Success
Brown, John (2010-02-13)

>>JOHN BROWN: I grew up in a single parent home and growing up in a single parent home with a mother on drugs and not having a father was pretty hard. I had to be a caretaker for my siblings at a very young age, experiencing things that young kids shouldn't experience; cooking cleaning, making sure the siblings got clothes to wear and are taking showers, and feeding them. Throughout my childhood I also experienced being in foster homes due to the fact that my mother had been on drugs. It really crushed me inside being away from my family and not being able to grow with my family and learn things about our family, about our history or just knowing who I am as a person. Growing in poverty made me realize a lot, just because you may live in low-income housing or you may be on food stamps, or you may not have the best opportunities, one has to realize that being able to come up from that situation and being able to experience life in a positive way is what I strive for. 

I graduated from high school because at one point in time I was told that once I graduate high school I could take control of my life. So I decided to have three goals in mind and it was to go to school, go to college, and go to the military, and I have completed all three. I was very happy graduating from high school, and once I entered college exactly months after I graduated high school, I didn't finish right away. I was basically in that comfort zone of having a place to stay, a job, and so basically I was like a 7-year freshman. But in the midst of that I joined the military which gave me that comfort zone of having a job, I was in the Ohio Army National Guard for at least 6 years. I just recently left the military as of June '09, but I also graduated from college March '09. So that was a really big accomplishment for me to be able to experience the military and the discipline and the things that they taught me, to be a man, which I didn't experience when I was a young kid. 

Also, by graduating from college it made me feel very superior within myself because now that I graduated from college that is one worry that's behind me. And the results of graduating from college, I am now a supervisor for a cleaning company and it makes me feel real good because this is my first time being a supervisor. I realize that, even though I lived in poverty and lived the way that I lived and grew up, I've overcome a whole lot, and now that I look at it, I don't take things for granted, and I really am appreciative towards the opportunities that are given to me. 

The best advice that I can give to the youth now is to stay on task with your dreams and your goals, do not give up, no matter what your situation is, no matter where you've been, where you come from, no matter what your going through, just always look for a positive outcome. Always try to overcome your obstacles, always try to strive for the best, always believe in yourself, always have discipline, preservation, the persistence in order to achieve your goals, and most of all believe in yourself.