As children, we are always told that we can achieve anything we put our minds to, and for me, I was determined to make those dreams a reality. I began my non-profit organization PolishedGirlz.org at the age of 10, deciding that I would host mini manicure parties for children that were ill. Initially, because of my age, it was difficult to find hospitals that would allow me to polish their clients. But Instead of giving up, I continued to work hard, my parents helped me create a website and social media pages and also applied to become an official 501C3 organization. After that, I contacted my local Down Syndrome Association, (a support group for children with down syndrome). I would visit their monthly meetings polishing the kids' nails, keeping them occupied while their parents would get vital support and information about their healthcare needs. I soon realized I was doing much more than simply polishing nails. I realized that for some of these girls this was not only the first time they got their nails done (my youngest client started at 4 years old) but for several of them it made them feel like a "typical child". I noticed the same when I began polishing at the hospital. Polished Girlz was bigger than me, I was truly making a difference and every time I looked into the faces of the girls that I polished I knew that they felt the impact of what I had started with a few bottles of nail polish and some glitter. After a few visits’ kids at my school and at my mom’s job would ask about the cool new events that I was hosting and would volunteer to visit and polish with me. What started as just me in my local city continued to grow with local news coverage and social media and then The Disney Channel Make your Mark special about my cool new volunteer service idea began to help it take flight. Although for the adults it was reassuring that I was and official 501c3, for the kids they wanted to volunteer like the kid on The Disney Channel. After a while the teams began to grow not only in my city but in different states across the US as other young teens and adults realized that they could make a difference with polish as well. I developed an online training platform and application process. Created videos and test for the new volunteers to study and get to know our client base. After about a year growing Polished Girlz I was noticed by the Ellen Show when her Executive Producers daughter saw my story and decided that she wanted to be like me when she grew up. Kind. That was one of the best compliments that I have ever received. My appearance on the Ellen Show helped to foster Polished Girlz Teams nationwide and even helped to grow teams in Toronto, Canada, and Tijuana Mexico and this was the rapid spread I wanted to continue through my college years. My name is Alanna Wall and I am a junior at the University of Southern California, where I am an Economics major with a minor Entrepreneurial studies minor. I am also a member of USC’s Black Student Assembly, where I attend weekly meetings and work on various service project such as High School Leadership Conference. I am also apart of USC’s Residential Housing Association; whose goal is to create an inclusive campus environment for all USC students. I also work as a mentor for freshmen students as they begin navigating college life, through our Spring Admit Ambassador Program. Along with everything else I have continued my volunteer work with my non-profit organization Polished Girlz. Being an Economics major I rarely see black people and even more rare black women in my field, but I refuse to let this discourage me and blur the vision I have for my future. My goal is to run one of the largest nonprofit organizations in the world with Polished Girlz as well as to work at one of the largest invest banking firms in America or aboard. I wish to take what I have learned from USC to encourage other women to explore all of their career options whether economics orentrepreneurship while continuing to show them that anything is possible, no matter their gender, age or the circumstances.

My name is Alanna Wall, I am from Dayton, Ohio and I am a junior at the University of Southern California, where I am an Economics major with a minor in Entrepreneurial Studies. On campus I am a member of USC’s Black Student Assembly, where I attend weekly meetings and work on various service project such as High School Leadership Conference. I am apart of USC’s Residential Housing Association; whose goal is to create an inclusive campus environment for all USC students. I work as a mentor for freshmen students as they begin navigating college life, through our Spring Admit Ambassador Program. Along with everything else, I have continued my volunteer work with my non-profit organization Polished Girlz. I began my non-profit organization Polished Girlz at the age of 10, deciding that I would host mini manicure parties for children that were ill. Initially it was difficult to find places that would allow me to polish their clients. I did not let that deter me. Instead I contacted my first support group, a local Down Syndrome Association. I would visit their monthly meetings polishing the kids nails and keeping them occupied while their parents would get vital support and information about their healthcare needs. I soon realized I was doing much more than simply polishing. I realized that for some of these girls this was not only the first time they got their nails done (my youngest client started at 4 years old and is now almost 10!) but for several of them it made them feel like a typical child. I noticed the same when polishing at the hospital. Polished Girlz was bigger than me, I was truly making a difference and every time I looked into the faces of the girls that I polished I knew that they felt the impact of what I had started with a few bottles of nail polish and some glitter. I was running a business. After a few visits’ kids at my school and at my mom’s job would ask about the cool new events that I was hosting and would volunteer to visit and polish with me. What started as just me in my local city continued to grow with local news coverage and social media and then The Disney Channel Make your Mark special about my cool new volunteer service idea began to help it take flight. Although for the adults it was reassuring that I was an official 501c3, for the kids they wanted to volunteer like the kid on The Disney Channel. After a while, the teams began to grow not only in my city but in different states across the US as other young teens and adults realized that they could make a difference with polish as well. I developed an online training platform and application process. Created videos and tests for the new volunteers to study and get to know our client base. After about a year growing Polished Girlz, I was noticed by the Ellen Show when her Executive Producers daughter saw my story and decided that she wanted to be like me when she grew up. Kind. That was one of the best compliments that I have ever received. My appearance on the Ellen Show helped to foster Polished Girlz Teams nationwide and even helped to grow teams in Toronto, Canada, and Tijuana Mexico and this was the rapid spread I wanted to continue through my college years. Being an Economics major I rarely see black people and even more rare black women in my field, but I refuse to let this discourage me and blur the vision I have for my future. My goal is to run one of the largest nonprofit organizations in the world with Polished Girlz as well as to work at one of the largest investment banking firms in America or aboard. I wish to take what I have learned from USC to encourage other women to explore economics and entrepreneurship while continuing to show them that anything is possible, no matter their age or the circumstances forced upon them.

My name is Alanna Wall and I am a sophomore at the University of Southern California, where I am an Economics, International Relations Global Business double major. I am also a member of USC’s Black Student Assembly, where I attend weekly meetings and work on various service projects such as the High School Leadership Conference. An annual conference that gives high school students from inner-city Los Angeles the opportunity to see what life is life for minorities at USC. I am also apart of USC’s Residential Housing Association; whose goal is to create an inclusive campus environment for all USC students. Along with this, I continued my volunteer work with my non-profit organization Polished Girlz, where I was able to serve at two different events. I began my non-profit organization Polished Girlz at the age of 10, deciding that I would host mini manicure parties for children that were ill. Initially, it was difficult to find places that would allow me to polish their clients. I did not let that deter me. Instead, I contacted my first support group, a local Down Syndrome Association. I would visit their monthly meetings polishing the kids' nails and keeping them occupied while their parents would get vital support and information about their healthcare needs. I soon realized I was doing much more than simply polishing. I realized that for some of these girls this was not only the first time they got their nails done (my youngest client started at 4 years old and is now almost 10!) but for several of them it made them feel like a typical child. I noticed the same when polishing at the hospital. Polished Girlz was bigger than me, I was truly making a difference and every time I looked into the faces of the girls that I polished I knew that they felt the impact of what I had started with a few bottles of nail polish and some glitter. I was running a business. After a few visits’ kids at my school and at my mom’s job would ask about the cool new events that I was hosting and would volunteer to visit and polish with me. What started as just me in my local city continued to grow with local news coverage and social media and then The Disney Channel Make your Mark special about my cool new volunteer service idea began to help it take flight. Although for the adults it was reassuring that I was an official 501c3, for the kids they wanted to volunteer like the kid on The Disney Channel. After a while, the teams began to grow not only in my city but in different states across the US as other young teens and adults realized that they could make a difference with polish as well. I developed an online training platform and application process. Created videos and tests for the new volunteers to study and get to know our client base. After about a year growing Polished Girlz I was noticed by the Ellen Show when her Executive Producers daughter saw my story and decided that she wanted to be like me when she grew up. Kind. That was one of the best compliments that I have ever received. My appearance on the Ellen Show helped to foster Polished Girlz Teams nationwide and even helped to grow teams in Toronto, Canada, and Tijuana Mexico and this was the rapid spread I wanted to continue through my college years. My goal is to run one of the largest nonprofit organizations in the world and with the help of the connections I have made inside and outside of USC as well as the skills I have learned thus far. I envision my nonprofit organization being like the modern-day Girl Scouts, promoting women's empowerment, inclusion, bonding, and understanding.