As I matured into a young adult, people told me, “grow up and get out of here so you can be somebody, girl!” “Here” would be a neighborhood that does not have the availability or abundance in terms of the best resources. The question that always popped into my head when I heard a statement like this was: why do people think that to be successful they had to leave their neighborhood? Statements like this one are probably nothing new to most people at this high school or in this neighborhood. We have all probably heard or experienced something like that or maybe thought to ourselves that our success was dependent on our location.

Although there are plenty of stories where some people needed to get out of their environment or neighborhood in order for something positive to happen regarding their success, I do not think that is the story for everyone. Everyone has different perspectives on what it means to be successful. It is abundantly clear that different steps need to be taken in order to achieve success. For some people that are leaving their old neighborhood and venturing off into new territories. Starting something in a new place does not work for every person though, for others making changes in their own neighborhood is the main priority.

A person lives in the same neighborhood and feels that they are more successful than the richest person in the world. Unfortunately, some people in our society believe that the more money you have the more successful you are. It is truly all about what we chose to prioritize.  

Although there seems to be a relationship between location and success we must remember that every story, journey, and a path to fulfillment is different and any one perspective on success should not be pushed on the present and future generations. Location plays a wide-ranging role in terms of creating opportunities for success. Some people are more concerned with their quality of life and their impact on the world. If a person wants to be successful, they would not let anything including their location get in the way.

– Bianca Jones