“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” - Dr. Maya Angelou Growing up in a monoethnic country, I was surrounded by those that looked like me. So, the concept of racism was something I never thought of, and I’ve never had to deal with any form of microaggression. However, coming here to the U.S., I was met with the hard truth of racism. I was constantly being judged by my classmates in elementary school and started to develop a hatred of the skin I was born in. These words of hate overpowered my world; every time I entered my classroom, I was met with the harsh reality that my complexion wasn’t perceived as beautiful. I hated the way that I looked. I remember praying to God one night, filled with so much sadness and rage. I prayed for him to change my complexion so hard that endless amounts of tears were pouring down my face. The next morning, I woke up disappointed that nothing had changed. I was still confined to my skin. The journey to start loving the skin I was made in was difficult. However, I made sure not to let those racist events reduce my worth. The older I became, the more I was able to fall in love with my skin again and promised myself to never let others’ words have such control over my life. It’s been an adventure getting to the point where I’m now, I’m so content with my complexion, and I wish that I could tell my younger self that she was perfect just the way she was. It pained me to see how much these kid's words hurt her, so I live authentically as a way to heal her wounds. The journey to loving the skin I was made in was not easy. The constant bullying led me to develop anxiety and depression, illnesses that silently shaped how I saw myself and the world around me. Still, I refused to let those experiences reduce my worth. As I grew older, I slowly learned to reclaim my confidence and fall back in love with my complexion. Today, I live authentically, not only for myself, but to heal the younger version of me who believed she was never enough. This allowed me to grow into the beautiful young lady I am today, and I hope to show others that they are beautiful, capable, and deserving of love and recognition just as they are.

I moved to the United States from the Democratic Republic of Congo in November 2011, due to my parents winning a green card lottery. During this move, I was only five years old, so I hadn’t grasped the substantial effect it would have on me later in life. This transition was difficult for my family and me as we had to navigate this new environment on our own with little to no help. Growing up, I’ve always been hyper-aware that my parents work long hours in career fields that others in elementary through middle school would consider "embarrassing." Even so, I knew that my parents worked long hours just so my siblings and I could have a roof over our heads. I appreciate their determination and strong wit; it has helped shape me into the individual I am today. When we moved to America, my parents instilled the importance of education in my siblings and me from a very young age. "The American Dream" is something they wanted us to experience. Even though I’ve grown up low-income, I believe that I will still accomplish all that I desire. I spent years educating myself and others about the underrepresentation minorities face in society and healthcare. Two summers ago, I worked with the Office of Diversity & Inclusion as a Novant Health intern. As an intern, I and other interns individually researched an issue occurring in healthcare and had to decide on biomedical innovations that could play a role in its resolution. I explored how in healthcare there is a lack of informational graphics of how different skin conditions appear on darker-skinned individuals. I researched two biomedical technologies that, if programmed accurately, could help transform healthcare: virtual screens and skin scanners. The virtual screen would be programmed with sensors to show the appearance of skin conditions on darker skin, showcasing a variety of skin complexions and their appearance on a vast variety of skin tones. As these patients come with their concerns to their healthcare providers, I wanted the biomedical technology to bring a sense of comfort. Doctors will be able to pull up this screen which scans the skin and pulls up images of a specific condition on various skin colors. I would use this scholarship to further my education. My acceptance to UNC-Chapel Hill will open amazing doors for me and I don't want financial barriers to stop me from chasing my dreams. While in college, I plan to start a charity tackling healthcare disparities. Our mission would be to aid individuals of darker skin complexion by being an advocate and using our voice. I would serve people of color, as they tend to deal with a lot of racial/ethnic disparities in healthcare. Volunteers would raise awareness about healthcare disparities through public campaigns, educational materials, and media outreach. I'll connect with Novant Health's Office of Diversity & Inclusion to collaborate on creating meaningful change. By attending college, I aim to continue my passion for helping underserved communities receive respected patient care. Not only do I get to further my education, but I also get to do the thing that I love, which is to aid underserved communities. I plan to major in public health, allowing me to become a pediatric dentist. Dentistry appeals to me because it's an area where racial disparities in healthcare persist, disproportionately affecting minorities, particularly Black individuals who may avoid dental care due to feeling unheard and unrepresented. My aim is to be a catalyst for positive change in the dental profession, ensuring that these communities feel acknowledged and supported.

"Tomorrow is the day!" I exclaimed ecstatically. The day when I will attend elementary school in the U.S. for the first time. Little me dreamt about all the teachers I would meet and all the new friends I would make. When I arrived at school, the teachers warmly welcomed me, even though I only knew a few basic words in English. However, the same warmth was not reciprocated by my classmates, and making friends became harder than anticipated. As months progressed, I did not make a single friend. My entire elementary school years were filled with snickers behind me as I spoke. Kids mimicked my accent and stutter as a way to degrade me, ultimately leading me to question my intelligence. Throughout those times, I never understood the impact a library teacher would have on my life—she became my first experience of a community. She gave me the space to be my true self. Every day she would set aside two to four different books for me to read, to help me learn English and expand my vocabulary. The books allowed us to connect despite there being a language barrier between us. As time progressed, I soon realized that the books she chose for me were a reflection of her inner child. I started to bring her French books from my home that were made by Black French authors, and she would find the English translated version. This is how we bonded and created such a positive impact on each other’s lives. She learned how to diversify herself and the importance of taking in different cultures and being more open-minded. I gained confidence in my ability and learned how to persevere when I am in situations that are unfamiliar to me. As I grew older, I continued the lessons learned from my elementary school librarian. Her support throughout my elementary school years inspired me to pay it forward, striving to help others as she had done for me when I had no one. I spent years educating myself and others about the underrepresentation minorities face in society and healthcare. Two summers ago, I got the opportunity to work with the Office of Diversity & Inclusion as a Novant Health intern. As an intern, I, along with other interns, individually researched an issue occurring in healthcare and had to decide on biomedical innovations that could play a role in its resolution. I explored how in healthcare there is a lack of informational graphics of how different skin conditions appear on darker-skinned individuals. I researched two biomedical technologies that, if programmed accurately, could help transform healthcare: virtual screens and skin scanners. The virtual screen would be programmed with sensors to show the appearance of skin conditions on darker skin, showcasing a variety of skin complexions and their appearance on a vast variety of skin tones. As these patients come with their concerns to their healthcare providers, I wanted the biomedical technology to bring a sense of comfort. Doctors will be able to pull up this screen which scans the skin and pulls up images of a specific condition on various skin colors. I plan to attend a 4-year university on a pre-dental track with the goal of going to dental school so that I can become a pediatric dentist. While I am in college, I want to immerse myself in clubs and non-profits that pride themselves in raising awareness about healthcare inequities. By doing so, I am committed to creating positive change.

I am an immigrant, my family came to the United States in 2011 from D.R.Congo. Education and having a future for yourself is something my parents continue to enforce on me. They came here to the United States with nothing, they had to mainly do everything on their own. So all I want in life for myself is to be goal-oriented and make my family proud. I'm only in high school but I hope to create a name for myself, prove to myself and every young girl back in my home country that you can go it, and that it is all about the mindset. My goal for the future is to try and not take the easy way out. I will take my academic life seriously, go to college, go to medical school, and study to become a doctor. An entrepreneur is someone who is seen as an innovator, a source of new ideas. With my goals for the future, I believe that I fit that role. The journey that I will be going on, is a journey filled with excitement and stress. To the point where having a passion to be innovative and be a source of new ideas and change is essential. I want to become a doctor and after that do more with my life. I want to go back to my home country and teach everyone about medicine, I want to teach everyone about the importance of goal setting. I desire to build hospitals and bring more knowledge of medicine into my home country, and to also fix what is being taught in the education department when it comes to reproductive health. That is all I want at this moment, I'm tired of being told I'm too young to try and create some sort of change for myself and the world. I want to implement these goals as soon as possible in my life, there are times when we have these goals written down or in our minds. But, there's always something stopping us or we don't know where to begin. The good thing for me is that I've at least started, my top of the list goal is to start and right a scholarship, I've always struggled to know where to start and how, but I did it. Being able to start even though it might not be enough is better than sitting around and waiting for it to come to you, and that's what really matters.