A woman I did Peace Corps with told me this when I presented her with my most recent conundrum. Two separate companies offered me positions: one in the field I'm interested in with good pay and the other with AMAZING income but not in my field. I spoke with my parents, grandparents, boyfriend, friends, and professors to try to figure out what to do. I wrote pro and cons lists, dreamed about it, did many hypotheticals, and finally arrived at my decision. I would take the job that would propel me further into my field.

When I told my friend, she had only one thing to say: "Good, now don't let the money distract you again."

She was right; I had let the money distract me from my ultimate goal. In every law school admissions letter, I've ever written, I spoke about my drive to help the world's most marginalized people. I spoke of my passion for international law, policy, and legal systems. I spoke of my hopes and dreams of making a difference and enacting real change; however, once I got to law school, that price scared me. The debt frightened me. The loans frightened me. I completely changed my focus (for a very justifiable reason).

Student loan debt is real and financial insecurity is real in the Black community. I was simply afraid that I was continuing the cycle. There are too many law students who make as much as someone who holds a Bachelors degree, and that simply didn't sit right with me. I come from generational poverty, and my mother has managed to stop the cycle; it would be a disgrace to restart it. I looked at the salary they were offering me for the summer, and that was it… everything I wanted to go to law school for became secondary. It took a few weeks, a few offers, and a few candid conversations to redirect my focus and stop flip-flopping back and forth. When money was no longer in the picture, the answer was clear.

Choose the job that I hoped to receive when I crafted my admissions letter.

However, I can't lie, money will always be in the picture for me. As a Black woman who makes cents to the dollar, I will always have to be mindful of the opportunities I take because I do not come from generational wealth.

Next summer, I hope to combined my two 'hopes'. I would love for the mission of the job I acquire to match my hopes and dreams while ALSO surpassing my monetary ones (LOL).

I'm in a good place mentally. I'm in a good place financially. The money will come because my purpose in life is clear, and God got me. I was put on this earth to do meaningful work, and I genuinely believe I will continue the legacy my mother has started.

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