As a first-generation Haitian-American, I was raised with a certain set of values that frame who I am today. During my formative years, I spoke French and Kreyol before I learned English, which were the first steps in learning and understanding my Haitian culture and embracing Haitian mannerisms. Thus, causing me to become deeply immersed and involved within my culture as a child. I was taught to be proud of who I was and to never tone down my culture in order to make others feel comfortable. So, when it became time for me to attend a predominantly White school, I had some difficulty fitting into a traditionally American elementary school. There would be times when I would bring traditional foods or wear traditional hairstyles, and in exchange, I would receive negative commentary or confused stares. However, whenever I came back from school feeling disheartened about being different, my mother would always welcome me into her warm embrace and reassure me by explaining how important it is to value Haitian culture. She would hug me and say, “Haitians are resilient, smart, and hardworking. Those are good traits to have, and I passed them down to you. don't listen to people telling you otherwise met fanm sou ou”. And the next day I went to school with my head up high. Because she instilled these values in me at a young age, I was able to push through many challenges in my life and never let anything stop me from achieving my goals. As a driven student who is deeply immersed within my community, I would like to continue to positively influence my community by focusing on eliminating the racial disparities that currently affect our society while pursuing a higher education. Two of the racial disparities that I am deeply passionate about are the health and education gaps. As a Black woman, I have seen and done much research on the effects of medical professionals not taking the medical urgencies of young Black women seriously due to their preconceived notions and seeing how harmful that can be. I aspire to be a neurologist so that I can join the ranks of the few Black medical professionals that can give adequate care to my patients without any harmful biases, which is why I specifically would like to work in low-income minority communities such as wards 7 and 8 in the District of Columbia, where there is a severe lack of medical professionals within the area caused by residential segregation. Additionally, I am passionate about the racial education gap. In the past I have taken action by creating my high school's very first Historically Black College & University Fair to show minority students at my school that they have many options when it comes to seeking a higher education while simultaneously exploring their culture. Because of this, many Black students at my school felt seen and have a newfound appreciation for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and are seriously considering attending these illustrious institutions. This event helped my community at my school not only come closer but also open them to new opportunities that my predominantly White high school was not pushing forward originally. I can confidently say that without my cultural values, beliefs, and upbringing, I would not be the person that I am today, and I am proud to be of Haitian descent.