I was taught about the two types of people in the world. Mr.P would always say, “There are two kind of people in the world. There are people that complain all the time and never accomplish anything with themselves. Then there are people who don't use excuses and are successful in the world.” I didn’t know it at the time, but this talk would change me in the course of the program. The program I am talking about is NJ SEEDS, but that is not the most important part, the thing that does matter is the things that I went through and what this talk taught me.
I would go through multiple struggles in the program to the point I was considering to give up. I had to go and take a test that determined if I was going to be getting into a school which was the basis of the program. I had to fish around 7 essays which lead me to be stressed for the first time. I knew that the trip was going to be hard, but I did not expect all of the work I was given and also go through 3 days of my friends having been possible kicked out after having to go through the same things that I went through with the work.

The thing that kept me in the program was the talks that Mr.P would give to us and especially the talk about the complainers and doers. What he meant by that was that I should not become a person who made all this work into a big contract of evil that I would use to make excuse for my faults. I would become the person that would make this work into a learning experience and not see it as a challenge but a lesson. I guess that Mr.P knew that my friends and  I would go through this situation so he would remind us about this talk and it really helped me to continue in the program that had given me so much.

NJ SEEDS and Mr.P’s talks were the “turning point” of my life. I went through the good and bad, but I wanted to accomplish this goal because I knew people counted on me. I met new people that would help with this journey that we had entered. One of those people that would understand that concept the way I did was Michelle. She was probably the best person I ever met and she showed me what it meant to persevere. The essays, tests, and other work didn’t matter because I knew what I needed to do to make it and to follow the pact that my friends and I made with each other.

This pact wasn’t the cheesy pact that is in the movies and stories. We needed to stay all in this program together and that meant there was times that people would want to break and quit just like what happened to me. Even the times we got trouble, we would stay together and pull through. The talk Mr.P would give us would come back up during these times including problems on the bus and sometimes trouble with academics.

This year of program showed me what I needed to do to succeed in the world and it is the most valuable thing I learned. I am even lucky to find the greatest people during this process and even though I haven’t seen them for about 2 years I know that they are doing well. I know that they are following the things we were taught and taking the chance to change their lives. I know they are fighting through tough times probably personally and academically. I know that they are not in the part of the group that uses excuses, but succeed in life.