Every little girl grows up listening to fairy tale stories with evil witches, magic, and handsome princes. But no matter what else they include, there’s always a tragic part - a mistreated servant girl who dreams of being a princess, abandoned or neglected by those who are supposed to care for her.  Those elements, as unpleasant and sad as they are, create the hope of a beautiful ending. Sometimes these stories come to life. Every girl has her own fairy tale story to tell, but I want to tell you mine from the beginning . . .

I must say the circumstances of my birth were a little difficult -  my mother was unsure of the identity of my father. After a few blood tests, it became clear.  Although as soon as my father came to know of my presence, my mother swept me away to Oklahoma, where she married my step father, and that’s when the struggle began.

Unfortunately,because of all this, I didn’t get to be a little princess, I had to grow up fast. Much like Cinderella, I spent my days caring for and raising my younger siblings, feeding them, bathing them, and teaching them. I was doing my best to be a mother figure to my siblings while my mother was concerned with other things. Our education was the least of her concerns. And as one can imagine my education was hard to focus on at the time, so I didn’t get the education I needed. By the time I was ten years old, I had to repeated the first grade and was continuing in resource classes; from there my education and experiences in school only declined.

The year I turned eleven, things changed. They changed quickly, and this time for the better... After several years of my father fighting to remove me from the situation, he had to patiently wait on the Supreme Court to decide that Arkansas had power over Oklahoma in this case.  The waiting was hard for him, knowing there were lies being told and secrets being kept and having to see the toll it was taking on me. But finally the decision was made that my father was best fit to care for me. So it became, and I took on a new life. It was hard at first, beginning my fifth grade year still unable to read and write but in little time things turned around. Surprisingly, within six month I went to my parents and asked them to take me out of resource classes. I was put in regular classes and succeeded from there. I worked hard to catch up and stay in regular classes, working hard to catch up on my education,and struggling with my father in learning to read; but my father never gave up on me.

I’ll admit losing my mother was hard, but I gained a new one. I gained a whole new family that will always stand behind me and guide me when I am lost. They are the greatest blessing I have yet to receive. With the help of my family, I have overcome challenges and became a whole new person, from a very shy, quiet girl to a girl who isn’t afraid to make a little noise and fight for what she wants. I can’t wait to start college and reach my goal - to major in secondary education and minor in special education, so I can be there for kids who are like me, kids who need guidance and a little extra help in order to succeed.