After spending three years in high school, I accumulated a total of three credits. "I'm averaging one credit a year," I said to my mom. "At this rate, I'll graduate in twenty years." My decision, at that moment, seemed easy and when I was 17 years old, I dropped out of high school. Soon after, I started working in Manhattan's Jewelry District as a diamond setter. Over the past two summers, I worked with a family friend who would teach me the different setting styles and, after much practice, I became very good at a particular type of setting called pavé. Over the next few years, I realized that I was growing increasingly unhappy. I didn't know which direction my life would take, but I knew I needed a change and so I started taking classes to
