Dallas Volume 4, Issue 5

DALLAS EDITION

AMPS MAGAZINE American Minority People Succeeding

Fire Dancer

Support Minority Owned Businesses

Mandy Red

Emma M. Medina Swing & Ms. Jai

Mr. Eldridge

Volume 4, Issue 5

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Been injured or caught in a bind.

Get Twine on the line.

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Personal injury and Criminal cases

contents

VOLUME 4, ISSUE 5

the AMPS Dallas Team Publisher Connie Morgan

Stay tuned for AMPS Newsletter.

It will be available on the off months of the magazine distribution. (Email only) www.news.ampsmagazine.com

Contributing Writers Demetricre Harris Ashia Jackson Moore Gerald Wright Photographers Connie Morgan Robert Wright Editors Jackie Parker Britany Gardenhi Reporters Connie Morgan China Doll Graphic Design One Wright Company, LLC Logistics Gerald Wright Cover photo by: Aldo Emmanuel

What’s Inside...

Emma M. Medina.................... 8 Aldo Emmanuel..................... 10 Doctoral Graduates............... 11 Mandy Red............................. 12 Swing & Ms. Jai...................... 15 Tayler Harris.......................... 18 Dandrick Eldridge................. 20

Vol. 4, Issue 5

AMPS Dallas is a franchise of AMPS Magazine, a national publication, with headquarters in Orlando, Florida. This magazine is published bi-monthly.

AMPS MAGAZINE CORPORATE Orlando, Florida 33837 317-426-7790

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A WORD FROM THE CEO Thanks for pickinf up AMPS Magazine, Dallas Edition. I wanted to thank each and every one of you for reading this magazine and making it one of the fastest growing magazines in the south for 2022. We are touching the lives of people who we did not even know we would and inspire even a culture that we were unaware. This publication is called A.M.P.S. (American-Minority People Succeeding) for a reason. It is where Substance and Style meets Supreme Standards. Our mission is “superior application development through dedicated professionalism while maintaining a customer-centered focus to lead the industry in ideas and creative solutions”. Our event marketing and promotions department is designed to present positive entertainment and events that the Dallas communities deserve.

We specialize in helping brands create a unique connection with consumers at our events as well as create an opportunity for you to meet other business owners, executives, present and future customers, and other socialites. Simply put, “We are Accomplished By Making You Successful.”

Gerald D. Wright CEO Page 4

from the publisher T

aking over a publication is never an easy feat, but it is very rewarding. As we embrace 2023, we are ready for the many changes that comes along with growing a magazine that is dedicated to the community in D/FW. Our passion for reporting the news about the communities in and around Monroe is the heartbeat of AMPS Dallas Magazine. We strive to tell the stories about unsung heroes in our community and about artists, be they actors, writers, musicians or entertainers. With that, we know the importance of building alliances with individuals who can and will help us continue our growth. You, too, can contribute to our growth and development in bringing articles about our community. For more information about advertising with AMPS Dallas Magazine, please reach out to me at connie@ampsmagazine.com or call 214-937-9041. We have amazing advertising opportunities to help you grow your business and support the community.

You can also subscribe to AMPS Dallas Magazine and get your copy delivered directly to your door.

Thank you for your continued support.

Connie Morgan

SO CAN YOU.

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how well do you know these

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girls?

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Emma M. Medina

COVER STORY

Emma better known as (Badbone) is a 29-year-old fire fan performer, dancer, model, actress, director, and a spiritual healer, promotor, event organizer, and coordinator who was born and reared in Dallas, Texas. Emma comes from a large family and she is the second oldest of six. She never really got to enjoy her childhood, at a young age she had to grow up fast and had an important role regarding her younger siblings. As a young child she loved art and drawing flowers, and her love for music and dance started for her at a young age she was involved in ballet, tap, and gymnastics. In middle school she played in the band and she played the oboe.

AMPS: Why do you want to become a motivational speaker?

Emma: I feel like the experiences that we overcome and endure are there to help us as an individual to grow bigger. From my experiences, there were times that I would look around and I was lost for words, I was lost for directions, and I was lost for guidance.

I felt hopeless and there are times that we can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. Sharing my experiences, no matter what you’re going through at the end of the day we are all human and everyone experiences something different. There’s always a solution to whatever life throws at you. There’s always a way out, and being a victim is a choice. My passion is to be able to speak and strengthen those who need it.

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AMPS: Tell me a little about your fire dancing?

What’s the history on it?

Emma: It actually started back when I was about three or four years old. I use to be in ballet and tapping classes, I also did a mixture of gymnastics, however once we relocated all of that stopped. Years later one of my good friends, Erin “Lolly”, would dance with her poi and she would set them on fire and I thought that was amazing. In 2018 I needed a way to release a lot of the suppressed emotions and feelings that I had inside. I wasn’t going to do what Erin did regarding dancing with the poi, because I thought it was a little too dangerous. I started searching, and I got some torches. I haven’t had any type of training on this at all, and one day I just set them on fire and it all came very natural to me.

The dancing that I do with it is a mixture of ballet and belly dancing but at the same time that I’m in the moment is really beautiful, because it’s just me and my fire. A lot of people say how dangerous it looks, and ask if the fire scares me or intimidates me, and honestly I feel because of the aspect that I have much respect for the element and as I’m dancing, I’m really in the sense that I’m clearing out my energy as well. It’s not a ritual, it’s not what people’s ideas are, it’s more of a way for me to release a lot of the stored energy that I have stored inside. A lot of people release it through many different ways.

Some singing, painting, and dance, mine is not only dancing but setting my fans on fire, and that’s a part of me. That’s a way of me expressing myself in a nonverbal way. I’m not only a performer, when I’m in the act I see the best version of myself.

AMPS: I know that you’re working on a documentary. Can you tell us a little about it?

Emma: I’m going to keep it simple: the documentary is called The Holy Grail. It’s currently in the works. I’m not going to overshare too much, however, it features a few strong highlights about my life: highlights that have had a major impact, highlights about when I was experiencing these strong experiences that most in my position would not know how to handle. It’s a little too complex to put into words, but to summarize, it’s about how I corrected the mistakes that I had made.

And how my mistakes were taking me off track, affecting me, and at times those who were very dear to me. “Doing the wrong things for the right reasons’ ‘ is so to speak. No matter what events have been thrown at you in your life, it’s just how you go about handling them. Everything that you do has a result, whether it’s a good one or a bad one. I believe the key is truly being able to find that pattern and being able to tweak it and transmute it into a better outcome. That’s how powerful we are. I know that I’m young, and I feel like I’ve been through a lot of trials and tribulations, which a lot of us have. However, my highlights are about certain topics that most are afraid to speak on. There are multiple messages in my documentary, and whoever the messages are for, may they receive it and use it as guidance to help open their mind up. A lot of events that happen to a lot of us are really tough to talk about and share.

Know that you’re not the only one, even though in that very moment we feel like we are, because we don’t speak up. I’m being my own voice, but I’m being the voice for many who are unheard.

AMPS: What would you say to your younger self?

Emma: I would tell her to be unapologetically herself, to stay true to her gifts and her talents, because that will guide her in the right direction. I would tell her to stick with it through thick and thin because at the end of the day, it’s going to be okay. I would tell her not to worry so much about the outcome and just stay in the present, because staying in the present is the only existence that there is. I know my younger self is extremely proud of how far I’ve come and how much I’ve changed my ways. She’s proud of how strong I am, maintaining myself together even through the days that I didn’t think I would see daylight. I know that my younger self loves me and I feel like it’s a very important thing for us to do as adults: to look back and see how far we have come and be proud of it.

There’s no such thing as being perfect, but we can be proud of the progress that we’ve made.

Email her for direct communication regarding inquiries at: badboneofficial@gmail.com Follow Emma: https://www.facebook.com/emmaemedina https://instagram.com/iambadb0ne

AMPS: Where do you see yourself in five years from now?

Emma: I see myself in a convention center full of people just waiting for me to share my story. I felt that all of my life experiences are shaping and molding me to be that person that I’m going to be in five years from now.

AMPS: What would you say to someone who wants to step out on faith and do their own thing?

Emma: Go for it! I’m clapping my hands as I’m saying this. The only person that will be standing in your way is you. There is no one else here on earth that can stop you from doing anything that you want to do. You will be challenging yourself, because that limit that has been placed into your mentality is nothing more than an illusion. In our reality and our present, everything is up for grabs. Just keep in mind that you’re going to need a lot of preparation. If you really want something, it’s for you, but it’s going to demand everything from you: hard work, knowledge, at times sacrifice, tests… sweat. Sometimes failure comes with knowledge, don’t get discouraged. You might get told no 99 times, but that one yes is coming for you.

And it all starts with you.

@officialproudphotography

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Aldo Emmanuel Aldo Emmanuel was born in Mexico and reared in Dallas Texas. Aldo is a photographer that loves to create unique art that captures the moment. He loves to read and draw.

AMPS: As a young child what did you want to be when you grew up?

Aldo: I’ve always wanted to be an actor. In general, I’ve always loved art and I love drawing and acting. I think it’s cool to play different characters and I’m actually still working towards that.

What I’m doing now is to help me facilitate it so that I can understand the industry better.

AMPS: How old were you when you got interested in becoming a photographer and what or who motivated you?

Aldo: Actually at the age of twenty-eight (laughing) is the first time that I picked up a camera. I have a friend named Mandy Red and when she first started modeling she asked me to come with her because she didn’t really know the photographer and it was for safety reasons. When we got to the location where they were doing the photo shoot and I saw how he was being creative with the camera I thought it was pretty cool. It was like art to me and I like drawing so it was like they were creating each panel when they were taking pictures. It just started growing more and more on me and I said to myself I think I can do that. So we would do photo shoots with Texas LowRider Magazine because Manny did shoots with them a lot. One day we were on a shoot and the guy that ran it, Joe Arenas, asked me if I wanted to use one of his cameras so I said sure, and so of course, all the pictures that I took sucked. It was pretty cool but it was only cool to me because it was digital and it was like an instant gratification kind of thing because after you took the picture, you could look at it instantly. So I went and bought myself a starter camera and I thought I was the man (laughing) with the camera, and that’s how I got started.

AMPS: How did one of your photos end up in the Galleria Mall in Dallas, and how does that make you feel knowing thousands of people are seeing your work?

Aldo: There’s this car dealership here in Dallas that sells high end cars and performance cars. Cars like Lamborghini, Camaro SS, Porsche, supercharged cars, etc. Going back to what I was saying earlier, building images that are more like a work of art.

I started getting into light painting because I wanted to open up a part of my business doing that. More like martial arts work and one day I walked into the dealership and I had a couple of examples of my projects that I had done and the owner really liked them. The owner wanted to know if I could do something like that for him? We sat down in his office and talked and he

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wanted something that he could advertise with because it was a very nice type of thing. We sat down and came up with the image that he used for the advertisement. A couple of us went out and created a scene, and the way we shot it wasn’t a picture that you just set up and snapped. I had to flash each individual car separately, take a picture of the building, and then bring it all together. I had to go through an editing process to create the image. He bought two huge metal prints. I like printing on metal because when you print on paper it’s really cool, but when you’re printing something like a car on metal it just makes it pop. The Galleria has a lot of high end stores and a lot of traffic always going through there, so he decided to put the picture by the Apple store. It makes me proud knowing that I took the time to learn how to do that kind of work. It didn’t happen just by taking pictures. I had to put in time, effort, and money. It wasn’t even about other people, it was about me seeing it and knowing that I created that.

Book Aldo: http://aldoemmanuel.com/ Follow: http://www.instagram.com/aldo3mmanuel https://www.facebook.com/aldo.contreras3/about_contact_and_basic_info

IN THE NEXT ISSUE...

Doctoral Graduates

Payam Abbasi Payam Abbasi better known as (Prynce P) will be featured in the next issue of AMPS Dallas.

Payam will take us on a journey of how he became the man that he is today. His story will open some of our eyes on how we take the little things in life for granted.

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Mandy Red Mandy Red was born and reared in Dallas, Texas. During middle school, Mandy was in the band and played the flute. At some point after middle school, Mandy realized her passion was singing, which she has enjoyed since the tender age of two.

Mandy also started modeling in 2014, but continued to focus on her love for music. While being truly gifted with many talents, Mandy has decided to focus on a career in music that also includes writing and creating her own music.

AMPS: As a child what did you want to be when you grew up?

Mandy: I’ve always wanted to be a singer in my heart. But when I was asked by an adult I said that I wanted to be a teacher because I thought that was what I was supposed to say. I told them what they wanted to hear, because I didn’t think anyone would take me seriously if I said I wanted to be a singer.

AMPS: How long did you play in the band and why did you stop playing?

Mandy: I only played in middle school, because we had to choose a selective. Now going back to that I did learn how to read music a little.

AMPS: At what age did you realize that you could sing?

Mandy: I always remembered singing ever since I was little. I remember looking at home videos and at the age of two my dad would give me the microphone and I would sing. I’ve always loved singing.

AMPS: Are there any other members of your family that sing or play an instrument?

Mandy: Yes, my dad sings and plays the guitar. My dad definitely has music in his blood, so I would say that I definitely get the music that’s inside of me from my dad.

AMPS: At what age were you when you felt comfortable singing in front of a crowd?

Mandy: I didn’t feel comfortable until I was an adult, and I told myself that this is something that you want to do so you’re going to have to conquer that fear. Even now I have to mentally prepare myself to sing in front of a crowd.

AMPS: Tell us the story behind your new single Calentura?

Mandy: Calentura means fever in English. Furthermore, it means coming to find out someone had no real intentions on working with someone, or really wanting anything serious with someone. They were just after one thing, and that was getting to “know them better” in one way. They just had a little “fever” or “Calentura”.

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AMPS: Where do you see yourself in five years?

Mandy: I definitely see myself and my team on the charts on the billboards. I see us doing big stage performances and winning Grammys.

AMPS: How do you choose your background dancers?

Mandy: There’s a lot of beautiful and talented women out there, and I look at their talent and what they can bring to the table.

The one huge thing I look at is their heart, and their vision.

Anyone who’s trying to pursue their dreams I try to bring on and help give them a platform where we can all work together and grow. It’s the mentality of where you’re trying to go and I look at the inside as well because that’s very important.

AMPS: What is your favorite food and why?

Mandy: I love spicy food so anything spicy (laughing). If I had to pick only one, I would say dostalus. The taste is so delicious.

It’s like a big tortilla it’s a big chip AMPS: If there was an artist that you could open up for male or female who would it be?

Mandy: I would choose to open up for Bad Bunny. Because at this point he is an independent artist and he has come a long way. Bad Bunny is all over the globe.

AMPS: What advice would you give to someone who wanted to get into this industry?

Mandy: Never give up, keep pushing and give it all you’ve got.

Never be afraid of failing, because the only way you can fail is not trying. If you can see it in your mind you can hold it in your hand. https://www.facebook.com/mandyred.eratikentP https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dNKnbiZH-4 https://www.instagram.com/mandyred.eratikent https://www.tiktok.com/@mandyred.eratikent?lang=en

MY SHELTER PETS ARE MY BIGGEST FANS

LOGAN RYAN WITH LEO AND JULIUS: ADOPTED 2014 AND 2018.

They’re a little bit of a lot of things, but they’re all pure love.

THESHELTERPETPROJECT.ORG

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Swing & Ms. Jai AMPS: Were either one of you involved in any extracurricular activities in school?

Swing: I played basketball and I played forward for three years.

Ms. Jai: I was on the drill team and in the pep squad.

AMPS: What were your career goals in life as a teenager?

Swing: I wanted to be a police officer to protect and make the world a better place.

Ms. Jai: I wanted to be a veterinarian because I love animals.

AMPS: With so much negativity on social media, why did you decide to share your life in front of the world?

Ms. Jai: Well, when the pandemic started it for both of us. I lost a couple of people when the pandemic hit, so I started going on Tik-tok. Swing was on Tik-tok and that’s how we met, and we just started sharing our story.

AMPS: As social media influencers, how do you two respond to the negativity and judgmental feedback that plays a role with sharing your life?

Swing: Well, first of all you have to care, and they’re not in my life every day and everyone has an opinion and everyone is not going to like you.

Ms. Jai: Majority of the time we don’t respond to them and we don’t entertain them.

AMPS: How can others benefit from what you two share?

Swing: The positive side and what works for us. We also let them know what works for us might not work for them and it’s according to how they go about it. We just stick to what works for us.

Ms. Jai: Your love isn’t going to look like our love. You’re saying you want what we have and you can have that but it’s not going to look the same. It’s going to be different, because you have different personalities because you have different people involved in a relationship so it’s not going to look the same. I always tell people you can’t look at a sixty second video and base your life off of what you see off of Tik-tok, because Tik-tok is for entertainment purposes. When we do our Tik-tok people always tell us that they can tell that we are real and authentic.

AMPS: What do you want your followers to know about you two?

Swing: We are your everyday regular people.

Ms. Jai: We are just regular people living our regular lives. I Continued on Page 19

AMPS: Have you ever had someone who was obsessed with you? If so, how did you handle the situation?

Ms. Jai: Yes. And I have to put them on blast and let it be known just in case something happened. There was one time where I had someone from Instagram that was video calling and they kept calling and got mad when I didn’t answer. They sent a message asking why aren’t you answering, so at that point I had to address the situation so I did a whole Tik-tok video about it so that it just so it could be documented in case something happened.

AMPS: What motivated you two to start couples coaching?

Ms. Jai: It was actually the followers that requested information by asking questions, and then they started in boxing us to speak live about our relationship.

AMPS: What strategies are utilized on how you respond to questions and do you think it’s helpful?

Ms. Jai: We signalized to the followers because we were asked how do you go about selecting people. I’m 56 and Swing is 51, and we’ve been through some things in our life.

It pertains to what your issue is and we always share what we’ve been through or what we can relate to or how we would go about handling it. But if it’s something that we’ve never experienced we don’t touch it.

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“ I’M DOING THIS FOR ME, AND FOR THAT PERSON WHO BELIEVES IN ME.” If you’re thinking of finishing your high school diploma, you have more support than you realize. Find teachers and free adult education classes near you at FinishYourDiploma.org.

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Scholar, Veteran, and Educator

Tayler Harris

-

Tayler Harris is a native of Texas. She started playing sports at the age of ten. She went to Lakeview Centennial High School in Garland, Texas from 2018 -2021 and graduated with a 3.8 GPA. Tayler has a love for sports, she played basketball, soccer, volleyball, and ran track but she ended up loving volleyball more than the other sports. Tayler is now in her senior year of college at (GSU) Grambling State University, and will be graduating in the summer of 2023 AMPS: What was your childhood like?

Tayler: I grew up very privileged and I was a very happy child.

AMPS: What position did you play in sports?

Tayler: In track I did 4x1, 4x2, 100 and 200 relay. I did the long and triple jump. In volleyball my position was Libero back left, in soccer my position was right and left back, and I played point guard and shooting guard in basketball.

AMPS: Out of all of the sports that you’ve played, what was your favorite sport and why?

Tayler: I started basketball at the age of ten and I loved the game, but as I got older and got into high school I learned the game of volleyball. I played basketball until my sophomore year in high but it was a step up from high school. school. My coach at the time was a very good coach and she told me from what she could see that I had a lot of potential, so when AMPS: Looking back, how do you feel now knowing that you didn’t give up and you gave it one more try?

I heard that I just poured everything into playing volleyball.

Tayler: It feels really good, because If I had given up I would AMPS: What grade were you in when you started taking college have had to go back to doing regular classes in high school, and I didn’t want to do that and I didn’t want to let my parents down. courses in high school?

Tayler: Going into high school my freshman year, was this program called the Collision program and my mom really wanted AMPS: What college did you choose to go to and why? me to do that because she knew that it would take two years off of Taylor: I chose to go to Prairie View A&M because I wanted to college. Not only that it would save a lot of money. I had to take a be far away from home, and it was being talked about a lot and it lot of tests and the main test was called the (TFI) Tiered Fidelity looked fun. I knew anywhere I went that I was going to get a good Inventory test and I had to pass the math and the reading por- education but when I got there it was a lot of people that I didn’t tion of that test. I failed the math part five times but I passed the associate with anymore. There were negative vibes all around me reading part the first time. After failing the math part my mom and I just didn’t want to be there anymore. After the semester told me if I didn’t pass it the next time that I didn’t have to take was over I transferred to (GSU) Grambling State University. I had it again. It stressed me out to the point that I would go home and more room to be myself and it was very welcoming and I just cry. I’m good at math to a certain extent because math is actually liked it more and I felt more comfortable around the people and very hard. After giving it one more try I passed it and it was up- the environment. hill from there. I was in (AP) Advanced Placement level classes.

AMPS: What did you major in and why?

It was a lot of hard work, but I made it through.

Taylor: My freshman/junior year I majored in Criminal Justice. I AMPS: How was that experience for you being a freshman in wanted to be a crime scene investigator. I loved watching shows on TV like that, and I know that isn’t the real thing. It was just high school and taking college classes at the same time?

Tayler: I had friends in the same program as I was so it wasn’t like the idea of solving a crime, and then I was told that you had to I was alone and it was fun. I actually had to go to the college for become a police officer and I didn’t want to do that. class. I went to East Field College and it wasn’t a real big college,

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AMPS: Did you play any sports at Grambling?

Tayler: Yes, I got the opportunity to play volleyball. I played for coach Demetria Keys- Johnson who later stepped down to take another position at the University. They hired a new coach named Chelsey Lucas and there was a whole scandal on her because she wanted things to go her way. She bought her whole team over from (UAPB) University of Arkansas Pine Bluff and then she got fired. I didn’t feel like being in the middle of all of that drama. I had other things that I needed to be focusing on.

I do love the game, I just didn’t have time for all the drama and it’s my last year of college so I just let it go.

AMPS: What are your plans once you graduate?

Taylor: Once I graduate, I plan on moving back to Dallas. I’m in the process of starting my own business. I also want to get into real estate. Whatever God sees that is fit for me that’s what I’m going to go with.

AMPS: Where do you see yourself in the next three years?

Taylor: I see myself working hard and being happy.

AMPS: What would you tell the younger generation?

Taylor: Keep pushing no matter how hard it seems, don’t lose focus, study hard, and get a job while you’re in high school if you can and start saving. Getting a job will teach you some kind of responsibility, and prepare you for life. There might be some hardship and trials and tribulations, but that’s just God testing you to see how strong you really are for anything that comes your way.

Sometimes you think that you can’t do something but you will surprise yourself in the end.

Continued from Page 15

always tell people don’t judge and if you’re going to judge me, judge me by my heart and not by the lifestyle. People always want to look at the lifestyle and judge.

Swing: My name means dancing and it’s therapeutic.

Follow Swing and Ms. Jai tiktok.com/@_therealswingtheraph tiktok.com/@_therealmsjai

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Dandrick Eldridge Dandrick Eldridge is 29 years old, born in Terrell, Texas. As a child, he moved around a lot until he got to middle school, at which time he, his mom, and his two younger siblings moved to Cedar Hill, Texas, where he stayed until he graduated high school.

AMPS: What is your passion? I was told you were always a selfless being wanting to help others. Can you tell me a little more about it?

Drandrick: Growing up, I saw my mom and my nana doing so much for me. I wanted to go harder and provide for others. I watched them strive and go so hard for me: working twelve hours a day before coming home, attending to me and my school work, cooking, cleaning, and taking care of us. They made me want to be a better man, helping and providing for others. I wanted to do the best that I could do even though I was just a child. The older I got, the more I enjoyed helping others because it put smiles on their faces even when they were going through hard times. I know what hard times are like, and I just wanted the best for everyone. I wanted to be a lawyer when I was younger because I thought it was the best way to help people fight their cases and fight for their rights. I wanted to help them fight for things that would make them and their families happy.

AMPS: Where do you see yourself in five years, regarding your goals and your own passion?

Drandrick: My goals changed as I got older and got a family of my own. Before, it was more “get rich,” “have fame,” those were my goals. However, I could get those things, that’s what I wanted to do. But as I got older, I started having kids and my mind frame changed. I wanted to be a provider and support my kids, helping them pursue their goals and passions in life. So my passion in life is to help them pursue their passions in life. If they can do that, then I’ll be happy as a father.

AMPS: What are your main goals?

Dandrick: To make sure that my kids succeed in life and make better life choices than I did by leading by example.

AMPS: Have you set any goals for yourself and what are they?

Dandrick: I will never give up. I will always keep trying and I will always continue to better myself more and more every day. When I say not to give

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up and keep trying to better myself, I mean that I want to keep doing those things even when I feel tired. I still need to get up and go to work; I still need to take my kids to school even when I’m tired or frustrated from my job. If something bad has happened, I still need to think positive and find a better outcome for that situation. I want to set a good example for my children. I can’t let them think that when something bad happens, they should just quit and try something else. If I want to set a good example, I have to keep going and striving no matter how hard or how bad it is until I succeed.

AMPS: What would you tell your younger self, now that you’ve made it this far?

Dandrick: You’re going to hit blocks, you’re going to hit humps that you don’t think that you can get over, and you’re going to want to change course. You’re going to want to do something

else other than that because you can’t get past it. Don’t give up.

Don’t get discouraged, because those things happen in life. If you’re striving toward what you want to do in life, it’s only going to get better. Don’t do something that someone else wants you to do, do it because it’s what you want to do. In the long run, that’s what’s going to be best for you.

AMPS: What would you say to someone who’s holding back on pursuing what they want to do in life because of what someone else thinks?

Dandrick: I would ask them: Do you love and enjoy what you do? You should never let anyone discourage you from doing what you love to do because at the end of the day, it’s your life and you have to live it to the fullest. No one controls your life but you and you being happy is all that should matter.

You . y e K e is c n an f e d e fi n o n ber “Co m u n ur o y ter.” r e r o a p p and su

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AMPS MAGAZINE of MONROE Connie Morgan, Publisher CSM Marketing Company, LLC

(214) 937-9041

www.dallas.ampsmagazine.

Email: connie@ampsmagazine.com

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American Minority People Succeeding