Parents Name a Child \"Jill\"

¶ … parents name a child "Jill" or "Sue," well, that is only a name; the child has a lifetime to figure out who she is without worrying about the weight of expectations that come with the name. My parents did not name me "Jill" or "Sue," instead; they named me "Precious." There is nothing quite like being labeled as valuable to put pressure on a child. However, I realized early on that I had a choice; I could live up to the challenge of the name that they gave me and strive everyday to make every person with whom I interact better for having known me, or I could make a mockery of my name, so that it was uttered in derision and disbelief by people having to encounter me. I have chosen the first path, and, rather than resent my parents for the burden they gave me when they named me, I celebrate them for the challenge they gave me. Precious? I hope to ensure that every person I meet cannot help but answer that question with a "yes."

One of the ways that I strive to bring joy to others is that I smile almost all of the time. It can be very easy to allow negativity and stress to impact one's outlook. I refuse to allow external events that are outside of my control dictate how I should react, or, even more critically, how I should feel about things. Therefore, when something bad happens, I acknowledge it, I accept it, and I look for how I can change it, or at least mitigate its impact in my life. Having done those things, I emerge with a smile, because any challenge that can be understood can be conquered. Moreover, I hope that my smile can help inspire people to remember that they all have the choice to view the bumps in life as roadblocks or simply as detours.

One of the ways I hope to bring joy into people's lives is through dance. I have been dancing for 15 years. I focus on jazz dancing because I find it the most expressive format. I moved to Charlotte with my father two years ago in order to attend an art school where I could further my art. I have been fortunate enough to dance with the NFL Panther Top Cats on several occasions, and hope to have that opportunity again in the future.

While I know how important the arts are, I realize that art alone is not enough to change the world. Art supplies the vision, and the vision is important, but people must be willing to bring that vision to life. Furthermore, people need to realize that they can bring about monumental change. To remind myself of that, I look to my own ancestors. I am African-American, and my ancestors were able to accomplish so much despite the overwhelming odds against them. If they could surmount the overwhelming odds against them, I feel it would be dishonorable for me to refuse to meet the challenges in my own life. That is why I have engaged in a series of projects that aim to have a direct and positive impact on the lives of the people around me. I had a talk show, "Closer to my Dreams" on WGIV 103.3 FM; the purpose of the talk show was to inspire teenagers to reach for their dreams. I work at Youth Empowerment Solutions YES!, a nonprofit organization that trains other nonprofit organizations. Yes! advocates on behalf of youth to foster partnerships between youths and the adult volunteer community to create change in the community. Many traditional organizations ignore the role that younger people can play in volunteer work and community change, and I help work to change perceptions about the value of teenagers in the community, and demonstrate what teens can do to help create change.