“Growing up, there was always a big group of kids from the neighborhood, from every block, that would get together. None of us knew each other, except for a few of us, but we were all thrown outside by our parents. They would make us go play and get to know each other. We all became best friends. We call each other brother and sister, til this day. We’ve been hanging out since we were eight years old. We used to go around the neighborhood and play games like manhunt or tag. As we got older, we stayed connected. Even though we went to different universities, we still come back home and plan days to be with each other. Sometimes, we might just meet up as a few of us because some of us are still in Louisville. We just stay connected and have fun since we’re young.

Right now, I’m going to Jefferson Community & Technical College. I’m actually getting ready to transfer to Indiana University Southeast. The other kids around here go to Louisville. A couple of them go to Bellarmine. The other ones are at Purdue, Ohio, and Kentucky. We’re everywhere.

I just switched my major to business administration, marketing and sales. I plan to be a project construction manager and get into real estate.

Since I was younger, I always loved to build and create stuff with my hands. My mom graduated from college and owns her own business and seeing her doing that got me interested. I always loved real estate. My parents were in it before and they’re trying to get back into and start a family business.

I really just want to build a name for my family. We’re not poor but we’re not rich either. My dad used to always tell me, “If you don’t come from a rich family, make a rich family come from you.” It’s more like a family thing is it’s more personal to me. I just want to start something new with my family. I want to change some things and not just for my family but for the image of a black woman or a black person. I want people to see what I’m doing and know that it’s possible.

Stay focused and be confident in yourself. Once I became confident, I accomplished a lot more. I feel like I can do anything. Some things might be harder for me, than others, obviously. Just having confidence and trust in myself has taken me a lot further.” - Marra, Park DuValle