One of my family's favorite activities when it wasn’t boiling hot outside has always been going on bike rides. An early memory of mine was sitting in the back of a bike’s child trailer with my mom pulling me along beside my dad and sisters. I have always been fortunate enough to have an immediate community area that's well suited for riding my bike, most likely because I live so close to a middle school, high school, and park. I abused this privilege any time I could, riding my bike to school or just around to get some exercise and blow off some steam. However, as I grew older and wanted to venture further from my well-paved community I realized how more difficult it would become to continue my love of biking around. I have this specific memory of one summer when I wanted to go to the local Target, but I had no one to drive me since my parents were at work. I had been biking all summer and thought this 2.5 miles, estimatedly a 15-minute bike ride, would be a piece of cake. I had ridden for longer and further for years and years before that moment. However, as soon as I left my little community and started on a main street to get there I realized how much more terrifying riding my bike could be. Finding myself biking on the sidewalk to avoid the bustling traffic that seemed to give little care to the bike lane. All the while, running up to some random points the sidewalk randomly disappeared and became a dirt path that my little cruiser at the time could not handle well. With no way to safely cross to the other side of the 5-lane road with sidewalk pavement other than waiting until the next light which miraculously became paved again. Also, despite going earlier in the morning, the summer heat started getting to me as there was little to no shade for me to hide under from the beating sun. This trip was so much for me that I could not fathom trying to ride back home from Target, I ended up calling my father to pick me up and I waited until he got off work to pick me and my bike up to take us home. This has stayed with me as a core memory when it came to riding my bike again, pushing me away from riding it as often, until college. I enjoyed being able to freely ride my bike around my college campus with paved sidewalks for me to easily bike on. However, technically that sidewalk wasn’t for me, but the extremely damaged asphalt paved bike lane was. I had seen too many individuals take hard falls from that lane from their tires getting caught in the gaping cracks that could swallow a tire whole if angled the right way. Based on these experiences, I have many ideas for improving our roadways for cyclists. Namely, better pavement of roadways while focusing on fixing cracks, and making sure of equal opportunity for sidewalks or bicycle lanes on both sides of the road. These I feel are what most states should focus on implementing for bicyclists, but most specifically for Arizona, I think that should be another addition. This is adding more trees or coverings to help lessen the amount of sun and heat bicyclists experience on the road. Arizona is already so hot and cyclists have no AC to protect them from the heat radiating off the asphalt from below and the beating sun from above.

I have always noticed a lack of diversity in my everyday life and most Afro-Latinas, including myself, have not seen much in the way of Black and Hispanic representation, especially in health professions. I have taken several classes in high school and college that have discussed topics like diversity in media, all while I am the only Black or Afro-Latina in the class. These classes provide perspective on Hispanic and Black representation on TV and the effects of a lack of diversity on the kids consuming this media. This extreme underrepresentation in popular media has pushed me to continue working toward my goal of becoming a Pediatric Dentist. I want to both prove myself and provide inspiration to other young Afro-Latina girls. Ever since I was young, I loved going to the dentist. My dentist was a cheerful man who could make anyone smile, but what I liked most was the feeling that my teeth were clean and pretty afterward. That feeling gave me confidence in my smile, however, that all changed as I got older. The stark difference between my baby teeth and my permanent ones made me feel insecure about myself, so when the topic of braces came up I jumped at the opportunity. When I saw my new smile after getting braces, I felt amazing, I regained my confidence, and I thanked my orthodontist greatly. When I think about it now, I realize that both of my doctors were white men and noticed the lack of women of color. This resounding realization encouraged my pursuit of a career in the dental field. Like my dentist, I want to make people feel more confident in not just their smile, but also in themselves. I want to make people smile and feel comfortable when they are around me, so I plan to be an approachable Dentist that girls of color can look up to. I plan on practicing this idea for the years to come, even before becoming a Dentist. I started by putting myself in positions of leadership that I had never seen someone like me in before. These are a Biology class Teaching Assistant and a Community Assistant for Honors housing. I also joined a program called Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation which provides STEM support for minority students. I plan to use the lessons I have acquired from these opportunities to devise a plan to reach my career goals. After graduation from college, I aspire to take on a job with Americore so I can give back and work within low-income communities. When a year from then passes, I expect to be starting dental school in hopes of becoming a dentist, focusing on working in public health. Then after dental school, I intend to work with the National Health Service Corps where I can work in public health in underrepresented and low-income areas. My desire to become a Pediatric Dentist is a way to support and inspire other Afro-Latinas who desire to enter into the white male-dominated field of STEM or medicine and aspire for greatness.

I have always noticed a lack of diversity in my everyday life and most Afro-Latinas, including myself, have not seen much in the way of Black and Hispanic representation, especially in health professions. I have taken several classes in high school and college that have discussed topics like diversity in media, all while I am the only Black or Afro-Latina in the class. These classes provide perspective on Hispanic and Black representation on TV and the effects of a lack of diversity on the kids consuming this media. This extreme underrepresentation in popular media has pushed me to continue working toward my goal of becoming a Pediatric Dentist. I want to both prove myself and provide inspiration to other young Afro-Latina girls. Ever since I was young, I loved going to the dentist. My dentist was a cheerful man who could make anyone smile, but what I liked most was the feeling that my teeth were clean and pretty afterward. That feeling gave me confidence in my smile, however, that all changed as I got older. The stark difference between my baby teeth and my permanent ones made me feel insecure about myself, so when the topic of braces came up I jumped at the opportunity. When I saw my new smile after getting braces, I felt amazing, I regained my confidence, and I thanked my orthodontist greatly. When I think about it now, I realize that both of my doctors were white men and noticed the lack of women of color. This resounding realization encouraged my pursuit of a career in the dental field. Like my dentist, I want to make people feel more confident in not just their smile, but also in themselves. I want to make people smile and feel comfortable when they are around me, so I plan to be an approachable Dentist that girls of color can look up to. I plan on practicing this idea for the years to come, even before becoming a Dentist. I started by putting myself in positions of leadership that I had never seen someone like me in before. These are a Biology class Teaching Assistant and a Community Assistant for Honors housing. I also joined a program called Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation which provides STEM support for minority students. I plan to use the lessons I have acquired from these opportunities to devise a plan to reach my career goals. After graduation from college, I aspire to take on a job with Americore so I can give back and work within low-income communities. When a year from then passes, I expect to be starting dental school in hopes of becoming a dentist, focusing on working in public health. Then after dental school, I intend to work with the National Health Service Corps where I can work in public health in underrepresented and low-income areas. My desire to become a Pediatric Dentist is a way to support and inspire other Afro-Latinas who desire to enter into the white male-dominated field of medicine and aspire for greatness.

I have always noticed a lack of diversity in my everyday life and most Afro-Latinas, including myself, have not seen much in the way of Black and Hispanic representation, especially in health professions. I have taken several classes in high school and college that have discussed topics like diversity in media, all while I am the only Black or Afro-Latina in the class. These classes provide perspective on Hispanic and Black representation on TV and the effects of a lack of diversity on the kids consuming this media. This extreme underrepresentation in popular media has pushed me to continue working toward my goal of becoming a Pediatric Dentist. I want to both prove myself and provide inspiration to other young Afro-Latina girls. Ever since I was young, I loved going to the dentist. My dentist was a cheerful man who could make anyone smile, but what I liked most was the feeling that my teeth were clean and pretty afterward. That feeling gave me confidence in my smile, however, that all changed as I got older. The stark difference between my baby teeth and my permanent ones made me feel insecure about myself, so when the topic of braces came up I jumped at the opportunity. When I saw my new smile after getting braces, I felt amazing, I regained my confidence, and I thanked my orthodontist greatly. When I think about it now, I realize that both of my doctors were white men and noticed the lack of women of color. This resounding realization encouraged my pursuit of a career in the dental field. Like my dentist, I want to make people feel more confident in not just their smile, but also in themselves. I want to make people smile and feel comfortable when they are around me, so I plan to be an approachable Dentist that girls of color can look up to. I plan on practicing this idea for the years to come, even before becoming a Dentist. I started by putting myself in positions of leadership that I had never seen someone like me in before. These are a Biology class Teaching Assistant and a Community Assistant for Honors housing. I also joined a program called Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation which provides STEM support for minority students. I plan to use the lessons I have acquired from these opportunities to devise a plan to reach my career goals. After graduation from college, I aspire to take on a job with Americore so I can give back and work within low-income communities. When a year from then passes, I expect to be starting dental school in hopes of becoming a dentist, focusing on working in public health. Then after dental school, I intend to work with the National Health Service Corps where I can work in public health in underrepresented and low-income areas. My desire to become a Pediatric Dentist is a way to support and inspire other Afro-Latinas who desire to enter into the white male-dominated field of STEM or medicine and aspire for greatness.

I have always noticed a lack of diversity in my everyday life. Most Afro-Latinas, including myself, have not seen much in the way of Black and Hispanic representation, especially in health professions. Because of this, I want to both prove myself and provide inspiration to other young Afro-Latina girls by going into a white male-dominated field, Dentistry. Ever since I was young, I loved going to the dentist. I liked the feeling that my teeth were clean and pretty afterward, this gave me more confidence about my smile, but, that all changed as I got older. The adult teeth that replaced my perfectly straight baby teeth were too big for my mouth which resulted in them coming in crooked, leading me to get braces so I could regain the confidence I once had. When I look back, I realize that both of my doctors were white men and that I lacked the representation of women of color. This resounding realization encouraged my pursuit of a career in the dental field. Like my dentist, I want to make people feel more confident in not just their smile, but also in themselves. I am a very cheerful and happy-go-lucky kind of person and I project that happiness onto others. I want to make people smile and feel comfortable when they are around me, so I aim to be an approachable orthodontist that girls of color can look up to. I plan on practicing this idea for the years to come, even before becoming an orthodontist. I started by putting myself in positions of leadership that I had never seen someone like me in before. Like a Teaching Assistant for a Biology class, and a Community Assistant for Honors housing. I also joined a program called Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation which provides STEM support for minority students. I look forward to using the lessons I have acquired from these opportunities to devise a plan to reach my career goals. After graduation from college, I aspire to take on a job with Americore so I can give back and work within low-income communities. When a year from then passes, I expect to be starting dental school in hopes of becoming a dentist, focusing on working in public health. Then after dental school, I intend to work with the National Health Service Corps where I can work in public health in underrepresented and low-income areas. Dental school is a prominent stepping stone in achieving that goal, and it is hard to get admitted into and equally as hard to obtain the funding for. I hopefully plan to take part in the government program that I mentioned, NHSC, to pay back dental school costs, and in return, I work in underprivileged areas. I would be able to show underprivileged kids that there is someone who looks like them that can achieve their dreams. With the assistance of this amazing scholarship, I would be able to use it in one of two ways. I would use the scholarship funding to pay off the cost of dental school applications and the purchasing of books to study for the DCAT or use the scholarship as a backup savings if I am unable to be a part of NHSC. With the scholarship, I hope to help more than just myself, but also those children that need a boost of confidence from their fixed smile and who need someone who looks like them in the dental field.

I have always noticed a lack of diversity in my everyday life and most Afro-Latinas, including myself, have not seen much in the way of Black and Hispanic representation, especially in health professions. I have taken several classes in high school and college that have discussed topics like diversity in media, all while I am the only Black or Afro-Latina in the class. These classes provide perspective on Hispanic and Black representation on TV and the effects of a lack of diversity on the kids consuming this media. This extreme underrepresentation in popular media has pushed me to continue working toward my goal of becoming a Pediatric Dentist. I want to both prove myself and provide inspiration to other young Afro-Latina girls. Ever since I was young, I loved going to the dentist. My dentist was a cheerful man who could make anyone smile, but what I liked most was the feeling that my teeth were clean and pretty afterward. That feeling gave me confidence in my smile, however, that all changed as I got older. The stark difference between my baby teeth and my permanent ones made me feel insecure about myself, so when the topic of braces came up I jumped at the opportunity. When I saw my new smile after getting braces, I felt amazing, I regained my confidence, and I thanked my orthodontist greatly. When I think about it now, I realize that both of my doctors were white men and noticed the lack of women of color. This resounding realization encouraged my pursuit of a career in the dental field. Like my dentist, I want to make people feel more confident in not just their smile, but also in themselves. I want to make people smile and feel comfortable when they are around me, so I plan to be an approachable Dentist that girls of color can look up to. I plan on practicing this idea for the years to come, even before becoming a Dentist. I started by putting myself in positions of leadership that I had never seen someone like me in before. These are a Biology class Teaching Assistant and a Community Assistant for Honors housing. I also joined a program called Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation which provides STEM support for minority students. I plan to use the lessons I have acquired from these opportunities to devise a plan to reach my career goals. After graduation from college, I aspire to take on a job with Americore so I can give back and work within low-income communities. When a year from then passes, I expect to be starting dental school in hopes of becoming a dentist, focusing on working in public health. Then after dental school, I intend to work with the National Health Service Corps where I can work in public health in underrepresented and low-income areas. My desire to become a Pediatric Dentist is a way to support and inspire other Afro-Latinas who desire to enter into the white male-dominated field of STEM or medicine and aspire for greatness.

I have always noticed a lack of diversity in my everyday life and most Afro-Latinas, including myself, have not seen much in the way of Black and Hispanic representation, especially in health professions. I have taken several classes in high school and college that have discussed topics like diversity in media, all while I am the only Black or Afro-Latina in the class. These classes provide perspective on Hispanic and Black representation on TV and the effects of a lack of diversity on the kids consuming this media. This extreme underrepresentation in popular media has pushed me to continue working toward my goal of becoming a Pediatric Dentist. I want to both prove myself and provide inspiration to other young Afro-Latina girls. Ever since I was young, I loved going to the dentist. My dentist was a cheerful man who could make anyone smile, but what I liked most was the feeling that my teeth were clean and pretty afterward. That feeling gave me confidence in my smile, however, that all changed as I got older. The stark difference between my baby teeth and my permanent ones made me feel insecure about myself, so when the topic of braces came up I jumped at the opportunity. When I saw my new smile after getting braces, I felt amazing, I regained my confidence, and I thanked my orthodontist greatly. When I think about it now, I realize that both of my doctors were white men and noticed the lack of women of color. This resounding realization encouraged my pursuit of a career in the dental field. Like my dentist, I want to make people feel more confident in not just their smile, but also in themselves. I want to make people smile and feel comfortable when they are around me, so I plan to be an approachable Dentist that girls of color can look up to. I plan on practicing this idea for the years to come, even before becoming a Dentist. I started by putting myself in positions of leadership that I had never seen someone like me in before. These are a Biology class Teaching Assistant and a Community Assistant for Honors housing. I also joined a program called Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation which provides STEM support for minority students. I plan to use the lessons I have acquired from these opportunities to devise a plan to reach my career goals. After graduation from college, I aspire to take on a job with Americore so I can give back and work within low-income communities. When a year from then passes, I expect to be starting dental school in hopes of becoming a dentist, focusing on working in public health. Then after dental school, I intend to work with the National Health Service Corps where I can work in public health in underrepresented and low-income areas. My desire to become a Pediatric Dentist is a way to support and inspire other Afro-Latinas who desire to enter into the white male-dominated field of STEM or medicine and aspire for greatness.

I have always noticed a lack of diversity in my everyday life. Most Afro-Latinas, including myself, have not seen much in the way of Black and Hispanic representation, especially in health professions. Because of this, I want to both prove myself and provide inspiration to other young Afro-Latina girls by going into a white male-dominated field, Dentistry. Ever since I was young, I loved going to the dentist. I liked the feeling that my teeth were clean and pretty afterward, this gave me more confidence about my smile, but, that all changed as I got older. The adult teeth that replaced my perfectly straight baby teeth were too big for my mouth which resulted in them coming in crooked, leading me to get braces so I could regain the confidence I once had. When I look back, I realize that both of my doctors were white men and that I lacked the representation of women of color. This resounding realization encouraged my pursuit of a career in the dental field. Like my dentist, I want to make people feel more confident in not just their smile, but also in themselves. I am a very cheerful and happy-go-lucky kind of person and I project that happiness onto others. I want to make people smile and feel comfortable when they are around me, so I aim to be an approachable orthodontist that girls of color can look up to. I plan on practicing this idea for the years to come, even before becoming an orthodontist. I started by putting myself in positions of leadership that I had never seen someone like me in before. Like a Teaching Assistant for a Biology class, and a Community Assistant for Honors housing. I also joined a program called Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation which provides STEM support for minority students. I look forward to using the lessons I have acquired from these opportunities to devise a plan to reach my career goals. After graduation from NAU, I aspire to take on a job with Americore so I can give back and work within low-income communities. When a year from then passes, I expect to be starting dental school in hopes of becoming a dentist, focusing on working in public health. Then after dental school, I intend to work with the National Health Service Corps where I can work in public health in underrepresented and low-income areas. Dental school is a prominent stepping stone in achieving that goal, and it is hard to get admitted into and equally as hard to obtain the funding for. I hopefully plan to take part in the government program that I mentioned, NHSC, to pay back dental school costs, and in return, I work in underprivileged areas. I would be able to show underprivileged kids that there is someone who looks like them that can achieve their dreams. With the assistance of this amazing scholarship, I would be able to use it in one of two ways. I would use the scholarship funding to pay off the cost of dental school applications and the purchasing of books to study for the DCAT or use the scholarship as a backup savings if I am unable to be a part of NHSC. With the scholarship, I hope to help more than just myself, but also those children that need a boost of confidence from their fixed smile and that need someone who looks like them in the dental field.

I have always noticed a lack of diversity in my everyday life and most Afro-Latinas, including myself, have not seen much in the way of Black and Hispanic representation, especially in health professions. I have taken several classes in high school and college that have discussed topics like diversity in media, all while I am the only Black or Afro-Latina in the class. These classes provide perspective on Hispanic and Black representation on TV and the effects of a lack of diversity on the kids consuming this media. This extreme underrepresentation in popular media has pushed me to continue working toward my goal of becoming an orthodontist. I want to both prove myself and provide inspiration to other young Afro-Latina girls. Ever since I was young, I loved going to the dentist. My dentist was a cheerful man who could make anyone smile, but what I liked most was the feeling that my teeth were clean and pretty afterward. That feeling gave me confidence in my smile, however, that all changed as I got older. The stark difference between my baby teeth and my permanent ones made me feel insecure about myself, so when the topic of braces came up I jumped at the opportunity. When I saw my new smile after getting braces, I felt amazing, I regained my confidence, and I thanked my orthodontist greatly. When I think about it now, I realize that both of my doctors were white men and noticed the lack of women of color. This resounding realization encouraged my pursuit of a career in the dental field. Like my dentist, I want to make people feel more confident in not just their smile, but also in themselves. I want to make people smile and feel comfortable when they are around me, so I plan to be an approachable orthodontist that girls of color can look up to. I plan on practicing this idea for the years to come, even before becoming an orthodontist. I started by putting myself in positions of leadership that I had never seen someone like me in before. These are a Biology class Teaching Assistant and a Community Assistant for Honors housing. I also joined a program called Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation which provides STEM support for minority students. I plan to use the lessons I have acquired from these opportunities to devise a plan to reach these career goals. My desire to become an orthodontist is a way to support and inspire other Afro-Latinas who desire to enter into the white male-dominated field of STEM and aspire for greatness.

I have always noticed a lack of diversity in my everyday life. Most Afro-Latinas, including myself, have not seen much in the way of Black and Hispanic representation, especially in health professions. Because of this, I want to both prove myself and provide inspiration to other young Afro-Latina girls by going into a white male-dominated field, Dentistry. Ever since I was young, I loved going to the dentist. I liked the feeling that my teeth were clean and pretty afterward, this gave me more confidence about my smile, but, that all changed as I got older. The adult teeth that replaced my perfectly straight baby teeth were too big for my mouth which resulted in them coming in crooked, leading me to get braces so I could regain the confidence I once had. When I look back, I realize that both of my doctors were white men and that I lacked the representation of women of color. This resounding realization encouraged my pursuit of a career in the dental field. Like my dentist, I want to make people feel more confident in not just their smile, but also in themselves. I am a very cheerful and happy-go-lucky kind of person and I project that happiness onto others. I want to make people smile and feel comfortable when they are around me, so I aim to be an approachable orthodontist that girls of color can look up to. I plan on practicing this idea for the years to come, even before becoming an orthodontist. I started by putting myself in positions of leadership that I had never seen someone like me in before. Like a Teaching Assistant for a Biology class, and a Community Assistant for Honors housing. I also joined a program called Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation which provides STEM support for minority students. I look forward to using the lessons I have acquired from these opportunities to devise a plan to reach my career goals. After graduation from NAU, I aspire to take on a job with Americore so I can give back and work within low-income communities. When a year from then passes, I expect to be starting dental school in hopes of becoming a dentist, focusing on working in public health. Then after dental school, I intend to work with the National Health Service Corps where I can work in public health in underrepresented and low-income areas. Dental school is a prominent stepping stone in achieving that goal, and it is hard to get admitted into and equally as hard to obtain the funding for. I hopefully plan to take part in the government program that I mentioned, NHSC, to pay back dental school costs, and in return, I work in underprivileged areas. I would be able to show underprivileged kids that there is someone who looks like them that can achieve their dreams. With the assistance of this amazing scholarship, I would be able to use it in one of two ways. I would use the scholarship funding to pay off the cost of dental school applications and the purchasing of books to study for the DCAT or use the scholarship as a backup savings if I am unable to be a part of NHSC. With the scholarship, I hope to help more than just myself, but also those children that need a boost of confidence from their fixed smile and that need someone who looks like them in the dental field.

I have always noticed a lack of diversity in my everyday life and most Afro-Latinas, including myself, have not seen much in the way of Black and Hispanic representation, especially in health professions. I have taken several classes in high school and college that have discussed topics like diversity in media, all while I am the only Black or Afro-Latina in the class. These classes provide perspective on Hispanic and Black representation on TV and the effects of a lack of diversity on the kids consuming this media. This extreme underrepresentation in popular media has pushed me to continue working toward my goal of becoming an orthodontist. I want to both prove myself and provide inspiration to other young Afro-Latina girls. Ever since I was young, I loved going to the dentist. My dentist was a cheerful man who could make anyone smile, but what I liked most was the feeling that my teeth were clean and pretty afterward. That feeling gave me confidence in my smile, however, that all changed as I got older. The stark difference between my baby teeth and my permanent ones made me feel insecure about myself, so when the topic of braces came up I jumped at the opportunity. When I saw my new smile after getting braces, I felt amazing, I regained my confidence, and I thanked my orthodontist greatly. When I think about it now, I realize that both of my doctors were white men and noticed the lack of women of color. This resounding realization encouraged my pursuit of a career in the dental field. Like my dentist, I want to make people feel more confident in not just their smile, but also in themselves. I want to make people smile and feel comfortable when they are around me, so I plan to be an approachable orthodontist that girls of color can look up to. I plan on practicing this idea for the years to come, even before becoming an orthodontist. I started by putting myself in positions of leadership that I had never seen someone like me in before. These are a Biology class Teaching Assistant and a Community Assistant for Honors housing. I also joined a program called Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation which provides STEM support for minority students. I plan to use the lessons I have acquired from these opportunities to devise a plan to reach these career goals. My desire to become an orthodontist is a way to support and inspire other Afro-Latinas who desire to enter into the white male-dominated field of STEM and aspire for greatness.

I have always noticed a lack of diversity in my everyday life. Most Afro-Latinas, including myself, have not seen much in the way of Black and Hispanic representation, especially in health professions. Because of this I want to both prove myself and provide inspiration to other young Afro-Latina girls by going into a white male dominated field, Dentistry. Ever since I was young, I loved going to the dentist. I liked the feeling that my teeth were clean and pretty afterwards, this gave me more confidence about my smile, however that all changed as I got older. The adult teeth that replaced my perfectly straight baby teeth were too big for my mouth which resulted in them coming in crooked, leading me to get braces so I could regain the confidence I once had. When I look back, I realize that both of my doctors were white men and that I lacked the representation of women of color. This resounding realization encouraged my pursuit of a career in the dental field. Like my dentist, I want to make people feel more confident in not just their smile, but also in themselves. I am a very cheerful and happy-go-lucky kind of person and I project that happiness onto others. I want to make people smile and feel comfortable when they are around me, so I aim to be an approachable orthodontist that girls of color can look up to. I plan on practicing this idea for the years to come, even before becoming an orthodontist. I started by putting myself in positions of leadership that I had never seen someone like me in before. Like a Teaching Assistant for a Biology class, and a Community Assistant for Honors housing. I also joined a program called Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation which provides STEM support for minority students. I look forward to using the lessons I have acquired from these opportunities to devise a plan to reach my career goals. After graduation from NAU I aspire to take on a job with Americore so I can give back and work within low income communities. When a year from then passes, I expect to be starting dental school in hopes of becoming a dentist, focusing on working in public health. Then after dental school I intend to work with the National Health Service Corps where I can work in public health in underrepresented and low income areas. Dental school is a prominent stepping stone in achieving that goal, and it is hard to get admitted into and equally as hard to obtain the funding for. I hopefully plan to take part in the government program that I mentioned, NHSC, to pay back dental school costs and in return I work in underprivileged areas. I would be able to show underprivileged kids that there is someone who looks like them that can achieve their dreams. With the assistance of this amazing scholarship I would be able to use it in one of two ways. I would use the scholarship funding to pay off the cost of dental school applications and the purchasing of books to study for the DCAT, or use the scholarship as a back up savings if I am unable to be a part of NHSC. With the scholarship I hope to help more than just myself, but also those children that need a boost of confidence from their fixed smile and that need someone who looks like them in the dental field.

I always notice a lack of diversity in my everyday life, whether it's the media, classes, professions, or my general surroundings. Most Afro-Latinas, including myself, have not seen much in the way of Black and Hispanic representation, especially in health professions. I have taken several classes in high school and in college that have discussed topics like diversity in media, all while I am the only Black or Afro-Latina in the class. These classes provide perspective on Hispanic and Black representation on TV and the effects of a lack of diversity on the kids consuming this media. This extreme underrepresentation in popular media has pushed me to continue working toward my goal of becoming an orthodontist. I want to both prove myself and provide inspiration to other young Afro-Latina girls. Ever since I was young, I loved going to the dentist. My dentist was a cheerful man who could make anyone smile, but what I liked most was the feeling that my teeth were clean and pretty afterwards. That feeling gave me confidence about my smile, however that all changed as I got older. My baby teeth were beautiful, they grew in nicely and were charmingly straight and practically perfect. However, the adult teeth that replaced them were too big for my mouth which resulted in them coming in crooked. The stark difference between my baby teeth and my permanent ones made me feel insecure about myself, so when the topic of braces came up I jumped at the opportunity. When I saw my new smile after getting braces, I felt amazing, I regained my confidence, and I thanked my orthodontist greatly. When I think about it now, I realize that both of my doctors were white men and that I lacked the representation of women of color. This resounding realization encouraged my pursuit of a career in the dental field. Like my dentist, I want to make people feel more confident in not just their smile, but also in themselves. I have been known to be a very cheerful and happy-go-lucky girl and I project that happiness onto other people. I want to make people smile and feel comfortable when they are around me, so I plan to be an approachable orthodontist that girls of color can look up to. I plan on practicing this idea for the years to come, even before becoming an orthodontist. I started by putting myself in positions of leadership that I had never seen someone like me in before. These being a Biology class Teaching Assistant, and a Community Assistant for Honors housing. I also joined a program called Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation which provides STEM support for minority students. I plan to use the lessons I have acquired from these opportunities to devise a plan to reach these career goals. My desire to become an orthodontist is a way to support and inspire other Afro-Latinas who desire to enter into white male dominated field of STEM and aspire for greatness.

I always notice a lack of diversity in my everyday life, whether it's the media, classes, professions, or my general surroundings. Most Afro-Latinas, including myself, have not seen much in the way of Black and Hispanic representation, especially in health professions. I have taken several classes in high school and in college that have discussed topics like diversity in media, all while I am the only Black or Afro-Latina in the class. These classes provide perspective on Hispanic and Black representation on TV and the effects of a lack of diversity on the kids consuming this media. This extreme underrepresentation in popular media has pushed me to continue working toward my goal of becoming an orthodontist. I want to both prove myself and provide inspiration to other young Afro-Latina girls. Ever since I was young, I loved going to the dentist. My dentist was a cheerful man who could make anyone smile, but what I liked most was the feeling that my teeth were clean and pretty afterwards. That feeling gave me confidence about my smile, however that all changed as I got older. My baby teeth were beautiful, they grew in nicely and were charmingly straight and practically perfect. However, the adult teeth that replaced them were too big for my mouth which resulted in them coming in crooked. The stark difference between my baby teeth and my permanent ones made me feel insecure about myself, so when the topic of braces came up I jumped at the opportunity. When I saw my new smile after getting braces, I felt amazing, I regained my confidence, and I thanked my orthodontist greatly. When I think about it now, I realize that both of my doctors were white men and that I lacked the representation of women of color. This resounding realization encouraged my pursuit of a career in the dental field. Like my dentist, I want to make people feel more confident in not just their smile, but also in themselves. I have been known to be a very cheerful and happy-go-lucky girl and I project that happiness onto other people. I want to make people smile and feel comfortable when they are around me, so I plan to be an approachable orthodontist that girls of color can look up to. I plan on practicing this idea for the years to come, even before becoming an orthodontist. I started by putting myself in positions of leadership that I had never seen someone like me in before. These being a Biology class Teaching Assistant, and a Community Assistant for Honors housing. I also joined a program called Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation which provides STEM support for minority students. I plan to use the lessons I have acquired from these opportunities to devise a plan to reach these career goals. My desire to become an orthodontist is a way to support and inspire other Afro-Latinas who desire to enter into white male dominated field of STEM and aspire for greatness.

Shouts and giggles of children playing lifts through the air. I’m among them playing in the children’s zone of the local mall. I happily jump off a giant plastic frog to see my mother chatting with two African women. “Where did you get her?” they ask. “From myself” my mother quizzically replies. “But no, what country did you get her from?” they insist. At this moment, my dad walks over and looks of realization passes over the womens’ faces. To them, it all makes sense now. Prior to my dad’s arrival, these women couldn’t fathom how such a light complected woman could have such a dark-skinned daughter. These women meant no harm; they later told my mother they were from Somalia and thought I was too, but it showed me how society viewed me was so much different than how I viewed myself. Within my family, my darker skin tone more closely resembles my Black father, rather than the lighter shades seen in my Mexican mother and sisters. As a result of my dark complexion, I am frequently assumed to be adopted when I am out with my mother. These actions provoked insecurities about my place within my family and my community. I always felt compared to my lighter-skinned sisters and very much internalized the eurocentric beauty standard that lighter is better. I felt uncomfortable being out in the sun for fear of getting darker and being perceived as less attractive. Oddly enough, it was my lightest complected sister who encouraged me to love my darker skin. While reading Sulwe by Lupita Nyongo, I was encouraged by the girl in the story as she learned that black is beautiful. In this African folklore the day and night are sister deities. Day is perceived by the villagers as bright, lovely, and pretty while the Night is seen as dark, scary, and ugly. Later, the villagers come to the realization that darkness is both necessary and beautiful as well. The most powerful part of the book is when the Day says to the Night, “When you are darkest is when you are the most beautiful. It is when you are most you.” This quote helped me understand that my differences enhance my beauty rather than detract from it. My skin is beautiful just the way it is; the dark is beautiful and being black is beautiful. By overcoming the negative beliefs that stemmed from my pessimistic view of my darker complexion, I became able to truly and unapologetically appreciate who I am. I can now see the beauty of my skin, no matter my shade, I am still authentically me, and I love myself for that. I now help my friends learn to love their skin and themselves too.

I always notice a lack of diversity in my everyday life, whether it's the media, classes, professions, or my general surroundings . Most Afro-Latinas, including myself, have not seen much in the way of Black and Hispanic representation, especially in health professions. I have taken several classes in high school and in college that have discussed topics such as diversity in media, all while I am the only Black or Afro-Latina in the class. These classes provide perspective on Hispanic and Black representation on TV and the effects of a lack of diversity on the kids consuming this media. This extreme underrepresentation in popular media has pushed me to continue working toward my goal of becoming an orthodontist. I want to both prove myself and provide inspiration to other young Afro-Latina girls. Ever since I was young, I loved going to the dentist. My dentist was a cheerful man who could make anyone smile, but what I liked most was the feeling that my teeth were extra clean and pretty afterwards. That feeling gave me more confidence about my smile, however that all changed as I got older. My baby teeth were beautiful, they grew in nicely and were charmingly straight and practically perfect. However, the adult teeth that replaced them were too big for my mouth which resulted in them coming in crooked. The stark difference between my baby teeth and my permanent ones made me feel really insecure about myself, so when the topic of braces came up I jumped at the opportunity. When I saw my new smile after getting braces, I felt amazing, I regained the confidence I once had, and I thanked my orthodontist greatly. When I think about it now, I realize that both of my doctors were white men and that I lacked the representation of women of color. This resounding realization encouraged my pursuit of a career in the dental field. Like my dentist, I want to make people feel more confident in not just their smile, but also in themselves. I have been known to be a very cheerful and happy-go-lucky kind of person and I project that happiness onto other people. I want to make people smile and feel comfortable when they are around me, so I plan to be an approachable orthodontist that girls of color can look up to. I plan on practicing this idea for the years to come, even before becoming an orthodontist. I started by putting myself in positions of leadership that I had never seen someone like me in before. These being a Teaching Assistant for a Biology class, and a Community Assistant for Honors housing. I also joined a program called LSAMP or Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation which provides STEM support for minority students. I plan to use the lessons I have acquired from these opportunities to devise a plan to reach these career goals. My desire to become an orthodontist is a way to support and inspire other Afro-Latinas who desire to enter into white male dominated field of STEM and aspire for greatness.

I always notice a lack of diversity in my everyday life, whether it's the media, classes, professions, or my general surroundings . Most Afro-Latinas, including myself, have not seen much in the way of Black and Hispanic representation, especially in health professions. I have taken several classes in high school and in college that have discussed topics such as diversity in media, all while I am the only Black or Afro-Latina in the class. These classes provide perspective on Hispanic and Black representation on TV and the effects of a lack of diversity on the kids consuming this media. This extreme underrepresentation in popular media has pushed me to continue working toward my goal of becoming an orthodontist. I want to both prove myself and provide inspiration to other young Afro-Latina girls. Ever since I was young, I loved going to the dentist. My dentist was a cheerful man who could make anyone smile, but what I liked most was the feeling that my teeth were extra clean and pretty afterwards. That feeling gave me more confidence about my smile, however that all changed as I got older. My baby teeth were beautiful, they grew in nicely and were charmingly straight and practically perfect. However, the adult teeth that replaced them were too big for my mouth which resulted in them coming in crooked. The stark difference between my baby teeth and my permanent ones made me feel really insecure about myself, so when the topic of braces came up I jumped at the opportunity. When I saw my new smile after getting braces, I felt amazing, I regained the confidence I once had, and I thanked my orthodontist greatly. When I think about it now, I realize that both of my doctors were white men and that I lacked the representation of women of color. This resounding realization encouraged my pursuit of a career in the dental field. Like my dentist, I want to make people feel more confident in not just their smile, but also in themselves. I have been known to be a very cheerful and happy-go-lucky kind of person and I project that happiness onto other people. I want to make people smile and feel comfortable when they are around me, so I plan to be an approachable orthodontist that girls of color can look up to. I plan on practicing this idea for the years to come, even before becoming an orthodontist. I started by putting myself in positions of leadership that I had never seen someone like me in before. These being a Teaching Assistant for a Biology class, and a Community Assistant for Honors housing. I also joined a program called LSAMP or Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation which provides STEM support for minority students. I plan to use the lessons I have acquired from these opportunities to devise a plan to reach these career goals. My desire to become an orthodontist is a way to support and inspire other Afro-Latinas who desire to enter into white male dominated field of STEM and aspire for greatness.

I always notice a lack of diversity in my everyday life, whether it's the media, classes, professions, or my general surroundings . Most Afro-Latinas, including myself, have not seen much in the way of Black and Hispanic representation, especially in health professions. I have taken several classes in high school and in college that have discussed topics such as diversity in media, all while I am the only Black or Afro-Latina in the class. These classes provide perspective on Hispanic and Black representation on TV and the effects of a lack of diversity on the kids consuming this media. This extreme underrepresentation in popular media has pushed me to continue working toward my goal of becoming an orthodontist. I want to both prove myself and provide inspiration to other young Afro-Latina girls. Ever since I was young, I loved going to the dentist. My dentist was a cheerful man who could make anyone smile, but what I liked most was the feeling that my teeth were extra clean and pretty afterwards. That feeling gave me more confidence about my smile, however that all changed as I got older. My baby teeth were beautiful, they grew in nicely and were charmingly straight and practically perfect. However, the adult teeth that replaced them were too big for my mouth which resulted in them coming in crooked. The stark difference between my baby teeth and my permanent ones made me feel really insecure about myself, so when the topic of braces came up I jumped at the opportunity. When I saw my new smile after getting braces, I felt amazing, I regained the confidence I once had, and I thanked my orthodontist greatly. When I think about it now, I realize that both of my doctors were white men and that I lacked the representation of women of color. This resounding realization encouraged my pursuit of a career in the dental field. Like my dentist, I want to make people feel more confident in not just their smile, but also in themselves. I have been known to be a very cheerful and happy-go-lucky kind of person and I project that happiness onto other people. I want to make people smile and feel comfortable when they are around me, so I plan to be an approachable orthodontist that girls of color can look up to. I plan on practicing this idea for the years to come, even before becoming an orthodontist. I started by putting myself in positions of leadership that I had never seen someone like me in before. These being a Teaching Assistant for a Biology class, and a Community Assistant for Honors housing. I also joined a program called LSAMP or Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation which provides STEM support for minority students. I plan to use the lessons I have acquired from these opportunities to devise a plan to reach these career goals. My desire to become an orthodontist is a way to support and inspire other Afro-Latinas who desire to enter into white male dominated field of STEM and aspire for greatness.

I always notice a lack of diversity in my everyday life, whether it's the media, classes, professions, or my general surroundings . Most Afro-Latinas, including myself, have not seen much in the way of Black and Hispanic representation, especially in health professions. I have taken several classes in high school and in college that have discussed topics such as diversity in media, all while I am the only Black or Afro-Latina in the class. These classes provide perspective on Hispanic and Black representation on TV and the effects of a lack of diversity on the kids consuming this media. This extreme underrepresentation in popular media has pushed me to continue working toward my goal of becoming an orthodontist. I want to both prove myself and provide inspiration to other young Afro-Latina girls. Ever since I was young, I loved going to the dentist. My dentist was a cheerful man who could make anyone smile, but what I liked most was the feeling that my teeth were extra clean and pretty afterwards. That feeling gave me more confidence about my smile, however that all changed as I got older. My baby teeth were beautiful, they grew in nicely and were charmingly straight and practically perfect. However, the adult teeth that replaced them were too big for my mouth which resulted in them coming in crooked. The stark difference between my baby teeth and my permanent ones made me feel really insecure about myself, so when the topic of braces came up I jumped at the opportunity. When I saw my new smile after getting braces, I felt amazing, I regained the confidence I once had, and I thanked my orthodontist greatly. When I think about it now, I realize that both of my doctors were white men and that I lacked the representation of women of color. This resounding realization encouraged my pursuit of a career in the dental field. Like my dentist, I want to make people feel more confident in not just their smile, but also in themselves. I have been known to be a very cheerful and happy-go-lucky kind of person and I project that happiness onto other people. I want to make people smile and feel comfortable when they are around me, so I plan to be an approachable orthodontist that girls of color can look up to. I plan on practicing this idea for the years to come, even before becoming an orthodontist. I started by putting myself in positions of leadership that I had never seen someone like me in before. These being a Teaching Assistant for a Biology class, and a Community Assistant for Honors housing. I also joined a program called LSAMP or Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation which provides STEM support for minority students. I plan to use the lessons I have acquired from these opportunities to devise a plan to reach these career goals. My desire to become an orthodontist is a way to support and inspire other Afro-Latinas who desire to enter into white male dominated field of STEM and aspire for greatness.

I always notice a lack of diversity in my everyday life, whether it's the media, classes, professions, or my general surroundings . Most Afro-Latinas, including myself, have not seen much in the way of Black and Hispanic representation, especially in health professions. I have taken several classes in high school and in college that have discussed topics such as diversity in media, all while I am the only Black or Afro-Latina in the class. These classes provide perspective on Hispanic and Black representation on TV and the effects of a lack of diversity on the kids consuming this media. This extreme underrepresentation in popular media has pushed me to continue working toward my goal of becoming an orthodontist. I want to both prove myself and provide inspiration to other young Afro-Latina girls. Ever since I was young, I loved going to the dentist. My dentist was a cheerful man who could make anyone smile, but what I liked most was the feeling that my teeth were extra clean and pretty afterwards. That feeling gave me more confidence about my smile, however that all changed as I got older. My baby teeth were beautiful, they grew in nicely and were charmingly straight and practically perfect. However, the adult teeth that replaced them were too big for my mouth which resulted in them coming in crooked. The stark difference between my baby teeth and my permanent ones made me feel really insecure about myself, so when the topic of braces came up I jumped at the opportunity. When I saw my new smile after getting braces, I felt amazing, I regained the confidence I once had, and I thanked my orthodontist greatly. When I think about it now, I realize that both of my doctors were white men and that I lacked the representation of women of color. This resounding realization encouraged my pursuit of a career in the dental field. Like my dentist, I want to make people feel more confident in not just their smile, but also in themselves. I have been known to be a very cheerful and happy-go-lucky kind of person and I project that happiness onto other people. I want to make people smile and feel comfortable when they are around me, so I plan to be an approachable orthodontist that girls of color can look up to. I plan on practicing this idea for the years to come, even before becoming an orthodontist. I started by putting myself in positions of leadership that I had never seen someone like me in before. These being a Teaching Assistant for a Biology class, and a Community Assistant for Honors housing. I also joined a program called LSAMP or Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation which provides STEM support for minority students. I plan to use the lessons I have acquired from these opportunities to devise a plan to reach these career goals. My desire to become an orthodontist is a way to support and inspire other Afro-Latinas who desire to enter into white male dominated field of STEM and aspire for greatness.

I always notice a lack of diversity in my everyday life, whether it's the media, classes, professions, or my general surroundings . Most Afro-Latinas, including myself, have not seen much in the way of Black and Hispanic representation, especially in health professions. I have taken several classes in high school and in college that have discussed topics such as diversity in media, all while I am the only Black or Afro-Latina in the class. These classes provide perspective on Hispanic and Black representation on TV and the effects of a lack of diversity on the kids consuming this media. This extreme underrepresentation in popular media has pushed me to continue working toward my goal of becoming an orthodontist. I want to both prove myself and provide inspiration to other young Afro-Latina girls. Ever since I was young, I loved going to the dentist. My dentist was a cheerful man who could make anyone smile, but what I liked most was the feeling that my teeth were extra clean and pretty afterwards. That feeling gave me more confidence about my smile, however that all changed as I got older. My baby teeth were beautiful, they grew in nicely and were charmingly straight and practically perfect. However, the adult teeth that replaced them were too big for my mouth which resulted in them coming in crooked. The stark difference between my baby teeth and my permanent ones made me feel really insecure about myself, so when the topic of braces came up I jumped at the opportunity. When I saw my new smile after getting braces, I felt amazing, I regained the confidence I once had, and I thanked my orthodontist greatly. When I think about it now, I realize that both of my doctors were white men and that I lacked the representation of women of color. This resounding realization encouraged my pursuit of a career in the dental field. Like my dentist, I want to make people feel more confident in not just their smile, but also in themselves. I have been known to be a very cheerful and happy-go-lucky kind of person and I project that happiness onto other people. I want to make people smile and feel comfortable when they are around me, so I plan to be an approachable orthodontist that girls of color can look up to. I plan on practicing this idea for the years to come, even before becoming an orthodontist. I started by putting myself in positions of leadership that I had never seen someone like me in before. These being a Teaching Assistant for a Biology class, and a Community Assistant for Honors housing. I also joined a program called LSAMP or Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation which provides STEM support for minority students. I plan to use the lessons I have acquired from these opportunities to devise a plan to reach these career goals. My desire to become an orthodontist is a way to support and inspire other Afro-Latinas who desire to enter into white male dominated field of STEM and aspire for greatness.

I always notice a lack of diversity in my everyday life, whether it's the media, classes, professions, or my general surroundings . Most Afro-Latinas, including myself, have not seen much in the way of Black and Hispanic representation, especially in health professions. I have taken several classes in high school and in college that have discussed topics such as diversity in media, all while I am the only Black or Afro-Latina in the class. These classes provide perspective on Hispanic and Black representation on TV and the effects of a lack of diversity on the kids consuming this media. This extreme underrepresentation in popular media has pushed me to continue working toward my goal of becoming an orthodontist. I want to both prove myself and provide inspiration to other young Afro-Latina girls. Ever since I was young, I loved going to the dentist. My dentist was a cheerful man who could make anyone smile, but what I liked most was the feeling that my teeth were extra clean and pretty afterwards. That feeling gave me more confidence about my smile, however that all changed as I got older. My baby teeth were beautiful, they grew in nicely and were charmingly straight and practically perfect. However, the adult teeth that replaced them were too big for my mouth which resulted in them coming in crooked. The stark difference between my baby teeth and my permanent ones made me feel really insecure about myself, so when the topic of braces came up I jumped at the opportunity. When I saw my new smile after getting braces, I felt amazing, I regained the confidence I once had, and I thanked my orthodontist greatly. When I think about it now, I realize that both of my doctors were white men and that I lacked the representation of women of color. This resounding realization encouraged my pursuit of a career in the dental field. Like my dentist, I want to make people feel more confident in not just their smile, but also in themselves. I have been known to be a very cheerful and happy-go-lucky kind of person and I project that happiness onto other people. I want to make people smile and feel comfortable when they are around me, so I plan to be an approachable orthodontist that girls of color can look up to. I plan on practicing this idea for the years to come, even before becoming an orthodontist. I started by putting myself in positions of leadership that I had never seen someone like me in before. These being a Teaching Assistant for a Biology class, and a Community Assistant for Honors housing. I also joined a program called LSAMP or Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation which provides STEM support for minority students. I plan to use the lessons I have acquired from these opportunities to devise a plan to reach these career goals. My desire to become an orthodontist is a way to support and inspire other Afro-Latinas who desire to enter into white male dominated field of STEM and aspire for greatness.

I always notice a lack of diversity in my everyday life, whether it's the media, classes, professions, or my general surroundings . Most Afro-Latinas, including myself, have not seen much in the way of Black and Hispanic representation, especially in health professions. I have taken several classes in high school and in college that have discussed topics such as diversity in media, all while I am the only Black or Afro-Latina in the class. These classes provide perspective on Hispanic and Black representation on TV and the effects of a lack of diversity on the kids consuming this media. This extreme underrepresentation in popular media has pushed me to continue working toward my goal of becoming an orthodontist. I want to both prove myself and provide inspiration to other young Afro-Latina girls. Ever since I was young, I loved going to the dentist. My dentist was a cheerful man who could make anyone smile, but what I liked most was the feeling that my teeth were extra clean and pretty afterwards. That feeling gave me more confidence about my smile, however that all changed as I got older. My baby teeth were beautiful, they grew in nicely and were charmingly straight and practically perfect. However, the adult teeth that replaced them were too big for my mouth which resulted in them coming in crooked. The stark difference between my baby teeth and my permanent ones made me feel really insecure about myself, so when the topic of braces came up I jumped at the opportunity. When I saw my new smile after getting braces, I felt amazing, I regained the confidence I once had, and I thanked my orthodontist greatly. When I think about it now, I realize that both of my doctors were white men and that I lacked the representation of women of color. This resounding realization encouraged my pursuit of a career in the dental field. Like my dentist, I want to make people feel more confident in not just their smile, but also in themselves. I have been known to be a very cheerful and happy-go-lucky kind of person and I project that happiness onto other people. I want to make people smile and feel comfortable when they are around me, so I plan to be an approachable orthodontist that girls of color can look up to. I plan on practicing this idea for the years to come, even before becoming an orthodontist. I started by putting myself in positions of leadership that I had never seen someone like me in before. These being a Teaching Assistant for a Biology class, and a Community Assistant for Honors housing. I also joined a program called LSAMP or Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation which provides STEM support for minority students. I plan to use the lessons I have acquired from these opportunities to devise a plan to reach these career goals. My desire to become an orthodontist is a way to support and inspire other Afro-Latinas who desire to enter into white male dominated field of STEM and aspire for greatness. With the assistance of the scholarship, I would be able to the funding to pay off the cost of dental school applications and the purchasing of books to study for the DCAT, along with helping me save in the long run for the cost of dental school. With the scholarship, I hope to help more than just myself, but also those children that need a boost of confidence from their fixed smile and that need someone who looks like them in the dental field.

I always notice a lack of diversity in my everyday life, whether it's the media, classes, professions, or my general surroundings . Most Afro-Latinas, including myself, have not seen much in the way of Black and Hispanic representation, especially in health professions. I have taken several classes in high school and in college that have discussed topics such as diversity in media, all while I am the only Black or Afro-Latina in the class. These classes provide perspective on Hispanic and Black representation on TV and the effects of a lack of diversity on the kids consuming this media. This extreme underrepresentation in popular media has pushed me to continue working toward my goal of becoming an orthodontist. I want to both prove myself and provide inspiration to other young Afro-Latina girls. Ever since I was young, I loved going to the dentist. My dentist was a cheerful man who could make anyone smile, but what I liked most was the feeling that my teeth were extra clean and pretty afterwards. That feeling gave me more confidence about my smile, however that all changed as I got older. My baby teeth were beautiful, they grew in nicely and were charmingly straight and practically perfect. However, the adult teeth that replaced them were too big for my mouth which resulted in them coming in crooked. The stark difference between my baby teeth and my permanent ones made me feel really insecure about myself, so when the topic of braces came up I jumped at the opportunity. When I saw my new smile after getting braces, I felt amazing, I regained the confidence I once had, and I thanked my orthodontist greatly. When I think about it now, I realize that both of my doctors were white men and that I lacked the representation of women of color. This resounding realization encouraged my pursuit of a career in the dental field. Like my dentist, I want to make people feel more confident in not just their smile, but also in themselves. I have been known to be a very cheerful and happy-go-lucky kind of person and I project that happiness onto other people. I want to make people smile and feel comfortable when they are around me, so I plan to be an approachable orthodontist that girls of color can look up to. I plan on practicing this idea for the years to come, even before becoming an orthodontist. I started by putting myself in positions of leadership that I had never seen someone like me in before. These being a Teaching Assistant for a Biology class, and a Community Assistant for Honors housing. I also joined a program called LSAMP or Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation which provides STEM support for minority students. I plan to use the lessons I have acquired from these opportunities to devise a plan to reach these career goals. My desire to become an orthodontist is a way to support and inspire other Afro-Latinas who desire to enter into white male dominated field of STEM and aspire for greatness.

I always notice a lack of diversity in my everyday life, whether it's the media, classes, professions, or my general surroundings . Most Afro-Latinas, including myself, have not seen much in the way of Black and Hispanic representation, especially in health professions. I have taken several classes in high school and in college that have discussed topics such as diversity in media, all while I am the only Black or Afro-Latina in the class. These classes provide perspective on Hispanic and Black representation on TV and the effects of a lack of diversity on the kids consuming this media. This extreme underrepresentation in popular media has pushed me to continue working toward my goal of becoming an orthodontist. I want to both prove myself and provide inspiration to other young Afro-Latina girls. Ever since I was young, I loved going to the dentist. My dentist was a cheerful man who could make anyone smile, but what I liked most was the feeling that my teeth were extra clean and pretty afterwards. That feeling gave me more confidence about my smile, however that all changed as I got older. My baby teeth were beautiful, they grew in nicely and were charmingly straight and practically perfect. However, the adult teeth that replaced them were too big for my mouth which resulted in them coming in crooked. The stark difference between my baby teeth and my permanent ones made me feel really insecure about myself, so when the topic of braces came up I jumped at the opportunity. When I saw my new smile after getting braces, I felt amazing, I regained the confidence I once had, and I thanked my orthodontist greatly. When I think about it now, I realize that both of my doctors were white men and that I lacked the representation of women of color. This resounding realization encouraged my pursuit of a career in the dental field. Like my dentist, I want to make people feel more confident in not just their smile, but also in themselves. I have been known to be a very cheerful and happy-go-lucky kind of person and I project that happiness onto other people. I want to make people smile and feel comfortable when they are around me, so I plan to be an approachable orthodontist that girls of color can look up to. I plan on practicing this idea for the years to come, even before becoming an orthodontist. I started by putting myself in positions of leadership that I had never seen someone like me in before. These being a Teaching Assistant for a Biology class, and a Community Assistant for Honors housing. I also joined a program called LSAMP or Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation which provides STEM support for minority students. I plan to use the lessons I have acquired from these opportunities to devise a plan to reach these career goals. My desire to become an orthodontist is a way to support and inspire other Afro-Latinas who desire to enter into white male dominated field of STEM and aspire for greatness.

Most black people and women, including myself, have not seen much black representation in cinema until recent years. During my IB english class my junior year we got to skim the surface of diversity in tv and movies. With this class I would be able to finally have a chance to learn more about black representation on tv and put into a paper my views on it. I would love to write a paper about black representation in Disney movies, I never comprehend the fact that Disney made their only black princess into an animal for most of the movie and how detrimental that could be to little black girls watching it. Then you may think that Disney had learned its lesson, however now they have another movie out called Soul. This movie centers around an African American man who ends up dying at the beginning of the movie and just becomes a blue soul. At first I was thinking that I would want to have a capstone project on this if it will be able to help me understand why or if there is a deeper meaning behind Disney turning their only black main characters into non-human beings? Then thinking about how I wanted to go into medicine made me think of how little representation not only in movies, but also in real life especially in the medical field. When watching medical tv shows most can notice that a large amount of the time most of the cast is disproportionately white with a few token black actors. Not to mention the commercials for toothpaste, the dentists that recommend the toothpaste are all white men. This has pushed me to continue working toward my goal of becoming an orthodontist to only prove it to myself that I can, but to also be the inspiration for other young black girls. Ever since I was young, I loved going to the dentist. My dentist was a cheerful guy who could make anyone smile, but what I liked most was the feeling that my teeth were extra clean and pretty afterwards. That feeling gave me more confidence about my smile, however that all changed as I got older. My baby teeth were beautiful, they grew in nicely and were charmingly straight and practically perfect. However, the adult teeth that replaced them were too big for my mouth which resulted in them coming in crooked. The stark difference between my baby teeth and my permanent ones made me feel really insecure about myself, so when the topic of braces came up I jumped at the opportunity. When I saw my new smile after getting braces, I felt amazing, I regained the confidence I once had and I thanked him greatly. When I think about it now I realized that both of my doctors were white men and thought about how I see so little women of color in that profession. That was then that I realized that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I want to make people feel more confident in not just their smile, but in themselves as well. I have been known as a very cheerful and happy-go-lucky kind of girl, I try to project happiness onto other people. I want to make people smile and feel comfortable when they are around me, so I plan to be an Orthodontist that people are not afraid to talk to about how they feel about themselves and that little girls of color can look up to. So that they know that they can do it too.

Most black people and women, including myself, have not seen much black representation in cinema until recent years. Then thinking about how I wanted to go into medicine made me think of how little representation not only in movies, but also in real life especially in the medical field. When watching medical tv shows most can notice that a large amount of the time most of the cast is disproportionately white with a few token black actors. This has pushed me to continue working toward my goal of becoming an orthodontist to not only prove to myself that I can, but to also be the inspiration for other black girls. Ever since I was young, I loved going to the dentist. My dentist is a cheerful guy who could make anyone smile, but what I liked most was the feeling that my teeth were clean and pretty afterwards. That feeling gave me more confidence about my smile, however that all changed as I got older. My baby teeth were beautiful, they grew in nicely and were charmingly straight and practically perfect. However, the adult teeth that replaced them were too big for my mouth which resulted in them coming in crooked. The stark difference between my baby teeth and my permanent ones made me feel really insecure about myself, so when the topic of braces came up I jumped at the opportunity. When I saw my smile after getting braces, I felt amazing regaining the confidence I once had and I thanked him greatly. When I look back I realized that both of my doctors were white men and thought about how I see so little women of color in that profession. That was then that I realized that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I want to make people feel more confident in not just their smile, but in themselves as well. I have been known as a very cheerful and happy-go-lucky kind of girl, I try to project happiness onto other people. I want to make people smile and feel comfortable when they are around me, so I plan to be an Orthodontist that people are not afraid to talk to about how they feel about themselves and that little girls of color can look up to. So that they know that they can do it too. Of course dental school is a prominent stepping stone in achieving that goal, as it is hard to get admitted into and equally as difficult to obtain the funding for the application and admittance. I do plan to hopefully take part in the government program to pay back dental school costs when in return you work in underprivileged areas. With this plan I would be able to show underprivileged kids that there is someone who looks like them that can achieve their dreams. Not to mention it would be able to offset the enormous cost for schooling, with the assistance of the scholarship I would be able to use it in one of two ways. I could use the scholarship funding to pay off the cost of dental school applications and the purchasing of books to study for the DCAT. Another use of the scholarship would be a back up savings if I was unable to take part of the government program I spoke of. With the scholarship I hope to help more than just myself, but also those children that need a boost of confidence from their fixed smile and that need someone who needs to see diversity in the dental field.

Most black people and women, including myself, have not seen much black representation in cinema until recent years. During my IB english class my junior year we got to skim the surface of diversity in tv and movies. With this class I would be able to finally have a chance to learn more about black representation on tv and put into a paper my views on it. I would love to write a paper about black representation in Disney movies, I never comprehend the fact that Disney made their only black princess into an animal for most of the movie and how detrimental that could be to little black girls watching it. Then you may think that Disney had learned its lesson, however now they have another movie out called Soul. This movie centers around an African American man who ends up dying at the beginning of the movie and just becomes a blue soul. At first I was thinking that I would want to have a capstone project on this if it will be able to help me understand why or if there is a deeper meaning behind Disney turning their only black main characters into non-human beings? Then thinking about how I wanted to go into medicine made me think of how little representation not only in movies, but also in real life especially in the medical field. When watching medical tv shows most can notice that a large amount of the time most of the cast is disproportionately white with a few token black actors. Not to mention the commercials for toothpaste, the dentists that recommend the toothpaste are all white men. This has pushed me to continue working toward my goal of becoming an orthodontist to only prove it to myself that I can, but to also be the inspiration for other young black girls. Ever since I was young, I loved going to the dentist. My dentist was a cheerful guy who could make anyone smile, but what I liked most was the feeling that my teeth were extra clean and pretty afterwards. That feeling gave me more confidence about my smile, however that all changed as I got older. My baby teeth were beautiful, they grew in nicely and were charmingly straight and practically perfect. However, the adult teeth that replaced them were too big for my mouth which resulted in them coming in crooked. The stark difference between my baby teeth and my permanent ones made me feel really insecure about myself, so when the topic of braces came up I jumped at the opportunity. When I saw my new smile after getting braces, I felt amazing, I regained the confidence I once had and I thanked him greatly. When I think about it now I realized that both of my doctors were white men and thought about how I see so little women of color in that profession. That was then that I realized that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I want to make people feel more confident in not just their smile, but in themselves as well. I have been known as a very cheerful and happy-go-lucky kind of girl, I try to project happiness onto other people. I want to make people smile and feel comfortable when they are around me, so I plan to be an Orthodontist that people are not afraid to talk to about how they feel about themselves and that little girls of color can look up to. So that they know that they can do it too.

Shouts and giggles of children playing lifts through the air. I’m among them playing in the children’s zone of the local mall. I happily jump off a giant plastic frog to see my mother chatting with two African women. “Where did you get her?” they ask. “From myself” my mother quizzically replies. “But no, what country did you get her from?” they insist. At this moment, my dad walks over and looks of realization passes over the womens’ faces. To them, it all makes sense now. Prior to my dad’s arrival these women couldn’t fathom how such a light complected woman could have such a dark skinned daughter. These women meant no harm; they later told my mother they were from Somalia and thought I was too, but it showed me how society viewed me was so much different than how I viewed myself. Within my family, my darker skin tone more closely resembles my Black father, rather than the lighter shades seen in my Mexican mother and sisters. As a result of my dark complexion, I am frequently assumed to be adopted when I am out with my mother. These actions provoked insecurities about my place within my family and my community. I always felt compared to my lighter skinned sisters and very much internalized the eurocentric beauty standard that lighter is better. I felt uncomfortable being out in the sun for fear of getting darker and being perceived as less attractive. Oddly enough, it was my lightest complected sister who encouraged me to love my darker skin. While reading Sulwe by Lupita Nyongo, I was encouraged by the girl in the story as she learned that black is beautiful. In this African folklore the day and night are sister deities. Day is perceived by the villagers as bright, lovely, and pretty while the Night is seen as dark, scary, and ugly. Later, the villagers come to the realization that darkness is both necessary and beautiful as well. The most powerful part of the book is when the Day says to the Night, “When you are darkest is when you are the most beautiful. It is when you are most you.” This quote helped me understand that my differences enhance my beauty rather than detract from it. My skin is beautiful just the way it is; the dark is beautiful and being black is beautiful. By overcoming the negative beliefs that stemmed from my pessimistic view of my darker complexion, I became able to truly and unapologetically appreciate who I am. I can now see the beauty of my skin, no matter my shade, I am still authentically me, and I love myself for that. I now help my friends learn to love their skin and themselves too.

Most black people and women, including myself, have not seen much black representation in cinema until recent years. During my IB english class my junior year we got to skim the surface of diversity in tv and movies. With this class I would be able to finally have a chance to learn more about black representation on tv and put into a paper my views on it. I would love to write a paper about black representation in Disney movies, I never comprehend the fact that Disney made their only black princess into an animal for most of the movie and how detrimental that could be to little black girls watching it. Then you may think that Disney had learned its lesson, however now they have another movie out called Soul. This movie centers around an African American man who ends up dying at the beginning of the movie and just becomes a blue soul. At first I was thinking that I would want to have a capstone project on this if it will be able to help me understand why or if there is a deeper meaning behind Disney turning their only black main characters into non-human beings? Then thinking about how I wanted to go into medicine made me think of how little representation not only in movies, but also in real life especially in the medical field. When watching medical tv shows most can notice that a large amount of the time most of the cast is disproportionately white with a few token black actors. Not to mention the commercials for toothpaste, the dentists that recommend the toothpaste are all white men. This has pushed me to continue working toward my goal of becoming an orthodontist to only prove it to myself that I can, but to also be the inspiration for other young black girls. Ever since I was young, I loved going to the dentist. My dentist was a cheerful guy who could make anyone smile, but what I liked most was the feeling that my teeth were extra clean and pretty afterwards. That feeling gave me more confidence about my smile, however that all changed as I got older. My baby teeth were beautiful, they grew in nicely and were charmingly straight and practically perfect. However, the adult teeth that replaced them were too big for my mouth which resulted in them coming in crooked. The stark difference between my baby teeth and my permanent ones made me feel really insecure about myself, so when the topic of braces came up I jumped at the opportunity. When I saw my new smile after getting braces, I felt amazing, I regained the confidence I once had and I thanked him greatly. When I think about it now I realized that both of my doctors were white men and thought about how I see so little women of color in that profession. That was then that I realized that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I want to make people feel more confident in not just their smile, but in themselves as well. I have been known as a very cheerful and happy-go-lucky kind of girl, I try to project happiness onto other people. I want to make people smile and feel comfortable when they are around me, so I plan to be an Orthodontist that people are not afraid to talk to about how they feel about themselves and that little girls of color can look up to. So that they know that they can do it too.

Shouts and giggles of children playing lifts through the air. I’m among them playing in the children’s zone of the local mall. I happily jump off a giant plastic frog to see my mother chatting with two African women. “Where did you get her?” they ask. “From myself” my mother quizzically replies. “But no, what country did you get her from?” they insist. At this moment, my dad walks over and looks of realization passes over the womens’ faces. To them, it all makes sense now. Prior to my dad’s arrival these women couldn’t fathom how such a light complected woman could have such a dark skinned daughter. These women meant no harm; they later told my mother they were from Somalia and thought I was too, but it showed me how society viewed me was so much different than how I viewed myself. Within my family, my darker skin tone more closely resembles my Black father, rather than the lighter shades seen in my Mexican mother and sisters. As a result of my dark complexion, I am frequently assumed to be adopted when I am out with my mother. These actions provoked insecurities about my place within my family and my community. I always felt compared to my lighter skinned sisters and very much internalized the eurocentric beauty standard that lighter is better. I felt uncomfortable being out in the sun for fear of getting darker and being perceived as less attractive. Oddly enough, it was my lightest complected sister who encouraged me to love my darker skin. While reading Sulwe by Lupita Nyongo, I was encouraged by the girl in the story as she learned that black is beautiful. In this African folklore the day and night are sister deities. Day is perceived by the villagers as bright, lovely, and pretty while the Night is seen as dark, scary, and ugly. Later, the villagers come to the realization that darkness is both necessary and beautiful as well. The most powerful part of the book is when the Day says to the Night, “When you are darkest is when you are the most beautiful. It is when you are most you.” This quote helped me understand that my differences enhance my beauty rather than detract from it. My skin is beautiful just the way it is; the dark is beautiful and being black is beautiful. By overcoming the negative beliefs that stemmed from my pessimistic view of my darker complexion, I became able to truly and unapologetically appreciate who I am. I can now see the beauty of my skin, no matter my shade, I am still authentically me, and I love myself for that. I now help my friends learn to love their skin and themselves too. Not to mention, I would want to bring color and gender diversity to my desired profession of an orthodontist. When I think about my time in braces, now I realized that both of my doctors were white men and thought about how I see so little women of color in that profession. I want to make people smile and feel comfortable when they are around me, so I plan to be an Orthodontist that people are not afraid to talk to about how they feel about themselves and that little girls of color can look up to. So that they know that they can do it too.

Shouts and giggles of children playing lifts through the air. I’m among them playing in the children’s zone of the local mall. I happily jump off a giant plastic frog to see my mother chatting with two African women. “Where did you get her?” they ask. “From myself” my mother quizzically replies. “But no, what country did you get her from?” they insist. At this moment, my dad walks over and looks of realization passes over the womens’ faces. To them, it all makes sense now. Prior to my dad’s arrival these women couldn’t fathom how such a light complected woman could have such a dark skinned daughter. These women meant no harm; they later told my mother they were from Somalia and thought I was too, but it showed me how society viewed me was so much different than how I viewed myself. Within my family, my darker skin tone more closely resembles my Black father, rather than the lighter shades seen in my Mexican mother and sisters. As a result of my dark complexion, I am frequently assumed to be adopted when I am out with my mother. These actions provoked insecurities about my place within my family and my community. I always felt compared to my lighter skinned sisters and very much internalized the eurocentric beauty standard that lighter is better. I felt uncomfortable being out in the sun for fear of getting darker and being perceived as less attractive. Oddly enough, it was my lightest complected sister who encouraged me to love my darker skin. While reading Sulwe by Lupita Nyongo, I was encouraged by the girl in the story as she learned that black is beautiful. In this African folklore the day and night are sister deities. Day is perceived by the villagers as bright, lovely, and pretty while the Night is seen as dark, scary, and ugly. Later, the villagers come to the realization that darkness is both necessary and beautiful as well. The most powerful part of the book is when the Day says to the Night, “When you are darkest is when you are the most beautiful. It is when you are most you.” This quote helped me understand that my differences enhance my beauty rather than detract from it. My skin is beautiful just the way it is; the dark is beautiful and being black is beautiful. By overcoming the negative beliefs that stemmed from my pessimistic view of my darker complexion, I became able to truly and unapologetically appreciate who I am. I can now see the beauty of my skin, no matter my shade, I am still authentically me, and I love myself for that. I now help my friends learn to love their skin and themselves too.

Most black people and women, including myself, have not seen much black representation in cinema until recent years. During my IB english class my junior year we got to skim the surface of diversity in tv and movies. With this class I would be able to finally have a chance to learn more about black representation on tv and put into a paper my views on it. I would love to write a paper about black representation in Disney movies, I never comprehend the fact that Disney made their only black princess into an animal for most of the movie and how detrimental that could be to little black girls watching it. Then you may think that Disney had learned its lesson, however now they have another movie out called Soul. This movie centers around an African American man who ends up dying at the beginning of the movie and just becomes a blue soul. At first I was thinking that I would want to have a capstone project on this if it will be able to help me understand why or if there is a deeper meaning behind Disney turning their only black main characters into non-human beings? Then thinking about how I wanted to go into medicine made me think of how little representation not only in movies, but also in real life especially in the medical field. When watching medical tv shows most can notice that a large amount of the time most of the cast is disproportionately white with a few token black actors. Not to mention the commercials for toothpaste, the dentists that recommend the toothpaste are all white men. This has pushed me to continue working toward my goal of becoming an orthodontist to only prove it to myself that I can, but to also be the inspiration for other young black girls. Ever since I was young, I loved going to the dentist. My dentist was a cheerful guy who could make anyone smile, but what I liked most was the feeling that my teeth were extra clean and pretty afterwards. That feeling gave me more confidence about my smile, however that all changed as I got older. My baby teeth were beautiful, they grew in nicely and were charmingly straight and practically perfect. However, the adult teeth that replaced them were too big for my mouth which resulted in them coming in crooked. The stark difference between my baby teeth and my permanent ones made me feel really insecure about myself, so when the topic of braces came up I jumped at the opportunity. When I saw my new smile after getting braces, I felt amazing, I regained the confidence I once had and I thanked him greatly. When I think about it now I realized that both of my doctors were white men and thought about how I see so little women of color in that profession. That was then that I realized that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I want to make people feel more confident in not just their smile, but in themselves as well. I have been known as a very cheerful and happy-go-lucky kind of girl, I try to project happiness onto other people. I want to make people smile and feel comfortable when they are around me, so I plan to be an Orthodontist that people are not afraid to talk to about how they feel about themselves and that little girls of color can look up to. So that they know that they can do it too.

Most black people and women, including myself, have not seen much black representation in cinema until recent years. During my IB english class my junior year we got to skim the surface of diversity in tv and movies. With this class I would be able to finally have a chance to learn more about black representation on tv and put into a paper my views on it. I would love to write a paper about black representation in Disney movies, I never comprehend the fact that Disney made their only black princess into an animal for most of the movie and how detrimental that could be to little black girls watching it. Then you may think that Disney had learned its lesson, however now they have another movie out called Soul. This movie centers around an African American man who ends up dying at the beginning of the movie and just becomes a blue soul. At first I was thinking that I would want to have a capstone project on this if it will be able to help me understand why or if there is a deeper meaning behind Disney turning their only black main characters into non-human beings? Then thinking about how I wanted to go into medicine made me think of how little representation not only in movies, but also in real life especially in the medical field. When watching medical tv shows most can notice that a large amount of the time most of the cast is disproportionately white with a few token black actors. Not to mention the commercials for toothpaste, the dentists that recommend the toothpaste are all white men. This has pushed me to continue working toward my goal of becoming an orthodontist to only prove it to myself that I can, but to also be the inspiration for other young black girls. Ever since I was young, I loved going to the dentist. My dentist was a cheerful guy who could make anyone smile, but what I liked most was the feeling that my teeth were extra clean and pretty afterwards. That feeling gave me more confidence about my smile, however that all changed as I got older. My baby teeth were beautiful, they grew in nicely and were charmingly straight and practically perfect. However, the adult teeth that replaced them were too big for my mouth which resulted in them coming in crooked. The stark difference between my baby teeth and my permanent ones made me feel really insecure about myself, so when the topic of braces came up I jumped at the opportunity. When I saw my new smile after getting braces, I felt amazing, I regained the confidence I once had and I thanked him greatly. When I think about it now I realized that both of my doctors were white men and thought about how I see so little women of color in that profession. That was then that I realized that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I want to make people feel more confident in not just their smile, but in themselves as well. I have been known as a very cheerful and happy-go-lucky kind of girl, I try to project happiness onto other people. I want to make people smile and feel comfortable when they are around me, so I plan to be an Orthodontist that people are not afraid to talk to about how they feel about themselves and that little girls of color can look up to. So that they know that they can do it too.

Most black people and women, including myself, have not seen much black representation in cinema until recent years. During my IB english class my junior year we got to skim the surface of diversity in tv and movies. With this class I would be able to finally have a chance to learn more about black representation on tv and put into a paper my views on it. I would love to write a paper about black representation in Disney movies, I never comprehend the fact that Disney made their only black princess into an animal for most of the movie and how detrimental that could be to little black girls watching it. Then you may think that Disney had learned its lesson, however now they have another movie out called Soul. This movie centers around an African American man who ends up dying at the beginning of the movie and just becomes a blue soul. At first I was thinking that I would want to have a capstone project on this if it will be able to help me understand why or if there is a deeper meaning behind Disney turning their only black main characters into non-human beings? Then thinking about how I wanted to go into medicine made me think of how little representation not only in movies, but also in real life especially in the medical field. When watching medical tv shows most can notice that a large amount of the time most of the cast is disproportionately white with a few token black actors. Not to mention the commercials for toothpaste, the dentists that recommend the toothpaste are all white men. This has pushed me to continue working toward my goal of becoming an orthodontist to only prove it to myself that I can, but to also be the inspiration for other young black girls. Ever since I was young, I loved going to the dentist. My dentist was a cheerful guy who could make anyone smile, but what I liked most was the feeling that my teeth were extra clean and pretty afterwards. That feeling gave me more confidence about my smile, however that all changed as I got older. My baby teeth were beautiful, they grew in nicely and were charmingly straight and practically perfect. However, the adult teeth that replaced them were too big for my mouth which resulted in them coming in crooked. The stark difference between my baby teeth and my permanent ones made me feel really insecure about myself, so when the topic of braces came up I jumped at the opportunity. When I saw my new smile after getting braces, I felt amazing, I regained the confidence I once had and I thanked him greatly. When I think about it now I realized that both of my doctors were white men and thought about how I see so little women of color in that profession. That was then that I realized that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I want to make people feel more confident in not just their smile, but in themselves as well. I have been known as a very cheerful and happy-go-lucky kind of girl, I try to project happiness onto other people. I want to make people smile and feel comfortable when they are around me, so I plan to be an Orthodontist that people are not afraid to talk to about how they feel about themselves and that little girls of color can look up to. So that they know that they can do it too.

Most black people and women, including myself, have not seen much black representation in cinema until recent years. During my IB english class my junior year we got to skim the surface of diversity in tv and movies. With this class I would be able to finally have a chance to learn more about black representation on tv and put into a paper my views on it. I would love to write a paper about black representation in Disney movies, I never comprehend the fact that Disney made their only black princess into an animal for most of the movie and how detrimental that could be to little black girls watching it. Then you may think that Disney had learned its lesson, however now they have another movie out called Soul. This movie centers around an African American man who ends up dying at the beginning of the movie and just becomes a blue soul. At first I was thinking that I would want to have a capstone project on this if it will be able to help me understand why or if there is a deeper meaning behind Disney turning their only black main characters into non-human beings? Then thinking about how I wanted to go into medicine made me think of how little representation not only in movies, but also in real life especially in the medical field. When watching medical tv shows most can notice that a large amount of the time most of the cast is disproportionately white with a few token black actors. Not to mention the commercials for toothpaste, the dentists that recommend the toothpaste are all white men. This has pushed me to continue working toward my goal of becoming an orthodontist to only prove it to myself that I can, but to also be the inspiration for other young black girls. Ever since I was young, I loved going to the dentist. My dentist was a cheerful guy who could make anyone smile, but what I liked most was the feeling that my teeth were extra clean and pretty afterwards. That feeling gave me more confidence about my smile, however that all changed as I got older. My baby teeth were beautiful, they grew in nicely and were charmingly straight and practically perfect. However, the adult teeth that replaced them were too big for my mouth which resulted in them coming in crooked. The stark difference between my baby teeth and my permanent ones made me feel really insecure about myself, so when the topic of braces came up I jumped at the opportunity. When I saw my new smile after getting braces, I felt amazing, I regained the confidence I once had and I thanked him greatly. When I think about it now I realized that both of my doctors were white men and thought about how I see so little women of color in that profession. That was then that I realized that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I want to make people feel more confident in not just their smile, but in themselves as well. I have been known as a very cheerful and happy-go-lucky kind of girl, I try to project happiness onto other people. I want to make people smile and feel comfortable when they are around me, so I plan to be an Orthodontist that people are not afraid to talk to about how they feel about themselves and that little girls of color can look up to. So that they know that they can do it too.

Helen Keller once said, “The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of tiny pushes of each honest worker.” All too often, people say that protesting doesn't cause any permanent change. Recently, I have been involved in numerous protests and I have seen how the voices of many honest workers can come together to create a shove that leads to actual change. When I attended the Red for Ed march at our state capital in support of my mother who is an educator, I saw many others who wanted change. The tiny pushes of the individual educators and their allies lead to the mighty push towards increased pay for teachers. I am now increasingly motivated to engage in public activism and be an advocate for marginalized groups whose voices are frequently dismissed. No matter where I go I plan to be a social justice warrior. Leading me to take a stand last year, to everyone's surprise, Arizona became a battleground state for this election. Emotions ran high especially when Trump hosted a rally in my city. My friend and I wanted to have our voices heard. We went and joined the counter protesters at the Trump rally in order to vocalize our disagreements and I tried to have a civil conversion with some of the Trump supporters. However, I found when talking to this supporter there wasn't a coming to terms and meeting in the middle. The conversation became more of a long conversion of them seeming to listen to the conversation, but they were not internalizing what we were saying. Despite this unfruitful conversation, I will still continue to have discussions that differ from my own opinions to be able to further educate myself and others.

Most black people and women, including myself, have not seen much black representation in cinema until recent years. During my IB english class my junior year we got to skim the surface of diversity in tv and movies. With this class I would be able to finally have a chance to learn more about black representation on tv and put into a paper my views on it. I would love to write a paper about black representation in Disney movies, I never comprehend the fact that Disney made their only black princess into an animal for most of the movie and how detrimental that could be to little black girls watching it. Then you may think that Disney had learned its lesson, however now they have another movie out called Soul. This movie centers around an African American man who ends up dying at the beginning of the movie and just becomes a blue soul. At first I was thinking that I would want to have a capstone project on this if it will be able to help me understand why or if there is a deeper meaning behind Disney turning their only black main characters into non-human beings? Then thinking about how I wanted to go into medicine made me think of how little representation not only in movies, but also in real life especially in the medical field. When watching medical tv shows most can notice that a large amount of the time most of the cast is disproportionately white with a few token black actors. Not to mention the commercials for toothpaste, the dentists that recommend the toothpaste are all white men. This has pushed me to continue working toward my goal of becoming an orthodontist to only prove it to myself that I can, but to also be the inspiration for other young black girls. Ever since I was young, I loved going to the dentist. My dentist was a cheerful guy who could make anyone smile, but what I liked most was the feeling that my teeth were extra clean and pretty afterwards. That feeling gave me more confidence about my smile, however that all changed as I got older. My baby teeth were beautiful, they grew in nicely and were charmingly straight and practically perfect. However, the adult teeth that replaced them were too big for my mouth which resulted in them coming in crooked. The stark difference between my baby teeth and my permanent ones made me feel really insecure about myself, so when the topic of braces came up I jumped at the opportunity. When I saw my new smile after getting braces, I felt amazing, I regained the confidence I once had and I thanked him greatly. When I think about it now I realized that both of my doctors were white men and thought about how I see so little women of color in that profession. That was then that I realized that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I want to make people feel more confident in not just their smile, but in themselves as well. I have been known as a very cheerful and happy-go-lucky kind of girl, I try to project happiness onto other people. I want to make people smile and feel comfortable when they are around me, so I plan to be an Orthodontist that people are not afraid to talk to about how they feel about themselves and that little girls of color can look up to. So that they know that they can do it too.

Most black people and women, including myself, have not seen much black representation in cinema until recent years. During my IB english class my junior year we got to skim the surface of diversity in tv and movies. With this class I would be able to finally have a chance to learn more about black representation on tv and put into a paper my views on it. Then thinking about how I wanted to go into medicine made me think of how little representation not only in movies, but also in real life especially in the medical field. When watching medical tv shows most can notice that a large amount of the time most of the cast is disproportionately white with a few token black actors. Not to mention the commercials for toothpaste, the dentists that recommend the toothpaste are all white men. This has pushed me to continue working toward my goal of becoming an orthodontist to only prove it to myself that I can, but to also be the inspiration for other young black girls. Ever since I was young, I loved going to the dentist. My dentist was a cheerful guy who could make anyone smile, but what I liked most was the feeling that my teeth were extra clean and pretty afterwards. That feeling gave me more confidence about my smile, however that all changed as I got older. My baby teeth were beautiful, they grew in nicely and were charmingly straight and practically perfect. However, the adult teeth that replaced them were too big for my mouth which resulted in them coming in crooked. The stark difference between my baby teeth and my permanent ones made me feel really insecure about myself, so when the topic of braces came up I jumped at the opportunity. When I saw my new smile after getting braces, I felt amazing, I regained the confidence I once had and I thanked him greatly. When I think about it now I realized that both of my doctors were white men and thought about how I see so little women of color in that profession. That was then that I realized that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I want to make people feel more confident in not just their smile, but in themselves as well. I have been known as a very cheerful and happy-go-lucky kind of girl, I try to project happiness onto other people. I want to make people smile and feel comfortable when they are around me, so I plan to be an Orthodontist that people are not afraid to talk to about how they feel about themselves and that little girls of color can look up to. So that they know that they can do it too.

Most black people and women, including myself, have not seen much black representation in cinema until recent years. During my IB english class my junior year we got to skim the surface of diversity in tv and movies. With this class I would be able to finally have a chance to learn more about black representation on tv and put into a paper my views on it. I would love to write a paper about black representation in Disney movies, I never comprehend the fact that Disney made their only black princess into an animal for most of the movie and how detrimental that could be to little black girls watching it. Then you may think that Disney had learned its lesson, however now they have another movie out called Soul. This movie centers around an African American man who ends up dying at the beginning of the movie and just becomes a blue soul. At first I was thinking that I would want to have a capstone project on this if it will be able to help me understand why or if there is a deeper meaning behind Disney turning their only black main characters into non-human beings? Then thinking about how I wanted to go into medicine made me think of how little representation not only in movies, but also in real life especially in the medical field. When watching medical tv shows most can notice that a large amount of the time most of the cast is disproportionately white with a few token black actors. Not to mention the commercials for toothpaste, the dentists that recommend the toothpaste are all white men. This has pushed me to continue working toward my goal of becoming an orthodontist to only prove it to myself that I can, but to also be the inspiration for other young black girls. Ever since I was young, I loved going to the dentist. My dentist was a cheerful guy who could make anyone smile, but what I liked most was the feeling that my teeth were extra clean and pretty afterwards. That feeling gave me more confidence about my smile, however that all changed as I got older. My baby teeth were beautiful, they grew in nicely and were charmingly straight and practically perfect. However, the adult teeth that replaced them were too big for my mouth which resulted in them coming in crooked. The stark difference between my baby teeth and my permanent ones made me feel really insecure about myself, so when the topic of braces came up I jumped at the opportunity. When I saw my new smile after getting braces, I felt amazing, I regained the confidence I once had and I thanked him greatly. When I think about it now I realized that both of my doctors were white men and thought about how I see so little women of color in that profession. That was then that I realized that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I want to make people feel more confident in not just their smile, but in themselves as well. I have been known as a very cheerful and happy-go-lucky kind of girl, I try to project happiness onto other people. I want to make people smile and feel comfortable when they are around me, so I plan to be an Orthodontist that people are not afraid to talk to about how they feel about themselves and that little girls of color can look up to. So that they know that they can do it too.

Helen Keller once said, “The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of tiny pushes of each honest worker.” All too often, people say that protesting doesn't cause any permanent change. Recently, I have been involved in numerous protests and I have seen how the voices of many honest workers can come together to create a shove that leads to actual change. When I attended the Red for Ed march at our state capital in support of my mother who is an educator, I saw many others who wanted change. All of the other teachers and educators chose to stage a walkout to demonstrate how important their job was to the legislators. The tiny pushes of the individual educators and their allies lead to the mighty push towards increased pay for teachers. After seeing this, I am now increasingly motivated to engage in public activism and be an advocate for marginalized groups whose voices are frequently dismissed. No matter where I go I plan to be a social justice warrior. Leading me to take a stand last year, to everyone's surprise, Arizona became a battleground state for this election. Emotions ran high especially when Trump hosted a rally in my city. My friend and I, despite not being able to vote, still wanted to have our voices heard. We went and joined the counter protesters at the Trump rally in order to vocalize our disagreements. The Trump supporters treated us with contempt and malice with even one supporter throwing a cigarette at me. I disregarded this action to maintain a peaceful counterprotest, and I tried to have a civil conversion with some of the Trump supporters. However, I found when talking to this supporter there wasn't a coming to terms and meeting in the middle. The conversation became more of a long conversion of them seeming to listen to the conversation, but they were not internalizing what we were saying. Despite this unfruitful conversation, I will still continue to have discussions that differ from my own opinions to be able to further educate myself and others as my own tiny push to move the world along.

Most black people and women, including myself, have not seen much black representation in cinema until recent years. During my IB english class my junior year we got to skim the surface of diversity in tv and movies. With this class I would be able to finally have a chance to learn more about black representation on tv and put into a paper my views on it. I never comprehend the fact that Disney made their only black princess into an animal for most of the movie and how detrimental that could be to little black girls watching it. Then you may think that Disney had learned its lesson, however now they have another movie out called Soul. This movie centers around an African American man who ends up dying at the beginning of the movie and just becomes a blue soul. At first I was thinking that I would want to have a capstone project on this if it will be able to help me understand why or if there is a deeper meaning behind Disney turning their only black main characters into non-human beings? Then thinking about how I wanted to go into medicine made me think of how little representation not only in movies, but also in real life especially in the medical field. When watching medical tv shows most can notice that a large amount of the time most of the cast is disproportionately white with a few token black actors. Not to mention the commercials for toothpaste, the dentists that recommend the toothpaste are all white men. This has pushed me to continue working toward my goal of becoming an orthodontist to only prove it to myself that I can, but to also be the inspiration for other young black girls. Ever since I was young, I loved going to the dentist. My dentist was a cheerful guy who could make anyone smile, but what I liked most was the feeling that my teeth were extra clean and pretty afterwards. That feeling gave me more confidence about my smile, however that all changed as I got older. My baby teeth were beautiful, they grew in nicely and were charmingly straight and practically perfect. However, the adult teeth that replaced them were too big for my mouth which resulted in them coming in crooked. The stark difference between my baby teeth and my permanent ones made me feel really insecure about myself, so when the topic of braces came up I jumped at the opportunity. When I saw my new smile after getting braces, I felt amazing, I regained the confidence I once had and I thanked him greatly. When I think about it now I realized that both of my doctors were white men and thought about how I see so little women of color in that profession. That was then that I realized that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I want to make people feel more confident in not just their smile, but in themselves as well. I have been known as a very cheerful and happy-go-lucky kind of girl, so I try to project happiness onto other people. I want to make people smile and feel comfortable when they are around me, so I plan to be an Orthodontist that people are not afraid to talk to about how they feel about themselves and that little girls of color can look up to. So that they know that they can do it too and it is possible for them.

Most black people and women, including myself, have not seen much black representation in cinema until recent years. During my IB english class my junior year we got to skim the surface of diversity in tv and movies. With this class I would be able to finally have a chance to learn more about black representation on tv and put into a paper my views on it. I would love to write a paper about black representation in Disney movies, I never comprehend the fact that Disney made their only black princess into an animal for most of the movie and how detrimental that could be to little black girls watching it. Then you may think that Disney had learned its lesson, however now they have another movie out called Soul. This movie centers around an African American man who ends up dying at the beginning of the movie and just becomes a blue soul. At first I was thinking that I would want to have a capstone project on this if it will be able to help me understand why or if there is a deeper meaning behind Disney turning their only black main characters into non-human beings? Then thinking about how I wanted to go into medicine made me think of how little representation not only in movies, but also in real life especially in the medical field. When watching medical tv shows most can notice that a large amount of the time most of the cast is disproportionately white with a few token black actors. Not to mention the commercials for toothpaste, the dentists that recommend the toothpaste are all white men. This has pushed me to continue working toward my goal of becoming an orthodontist to only prove it to myself that I can, but to also be the inspiration for other young black girls. Ever since I was young, I loved going to the dentist. My dentist was a cheerful guy who could make anyone smile, but what I liked most was the feeling that my teeth were extra clean and pretty afterwards. That feeling gave me more confidence about my smile, however that all changed as I got older. My baby teeth were beautiful, they grew in nicely and were charmingly straight and practically perfect. However, the adult teeth that replaced them were too big for my mouth which resulted in them coming in crooked. The stark difference between my baby teeth and my permanent ones made me feel really insecure about myself, so when the topic of braces came up I jumped at the opportunity. When I saw my new smile after getting braces, I felt amazing, I regained the confidence I once had and I thanked him greatly. When I think about it now I realized that both of my doctors were white men and thought about how I see so little women of color in that profession. That was then that I realized that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I want to make people feel more confident in not just their smile, but in themselves as well. I have been known as a very cheerful and happy-go-lucky kind of girl, I try to project happiness onto other people. I want to make people smile and feel comfortable when they are around me, so I plan to be an Orthodontist that people are not afraid to talk to about how they feel about themselves and that little girls of color can look up to. So that they know that they can do it too.

This year, to everyone's surprise, Arizona became a battleground state for this election. Emotions ran high especially when Trump hosted a rally in my city. My friend and I, despite not being able to vote, still wanted to have our voices heard. We went and joined the counter protesters at the Trump rally in order to vocalize our disagreements. The Trump supporters treated us with contempt and malice with even one supporter throwing a cigarette at me. I disregarded this action to maintain a peaceful counterprotest, and I tried to have a civil conversion with some of the Trump supporters. However, I found when talking to this supporter there wasn't a coming to terms and meeting in the middle. The conversation became more of a long conversion of them seeming to listen to the conversation, but they were not internalizing what we were saying. Despite this unfruitful conversation, I will still continue to have discussions that differ from my own opinions to be able to further educate myself and others. All too often, people say that protesting doesn't cause any permanent change. Recently, I have been involved in numerous protests and I have seen how the voices of many honest workers can come together to create a shove that leads to actual change. When I attended the Red for Ed march at our state capital in support of my mother who is an educator, I saw many others who wanted change. All of the other teachers and educators chose to stage a walkout to demonstrate how important their job was to the legislators. The tiny pushes of the individual educators and their allies lead to the mighty push towards increased pay for teachers. After seeing this, I am now increasingly motivated to engage in public activism and be an advocate for marginalized groups ẁhose voices are frequently dismissed. No matter where I go I plan to be a social justice warrior.

Most black people and women, including myself, have not seen much black representation in cinema until recent years. During my IB english class my junior year we got to skim the surface of diversity in tv and movies. With this class I would be able to finally have a chance to learn more about black representation on tv and put into a paper my views on it. I never comprehend the fact that Disney made their only black princess into an animal for most of the movie and how detrimental that could be to little black girls watching it. Then you may think that Disney had learned its lesson, however now they have another movie out called Soul. This movie centers around an African American man who ends up dying at the beginning of the movie and just becomes a blue soul. At first I was thinking that I would want to have a capstone project on this if it will be able to help me understand why or if there is a deeper meaning behind Disney turning their only black main characters into non-human beings? Then thinking about how I wanted to go into medicine made me think of how little representation not only in movies, but also in real life especially in the medical field. When watching medical tv shows most can notice that a large amount of the time most of the cast is disproportionately white with a few token black actors. Not to mention the commercials for toothpaste, the dentists that recommend the toothpaste are all white men. This has pushed me to continue working toward my goal of becoming an orthodontist to only prove it to myself that I can, but to also be the inspiration for other young black girls. Ever since I was young, I loved going to the dentist. My dentist was a cheerful guy who could make anyone smile, but what I liked most was the feeling that my teeth were extra clean and pretty afterwards. That feeling gave me more confidence about my smile, however that all changed as I got older. My baby teeth were beautiful, they grew in nicely and were charmingly straight and practically perfect. However, the adult teeth that replaced them were too big for my mouth which resulted in them coming in crooked. The stark difference between my baby teeth and my permanent ones made me feel really insecure about myself, so when the topic of braces came up I jumped at the opportunity. When I saw my new smile after getting braces, I felt amazing, I regained the confidence I once had and I thanked him greatly. When I think about it now I realized that both of my doctors were white men and thought about how I see so little women of color in that profession. That was then that I realized that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I want to make people feel more confident in not just their smile, but in themselves as well. I have been known as a very cheerful and happy-go-lucky kind of girl, so I try to project happiness onto other people. I want to make people smile and feel comfortable when they are around me, so I plan to be an Orthodontist that people are not afraid to talk to about how they feel about themselves and that little girls of color can look up to. So that they know that they can do it too and it is possible for them.

Most black women, including myself, have not seen much black representation in cinema until recent years. I had known about that for a while, but during my IB english class my junior year we got to skim the surface of diversity in tv and movies. With this class I would be able to finally have a chance to learn more about black representation on tv and put into a paper my views on it. I never comprehend the fact that Disney made their only black princess into an animal for most of the movie and how detrimental that could be to little black girls watching it. Then you may think that Disney had learned its lesson, however now they have another movie out called Soul. This movie centers around an African American man who ends up dying at the beginning of the movie and just becomes a blue soul. At first I was thinking that I would want to have a capstone project on this if it will be able to help me understand why or if there is a deeper meaning behind Disney turning their only black main characters into non-human beings? Then thinking about how I wanted to go into medicine made me think of how little representation not only in movies, but also in real life especially in the medical field. When watching medical tv shows most can notice that a large amount of the time most of the cast is disproportionately white with a few token black actors. Not to mention the commercials for toothpaste, the dentists that recommend the toothpaste are all white men. This has pushed me to continue working toward my goal of becoming an orthodontist to only prove it to myself that I can, but to also be the inspiration for other young black girls. Ever since I was young, I loved going to the dentist. My dentist was a cheerful guy who could make anyone smile, but what I liked most was the feeling that my teeth were extra clean and pretty afterwards. That feeling gave me more confidence about my smile. My baby teeth were beautiful, they grew in nicely and were charmingly straight and practically perfect. However, the adult teeth that replaced them were too big for my mouth which resulted in them coming in crooked. The stark difference between my baby teeth and my permanent ones made me feel really insecure about myself, so when the topic of braces came up I jumped at the opportunity. When I saw my new smile after getting braces, I felt amazing, I regained the confidence I once had and I thanked him greatly. When I think about it now I realized that both of my doctors were white men and thought about how I see so little women of color in that profession. That was then that I realized that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I want to make people feel more confident in not just their smile, but in themselves as well. I have been known as a very cheerful and happy-go-lucky kind of girl, so I try to project happiness onto other people. I want to make people smile and feel comfortable when they are around me, so I plan to be an Orthodontist that people are not afraid to talk to about how they feel about themselves and that little girls of color can look up to. So that they know that they can do it too and it is possible for them.

My dream has always been to become an orthodontist. I want to help people become more confident and love their smile. I am so excited to take both chemistry and biology classes, since I am passionate to learn more about the human body. Chemistry allows us to understand the composition of the physical world, and piggybacking on that, biology describes the structure of the organic world. During my IB english class my junior year we got to skim the surface of diversity in tv and movies. With this class I would be able to finally have a chance to learn more about black representation on tv and put into a paper my views on it. At first I was thinking that I would want to have a capstone project on this, specifically a take on how Disney changes their black characters into something nonhuman and how that would affect all the black children watching. Then thinking about how I wanted to go into medicine made me think of how little representation not only in movies, but also in real life especially in the medical field. When watching medical tv shows most can notice that a large amount of the time most of the cast is disproportionately white with a few token black actors. Not to mention the commercials for toothpaste, the dentists that recommend the toothpaste are all white men. This has pushed me to continue working toward my goal of becoming an orthodontist to only prove it to myself that I can, but to also be the inspiration for other young black girls. Ever since I was young, I loved going to the dentist. My dentist was a cheerful guy who could make anyone smile, but what I liked most was the feeling that my teeth were extra clean and pretty afterwards. That feeling gave me more confidence about my smile, however that all changed as I got older. My baby teeth were beautiful, they grew in nicely and were charmingly straight and practically perfect. However, the adult teeth that replaced them were too big for my mouth which resulted in them coming in crooked. The stark difference between my baby teeth and my permanent ones made me feel really insecure about myself, so when the topic of braces came up I jumped at the opportunity. When I saw my new smile after getting braces, I felt amazing, I regained the confidence I once had and I thanked him greatly. When I think about it now I realized that both of my doctors were white men and thought about how I see so little women of color in that profession. That was then that I realized that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I want to make people feel more confident in not just their smile, but in themselves as well. I have been known as a very cheerful and happy-go-lucky kind of girl, so I try to project happiness onto other people. I want to make people smile and feel comfortable when they are around me, so I plan to be an Orthodontist that people are not afraid to talk to about how they feel about themselves and that little girls of color can look up to. So that they know that they can do it too and it is possible for them.

Most black people and women, including myself, have not seen much black representation in cinema until recent years. During my IB english class my junior year we got to skim the surface of diversity in tv and movies. With this class I would be able to finally have a chance to learn more about black representation on tv and put into a paper my views on it. I would love to write a paper about black representation in Disney movies, then thinking about how I wanted to go into medicine made me think of how little representation not only in movies, but also in real life especially in the medical field. When watching medical tv shows most can notice that a large amount of the time most of the cast is disproportionately white with a few token black actors. Not to mention the commercials for toothpaste, the dentists that recommend the toothpaste are all white men. This has pushed me to continue working toward my goal of becoming an orthodontist to only prove it to myself that I can, but to also be the inspiration for other young black girls. Ever since I was young, I loved going to the dentist. My dentist was a cheerful guy who could make anyone smile, but what I liked most was the feeling that my teeth were extra clean and pretty afterwards. That feeling gave me more confidence about my smile, however that all changed as I got older. My baby teeth were beautiful, they grew in nicely and were charmingly straight and practically perfect. However, the adult teeth that replaced them were too big for my mouth which resulted in them coming in crooked. The stark difference between my baby teeth and my permanent ones made me feel really insecure about myself, so when the topic of braces came up I jumped at the opportunity. When I saw my new smile after getting braces, I felt amazing, I regained the confidence I once had and I thanked him greatly. When I think about it now I realized that both of my doctors were white men and thought about how I see so little women of color in that profession. That was then that I realized that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I want to make people feel more confident in not just their smile, but in themselves as well. I have been known as a very cheerful and happy-go-lucky kind of girl, so I try to project happiness onto other people. I want to make people smile and feel comfortable when they are around me, so I plan to be an Orthodontist that people are not afraid to talk to about how they feel about themselves and that little girls of color can look up to. So that they know that they can do it too and it is possible for them.

Helen Keller once said, “The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of tiny pushes of each honest worker.” All too often, people say that protesting doesn't cause any permanent change. Recently, I have been involved in numerous protests and I have seen how the voices of many honest workers can come together to create a shove that leads to actual change. When I attended the Red for Ed march at our state capital in support of my mother who is an educator, I saw many others who wanted change. All of the other teachers and educators chose to stage a walkout to demonstrate how important their job was to the legislators. The tiny pushes of the individual educators and their allies lead to the mighty push towards increased pay for teachers. After seeing this, I am now increasingly motivated to engage in public activism and be an advocate for marginalized groups ẁhose voices are frequently dismissed. No matter where I go I plan to be a social justice warrior.

Most black people and women, including myself, have not seen much black representation in cinema until recent years. During my IB english class my junior year we got to skim the surface of diversity in tv and movies. With this class I would be able to finally have a chance to learn more about black representation on tv and put into a paper my views on it. I would love to write a paper about black representation in Disney movies, I never comprehend the fact that Disney made their only black princess into an animal for most of the movie and how detrimental that could be to little black girls watching it. Then you may think that Disney had learned its lesson, however now they have another movie out called Soul. This movie centers around an African American man who ends up dying at the beginning of the movie and just becomes a blue soul. At first I was thinking that I would want to have a capstone project on this if it will be able to help me understand why or if there is a deeper meaning behind Disney turning their only black main characters into non-human beings? Then thinking about how I wanted to go into medicine made me think of how little representation not only in movies, but also in real life especially in the medical field. When watching medical tv shows most can notice that a large amount of the time most of the cast is disproportionately white with a few token black actors. Not to mention the commercials for toothpaste, the dentists that recommend the toothpaste are all white men. This has pushed me to continue working toward my goal of becoming an orthodontist to only prove it to myself that I can, but to also be the inspiration for other young black girls. Ever since I was young, I loved going to the dentist. My dentist was a cheerful guy who could make anyone smile, but what I liked most was the feeling that my teeth were extra clean and pretty afterwards. That feeling gave me more confidence about my smile, however that all changed as I got older. My baby teeth were beautiful, they grew in nicely and were charmingly straight and practically perfect. However, the adult teeth that replaced them were too big for my mouth which resulted in them coming in crooked. The stark difference between my baby teeth and my permanent ones made me feel really insecure about myself, so when the topic of braces came up I jumped at the opportunity. When I saw my new smile after getting braces, I felt amazing, I regained the confidence I once had and I thanked him greatly. When I think about it now I realized that both of my doctors were white men and thought about how I see so little women of color in that profession. That was then that I realized that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I want to make people feel more confident in not just their smile, but in themselves as well. I have been known as a very cheerful and happy-go-lucky kind of girl, I try to project happiness onto other people. I want to make people smile and feel comfortable when they are around me, so I plan to be an Orthodontist that people are not afraid to talk to about how they feel about themselves and that little girls of color can look up to. So that they know that they can do it too.

Shouts and giggles of children playing lifts through the air. I’m among them playing in the children’s zone of the local mall. I happily jump off a giant plastic frog to see my mother chatting with two African women. “Where did you get her?” they ask. “From myself” my mother quizzically replies. “But no, what country did you get her from?” they insist. At this moment, my dad walks over and looks of realization passes over the womens’ faces. To them, it all makes sense now. Prior to my dad’s arrival these women couldn’t fathom how such a light complected woman could have such a dark skinned daughter. These women meant no harm; they later told my mother they were from Somalia and thought I was too, but it showed me how society viewed me was so much different than how I viewed myself. Within my family, my darker skin tone more closely resembles my Black father, rather than the lighter shades seen in my Mexican mother and sisters. As a result of my dark complexion, I am frequently assumed to be adopted when I am out with my mother. These actions provoked insecurities about my place within my family and my community. I always felt compared to my lighter skinned sisters and very much internalized the eurocentric beauty standard that lighter is better. I felt uncomfortable being out in the sun for fear of getting darker and being perceived as less attractive. Oddly enough, it was my lightest complected sister who encouraged me to love my darker skin. While reading Sulwe by Lupita Nyongo, I was encouraged by the girl in the story as she learned that black is beautiful. In this African folklore the day and night are sister deities. Day is perceived by the villagers as bright, lovely, and pretty while the Night is seen as dark, scary, and ugly. Later, the villagers come to the realization that darkness is both necessary and beautiful as well. The most powerful part of the book is when the Day says to the Night, “When you are darkest is when you are the most beautiful. It is when you are most you.” This quote helped me understand that my differences enhance my beauty rather than detract from it. My skin is beautiful just the way it is; the dark is beautiful and being black is beautiful. By overcoming the negative beliefs that stemmed from my pessimistic view of my darker complexion, I became able to truly and unapologetically appreciate who I am. I can now see the beauty of my skin, no matter my shade, I am still authentically me, and I love myself for that. I now help my friends learn to love their skin and themselves too.