I was born the second child of six to Wallace and Bessie Wilson on February 7th in Missouri. When I was two, my family moved across the Eads Bridge to a small town called East Saint Louis. There I was raised by my parents and grandparents. Our family was a replica of the Walton's. Literally speaking, we were showered with just as much love and support as the television family of the twentieth century.
At age six, I pretended I was a school teacher to family members (mostly cousins), and to my friends. I loved correcting their grammar. I was a precocious child, always observant, and politically incorrect.
My grandmother was my role model. She was the first college graduate in our family, graduating with a grade point average of 4.1 in Psychology. Regardless of my faults, her support and belief in me remained faithul. She was my hero, my motivator, and my confidant.
During my teen years, my life took a tiny twist off course. I quit high school, married, and was a mom by age 20. Throughout my trials and tribulations my determination to return to school remained intact.
At age 25, I made a decision to work on achieving my high school diploma while my children were exercising their own academic skills in middle grades and secondary schools. By March 1981, I completed and passed, with the highest score, the General Equivalency Diploma test (GED). It was one of the major turnarounds of my life.
At age 30, the desire to achieve my goal and become a teacher became stronger; however, the role of being a single parent was my first priority. With many prayers, resilience, faith, and perseverance, the three of us made it. My daughter, now 39, is the Accounts Specialists Manager at a highly respected corporation in Atlanta, Georgia. My son, at 37, is the director of a prestigious university in New York and is currently working on his Doctor of Philosophy degree (PhD) in public speaking. Patience is truly a virtue.
I began to prioritized my life by age 50 and enrolled at Clayton State University in the fall of 2005. Since my endeavor began, I have experienced every opposition possible. Needless to say, by divine intervention, what has not suffocated me has made me stronger. I am now a proud junior at Clayton State University with an expectant graduation date of September 2009. My major is English, and I have a goal to complete Clayton State University's Master of Arts program in Education in the fall of 2010. My ultimate goal is to teach secondary students or counsel young adults in a diverse institution.