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. Throughout my freshman year of college, I was exposed to so much success and innovation by people who came from similar backgrounds as I did. Although the projects and assignments haven’t always been “fun” in the way I remember those from elementary school, they assisted in establishing good research habits and a solid work drive to achieve quality results. It was those amazing experiences and a continuing love for science that has encouraged me to push forward to achieve my career goals and become a general pediatrician. I wish to continue to learn from those before me and create an impact of my own through my pediatric career by continuing with my Bachelors in Health Science at Howard University.

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.