To our American neighbors, we were model immigrants, a poster family. They told us so. My father had a law degree, my mother was on her way to becoming a doctor, and my siblings and I got good grades and always said 'please' and 'thank you.'
When I was growing up, I'd study for days trying to get good grades. When I'd get an 'A,' I'd feel elation for about 30 seconds, and then a feeling of emptiness.
I went to school and made good grades and went to college. So I was afforded an opportunity through my parents' hard work that most people don't have.
I had poor eyesight when I was young and despite that, I was making good grades.
I never had good grades until I dropped out of religion. And then suddenly, my grades went up.
Academic achievement was something I'd always sought as a form of reward. Good grades pleased my parents, good grades pleased my teachers; you got them in order to sew up approval.
Growing up, I tried to be involved in school a lot, and I had good grades. I was an active kid, and I loved being social.
For some reason, we're brainwashed to think if you're not a thug or an idiot, you're not black enough. If you go to school, make good grades, speak intelligent, and don't break the law, you're not a good black person.
It's kind of shocking to me, actually, that I've almost been stereotyped, in a way - physically - because, I didn't get good grades in school; I got in a lot of fights. I wear glasses because I don't want something tugging my eyeball, but I wouldn't consider myself a 'nerd.' I don't know what really makes someone a nerd.
I knew I needed to find a way to stay out of trouble and to have good grades to be able to stand out.
