Daivon Reeder, a 22-year-old from Detroit, wasnt going to let naysayers control his fate.

When he was preparing to start Eastern Michigan University four years ago, his stepfather told him there was no point in going to orientation because he wasnt going to graduate.

Im a black male from inner city Detroit; sadly it wasnt the first time Ive been doubted or told I couldnt do something, Reeder told The Huffington Post. When he said that to me, I had two options: to believe it or to make my own path.

Reeder, the eldest of four, decided on the latter.

He began college in 2013 and despite challenges, like last-minute cram sessions and temporarily losing his scholarship , he pushed through.

Reeder told HuffPost that his younger siblings and mother, who struggled to provide for them, inspired him to work hard.