After Hurricane Katrina, it took me away from my circle of friends in school and I started thinking a little more independently. Having to play catch-up with the four different schools I was transfererd to and not caring about what I was being taught (because I was interested in learning more about computers), adjusting to school after Hurricane Katrina became extremely challenging. Approximately two years later, at the age of 16, I decided to take an untraditional approach towards my education.

I’ll never forget the day I woke up and told my mother I wasn’t going to school anymore and that she could punish me forever for all I care. I had enough of the BS.

Surprisingly, my mother expressed a lot of interest in the “why”, rather than just forcing me to follow the traditional method. After bringing some counselors over and having a pretty in-depth discussion with them and my mother, she agreed to allow me to pursue my GED.

And this is when I finally started enjoying my life and became even more passionate about my future.

After passing my GED in two months, I immediately started college at Louisiana Technical College (no longer exists) in Baton Rouge the following semester. I was 16 years old in a class full of adults, finally learning more about technology. I was in heaven!