Adversity for me was something dreaded. Why would I want to make things harder for myself? Yet, now I realize it is adversity that shows you have resilient, persistent, and dedicated you are. In my senior year of high school, I decided to take a leap of faith and run for senior class president. I was always on the committee for events and enjoyed being a part of the process of planning things for the school. Yet, leadership in the years prior was not up to par. Instead of complaining, I took my mother's life-long advice, "If you want it done right, why not do it yourself," to its maximum capacity. I was in a majority high school in a major white county and was running against a man who had been president for two consecutive years before. I went into the process knowing it was not going to be easy but did not expect anything like what I endured. I was followed, hackled, and verbally threatened by a man to back down from the race. It stunned me that students and even adults were taking a high school presidency race so seriously yet I never let them see me sweat. There were nights I cried in my room from the posts they made about me and my running mate, my best friend, who is a Black lesbian woman. They called us slurs, waited outside my job to bother me, sent me pictures of myself from fake numbers with threatening messages, and even spread false rumors about us. Yet, I reminded myself to never stoop to their level to always run a clean and fair race, and to do all I can so I am not disappointed no matter the results. This treatment went on for almost a month before it was the Thursday morning of elections. We had candy and stickers to hand out to people as a thank-you for voting for us. The day was everything but calm, my running mates were barging into classes yelling to vote for them, interrupting class flow, and being a true disturbance. The results were announced live on the school news channel and everyone in the school watched. I was beyond anxious, yet I knew I did all I could to put myself out there, and if it was meant to be it would be. I won and I had never been so proud of myself. I became the second Black female senior class president in my school's history. It was one of the most mentally draining processes I had endured to know that others saw potential in my abilities and trusted me enough to make executive decisions regarding their senior year meant the world to me. The entire year I focused on inclusivity, representation, giving back to the community, interactivity, and building lifelong memories. I was not just a president for my class but for the entire school and initiated many events to allow everyone to unite. I worked so hard to show why I was chosen for the position. So much was done that towards the end of the year, my opponent apologized to me for how he handled the entire situation. The whole process taught me that I am my biggest opponent. I would encourage anyone facing adversity to realize that no mountain is too hard to climb. Find ways to ground yourself and take the hike, even if you are alone because the view is always better overhead.

I am not one to boast about my accomplishments but I have worked hard in my school years to build a solid platform for myself. With that being said I am a part of many clubs within the school. I currently hold the senior class president position, as well as vice president of the diversity inclusion club, a key member of SCA, and a diligent worker in BETA, and the fashion club. I pride myself on experiencing everything once to get a fair share of whether I like it or not. I also am a part of the Delta Gems, a “little sister” program to the Deltas Sigma Thetas. Aside from those many clubs, I work for New Kent Parks and Rec. On the weekends, I'm a faithful member of Bethany Baptist Church and the Bethany Alive Youth Church. Even with those many extracurriculars I still make time to give back to my community as much as possible. As a representative of the senior class, we have done many events this school year to give back to the community. With my church, we do Thanksgiving baskets everything thanksgiving, book bag drives every year before school starts, a glove drive during the winter months, and a community clean up every August. I have been a key and vital helper in every single one of these events and it is a highlight of my seasons. I find much joy in helping those in my community who are in need.

Generational wealth to me is something that exceeds monetary form. I see generational wealth as property, businesses, and even physical objects such as cars, boats, etc. The premise of generational wealth is to leave something behind when you pass away. This ensures that the certain comfortability of life you desire for your family will be granted. When people hear the term “generational wealth,” they immediately think of wealthy people with an insane amount of money to spend. But in actuality, there are many middle-class and even lower-income families that have generational wealth. Family houses passed down from generation to generation hold so much worth. Most of the time they're built on a large amount of land that in modern-day currency would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to purchase. They obtained this property just by bloodline and it holds so much money within the family. If it ever came down to hard times this property could be sold and a lot of money could be gained. Lastly, the most important form of generational wealth is knowledge and education. When I use the term education I use it very loosely. I don't mean college or degrees, I simply mean learning something new. This could be going into a trade, going to a specific school (beauty school), or simply just working in the field and learning new things. The key factors in life are things that should be passed on from generation to generation making it twice as easy for the next generation to succeed. I plan to obtain generational wealth by firstly investing in stocks. Cryptocurrency is something that is becoming more and more popular as the years pass. I could foresee it taking over a lot of the money flow within the next couple of years so investing in it now will be very beneficial. I also plan to own property, set up a trust, and ensure to create a will. Tomorrow is never promised. You want to be sure that when it's your time to leave, your assets go to the proper people. If your assets are given to someone who will do wrong by them, your generation of wealth will never go to fruition. Lastly, I plan to start many businesses as well as invest in the most prices and valuable things there are, time until the future Generations within my family educate them on the key tools to a successful life.

My parents' divorce is an event in my life that has shaped me into the person I am today. I was only 5 years old when my parents decided to split so though I do not have a lot of memories of them being together, the memories I do have are not very fond ones and most times consist of them arguing. This event impacted my life in both good and bad ways. Both of my parents are now remarried so their divorce gifted me two new parents as well as two new families. This has allowed me to broaden my horizons, learn more, and have a larger village to take part in raising me. With all the positives that came with it, these events negatively impacted me because it took me almost all of my childhood to learn how to effectively communicate with others. My first memory of communication was between my parents and it was very passive, aggressive, and strong. This created issues while growing up because I thought that in order to communicate in a way for others to understand me, I had to be loud and have a rebuttal for everything that came towards me. But as I've gotten older, I have learned how to become a better communicator. I now know how to communicate without raising my voice or throwing low blows. This has allowed me to internally find the causes for my explosions while in conflict and has presented me with the opportunity to learn how to avoid letting that happen. The divorce also tainted how I view and perceived love for a long time. Ideally, children look up to their parents for what love should look like and tend to mock their relationship solely off on what they are around and what they see. Due to me not having a good representation of a healthy relationship, I thought love was something short-lived. I didn't see the point of long-term relationships and friendships because I truly believed that in the end, it wouldn't last so why put forth the effort? Overall, though a parent's divorce could be seen as something very traumatic in a child's life, I used it as an opportunity to grow, learn, and build myself into the best version of myself. I now have very good communication and enjoy debating. If not for the divorce, I most likely would be able to articulate myself as well as I can today.

My biggest academic goal for this school year is to end with a 4.34 GPA. This is my predicted GPA but I truly feel like if I push myself this last semester and dedicate time and hard work, I can surely meet it or even pass it. I plan to attend either Hampton or Howard this upcoming fall to major in criminal justice on a pre-law track. I desire to minor in African American studies. After receiving my degree, I plan to take my LSAT, attend Howard law school, and obtain my law degree. My preferred field of law is civil rights. I have decided to emulate the career path of the late great Thurgood Marshall and become a civil rights attorney, then a judge, and ultimately a Supreme Court Justice. I set extremely high expectations for myself because I know what I'm capable of and all that I can do. I know that this field will be dominated by white men but I am not afraid of a challenge and I refuse to back down. I will work twice as hard, to gain the respect of my counterparts. I will fight for civil rights and I will make a change in the legal system. Community service is one of my favorite things to do. I truly enjoy giving back to my community and pushing for the change that I would like to see. I have done my fair share of community cleanups, homeless feedings, donations, and volunteering at schools. All of it has taught me to always be grateful for what I have because there's always someone who is in a worse position than you. It truly has blessed my life to meet these people in need because though they might not have much they have something so important and that's compassion in their hearts. These people in need are willing to give up their last thing to someone in a worse spot than them. This taught me that when you are blessed you must bless others and not keep it for yourself. Community service inspired me to pursue my future career. A few years back, I was volunteering at a homeless shelter handing out food. There, I met a young man who had been shunned by his family and kicked out of college. It was due to sexual assault allegations put against him by a minor. The truth was the young lady lied about her age to him and when her parents found out about what happened, she lied to them saying he forced himself upon her. He had lost everything, until a civil rights attorney reached out to him, and was able to give him a second chance at life. It was at that moment that I knew that's what I wanted to be. I wasn't sure how I was going to get there but I was determined. Since then I've been on this track and I refuse to stop until I can be just like this civil rights attorney and change lives.

I chose to attend an HBCU because I feel that it will provide me with a social experience I did not receive in high school. Also, HBCUs are less expensive than PWI and they usually offer more scholarship opportunities. I currently attend a predominantly white high school and feel that I don’t have a safe space nor do I have the ability to share similar experiences with others around me. I feel like I am constantly fighting to prove myself worthy of my academic accomplishments and fighting to prove their assumptions wrong. I plan to become a civil rights attorney and believe that an HBCU will provide the best education for my future career in the civil rights field. I want to minor in African American studies and feel like there is no better place to learn the information than an HBCU. HBCUs provide a comfortable environment for all students to prosper in their education careers. HBCUs often make Black students feel at home while technically being away. It allows for the culture and family feel of back home to travel to college with you and that is something that I cannot wait to have and experience! The unity and friendship that I have witnessed while visiting HBCUs is something so surreal and indescribable. Don’t get me wrong, HBCUs are open to every race/ethnicity but they have historical significance for the Black community and have an amazing reputation for producing amazing and highly educated Black students. The price of attending an HBCU is around 27% cheaper than a PWI which is extremely significant. With the current economy, graduating with student debt is not ideal. This burden of debt can be minimized easily when the overall cost is over a quarter cheaper and there are more scholarships available and offered.

Community is something that I hold very near and dear to my heart. I feel like it is always important to do your due diligence to give back to the environment that helped you get to where you are today. I was driven to community service originally by my family. For as long as I can remember, every year around Christmas time we do something different to give back to the homeless people in the 757 and 804 areas. One year we brought hats, gloves, water, and food and made care packages and gave them to homeless people we saw in downtown Richmond. Another year we took our families' leftover food and instead of throwing it away or letting it sit in the refrigerator, we made over 30 Christmas dinner plates and handed them out to people in the 757. I've also partnered up with my church in doing baskets, bookbag drives, and so much more. I definitely believe that my family and church family have instilled in me that community service is something to never go away from. The truth is you never know when it might be you who will be in need of assistance from your community. But that's not why you do the service, you do it from the kindness in your heart and to show thanks for all that you have. The older I get, the more blessed and fortunate I realize I am. It would be selfish of me to keep all of the fortunes for myself. So it is convicted in my heart that every time I'm driving down the street and see someone on the corner, I give them at least a dollar or two because you never know their situation. My future career goal is a civil rights attorney, then a judge, and ultimately a supreme court justice. But no matter how high I get in my career, I will never forget about the community and the dire needs of the people in it. I'll never hesitate to roll up my sleeves and get down and dirty. If that means volunteering at local schools, donating money and funding to Inner City schools, implementing programs, providing funds for any type of assistance, and outreach to the homeless; I'm willing to do it. The world is full of enough selfish people and I refuse to become one, no matter how much money I make a year and no matter how many degrees I have behind my name. to become one of those. This is my oath to always give back to my community in some way every chance that I get.

I have never been one to follow the crowd and have always made it a priority to lead the herd instead of following it. Just like almost every other kid, the transition from elementary school to middle school is extremely hard. There was a brief moment in sixth grade when I tried to fit in with my surroundings, but it just didn't feel right. I like to listen to different music, dress differently, and I put school first always. I wouldn't think of myself as unique, I feel that's pretty cliche, I prefer to call myself eccentric. I'd rather wear my hair in its natural curly fro than silk straight down the back like everyone else. I love classic tennis shoes but I prefer to wear a funky pair with a different colorway any day. Appearance is the first impression you have on anyone and I want my first impression to be loud and courageous, just like me. I'm very outspoken and have no problem speaking up for how I feel and for others. I'm not the conforming type. I think that's the beauty in life. How fun would it be if everyone did everything the same? What if everyone looked the same, wore the same clothes, and listened to the same music; Wouldn't life be so bland? This is why I urge myself every day to continue being Kiyah. I am no one's follower but I don't expect to be a leader either. Getting back to my community it's something very important to me. I feel that once you get successful in life you should always give back to the environment that helped you get to the place you are. It is not right to forget about those who might have been left behind because you have to play the game with the cards you're given and not everyone's cards are fair. My end goal is to be a civil rights attorney, and when I finally become all that I want to be and end goal be a Supreme Court Justice I have intentions of building new schools and homes and introducing programs into the schools. My biggest asset will be a program will be targeted toward minorities. I currently attend a predominantly white school and to say that the higher curriculum classes have proper representation would be far from the truth. I was never really offered the opportunity to take these classes instead did my research and took initiative to forcibly place myself in these classes knowing that the regular curriculum would not be a challenge for me. I hope that by the time I get to where I want to be in my career, I can Implement a program where minorities give proper information on opportunities that every other student gets. I would love to see more minorities at the top of their classes with higher gpas, heavier-weighted classes, and just as vast opportunities as the next.

An African American pillar that has heavily influenced my field of study is Thurgood Marshall. I have always had a niche and passion for civil rights. I grew up knowing that Marshall was a justice but in recent years I researched him and learned more about his earlier career. He started as a civil rights lawyer and was promoted to judge and ultimately became the first African American Supreme Court Justice. This is exactly what I want to accomplish. I have always had a passion for debate and during the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement, I became very educated in civil rights and realized I had a deeper passion for it. I saw the flaws in the system and realized that there was something that I could do. Even if I'm the only one fighting for it, it's better than no one. Then I decided to combine my passion for civil rights and debate to become a civil rights attorney. When researching other civil rights attorneys, Ben Crump and Bryan Stevenson were the two that I saw the most. Yet, due to them being more modern-day civil rights attorneys, I was curious as to who was the one to pave the way for them. That's when I discovered that Thurgood Marshall began as a civil rights lawyer. This was very shocking information to me, being that I was always taught in school that he was a supreme court justice. Then it made sense because you can't start at the top, you have to start at the bottom. That's when I decided to strive for my dream no matter how big or ambitious because if he could become a Justice, so could I. If he was able to endure the pressure and hardships, so could I. He went through worse so it could be easier for young black men and women, like me. I decided that my end goal will be to take my passion and my career to the furthest level I can reach. I know what I want to fight for and I know the change I want to see. I hope that in my career I can use my education and my platform to not only encourage others to join me in the fight but to push forth for change because all it takes is one to start the revolt for change. Just like Thurgood Marshall, I want to beat the odds and fight for civil rights. I want to work hard enough to earn the name, Ms. Civil Rights.

My name is Kiyah Stokes and I am a 17-year-old senior attending New Kent High School in the small county of New Kent, Virginia. After graduation, I plan on attending an HBCU to major in sociology or African American studies to later attend law school and become a civil rights attorney. I currently have a 4.28 GPA and lead my senior class as class president. This scholarship would allow more economic conformability when it comes time for school. It will also give me a sense of pride knowing my hard work has paid off and I've gained recognition for it. School has always been important to me and this scholarship will just validate my hard work. A time that I made a contribution to my community was when I ran for and won senior class president. I live in a small county in New Kent where the demographics are 80% white to 16% black. I ran against a very popular athlete who happened to be the president last year. No one was truly expecting me to win the election; honestly, I was also skeptical at times. Campaigning was one of the most stressful and mentally taxing processes ever. I was trying to create unique and creative ways of putting myself out there as well as working overtime to make up for the advantage he had on me being he was president the year before. I endured harassment, was talked about, stalked on social media, and more. Many people simply did not want me to win because I was a young, educated, black woman. I knew what I wanted to accomplish as president and I wanted to donate back to the community, promote equality for everyone, as well as provide representation for children who look like me so they know that they are capable of doing whatever they put their mind to. Since I won, I have done my due diligence to bring forth unity in the school because the school out pours into the community. I have done things such as canned food drives, freindsgiving, senior gift swaps, and raising money to go towards the humane society. All of these events are small steps that are required to create a more unified community and I have more in store for this school year. I believe that if I continue to do activities and events the trend will continue after me and it will slowly but surely create a better, close knit, and loving community.

Integrity to me is the active usage of being honest and having very strong morals. A person with integrity will try to do the right thing, not for an incentive but because that's just the type of person they are. For example, I found 50$ while in the store, and instead of taking the money for myself or turning it in, in hopes that no one would claim it so I could take it back; I turned it in thinking about what I would do with that extra 50$ and applied to same logic to the person who lost it. That they needed it for something more than I would have used it for. When I turned the money in, there was a distressed older woman at the front desk in search of, you guessed it, her missing 50$ bill. I think gave her the money and she was overjoyed. She hugged me and cried, "Thank you, thank you. You don't understand. This was all the money I had to get food and grocery for the next 2 weeks." A man in line behind her overheard and gave me 200$ as a thank you for reminding him good people still exist. I did not do the right thing for a thank you or a token of appreciation. I did it because morally, I could not have taken that money. It's just not in my character. Integrity or mental fixedness on doing what's right even though it may not benefit you can change someone's life, day, and attitude.

Over the summer, I decided that I wanted to run for senior class president. I started my campaign as soon as school started and it lasted for roughly a month. Going into this campaign, I was very hopeful for a presidential win but I knew it was not going to be an easy road to get there and that the task would have to be very strategic task but what was to come was something I could never prepare myself for. I attend New Kent High School which is a predominantly white school. There are many classes where I am the only black student. The demographics are roughly 70% white students. I knew that I would face backlash but nothing like what I experienced. I was approached and told that I would not get a person's vote just because I was a black woman. I had never experienced anything like that before and because of the highly praised position I wanted, I felt that I could not reply to them the way I truly wanted to. I refused to give them a reason to try and label me as the "angry black woman". I was also harassed and stalked on social media. I was told that I could not handle the position or be trusted in it. I knew that I wanted this position to not only ensure a great senior year but to be a role model to other black and brown girls around me, who have been told they couldn't do something. Despite the backlash, I carried my head high for a month of campaigning and ultimately won the election by almost 10%. I cried tears of joy because no one truly knew all I had endured in that month. Many times I wanted to quit because I was public enemy #1 and couldn't even go to get dinner without being bombarded by people telling me I was going to lose. My VP and I made posters, ads, TikTok's, goody bags, and stickers for our campaign and it was all successful. Finding out that I won was not only a win for me but for the many people I knew I would influence around me. I am the first black female senior class president at NKHS since 2003. I am so thankful for my reslence and ambition to stay in the presidential race because in the end it paid off and I am now actively helping others like me, who feel like they have no voice, speak out.

Feminism in my words is the movement of social and political ideologies to push toward the equality of women's rights. Feminism is not an anti-man movement but a men-inclusive movement. Our central goal is to push to become equal with men, not to become superior or to remain inferior to them. Sadly, just like any cause, there are extremists who try to overturn and undermine the true reasoning behind it but, those who educate themselves on what a feminist truly is and now how the media may poorly portray us will understand. An inspirational person to me is my late Aunt Dukie. She was my great-great aunt but treated me like her very own child. During her life, she experienced segregation, desegregation, the jim crow era, having a miscarriage due to doctors refusing to give her proper medical attention because she was black, as well as being in and escaping an abusive relationship. While she was living, she always told me that women are just as strong as men and come do anything a man does (with a few physical contraries). She always told me to never let a man try to dominate me and to stand my ground and always be the vocal black woman I am until my dying day. I take her words of wisdom with me through every new season of life because I sadly know I will have to work a little harder because I'm a woman and a little bit harder because I'm black. During her amazing 89 years of life, she embodied the true definition of what a feminist is and all it should be. She partook in many protests, walkouts, and marches to become the change she would like to see. I am contributing to the feminist movement currently through my school by recently being elected as senior class president. I am the first black female senior class since 2003! It is a privilege to be in this position and I am using it to not only make sure we have the best senior year possible but to also show young girls and even young women around me that anything is possible. You are just as worthy of any opportunity that a man is presented with. The sky is the limit and you should refuse to back down unless it is on your own merit. I was also a part of organizing a school-wide protest last year before the overturning of Roe V. Wade. We helped spread the word, passed out fliers, and posters to have a protest showing our support for providing women with adequate health care.

Hello! My name is Kiyah Stokes and I am a 17-year-old senior at New Kent High School in New Kent County, Virginia. I have a current 4.25 GPA and am on track to graduate in June 2023 with many college credits (an estimated sophomore in college) as well as honors. I am also a part of BETA, SCA, Student Government (senior class president), Fashion Club, and the Diversity and Equity club. After high school graduation, I plan on attending an HBCU and getting my degree in sociology or psychology to become a civil rights attorney after finishing law school. My plan to make a positive impact on the world through my career is to combine my love for learning about people, their actions, the reasoning behind said actions, how the action could have been prevented, and how to stop the action from happening again with my heart for activism and become a Civil rights attorney. I would love to become an attorney who emphasizes on the defense of minorities in any sense (race, status, sexuality, gender, etc.). I will use my skills to help those whose rights have been infringed on, so they can get the true justice they deserve. At a young age, I realized that as a black woman, education and strength are the two things no one could ever take away from me. I have since been sharing my skills in knowing history, social trends, and my rights to assure that I make all educated and logical decisions. Once I become a civil rights attorney, I plan to use my platform to push against any wrongful laws, punishments, and accusations and ensure justice and equity for all. I want my position as an attorney to lead me into the field of eventually becoming a judge. I recently had a taste of politics when I ran for senior class president and may even become a politician later in my career. It is not at the forefront of my future plans but if I see a dire need for more representation of ideas and culture, I will reevaluate my end goal. Someone who has had a positive impact on my life was my late Aunt Dukie. Though her name was Dorothy, anyone who truly knew her and loved her, referred to her as Aunt Dukie. She was a very calm, sweet, and gentle spirit but could make her presence known when she needed to. My grandmother had my father at a young age so I never really experience the "classic and old-school" grandmotherly love from her, but that was all good with me because I received it from Aunt Dukie. She helped majorly raise my brother and me being she had no kids of her own and her husband had died years before. In her older ages, she lived with us for the last 8 and half years of her life. During the 16 years old of life I shared with her, she taught me so many things. But the biggest lesson she taught me was that will education and resilience, I will be unstoppable though she's gone on now and all I have of her are two gold rings I wear around my neck and her signature atted on the top of my right shoulder, she is forever in my heart and soul.

My plan for after-high-school education is to major in Sociology, which is a part of STEAM yet does not get as much attention as the other fields. I have acquired a love for learning about people, their actions, the reasoning behind said actions, how the action could have been prevented, and how to stop the action from happening again. I also have a heart for activism which is why I have decided on the field of Civil rights. My end goal is to become a civil rights attorney which is a lawyer who emphasizes defending minorities in any sense (race, status, sexuality, gender, etc.) I will use my skills to help those whose rights have been infringed on, to get the true justice they deserve. At a young age, I realized that as a black woman, education and strength are the two things no one could ever take away from me. I have since been sharing my skills in knowing history, social trends, and my rights to assure that I make all educated and logical decisions. Once I become a civil rights attorney, I plan to use my platform to push against any wrongful laws, punishments, and accusations and ensure justice and equity for all. I want my position as an attorney to lead me into the field of eventually becoming a judge. I recently had a taste of politics when I ran for senior class president and may even become a politician later in my career. It is not at the forefront of my future plans but if I see a dire need for more representation of ideas and culture, I will reevaluate my end goal. My reasoning for this far-fetched goal is simply that the lives of those who are oppressed are something that I handle with care and push for every day. Us minorities deserve the same opportunities and treatment as anyone else and it is my duty to do all I can humanly possible to see that shift begin to change. It sadly, cannot just start with me, which is why I will also use my education to educate others so they too will see what I stand for. With an army of like-minded people working together, change has to happen. Even if this change of improving the life, health, and wellness of minorities life if accomplished in my lifetime, I will do all I can to leave the generation to come with a headstart and motivation to continue until the desired results are accomplished.

Hello, My name is Kiyah Stokes and I am a 17-year-old senior at New Kent High School in New Kent County, Virginia. I am on track to graduate in June 2023 with many college credits (an estimated sophomore) with honors. I am also a part of BETA, SCA, Student Government, Fashion Club, and the Diversity and Equity club. After high school graduation, I plan on attending an HBCU and getting my degree in sociology or psychology to become a civil rights attorney after finishing law school. An obstacle that I've faced in my life was very recent. Around a month ago, I decided that I would run for senior class president. I ultimately won, becoming the first black female president NKHS has had in years. Though this may be commonplace, here is some backstory on why my win was so iconic. New Kent High School's demographics are roughly 75% white and as a Black female running for such a highly praised and powered position, it did not make many people happy. I was talked bad about, harassed, stalked, and many even tried to ruin my campaign. These actions made it very hard and I times I wanted to quit. I felt like my back was against the wall and I couldn't react how I truly wanted to. As a Black female in America, reacting in anger and frustration gets you labeled as the "unhinged Black woman who has no control of her emotions", and I refused to give them that satisfaction. I decided to focus on my campaign and thankfully I won. Even after winning, I was faced with hardship. My opponents tried to call it fraudulent, spread rumors that I paid people off, and more. Yet, I stayed strong and continued to bask in my win. The whole experience, even with its hardships, taught me how to run my race and to never allow people to get me out of character. I learned true composure and tranquility during my month of campaigning. It can be very disheartening to have people come up to you and tell you they aren't voting for you just because of something you can't change, your race. Yet, I learned to use that as fuel and not discouragement, which worked out in my favor. I learned that even through hardships you can prevail as long as you believe and never give up. Working hard and focusing on your end game will make all your trouble worthwhile, as long as you remain your true self and never try to change.