If you could choose one song that expresses who you are, what is it and why?

My mother suffered from a mental illness, but always told me I was her hero. As a seven year old, I could not understand this and worried about what I needed to do to live up to her vision. I found my answer in Mariah Carey’s “Hero”.

Over time I recognized what my mother saw in me - I found my inner hero. My inner hero is resilient and strong; even as a child she found courage to raise her sister and care for her mother. She refuses to take no for an answer; someone who did not make the soccer team her freshman year in high school and spent the next semester with a soccer ball at her feet - she made it the following year, and coached after that.

She is known for giving the best birthday presents; not because she spends the most money but because she is perceptive and makes time to connect with her loved ones. She has experienced disappointment; but analyzes her past as she reaches for her dreams. She is adaptable and adventurous; she traveled the world, lived in a different country, and grew up in a household where her parents’ two different cultures meshed with the American dream, to result in her unique world-view.

Above all, my inner hero is the best of the person I am today, and the one I aspire to be tomorrow. Over the years I have honed in on her voice inspiring me, motivating me, keeping me true to myself.