I pride myself in the community service work I’ve completed throughout my years in high school. During my freshman year, I became a Superintendent Ambassador and partook in various volunteer opportunities. One service opportunity I assisted with that I believe was most impactful to my community was the Empty Bowls Luncheon. At this event, a few other ambassadors and I spent four hours serving food to anyone that attended. This experience stuck with me because I realized just how impactful our service work could be; although some people may have shown up for a quick snack, others could’ve used that opportunity to eat a meal they haven’t had access to for a number of days. It was at this moment that I discovered the significance of going out of your way to serve your community. I also recently joined the NASSP program National Honors Society to help both my school and my community. I took a pledge to maintain a level of scholarship, service, leadership, and character in both of these environments. In this society, I’ve also gained access to numerous other community service opportunities such as volunteering at food trucks, watching over children at events, and organizing books for Storybridge, a local organization that strives to ensure that children of all ages have access to books. Another time I worked to better the environment of my school specifically was on Valentine’s Day of 2022. A few classmates and I wrote every single student’s name on a heart and placed them all throughout the walls of the school. The following weeks were spent with our peers walking the halls frantically searching for their names and smiling upon their discovery, being reminded that they were loved. I cherish this particular event because of the happiness it brought to the entire school. Seeing how much joy was created by that simple act inspired me to continue doing what is best for not only my school but my community as a whole, and I hope to bring joy similar to that into my community at university and, eventually, into my work during my career. I plan on going to medical school after college and becoming a Pediatrician, so I will work alongside children, ensuring their health and safety. My work with my community has given me a grander perspective of what it means to help others; I now understand just how impactful one person can be on the lives of others, and I believe having this perspective will allow me to make a positive impact on the lives of each and every patient I encounter in the future. I'll use what I've learned over my years in high school as a reminder that every little action of mine can have a much larger effect on those around me. I believe I will bring a great deal of joy and helplessness to the field of medicine, a very necessary characteristic for doctors, and I will go on to help hundreds or thousands of children in the future.

Despite what many people may believe about society becoming more educated and accepting over the years, racism and prejudice still run rampant within our communities. I have personally experienced this hate throughout my life; I am African American and have been stung repeatedly by the harsh remarks of my peers regarding my race. In school, I believed I had to put in more effort than others to defeat any stereotypes that people may have already labeled me as. The fact I felt as though I had to work harder simply because of my skin color was a belief instilled into my mind because of society's inability to grow and become more accepting. I believe this needs to change, and it's about time that the ignorance in our communities was eradicated. I still remember the first moment I was exposed to the idea that people may treat me differently due to my race. I remember how my young, impressionable mind could not comprehend why I was being treated the way I was. I remember the feeling of despair flooding my body as I realized the thing I was being disliked for was the one aspect of myself that I could not change. The nights I spent begging my parents to make me a “normal lunch” instead of the leftovers from our traditional meals in fear of being ostracized for being “different” are still on my mind as if they were yesterday. The tears I shed alone in my room as I tried to understand why that one classmate felt the need to comment on my race are still somewhat stained on my cheeks. When high school began, I thought my peers would've grown out of their ignorance. Unfortunately, I learned the hard way that the desire to be hateful did not disappear with age. Instead, the hate continued. Derogatory words were thrown around for their amusement, disregarding the effect it might have on those who have been surrounded by those words their whole life. Cruel drawings defaced meaningful presentations of my culture such as a Black History Month poster. I came to the understanding that this hate would not go away in one day, but I also realized that with enough effort and dedication, a community can tackle these issues and slowly change for the better. What must happen first is people must be able to admit to their ignorance. No one enjoys their character being attacked or being accused of racism or prejudice, but in order for change to even begin occurring, some accountability must be taken. The following steps can be performed by anyone of any race. They involve speaking out and standing up for one another. When someone witnesses any sort of belittlement towards someone simply due to their race, they need to have the strength to say “that’s wrong” and come to the defense of the victim. A community must ignore its fears of being ridiculed for taking a stand for what they believe in. If each individual in a community can do their part in addressing any occurrence of racism, prejudice, or hate, then the community as a whole will be able to become a more accepting environment. I know the change I want to see in my community is easier said than done, but I also know that I have to be the change I want to see in the world. Therefore, I will take into account my own advice, and, hopefully, my peers will follow in my footsteps and our community will begin its path to achieving this positive change.

I joined my school's track and field team in 2019, my freshman year, and at the time I had no idea just how impactful it'd be in my life. At first, I played the sport only for the purpose of completing a physical education credit, determined to quit as soon as the school year was over. Thankfully, things did not go that way because this sport allowed me to grow my self-confidence. Track practice was demanding, both in time and energy, and I did not enjoy it in the slightest. I found myself complaining and constantly checking my watch to see how close I was to being done. I wasn't very good at running and since I believed that was the entire premise of the sport, I assumed track wasn't for me. That was up until my coach noticed I had a high vertical and suggested I stay after practice to try out some of the field events. I reluctantly accepted but I am so glad I did. The one field event that caught my attention immediately was triple jump. This event involved quickly sprinting towards a sand pit and, upon reaching a specific line, performing a hop, a bound, and a jump into the pit. The goal is to travel as far into the pit as possible, and the jumper who achieved the furthest distance would win. I was immediately intrigued but was unfortunately unable to explore my interest in this event in its entirety because my season was cut short by the pandemic. The following year, however, I immediately continued pursuing my interest in this event and, surprisingly, demonstrated incredible skill. I never thought I'd discover a skill that I both loved and was good at. I'd tried many different sports in life, but I was never any good. This constant failure in athletics decreased my self-confidence and made me believe I'd never have any sort of skill or expertise similar to my peers. For the longest time, I believed athletics was never going to be one of my strengths, but triple jump finally changed my mindset. I was moved up to the varsity-level team and qualified for both Regionals and Area, nearly making it to State as a sophomore. When I started my junior year, I focused on triple jump only, making it the only event I participated in at meets. I won the title of District Champion and qualified for both Regionals and Area again. Although I did not make it to State, my coaches were so proud of the improvements I’d made over the years. They weren't the only ones who acknowledged and were in awe of my skill, however. I was as well. I had finally discovered something I was good at and lost all of my previous beliefs that it would never happen. If it weren't for triple jump, I might have never achieved the level of self-confidence I have today. This confidence has allowed me to set much higher goals for myself in life because I now knew I was capable of anything I put my mind to. I am forever grateful for triple jump, for it instilled growth in me that I can carry throughout the rest of my life.