If there's anything I know about myself...it's that I make mistakes.

I may have graduated Cum Laude from UC Berkeley. I may have gotten rewarded Teacher of the Year. I may seem like I have it all together. The fact is: I do not.

I hated English class. I disrespected my parents. I failed classes. I surrounded myself with bad influences. I even got kicked out of my house and shipped to the east coast. I may have had potential, but I was what people called, "potential wasted."

Even NOW, my parents are disappointed that I'm not married with children, and my siblings and friends make quiet criticisms that I'm "just a teacher."

What I've learned is that LIFE is mess; but LIFE can be a BEAUTIFUL mess...if you let it.

Obstacles and challenges are a part of life. Learn to welcome it. We grow. We make mistakes. We learn from it. Most importantly, thrive to be better than the day before. If your ONLY goal is to be better than the day before, just IMAGINE where you might be three hundred and sixty-five days (1 year) from now! 2 years. 5 years.

You can sit still; but life will not.

I am Miss Hoang.