The Timeless Value of a Treasure from the Past

No matter where life takes me or how many years I am away, I will always consider myself a North Carolinian. As soon as I cross the state line, I feel at home. I was born in Kinston, N.C. and raised in Charlotte, N.C. It has always been a hard task to select one as my hometown. So I claim both.

My mom was only age 18 when she gave birth to me. She was a high school senior and was unsure if she would be able to accept admittance to the University of North Carolina after graduation. Her younger sister, Martha volunteered to fulfill her god parent duties along with her husband, Larry, to raise me while my mom was in school.

The generations in my family are very close in age. Six of my aunts and uncles were still in their teens when I was born. They enjoyed playing jokes on me. I remember singing and dancing for them. I was their entertainment.

While at UNC, my mom met my step-father Allen. They became college sweethearts and married soon after graduation. The newlyweds, along with myself, moved to Charlotte. I was five years old and was not fond of leaving the life I’ve known behind.

The relocation brought many pros and cons. My parents had more job opportunities and could earn higher salaries, while I was able to attend better schools. But what was left behind was just as valuable. I rarely saw my family. I was accustomed to seeing them on a daily. I missed my old playmates.

I branched out in the neighborhood to meet new friends. I even started new hobbies. I became an artist and enjoyed organized sports. Track and field was my favorite. I still carry the same spike key that was used on my first pair of running shoes over twenty years ago.

My immediate family started to grow. My parents gave birth to two girls, April and Ellena, within three years of moving to Charlotte. I embraced the role of big brother. My sisters were not looked upon as playmates. They are seven and nine years younger than me.

I looked forward to scheduled breaks from school so I could return to Kinston. There, I was surrounded by family members close to my age. It was great to learn that many of them also shared interests in running and basketball. I would stay the entire summer between the ages of 8 and 14 years old.

This was my recess and my time to reconnect with family.

Life back in Charlotte was balanced with work and play. As long as I earned good grades in school, my parents would allow me to play sports. My mother also enrolled me in youth leadership training classes and volunteered my time for community service projects, two of the last places a teenager would select to be.

I hated it! I wanted to be in the streets playing, not learning in a classroom setting. 

In the past, I thought this took away from my childhood. I see now it is continuing to enhance my life. I am better equipped to face challenges and eager to work towards a better life.

I am now a resident of Arlington, VA. This is the largest distance I’ve ever lived away from family. The advancements of technology and developing social networks make it easier for us to keep in touch.

The opportunities from the city that separated me from my family are the very things helping me connect with them.

I mentor my younger relatives and is now a god father to Chiara, a younger first cousin, who is my inspiration to continue to pursue ways of self improvements.


Audience:  Carolina Alumni Review - Campus Profile

Abstract:  I am a product of my family. The bonds we share expand across generations, states and even continents. Through these family bonds, we mold ourselves, as well as, next generation.