This story of a woman's journey was written to inspire people to achieve great things. She felt that all who want to achieve great things must set goals and they must exhibit tenacity, perseverance, and sacrifice in working to achieve those goals. She felt that people should actively pursue their goals regardless of the pitfalls, hurdles, and roadblocks they might encounter in the pursuit of their dreams. As an educator, she saw the poor conditions from which many children came. She realized that once in the classroom, students were often able to forget the squalid and abusive conditions from which they experienced at home and thrive in their educational environment. Her goal was to make each day better than the last for each of her students. Crippled by socially imposed limitations that were a product of that time, she found creative ways to circumvent those challenges and use the resources available to her to make a difference. She believed that if you empower yourself, you can improve the world by helping others.