Today is my 21st Birthday, Feb 17th

Yes, in other countries the young have to prove their coming of age by doing things such as capturing and killing a wild beast, spending a few days out in a forest, getting circumcised, but in the U.S. the tradition is quite odd and simple in comparison, and 21st birthday to many Americans means "you are now of legal drinking age," but for me, turning 21 means a whole lot more. 1) I am grateful to have made it to this age, as I pay respect to the young men (especially in recent years) who were shot and killed due to racial profiling or black on black crime and never got to make it to or past 18 years of age, 2) I am still in college, at the latter part of my journey here soon to graduate, 3) I've already been on television once (hopefully that's not the last time, because it's just amazing, lol), 4) my non-profit ScholarCHIPS is still going strong (which by the way we've updated our entire website, check it out http://www.scholarchipsfund.com/) , 5) I will be working a paid internship at an advertising agency this summer, 6) I am still in a relationship with my high school sweetheart, 7) I have already traveled to a number of different countries outside of the U.S. and I only plan to increase that number and 8) though I have made mistakes, I have learned and grown from the decisions I've made. These are only a few of many reasons why I am so grateful for my coming of age! How do I known I'm quote on quote "grown," well I filed my taxes and I officially owe Uncle Sam some money....Oh, I'm paying bills now, oh I'm grown, lol. I laugh, but I'm actually crying inside.

I digress. I had a party this past Saturday and it was a blast! About 50 of my school friends came to my apartment that I decorated real elaborately, to eat, socialize, dance and have a good time. Here are a few pictures. Cheers to 21 :)

Oh and today, I am traveling to Atlanta, as I will be presenting on Reversing the Cycle of Incarceration at the College Access Challenge Conference at the Evergreen Marriott hotel...man that hotel looks nice! Then off to D.C. on Friday for ScholarCHIPS' winetasting :)...an oddly, but excitingly busy traveling week.