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A few months ago, in April, one of my friends passed away.  I can’t say we were awfully close, but it’s always hard to have someone you usually see everyday pass, especially at such a young age.  It happened all of a sudden, and one day she was gone.  I realized that sometimes bad things happen to good people, and there's nothing that we can do about it.  We as brothers and sisters just have to keep fighting through adversity and looking forward to better days.  These ideas of "hanging in there," are sang in "O-o-h Child," by the Five Stairsteps.

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the first family of soul: the best of the five stairsteps

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Provided to YouTube by Sony Music Entertainment O-o-h Child (Remastered) · The Five Stairsteps The First Family of Soul: The Best of The Five Stairsteps ℗ Originally released 1970. All rights reserved by Sony Music Entertainment Released on: 2001-11-06 Composer, Lyricist, Producer: Stan Vincent Re- Mastering Engineer: Elliot Federman Auto-generated by YouTube.

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In November of 2012, my mom became a cop.  Being with her through this process made me realize that stereotypes and people’s views of you are irrelevant.  Looking at my mom, who is 5’3, very bubbly, and always in a sundress, nobody would ever think she could shoot a gun or work for the LAPD.  This inspired me to be fearless in the pursuit of what I am passionate about, regardless of my physique, gender, or what people may tell me is feasible.  I'm thankful to have such a strong female figure in my life that I can look up to.  My mom is my hero, so I chose Alicia Key's, "Superwoman," to represent how important my mom is to me.

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Alicia Keys - Superwoman (Official Video)

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In 2015, when I was 12 years old, my mom told me that a few months after I was born, the doctors told my parents that I was failure to thrive. This basically meant that I would probably end up not developing in the way most kids do; I wouldn’t walk or talk at the usual age, or maybe ever.  This significantly changed the way I look at life and helped me be thankful for the blessing of waking up each day with a sound body and mind. I learned to live each day boldly and to not let myself be held back by hard times.  When life gets tough, I remember Mandisa's, "Overcomer."  It helps me remember what I fighter I've learned to become and that I have nothing to worry about when I stand with my God.

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In 2009, my family and I ended up moving to Nairobi, Kenya, in Africa, and living there for two years.  Being able to experience life in a third-world country opened my eyes.  I realized how important human life is.  Regardless of our race, economic status, or living conditions, we are all children of God.  Being able to interact with people on the other side of the world helped me truly understand this belief.  This experience reminds me of Basic Tape's song, "No matter," because "no matter" who we are or where we come from, we are all just people.

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Basic Tape - No Matter (Basic Tape VS Frances)

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Up until I was about six or seven, I was uncommonly shy (which you would never think of today).  I was always afraid of being told that I was wrong or that someone thought badly of me.  Eventually, I became sick of it, so I decided to overlook people's negative opinions of me and start voicing my ideas and what is important to me.  I learned to overcome society's forceful idea of living by other people's standards.  This also made me realize that I should be open-minded to others' opinions because I never know what will happen in the future.  Thinking about this always reminds me of Natasha Bedingfield's, "Unwritten."  I think this song represents the importance of being yourself and not being afraid of the future or of failure.

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Natasha Bedingfield - Unwritten (Official Video)