When I was ten years old, I wanted to become a doctor, but I was discouraged by the people around me. My father was one of those who discouraged me, saying I would not be able to stand the sight of blood. My other friends and neighbors told me that I would change my mind by the time I entered high school and realized how hard biology is. With all the discouragement that I got I really wanted to prove everyone wrong and become a doctor. However, I have changed my mind and have decided to become a banker.

Although the discouragement had a part to play in changing my mind, something else happened that really made me make up my mind. My mother joined a money savings club, or as we call it in Liberia, SuSu club. Here is how it works: At the beginning of every week, they collect $5,000 Liberian dollars for two months, and at the end of the two months they collect all that has been saved up. They continue this process until every participant collects. The money is kept by a person called the SuSu Ma. On one of the days of collection, when the women went to find the SuSu Ma, they found out that she had packed up her house and left with everyone’s money. It was my mother’s turn to collect her portion of the money when the SuSu Ma fled. My mother was so frustrated when this happened because she was going to start a business with her part of the money. It made me very sad to see my mother frustrated. I thought to myself that if the money was being kept in a bank, and not by a single person, my mother would not have lost so much money and be frustrated. Therefore, I want to become a banker to give people the assurance that their money is safe. Though my community has faced many negativities, I have promised myself to use these negativities to motivate me to achieve my dreams.