I want to practice law because unseen by the naked eye, it has noticeably impacted my life and will continue to do so. The prejudice and negative views of Africans that were directly integrated into the laws of the land by our great Founding Fathers still peak through in modern law. Being black in America often comes with a predetermined identity. As a man you are assumed to be aggressive and criminal, while women are considered to have little to no meaningful contribution. These false ideas supported many years of wrongful treatment and have created an untrustworthy relationship between the criminal justice system and many minorities. In general, this country has treated African Americans as if they were not worthy of the same success, or did not possess the intellectual ability to achieve it. I, however, serve as a perfect contradiction to such stereotypes because I am a young African-American woman in the midst of pursuing a higher education. I am currently in my second year of undergraduate school, working towards earning my Associate's Degree in Sociology. There is a not a time in my life that I can remember when I did not want to be a lawyer. To be more specific, I want to be a criminal defense attorney who uses said platform to advocate and bring justice to other minorities who have been negatively affected by the legal system. Because of my social position, I believe I am made aware of the injustices and unequal distribution of opportunity. As I grew up, I witnessed many of my family members, or loved ones become victims of the law. Much like the situations I have experienced, many other black families are subject to unfortunate interactions with law enforcement or receive unfair sentencing when it comes to trials. Another example of unjust treatment in the system is the lack of legal representation. The driving factor I have for becoming a criminal defense attorney is my interest in the courtroom. The idea of being able to defend oneself in front of others and plead your case is what is supposed to make the entire process fair. On top of that, you have ensured your rights to a fair trial and free representation will be upheld. Because of the negative perception of African Americans that has resided in this country for decades, these rights are not always a given. For example, the Trial of the Chicago Five, and many more modern cases, display the negligence and unqualified attorneys assigned to black defendants. I strongly believe that if more African Americans devoted themselves to learning the law and worked on efficiently representing the community to those in power, we would see a significant difference in trial outcomes. I want my journey to be a reminder to others that knowledge truly is the key to freedom

I do not have many individuals in my life that I would consider role models, or declare them the source of my inspiration. Most people my age respond to this question with family members, or a media presence that they relate to in some way. I, on the other hand, am not as connected to my family as I would like to be. My relationship with my parents is not the healthiest, so it has been hard for me to form that sense of admiration for them as many children do with theirs. I have also had my fair share of social media influence. Being a young, black woman, having social media can be very conflicting and wake up a lot of insecurities in yourself. As I have grown I have learned that I can not let who, and what I see on my phone infiltrate the views I have of myself. I am a unique person, and I will not let someone else's success discredit or undermine my own goals. Taking this all into consideration, I have realized that inspiration comes at the most unexpected times, from people you barely know. It has been acquaintances, or sometimes even a passerby that has made my day, or motivated me in ways that I did not know I needed. It could be someone holding the door, complimenting your appearance, or even having a full-blown, therapeutic conversation in the middle of the mall. Whatever situation is presented to you, you must appreciate its genuineness, and put that into your goals. In my case, one of those people for me is my manager, Brece M. To give more insight, Brece is only a handful of years older than I am. Not only is she a full-time worker, but she produces great content on many platforms. She even found time to create a motivational podcast. Though she is just starting, she has shown consistency and dedication. Most importantly, Brece makes time to have fun. Being able to see and interact with another young black woman, who is working hard, and still achieving her personal goals is a true inspiration in itself. I am so proud of her, and she makes me want to work harder! Life can get me down now and again, and a lack of appropriate role models can make it even more tough. That is why I am forever grateful for those, like Brece, who pour their loving energy into me, because I am retaining it more than they will ever know.

Ever since I started Kindergarten, reading has been one of my favorite hobbies. Over the years I have had this question presented to me many times, but was not able to give a confident answer. However, I have recently started a novel that I am sure is going to rank among my favorite books of all time. The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B Dubois is spoken to be a true classic. Though I have only scratched the surface of its beauty, it has already lived up to its legacy. I am a young black woman with a great desire to learn from and give back to my community. I have an intense passion for social issues and an overwhelming curiosity when it comes to African-American history. However, it is extremely difficult to find books that talk about our problems, from the perspective of people that directly experienced them. This novel does a great job of doing just that! Dubois brings to light the different aspects of race and social issues in America in its heightened times. He even goes as far as to criticize both Black and White Americans’ political strategies to guide the youth away from old mistakes. I must also add that, even though the book is over one hundred years old, the stereotypes and issues can still be seen in modern society. It is for this reason that I recommend The Souls of Black Folk to anyone who wants to learn more about external and internal issues of the Black community. This is a great read for Black youth who are trying to find their path, whether that be academically, financially, or even mentally.

For many women, there are countless obstacles on the journey to a successful career. This statement also applies to almost all people of color. Being that I belong to both groups, I have only experienced some of those many hardships first-hand. Though I know this is only the beginning, and there will be plenty more to overcome, those things do not define my life. It is my responsibility to accept and try my best to make the odds work in my favor, and that is what I am doing right now. I am Janaisa Wallace, and I am a young, African American woman from Columbus, Ohio. I am currently a freshman in college, pursuing a degree in Criminal Justice. I am somewhere in the middle of six children, and am on the way to being the first college graduate in my family! For most freshmen, picking a major that fits best can be tough. As indecisive as I might be, this was one of the easiest steps of starting school. I have always had a good sense of what I wanted to do with my life. I plan to finish undergraduate school and put my degree to use in a way that helps my community. Not too long after, I wish to attend law school and become a Criminal Defense Attorney. I am aware that my career choice is one of the most commonly chosen with a lack of forethought. The estimated salary is what drives a lot of people to become lawyers. Though the money is going to be amazing, I have to say that I gear toward the legal field for a couple of reasons. One is my great passion for justice. Ever since I was little, I loved watching shows like CSI, or Law & Order. As I got older, I would find myself indulging in documentaries, cold cases, and court trials. I find the entire criminal justice system to be very interesting. Not only that, I believe there is a large aspect of the job that has to do with understanding people. That brings me to the most important reason why I am choosing the path that I am. Aside from my raging intolerance for injustice, and my essential need to know why things happen, people are what fuel my decision the most. More specifically, my people. African Americans have been on the receiving end of the most unspeakable, hateful acts this country has portrayed. Over time, our community has been able to conquer slavery, segregation, discrimination, and injustice. Nonetheless, there are still parts of those horrible times that are deeply rooted in not only us but the systems by which we abide. There is still miseducation, if any at all, about our history and who we are. There is generational trauma that has still gone unhealed. I have such love and admiration for the black community for showing excellence after all it has been through. It is truly an inspiration to me. This is why I work so hard to earn a position where my voice can be heard and listened to. As an attorney, I will be able to fight for, whilst educating the African American community. There are times I feel I am taking on a weight that is too heavy to carry. In the end, I remember that I am only one small piece of the bigger picture.

Adversity has always been a huge issue that negatively impacts minority communities. Over the past years people have begun to recognize and speak out against these adversities. I personally believe that at the bottom of the societal barrel is black women, such as myself. It seems to me that black women are the most controversial topics of conversation among all races; Whether it is about our hair, bodies, or even our personalities. When growing up as a young black woman, society can be very influencing and not in a good way. We are constantly being sexualized by the media, and even our peers, which I have experienced first hand. Other people hold us to such high physical standards; our body needs to meet society's standards, which seem to change every other year. For example, our natural bodies were not socially exceptional a decade ago. Now having curves and natural figures are being obsessed over now that non BIPOC women decided so. Not only that, but we are taught at very young ages that we need to be extra careful of our appearance to others. We have to make sure we aren't "inappropriate" in regards to both dressing and attitude. We are stereotyped as having loud and obnoxious personalities. This leads others to categorize us as unprofessional and makes it harder for people to take us seriously. We have to work harder than others in schools, or at work, to prove that we are intelligent and capable. Much like our bodies, other races appropriate our personalities, and all of a sudden it is deemed attractive. This can be very confusing for us: not knowing how to feel about ourselves just because social media changes its beauty standards and preferences constantly. What I want to give back to the community is a good role model for others young black girls. I have worked hard at school since before I could remember, maintaining academic honor roll and taking advantage of college courses. This resulted in me being my classes valedictorian and consistently averaging a perfect GPA. Aside from school, I have made it known that I am passionate about adversities against BIPOC. I continuously attempt educate those around me on the issues and do not let others quiet my voice as a black woman. I intend on going to law school, which can give me a public platform to show others young women, like myself that they do not have to conform to societal standards and or dilute your personality in order to be successful.

It was February of 2021 when I cut my fingers off. I was working at my job, Panera Bread, which I had been at for exactly a year at the time. I was still a normal day to day crew member, but I can pride myself on saying I was a great worker. This meant that I was expected to do more than others and help new people learn the job. That day, I was told to train a new hire, unofficially of course. But since I enjoyed helping anyways, I did what I always did. The person I was training was not a very attentive individual and had a very careless attitude. Her lack of interest and irresponsibility led to me getting the tops of two of my fingers cut off by a bagel slicer she forgot to turn off. I was rushed to the hospital, and after two surgeries the doctors determined that they could not reattach my fingers. This was only the beginning of months of physical therapy and, even worse, depression. It was so hard for me to do things that I love on a day to day, like doing my hair, writing, or even my school work. I missed several months of school and did not have many social interactions. I could not work, so the idea of saving up for college was out of the window. I did not engage in any therapy for my mental health, yet looking back, I wish I had. The lovely light I once radiated with was gone. I remember being so angry at the world for doing this to me. I was sad for a very long time, but oddly enough, I never allowed others to see me down; it is just not who I am. I realized that being sad and feeling sorry for myself was not benefiting me in any way. I just wanted to be happy again. There were so many other things I had to worry about, so I decided to be my own happiness. I got into manifestation and other meditation methods. I included stretching and yoga into my daily routine. I also worked out, as well as anyone could with only one maneuverable hand. Most importantly, I truly became aware of my purpose and connection with the universe and its higher power. The amount of perseverance and resilience I have is amazing and this particular incident showed me that. Whether or not I know why the world gives me these obstacles, all I can do is deal with it the best I can and learn from that experience. My injury made me realize that I was stronger than I thought. Winning this scholarship would mean the world to me! I have been accepted to many of the schools that I have always wanted to go to. The only problem standing in my way is my financial situation. I have been trying my hardest to save my money and apply to dozens of scholarships a day. Every little contribution counts. Being able to go to the school of my choice, relieved of the stress of having to pay back an abundant amount of debt would be a dream. This scholarship would be putting me a step further in my journey, and allowing me to expand my education. Essentially, it will get me closer to becoming the successful person I have always wanted to be.

I have always found pleasure in learning and expanding my education, inside and outside of school. I am currently in a Civil Rights course that teaches me a lot about black culture and history that I was not aware of. That is saying something, being that I consider myself to be more informed about African American history than the next person. Nonetheless, something very particular stuck out to me while I was in class. As society has started to incorporate our history, we have been flooded with stories of the mistreatment and disadvantages our people faced. Although I believe this is very important, we also need to be informed of the successes and accomplishments of the average black person during these times. For example, The Tulsa Race riots have been mentioned and discussed greatly in these past years, but nobody talks about Bronzeville. This was a predominately black district in Chicago with many successful businesses, all of which did not get destroyed. It is crucial to incorporate stories of ordinary black people and their prosperity in order to inspire the current generation. This discussion taught me that the world is never going to be fair. It is useless to sit and complain about the disadvantages, instead work around and overcome them.

It was February of 2021 when I cut my fingers off. I was working at my job, Panera Bread, which I had been at for exactly a year at the time. I was still a normal day to day crew member, but I can pride myself on saying I was a great worker. This meant that I was expected to do more than others and help new people learn the job. That day, I was told to train a new hire, unofficially of course. But since I enjoyed helping anyways, I did what I always did. The person I was training was not a very attentive individual and had a very careless attitude. Her lack of interest and irresponsibility led to me getting the tops of two of my fingers cut off by a bagel slicer she forgot to turn off. I was rushed to the hospital, and after two surgeries the doctors determined that they could not reattach my fingers. This was only the beginning of months of physical therapy and, even worse, depression. It was so hard for me to do things that I love on a day to day, like doing my hair, writing, or even my school work. I missed several months of school and did not have many social interactions. I could not work, so the idea of saving up for college was out of the window. I did not engage in any therapy for my mental health, yet looking back, I wish I had. The lovely light I once radiated with was gone. I remember being so angry at the world for doing this to me. I was sad for a very long time, but oddly enough, I never allowed others to see me down; it is just not who I am. I realized that being sad and feeling sorry for myself was not benefiting me in any way. I just wanted to be happy again. There were so many other things I had to worry about, so I decided to be my own happiness. I got into manifestation and other meditation methods. I included stretching and yoga into my daily routine. I also worked out, as well as anyone could with only one maneuverable hand. Most importantly, I truly became aware of my purpose and connection with the universe and its higher power. The amount of perseverance and resilience I have is amazing and this particular incident showed me that. Whether or not I know why the world gives me these obstacles, all I can do is deal with it the best I can and learn from that experience. My injury made me realize that I was stronger than I thought. Winning this scholarship would mean the world to me! I have been accepted to many of the schools that I have always wanted to go to. The only problem standing in my way is my financial situation. I have been trying my hardest to save my money and apply to dozens of scholarships a day. Every little contribution counts. Being able to go to the school of my choice, relieved of the stress of having to pay back an abundant amount of debt would be a dream. This scholarship would be putting me a step further in my journey, and allowing me to expand my education. Essentially, it will get me closer to becoming the successful person I have always wanted to be.

Life is difficult. I know from personal experience that life is full of positive and negative situations. It is not these specific situations that define you as a person. It is how you overcome and apply those hardships to your every day life that really shape who you are as an individual. The most important experience in my life, that I believe truly changed me, was when I cut off my fingers at work less than a year ago. Before my incident, I was already going through a rough time in my life, but I was generally a happy positive person. I always believed that, because I was a good person, the world would cut me some slack. This specific event made me realize that the world does not owe me anything. This helped me turn my sadness into determination. It is my job to place myself in a healthy environment, so that I can establish healthy relationships; not only with others, but with myself as well. Although it may be easier to be mad and angry all the time, that is not what I was put on this Earth to do. No matter what I go through, or how many obstacles the world throws my way, I will continue to spread positivity and make other people happy. I know, wholeheartedly, that all of my hard work and persistence will pay off, and I will find happiness in this life.

If I had to narrow it down to two qualities that I believed to be the best, they would be my kind heart and my resilience. These two things have not only shaped me into who I am today but also kept me here when I no longer wanted to be. I sometimes think of my kind heart as being a blessing and a curse. I truly enjoy being positive and making others feel better about themselves and the situations that they go through. Although it is extremely painful when those same people take advantage of your niceness. Over the years I have learned that I cannot control the actions nor the intentions of others. All I can do is continue to be who I am, and but love back into the world, regardless of how others treat me. I believe wholeheartedly that this mine said comes with an abundance of good karma. I'm confident when I say that these last two years have been the worst years of my life. That being said I would not be here today if I was not a resilient person. I have dealt with the most unimaginable pains, and somehow I have still bounced back every single time. I'm so proud for never giving up on myself because I know, if I am not meant for anything else, I am meant to instill happiness into the lives of the people who surround me.

I would just like to start of by saying that I absolutely love reading. I have ever since I was in Kindergarten; I am now eighteen years old, so that should say enough in itself. That being said I have read plenty of books over the years. They range from the very adolescent, yet captivating "The Magic Tree" house series, to the more mature set of Stephen King novels. Amongst them all, I have to say that Milk and Honey, written beautifully by Rupi Kaur, is my all time favorite. Milk and Honey is an aesthetically pleasing book that is full of poetry. These poems focus on the good and bad sides of love, relationships, and the power we all hold. It seems to me that Kaur wrote this book for her feminine audience, or anyone who has had issues with love, or even life in general; those who are lost and need guidance in finding themselves. The best part of the book is how it makes you feel. Alongside the poetry, Rupi Kaur included a number of affirmations and advice that anyone could live by. For example, "you have to stop searching for why, at some point you have to leave it alone. That resonates with me specifically because I have been trying so hard to get over past hurt instead of dwelling on closure I may never receive. It is truly inspiring to see your feelings written out so thoughtfully. Reading this book honestly feels like internal therapy and I definitely recommend to anyone out there who is trying to find their worth.

This question really hits home! For the past year, I have been a little depressed to say the very least. It is my favorite, and basically only way, to deal with my emotions. Self-care has always been and always will be a huge part of my life. I practice various types of self-care daily, whether it be physical or mental. That being said, I believe that both forms are intertwined. Personally, when I take care of my body and feel good physically, it puts me in a better mood overall. It is an understatement to say that I love any shower related body care; scrubs, hair masks, scented soaps, etc. It is really unbelievable how things as small as doing a face mask can make you happy. More towards the mental side of self-care, I have gotten into astrology, crystals, journalism, and manifestation recently and I am so glad that I did! They really help me connect with the universe and I feel that I would be doing significantly worse mentally if I had not discovered these thing. It gives me hope instead of focusing on the negative things that happen in my life. Because of these new found interests, I have also realized that the people you allow to have access to your energy can really affect you. I think I have gotten better at distancing myself from those who do not have pure intentions, as well as expressing my feelings in a more mature fashion. In general, I believe self-care is an essential hobby that everyone should take up. Your body is a temple and you should treat it as such.

I've always known what direction I was heading in, in regards to college.When it comes to goals, my short-term would be getting into a good college that focuses on political and social sciences as well as legal affairs. I hope to graduate with honors and find a small law firm that I can work my way up at. My long-term goal is between becoming a judge or owning a law firm. Who says I can not have both? Coming from a single-parent home is a challenge in itself. My mother always made certain that my sister and I were taken care of. However, as a child, you do not really recognize the struggles that impact your everyday life. Growing up makes it harder to ignore late bill notices, dirty houses, and struggling to buy food for the month. Along with my own personal problems, the need to be wealthy, or at least financially stable in society, took a toll on me at a young age. This led me to develop a great sense of determination. My desire to be successful and stable is only one of the factors that drive me.  As well as my financial struggles, the emotional erosion over the years has been substantial. My father was not present for thirteen years, the vast majority, of my life. Though he is more involved at this point, one can only imagine the impact that has when it comes to building a relationship. With that being said I spent those years solely with my mother. As I have matured, I now notice the areas in which she is emotionally absent. This causes a lot of problems within the household. It is at this point that one would turn to their friends or close family to discuss the problems and feelings. However, high school made that significantly difficult for me. I grew apart from most of my friends as values and morals started to alter. In my eyes the only consistent person in my life, that was here to love and support me unconditionally, was me. Being there for myself when nobody else was there gave me the strong independent personality I have today; I am thankful for that.  In addition to the mental wear and tear of life, when I thought life was finally getting better, I had a terrible accident. I was at my job training a new hire to complete a simple task. Her lack of interest and short attention span led to me getting the tops of two of my fingers off by a bagel slicer she forgot to turn off. After two surgeries the doctors determined that they could not reattach my fingers. This was only the beginning of months of physical therapy and, even worse, depression. I did not engage in any therapy for my mental health, yet looking back, I wish I had. The lovely light I once radiated with was gone. I remember being so angry at the world for doing this to me. Oddly enough, I never allowed others to see me down; it is just not who I am. The amount of perseverance and resilience I have is amazing and this particular incident showed me that.  When I think about all I have been through and all I have accomplished, I think back to Twain's infamous quote. Those words remind me that I need to be strong for me and only me. All of the work and obstacles I have faced in the past, as well as the present, are going to be the backbone of my success in the future.

This year has been hard on people all across the world I am sure. Each one of those stories are unique and deserve attention. I am here to share with you how the events of this year have impacted me and my ability to pursue an education after high school. Just a couple of the adversities I have endured this year alone were physical injuries and increased financial instability. I applied for my first job in February of 2020 at Panera Bread. I was excited to start getting my own income. I, along with my customers and boss, believed that I was an outstanding worker. Shortly after my one year anniversary at Panera, there was an accident. I was training a new-hire, who was, to say the least, not very attentive. I was teaching her how to use an appliance towards the end of our shift and the next thing you know, the tips of two of my fingers are inside of it. This lead to months of physical therapy and legal technicalities that are still in motion to this day. This stopped my ability to work, therefore, I could not save up for college. Unlike my injury, financial struggles have been a problem for a few years. My family and I were always making it by with a few worries, like most. That substantially increased when Covid-19 hit. My mother was working in a hospital at the time. The fear and risk was very overwhelming for her and she did not want put herself, or her family, in danger. The pandemic resulted in a lot of medical persons being out of work, including her. She was in a way relieved, but now she had another problem to worry about: income. At the time it was hard to find work because the city was shutting everything down and trying to limit in-person interactions. With my mother being out of a job, we had to tighten our budget. In order to navigate these struggles, I made sure my mental was in the right space after the incident so I can put my all into college and my future. Applying for scholarships has taken up most of my life these last few months. Given the opportunity, I know I can be a great asset to the new society, especially the future legal community. I hope to represent and help those in lower income areas beat the statistics they are born into. Ever since a little child, I have always been the person that loves going to school and learning. Yes, I enjoy talking to my friends, but the academic aspect of school always outweighed the others. The ability to go to sleep one day, knowing something I did not when I woke up, is a beautiful thing to me. I look at it like this: life can not progress if you never learn or expand your mind. Learning prepares you for what is yet to come. I believe it is because of this mindset that have excelled and been top of my class for as long as I can remember. Not only do I hope college will feed my desire to learn and succeed, I hope the environment feeds my soul! I have lost many friends and relationships over the course of my high school career for many different reasons. I just feel like I am not surrounded by people who resemble, or even appreciate my personality. It is a necessity that the college I attend makes me feel like a home away from home. That being said, it means everything to me to be able to go to college! My life outside of school is boring, yet chaotic at the same time. I know that may seem contradictory, but if you lived in my home, you would understand completely. I live with my mother, two of my five sisters, and my grandmother. Most days I wake up and burn my sage for about thirty minutes and have a brief morning manifestation. Later on, I clean around the house for my mom because nobody else will do it for her. When my younger sister, who is just four years old, wakes up, that is when the day gets stressful. She is attached to my hip to say the very least. Because I care for her more than most people in the house, we have formed a very strong connection that I am proud of. At times it can get a little irritating because I am only eighteen and I feel like a mother. There is also a lot of bickering between other people in my house so it is not a very peaceful environment. When I feel myself getting too overwhelmed, I try to engage in various acts of self-care. That is when I feel the most relaxed and at peace. These consist of long showers, face and hair masks, or simply just watching one of my favorite movies. By this time it is most likely later on in the night, so I tidy up my room, eat a snack, and get ready to do it all again the next day. As I previously stated, I absolutely love to learn. This does not only apply to school, but to the outside world as well. Reading has always been a healthy habit of mine. If I come across words that I am not familiar with, I always write them down so I can learn them later on. I also got into spirituality this year I learned about crystals and their intentions and most importantly, astrology! I feel like this journey has helped me through this dreadful year more than anything else. Other topics I am completely obsessed with is crime. I listen to podcasts, watch documentaries, and read articles about major criminals. I feel like I need to know what goes on in their head. How they function like average citizens, but commit such horrific acts. Curiosity drives most of my decisions!

When I ask people to describe me in just a few words, the most common answer is independent. I believe this is one of the best compliments somebody could give to me. I take pride in being independent for many reasons. To me, being independent is the ability to efficiently live on your own with little to no help from others. I am not just talking about small favors. When I think of an independent individual, I see a successful individual who is financially stable, lives in a nice house, has a nice car, and does not need to depend on others to keep all of those things. The way my life is set up, being independent was a character trait I was, in a way, forced to have. I never really had anyone to push me to do better or go above and beyond. Since I strive for more out of this life, I have to be my own support and motivation. I am not saying that my parents or others around me do not care about my success, but they do not find it has important as I do. With that being said, I make sure I ace my tests, engage in extracurricular activities, and, overall, expand my mind. It is crucial that I continue to be an educated, independent, person in order to be a great contribution to society. I know I am destined for great things in this life.