"My fans send me pictures of their diplomas; the younger ones send me pictures of their report card. Whether I had this platform or not, I would be telling little girls and little boys, stay in school. Always depend on yourself. Make a name for yourself. That's how I treat my nieces and my little brother. They're 15, 13, and about eight, and I never want them to get to a place where they have to depend on anyone else. That has always been the motivating factor in my life. There were times when my mom said, 'I can't leave, because where would we go?' Those things would stick in my brain, and I would say, 'I'm never going to be in that situation.'"
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![](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/jennifer-lopez-gettyimages-1173036772.jpg?crop=1.00xw:0.752xh;0,0.0553xh&resize=480:* "2019 Toronto International Film Festival - "Hustlers" Premiere - Arrivals")
