Stay Strong 

My potential leaders, those words go out to you. They may be meaningless now but I hope that they reach you. See what you are is what I have been. And what you have seen, I’ve seen time and time again. Yes I know the road you’ve chosen may still bring doubt because you ‘friends’ have chosen a different route. But don’t you worry. You’re not alone. You’re in all our prayers. So my young leaders, stay strong. My leaders hold you head up high. See others may doubt you, but no, not I. See I cry for you as you will for someone else. And you know that we believe in you, but the question is do you believe in yourself? And as society points their fingers and tries to discourage you through it all, stand tall and to yourself and God be true. When the road gets rough and it seems too long don’t forget those great people who’ve paved the way for you. For them you got to stay strong. My young leaders, my heart goes out to you because I wish you didn’t have to deal with the same things that we’ve all been through. But I can assure you they make you a stronger man or women. Because if anybody can it. God knows that you can. Now say what they will than they’ll ever know, because your great destiny a long, long time ago. So when you finally decide to give something back to those who doubted you all along, remember stay young, stay proud but most of all stay strong.

This poem came at a very crucial time in my life. I was fighting with my family over my career choice of wanting to work in the United Nations and taking on a political science degree. My friends have seemed to abandon me. I was getting made fun of at my university for being different and wanting to use my voice to stand up for what is right. I was being asked to conform. I did not want to. Being mixed with Asian (Cambodian) and African American, I love both cultures equally why did I have to choose. Why did I have to conform to be accepted and to gain help in my university. At the time when I read this poem, I was homeless for a semester. It was so difficult. I had no family support and a couple of my real friends came around and helped. Every day I worked three jobs with a large school load.  I was moving from place to place in a deep depressions wondering if I am going to even have a meal. There were times I slept in my car in order to conserve gas because my commute to campus was so far. At the time I was interning with the Indiana State House in the Department of Education. There was so much I have overcame. I remember getting into an abusive relationship because I have no one else to stay with. The hardest part was leaving because I knew I deserve better. The craziest part was learning how to stay on you toes. I remember one day in particular I told one of my really good friends about my situation only to find out that he was attempting to rape me. Luckily, I was able to escape. Once Mike Pence and Donald Trump won the President and Vice Presidency, I lost my internship at the Indiana State House because the Superintendent (my boss) was voted out and the current Superintendent (McCormick) was voted in. I remember thinking to myself how am I going to survive. Then through the graces of God, I landed my dream internship at the United Nations in New York City. I ended up making history as the first student at my university to gain such a prestigious internship. This poem got me through some hard times. I ended up running out of financial aid and ended up having to fight the school to figure out a way to graduate in May. I ended up taking on 30 credit hours while fighting for my case. Now I ended up getting accepted in Harvard University and completing the impossible.