I asked the Rod of God what they needed from me and they responded frankly with some embarrassment. "We need someone to clean our toilets."

At first I thought the man was joking. Surely he took one look at me and did not see me with a toothbrush scrubbing toilet bowls. When he did not laugh, I knew immediately that I had a choice to make. It was one of the best decisions I ever made in my life. The next day, I bought a pair of latex gloves and went to work scrubbing the porcelain bowls that held the waste generated by people like you and me. The work is thoroughly humbling, but it is never humiliating. Someone has to do it. Someone has to do the dirty work of making a difference in the world regardless of personal gain. I am a human being. Of course, I have needs and...

Yet my upbringing has made me into a wise young woman. I know that I am not going to succeed overnight. I am not going to become president of the United States overnight. It will take years of education and personal development to discover what I am best at and what my actual role in the world will be. Along the course of my personal and educational development, I will experience peaks and valleys. I will meet people that will change my life forever. Regardless of the specific trajectories my life takes me, I remain fully committed to the worthwhile goal of promoting the best possible education for African-American women. I owe it to myself and to you to eliminate all barriers to achievement. Thank you for your consideration.