She dropped out at just 16…

Her stories have been a staple of my life, one of the many things I’ll miss when I depart next year. She often told them on road trips or long car rides, silencing our old-school rap music…

My mother shared her experiences growing up on the east side of Savannah, Georgia –– a poor southern town with few opportunities for success. She often talked about her tragic teen years. For nearly a decade, she felt angry and disappointed about how her parents’ divorce messed up her trajectory. She felt it caused her traumatic interactions with men, roaming the streets as a child, the threats she got from bullies when she switched to the school across town. The scandal of her mother cheating with a drug addict made her family a spectacle. Because of the shame and heartbreak of watching them become disgraced throughout the city, she felt that she never had the opportunity to fulfill her potential…

Yet still, in the face of adversity, she clung to her intelligence. She recalled teachers often telling her as a child that she could go anywhere in life. So, after a heated argument with her mom one day, she grew tired. She realized that all her life, her parents had failed to prioritize her, and she decided to stop waiting for them to change. Fueled by a desire to be self-reliant, she dropped out of high school at 16 and enrolled herself in military school. After earning her GED, she continued to defy the odds and pursue her education. Eventually, she went on to receive her PhD…

For the past few months, my mother has been speaking with a therapist, talking through the impact of her early life experiences. They told her what she did in her life was called “changing her blueprint.” I believe that is what she strove to do with me.
From a young age, I felt a responsibility to excel. I wanted to avenge the dreams she set aside to break free from her family’s dysfunction…

She had a strong belief in the power and importance of education, seeing how it had reshaped her life as a black woman and a dropout. From her, I developed a deep commitment to excel academically and a profound ambition to succeed. I always wanted to make her proud. Raising me, she had a drive to defy society’s expectations of her as a single mother. Watching her, I found a strong sense of self-confidence and a firm belief that, in life, statistics do not determine our outcomes. That is why I always remained focused on my goals and never allowed myself to be phased by my peers’ thoughts. Further, regardless of society’s predictions, I was determined to become a success without a father.

Through my mother’s stories, I discovered the unwavering confidence to challenge the status quo and rewrite my own blueprint…

Early on, she stressed finding a passion. She always told me that it was the one thing you love––the thing you would do without complaint. I knew that because her life was built around necessity, she never had the opportunity to find hers. That is why, when I was put into homeschool at six years old after a racial encounter, I sought to discover mine…

It all started when a girl held up a black piece of paper and yelled that it was the color of my skin. Though I was young, this made me feel ostracized. I already felt different from everyone that I knew in my own community, but now, it was evident that I was also different from my white peers. Back then, I started to wonder if I would ever truly belong. I questioned: Will I always be alone in this world?

But homeschooling was an awakening for me. In my spare time, I decided to immerse myself in the world of film and television…

I found myself staying up until sunrise each night, watching the cult classics my mother introduced me to. Through the characters in Fresh Prince, Family Matters, and––my all-time favorite––A Different World, I first saw the potential she described to me. I felt the pain of my exclusion turn into a purpose: a passion to tell stories like those that shaped me. Since then, for ten years, the enduring impact of storytelling on my life has compelled me to continue on my mission…

Now, I strive to show others that they can challenge their labels like I do, dispelling stereotypes through my storytelling. I spread the powerful message that I’ve learned through my experiences and my mother’s stories, championing that anyone can change their blueprint. This commitment is not just a personal endeavor for me but a societal responsibility. Through my work, I strive to reflect the diversity of the human experience and capture the beauty of our shared existence.

Knowing the perseverance that pervades through my blood has prepared me to create characters that transcend…

I watched my mother reconcile the trauma of her past by changing her blueprint. As her child, I feel that I am ready to chart a path of my own. Because internalizing her transformation from a dropout to the mother of a successful high school graduate has equipped me with the greatest lesson of all:

In life, our end is not determined by our beginning. We are not defined by the skin we are born in, our upbringing, or where we come from. What matters is not how we start out…

It’s about what we strive to become.

As I express my gratitude to my mother in this letter, I am aware that words may fall short. How can I adequately convey the depth of my appreciation for her love and invaluable influence?

Perhaps, in this moment, I have found my answer…

Through my journey, and my commitment to rewriting narratives, I can carry forward the strength she has instilled in me.

Mom, thank you for teaching me.

With unending gratitude,

Ken