My Name is Alex Washington. I have two life goals. The first goal is to become an engineer and have a successful career in that field. I have always enjoyed math and science, building, and designing. My dad is a chemist and we enjoy watching many programs and podcasts relating to physics, astronomy, chemistry, engineering, and other areas. He introduced me to legos and robotics at a very young age. He taught me practical skills for home maintenance that involve these areas. I want to use my degree in engineering to support myself and my family and to one day start my own business. My second life goal is to always be community-minded. Since I was fourteen, I have volunteered with Project Swish Chicago a nonprofit organization for at-risk youths and young adults. However, it wasn’t until the pandemic that I realized how deeply stressful it is for many black young men like me who have to live and deal with violence and survival issues in predominantly black communities in Chicago. Being a part of Project Swish during the pandemic caused me to reflect more on my life and my community, more than ever before. I now have a better understanding of why education, being productive, and why family and community support are vital. My experiences while volunteering with Project Swish has provided me with a stronger commitment to supporting my community.

Generosity is being liberal in giving. Whether that be giving your time, money, gifts, talents, etc. It's a limitless service that is done for someone else that will positively impact their life. Generosity means a kind and selfless act toward others with no strings attached. My friends and I were recently the beneficiaries of a generous neighbor. During the last major snowstorm in Chicago, my friends and I decided to shovel snow in our neighborhood for people in need. It was getting late and we were finishing shoveling the last house. There was an older lady who saw us outside with our shovels. She asked us to shovel in front of her house and her driveway and her daughter's house and driveway that was located across the street from where we were. We were cold, tired, and ready to get back home. She offered to pay us. Although it was a lot of snow and two large areas to shovel, we only asked for twenty dollars per house to split among us. My friends and I worked hard to complete the task. After we shoveled both houses, we went to collect the money. That nice lady had given us eighty dollars, twice as much as we agreed. We tried to give her forty dollars back and she refused to take it. She was so grateful that we wanted to show her appreciation by being generous. I think about her kindness when others are providing me a service. If I am eating at a restaurant, I always try to leave a generous tip to help someone else.

My name is Alex Washington. I am a Haiti American student who lives on the south side of Chicago. I attend Lindblom Math and Science Academy in the Englewood neighborhood also located on the south side of Chicago. I support my community in many different ways. The first way that I support my community is by choosing to go to high school in my community. Lindblom is a selective enrollment high school that is located in a neighborhood that has high crime rates, vacant lots, abandoned buildings, dilapidated homes, not enough grocery stores, or businesses. Many of my friends wondered why I didn't select a high school in a better neighborhood. I see things differently. Lindblom is a treasure in a neighborhood that has been forgotten. I chose a school in my community because I did not want to go to another community when I could get a good education in my community. I believe that If we do not buy homes, support the schools and the businesses in the neighborhood, we can not begin to rebuild or sustain our community. The second way that I support my community is through volunteer work. I volunteer with Project Swish Chicago and I have done so since I was 14 years old. Project Swish is a nonprofit organization that focuses on at-risk youths and young adults in violent areas in the city of Chicago. This organization helps fight violence through mentorship, basketball leagues, wellness, and community events. I work with some amazing young activists who motivate me to be part of a moment for change for at-risk communities and the city of Chicago. Many of the participants have lost friends and family through gun violence. However, with mentoring, wellness and mental health programs, and basketball, their perspective on life has shifted. I support my community by being part of this movement. The third way that I support my community is by buying local as much as I can. I patronize the businesses in my community by getting my haircuts, eating at the local restaurants, and getting gas in my community. Last, I support my community by keeping my neighborhood clean, picking up trash, helping my elderly neighbors with snow removal and groceries. Also, since the pandemic, there have been many lost dogs roaming the neighborhood. My friends and I have started a pup rescue team. We try to capture lost dogs and return them to their owners. This project is very important to me because I was able to rescue my dog when I found him roaming the neighborhood abused and in a distressed state. I am majoring in engineering. I hope my college studies will impact my mission to provide for my community by giving me the tools and resources to help solve problems in my community. There are many problems in all communities. Making improvements in these communities will require a lot of funds and partnerships with the city, state, federal government, business leaders, churches, community members, and businesses. As an engineer, I will have the credentials to be part of that team. I will be able to seek opportunities to design and create solutions for my community.

I am fortunate enough to live directly across the street from the Cook County Forest Preserve. This has helped me appreciate the beautiful scenery of the different seasons and the tranquility that it offers me. Going on walks along the forest paths helps me clear my mind and get away from the fast-paced lifestyle the city and school have. It feels as if time is moving slower and I seize the moment, catch my breath and think. I could just get lost in the silence and often have my best ideas while just taking a walk. The vivid colors and unique intricate details on the plants and animals fascinate me and I find myself marveling at their beauty. These nature walks also allow me to explore and spend quality time with my dog. I traveled to different places with my family and I have been able to capture the beauty of nature through photography. Places such as Niagara Falls, Sedona, the Grand Canyon, Hawaii, Jamaica, and Mexico all have breathtaking views of nature. The beaches, the waterfalls, the forests, the mountains, the sunrise, and sunsets that illuminate the sky with hues of red and yellow, all of it is astonishing. The view never gets old. Over time I've learned that I can try to take the most amazing pictures of these beautiful sites, but I should still remember to take a break and stay in the moment. A picture is a thousand words but nothing compares to being able to experience the beauty of nature in person.

I have two examples of my leadership. During the pandemic, I decided to become an entrepreneur. I started my own baking business with my savings from my internships. I started baking for family, friends, and employees at a local hospital. Eventually, I started to get business offers to bake for events. My business was growing faster than I ever expected and I needed help. I used my leadership skills to convince my younger sister and cousin to work for me. I trained them on my business philosophy and how to make perfect cookies. I set their work schedules and work standards. I became their role model and we ended up building a stronger bond. We worked well as a team. We were able to make some money and stay busy during a time when our friends and family were dealing with a lot of anxiety. In 2020, I decided to get more involved with civil service. I worked as an election judge for the 2020 presidential election. This was extremely exciting for me. Although I was not eligible to vote, I participated in a historical event. At the polling location where I worked, I was the youngest election judge. Most of the judges were seniors. They were surprised to see that I was the first one to arrive to work and eager to get started. While they were getting situated, I took the initiative to read the instructions and to start setting up the voting stations. I also took the lead for tech support. If any of the machines were malfunctioning, the judges would look to me to fix the issue or provide them with instructions on how to address the issue. I made every effort to be proactive and available to solve any problems. The judges were really impressed with my work ethics. Although it was a long day, I really enjoyed being an election judge and being around a group of people who appreciated my efforts. Leadership to me is the ability to define an issue or a goal and the abilty to persuade others to want to work towards solving a problem to reach a goal. Leadership requires taking initiative and having effective communication. I also believe that leadership is the ability to take charge of challenges and people. I used what I learned about leadership in some of my mentoring programs to start my own business, to convince others to buy my products and to get my family and friends involved to grow my business. I also used my leadership skills to take initiative at work to getting others involved to resolving problems or meeting goals. In my mentoring programs, I was able to meet many strong community leaders who shared their experiences in the hope that their experiences can save lives or change lives. Listening to some of their experiences has changed how I view life especially with the challenges of living in Chicago. I feel a sense of responsibility to my family and community. Being a leader is not an option but a requirement to succeed and to being a role model to someone else. This sentiment will go beyond high school or college because it is now part of my life.

My name is Alex Washington and I am a senior at Lindblom Math and Science Academy in Chicago, Illinois. I am Haitian American. I have been raised to understand that education is necessary for advancement and better opportunities. I see the despair in my community and in Haiti. I carry the burden of knowing that some of my family in Haiti will never get the opportunity to further their education or have career choices that I will have. My educational goals are to graduate as an engineer, become an entrepreneur, and remain community-minded. Dealing with COVID-19 was a life-changing event that changed my perspective about life and resulted in personal growth. This was the first time that my mind occupied so many unsettling thoughts. Life felt depressing. Even leaving my room and showering daily seemed pointless. With the pandemic, the fear of the unknown, fear of violence in Chicago, and the fear of hopelessness, I struggled to make any progress. On many days, thoughts of defeat controlled my mind. Unexpectedly, during these challenging times, there were a few things that happened to me that helped me to personally grow from within. One thing that shifted my attitude was rescuing an abused dog. Rescuing an abused animal wasn’t something that I could ever imagine myself doing. Convincing my parents to allow me to keep the dog and nursing the dog back to health seemed like an impossible task. However, rescuing the dog changed my life for the better. She motivated me to be a better person and allowed me to move around my neighborhood and explore. Taking responsibility for an abused animal brought out a higher level of responsibility, self-awareness, gratitude, and satisfaction that I never experienced before. I appreciate my family more and I have taken a personal interest in rescuing lost dogs in my neighborhood and making every effort to return them to their owners. To care for the dog, I started my own baking business. I used my savings to start ALKING Cookies. During the pandemic, I baked and sold cookies to family, friends, and employees at Rush Hospital. I was also a vendor for the His Summit with Chicago Public Schools and Project Swish of Chicago, a non-profit organization for at-risk youth. I managed my business while doing a virtual paid summer internship with the 47th Ward Alderman Office. It was a lot of work but it allowed me to earn money, care for my dog, care for myself and save money. I realized that being an introvert was keeping me from exploring more options. My business changed that. It allowed me to feel more confident, to interact with others, to think more about my future, to engage with the business community, to learn how to manage finances, to inventory, and to balance more responsibilities. It made me more community-oriented. I enjoy sharing my business experience with other young men like me. I have volunteered with ProjectSwish since I was 14years old. However, it wasn’t until the pandemic that I realized how deeply stressful it is for many black young men like me who have to live and deal with violence and survival issues in predominantly black communities in Chicago. Being a part of Project Swish during the pandemic caused me to reflect more on my life and my community, more than ever before. I now have a better understanding of why education, being productive, and why family and community support are vital. Through the experiences of others, I learned more about myself that addressing mental health is critical to feeling healthy.

Friendship to me means a sense of responsibility and commitment for someone very close to you. I believe true friendship requires you to feel a level of love for that person and responsibility for that person's well-being. You have to genuinely care for the person. You have to want to be around the person and share your highs and lows with that person. A friend will reciprocate that love and commitment back to you. It requires a commitment to be involved in the person's life. You have to look out for the person's best interest. It requires being honest with the person even if you find yourself or your friend in a difficult situation. It may require that you put the person's interest before your own interest. You have to feel like that person belongs in your life. Friendship requires time to build and time to grow the relationship to a deeper level. It requires selflessness, patience, mutual respect and room for others to also be in your life. Friendship is not envious or malicious. Friendship is a solid bond. It requires forgiveness and the ability to get past problems. It's a feeling of belonging, family, community, responsibility and commitment for someone who has a place in your heart.