Being the first daughter of immigrant parents is what made me the leader that I am today. However, it had come with its hardships and allowed me to want to serve my community. I believe that everything starts at home and it did for me. When my parents had to go to work, I became in charge of my siblings. I had to help them with homework, chores and even make sure everyone ate. By starting at a young age it created a sense of responsibility for me. So I carried responsibility like a backpack. Once I got into middle school, I started to develop characteristics of leadership and I did this by joining the student council. By being a part of the student council I was able to communicate with people in ways I hadn’t before. It also taught me how to advocate for myself and other students which has become one of my favorite parts about being in student council. I continued to use those skills throughout high school which landed me the opportunity to meet with the mayor of Brockton Massachusetts. In my sophomore year of high school after COVID-19 many of my peers wanted to take a trip, my school was fairly new so it was the first time students had ever gone on an out-of-state trip. I went and spoke to students about how they felt and from their response, I alongside my student council members were able to create some sort of fundraising for our out-of-state trip. It was amazing and we were able to go to Washington D.C. From experiences like that one, I hope to continue working for my community and using my voice to speak for the less fortunate. I know that often many people may feel like there’s no one to hear their concerns and I know how it feels to be ignored so by using this gift of leadership and advocacy I want to have my community share their concerns with me and confidently know that a change will be made. But I have to start small to do the big things which is why I appreciate the fact that I would able to find a community at school that forced and taught me how to better develop my leadership skills. And hopefully from what I do in my community as a leader other students or people of color can be motivated to do for theirs.

Many students who want to pursue dentistry will say that their orthodontist or dentist made them want to pursue dentistry which is the case for me. However, it wasn’t completely my dentist. During the summer of 2023, I wanted to do something that could benefit me in my decision as to what I wanted to major in during college, so I called dental clinics in Brockton, Massachusetts, and landed an internship with a dental clinic called MEDELLA DENTAL. Now I only had one non-negotiable when looking for this internship.. I had to shadow a woman. I called clinics and practices back to back hoping to be able to get an internship though many said they were unavailable at the moment. Luckily, MEDELLA told me they would love to have me as a shadow and would give me a callback. I was ecstatic when I heard they wanted to interview me. I landed the internship and was able to watch the dentist remove a crown and clean out cavities. I even watched the dentist give a patient a shot in the mouth, though it was very unsettling for me. However, one big takeaway from that experience was the fact that I got to witness how the dentist and patient interacted. The patients spoke to the dentist like she was their friend. It was like a catch-up session. It even made the patients more comfortable to show the dentist their mouths. On top of that, the dentist I shadowed was a woman of color from the Caribbean, just like me. That was the first time I had ever seen a black Caribbean woman dentist and it made me so happy to know that there are people of color dominating these fields and pushing the colored community to take more care of their health. As a person of color, I know the stigma behind health care and how underrepresented we are in some places and this is also a motivating factor for me. If I could help people of color understand the importance of taking care of their health I could help heal a lot of Generation trauma that has been afflicted on the African American community by the American health care system. Receiving this scholarship would help me fund my dreams of becoming a dentist and potentially helping other students of color want to work in the medical Field. As I have stated before there aren't a lot of black women in the dental field and by pursuing a career in dentistry I feel that I could become a motivating factor for many students and people of color. So getting this scholarship it would help me in college and motivate me to keep trying even when I don’t feel like it.

" I beg you to look away from this sorry tale now, this may be your last chance," (Lemony Snicket). This Emmy-nominated Netflix series tells the story of three orphans whose parents died and left them with an abundance of riches. However, an unknown uncle has made his way into their lives becoming the legal guardian of the three children which leads him to become money hungry putting the children at risk of death. The show is full of thriller and mystery. Now I believe that if you're a fan of thriller movies or shows you would enjoy this show, it constantly keeps you on your feet, dying to watch more. In season one we are introduced to Violet, Klaus, and Sunny. Their parents are mysteriously found dead and their mansion is burned down. The children decided to create a plan between themselves to figure out their parent's death and to escape from their uncle who is now their legal guardian. In season two, we get to see how the children mature mentally. They become elaborate with their escape plans and meet people whom their parents were close with, however, every time they would become close with someone they would somehow die. This season had the biggest emotional impact on me, I cried a lot. As an audience member, you tend to feel bad for the children and want them to find a home, so it hurts when you see that it’s constantly being taken away from them. As an audience member, you create attachments to characters just to see them die. Now I would love to go into season three with you but the point of this essay is to get you to watch the show not spoil it. As the seasons go on the audience can see the children's character development which helps give the audience a better and hopeful outlook on what might happen next. It's one of those shows that once you watch it you will never watch it again. It leaves you traumatized and asking yourself, "But why?"While watching the show you think that you know what will happen next, as a matter of fact, you're sure that you know what will happen next just for a series of unfortunate events to happen. This series is amazing and it’s deserving of every Emmy nomination it has gotten. Now I’ve warned you to look away from this sorry tale before it’s too late.

I was never a big reader growing up until covid. Reading became a way for me to escape the chaos around me it became my peace. I love reading stories that related to me, a young melanated adult. I enjoyed reading stories about first-generation children and how they maneuvered through the world. Through reading books that related t me I learned three things. One, Dreams can become your reality, Two, Have people around you that you love three, This is your story so don't let anyone write it for you. Lesson number one, Dreams can become your reality. In many books that I read teens are often looked down upon. They are told that they can't achieve or won't achieve certain goals. This is what later motivates the protagonist to achieve their goals and do more. I love reading books like this. I love knowing that no matter what happens in life I can overcome anything. A book that covers this theme is A Chance in the World by Steve Pemberton. In this book, a boy named Steve Klakwicz is experiencing hardships through the care of his foster parents. He was told that he would amount to nothing and that his parents never wanted him. He took the comments and turned them into commas. He worked hard in school and proved everyone wrong without saying a word. Lesson number two, Having people are you that you love. Having Loved ones around you can really change your whole perspective in life. Friends and family can change the whole trajectory of your life. Just like in the book Brillant Friend by Elena Ferrante, you can have people around you that either motivate you to do better or you can have people who bring you down with them. Finally, lesson three, This Is Your story so don't let anyone write it for you. Coming to the realization that the world is yours and you are on earth t write your own story. Just because someone may have lived n the earth longer than you doesn't mean they get to write your story and show you your purpose, your destiny. These are things that people are meant to search for themselves because, in the end, their purpose will serve those around them. Pretty by Justin Sayre shares the story f a young girl who is growing up with her aunt in New York and the things she goes through as a young adult. She writes her story because she doesn't live for others but for herself. These books and their lessons help me understand that my goals are meant for me and have people around me who will motivate me to do better and to know that this is my story and I have to write it. I will achieve my goals n matter what anyone says and as I continue t grow as a person I will continue to read books that motivate me to reach my goals and push me to work harder.

My name is Adjuana Augustin and I want to become a defense attorney for women who have experienced abuse. To many, this dream may sound small or impossible but to me, it is something that I hold dear to my heart. A few years ago I watched a documentary on femicide in Honduras and the amount of abuse and violence girls ages 13-45 go through. This not only happens in Honduras but in many Caribbean countries. Women are looked at as caregivers meaning what happens to them doesn't matter. In some countries, women are even looked at as objects and can only be used for the sexual desires of men. The abuse that women go through all around the world is something that I would like to shed light on, especially in our non-English speaking community. As a child of an immigrant, I understand how hard it can be to express yourself when you don't even know the language. It is hard to cry out for help when you don't even know how. 1 out of 4 women worldwide experience abuse and almost a fifth of that have actually reported their abuse. It is easier said than done to report abuse that happens, especially if there is a language barrier or fear that your attacker might get you. This is why I want to be the one to help women who have experienced abuse be able to advocate for themselves without being in fear. I want to open up my own law firm specifically for women of all colors and allow them to share their stories without feeling shame, fear, or stupid. I dream to create a safe space for women that want to experience a life of peace for themselves and their children. No mother should be afraid for the safety of her daughter or herself. As I continue on with my education I look forward to building connections with people in law to help me have a better understanding of what law is and how I can achieve my goals in life. I will continue to learn and deepen my understanding of the abuse women face all around the world and hopefully get to speak to victims and understand how I can be a helper in this worldwide situation. I want to create a change in this world and I want it to start with the people I hold most dear to my heart, women.

A Chance in the World by Steve Pemberton is the book I would have everyone in the world read. This book shares the story of a boy who grew up in an abusive household and was denied the basic needs of living, however, he still managed to find his way throughout the world. He knew he had to be strong mentally if he wanted to leave his toxic household and he did just that. This boy's name was Steve Klakowicz, a fair boy with blue eyes and a curly afro who was told by his foster parents that he wouldn't amount to anything and that he is stupid. Like many people today they have people telling them that they are worth nothing or will never amount to anything but just like the boy in this book if you just take a chance with yourself and believe in yourself nothing can stop you. Steve wanted more for himself so he worked hard in school, he pushed to be the greatest. Even when his foster family told him that he was too stupid for college he still pushed himself and made his way to college. This is a book I believe everyone should read because it teaches you anything is possible if you put your mind to it. Do not let the circumstances you are in stop you from believing in yourself just because your family or friends don't believe in you doesn't mean you shouldn't believe in yourself. Challenge yourself and push yourself daily because the sky is the limit. This is why I would have everyone read A Chance in the World by Steve Pemberton.

The dream version of myself is a black woman who is the first to graduate college in her family and open up her own dentistry.

Black beauty is what I'm here to showcase . I love seeing and being inspired to create beautiful piece of art that represent black women all over the world. In this case I have created an art piece that showcases a black women in her traditional Japanese wear. The percentage of Black Japanese people is very low and I can just imagine the difficulties and the identity trails that they may have go through . So looking at pictures of Japanese women I decided to create this wonderful piece of art that you see here , " Lady Japan ."