about me

I won't make this a long, boring sob story. I was born and raised in McDowell County, WV. If you've heard of the Rocket Boys (or October Sky) or the Glass Castle, then you'd know that my home is considered the poorest place in the country.

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Everyone knew something about me. It's not uncommon for people to know a lot about you when you live in a small town, but it's still annoying. If you knew my mom, I was "Little Mika". If you knew my dad, I was "Baby Horse." That's how all of the adults saw me.

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My peers saw me as the black girl that was always different and people always thought I was odd. At one point I was the "Vampire Girl." I was known for being the story teller and most likely to become an author and I was the kid that racked up money when there were essay's or short stories assigned to us.

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At 17 years old, I gave birth to my first son after nine months of high school, judgement, and hell. But I graduated.

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Nursing school wasn't a breeze, but it was worth it. I packed up and took off to Huntington, found a job making twice the amount of minimum wage and after living here for two years, I gave birth to my second son. 

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Shit has never been sweet for me. I could take the time to dwell on it and feel sorry for myself, but that would be pointless. That would kill my drive to do whatever it takes to build the life I want for me and my boys. People have always doubted me and as much as I should hate it, that's the number one thing that keeps me going.

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Just because people count you out, that doesn't mean you have to give up.