It was the summer of 2020 that I watched George Floyd killed on my phone. It was something I had seen before, it made me feel numb. Many would say he deserved it, kids would make jokes about it, and my school would tolerate hate crimes and racism towards colored students. In that same summer, I saw a rise in crimes done against marginalized people in the country and also unknowingly done in my community. I decided that this could not continue to be the reality. I co-founded a student-led organization called Fairfield For Change, which focuses on advocating for diversity and inclusion in my school district. We began to hold meetings with the school board and as research director, I proposed to them different solutions to solving issues surrounding equity and inclusion with data. We addressed other issues such as the lack of college prep given to students of color in our school and hosted a virtual college readiness panel featuring alumni of color who provided students with information concerning life after college. We also hosted a “My story” series which allowed for students to tell their stories of times of inclusion, joy, but also exclusion and a lack of equity given to them. This helped in the formation of a documentary that showcased the experiences of students in our school. My school has the mascot of an “Indian” and students would perpetuate stereotypes against these Native groups in our community and at school events. Fairfield For Change began to advocate for the change of this mascot, research, and petition to the board, for the removal of this culturally insensitive representation of our district. I headed the research in which we were able to make remembrance and land acknowledgments statements that accurately depict the Native tribes that once inhabited the Fairfield City and Fairfield Township Areas. This comprehensive research consisted of speaking to Native based organizations at Miami University as well as reading numerous articles and books with historical context such as Fairfield, Ohio by Esther Benzing. These land acknowledgement statements and remembrance plaques have now been approved to be put around the school district and announced at school events such as induction ceremonies and football games, deconstructing this harmful tradition and embracing change. Fairfield For Change helped me realize how much work needed to be done in terms of education, cultural awareness, and sensitivity within my community and also around the world.

In the wake of social injustices occurring in 2020, I co-founded a student-led organization called Fairfield For Change. This organization focuses on advocating for diversity, inclusion, and equity in my school district. We began to hold meetings with the school board and as research director, I proposed data-based solutions to address issues surrounding equity and inclusion. We discussed injustices such as the lack of college prep given to students of color in our school and hosted a virtual college readiness panel that allowed alumni of color to speak on their experience, aiding students without access to prep. In addition, my school has the mascot of an “Indian” and students would perpetuate stereotypes against Native groups in our community and at school events. Fairfield For Change began to petition to the board for the removal of this culturally insensitive and damaging representation of our district. I headed research in which we were able to make remembrance and land acknowledgment statements that accurately depict the Native tribes that once inhabited the Fairfield City and Fairfield Township Areas. This comprehensive research consisted of speaking to Native based organizations at Miami University as well as reading numerous articles and books such as Fairfield, Ohio by Esther Benzing which demonstrated the historical significance of this mascot. These land acknowledgement statements and remembrance plaques have now been approved to be put around the school district and highlighted at school events, disrupting this harmful tradition and embracing change. Fairfield For Change helped me realize how much work needed to be done for education, cultural awareness, and sensitivity in my community and reminded me that the process of changing the world requires teamwork.

Igneous rocks are porous. They are made when magma cools and crystallizes. I was surrounded in a 2 parent household until I arrived in the United States at age 4 and ended up with one. This change in parental influence would change me forever. A life of dependency yet independence, with the sole fear of inconsistency and abandonment. A single mother with 3 children: two in grade school and me advancing toward the age of school. I watched her cry on the phone as my father announced his divorce from her on the phone from Ghana. At that moment I realized that my life was going to be different from other kids. I watched my brother and mother walk to work at late hours of the night, only for my brother to come home and make his way to school, sometimes missing the bus. From him, I learned relentlessness and perseverance. I watched my sister engross herself in so many school activities, to then walk home after all of these clubs. She taught me dedication and passion. And my mother, the lady that sang in the church choir, sewed, and also worked odd jobs taught me that regardless of your situation, the only way out is through. If there was not a way through, I was determined to make a way , even if it required a pickaxe. All these lessons were poured into me, and I soaked them up. Sedimentary rocks are formed by deposits of pre-existing rocks or pieces on once living organisms. Once a lively family, reality began to settle in. My brother would not be able to go to college after high school. And later, my sister took a gap year to go to the army so we could afford for her to go to college. I watched all this happen in front of my eyes. I would go to sleep covering my ears with pillows to drown out the arguments about rents and bills. I became anxious that I too would not be able to reach or accomplish the goals I had set for myself. That feeling of fear and instability began to creep its way towards me. It was crippling. I tried to ignore these feelings and distract myself, but that only ended in wet pillows and swollen eyes in the morning. When rocks are subjected to high heat, high pressure, and rich fluids, they become metamorphic rocks. They conform to their environment. My surroundings should have made me unmotivated and undetermined, but it rather made me want to be and do the opposite. I wanted my life to change. Not only for me but for my family and especially my community. I continuously had my family help me through school even though they needed help themselves, help I could not provide. Although struggle will not be absent from my life, I want to be able to provide help to others, the same way my village helped me. But despite all of this, I still saw the sun come up and it told me that there was still work to be done. It told me to live, to seize the day. When Lauryn Hill said, “Don’t be a hard rock when you really are a gem…” I understood her. Pressure creates diamonds, and I am just beginning to crystalize. I am like rocks in this way: eroded by debris, weathering, and heat. The only difference is that I can choose what I want these factors to do to me. And I have decided that I want them to build me.

During Black History Month, I was asked to speak on the news of the importance of Black History. I was sitting at lunch when this was made known to me. I immediately started to panic because I did not know what to say or how to say it. Despite my anxieties, I was able to confidently deliver a message to the community and showcase Black Excellence at its finest! This was the step that took me out of my comfort zone into greatness.