I was born in a small country town in Oklahoma so intially the move to NYC was quite the shocker. I went from a 200 person class to a 2,000 person class in the matter of days. Every morning I found myself disgusted with the traffic and overall hustle and bustle of "the big city". Finally I decided I needed to experience the city. January third is a day I will never forget. I was headed to …showed first 75 words of 494 total…

…showed last 75 words of 494 total…a new respect for New York City. I graduated high school in 1998 a year later than the rest of my class. And for the last 5 years I have been traveling around the United States into the streets that nearly killed me, talking to gangs and "thugs". I am not out there trying to change them, merely trying to make them realize that one case of mistaken identity can cause many families a lot of pain.