The greatest woman I ever knew always told me that education was important...and she was right. I came from a small town in the suburbs of St. Louis, Missouri, before I became a teenager. At the time, education was plentiful in St. Ann, where I lived. I went to a decent primary school and got good grades, although math is not my cup of tea. I have my mother to thank for that. This woman was my mother. At the time, she was a flight attendant for US Airways, and although she was busy 24/7, she did her best to make time for me and my studies. From what I was told, my mother was valedictorian of her high school class and had many extracurricular activities to her credit. Even though I was an excellent student and had many friends, there was something else going on in my life at the time that very few people around me knew about... My mother received diagnosed with cervical cancer at the time, so when she got sick, I had to be her aide. Every day after school, I had to do my homework, then treat my sick mother by giving her medicine. ...