Who Am I?

I was born to drug-addicted parents in New York on September 23, 1980.
With a mother in and out of hospital, and a father who was still heavily addicted to heroin, I eventually ended up on the streets.
Just before Christmas, 1996, my mother died of HIV.
I started at an "alternative" high school - Humanities Preparatory Academy in Chelsea, Manhattan.
I made straight A's through school.
While homeless, I received a scholarship to attend Havard University.
I became a Motivational Speaker.
My father's last words to me, in a card, were: "I left my dreams behind a long time ago. But I know now they're safe with you. Now we're a family again".

Who Am I?

Answer to last weeks Who Am I: Henrietta Lacks (born Loretta Pleasant)

Howdy y’all. It’s me, ninong7 aka UJ aka John. Just a short intro about myself. I am a Texan that has retired in the Philippines. I moved to the Philippines with my wife back in May 2010. I am retired from the US Air Force. The music I like is mostly Classic Country and Classic Rock. I guess you could say that I am “Classic”. I play dominoes when I can find someone that will play, I play chess, cribbage, spades, hearts, Empire Builder, Rail Baron, Acquire and a few other games. I like to write poems and stories (although pretty novice) and I love learning about history, just about any history. I’m at home on my computer a lot but if I could afford to, I’d be traveling and documenting my travels to post in my blog. I hope to get to know a lot of you through PeakD and Discord.