Growing it’s always been pushed onto me that black is my identity. No matter if I was mixed, people would see my skin first. I was taught and also witnessed at a young age how being black effects everyday life. How my mom drives at night because she’s white and it would be “safe.” Watching my older brother get the hands up talk from my dad. In my small southern town, being constantly told I’m not black or white enough. Although this was an unfortunate part of mine and many others childhood. It taught me that my skin is not my identity and does not reflect my character. My mom was a local coordinator for exchange students before COVID-19 hit. She would place teens from all over the world here in America. Most of the time they’d end up at our house which was packed but also full of love. So I grew up with different people and cultures. I have four siblings but if you ask any of us we have brothers and sisters all over the world. Learning from them and where they come from I became very aware of what happens in other countries and in first grade I was bragging to another kid in my class about my Arabic sister. I said how when I get old enough I’ll be able to visit her and see her home. He told me I’d be killed there either by her or her country. After talking to my mom I learned what he said was a reflection of what he was taught. I realized how much hate is passed down through generations and I made an effort to never spread it. Luckily my family was as hippie as they come. My mom and dad constantly encouraged me to help people and learn new things from them. When we’d go out to volunteer instead of just giving homeless people a few bucks or a meal we’d sit down and talk. My mom always said her five kids could help five other kids, and so on. When we visited families on the streets I felt so lucky to have my family there helping other family’s. I felt stronger with my family at my side and I relished in that as long as I could. my oldest sister was an inspiration especially to me. Once she was in college she shared whatever she learned with me because she knew I enjoyed it. Politics, government, social constructs, and everything that makes the world turn. I became very passionate about these things. I joined my schools student council and became president, also was accepted to the mock Atlanta regional commission. Where my groups blue light system proposal to help college students stay safe, was accepted and implemented. Helping so many university and regular citizens. I was able to raise enough money to go to Prague on an art program. After a month there my program was completed and I still say to this day how much it changed me. I’d been out of the country before but this was the first time I was old enough and could truly experience and appreciate the difference of other places. I began working on my silver award for girlscouts and built an outdoor classroom for my local middle school. I developed a love for planning and creating so I decided to host an art show in my town. So more students could be involved I was able to get art students spots in the show, and theatre, chorus, band, and dance students to perform. It was an amazing turn out and got me noticed by my towns city council. I was invited to the youth city council, applied and became a member for my senior year. Since 2020 has been such a year I’ve also organized protests in my town. As I live In a very nonblack area I was told hurtful things and even spit on. Though that didn’t stop me. I continued to speak out encouraging teens to vote because I couldn’t. And pushing as much positivity in the universe as I could. Because that’s what I promised myself in first grade. And I intend to keep that promise as I move forward and learn more in college.

In 2018 I embarked on a journey that would change my life. I’ve travelled before with my mom, I’m comfortable with other cultures as I’ve had exchange students with a variety backgrounds in my house for as long as I can remember. This time I was alone. Traveling to Amsterdam then the Czech Republic to study all by myself. I made art, studied the culinary and made friends along the way. This is the boldest thing to me because coming from a small closed minded town, it felt like an entirely different world for me to discover. So I did!

Since being a kid it was hard for me to identify what i love and who I am. I found a little of me in everything whether it was art, volunteer work, politics, social justice. I felt I was pulled in one hundred different directions. Luckily I was encouraged by my family to not limit myself, to pursue everything I dreamed of. This allowed me to learn and grow in a variety of different topics. I was given the opportunity to travel young and study abroad in the summer of my junior year. I attended international art studies, museums and organizations. As well as inserting myself in the culture of Czech Republic I gained a love for the language. Taking beginning classes then continuing to teach myself the language as I returned home. I found out a lot about myself through this process. I learned that I loved to expand and grow in what I know. Also that I am not limited to having one set thing. Not needing one specific thing to make me unique allowed me to grow in not only maturity but confidence. After this experience I began contributing the knowledge I gained to all aspects I’m interested in. Once returning home I was faced with another goal. Receiving my girlscout gold award. Previously I built an outdoor classroom at my local middle school for my silver award. The gold being my senior legacy I started with the first step. What we call a journey, for my journey I organized and created an art festival in my town. I live in a small town in Georgia, little art, lots of brick wall and grass. A huge part of this goal was to involve my highschool peers into the city they live. I invited artists, singers, and actors from my school to perform. Through this experience I learned my love for organizing and planning events. The art show was a success and I didn’t want to stop there. At this time I was already an alumni of the mock Atlanta regional commission, this allowed me to learn about my local politics and form my own opinions regarding. I decided to join my cities youth council to use my voice and passion for good. These experiences have allowed me to pursue so much, meet new people, create change, and make a difference. This is exactly what I expect from my college experience. I hope to achieve my goals and be able to set new ones. Living by the philosophy of limitless potential. I don’t contract myself to one interest anymore like I thought I needed too as a kid. Many refer to it as feeding your brain and converting that food to energy. Energy that you use in your everyday life. In my life I use that energy to change things, volunteer in my community, grow as an athlete, organize and plan events, fight for social justice and be as active as possible for my generation. And the generations to follow.