Growing up in neighborhoods riddled with
poverty and violence, as the middle child of
five siblings, Rudolph knows what it means to
struggle for basic needs, including safety. She
remembered hearing gunshots outside and going
without electricity and water at times, waking up
and going home to a dark house.
Going without money may make some people
value it more, but it gave Rudolph a different
perspective.
“I thank God for my struggles because they made
me wise, strong, independent, and most of all,
ambitious for change,” Rudolph said. “I didn’t
grow up with much, didn’t have the newest
clothes, shoes or latest technology. My mother
worked hard … and we still survived.”
Rudolph’s mother put all her energy toward
making ends meet, so Rudolph and her siblings
were on their own when it came to homework
and keeping up with their grades.
School became an escape for Rudolph, and she
worked hard – so much that she was able to skip
second grade and go straight from first to third.
She continued to focus on excelling in school,
but college wasn’t really on her radar. No one
in her immediate family had gone beyond high
school, and she didn’t think it would be possible
for her to afford tuition.
Two teachers – a math teacher, Latisha Sutton,
and an English teacher, Jason Cook, whom the
students called “Coach” – especially encouraged
Rudolph to pursue a college education.
“They saw in me things that I couldn’t