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The book song yet sung written by James McBride gave me an insight on what African Americans went through during the period of slavery, and how they struggled to survive. This book has positively influenced me especially academic career. In the book, a young lady, by the name of Liz Spocott, had the gift of foresight, through dreams, which made some of the prisoners she met refer to her as ‘the dreamer.’ She envisioned a world in which black people are free from slavery but imprisoned by vice, where well-fed black men sing songs of murder and money becomes the ultimate aim. Liz Spocott kept on fighting for freedom even though she knew that there was no freedom for her. She believed in the freedom of future generations of African Americans. From her actions I learned to be patient, determine, and selfless.

The virtue of patience is that which is very rare in human beings because we easily become frustrated and disappointed when things do not work out as planned or take too long to yield a positive result – everyone likes when things occur as planned. As humans it is our nature to expect quick, positive outcomes from whatever we put our effort into, which is why patience is a very rare virtue especially in our world of today. This is evident in all aspect of our daily life ranging from daily activities like fixing damaged items, using the computer etc. to our various professional tasks. Sometimes we forget that nature has a role to play in every event; therefore, they might not always be perfect. For instance, I was a very impatient individual. There was a period in my life when I could not, for a second, tolerate anything that functions slowly. I would get so angry and frustrated each time my computer took longer than four minut...

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... do a lot of volunteer service such as volunteering in various organizations and working as a volunteer in certain offices on campus. This attribute has also helped me in chairing the organizations I am involved in; for instance, the National Society of Colligate Scholars (NSCS).

In conclusion, patience, determination, and selflessness are some of the many traits I have learned from Liz Spocott. She never gave up fighting even when it seemed that all hope was lost. For a long time, I let my impatience control my actions. I would easily give up on whatever I felt took too long to yield feasible results. Liz Spocott has inspired me to go beyond my fears and embrace my beliefs. I feel very confident in my capabilities and I don not doubt myself. I believe that there is nothing I cannot do if I work towards it. I have released that fear is the story we tell ourselves.

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