The previously sung book song written by James McBride gave me an insight into what African Americans experienced during the time of slavery and how they struggled to survive. This book has influenced me positively especially in my academic career. In the book, a young woman, named Liz Spocott, had the gift of foresight, through dreams, so much so that some of the prisoners she met called her "the dreamer". He imagined a world where blacks were free from slavery but imprisoned by vice, where well-fed black men sang songs of murder and money became the ultimate goal. Liz Spocott continued to fight for freedom even though she knew that freedom did not exist for her. He believed in the freedom of future generations of African Americans. From his actions I learned to be patient, determined and selfless. The virtue of patience is what is very rare in humans because we easily feel frustrated and disappointed when things don't work out as expected or take too long to produce a positive result. Bottom line: Everyone likes it when things go as planned. As human beings it is in our nature to expect quick and positive results from whatever we put our efforts into, which is why patience is a very rare virtue especially in our world today. This is evident in all aspects of our daily lives, from daily activities such as repairing 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 may not always be perfect. For example, I was a very impatient person. There was a time in my life when I couldn't, for a second, tolerate anything that worked slowly. I got very angry and frustrated every time my computer took more than four minutes...half of a sheet of paper...I did a lot of volunteer service, such as volunteering in various organizations and working as a volunteer in some offices in the campus. This attribute has also helped me chair the organizations I am involved in; for example, the National Society of Colligate Scholars (NSCS). In conclusion, patience, determination and selflessness are some of the many traits I learned from Liz Spocott. He never stopped fighting even when it seemed like all hope was lost. For a long time I let my impatience control my actions. I would easily give up on anything I felt was taking too long to produce viable results. Liz Spocott inspired me to move beyond my fears and embrace my beliefs. I feel very confident in my abilities and don't doubt myself. I believe there is nothing I can't do if I work towards this goal. I released that fear is the story we tell ourselves.