"I was born in Romania in 1981. When I was a child, my mother and I escaped during the revolution of 1989. We lived as refugees in the attic of a motel in Germany before coming to the United States in 1991. Arriving in America at 10 years old, I didn’t speak the language and I didn’t understand the culture. But I carried a belief. Being in America meant possibility. For a long time, I believed that the trauma I experienced would define me. I lived under the thumb of worry, and constant internal pressure to do more and be more. But over time, I learned something powerful. What happens to you is not the same thing as who you are. You are not broken because difficult things happened and your starting point does not determine your finish line. I want to bring this powerful life story to our teens today. It seems now more than ever, young people struggle to see past their circumstances. They should be reminded what life can be after the hard things. And they should be reminded that people have overcome hard things and are here to tell the tales of their survival. I'm here to share my story and bring to light the choices we all have to create the life we want, even when you're not sure what that looks like yet."