens. Most black teenagers undergo a mental illness in their teenage years but only 9% of those illnesses go treated or discussed. Many black teens don't feel comfortable seeking help or cannot afford it....
