Things did not go as she hoped. Brianna told him about ultrasound photos, important moments, doctor’s appointments, and parenting classes, and invited him to the baby shower but as time draws near and the baby developed, the child’s father did not show up.

”I was a first-generation college student, let alone a law student at Harvard Law. I was younger than most in my class and I came from a marginalized background unlike most of my peers,” he said.

Briana said being unmarried and unstable both financially and emotionally together with walking around campus with her protruding belly and the shameful gazes of her classmates affected her.

She said the thought of giving up was in her head after realizing that she would have to start her summer internship only 4 weeks after my baby was born. Briana said that idea suffocated her when she was alone in the hospital room while in labor.

”I asked for an epidural so I could hurry and finish an exam before the baby came. I do not know what made me feel most empty the fact that I had no one by my side to celebrate my daughter’s arrival, or that I was already confronted with the tension of balancing two of my most important identities: mother and attorney,” she said.

Briana said when she was finally discharged, she would be up all night breastfeeding with one arm and typing papers with the other, She stated that she not only thought of surrendering my dreams but also the excuses she would tell her family and friends.

She said the imagination of her parents’ reaction to her leaving law school when she was so close to the finish line made her reflect on her childhood. ”My parents did the best that they could, but at one point, we were homeless and I could not get into school because I had no “proof of address.,” she said.

Briana said looking back, to her past and how far she had come was a tipping point for me and she realized that she could push through her situation. To overcome her situation, she gave herself an ultimatum.

”It took years before I convinced myself that I was worthy of being at Harvard. I felt like I was just another minority child with a dream, and somehow God had singled me out to sprinkle magic in my shoelaces so I took off running and never looked back, but was always on the verge of tripping,” she said.

Briana said it got to the point where she was mentally and physically exhausted and would just break down crying. However, she did not let her self-doubts and her pain overcome her mentality of perseverance and patience.

”I cannot count how many times a day I tell myself, “keep going.” Breathing in all the trauma, the pain, what I felt were injustices done to me,” Briana said.

”if I stopped coveting the “traditional” family structure that seemed to be abundant in the beautiful town of Cambridge, Massachusetts, if I let my self-doubts and my pain overcome my mentality of “I can do this” and “I have to do this for my daughter,” I would have fallen,” she added.

Advising those with similar stories like hers, Briana encourages them to choose themselves, fight for their dreams, be creative with their schedule,  be patient, and choose success.