After I graduated from Cal State University, Fullerton, I came back home to Bakersfield unsure of what I wanted to do for my career. While I was home this academic year, I was asked to be a workshop presenter for the annual Project Best conference at Cal State University, Bakersfield (CSUB). Little did I know that this opportunity was something that would change my life forever. For context, Project Best is a program in the city of Bakersfield for young men of color in high school who intend to pursue higher education after they graduate. One of the reasons why this program exists is because it is a common trend in Bakersfield for most minority students to be on track to attend college when they first start high school, but more than 50% of them are no longer eligible to enroll in a university come their senior year. Because a majority of the students end up getting off track in their requirements, it is likely that many of them are failing their classes or could even be dropping out of school. Having been a past “Project Best Student of the Year Award” recipient and now holding my bachelor’s degree, the workshop I was asked to put on was on the importance of receiving an education and my advice on how to succeed academically as a student. During my time with the students, I was intentional about connecting with them on a personal level and had an honest talk about the realities of the common statistics amongst minority high school students when it comes to college eligibility and being able to do well for yourself in a society where the odds are usually pinned against us. I also went deeper into what makes a successful student and led an activity about identifying your individual strengths and understanding how to use them. Throughout the whole experience, I found that it felt so natural and fulfilling to stand in front of the classroom and use my words to offer insight and wisdom to the students in an effort to create a positive impact in their lives. When the workshop was over, one young man came up to me with tears in his eyes and said that he had been considering dropping out of school but my workshop had given him motivation and inspired him to not only graduate but try his best to attend college. A huge smile came across my face and my heart was filled with a joy that I had never felt before. In that moment, I knew that this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Using education to change lives and create an impact that can last for generations. To me, there is no better way to spend my life. Additionally, someone who inspires me to be a teacher is my mother. She was my second grade teacher and I have never seen someone care for her students the way she does. Her core identity is being a mother. Not a wife. Not a woman. A mother. Looking back, it was a very unique experience being able to watch her apply her love for nurturing and raising her own children to the classroom as a teacher. During that year, every single one of my classmates felt like my siblings, and it was undoubtedly one of the most impactful years of our childhood. As a teacher, I aspire to be just like my mom and create an impact in the lives of my students that will last for a lifetime.

During my undergrad at Cal State University, Fullerton (CSUF), one of the many positions I held as a student leader was serving as the first Resident Advisor (RA) for the newly established Ujima Community, or the Black Scholars Floor. In my last year as the RA for Ujima, I had a floor that was made up entirely of freshmen. Because they were all in their first year of college, most of them were unprepared when it came to registering for their spring semester classes because they were not yet familiar with the platforms and processes used for registration. Once realizing this, I took it upon myself to host a registration workshop for my residents. Being able to host this workshop and seeing how much of a positive impact I created is what sparked my passion for educating the youth. Before I offered to teach my residents, many of them were very confused and started to doubt themselves as college students. The education I was able to provide not only resolved their current issue of registration, but it also served as a catalyst to their growth throughout the rest of the academic year. Although there was so much good that came from our floor, the Ujima Community was still hit with its challenges. During my second year as the RA for Ujima, there were sudden incidents of anti-Black slurs being written outside bedroom doors in housing, which felt like an attack towards the community of Black students at CSUF. Our directors and professional staff would hold town hall meetings in response to each incident but ultimately were unsure of how to keep the issue from occurring. As the Ujima RA, I took action by having multiple meetings with our directors and the CSUF VP of Student Affairs where I successfully advocated for the installation of security cameras in the hallways on each floor of housing to act as a deterrent against further acts of hate. I’m happy to say that once the cameras were installed, the incidents no longer continued. From my time as a student leader, I found a passion in advocating for students, doing what I could to protect their well-being, and ensuring that their experiences and environment were conducive to their college journey and academic pursuits. I aspire to directly continue this work as a high school math teacher. Some of my greatest gifts lie in being able to make personal connections, build trust, and encourage others in their own abilities. I intend for my math class to be a place where my students tackle challenges and build up their self-confidence as I empower them to learn and excel in a subject that has been known to cause struggles. As an educator, I feel it is only right to be of service to those who may not be as privileged or who are a part of groups who have been historically oppressed in the field of education, and I am committed to doing whatever I can to close the social gap that has been created by educational inequity. Additionally, when I was an undergrad student, I did my best to support my peers in their spiritual growth journeys as the President of the Bible study club for our Black Student Union. Since I’ve graduated, I still try my best to be a leader and stay connected to my peers as we continue on with our walk with God by being active on my faith account I made on Instagram: @jeremiahtheworshipper. On this account, I regularly post myself singing worship songs, praise dancing, and videos of my past sermons.