When I think of outstanding qualities of inspirational women, I begin to observe the ways in which they grapple with adversity. These women are intelligent, determined, disciplined, hardworking, and they seek to amplify the voices and accomplishments of others. For me, my sister embodies each of these characteristics in a unique way. Throughout her journey to success, I watched her venture out into unfamiliar fields with strife and a sense of fearlessness that many cannot attest to. Being the first born, she adamantly displayed what it meant to be a role model to myself and my brother. When it was time to apply to colleges and scholarships, she had a vision for what she wanted to achieve and triumphantly completed a B.S. in Chemical Engineering on a full-ride academic scholarship. Watching her achieve her dreams filled my spirit with joy and pride, but it also taught me that no goal is unattainable. I recently finished my junior year of high school and was weighed with the pressures of applying for scholarships, challenging myself with a rigorous curriculum, staying consistent with dance, and garnering relationships with teachers, advisors, and coaches. “When will you be applying for scholarships?” “What did you get on your ACT/SAT?” “What is your GPA looking like this year?”. All questions I’ve received throughout this past school year that trickled into self-doubt. Reflecting on what I wanted to pursue continued to be one of my greatest challenges; I constantly found myself in a state of self-doubt and apprehension. Since my sister moved to Indianapolis to start her career, it was hard being so far away from one of my greatest beacons of hope. However, that never stopped her from encouraging me to explore my interests and navigate my strengths. I sat with myself for a moment. Thinking “What am I passionate about?” as I stared at the voicemail my sister had left to check in on me during one of the toughest years of high school. I knew I wanted to contribute my passions to the well-being of others, but also to pursue a STEM-based career that would nurture my love for math, science, and environmental awareness. Without my sister’s guidance, I probably wouldn’t have batted an eye at a career in chemical engineering. However, I’ve come to the realization that it’s the perfect fit. In an effort to break barriers and advocate for the bright minds of black women, I plan to pursue a career in chemical engineering with the ultimate goal of working in cosmetic chemistry to innovate the future of clean beauty. My sister’s unwavering support is a testament to the impact that a sense of familiarity has on the mission to increase equitable opportunities for black women in STEM fields. I will continue to embrace my intelligence, determination, discipline, and hard work to cultivate a place where women like myself and my sister are valued.

Reading is the core of education, and I like to think that immersing oneself in a book is such a liberating experience. For me, my love of literature began when I gained a significant connection to my kindergarten teacher; she would read to the class each day and I found myself mesmerized by the power of messages sent through storytelling. One novel whose content makes itself consistently relevant to me is all about love by bell hooks (the title and novelist's name are not capitalized out of respect for her wishes). This novel brings forth themes of romantic/platonic relationships and the core components of love; respect, trust, commitment, care, recognition, and affection. hooks' writing explores the realms of love, lovelessness, and conjunction of human beings and their personalized experiences as they embark on new connections. As I was reading the novel, I began applying the themes of love and care to my own circumstances. I thought “Am I happy in this relationship?” “Do these things present themselves to me and I just haven’t taken notice?” “How can I begin to change the ways that I communicate with my friends and family?” I’m a strong believer in the Socratic learning method, and I found that once I began to question my character more frequently, the more I found myself unfolding new aspects of my relationship with myself. Through her work, Bell Hooks has influenced a wide audience of young readers to reflect on their cynical mindset and counteract it by incorporating love into each thing they adhere themselves to. all about love has been such a center of light when I find myself falling into old patterns of selfishness and overindulgence. I feel so strongly about the impact of literature because it gives us the tools to approach life’s hardships with triumph and resilience. In a society so heavily based on technology and synthetic forms of human interaction, it’s imperative that we nurture significant relationships- with self, and with others- to garner a secure sense of community and belonging . Embracing my newfound capacity to identify with the actions of others has given me the freedom to be present and show appreciation for the nature that brings all together. This novel continues to act as a guiding light for me and I hope to see the results of its importance maintain steady in the lives of others.