I don’t quite know if anyone would label social anxiety as an adversity, but maybe it’s a distant cousin, it felt, and sometimes still feels like a crutch wherever I go. My African background definitely did not hinder the festering of this phenomenon. Living in rural Nigeria, was a joy, just as much as it was many states of dysphoria, the poverty that still persists, the violence of the government that seeps into, and corrupts the minds of the helpless citizens, it is no wonder we all laugh through our strifes and the peace we sought through our families and friends. But the generational trauma to succeed should be a drive, right? Yet I found myself doubting each step I made wondering who I’m doing it for. When you’ve always thought as a collective, it’s hard to see yourself as a simple individual, one who has hidden behind her achievements and her failures out to be a perfect daughter. So much so, that I felt displaced whenever I walked into a room of people who seemed to have so much confidence in who they were and what they wanted to pursue, I began to feel like a fraud but I also did not have the luxury to be anxious about whether or not I was sure of where I was. Someone recently told me, I needed to see the individual if not, I’ll end up chasing the dreams of a dead collective and it made me re-examine myself and my dreams. I found that I was in some ways stunting my growth and losing my own identity as an actual individual. It was my life but I was not on the wheel. I have found so much peace in mind to reminding myself that I am worth fighting for and finding out who the individual is and what she desires, it has helped me walk a bit faster and in pace with my personal goals. As a Nigerian born at the crux of a shift from military rule to a supposed civilian democratic rule, I have witnessed the decline of the masses and the continued fight against social justice in my home country. I have chosen a career in Criminal Justice for two particular reasons. I believe proper enforcement of laws and legislations enacted and decided upon by the arms of justice enable and empower social justice among the masses. It is no news that Nigeria is unfortunately one of the most corrupt nations in the world. While there are many reasons for this proliferation of corruption, not limited to positivism, paternalism, and even illiteracy, I cannot overemphasize the continued breakdown of will of the masses. The second reason I chose this major was to give hope to myself. The young girl that has always wanted to speak up for herself and others that have been silenced by gender norms and my parent’s personal goals for my life. I know that I am on the right track here, because in every class or discussion, I have learned and continued to learn that there is hope for girls like me who defy the status quo and aim to champion the banner for social and criminal justice in their given realities. I hope to expand my work to International Law and work with organizations bent on enforcing justice in societies that have been deemed subordinate to individuals that have impressed themselves on the masses and silenced the voice(s) of the oppressed and marginalized groups, and run campaigns of civic education in my home country to improve the literacy of young girls.

“It is necessary that the weakness of the powerless is transformed into a force capable of announcing justice”. I begin this essay with a quote by Paulo Freire, a Brazilian educator who, through his life’s work, showed the unjust juxtaposition of the realities of the oppressed and dominant class. From a young age I have been drawn to this reality because I was born in it. As a Nigerian born at the crux of a shift from military rule to a supposed civilian democratic rule, I have witnessed the decline of the masses and the continued fight against social justice in my home country. As a young girl, my parents decided that I would study Pharmacy or something in the medical field-that was the first time I truly understood that I had no say in what I would have wanted to pursue in life. This is the story of many Nigerian girls. I have chosen a career in Criminal Justice for two particular reasons. I believe proper enforcement of laws and legislations enacted and decided upon by the arms of justice enable and empower social justice among the masses. It is no news that Nigeria is unfortunately one of the most corrupt nations in the world. While there are many reasons for this proliferation of corruption, not limited to positivism, paternalism, and even illiteracy, I cannot overemphasize the continued breakdown of will of the masses. The second reason I chose this major was to give hope to myself. The young girl that has always wanted to speak up for herself and others that have been silenced by gender norms and my parent’s personal goals for my life. This is why I am certain that I am on the right track here, because in every class or discussion, moment and experience, I have learned and continue to learn that there is hope for girls like me who defy the status quo and aim to champion the banner for social and criminal justice in their given realities. In the near future, I hope to expand my work to International Law and work with organizations bent on enforcing justice in societies that have been deemed subordinate to individuals that have impressed themselves on the masses and silenced the voice(s) of the oppressed and marginalized groups, as well as run campaigns of civic education in my home country to improve the literacy of young girls.

While I don’t believe that the Bible is a literary book, it is still one book that I feel everyone should read. I’ve found redemption and freedom from the Bible, because I believe it is an extension of God’s love. I’ve learned more about myself and more about how to live a good life from reading the Bible than any other book I’ve read. If I’m being honest, the Bible may be difficult to understand but a lot of work has gone into translating it into various languages that are of meaning to all of us. It’s also important to read the Bible with a willingness to understand it and be “touched” by it. This is why I consider it higher than any literary work. Reading it in context is just not enough because context can be tricky, grey areas and conceptions of humanity tend to dilute or intensify its meaning. With all that I have said above, here is why I think everyone should read the Bible: it is a book that tells the beginning and end of man with all the ups and downs that may come along the way and there is quite literally a solution for every problem in the Bible. It’s fascinating how the Bible includes so much love and hate and comedy and tears. Action, drama, romance all in one book. In its true essence, it is a book that provides wisdom to the everyday man. In reading it, my purpose and dreams have been expanded upon in just understanding that God is behind the wheel, whether or not we choose to accept that, and while my choosing to study law might not have started out as a need to aid others in, understanding that God has a purpose for each and every one of us as He said in Jeremiah 29:11 truly helped me understand what I can do in this career path. As a Nigerian born at the crux of a shift from military rule to a supposed civilian democratic rule, I have witnessed the decline of the masses and the continued fight against social justice in my home country. I have chosen a career in Criminal Justice for two particular reasons. I believe proper enforcement of laws and legislations enacted and decided upon by the arms of justice enable and empower social justice among the masses. It is no news that Nigeria is unfortunately one of the most corrupt nations in the world. While there are many reasons for this proliferation of corruption, not limited to positivism, paternalism, and even illiteracy, I cannot overemphasize the continued breakdown of will of the masses. The second reason I chose this major was to give hope to myself. The young girl that has always wanted to speak up for herself and others that have been silenced by gender norms and my parent’s personal goals for my life. I know that I am on the right track here, because in every class or discussion, I have learned and continued to learn that there is hope for girls like me who defy the status quo and aim to champion the banner for social and criminal justice in their given realities. In the near future, I hope to expand my work to International Law and work with organizations bent on enforcing justice in societies that have been deemed subordinate to individuals that have impressed themselves on the masses and silenced the voice(s) of the oppressed and marginalized groups, as well as run campaigns of civic education in my home country to improve the literacy of young girls.

“It is necessary that the weakness of the powerless is transformed into a force capable of announcing justice”. I begin this essay with a quote by Paulo Freire, a Brazilian educator who, through his life’s work, showed the unjust juxtaposition of the realities of the oppressed and dominant class. From a young age I have been drawn to this reality because I was born in it. As a Nigerian born at the crux of a shift from military rule to a supposed civilian democratic rule, I have witnessed the decline of the masses and the continued fight against social justice in my home country. As a young girl, my parents decided that I would study Pharmacy or something in the medical field-that was the first time I truly understood that I had no say in what I would have wanted to pursue in life. This is the story of many Nigerian girls. I have chosen a career in Criminal Justice for two particular reasons. I believe proper enforcement of laws and legislations enacted and decided upon by the arms of justice enable and empower social justice among the masses. It is no news that Nigeria is unfortunately one of the most corrupt nations in the world. While there are many reasons for this proliferation of corruption, not limited to positivism, paternalism, and even illiteracy, I cannot overemphasize the continued breakdown of will of the masses. The second reason I chose this major was to give hope to myself. The young girl that has always wanted to speak up for herself and others that have been silenced by gender norms and my parent’s personal goals for my life. I know that I am on the right track here because in every class, discussion, moment and experience even outside of the classroom, I have learned and continued to learn that there is hope for girls like me who defy the status quo and want to champion the banner for social and criminal justice in their given realities. Receiving this scholarship will support me in pursuing this knowledge. In the near future, I hope to expand my work to International Law and work with organizations bent on enforcing justice in societies that have deemed subordinate to individuals that have impressed themselves on the masses and silenced the voice(s) of the oppressed and marginalized groups. I also hope to run campaigns of civic education in my home country to improve the literacy of young girls.

“It is necessary that the weakness of the powerless is transformed into a force capable of announcing justice”. I begin this essay with a quote by Paulo Freire, a Brazilian educator who, through his life’s work, showed the unjust juxtaposition of the realities of the oppressed and dominant class. From a young age I have been drawn to this reality because I was born in it. As a Nigerian born at the crux of a shift from military rule to a supposed civilian democratic rule, I have witnessed the decline of the masses and the continued fight against social justice in my home country. As a young girl, my parents decided that I would study Pharmacy or something in the medical field-that was the first time I truly understood that I had no say in what I would have wanted to pursue in life. This is the story of many Nigerian girls. I have chosen a career in Criminal Justice for two particular reasons. I believe proper enforcement of laws and legislations enacted and decided upon by the arms of justice enable and empower social justice among the masses. It is no news that Nigeria is unfortunately one of the most corrupt nations in the world. While there are many reasons for this proliferation of corruption, not limited to positivism, paternalism, and even illiteracy, I cannot overemphasize the continued breakdown of will of the masses. The second reason I chose this major was to give hope to myself. The young girl that has always wanted to speak up for herself and others that have been silenced by gender norms and my parent’s personal goals for my life. I know that I am on the right track here at John Jay University because in every class, discussion, moment and experience even outside of the classroom, I have learned and continued to learn that there is hope for girls like me who defy the status quo and want to champion the banner for social and criminal justice in their given realities. Receiving this scholarship will support me in pursuing this knowledge. Through volunteering I have witnessed the luxury of just having someone show an interest in you and wanting you to do better, that privilege is not awarded to many girls back home. In the near future, I hope to expand my work to International Law and work with organizations bent on enforcing justice in societies that have deemed subordinate to individuals that have impressed themselves on the masses and silenced the voice(s) of the oppressed and marginalized groups. I also hope to run campaigns of civic education in my home country to improve the literacy of young girls.

“It is necessary that the weakness of the powerless is transformed into a force capable of announcing justice”. I begin this essay with a quote by Paulo Freire, a Brazilian educator who, through his life’s work, showed the unjust juxtaposition of the realities of the oppressed and dominant class. From a young age I have been drawn to this reality because I was born in it. As a Nigerian born at the crux of a shift from military rule to a supposed civilian democratic rule, I have witnessed the decline of the masses and the continued fight against social justice in my home country. As a young girl, my parents decided that I would study Pharmacy or something in the medical field-that was the first time I truly understood that I had no say in what I would have wanted to pursue in life. This is the story of many Nigerian girls. I have chosen a career in Criminal Justice for two particular reasons. I believe proper enforcement of laws and legislations enacted and decided upon by the arms of justice enable and empower social justice among the masses. It is no news that Nigeria is unfortunately one of the most corrupt nations in the world. While there are many reasons for this proliferation of corruption, not limited to positivism, paternalism, and even illiteracy, I cannot overemphasize the continued breakdown of will of the masses. The second reason I chose this major was to give hope to myself. The young girl that has always wanted to speak up for herself and others that have been silenced by gender norms and my parent’s personal goals for my life. I know that I am on the right track here at John Jay University because in every class, discussion, moment and experience even outside of the classroom, I have learned and continued to learn that there is hope for girls like me who defy the status quo and want to champion the banner for social and criminal justice in their given realities. Receiving this scholarship will support me in pursuing this knowledge. In the near future, I hope to expand my work to International Law and work with organizations bent on enforcing justice in societies that have deemed subordinate to individuals that have impressed themselves on the masses and silenced the voice(s) of the oppressed and marginalized groups. I also hope to run campaigns of civic education in my home country to improve the literacy of young girls.

“It is necessary that the weakness of the powerless is transformed into a force capable of announcing justice”. I begin this essay with a quote by Paulo Freire, a Brazilian educator who, through his life’s work, showed the unjust juxtaposition of the realities of the oppressed and dominant class. From a young age I have been drawn to this reality because I was born in it. As a Nigerian born at the crux of a shift from military rule to a supposed civilian democratic rule, I have witnessed the decline of the masses and the continued fight against social justice in my home country. As a young girl, my parents decided that I would study Pharmacy or something in the medical field-that was the first time I truly understood that I had no say in what I would have wanted to pursue in life. This is the story of many Nigerian girls. I have chosen a career in Criminal Justice for two particular reasons. I believe proper enforcement of laws and legislations enacted and decided upon by the arms of justice enable and empower social justice among the masses. It is no news that Nigeria is unfortunately one of the most corrupt nations in the world. While there are many reasons for this proliferation of corruption, not limited to positivism, paternalism, and even illiteracy, I cannot overemphasize the continued breakdown of will of the masses. The second reason I chose this major was to give hope to myself. The young girl that has always wanted to speak up for herself and others that have been silenced by gender norms and my parent’s personal goals for my life. I know that I am on the right track here at John Jay University because in every class, discussion, moment and experience even outside of the classroom, I have learned and continued to learn that there is hope for girls like me who defy the status quo and want to champion the banner for social and criminal justice in their given realities. Receiving this scholarship will support me in pursuing this knowledge. In the near future, I hope to expand my work to International Law and work with organizations bent on enforcing justice in societies that have deemed subordinate to individuals that have impressed themselves on the masses and silenced the voice(s) of the oppressed and marginalized groups. I also hope to run campaigns of civic education in my home country to improve the literacy of young girls.

“It is necessary that the weakness of the powerless is transformed into a force capable of announcing justice”. I begin this essay with a quote by Paulo Freire, a Brazilian educator who, through his life’s work, showed the unjust juxtaposition of the realities of the oppressed and dominant class. From a young age I have been drawn to this reality because I was born in it. As a Nigerian born at the crux of a shift from military rule to a supposed civilian democratic rule, I have witnessed the decline of the masses and the continued fight against social justice in my home country. As a young girl, my parents decided that I would study Pharmacy or something in the medical field-that was the first time I truly understood that I had no say in what I would have wanted to pursue in life. This is the story of many Nigerian girls. I have chosen a career in Criminal Justice for two particular reasons. I believe proper enforcement of laws and legislations enacted and decided upon by the arms of justice enable and empower social justice among the masses. It is no news that Nigeria is unfortunately one of the most corrupt nations in the world. While there are many reasons for this proliferation of corruption, not limited to positivism, paternalism, and even illiteracy, I cannot overemphasize the continued breakdown of will of the masses. The second reason I chose this major was to give hope to myself. The young girl that has always wanted to speak up for herself and others that have been silenced by gender norms and my parent’s personal goals for my life. I know that I am on the right track here at John Jay University because in every class, discussion, moment and experience even outside of the classroom, I have learned and continued to learn that there is hope for girls like me who defy the status quo and want to champion the banner for social and criminal justice in their given realities. Receiving this scholarship will support me in pursuing this knowledge. In the near future, I hope to expand my work to International Law and work with organizations bent on enforcing justice in societies that have deemed subordinate to individuals that have impressed themselves on the masses and silenced the voice(s) of the oppressed and marginalized groups. I also hope to run campaigns of civic education in my home country to improve the literacy of young girls.

I don’t quite know if anyone would label social anxiety as an adversity, but maybe it’s a distant cousin, it felt, and sometimes still feels like a crutch wherever I go. My West African background definitely did not hinder the festering of this phenomenon, as my parents probably cowered in the face of any mental disability themselves. Living in rural Nigeria, it was a joy, just as much as it was many states of dysphoria, the poverty that still persists, the violence of the government that seeps into, and corrupts the minds of helpless citizens, it is no wonder we all laugh through our strifes and the peace we seek in our families and friends. But the generational trauma to succeed should be a drive, right? Yet I found myself doubting each step I made wondering who I’m doing it for. When you’ve always thought as a collective, it’s hard to see yourself as a simple individual, an individual who has hidden behind her achievements and her failures all to be a perfect daughter. So much so, that I felt displaced whenever I walked into a room of people who seemed to have so much confidence in who they were and what they wanted to pursue, I began to feel like a fraud but I also did not have the luxury to be anxious about whether or not I was sure of where I was. Someone recently told me, I needed to see the individual if not, I’ll end up chasing the dreams of a dead collective and it made me re-examine myself and my dreams. I found that, I was in some ways, stunting my growth and losing sight of my own identity as an actual individual. It was my life but I was not on the wheel. So I guess what I’m trying to say is, for immigrants like myself who question their worth and their future, if there’s anything you want to do, please do it for yourself. It is never too late to be the individual who gets up every morning and inevitably exists, but in doing so, agrees to seize the day doing whatever it is they need to do to bring a piece of them back to themselves. I have found so much peace of mind in reminding myself that I am worth fighting for and finding out who this individual is and what she desires, it has helped me walk a bit faster and in pace with my personal goals.

Learning to deal with the ugliness of your choices can be a slap in the face for you and everyone around you. When you make a choice, I don’t think we really wonder about the outcome of it, amidst the risks and the nervousness of choosing to do something, I think we say to ourselves, “let’s see how it turns out”. Well I made a decision, that I knew would be detrimental to me and my mom. I know it hurt her, but I wasn’t thinking about it the moment I was doing it or did it. Why did I forget the person who loves me the most in my moment of weakness? I always ask my self that question. Maybe it was selfishness or cowardice. I wasn’t where I wanted to be and so I gave up on my self for a period of time in my life. While I needed to put my self first, I put myself last, and I never considered what the outcomes of that would be. It derailed my relationship with my mom, a relationship that was beginning to flourish in the spirit of redemption. You see, a relationship with a mother and a daughter is a complicated relationship but my mother is my best friend and I didn’t see her to be one at the time. So to come back and deal with the consequences that would be the rebuilding of my relationship was a hard thing to do. I had to come back and choose my self, put my self first and know that giving up on myself was to give up on my best friend. It was a really hard thing to do, recognize your fault and the damage it did to someone you love. It was to look for my mom for a while, but I learnt most of my survival was dependent on the love I harbor for my mother and the will to start again, no matter how rough and narrow the road was, I needed to come back for her. It was incumbent upon me to know where I stood not only as a human being but as a daughter to her. Her presence alone was more than enough to tell me “it’s ok” because she was there. Realizing I was never alone and that what I felt was an accumulation of so much emptiness from my worth as a human was huge to me. Knowing my worth and treating my life and the people I love as the most precious of things was as much a beautiful but painful lesson I learnt and one I could never take for granted.

The Bible would be a good book for everyone to read. While I don’t believe that the Bible is a literary book, it is still one book that I feel everyone should read. I’ve found redemption and freedom from the Bible, because I believe it is an extension of God’s love. I’ve learned more about myself and more about how to live a good life from reading the Bible than any other book I’ve read. If I’m being honest, the Bible may be difficult to understand but a lot of work has gone into translating it into various languages that are of meaning to all of us. It’s also important to read the Bible with a willingness to understand it and be “touched” by it. This is why I consider it higher than any literary work. Reading it in context is just not enough because context can be tricky, grey areas and conceptions of humanity tend to dilute or intensify its meaning. With all that I have said above, here is why I think everyone should read the Bible: it is a book that tells the beginning and end of man with all the ups and downs that may come along the way and there is quite literally a solution for every problem in the Bible. It’s fascinating how the Bible includes so much love and hate and comedy and tears. Action, drama, romance all in one book. In its true essence, it is a book that provides wisdom to the everyday man.

Love So sweet yet so fleeting So bright yet so bleak So apparent yet so far Young love is in our palms We hold in our hands this truth we preach Never seeming to let go Never seeming to grow old Never seeming to waver She arrives as a budding flower Embraced with a warm scent of joy The lightness in the air lifts me up Swaying my motions and emotions I cry, I smile, I stay It lives and breaths within her young beating heart Beating and never stopping She sprouts into the season that she is As we are left with its tenderness and it’s prime Using her purpose and directions, It runs away and sets like the evening sun Stirred through the winds and thrown by the cries of its movements As we are deserted, we are luminously revived— Hoping to rise once again in the morning.

My mother always asked me “What do I want to be when I grow up?” Always, ever since I was a little girl. And I would say I want to be a lawyer, I didn’t even know what it was or what they did, but I remember the smile on her face when she heard my answer– it was one of the vocabulary words of the career list and I plucked the word right off the board– ever since then, I wanted to make my mom, not only proud but happy, the same way she’s made me happy with her support and advice. She’s really my best friend. The more I learn about law, the more I’m excited about the journey there. At the root of it all, I wish to take care of her the same way she did me.