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In the 1920's, many African American were still adapting to the fact that they were no longer salves, yet racism still affected their everyday lives. Although slavery had ended in 1865, black Americans in the southern states suffered more discrimination than those in the north. African American families still suffered finically causing children to work in the field or work in the house doing house chores right after school. One of them were my great grandfather and my great grandmother. Both were born and raised in Sumter, South Carolina. My great grandfather John T. Porter did a lot of farmer work, while my great grandmother (who was  bi-racial) Mattha Bell Brothers did house chores and dated as small children.  Both also were extremely hard working individuals and both attended Morris College. Back then, African Americans did their best to just make it and unfortunately my great grandfather had to stop attending Morris College to help his dad on his farm. Even though my great grandfather had to stop, my great grandmother continued with school to pursue a career as a teacher but than later became pregnant with my grandmother, which later became the end of my great grandmothers undergraduate degree. While I lived in the home with my great grandmother, she would also beg me to please finish school, I understood what my great grandmother wanted for herself back then and wanted even more for me. These factors shaped me to do just that, finish school.

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In 1949, my grandmother Jacquelyn Porter was born in Sumter, South Carolina, which the same year my great grandparents married. She would later be the oldest out of 6 brothers and sisters. My grandmother was very privileged due to the fact that she was the oldest. A lot of the money my great grandparents made, went towards a lot of what my grandmother wanted to do. Being the older out of 6 children, my grandmother was required to help out with her younger siblings. Later causes her to fall behind in her school work, which led to my great grandparents having to pay for my grandmother to attend summer school to catch up in school. She attended R.E. Davis High school for summer school, where she also met my grandfather, Ralph Dickey who also had to attend summer school that summer. During summer the two became very acquainted and would later start dating. My grandfather was the baby boy out 13. Being the baby boy my grandfather was well taken care of by all of his other siblings which the opposite of my grandmother who was the one taking care of majority of her siblings. As they both dated, they both attended the same high school, and graduated together in 1971 and were married right after graduating high school. My grandmother had planned to enroll at Morris College right after graduating high school to study education in Language Arts but, had to put college on hold due to becoming pregnant with my mother Keillia Dickey her first year in college, having their second child the following year of 1972.  At this point, both my great grandmother and grandmother had hopes and dreams to become educators but were forced to put those hopes and dreams on hold to be mothers and wives sooner than they thought. I know that all they wanted was for my mother to focus on school. All of this ensured that for me, I would also focus on school and go to college.

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In 1992, my mother attended Claflin University located in Orangeburg, South Carolina, where she studied to become a paralegal. I can ensure that both my great grandmother and grandmother were extremely proud of my mother. She had made it through high school and for once was able to break the curse and successfully make it to college. As my mom attended college, she became part of  ROCT. This was the same year when she met my father, Ted Aiken who was enrolling in the Marines at a parade my mothers school was hosting. My parents became great friends and later dated. During this time, I believe it had seemed as if everything was moving in the right direction for my mom. She was tremendously focused on her academics, she was involved in ROTC, and joined the chorus of her college and had the most helpful and supportive friend of my dad to motivate her a long the way. I hoped to have the same goal as my mom which was to attend college, become extremely involved in the community and one day to successfully graduate college.

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In 1994, yours truly was born. Even though my mom attended college, she was unable to finish due to the fact of becoming pregnant with me. Unlike my great grandmother and grandmother who not only became pregnant and married unexpectedly, my mom and dad didn't marry. Both my parents had become extremely close, they talked about marriage but my mom had no idea that although they talked about everything, he failed to mention that he was legally married which is why my parents didn't marry. He had a wife who had been separated for a while with two children, but were planning to be divorced. At this time my dad had also gotten stationed in Japan a few months after I was born. Being in the military, when you're legally married, wherever you're stationed, your family follows. This left my mom and I who had moved in with my great grandmother. At this time, my grandparents had divorced and my grandmother was remarried and now lived in Little Rock, Arkansas. But shortly after being born, my grandmother divorced again and also moved in with my great grandparents. I was now being raised by all three women who I know for a fact wanted nothing but the best for me and I was determined to make these women proud by any means necessary.

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I am 5 years old when my mom and grandmother enrolls me in The Caroline Mack Center for the Arts Dance Studio. This logo represents all that was included at the studio which was, ballet, tap, and jazz, piano and voice lessons, and modeling classes. During this time, this was the first black owned dance studio in Sumter, SC. Miss Caroline Mack was also known as Miss USA who was also apart of the first Black Greek-letter sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. It was an honor for me to be one of her first students. Everything she offered at the studio, I did. I started with the kindergartener class, starting with ballet and tap and at my very first recital, I won the very first "Smile Award" out of my class. After my first recital, my mom decided to join the military in the ARMY, giving guardianship to my grandmother. Continuing at the Center of the Arts, I became an elegant ballet, tap, and jazz dancer, I also found a new talent in singing and became a decent piano player. I was student at the studio for a total of 15 years. Within these 15 years, I felt so accomplished, I was able to identify my strengths within the arts. This studio was a big part of my development and a lot of the reason I am who I am today. My grandmother had expressed to me that she always wanted to be in involved in the arts and was proud that I had the opportunity to do so.

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In 2003, my mom had come home from being deployed to Kuwait. When my mom returned, and she wasn't alone. She came back with a friend. During the summer of 2003, her friend than proposed to my mom and they shortly married in September of that year and were both stationed in Honolulu, Hawaii. I was now reunited with my mom and now had a physically present father figure. Although I was excited to now be with my mom, I was sadden because of the fact that all I had accomplished, I was leaving behind. I was now forced to make now friends and find new extracurricular activities. I lived in Honolulu from 2003-2005. During this time, I became socially aware making new friends from all types of backgrounds such as Asian, White and Native Hawaiian. I became very well known at my new school "Kipapa" which was also a charter school (K-12). Not only was I making friends from all different ethnicities, but of all different ages. This allowed me to become culturally diverse and was the start of my socialism. Moving to Hawaii, I had no choice but to adapt which has always been something I struggled with. During my 4th grade year, my school hosted a talent show. I was so excited that I had an opportunity to perform one of my most favorite talents which was singing and I ended up coming in 2nd place. Although I missed the studio of the arts I started to feel as if I was finding my way within the arts and tried something new. Towards the end of my 4th grade year, I signed up for hula lessons which is a form of dance and fell in love. It wasn't what I was used to but it was new and I liked it. Living Hawaii, I learned even more about myself. I never was never timid about learning new things and meeting new people and most of all felt confident about who I was becoming.

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In 2005, I moved back to Sumter, South Carolina while my mom and her husband were stationed near Greenville, South Carolina which is where they lived. Being with my grandmother, I was able to rejoin the Center of the Arts to continue dance. During this year, I also was able to attend the school where my grandmother taught. My grandmother signed me up for the chorus and the short story competition. While attending "Dennis Intermediate" I won the short story competition. The short story I wrote was called " Messy Hair". It was a story based on my hair experience while leaving in Hawaii, it was hard finding someone to do my hair and I had A LOT of hair. I also, hand drew the cover of my short story which also surprised myself. With winning the competition, my school had me do a voice over. Not only did I win the book competition, I was also given my first solo song for the gospel concert my school was hosting. At this time, it seemed as if I was capable of doing what ever I set my mind to. During these years, I demonstrated how I used specific literacies to adapt, communicate and lead.

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In middle school, I discovered a new interest which was in mathematics. I then learned that math was my favorite subject. It seemed as though for academics, math was the only thing I was good at and I enjoyed it. All throughout middle school, all of my math teachers made math fun. during dismissal, I would either be in the chorus room or one of my math teachers classroom. In class, I would always be the first one with my hand in the air hoping the teacher would call on me. I never had a problem with math. I loved the problem solving and following equations or formulas because it was like cracking the code- to the puzzle. This new found love sought out literacies that would I didn't know I had.

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For most, high school seemed like the place where you evolve the most and personally that's exactly what I did. In high school, my main focus were my academics, dance and singing for the school choir. I was awarded the opportunity to sing in the honors choir. which in order to be in, you needed a recommendation from your previous chorus teacher. With these disciplinary literacies I was developing in and outside of school as well as my socially literacies. I was practically well known in high school for my bubbly personality and singing. At this point, I was being more recognized for my singing and less for dancing.

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My senior year of high school, I was crowned prom queen. Everything I had valued was paying off, my social identity, discipline, determination, and my literacies that had led me to this point in my childhood. All of what I learned about myself had impacted tis very moment. I was shocked.

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In 2013., I enrolled at Francis Marion University located in Florence, South Carolina. Starting this new journey of mind, I was clear about what my goal was and I was determined to make it happen. My valued literacies and disciplinary literacies continued as embarked on this new life, the college life. I was happy to have chosen this school, it was extremely diverse and I saw nothing but more opportunity to grow and develop. While at FMU (Francis Marion University), within my first year I became a diplomat, joined the gospel choir, and got my first job as student supervisor at the café. Having such a heavily love for mathematics, I studied Accounting in the School of Business. It might sound crazy, but for me I was clear about the path I wanted to take. Making those three ladies proud who had raised me. They played such a major part in my literacies and development. And out of everything I had accomplished, led me straight to this point. I was a student for a total of 5 years. I was well known due to everything I had been involved with all five years. Being a diplomat, I gave tours to families of students who were seeking college. So basically, I took part in recruiting new students. My social literacies allowed me to connect with people from all over and get along with almost anyone I met.

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In 2018, I graduated from Francis Marion University not married nor with child. I set my goal and conquered it. I remained focused on my academics just as I promised those three ladies. Shortly after graduating college, I had the most difficult time securing a job in the accounting field. Six months after graduating, I was given an opportunity to teach sixth grade mathematics. This seemed like a dream because all that my great grandmother wanted for me, was happening. Although, I had let the idea of becoming a teacher go, it came back and with all of the love I had for mathematics, I am sure that this is exactly where I am suppose to be.