
Sonce Reese
graduate global affairs and human security student
Transferred from: Howard Community College
I am resilient.
I am resourceful.
I am determined.
I was the person who slept on a stone park bench in the winter and had nowhere to go, no direction and no idea what to do in life. I was lost, but I also knew that I needed to do something different. My journey began with a job in a bakery where each penny earned and tip received was saved for the security deposit on an apartment. When I finally earned enough, I got my apartment. The first thing I did when I put the key in the door and walked in, was lay on the floor and slept—I was still wearing all my clothes including my shoes, book bag and everything else that I carried around with me. It was wonderful.
I was the person who slept on a stone park bench in the winter and had nowhere to go, no direction and no idea what to do in life.
From that point, I knew the sky was the limit. I received a promotion and soon after was offered a job with another company. After working there for some time, I moved to Maryland and received several promotions before deciding to continue my education. I started at community college and before finishing, I applied to and was accepted into American University. My work schedule was very busy and I knew that I would not be successful in my studies. After speaking with my community college advisor (a UBalt alum), she suggested I apply to University of Baltimore. In my first semester at UBalt, everyone was so welcoming and very helpful. There were many opportunities to become involved on campus, but instead, I chose a workshop. The workshop was called “Using Your Voice to Lead.” In the workshop, people kept asking me what I was passionate about and the truth was that I did not know. We also had to write a haiku about our passion—a challenge because I had no idea. The short and skinny of my haiku was that my canvas was blank because I was in the process of filling it in. I have filled my canvas with my travels and with the names of the people I have met. Today, I have purpose, drive, ambition and a future. While I no longer sleep on that stone park bench, I am helping to make a difference in the lives of people who do, and I am still filling my canvas, which is no longer blank.