When I first walked through the doors of PS.44, I was scared. I remember walking through the door and the first thing you'd see on your left after walking past the front desk was the big cafeteria where kids eagerly lined up waiting for their meal. We lived just 5 minutes from the school, so my mother walked me to the door, took some pictures and was on her way. I was greeted by a tall blonde lady who I would come to know as Miss. Bailor, my favorite math teacher to this day. She welcomed me with a warm smile and held my hand as we walked through the halls heading for the principal's office. After getting my schedule and everything situated, she led me to the classroom I would come to know as a safe space. I remember when we walked through the door, she made an announcement and the entire class turned to say hi to me. She introduced me to the class and from there my day as the new student would end. A couple months into the school year, I met my best friend. The bell had just rung and my class was heading for the gym at that period. The gym was my favorite class of the day because I didn’t have to be seated unless I chose to. I remember walking into the gym and seeing this girl sitting by herself. I immediately walked over to her and introduced myself. We sat down and talked the entire gym period. I was so sad when the bell had rung, but the realization hit me that it was time for lunch. We sat together everyday at lunch, exchanging food and chatting. Zakyra Bedford had become the best person in the entire world. One day at lunch, she introduced me to seaweed and veggie chips. Let me just say I ate those two things for so many years that even looking at it now makes me sick. We both convinced our parents to put us in afterschool so we would have more time to hangout when the school day ended. I remember the first time I liked a boy and she was the first person I told. Everyday after school, she would help me practice how to talk to him. We took art classes in afterschool and she taught me how to draw. Our friendship was so strong that our parents began to know each other. Our mothers would talk on the phone most days and it even led to us hanging out outside of school. I remember the first time her mom took me and her to chuck e cheese. It was the best day of my life and one I will cherish forever. Zakyra made me feel so loved that we were like sisters. She was someone I could call and she would answer. She was someone I trusted, and could rely on for anything. Life went on and we drifted, but Zakyra Bedford will always be a friend I tell people about. As a first generation student, I do sometimes feel pressured like I can’t mess up. My family is looking up to me to get that doctor degree and break generational curses. I have to stay on task for my siblings and carve the path that will put them on the trail to succeed. This is something I alone cannot accomplish, but through the grace of God I will. I pray everyday that I’m not going to just attend but to see the four years through and walk the stage.

Growing up, I fell in love with babysitting. I would take care of my little siblings, my niece, and my nephews for $20 a week. Over the years, my love for taking care of kids has brought me so much joy, which is the very reason I desire to be a pediatrician. When I babysat at times things would get stressful. I had to constantly remind myself that to become a pediatrician I needed to gain a couple of skills. The first skill I gained from babysitting is patience. One thing that always keeps me going when it comes to patience is my experience when I ran track and field. I would ask myself, what if I quit mid-race because the finish line was far? I chose to join the sport, I knew the work and time I would have to put in. Same with babysitting. I knew it would be hard to get little kids to listen and be cooperative. Yet, I continued. My ability to take care of kids and the skill of patience allowed me to become an after-school teacher assistant for third graders. The last skill I gained from babysitting was communication. The problem was not that I did not know how to speak to them, but the choice of words that would grasp their attention. I could easily speak to people my age and those older than me, but when it came to kids I lacked how. One thing I learned is to always set a goal when communicating with kids. I would say, “If you do this.. I will give you this or we can do this.” This ensured them that a reward was to be given if the task was completed. This skill of positive reinforcement made babysitting and helping the third graders so much easier. As a first generation student, It would be a dream to make my family proud. The field I have chosen to study would ensure that I am able to help them when necessary. When I receive my degree as a doctor for children, I want to be able to transform the lives of the kids I help. My contribution to the field of science would be discovering more cures and preventing early childhood diseases. Seeing babies die from cancer or anyone in general truly breaks my heart. I always wish there was something I could do to see them live life to the fullest. This is why attending college is a big deal to me. When I go to college, I want to be pushed to the best of my ability and receive the best education. When I go to college, I hope the education I receive not only equips me with knowledge but also experiences. I hope that college will enrich me with knowledge not just within but outside of the field I intend to pursue. In college, I hope to meet new people with similar career goals or alumni who can help me reach my goals. Lastly, in college, I hope to find myself. When I graduate, I want to be ready to face the world and be sure of what it is I want to do for the rest of my life.

Growing up, I fell in love with babysitting. I would take care of my little siblings, my niece, and my nephews for $20 a week. Over the years, my love for taking care of kids has brought me so much joy, which is the very reason I desire to be a pediatrician. When I babysat at times things would get stressful. I had to constantly remind myself that to become a pediatrician I needed to gain a couple of skills. The first skill I gained from babysitting is patience. One thing that always keeps me going when it comes to patience is my experience when I ran track and field. I would ask myself, what if I quit mid-race because the finish line was far? I chose to join the sport, I knew the work and time I would have to put in. Same with babysitting. I knew it would be hard to get little kids to listen and be cooperative. Yet, I continued. My ability to take care of kids and the skill of patience allowed me to become an after-school teacher assistant for third graders. The last skill I gained from babysitting was communication. The problem was not that I did not know how to speak to them, but the choice of words that would grasp their attention. I could easily speak to people my age and those older than me, but when it came to kids I lacked how. One thing I learned is to always set a goal when communicating with kids. I would say, “If you do this.. I will give you this or we can do this.” This ensured them that a reward was to be given if the task was completed. This skill of positive reinforcement made babysitting and helping the third graders so much easier. As a first generation student, It would be a dream to make my family proud. The field I have chosen to study would ensure that I am able to help them when necessary. When I receive my degree as a doctor for children, I want to be able to transform the lives of the kids I help. My contribution to the field of science would be discovering more cures and preventing early childhood diseases. Seeing babies die from cancer or anyone in general truly breaks my heart. I always wish there was something I could do to see them live life to the fullest. This is why attending college is a big deal to me. When I go to college, I want to be pushed to the best of my ability and receive the best education. When I go to college, I hope the education I receive not only equips me with knowledge but also experiences. I hope that college will enrich me with knowledge not just within but outside of the field I intend to pursue. In college, I hope to meet new people with similar career goals or alumni who can help me reach my goals. Lastly, in college, I hope to find myself. When I graduate, I want to be ready to face the world and be sure of what it is I want to do for the rest of my life.