My name is Amara Greene and I am an incoming sophomore Health Science major at Howard University. My current career path is to become a general pediatrician targeted towards minority children in the United States. My main motivations for my goals are my love for children and wanting to assist those in vulnerable positions. I grew up quite privileged thanks to the hard work and dedication of my parents and those before me, yet I also witnessed throughout my childhood the insecurities faced by young minority children (especially young girls) who resembled me. My initial choice in my career was to become a teacher- I loved kids, I had great examples of dedicated teachers around me in my educational path and in my family, and I loved the idea of using my creativity to teach a new generation. However, as I continued on in school I grew an overwhelming love for science/healthcare and continually noticed the varying inequalities faced by teachers, especially in my state. Volunteering in sports medicine solidified my want to work with youth in healthcare, as many hot days and terrible attitudes we dealt with. If I could do anything with my life, I would become a kindergarten teacher. Personally, I have so many great memories with my friends and my instructor who was always so dedicated to our beginning experiences in school but also our learning. As fun as kindergarten is depicted- it sets a tone for the learning of our youth and their early exposures to the real world. Without having to worry about my mental health, financial insecurity or severe mistreatment I would love to be a part of a child’s foundation regarding their education. The STEM field excites me because of the highlight of progression regarding research, career and the future overall. An aspect of the sciences that always spoke out to me were the evergrowing steps towards progression- the fact that something well agreed on could one day be different because of the effort of those who love what they do. In regard to my career, the fact that the efforts of mine and others who choose careers in STEM motivates me to do my best to ensure my patients have the best care in the future. As a woman in healthcare, becoming an advocate for minority children in general pediatrics is the main way I believe I’ll make a positive impact on the world and its future. Healthcare insecurity is a massive issue in the US, especially in regards to the minority populations. Cultural beliefs, financial insecurity and insufficient education all contribute to the reasons these populations do not access proper care, resulting in their needs not being heard or even ignored because of medical stereotypes. Advocacy is an incredibly important aspect of not only healthcare but STEM careers overall. It is through advocacy that real change occurs, even if not immediately.

Excerpt from Brave New World by Aldous Huxley “And if ever, by some unlucky chance, anything unpleasant should somehow happen, why, there’s always soma to give you a holiday from the facts. And there’s always soma to calm your anger, to reconcile you to your enemies, to make you patient and long-suffering. In the past you could only accomplish these things by making a great effort and after years of hard moral training. Now, you swallow two or three half-gramme tablets, and there you are. Anybody can be virtuous now. You can carry at least half your morality about in a bottle. Christianity without tears—that’s what soma is.” Brave New World was an envisioning of a dystopian future where technology and state control have fundamentally altered human society, creating a world where individuality and personal freedom are sacrificed for stability and conformity. An aspect of the book that struck me was the similarity and parallels Huxley made within the text compared to our modern world. The themes of this book revolve around escapism, struggles of individuality and the duality of adult life. By the end of the book it was clear through the disturbing events and elements of the book that the text serves as a warning more than simply literary entertainment. The concept of escapism is such a prominent aspect of modern society, as so much of our technological advances are used as coping mechanisms, and have been repeatedly revealed to be incredibly harmful. The same things we have claimed are such moves towards progress are now used in extremity, similar to the abuse of soma in Brave New World. The concept of escapism and how Huxley utilized such a foundation of the world building in Brave New World was an incredible wake-up call. The escape from individualistic thinking through the use of hypnopaedia and drug use initially seemed incredibly extreme and an irresponsible way to govern society. However, the effectiveness of such a system later showed itself through the experiences of various characters depicted in the book along with the later explanation of the Controller. In the excerpt, Mustapha attempts to sell the idea of soma to John as many others did. However, he attempts to appeal to John’s belief of Christianity- comparing the drug to have similar effects to religious fulfillment but without the struggle. While human beings struggle to be forgiving, hardworking or patient because of emotion, soma keeps you “motivated” as you’re always in a positive minded state. There’s not much room for anger, resentment, jealousy and or other negative human emotion to impact your decision making when there is soma to alleviate that. The tie of such a theme to society in 2025 was blaringly obvious through similar vices as in the text, such as through technology, music and recreational substances. Personally, I can speak from observation regarding the use of recreational substances as a way of escape from the modern world. Marijuana use is a heavy vice in minority communities. It is made quite easily accessible for youth and even when not, determined individuals have their ways of retrieving the substance or are even enabled into usage from those older than them. The drug of course has its medical benefits, however anyone who indulges has similar motivations for utilizing it: marijuana helps your brain slow down and prompts chemical relaxation. The college setting does not make it any easier as you approach genuine responsibility and adulthood, hence why alcohol and weed are so common to help alleviate stress. Escapism is a daily aspect of our lives and is consistently encouraged: basic communication, education, jobs and our social lives are all mainly dependent on technological advancement while the media only truly speaks up about extreme cases. Taking breaks for extended periods of time is better for your mental health, but who will answer those emails from your job, do your assignments or even help your long-distance friend who needs support during a crisis? Forming healthy habits and discovering your passions to form better coping skills is practically essential to bettering your mental health, but who truly has the time anymore? Similar to Brave New World, our society has been chained to multiple types of dependency with no clear way to stray from it but also no real desire to detach from it. It is clearly weaponized by billion-dollar companies in order to make sales, yet certain vices have also been used throughout history to weaponize control over minority populations also. While history may not always be repeated in the exact same way, there are always warnings that point to certain catastrophes. To conclude, Brave New World caters to readers who enjoy a philosophical read that genuinely makes them consider the circumstances of their own environments. The lessons learned through this text are thought-provoking and trigger intelligent discussion about the state of the modern world. The theme of escapism and how it was presented was truly purposeful in the text, and the same warnings Huxley attempted to portray then apply in the 21st century also.

My name is Amara Greene and I am an incoming sophomore Health Science major at Howard University. My current career path is to become a general pediatrician targeted towards minority children in the United States. My main motivations for my goals are my love for children and wanting to assist those in vulnerable positions. I grew up quite privileged thanks to the hard work and dedication of my parents and those before me, yet I also witnessed throughout my childhood the insecurities faced by young minority children (especially young girls) who resembled me. My initial choice in my career was to become a teacher- I loved kids, I had great examples of dedicated teachers around me in my educational path and in my family, and I loved the idea of using my creativity to teach a new generation. However, as I continued on in school I grew an overwhelming love for science/healthcare and continually noticed the varying inequalities faced by teachers, especially in my state. Volunteering in sports medicine solidified my want to work with youth in healthcare, as many hot days and terrible attitudes we dealt with. If I could do anything with my life, I would become a kindergarten teacher. Personally, I have so many great memories with my friends and my instructor who was always so dedicated to our beginning experiences in school but also our learning. As fun as kindergarten is depicted- it sets a tone for the learning of our youth and their early exposures to the real world. Without having to worry about my mental health, financial insecurity or severe mistreatment I would love to be a part of a child’s foundation regarding their education. The STEM field excites me because of the highlight of progression regarding research, career and the future overall. An aspect of the sciences that always spoke out to me were the evergrowing steps towards progression- the fact that something well agreed on could one day be different because of the effort of those who love what they do. In regard to my career, the fact that the efforts of mine and others who choose careers in STEM motivates me to do my best to ensure my patients have the best care in the future. Although I will not be working towards a career in IT, becoming an advocate for minority children in general pediatrics is the main way I believe I’ll make a positive impact on the world and its future. Healthcare insecurity is a massive issue in the US, especially in regards to the minority populations. Cultural beliefs, financial insecurity and insufficient education all contribute to the reasons these populations do not access proper care, resulting in their needs not being heard or even ignored because of medical stereotypes. Advocacy is an incredibly important aspect of not only healthcare but STEM careers overall. It is through advocacy that real change occurs, even if not immediately. The greatest challenge I have ever had to overcome was dealing with the loss of my maternal grandmother. My sophomore year was technically my first “real year” of high school after COVID-19. Broward County had fully set up their systems to send students back to school in person, with multiple regulations in hopes to keep us safe. While we were second-years on paper, this would be our time to actually transition into physical high school as we were supposed to in 2020. During September of 2021, my sister and I came into my parents room to find my mother crying, and a sinking feeling of something I knew was coming had been confirmed. My grandmother had passed away that night from the colon cancer that had been slowly draining her and making her weaker over the past year. While we had known for a couple months that she was getting worse and that the day had been coming, the time still couldn’t have been worse. I was going through such a major transition, figuring out my identity, dealing with harder classes, and one of the few people who had always supported me and my goals was no longer there. I believe the loss of my grammy was one of the leading causes that made my sophomore year so difficult, as I was navigating so many feelings at once that I wasn’t certain on how to cope with. However, in her loss I was able to form deeper relationships with the friends I had and would eventually make throughout that year. My best friend and I became more than just girls who have been around each other for a while and had similar interests, but confidants for our troubles. Going through loss myself helped me in being a better comfort to those who would experience loss after me. While my career primarily revolves around the physical care of children, the emotional aspect of care is still so important. As a pediatrician, I know I’ll be dealing with children in troubled homes, who are abuse victims and overall going through life’s difficult transitions. But overcoming hardship myself makes me believe I’ll be a better support for these kids' physical and mental needs. I still miss my grandmother, but rather than being stricken by grief I choose to reflect on the wonderful memories and advice she gave me and work towards making her proud.