Gerrell Bradley was born in Detroit, MI in a delivery room filled with loving family members – his grandmother, grandfather, and of course his best friend and business partner, his mother. "My mom has been there for me, even when I mess up. She has been there with open arms. Those open arms symbolize something that doesn’t always exist in the real world – love and forgiveness. But I’ve come to realize that my mother’s open arms will not be there to pick me up every time I fall," says Gerrell.

Gerrell and his mother lived with his grandparents on the Westside of Detroit in a neighborhood known for poverty. "Neighborhoods like mine are what I like to call a 'box'. But, I am an 'out of the box thinker'." What's Gerrell's definition of an out of the box thinker?  A person who refuses to be trapped in the box, and wont conform to the low societal norms set for them.

“Progression is the key to life.  If you're not progressing, you're dying.” –Gerrell Bradley

“To be successful, you must have the ambition to make the dark brighter and the low higher.”  –Gerrell Bradley

Gerrell's next goal is to go on to college, but not just for himself.  He plans to pave the way for his peers and shine a light for those who are trapped in the "box".  He wants to show his peers that there is another way – that there is hope.  Gerrell knows actions speak louder than words.  "I could tell them this until I am blue in the face, but sometimes the best way to get a point across is through a picture. When I am accepted to college, it will be my duty to put forth my best effort towards bettering the future of not only my legacy, but the legacy of my people. My people aren’t just African Americans, but anyone who feels their lives have been predetermined by society before they were even thoughts in their parents' minds."

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