I grew up in the United States; however my parents are immigrants from Trinidad and Tobago, and my value system is strongly influenced by my Caribbean roots. My parents worked and studied to the best of their ability, bringing themselves to a present moment no one else imagined. Through their persistence and perseverance, my parents attracted others with the same work ethic whose example have helped me become a determined, resilient person who gives my all despite the challenges I face. My parents also live by the Caribbean philosophy that family extends beyond our home. At almost every big family event, the people invited have the closest ties to us; yet, if I were to search for my blood relatives on Ancestry.com, most of these people would not show up. My parents’ open door policy has opened doors for me as I pursue my dream of becoming an advocate for others. I have been able to participate in an internship with the Black Women’s Health Imperative and My Sister’s Keeper, where I went to the U.S. Capitol Hill; to get help on my college essays; to have in depth discussions on how to reach my goal of being a lawyer; and to take an online course on worldwide slavery. My parents’ compassion has no prejudice, and their generosity extends to even letting people in need stay at our house for months at a time. Seeing this has led me to believe that every human being has value and dignity, which is why I was so shocked to experience firsthand discrimination and prejudice from my own peers, teachers, and even friends. A predominantly white private school really fuels the desire to fight against injustice, if one has it. I made history at my school by becoming president of the Diversity Club where I addressed administrators, faculty, and the student body on the importance of diversity and inclusion, introduced the first ever International Women’s Day Panel, and planned celebrations of cultural months. My upbringing and experience have shaped me into a person who can no longer turn a blind eye to injustice, and so I intend to pursue a career in social justice and advocacy. This scholarship will help support my educational journey to becoming a social justice lawyer. I plan to major in Social Sciences at Bryn Mawr College and then go to law school. This scholarship would support my efforts to help and advocate for underrepresented communities. It would help me to focus more on my passion for advocacy rather than worrying about how to pay off my loans.

I grew up in the United States; however my parents are immigrants from Trinidad and Tobago, and my value system is strongly influenced by my Caribbean roots. My parents worked and studied to the best of their ability, bringing themselves to a present moment no one else imagined: a successful life in the United States and being able to provide for their family. Through their persistence and perseverance, my parents attracted others with the same work ethic whose examples have helped me become a determined, resilient person who gives my all despite the challenges I face. It was through their models of resilience that I was able to win my County Tennis Tournament after being in an accident the morning of and fight for diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in a school where few believed it was necessary. My parents also live by the Caribbean philosophy that family extends beyond our home. At almost every big family event, the people invited have the closest ties to us; yet, if I were to search for my blood relatives on Ancestry.com, most of these people would not show up. I remember growing up with different families and people at several times living with me until they could get back on their feet. This impulse of my parents to provide support for others who were not even blood-related was instilled in me at a very young age and led to many opportunities I have now. My parents’ open door policy has opened doors for me as I pursue my dream of becoming an advocate for others. I have been able to participate in an internship with the Black Women’s Health Imperative and My Sister’s Keeper, where I went to the U.S. Capitol Hill; to get help on my college essays; to have in depth discussions on how to reach my goal of being a lawyer; and to take an online course on worldwide slavery. My parents’ compassion has no prejudice, and their generosity extends to even letting people in need stay at our house for months at a time. Seeing this has led me to believe that every human being has value and dignity, which is why I was so shocked to experience firsthand discrimination and prejudice from my own peers, teachers, and even friends. I made history at my school by becoming president of the Diversity Club where I addressed administrators, faculty, and the student body on the importance of diversity and inclusion, introduced the first-ever International Women’s Day Panel, and planned celebrations of cultural months. My upbringing and experience have shaped me into a person who can no longer turn a blind eye to injustice, and so I intend to pursue a career in social justice and advocacy.

“Kayla! Kayla!”, the teacher screams. I stare intently, bringing my gaze back and forth between my computer and notebook, trying to look like I am learning some chemistry concept. The teacher is looking right at me, yet I pretend that no one is talking to me. “Kayla!” The class starts to giggle. The corners of my mouth slowly turn upwards as I struggle to maintain a neutral face. “Kayla!” You have known me for three years. This is what you get for being lazy with my name. “Kayla!” My name is not Kayla. The only thing Kayla and I have in common is that we are black and are in the same Chemistry class. You don’t realize the many elements that make me me. You don’t recognize that each and every reluctant and resistant curl on my head is uniquely its own, deriving from my bloodline and not by chance. You don’t realize that my determination in the classroom stems from inspiration from my parents who succeeded against the societal restrictions regarding time and class. You don’t realize that the song I’m comfortably humming is from a country that my sixth grade class was convinced did not exist. I am Caribbean American. You don’t understand why I keep asking my apathetic peers to come to the Race Against Racism. You don’t understand why my ears start steaming when I hear of yet another racist incident at my school. You don’t understand the reason I became Diversity Club president. You don’t understand why I put hours into painting windows and constructing table displays for heritage months. You don’t understand that we have different perspectives, and that it is important to understand and acknowledge different perspectives. I am a peer educator. You don’t know that I took a course on worldwide slavery over the summer where I learned that some of the most popular brand names don’t give their workers livable pay. You don’t know that I went to the Capitol to fight against menthol-flavored cigarettes. You don’t know that I interned at a community outreach nonprofit to promote financial literacy in every economic status. You don’t know that I protested against the racist culture of my own school. You don’t know that I intend to have a future in social justice. I am an activist. Underneath my bouquet of black curls streaked with brown, underneath my smooth, slightly blemished brown skin, underneath my dark brown eyes that sometimes turn hazel in the sun, underneath the small black mole on my nose, there lies a mosaic of interests, passions, and ideas making me much more than what you may see on the surface. A blackberry would never be mistaken for a grape, so why is it so different with us? My name is not Kayla. My passion to advocate for others drives me to pursue a career as a social justice lawyer. Although this is a daunting and expensive goal, I am certain that I will leave a positive impact on people's lives by giving a voice to the voiceless. I am Carina.

At eight years old, I attended my first Tennis For Kids Program. Tennis for Kids is a free summer program designed to provide tennis instruction to children ages 7 - 16. My experience at this program catapulted my own tennis journey. It’s hard to believe that I will be a tennis player at the collegiate level very soon. As I have progressed in my own tennis journey, I’ve studied successful professional tennis players such as Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Sloane Stephens and Frances Tiafoe and discovered that there were pivotal moments in their lives during childhood that sparked tennis for them. Tennis is a very expensive sport and consistent quality instruction is out of reach for many. My parents have worked very hard and made a lot of sacrifices for my pursuit of tennis, taking on the role of coach and hitting partner throughout my journey. Last summer, I volunteered as a coach for Tennis For Kids, where I spent a couple hours a week instructing and supervising kids who were new to tennis. I wanted to share my love of tennis and ignite that spark in a young child. During this volunteer experience, I shared skills which were introduced to me when I attended Tennis for Kids, and have spent time developing over the years. I was able to teach and demonstrate good sportsmanship, perseverance, embracing and learning from losses, having a positive attitude and having fun. I spent some time talking to the kids about my journey, the hard work and time that I invested in tennis, the struggles, learning to believe in myself and have a positive mindset and over time growing to embrace losses and viewing them as opportunities for learning and growing. I recognize that this was an introduction to a lifelong sport with mental and physical health benefits. In addition, the skills needed to succeed in tennis are life skills that one can apply to all aspects of life. From the sport I learned to persevere, trust myself, and be self sufficient. My tennis journey has coincided with my journey to activism. Without tennis, I would not have been able to make history at my school leading its first Race For Change, celebration of cultural months, and International Women’s Day celebration. Being an advocate for change requires determination and belief in oneself because many people will not support you since you are promoting something different from the current culture. Tennis has also taught me ways to calm my mind and eliminate unnecessary stress. I have learned breathing and meditation techniques that strengthened my own mental health. Having a strong mind in tennis has contributed to my resilience in life. A most recent example was when I got into an accident the day of the Counties Singles Tournament. I was able to focus my mind and win the tournament despite getting my car totaled, and that is thanks to tennis. The sport is not for the weak, however if you stick with it you will be the mentally strongest in any room. At 18 years old I know that I can play this sport for the rest of my life and continue to strengthen my mind for harder future challenges of life.

At eight years old, I attended my first Tennis For Kids Program. Tennis for Kids is a free summer program designed to provide tennis instruction to children ages 7 - 16. My experience at this program catapulted my own tennis journey. It’s hard to believe that I will be a tennis player at the collegiate level very soon. As I have progressed in my own tennis journey, I’ve studied successful professional tennis players such as Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Sloane Stephens and Frances Tiafoe and discovered that there were pivotal moments in their lives during childhood that sparked tennis for them. Tennis is a very expensive sport and consistent quality instruction is out of reach for many. My parents have worked very hard and made a lot of sacrifices for my pursuit of tennis, taking on the role of coach and hitting partner throughout my journey. Last summer, I volunteered as a coach for Tennis For Kids, where I spent a couple hours a week instructing and supervising kids who were new to tennis. I wanted to share my love of tennis and ignite that spark in a young child. During this volunteer experience, I shared skills which were introduced to me when I attended Tennis for Kids, and have spent time developing over the years. I was able to teach and demonstrate good sportsmanship, perseverance, embracing and learning from losses, having a positive attitude and having fun. I was happy to participate in a program that was inclusive and available to all interested kids irrespective of their family’s ability to pay. I enjoyed the laughter, enthusiasm and seeing the kids progress and build their confidence over a short period of time. I spent some time talking to the kids about my journey, the hard work and time that I invested in tennis, the struggles, learning to believe in myself and have a positive mindset and over time growing to embrace losses and viewing them as opportunities for learning and growing. During this time, I was also able to talk to parents about my journey and some of the strategies my parents used to ensure that I had good consistent coaching. I recognize that this was an introduction to a lifelong sport with mental and physical health benefits. In addition, the skills needed to succeed in tennis are life skills that one can apply to all aspects of life. As such, this volunteer experience allowed me to make an impact in the present for young children but also potentially for the future.