I’m a Farmer’s Daughter — and That’s My Strength. I grew up on a sweet potato farm, where mornings started before sunrise and vacations meant the county fair. My parents worked with dirt under their nails and taught me grit, purpose, and pride in honest labor.

When I got a scholarship to a private high school in the city, people called it my “big break.” But all I felt was out of place. My jeans smelled faintly of the barn, and whispers like “Do you live on a farm or something?” made me shrink into myself. I hid my background, thinking it made me less.

That changed during a school fundraiser. I brought sweet potato pies using my family’s recipe — and they sold out in twenty minutes. That day, our guidance counselor said, “This is you, Mele. Be proud of it.” Then Izan — popular, kind, untouchably cool — asked if I’d make one for his mom. That small moment lit something in me.

By Monday, I wasn’t just baking pies — I was building “Mele’s Roots,” a mini farm-to-table business. Orders rolled in. Teachers, classmates, even the girl who once mocked me wanted a taste. My parents taught me to bake by feel, and I began sharing our farm’s story in essays and school projects.

By senior year, I created a short film about our farm for my identity project. When it played at school, the applause started slow, then built to a standing ovation. Izan later said, “Told you your story mattered.”

He was right. I used to think being a farmer’s daughter made me invisible. Now I know it makes me rooted — and that’s something no one can take away.