Richmond High School is notorious for its gang affiliated history, being unsafe, and money disadvantages, causing us to be looked down on as a community. That isn’t how I see it though. As a school where the minority percentage is at 98% and 63% of the student population being economically disadvantaged, I’ve always been passionate about advocating for my peers because it’s important that we’re set up for success in our education. Throughout the course of high school, I participated in several extracurricular activities, a couple of which include having to take on some sort of leadership role. Being given the role of a leader in different settings has taught me the importance of being an advocate and kept me in tune with having empathy. I was apart of the student government (1 year as class secretary + 2 years as class vice president), vice president for the Asian Student Union, a student ambassador for UC Berkeley’s Upward Bound program, a student representative for my high school in my school district’s All Student Congress, and the chairperson of my school’s School Site Council. Due to financial problems within our school district and a low rate of parental involvement (we didn’t have a PTA) at my school, money was often limited. As a result of this, we experienced a series of budget cuts, teacher/staff shortages, and even a lack of necessary resources/supplies in the classroom. Given the opportunity to be chairperson of Richmond High’s SSC (School Site Council), I had a critical role in the decisions on where our money went. Taking on this role was challenging. I regularly worked with the principal where I was trained to be more comfortable with parliamentary procedure and being the lead in discussions with grown adults (administration, teachers, and community members), things I wasn't typically used to. This pushed me to step out of my comfort zone, causing me to see improvement in my public speaking and communication skills. I spent nearly two years as chairperson and encountered several challenges that urged me to step down, but being a part of this process was important to me. Academic success is what needed to be seen more at my school, so it was my goal to increase the GPAs of students and accessibility to support services. Once we unanimously agreed to allocate more funds towards additional tutoring services, the council saw an increase of over 100 students on the honor roll and improvement in our performance on state-issued tests. In addition to funding our student support services, I voiced to also allocate more funding towards educational study trips. Seeing an increase on field trips the following year felt exciting to see as a student because many of us had not even been on an official field trip since middle school. This often took learning to a next level for a lot of students. To be a part of the process that made those improvements felt rewarding and is partly what prompted me to want to have a career that centers around working for and helping disadvantaged communities. Especially as a first generation student from a low-income family, I’ve spent so much of my time unsure of how to make my career aspirations happen or if it’s even possible for me. I believe that it’s only right that those who come from similar backgrounds are also given access to the resources they need to succeed in life. I hope to further the skills I’ve attained throughout the roles I had and apply it to what I learn as a public health major in the future.