Mirako Hickman – At age 14, Mirako moved to Tennessee to live with her father to relieve some financial pressure from her mother who had other mouths to feed. But her Dad was not prepared to be a parent. Mirako worked 30 hours a week to support herself. Soon, she went to live with her grandmother, but in December, her grandmother suddenly passed away. Mirako had to take care of arrangements, insurance, and the estate. One of her teachers comments: “The amount of maturity and drive this young woman has is far beyond her years. Her focus is on her future, and making her life a better one than the one in which she has grown up.” Mirako is attending Howard University.
