Original copy

Okay, now let's get started in the living section 10

12 Clay Street.

Modest in structure, but filled with lots of people and

plenty of love.

This is the only photograph that I have of my

father. Oh, how I wish how I wish I knew

more about this man, Cookie.

She was always the most beautiful woman I had ever

seen. Alison and I had opportunities to bond through our

community. Through our church and through school.

I could not wait to graduate high school.

So imagine my surprise went through the middle of the

high school graduation ceremony.

I start getting emotional and tearing up.

I guess I knew that I was on the horizon

of something altogether different than what I always knew.

My year in Texas is something that I will never

forget. While I was struggling with my life experience in

Texas, Alison was thriving with her first year of college,

reflecting over my life experience on Lee.

Help me to understand myself better, so I challenge you

to do the same.

Take a look at these reflection questions and give it

some thought, and then write your own reflections.

You can't get it wrong My first college experience was

very pivotal and positioning me into an educational environment.

But I never would have had that experience without the

encouragement of my good friend Alison.

I had a whole lot of fun on my way

to learning to be a college student.

Reflection is simply a dialogue between you and you.

You cannot get this wrong.

Just start where you are and keep going.

When I decided to go back to college, I was

an adult.

I was married and I had already had my first

child. So although I wanted to go back, I talked

myself out of it.

Initially, I doubted my ability to press on and to

push through, not fully realizing that all of the life

experience that I had lived would Onley add value now

that I was going back to the classroom.

1998 was the year that I married and moved away

from Kentucky, so this was another big year of transition.

And so that top picture is of me and Mama

at my going away dinner.

Before I moved to Hawaii, 1999 through 2000, I was

in Hawaii, and that's a picture of me standing, um,

on the beach of Waikiki.

And then in 2000, it was time to relocate toe

Washington, D.

C. And that is me with my beloved dog, C

J and C J Stand for Cleopatra Jones.

And then in 2003, I will become a mother for

the first time.

And that's me with my infant daughter.

I ran my first half marathon in 2000 and 14,

and I took my camera with me cause I wanted

to take pictures on the experience because I thought that

that was gonna be it.

I was never going to do it again.

And so I wanted to capture it.

A ZX evidence that I completed a half marathon.

Well, this video is from 2016, because once I completed

the first half marathon, it felt so good and I

felt so accomplished that I signed up to do it

again and again and again.

And so this is part of that journey in the

2000 and 16 half marathon race.

It rained the entire time, but the race had to

go on.

And so, about Midway there was a local news crew

that was set up to talk to runners.

And so I took advantage of that.

And so this is me talking to one of the

newscasters. Meanwhile, in 2019, I decided, uh, that I would

end my running journeys.

A zit pertains to the half marathons because, quite honestly,

it started to cause mawr pain injury to my body.

And so this is the final marathon half marathon that

I completed in 2019.

But I'm still proud of myself because I completed seven.

And so I have seven half marathon medals.

One of my first jobs and higher education was at

Ottawa University.

Yes, the same university where I went as a student

and earn my bachelor's degree.

Well, I ended up getting hired at one of their

locations and doing that they were doing marketing campaign and

they asked me to be part of a commercial.

So this is a clip of that that was, uh,

aired on the local television 2000 and nine.

The fall of 2000 and nine is when I started

my doctoral program.

So in that first class, we, um, had to give

some background of, you know, our journey and what we

hope to do now that we're in a doctoral program

after we earn the doctorate.

And so I was in the middle of recording it,

and I was trying to get it done while I

had the kids occupied at the park.

And so this is part of what I was able

to record for that first assignment in my doctoral program.

And again, this is like the summary, like the cumulative

artifact of the entire journey from beginning thio me earning

my doctorate and everything in between.

And so I'm showcasing pictures of the family of my

upbringing. And then also, you just kind of see me

sitting in front of the computer, those air times that

I was studying and me just overcoming obstacles and achieving

goals. And so that's what this video is about.

Again, I do not own the rights to the music,

but I thought that it was very fitting and it

partnered really well with the story that I was telling

through my pictures and finally Thio So we can keep

in contact with each other and you can remain updated

on where I am and what I'm doing.

We can stay connected via social media.

And so here are my social media platforms Instagram, LinkedIn

and Twitter.

So I would love to see you reading and being

engaged in my story in my book.

So if you don't mind a ZX, you are journeying

through my story to snap a picture and make sure

that you tag May I appreciate it?

Thank you again for taking the time Thio Click into

this interactive video and toe learn Maura about some of

the pictures that I have shared.

I hope you enjoyed it all that is good.

The journey toe overcoming and achieving.

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