1993, born and raised on the Southside of Chicago
by my wonderful grandparents. They instilled in me several wholesome values expected from an older generation. Among these were prudence, courage, compassion, and integrity. However, the most impactful trait they instilled was ingenuity. Growing up, our motto was to “use what we have." These words have molded me into the creative maker I am today. I have ruminated on this adage and correlated these words to my personal narrative. The resultant interpretation can be drawn in two ways. One has no choice but to be creative to survive, and creativity has driven my survival thus far . . .