Before anything, I must share my deepest condolences as you remember Ryan. Every other applicant shares my appreciation for this scholarship in Ryan's honor.  I genuinely believe political views are lenses through which people view the world. History is written to provide us with a testament of the paths we are to avoid, while politics either dismantles or builds our future. I understand that the world is made better by the many who are willing to root through the past and have uncomfortable conversations. I have spent my time at Bronx Community College taking classes that have helped me understand the past and how it influences the future.  Today, I aspire to be a Criminal Justice lawyer. This dream, however, has not been one I have always believed in. I wanted to be a journalist, then a teacher, and later, I thought maybe I could be a teacher and a lawyer.  Being a teacher has been my dream for a long time because the teachers I have encountered have helped me see the world better. Thus, I dreamed of doing the same for others. Becoming a lawyer, however, stems deeper. It stems from when my curiosity led me to documents detailing my brother's accident and my mother's lack of adequate legal representation. As my mom could barely talk about my brother without choking up, I was desperate to figure out what I could do. As I grew and learned about the types of lawyers there are, I considered what other mothers in the same shoes went through when they wanted justice for their children and never got it. My passion for the field and aspiration to help at least one mother like mine keep me going. In my "History of the Modern World "class, a conversation stuck with me. Our professor asked, "Who is to blame for World War 1?" I expected a uniform response until my classmates provided substantial explanations for their alternative answers. As a person who thrives on a good debate but is usually ready to see through the eyes of others, I learned that what I see as right is not always the only right. My love for Political science stems from my dad. As I can only assume Ryan was like, my father cannot turn down a good political argument. He gets most animated when I pretend to disagree with his notion. I took his passion for politics as I grew. I took my first political science class last spring; I had a professor with whom we could spend a whole session on various arguments, and it was immensely enlightening. When my professor and I decided to make the class an honors credit, he suggested we start each class with a current affairs presentation from me concerning the topic of discussion. The constant presentation from that semester has pushed my love and thirst for politics even further. It has taught me that the easiest way to impact change is to speak up for what I believe in and be always ready to listen and learn.   In less than thirty days, I will be graduating with honors in my associate's degree while preparing for my fall semester to work towards my baccalaureate degree. There, I will pursue a degree in English and a minor in Political Science.   I understand that I alone cannot change the world, but I can be the change I wish to see. With this scholarship, the realization of this dream can become less arduous.