康德說過一句富有哲理的話,既然我已經(jīng)踏上這條道路,那么,任何東西都不應妨礙我沿著這條路走下去。
我的母親是一個未成年媽媽
Dad was killed when I was 5 years old.
五歲的時候,父親就死于非命
Worked two jobs
我曾經(jīng)同時打兩份工
while attending my regular high school and an arts high school.
還要去讀普招的高中課程,和一所藝術(shù)大專的課程
Evicted from my childhood home
從自己長大的家里被趕出來
my senior year of high school.
在我讀高中二年級的時候
Lost everything but kept seeking better.
我失去了一切,但仍追求更好的生活
My senior year of high school
高中二年級的時候
I graduated with honors
我獲得了學生榮譽
and received over $500,000 in scholarships for music and academics.
由于音樂和學業(yè)上的卓越表現(xiàn),獲得了超過50萬的獎學金
Got into my dream school,
我走進了自己夢寐以求的大學
James Madison University,
詹姆斯麥迪遜大學.
and received a full ride for music
獲得了全額獎學金,就讀音樂專業(yè)
During these past few years,
在過去的幾年里
I've had peers
我有過競爭對手
and family members die
經(jīng)歷過親人去世的痛苦
and end up in very bad situations.
曾經(jīng)陷入十分糟糕的處境
I'm thankful that
我要感激自己
I never let my circumstances define who I am.
從未讓自己的處境定義自己的本色
Two weeks ago,
兩個星期之前
I graduated with a B.M in Music
我獲得了音樂學士學位
with a concentration in Performance
主專業(yè)是音樂表演
and a minor in Music Industry.
第二專業(yè)是音樂產(chǎn)業(yè)
This degree is for my peers
我要把這個學位送給我的同學
who didn't have the same opportunity as me.
他們只是沒有遇到我這樣好的機遇
This degree is for Portsmouth, Virginia,
把這個學位獻給弗吉尼亞州的樸次茅斯
where a lot of people don't make it out.
在那里,很多人一輩子都沒有走出來
"Everyday's a struggle, everyday's a song."
每天都是一種掙扎,每天都是一首歌