"The First Will Be Last and the Last Will Be First" Matt 20:16

No, Josh I am not a child of a preacher (inside joke from class) but my "Father is the King". After 3 failed attempts to register for this blog, I am finally here. First of all, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Emily Strickland, I am a single mother by choice not by circumstance (line out of one of my poems). I would love to call myself a poet but I am not there yet :). This is my fourth semester here at Southwest, I am studying Early Childhood Education. This will make my 2nd degree, I also have a degree in Fashion Merchandising. Besides my kids my greatest accomplishment is maintaining a 4.0 during my first year here and working 60+ hours a week. I was born in Corinth, MS and raised 15 minutes outside of Corinth in a city called Rienzi. We were so far in the Boondocks that I was 11 years old before we were able to receive cable. I was raised on a farm, and lived on 27 acres of land where my immediate family and my father family lives (can you say no privacy). That's one of the reasons that I decided to make that BIG move to Memphis (lol) I love my family but 1 1/2 hours away is close enough. I moved because of the opportunities that Memphis offered that Corinth didn't at the time all Corinth had was a Wal-Mart, Skating Rink, Bowling Alley, and a few restaurants since then they have grown. I have been in Memphis for 9 years and still have not gone to any of the main attractions like Graceland, Civil Rights Museum and the list goes on. I am excited about this class because I have to and will be able to do some things that I haven't done before. In one class period and 60 + pages of "Memphis and The Paradox of Place" I have learned more about Memphis then I have in my 9 years of living here.