After extensive research and personal experience, I’ve concluded that the most pressing issues women face are sexual violence and economic disparities in comparison to men. These issues are tied to outdated stereotypes about women: that we are solely sexual objects whose duty it is to bear children and please men. Society can most effectively empower women by relinquishing said stereotypes and allowing women to freely co-exist. Providing the youth with comprehensive sex education focusing on eradicating erroneous stereotypes is the key to ensuring these demands are met. During the summer of 2018, I passed by a construction worker who greeted me with “Good morning!”. Sounds innocent right? Wrong! He followed up with “I hope you can take me wherever you’re headed with that fine ass of yours”. Not only is this deplorable because I was a minor, but it further emphasizes the notion that some men choose to treat women solely as sexual objects; I was overtly sexualized for simply walking while being a woman. About a century ago, the societal consensus was that a woman's duties were to stay home, care for children, and sexually please her husband. Thanks to the Women’s Rights Movement, women are now able to vote, start businesses, and have the option to choose whether or not they want to have children. Although women are increasingly attaining an even playing-field with their male counterparts, some men still hold on to the belief that a woman’s role is to please them sexually. This belief and stereotype is what enables men to cat-call, harass, assault, and commit other atrocities against women, often with no consequences. I believe that if we are able to eradicate the stereotypes and belief that women are solely sexual objects, we will be inching closer on the path towards women empowerment. Another stereotype that is hindering the journey to women empowerment is the idea that our sole responsibility is to have children. Similar to the “women are sexual objects” stereotype, this one originated in a time where women were unable to have careers and become entrepreneurs. Today, there are still traces of this outdated belief that permeate the career world. According to aclu.org, “[women] are frequently pushed out of the workplace when they become pregnant or return to work after having a baby, resulting in economic insecurity and contributing to lifelong wealth and income disparities...”. The overarching belief here is that if women have children in the midst of their career, they will be unable to carry out their career duties as well as they have in the past. This is completely untrue, as countless women have been able to balance a career and motherhood, including my own mom who has birthed 4 children while still being at the top of her career. (Shoutout to you, Mom!) This stereotype is especially dangerous because it creates larger economic instability amongst mothers, when fathers also play a large role in the production of children. Eradicating this stereotype will point us on the path to empowerment, as it will enable women to have the economic stability and mobility that men have historically possessed. We must think of a way to eliminate these stereotypes and I believe the answer to this is education. It is essential to provide our youth with comprehensive sexual education that will inform them about the erroneous stigmas surrounding women, but also about consent, harassment, assault, and how those acts are related to these dangerous stigmas. I strongly feel that the elimination of these negative, outdated stereotypes through education is what will lead all women to a place where they are truly empowered.

Picture this: it’s a couple of days before college decision day, and you are stuck at home, trying to decide where you will be spending the next 4 years. Your first option is St. Lawrence University: a private liberal arts college, with a predominantly white student body that boasts about their inclusivity and open curriculum. Your second option is Howard University: a private historically Black university, with a predominantly Black student body, and an impressive selection of alumni. These schools might seem very different on paper, but for me, they shared a lot of similarities. They were both private universities that were equally expensive, both 4 hours away from my home and offered quality education. “How am I ever going to be able to make a choice?” Well...since I’m here writing this essay, I think my choice is pretty clear: I attend Howard University! Although these schools were very similar in the ways previously mentioned, my decision all boiled down to one factor: culture. Due to COVID-19, I had no way of visiting either school and attended both schools’ virtual open houses to supplement that experience. Hearing from administrators was cool, but I wanted to see the real and raw opinions from students. I made my way over to Youtube and watched videos that students of both schools posted about their experiences. The culture surrounding St. Lawrence was more so skiing and hockey, and I just knew that that wasn’t me. On the other hand, the culture surrounding Howard was centered around understanding and appreciating your Blackness and recognizing it as a strength when the outside world often sees it as a weakness. Howard University definitely appealed to me since I went to a predominantly white high school; I often didn’t have the courage to express my full-fledged opinion on Black issues because I felt outnumbered. Attending an HBCU means that I’ll learn to have the courage to completely express my opinions regarding Black issues with confidence and clarity. Attending an HBCU means that I’ll learn American history from the scope of Black people. Attending an HBCU means that I’ll be surrounded by, and introduced to a network of young, intelligent, and driven Black students like myself. I will learn from successful, Black professors who will have my best interest at heart. Attending an HBCU means that I will be one hundred percent (100%) confident in my Blackness, and I can not wait to attend Howard University in person, and continue my journey. After obtaining my degree, I hope to have a career in the Marketing field where I can present marketing campaigns, and create effective visuals and innovative methods to sell products. My career aspiration is a result of my current strengths, as well as topics that I am interested in learning more about. For example, I have a background in the performing arts so I am very comfortable with talking in front of people and presenting my ideas in an understandable manner. Also, thanks to a variety of teaching styles throughout my education, I’ve learned that I enjoy obtaining bits and pieces of information and using deductive reasoning to determine the cause and effect of certain decisions. In addition, I know that I’m interested in psychology since I took a Psychological Literature class in high-school where we discussed how brands use psychology to appeal to their customers. My strength in public speaking and my interests in investigation and psychology have definitely led me towards wanting a career in marketing since I’ll be able to use those factors to help me along in my career. I believe this career will positively impact the lives of people in the US because I would like to join the marketing teams of small businesses, Black-owned businesses, and women-owned businesses in an effort to help marginalized groups professionally succeed in a world that seems to prioritize large, White-male-led, monopolized corporations. If my interest in travel is added to the equation, I could even help small marginalized businesses across the globe with their marketing campaigns and aid them on the path to success. Ultimately, I hope to use my marketing expertise to give smaller, overlooked businesses an equal footing in the business world.