O A "That word - 'guys' - might earn smiles and nods of understanding in that world, but it brought the ultimate
insult in my neighborhood." ( Paragraph 5)
B "With one boy in particular, my mother had to sit me down
and explain: 'Son, perhaps there's another reason why his
parents keep making excuses for why we can't get
together." ( Paragraph 18)
OC "Painful as some of these experiences were, I was grateful
to have them in middle school and high school, so that
when the time came to head for college, I already had
some fluency navigating between different cultures" (
Paragraph 19)
OD "I watched as too many others from my hometown and
other predominantly black cities struggled in a university
setting where suddenly they really were a minority." (
Paragraph 20)