“What are you having for dinner? Rice and dog?” He asks with a disparaging sneer. The music teacher standing at the front of the classroom, motionless, doesn’t say a word. She instead simply looks at him with a strange gaze. The soft hush of surprised reactions and rumors fill the air. Stares from my peers pierce through me as I sense a rush of blood flood to my face. Despite my young age at the time, I know that his utterance had been an attack at my culture, my family. Now, most people at this moment would place full blame on him, the student, for joking in such an insensitive manner. I, however, do not. I mean, we’re in middle school. Should he know better than to say something like that? Maybe. Maybe not. We are young after all. He could have just heard it somewhere, maybe at home, and repeated it with the blissful ignorance that a child can have. The teacher, however, knew fully the offense that that student had committed, and did not say a word. I was upset about what was said. I was furious about what was not. Not a word. That moment could have been a turning point for that student’s life. He, along with the rest of my classmates, could have gained an understanding in that moment of what it was to respect those around you. I, as a student of the same age, did not know what it was to educate someone to be a more accepting individual. I have seen similar situations unfold in front of me for my entire life, through middle school and high school. They have affected both me and other students, some of whom are very close to me. From that moment on, I knew that that teacher was a perfect example of what I did not want to be for those in a minority group, or anyone for that matter. I want to learn from others, be engulfed and immersed in the rich cultures around me. All while educating others on my own. I will be the opposite of that teacher, who did not say a word. As a minority, I hope to leave an impact on the world for those around me. I aspire for this impact to last far longer than my own lifetime, and make a life more fair for generations to come.

“What are you having for dinner? Rice and dog?” He asks with a disparaging sneer. The music teacher standing at the front of the classroom, motionless, doesn’t say a word. She instead simply looks at him with a strange gaze. The soft hush of surprised reactions and rumors fill the air. Stares from my peers pierce through me as I sense a rush of blood flood to my face. Despite my young age at the time, I know that his utterance had been an attack at my culture, my family. Now, most people at this moment would place full blame on him, the student, for joking in such an insensitive manner. I, however, do not. I mean, we’re in middle school. Should he know better than to say something like that? Maybe. Maybe not. We are young after all. He could have just heard it somewhere, maybe at home, and repeated it with the blissful ignorance that a child can have. The teacher, however, knew fully the offense that that student had committed, and did not say a word. I was upset about what was said. I was furious about what was not. Not a word. That moment could have been a turning point for that student’s life. He, along with the rest of my classmates, could have gained an understanding in that moment of what it was to respect those around you. I, as a student of the same age, did not know what it was to educate someone to be a more accepting individual. I have seen similar situations unfold in front of me for my entire life, through middle school and high school. They have affected both me and other students, some of whom are very close to me. From that moment on, I knew that that teacher was a perfect example of what I did not want to be for those in a minority group, or anyone for that matter. I want to learn from others, be engulfed and immersed in the rich cultures around me. All while educating others on my own. I will be the opposite of that teacher, who did not say a word.

Creating a positive impact that lasts far longer than just my lifetime.

“What are you having for dinner? Rice and dog?” He asks with a disparaging sneer. The music teacher standing at the front of the classroom, motionless, doesn’t say a word. She instead simply looks at him with a strange gaze. The soft hush of surprised reactions and rumors fill the air. Stares from my peers pierce through me as I sense a rush of blood flood to my face. Despite my young age at the time, I know that his utterance had been an attack at my culture, my family. Now, most people at this moment would place full blame on him, the student, for joking in such an insensitive manner. I, however, do not. I mean, we’re in middle school. Should he know better than to say something like that? Maybe. Maybe not. We are young after all. He could have just heard it somewhere, maybe at home, and repeated it with the blissful ignorance that a child can have. The teacher, however, knew fully the offense that that student had committed, and did not say a word. I was upset about what was said. I was furious about what was not. Not a word. That moment could have been a turning point for that student’s life. He, along with the rest of my classmates, could have gained an understanding in that moment of what it was to respect those around you. I, as a student of the same age, did not know what it was to educate someone to be a more accepting individual. I have seen similar situations unfold in front of me for my entire life, through middle school and high school. They have affected both me and other students, some of whom are very close to me. From that moment on, I knew that that teacher was a perfect example of what I did not want to be for those in a minority group, or anyone for that matter. I want to learn from others, be engulfed and immersed in the rich cultures around me. All while educating others on my own. I will be the opposite of that teacher, who did not say a word. To me, leadership isn’t putting yourself above everyone, but rather helping others to understand. I aspire to leave this world with a positive impact on minorities that lasts far longer than my life alone. To me, leadership is education.

“What are you having for dinner? Rice and dog?” He asks with a disparaging sneer. The music teacher standing at the front of the classroom, motionless, doesn’t say a word. She instead simply looks at him with a strange gaze. The soft hush of surprised reactions and rumors fill the air. Stares from my peers pierce through me as I sense a rush of blood flood to my face. Despite my young age at the time, I know that his utterance had been an attack at my culture, my family. Now, most people at this moment would place full blame on him, the student, for joking in such an insensitive manner. I, however, do not. I mean, we’re in middle school. Should he know better than to say something like that? Maybe. Maybe not. We are young after all. He could have just heard it somewhere, maybe at home, and repeated it with the blissful ignorance that a child can have. The teacher, however, knew fully the offense that that student had committed, and did not say a word. I was upset about what was said. I was furious about what was not. Not a word. That moment could have been a turning point for that student’s life. He, along with the rest of my classmates, could have gained an understanding in that moment of what it was to respect those around you. I, as a student of the same age, did not know what it was to educate someone to be a more accepting individual. I have seen similar situations unfold in front of me for my entire life, through middle school and high school. They have affected both me and other students, some of whom are very close to me. From that moment on, I knew that that teacher was a perfect example of what I did not want to be for those in a minority group, or anyone for that matter. I want to learn from others, be engulfed and immersed in the rich cultures around me. All while educating others on my own. I will be the opposite of that teacher, who did not say a word. Through my education and career, I aim to create an impact in the medical field that will last for minorities far past my own life. I hope to become a remembered name in not only medical history, but the history of social justice.

“What are you having for dinner? Rice and dog?” He asks with a disparaging sneer. The music teacher standing at the front of the classroom, motionless, doesn’t say a word. She instead simply looks at him with a strange gaze. The soft hush of surprised reactions and rumors fill the air. Stares from my peers pierce through me as I sense a rush of blood flood to my face. Despite my young age at the time, I know that his utterance had been an attack at my culture, my family. Now, most people at this moment would place full blame on him, the student, for joking in such an insensitive manner. I, however, do not. I mean, we’re in middle school. Should he know better than to say something like that? Maybe. Maybe not. We are young after all. He could have just heard it somewhere, maybe at home, and repeated it with the blissful ignorance that a child can have. The teacher, however, knew fully the offense that that student had committed, and did not say a word. I was upset about what was said. I was furious about what was not. Not a word. That moment could have been a turning point for that student’s life. He, along with the rest of my classmates, could have gained an understanding in that moment of what it was to respect those around you. I, as a student of the same age, did not know what it was to educate someone to be a more accepting individual. I have seen similar situations unfold in front of me for my entire life, through middle school and high school. They have affected both me and other students, some of whom are very close to me. From that moment on, I knew that that teacher was a perfect example of what I did not want to be for those in a minority group, or anyone for that matter. I want to learn from others, be engulfed and immersed in the rich cultures around me. All while educating others on my own. I will be the opposite of that teacher, who did not say a word. Any financial help will aid the process for me to become the person I aspire to be, and to help change the medical field for the better. I hope that with the resources provided for me, that I am able to create an impact that lasts far longer than my own life.

“What are you having for dinner? Rice and dog?” He asks with a disparaging sneer. The music teacher standing at the front of the classroom, motionless, doesn’t say a word. She instead simply looks at him with a strange gaze. The soft hush of surprised reactions and rumors fill the air. Stares from my peers pierce through me as I sense a rush of blood flood to my face. Despite my young age at the time, I know that his utterance had been an attack at my culture, my family. Now, most people at this moment would place full blame on him, the student, for joking in such an insensitive manner. I, however, do not. I mean, we’re in middle school. Should he know better than to say something like that? Maybe. Maybe not. We are young after all. He could have just heard it somewhere, maybe at home, and repeated it with the blissful ignorance that a child can have. The teacher, however, knew fully the offense that that student had committed, and did not say a word. I was upset about what was said. I was furious about what was not. Not a word. That moment could have been a turning point for that student’s life. He, along with the rest of my classmates, could have gained an understanding in that moment of what it was to respect those around you. I, as a student of the same age, did not know what it was to educate someone to be a more accepting individual. I have seen similar situations unfold in front of me for my entire life, through middle school and high school. They have affected both me and other students, some of whom are very close to me. From that moment on, I knew that that teacher was a perfect example of what I did not want to be for those in a minority group, or anyone for that matter. I want to learn from others, be engulfed and immersed in the rich cultures around me. All while educating the others around me on my own. Throughout my life, I have promised myself that I will be the opposite of that teacher, who did not say a word. I have promised myself to pursue my goal to study science in college in order to make changes in the medical field that will positively impact minorities across the world.

Keep talking, even when it feels like the world can't hear you. I would choose this sentence because many people in my generation feel fear when asked to speak their minds. They fear that they will be judged. They fear that they will be wrong. They fear that they will not be heard. To overcome this fear, one must realize that in order to be noticed, in order to be corrected, and in order to be heard, they must speak. Their opinions will never be even glanced at if not put on the table. I hope that in the future, more voices will rise to be heard by all.

The biggest problem the world is facing right now is hate. Now, many people may think of issues such as world hunger, climate change, gender equality, racism, etc. However, if dug deep enough the root of most, if not all these issues is hate. Fear sprouts from hatred, an often misunderstood and crippling emotion. This can cause people to spread their fear, causing a wall of defensive hatred. This becomes an endless cycle of discrimination ultimately originating from hate. At least once in every person's life, there comes a time that they hate something or someone. Most people look back on this moment and face waves of regret. On a global scale, people throughout history have made devastating mistakes birthed from hatred that terrorizes thousands of people. Mistakes like these are looked back to with empathy, with citizens wanting to learn from them. How can we learn from these mistakes? No matter what, we are all humans. We will always make mistakes. However, educating children to have an open mind and to accept all others with love and respect is a step we can take to work on the hatred that infects our world. As many studies have shown, hatred is learned. No one is born with hate. People from different countries, religions, etc are taught to deny basic respect to people of other groups. If the concepts of hate and respect are integrated into our educational system correctly, the current and future generations will be able to unite to better our world.

Throughout my life, my goal has been to achieve something worth being remembered for. Something amazing, worthy of being in the eyes of the world. I've always tried my best to branch out, try new things, and see what I'm interested in. When we're little, we're asked the infamous question: "What do you want to do when I grow up?" My answer changed over the years, like any other person, but mine more than others. Astronaut, doctor, scientist, engineer. Now that I'm in high school, it's begun to dwell on me that my choices aren't going to be just a silly answer. The decisions that I make for the next few years will determine my career path most likely for the rest of my life. They will decide what college I go to, what I major in, and what I decide to do in my life. I've researched, researched, and researched some more. This has all led up to choosing to go into the medical field. In terms of medicinal technology, the world has been rapidly moving. To cure type 2 diabetes would mean improving the lives of over 34 million people in America. To cure Alzheimer's would mean that the lives of almost 6 million Americans would change. To cure muscular dystrophy would mean 250,000 Americans would have normal muscular function. People with these diseases and thousands of other incurable diseases live in suffering. This not only affects them but the people who love them. Innovation in medicine is necessary for the survival of billions of people worldwide. It's necessary to not only let these people survive but also to give them a chance to live. Going into the medical field, I would use my interests, skills and career to think outside of the box and work toward the cure to a disease. I would not only like to be in the medical field, but I would like to be a leader. If not professionally, I would like to inspire and motivate the people around me to succeed. Being able to work with a wide demographic, being outspoken, and learning quickly are a few of the many skills I will utilize to change lives. I want to make a difference in the world and be remembered, no matter how many obstacles come toward me. In order to do this, I have to focus on myself. Recently, I've struggled with mental health and self-esteem. The media can have a negative effect, telling people that they don't deserve to do something, or that they're not good enough to, however, I've found strong, selfless female influencers that inspire and motivate me to love myself and my career goals. Closing the gender gap in STEM has always been an important social issue to me, and seeing influencers in this field has helped to bring light to the people that see them. Women haven't been able to go into STEM for centuries, most likely dimming brilliant inventions that could have changed the world. Now that people are starting to accept more gender diversity, innovation coming from women will lead to social prosperity.