“19 years old, I’d found a part-time job waiting tables at a local Olive Garden for the summer. One blistering hot day in July, I dropped a coworker off at work, looking forward to her shift ending so we could go out dancing. I had no idea my life was about to be turned upside down.”
‘As I rinsed my car, a man from behind placed a knife at my throat. Hand over my mouth, he dragged me to the floor of his car, forcing handcuffs around my wrists.’: Kidnapping, sexual assault survivor urges ‘there is abundant life after trauma’
‘He WILL have a good brain, so make sure he uses it.’: Man with rare Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva seeks to ‘normalize ALL disabilities’
“’It’s SO important for him to have as normal a life as possible while he physically can.’ I am ALWAYS raising the bar and crushing my goals.”
‘I’ll do it, but just this once.’ Famous last words. My body NEEDED them. I HAD to get high every 6 hours.’: Recovering addict shares sobriety journey, ‘All you have to do is SHOW UP’
“If I didn’t get high within an hour, I’d start throwing up. I’d sit in the bathroom for hours trying to hit. My veins were ruined. My probation officer was calling everyone I knew, threatening to send me to prison. I was at an all-time low.”
‘He craned his neck, trying to see me as they drove away. Every day, he wondered where I was.’: Foster parents help create law after separation from foster son, ‘We are so thankful for this victory’
“We fought for his rights and best interests. We were the only family he had ever known. I will never ever forget the caseworker driving him away. It was the most heartbreaking, excruciatingly painful thing. As soon as he left our home, we were working to change the laws.”
‘You can bring your newborn to class,’ my Dean emails me. I was relieved, but afraid. Will he cry all the time?’: Mom takes newborn to law school classes, does ‘everything in my power’ to give children ‘opportunity to be successful’
“On the last trimester of my pregnancy, I talked with the Dean. ‘I don’t have any support system near me, my husband works full time and takes night courses. I’m supposed to graduate next year. I don’t want to fall behind.’ She looked me in the eyes and said, ‘Tell me who your professors are next semester. I will talk with them personally.’”
‘I’m sick of getting dinged for test scores when my students don’t have food at home, or clothes that fit. I’m so sick of it, that I’m leaving the field.’: Teacher decides to leave her profession
“Teaching was tenable when I was a 22-year-old single renter. It no longer works when I have a family and a mortgage. I’m not looking to have a crazy affluent lifestyle over here. But the fact is, I can only afford to live in the neighborhood where I teach because I’m married.”
‘I’m going to be honest with you guys, I didn’t think I could do it.’ Single mom graduates Harvard, goes from ‘anomaly to statistic to example’
“Evelyn, they said that because of you I wouldn’t be able to do this. Just know that I did this BECAUSE OF YOU.”
