By Samantha McKenzie This is Samiyah. She is a freshman at a public high school in Raleigh, NC, and enrolled in a Math III Honors class. If she passes this class, she will only need one more math class to graduate high school. This means that she is two years ahead of her peers in…

“Love of self is the reservoir for which all other love springs.” – Dawn Onley By Dawn Onley I’m becoming more decisive. This thought occurred to me the other day after I chose where I wanted my family to take me to celebrate my birthday. Ever the diplomat, usually I choose a place that I…

By Samantha McKenzie Evolution only happens when those among us are brave enough to shed away the old, create the new, and walk into the path of the unknown. ~ Rudolph Angel Most of us are given our belief system at birth. We were told, nudged or highly encouraged to become something successful when we grow…

By Dawn Onley Two years ago, I was supposed to run the Marine Corps Marathon, but I didn’t. It wasn’t that I suffered an injury or that some type of emergency came up. I didn’t run it because I couldn’t get my mind right to train so I could run it. For months, I was bummed…

“A kind gesture can reach a wound that only compassion can heal.” ~ Dr. Steve Maraboli By Samantha McKenzie Our lives are so busy. We’re often so busy that we don’t have much time to be nice. I know, it sounds a bit ridiculous, but offering kindness, or a compliment to others, sometimes doesn’t fit…

  By Dawn Onley My sister is running late. She’s always running late. I look to see where we are on the program. After two more people, I’m next to go. I look at my watch and then glance up the hallway. Still no sign of her. I rehearse in my mind what I’m going…

By Samantha McKenzie My heroes live in my house. They fight for me on a regular basis. They will run to my rescue at the drop of a dime. They have saved my life and my soul on many occasions. They are my family. My heroes aren’t in the movies. Neither are they told about…

“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” – Frederick Douglass By Dawn Onley When I was younger, I use to cringe during testimony time in church. In the Black church, this was the time when the preacher would ask if anyone had a testimony they’d like to give about how good God had…

“Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” ~ Warren Buffett By Samantha McKenzie Today is not a dress rehearsal. Matter of fact neither is tomorrow. There’s no easy way to coax this conversation. It’s just one of those reality busters, in-your-face, whatcha gonna do about it…

By Dawn Onley I love the time that I get to spend with my six-year-old son. There’s not a lot of extra time during the weekdays, with daily homework and often karate and drum lessons consuming space in our already busy schedule. But whatever time we can get, I see as important, and we utilize every…