Community

"Yo, Annie if anyone messes witchu, we got yo' back." The words still resound in my head as I think about my years at Eastbrook. I was apart of every group, but this was from a group of great football players. They wanted me to know that no matter what, I always had someone who had my back. It did not matter that I was not a football player or a cheerleader, they had respect for me. This is what I had growing up. I had a group of people who surrounded me in the good times and the bad. When tragedy struck, they came around me and they lifted me up. They did not let me fall. No matter what it was, they came up around me.

This is what I grew up in. I grew up in community. The town of Upland has shown me what the real meaning of community is. I watched people come together the most in times that were needed the most. I saw people who you never thought would talk come alongside of each other. In times of pain and heartache, the whole town wept. In times of joy, the whole town rejoiced. This town is definitely a great example of community.

It is through this community that I learned what it meant to be in community and to be loyal. I learned that to really love others, you come alongside of them no matter what. I learned that because this is our town, I must always stick up for the people in it. Whenever people brought it down or dissed it, it was my job to stand up for it. This town has stood up for me before and has been here for me before and so I should repay the favor. Not because I feel the need to, but because that is just what community does.

Upland. Home Sweet Home.