"When I was a younger woman searching for role-models, I would look upon various women of achievement and wonder how they came to be in the place that seemed so far from the one where I stood. I dropped out of high school during a tumultuous adolescence in which academics were not my priority, and became a mother at a young age. When I first entered University at age 21 (for a degree which I eventually left to focus on raising my daughter, and to care for personal health issues, until my return to formal studies in 2007), I was so anxious and shy that I could not meet anyone’s gaze in the halls. Compared to many of my fellow students, I was relatively poorly read and I saw myself as being culturally out of step and confused inside of an institutional academic setting, due in part to my particular class and education background. Like many young students, I was terrified to speak out in the classroom. Although I desired to learn, I was not sure if I deserved to be in University. I did not know exactly what to do to become a good student, or how to take advantage of the many opportunities waiting for me. I know better now!"