“Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armour yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you.”  -George R.R. Martin

I am Lesego Pearl Nkosi and I have come to love myself fiercely. I grew up in Pretoria South Africa in a two-parent household and 7 siblings. I am the youngest of eight so when I grew up I always friends. We are a close-knit family and one of the things that connect us through good times or bad times, is music. From gospel music to soul music, we shared many memories. I love music so I thought it would the perfect introduction for me to my classmates.

My musical playlist has different genres and those are to represent the many characteristics that I possess and am bringing to the table.  The first selection, “Andinanto”, is a South African song that is sung both in English and Zulu. It talks about not having much but what God has given you. I love this song because I only bring what I am and have to my classmates. “Brand New Me” by Alicia Keys is my second song because I have an opportunity to start over with my classmates. For instance, for the fist time in my life people know me by Lesego (my first name) rather Pearl. I’m a brand new kind of me and I love me fiercely. It took me to accept my name because I believed that it made other people uncomfortable but it makes me unique. I will not bring judgment because I believe the lyrics in “Eyes of the Heart”. It’s important that we care for each other. “Step In the Name of Love” tell us to always be with and for one another. At least, that’s the vibe I have been receiving since I have been here at Baruch. I hope to bring peace as well to my classmates. Although there will be disagreements because that’s what happens when all kinds of people are represented but I hope that we always find peace. “Sentimental” by Kenny G represents the kind of peace I bring.

Honestly, there are many songs that could represent what I am to my classmates but these are important to me. I am a firm believe in being a change agent and I hope that my classmates are too. I hope to work with them to do more than just enough for other people. I hope we volunteer, work, or just lend hands somewhere even if takes away our resting time. “Man in the Mirrors” is a perfect selection to explain how I’ve changed and the person I’ve become. We can even start by advocating for one another. Just because this is my belief doesn’t mean that it has been an easy ride. But I appreciate the lessons that I’ve learned along the way. I always remember to have a good day because everyday should count. “Good Life” by One Republic represents my characteristics of taking and enjoying moments as they happen. It takes time to get to this level of understanding but it helps with each new day. Loving yourself plays a huge part in this process. “Greatest Love of All” represents the love I have for myself that I won’t and can’t let anyone take away from me. When you love yourself, I believe, it’s easy for you to do for other people. I learned this through my volunteer work as a Girl Scout. All the community and service projects will surely be a reflection of who I am. “I Was Here” by Beyoncé represents the small amount of work I have done and still have to do. I hope that my classmates will join me on this journey of making the world a better place. This is important to me because you stop caring about the little things that used to bother you. You find beauty in everyone and everything. Nobody is perfect but when you love yourself, you are perfect in your eyes. “Flawless” represents the eyes in which I now see myself through. It is said that you teach people how to treat you so I want to be treated with respect.

All our stories are different and there is so much to learn and know about all of us but welcome to my world.