Inaya Maughan

Growing up, I had a different childhood from the other kids in my neighborhood. My mother was from the "Boogie Down" Bronx, a no-nonsense woman who attended TSU and was an entrepreneur in her organization. On the other hand, my father was from a small island called Trinidad, which many, for some reason, thought was somewhere in Africa. He came to the U.S. to attend Prairie View and later became an engineer. We lived in a two-story house in a neighborhood that many would call "ghetto," but despite its location, it was where I would live the best, worst, and most memorable moments of my life.

As I grew older, I experienced education differently. Due to my mom's beliefs in the education system, I didn't attend public school until I was sixteen. I was mostly homeschooled—or "life-schooled," as my mom would usually call it—since we often learned the importance of living life while also focusing on usual educational values. My sister and I used an online curriculum called Time4Learning, a homeschooling website used to learn various subjects. Despite not having the typical public school experience, I enjoyed certain benefits from being life-schooled. We traveled to various parts of the Americas and even outside the country, from the presidential landmarks in Washington, D.C., to the rich sands of Egypt and the beautiful beaches of Jamaica. I also got to participate in multiple activities outside of school, such as piano, golf, tennis, swimming, and Girl Scouts.

During my teenage years, things slowly changed during and after the pandemic. Back in 2019, my family had an opportunity to live in Khartoum, Sudan, and I attended one of the schools there for a few weeks. However, due to personal reasons, we returned to Houston. In 2020, I continued being life-schooled and still managed to travel in and out of the country despite the challenges everyone faced due to the lockdown and pandemic. Thanks to my experience as a swimmer and being part of a swim team, I had my first job at 15 as a lifeguard in 2021. I also participated in a different schooling system called Whole Living Academy, where my sister and I joined classes through Zoom meetings. It wasn't until late 2022 that I began attending South Early College High School, and despite my unique educational background, the school did not accept all of my credits.

I've only been in high school for a few years and have been involved in many things in the past, but this has helped me to become a better person and student in many ways. Until then, I will continue to grow and use my past experiences to become the best version of myself. Though the college load may be tough, I know I will need to bring my A-game to succeed.