I didn’t come from peace—I had to fight for it. I grew up in poverty. Surrounded by violence. I watched my father abuse my mother. I held my brother’s hand as he died. I’ve been betrayed by people close to me. I grew up surrounded by violence and poverty. I watched my father abuse my mother. I held my brother's hand as he died. I've been betrayed by my own family. At 18, I was ready to drop out of high school and give up on everything.
But my mother, exhausted from working a double shift, looked me in the eye and said, "Just go back. You came this far."
