On June 26, 2021, at 6:39 pm, my 10-year-old cousin, who had shot himself in the head, was pronounced dead at St. Christopher's Hospital. This tragic accident happened when he was alone with his sister and found a gun in the cabinet. He was supposedly playing with it when he shot himself in the head. I remember coming home after work and being immediately startled by my mother, who was crying on the floor while on the phone with my aunt as she received the horrible news. This profound tragedy sparked outrageous uproar from different types of emotions that ran rampant throughout my family. Some people wanted revenge, and others just wanted to sit down and cry. Some were outraged at the gun owner and wondered why it was not placed up high where my cousin could not get to it, and others were angry that there was no adult supervision. However, despite how insane this accident was, it caused my family to become even closer. We realized that we could not change the past; however, we could determine our future with our actions. Therefore, fast forward to his funeral, it was revealed that he drew photos of himself with a gun pointed at his head and wrote a note that said, "If I ever get a gun, I will shoot myself with it." After this, many wondered if it was an accident. However, we cannot change the past even with this information, and we can only look forward to the future. My cousin's story is why I am so passionate about helping the youth in my community. This year, at least 90 minors were shot in Philadelphia, including my 10-year-old cousin. A week before my cousin died, a three-year-old boy was shot when two shooters jumped out of a car in the middle of the street and opened fire on his father and another guy. Growing up in a city with such a high crime rate and so much murder made me think I wanted to pursue a career to help the youth in my community. During my freshman and sophomore years, I interned at DLA Piper. I volunteered my time to assist the lawyers with investigating their cases and conducting research on issues. Although I was only an intern, my boss let me work and take on complex responsibilities. My research and experiences revealed many ways to serve my community, and this all serves as a reminder that for change to occur, we must fight for it as a community. I am choosing to study computer science in college because computers were my outlet growing up in an urban setting, and I want to share my love for computers with other kids in the same circumstances as I was. Therefore, I have set a goal for myself: to attend college and major in computer science. I hope to learn more about how I can help my community and others. With my experience in computer technology, I hope to create a website that raises funds to donate computers to young kids or even open up a building with different types of technology for young kids in metropolitan areas to choose the correct route and provide a joyful space for them to express themselves. Reflecting on the loss of my 10-year-old cousin has given me a new perspective on life and made me realize how impressionable the young community is. Furthermore, given how their behaviors reflect the older generations, our responsibility is to be there for them.

On June 26, 2021, at 6:39 pm, my 10-year-old cousin, who had shot himself in the head, was pronounced dead at St. Christopher's Hospital. This tragic accident happened when he was alone with his sister and found a gun in the cabinet. He was supposedly playing with it when he shot himself in the head. I remember coming home after work and being immediately startled by my mother, who was crying on the floor while on the phone with my aunt as she received the horrible news. This profound tragedy sparked outrageous uproar from different types of emotions that ran rampant throughout my family. Some people wanted revenge, and others just wanted to sit down and cry. Some were outraged at the gun owner and wondered why it was not placed up high where my cousin could not get to it, and others were angry that there was no adult supervision. However, despite how insane this accident was, it caused my family to become even closer. We realized that we could not change the past; however, we could determine our future with our actions. Therefore, fast forward to his funeral, it was revealed that he drew photos of himself with a gun pointed at his head and wrote a note that said, "If I ever get a gun, I will shoot myself with it." After this, many wondered if it was an accident. However, we cannot change the past even with this information, and we can only look forward to the future. My cousin's story is why I am so passionate about helping the youth in my community. This year, at least 90 minors were shot in Philadelphia, including my 10-year-old cousin. A week before my cousin died, a three-year-old boy was shot when two shooters jumped out of a car in the middle of the street and opened fire on his father and another guy. Growing up in a city with such a high crime rate and so much murder made me think I wanted to pursue a career to help the youth in my community. During my freshman and sophomore years, I interned at DLA Piper. I volunteered my time to assist the lawyers with investigating their cases and conducting research on issues. Although I was only an intern, my boss let me work and take on complex responsibilities. My research and experiences revealed many ways to serve my community, and this all serves as a reminder that for change to occur, we must fight for it as a community. I am choosing to study computer science in college because computers were my outlet growing up in an urban setting, and I want to share my love for computers with other kids in the same circumstances as I was. Therefore, I have set a goal for myself: to attend college and major in computer science. I hope to learn more about how I can help my community and others. With my experience in computer technology, I hope to create a website that raises funds to donate computers to young kids or even open up a building with different types of technology for young kids in metropolitan areas to choose the correct route and provide a joyful space for them to express themselves. Reflecting on the loss of my 10-year-old cousin has given me a new perspective on life and made me realize how impressionable the young community is. Furthermore, given how their behaviors reflect the older generations, our responsibility is to be there for them.

On June 26, 2021, at 6:39 pm, my 10-year-old cousin, who had shot himself in the head, was pronounced dead at St. Christopher's Hospital. This tragic accident happened when he was alone with his sister and found a gun in the cabinet. He was supposedly playing with it when he shot himself in the head. I remember coming home after work and being immediately startled by my mother, who was crying on the floor while on the phone with my aunt as she received the horrible news. This profound tragedy sparked outrageous uproar from different types of emotions that ran rampant throughout my family. Some people wanted revenge, and others just wanted to sit down and cry. Some were outraged at the gun owner and wondered why it was not placed up high where my cousin could not get to it, and others were angry that there was no adult supervision. However, despite how insane this accident was, it caused my family to become even closer. We realized that we could not change the past; however, we could determine our future with our actions. Therefore, fast forward to his funeral, it was revealed that he drew photos of himself with a gun pointed at his head and wrote a note that said, "If I ever get a gun, I will shoot myself with it." After this, many wondered if it was an accident. However, we cannot change the past even with this information, and we can only look forward to the future. My cousin's story is why I am so passionate about helping the youth in my community. This year, at least 90 minors were shot in Philadelphia, including my 10-year-old cousin. A week before my cousin died, a three-year-old boy was shot when two shooters jumped out of a car in the middle of the street and opened fire on his father and another guy. Growing up in a city with such a high crime rate and so much murder made me think I wanted to pursue a career to help the youth in my community. During my freshman and sophomore years, I interned at DLA Piper. I volunteered my time to assist the lawyers with investigating their cases and conducting research on issues. Although I was only an intern, my boss let me work and take on complex responsibilities. My research and experiences revealed many ways to serve my community, and this all serves as a reminder that for change to occur, we must fight for it as a community. I am choosing to study computer science in college because computers were my outlet growing up in an urban setting, and I want to share my love for computers with other kids in the same circumstances as I was. Therefore, I have set a goal for myself: to attend college and major in computer science. I hope to learn more about how I can help my community and others. With my experience in computer technology, I hope to create a website that raises funds to donate computers to young kids or even open up a building with different types of technology for young kids in metropolitan areas to choose the correct route and provide a joyful space for them to express themselves. Reflecting on the loss of my 10-year-old cousin has given me a new perspective on life and made me realize how impressionable the young community is. Furthermore, given how their behaviors reflect the older generations, our responsibility is to be there for them.

On June 26, 2021, at 6:39 pm, my 10-year-old cousin, who had shot himself in the head, was pronounced dead at St. Christopher's Hospital. This tragic accident happened when he was alone with his sister and found a gun in the cabinet. He was supposedly playing with it when he shot himself in the head. I remember coming home after work and being immediately startled by my mother, who was crying on the floor while on the phone with my aunt as she received the horrible news. This profound tragedy sparked outrageous uproar from different types of emotions that ran rampant throughout my family. Some people wanted revenge, and others just wanted to sit down and cry. Some were outraged at the gun owner and wondered why it was not placed up high where my cousin could not get to it, and others were angry that there was no adult supervision. However, despite how insane this accident was, it caused my family to become even closer. We realized that we could not change the past; however, we could determine our future with our actions. Therefore, fast forward to his funeral, it was revealed that he drew photos of himself with a gun pointed at his head and wrote a note that said, "If I ever get a gun, I will shoot myself with it." After this, many wondered if it was an accident. However, we cannot change the past even with this information, and we can only look forward to the future. My cousin's story is why I am so passionate about helping the youth in my community. This year, at least 90 minors were shot in Philadelphia, including my 10-year-old cousin. A week before my cousin died, a three-year-old boy was shot when two shooters jumped out of a car in the middle of the street and opened fire on his father and another guy. Growing up in a city with such a high crime rate and so much murder made me think I wanted to pursue a career to help the youth in my community. During my freshman and sophomore years, I interned at DLA Piper. I volunteered my time to assist the lawyers with investigating their cases and conducting research on issues. Although I was only an intern, my boss let me work and take on complex responsibilities. My research and experiences revealed many ways to serve my community, and this all serves as a reminder that for change to occur, we must fight for it as a community. I am choosing to study computer science in college because computers were my outlet growing up in an urban setting, and I want to share my love for computers with other kids in the same circumstances as I was. Therefore, I have set a goal for myself: to attend college and major in computer science. I hope to learn more about how I can help my community and others. With my experience in computer technology, I hope to create a website that raises funds to donate computers to young kids or even open up a building with different types of technology for young kids in metropolitan areas to choose the correct route and provide a joyful space for them to express themselves. Reflecting on the loss of my 10-year-old cousin has given me a new perspective on life and made me realize how impressionable the young community is. Furthermore, given how their behaviors reflect the older generations, our responsibility is to be there for them.

On June 26, 2021, at 6:39 pm, my 10-year-old cousin, who had shot himself in the head, was pronounced dead at St. Christopher's Hospital. This tragic accident happened when he was alone with his sister and found a gun in the cabinet. He was supposedly playing with it when he shot himself in the head. I remember coming home after work and being immediately startled by my mother, who was crying on the floor while on the phone with my aunt as she received the horrible news. This profound tragedy sparked outrageous uproar from different types of emotions that ran rampant throughout my family. Some people wanted revenge, and others just wanted to sit down and cry. Some were outraged at the gun owner and wondered why it was not placed up high where my cousin could not get to it, and others were angry that there was no adult supervision. However, despite how insane this accident was, it caused my family to become even closer. We realized that we could not change the past; however, we could determine our future with our actions. Therefore, fast forward to his funeral, it was revealed that he drew photos of himself with a gun pointed at his head and wrote a note that said, "If I ever get a gun, I will shoot myself with it." After this, many wondered if it was an accident. However, we cannot change the past even with this information, and we can only look forward to the future. My cousin's story is why I am so passionate about helping the youth in my community. This year, at least 90 minors were shot in Philadelphia, including my 10-year-old cousin. A week before my cousin died, a three-year-old boy was shot when two shooters jumped out of a car in the middle of the street and opened fire on his father and another guy. Growing up in a city with such a high crime rate and so much murder made me think I wanted to pursue a career to help the youth in my community. During my freshman and sophomore years, I interned at DLA Piper. I volunteered my time to assist the lawyers with investigating their cases and conducting research on issues. Although I was only an intern, my boss let me work and take on complex responsibilities. My research and experiences revealed many ways to serve my community, and this all serves as a reminder that for change to occur, we must fight for it as a community. I am choosing to study computer science in college because computers were my outlet growing up in an urban setting, and I want to share my love for computers with other kids in the same circumstances as I was. Therefore, I have set a goal for myself: to attend college and major in computer science. I hope to learn more about how I can help my community and others. With my experience in computer technology, I hope to create a website that raises funds to donate computers to young kids or even open up a building with different types of technology for young kids in metropolitan areas to choose the correct route and provide a joyful space for them to express themselves. Reflecting on the loss of my 10-year-old cousin has given me a new perspective on life and made me realize how impressionable the young community is. Furthermore, given how their behaviors reflect the older generations, our responsibility is to be there for them.

On June 26, 2021, at 6:39 pm, my 10-year-old cousin, who had shot himself in the head, was pronounced dead at St. Christopher's Hospital. This tragic accident happened when he was alone with his sister and found a gun in the cabinet. He was supposedly playing with it when he shot himself in the head. I remember coming home after work and being immediately startled by my mother, who was crying on the floor while on the phone with my aunt as she received the horrible news. This profound tragedy sparked outrageous uproar from different types of emotions that ran rampant throughout my family. Some people wanted revenge, and others just wanted to sit down and cry. Some were outraged at the gun owner and wondered why it was not placed up high where my cousin could not get to it, and others were angry that there was no adult supervision. However, despite how insane this accident was, it caused my family to become even closer. We realized that we could not change the past; however, we could determine our future with our actions. Therefore, fast forward to his funeral, it was revealed that he drew photos of himself with a gun pointed at his head and wrote a note that said, "If I ever get a gun, I will shoot myself with it." After this, many wondered if it was an accident. However, we cannot change the past even with this information, and we can only look forward to the future. My cousin's story is why I am so passionate about helping the youth in my community. This year, at least 90 minors were shot in Philadelphia, including my 10-year-old cousin. A week before my cousin died, a three-year-old boy was shot when two shooters jumped out of a car in the middle of the street and opened fire on his father and another guy. Growing up in a city with such a high crime rate and so much murder made me think I wanted to pursue a career to help the youth in my community. During my freshman and sophomore years, I interned at DLA Piper. I volunteered my time to assist the lawyers with investigating their cases and conducting research on issues. Although I was only an intern, my boss let me work and take on complex responsibilities. My research and experiences revealed many ways to serve my community, and this all serves as a reminder that for change to occur, we must fight for it as a community. I am choosing to study computer science in college because computers were my outlet growing up in an urban setting, and I want to share my love for computers with other kids in the same circumstances as I was. Therefore, I have set a goal for myself: to attend college and major in computer science. I hope to learn more about how I can help my community and others. With my experience in computer technology, I hope to create a website that raises funds to donate computers to young kids or even open up a building with different types of technology for young kids in metropolitan areas to choose the correct route and provide a joyful space for them to express themselves. Reflecting on the loss of my 10-year-old cousin has given me a new perspective on life and made me realize how impressionable the young community is. Furthermore, given how their behaviors reflect the older generations, our responsibility is to be there for them.