Since my junior year, I have worked as a swim instructor, lifeguard, and medical responder at an Australian Swim School in Tarzana. I had to stop working there for a year because of the pandemic but I've recently started working again. On top of that, I've made time to attend music school in which I take vocal and guitar lessons as well as perform in a band. We hold showcases and concerts every few months. I also founded the very first Black Student Union at my predominantly white high school during my junior year. Since freshman year, I have volunteered for a total of 40 hours at homeless shelters in LA, specifically on Skid Row. I have recently been accepted into USC and am thrilled because it is my dream school. It has been bittersweet because I know that I can't possibly attend without hefty financial assistance. The FAFSA is of little help to my family as it has determined that they can contribute $30,000 a year to my education which is just not true. The FAFSA fails to take into account the mortgage on my family's house as well as the costs of sending my two little siblings to pre-school which can be very expensive. I can't truly enjoy the fact that I've been admitted into my dream school because of this financial worry. Without that worry, I can focus on my goal to finish and pitch multiple movie scripts by the end of my time at USC. Being one of the most diverse Fine Arts programs, I hope to grow into the writer that I believe I am capable of becoming.

From Late 2018-Early 2020 I ran an anime meme page and acquired over 15,000 followers. Once I quit making memes, I steadily began to lose followers so I deleted a lot of my posts. The posts that I have up are all created by me, even though some of the usernames are different. Instagram- @silkxdashocka

At the start of high school, my intent was clear: to get good grades so I’d be accepted into the college of my choosing. Freshman year I was elected class Vice President, something I’d hoped would make me feel connected to my school community. Ultimately, that position didn’t suit me because it mostly consisted of planning events. During my junior year, a friend suggested we form a Black Student Union. Black students represent less than 5% of the population at my high school and this would be the first BSU in the school's history. The school’s only Black teacher, highly educated on racial matters, agreed to be the proctor. We spread the word, wrote a club constitution, elected leaders, and the group grew organically from there. The BSU became a safe space for all Black students. We were able to be ourselves and not worry about others thinking we were either "ghetto" or "whitewashed"; with no need to diminish or apologize for our blackness. We got to plan events like a Black History Month-themed dance and provide facts about Black figures during Black History Month. We continued to meet online after Covid. When the tragic killing of George Floyd occurred, we were able to express how we felt about the situation in ways only other Black students could relate to. As a young Black man, my life had felt disposable and insignificant. That somber realization shifted my perspective on my place in my school community. After taking some time to educate myself, I realized that most American education lacks a Black perspective and gives a limited version of Black history. I contacted my teachers and provided them with educational resources on African Americans and our impact across every subject that they could incorporate into the curriculum for future students. They were very receptive to the idea and that made my voice feel heard. After a year and a half of Crespi BSU, I feel I have contributed to Black students feeling more visible and having their stories told. I’m leaving my school a safer and more tolerant place. That is just the beginning of what I have done so far. I believe I have done what I can to make my community a better place but I wish to impact the Black community as a whole. I believe I can do that through my desired screenwriting career. At age fifteen, I realized that settling for poor depictions of the Black community in media was not an option. Therefore, it ignited the passion in me to write stories for my people. These stories will not just be about our conflicts and adversity, but about triumph. The desire to uplift rather than highlight the negative aspects of our culture is what motivates me to be a quality writer. Not every Black kid wants to see stories of slavery and racism in the spotlight. White characters are allowed to just exist in stories whereas Black characters’ storylines often have to do with troubles relating to their skin color. We, as a community, know all too well that racism is prevalent. We don’t need this to be the only story about ourselves conveyed in the media. What keeps me writing is the drive to stay on this path until I accomplish my goals.

“So early in my life, I had learned that if you want something, you had better make some noise.” -Malcolm X I originally read The Autobiography of Malcolm X in the eighth grade. I immediately fell in love with Malcolm’s growth as a human and as an activist. I’ve read the book again two times since then and each time I acquire new pieces of knowledge that I can learn from and apply to my life. This particular quote that Malcolm made early in the book has always stuck out to me as it can be applied to almost any stage in his life story. Once I came to that realization, I did the same. No matter what the situation is, I know that I won’t feel satisfied without making my voice heard. Being outspoken has grown to be one of my core personality traits. It is also one of the most important qualities of a leader. Throughout middle school and high school, my teachers have always told me that I have a magnetic personality. My articulation and the way I carry myself can draw people to me, and when I use that ability to have a positive impact on the school, they feel very proud to have me as a student. They view it as me being naturally charismatic, however, I view it as a trait I gained from reading that book and studying the life of Malcolm X. There was a reason why Malcolm was able to climb the ranks of the Nation of Islam so fast. He is the ideal blueprint of a leader to me. When I think of what a leader should be, I think of someone who says what is on his mind and is not afraid to make others uncomfortable if necessary. I try my best to emulate that behavior even if it is on a smaller level. I try to have conversations with my peers when I see them using slurs or perpetuating behavior that can be viewed as harmful. Even if it isn’t something that offends me directly, I’ve come to educate myself on the importance of sensitivity for most groups in America. I believe a leader should have that quality as it makes me the furthest thing from a hypocrite. How could I be outspoken on issues that affect the Black community, but then turn my back when I see issues that affect the LGBT or Asian community? I really believe that disadvantaged people should always look out for each other regardless of what kind of minority they are. It all ties back into that quote because, in order for us to look out for each other, we must be heard by those who are doing the harmful activities. A strong leader must also have a strong voice and I believe I can be that leader in whatever community I am thrown in.

The pain was with me always, an unwanted guest taking up residence in my body. It was not welcome, but it was tolerable. I did what came naturally to me, I fought through it. To deal with the pain, I tapped into the lessons learned as a successful student-athlete. After about a week, like most guests, it became unbearable. Walking felt like someone stabbed me in the back with each step. What was happening to me? There were so many unknowns, but two things became clear: I would not recover in time to participate in the football season, and my once-promising future in sports had been sent to an early grave. Eventually, I found out I fractured the lower lumbar portion of my spine; this knowledge destroyed the shred of desire I had to continue playing. My injury actually provided me with a gift, time...time to evaluate my life. Prior to my injury, I tricked myself into believing that football was my only source of happiness. Youth Football was the primary way I bonded with my dad. By the age of ten, my dad was no longer a fixture at my games. In fact, he didn’t attend a single game that year, as he became consumed by substance abuse. His illness and personal decisions changed our relationship, and by 15 I had not had a relationship with my Dad in five years. However, this did not diminish my unshakable desire to make him proud. Football morphed from an activity to a coping mechanism for his absence. I know that the time, effort, and energy I put into football prevented me from exploring other interests. That said, stepping away was one of the toughest decisions I ever had to make because I felt it would put my identity at risk. All of my friends still played football and practiced daily. I felt like an outsider. I stopped making plans and sunk into depression. Abandoning football left a gaping hole in my day-to-day life. I filled that hole by watching an unhealthy amount of television. I worked my way from great television to watching television that lacked development, diversity, and relied upon troubling tropes that often presented people of color as a monolith. In all honesty, there were never many black television characters that I felt were complex enough to relate to. Often, black characters’ were either based on our struggles as a community (real or perceived) or our talents in various sports. I found that many characters who looked like me were trapped in a box and with storylines that lacked complexity and depth. While I was complex, I struggled to show my depth by failing to cultivate my diverse interests. I was comfortable and showed people what they expected. This recognition caused me to focus inward. This helped me discover my creative interests, including a love for screenwriting. I’ve always been a story-teller and I relish in making people laugh. Now I want to tell stories about my people that go beyond the stereotypes related to our skin color and I want to do this in Hollywood and beyond. The gift of time took me out of my social comfort zone. I was still the guy who made everyone laugh, but my close friends saw the changes in me...an increase in confidence and an awareness about the power of media images. That said, the gift of time has changed me forever. I no longer look to others for acceptance. I am the leading character in my own life, therefore, I cannot live to please others if it sacrifices my overall happiness and self-esteem. Much like the characters I hope to create in my screenplays, I am complex, multi-layered, and cannot be placed into a box.

I've written a script for a Sci-Fi short film. It is only a minuscule excerpt of what I truly wish to create. As a writer, there is no particular genre that I wish to focus on. In fact, the reason I decided to write a Sci-Fi script was that I had never done it before and I wish to have extensive range. I have been in communications with one of my good friends who is planning to major in Film Production next year. He and I have discussed how difficult the short film would be to shoot with our resources which is why I haven't expanded upon the script. However, with this scholarship, it may be possible. I wish for most, if not all, characters in the film to be people of color as well. Black people are often only portrayed through a generalization of our struggles as a community. This is why most young Black men and women don’t want to relate to how we are shown in the media. At age fifteen, I realized that settling for poor depictions of the Black community was not an option. Therefore, it ignited the passion in me to write stories for my people. These stories will not just be about our conflicts and adversity, but about triumph. The desire to uplift rather than highlight the negative aspects of our culture is what motivates me to be a quality writer. Not every Black kid wants to see stories of slavery and racism in the spotlight. White characters are allowed to just exist in stories whereas Black characters’ storylines often have to do with troubles relating to their skin color. We, as a community, know all too well that racism is prevalent. We don’t need this to be the only story about ourselves conveyed in the media. What keeps me writing is the drive to stay on this path until I accomplish my goals.