Growing up most kids aspire to be something cool, like a fireman or a police officer or a doctor or whatever. Not me, however. For the longest time I aspired to do something where I could make a real difference, however, I never knew what that was until I got to high school.

My freshman year of high school I took AP US Government. Up until this point in my life, I had never thought that government could be interesting, seeing as I had always hated learning about it. So, I came into this class on the first day of school expecting to hate it and struggle through it and pull out an average grade. To be honest, I fully expected my government teacher to be a stereotypical social studies teacher; an old, boring teacher that loved to assign busy work and show movies. Much to my surprise, on my first day my teacher was standing in the doorway greeting each child with a wide, warm, inviting smile. She was engaging, fun and a great teacher. Every day was different, made sense and went by quickly. She even managed to make taking notes, something I personally dread, into an interesting ordeal every day. Throughout the year my interest in the class grew. By the end of the year, I was left with a love and understanding of the importance of the government. In fact, at the end of the year, she asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up, so I paused and thought about it. After a long, thoughtful silence I said “Something in government.” I had realized that it was one of the few classes all year that I had enjoyed continually all year and I figured that that must mean something.

Later that same year I was having a conversation with my grandfather, a longtime priest in the Episcopalian church. Although my grandfather is a very social, loud, heart man (just think Santa), he and I aren’t really close. So, when began telling me a rare story about his life I listened carefully. His story took place in the March of 1965 in Selma, Alabama. Those of you who know some American history may know that this was the site of the Selma marches, all of which ended violently with police brutalizing innocent protestors, where he marched alongside the likes of Martin Luther King Jr. and John Lewis. He started telling me of all the injustices that black people at the time experienced; his friends couldn’t join him at certain restaurants, couldn’t ride the bus with him, etc. However, my grandfather always made sure that the churches he preached at allowed everyone to congregate because that is just the type of man he is. So, when he heard about the organization of marches in Selma he traveled across the country to join the march. While marching he saw many of his fellow protesters being beaten, hosed and gassed just for doing what they believed was right. He also became a target when he returned home from Selma by those who disagreed with him and what he stood for, which culminated into a cross being burned in his yard, a white supremacist symbol at the time. Later in his life, something similar happened; the Episcopalian church threatened to rescind his priesthood because he was performing marriage ceremonies for gay men, which at the time was outrageous. Yet, he didn’t stop and stood up for what he felt was right and nearly lost his collar. I remember thinking at that moment about how he had really lived his life making a change whenever he could and doing what he believed in. So, with his help, I realized that’s what I want to do with my life.

So, my AP Government teacher and my grandfather really helped shape and change my life. Prior to these experiences they gave me, I had no idea what I was going to do. My grandpa made me feel that it is important to make a change and stand up for what you believe in whether it through activism, lobbying, litigation or actually becoming a politician. Compounding this with my experiences with my government teacher I realized that I had the perfect path set for me. So, I set a plan in place to make things happen for me. I decided that I would like to go to a college in Washington D.C. and major in public policy, in order to really get a feel for the political scene in Washington and gain some valuable work experience with government. Then, I would like to go to law school to further my knowledge of the government and gain even more experience. Shortly after, I would like to return home to Georgia and begin a career as an elected official at various levels to help the people that I grew up around in the place that I love.

Thinking back on these experiences I realize several things. First of all, had I not come across this certain teacher my life would be radically different, as I would have no goals and nothing to drive me and motivate me in school. I also realized that this experience that my grandfather gifted me with his stories is so valuable in that it allowed me to really understand that in the long run, I want to help people overcome their struggles and injustices from a position of power. Basically, these experiences gave me something to look to in the future, plans, and for that, I appreciate these experiences even more.