Navigating the complex field of mental health has been a journey that ultimately enhanced my beliefs, altered my relationships, and refurbished my career aspirations in profound ways. Initially, I struggled with depression and suicidal thoughts. That was strange for me given my outgoing, cheerful, and uplifting persona. I had the misconception that my faith would shield me from mental health challenges in totality. Yet, the onset of the 2020 pandemic unearthed layers of vulnerability I hadn't anticipated. The facade of strength crumbled, revealing the reality of my difficulty with depression and intrusive thoughts of self-harm. The most daunting hurdle I faced was acknowledging the need for help. As a Christian, I found myself caught up with the false idea of always being strong mentally. Society's expectation that Christians should exude unwavering joy and contentment only exacerbated my internal agitation. Consequently, I buried my anguish beneath a veneer of optimism, refusing to confront the darkness gnawing at my soul. I grew to understand that it was an attack by the enemy and of my flesh. I let the outside world cloud my mind, which led to self-doubt, and not feeling worthy of roaming the earth any longer. The upheaval of normalcy also disrupted my daily routines, plunging me into a realm of uncertainty and fear of how COVID-19 would derail my future. The constant thoughts of not knowing what was to come only worsened my mental well-being. Having to do school completely online made my social interactions became burdensome because I wasn’t allowed to leave my home. The once effervescent extrovert faded into a closed-offish introvert, unable to have the want or need to interact with anyone anymore. Friends and family, bewildered by my withdrawal, interpreted it as a betrayal, exacerbating the rifts that strained our bonds. I didn’t intend for them to receive my pullback this way. I simply just needed time to myself because as a person who pours so much into others, it gets draining when there’s no one reciprocates it back. Looking back, dealing with my mental health made me realize how much people avoid talking about it because of the stigma attached to mental illness. Despite advances in awareness and advocacy, there’s still a culture of silence and shame. The common belief is that being mentally strong equals being happy, ignoring the real pain that is festering inside, unseen, and untreated. Even in tough times, my English teacher Ms.Hapner made the effort to break down the walls stopping us from talking openly about mental health. She had introduced this new part of class called Check-ins. It consisted of a 3x3 table of numbered memes that portrayed different moods. She’d ask us what number we most related to at that time; and encouraged us to speak on why. For a couple of classes, I didn’t participate because it would make me think of things that I was going through, and didn’t want to address my feelings. I realized that true strength lies not in stoic silence but in vulnerability, in the courage to acknowledge our struggles and seek comfort in our community. So eventually, I started to put a number or two in the chat and if someone posed the question of why that was my current mood, I went along and told them. As I embarked on this journey of healing, I came to the realization that the career I aspired to pursue was a good decision though prior, I once had doubts about it. I felt more secure knowing that in the midst of COVID, Software Engineering and Game Developers were in high demand given that both have a huge contribution to technology. To know the field I wanted to go in was thriving was comforting and boosted my confidence to excel in my studies. In conclusion, though I never intended to experience mental health issues, it was a much-needed transformation. It strengthened my beliefs, fractured but rebuilt my relationships, and ignited hope for my career. All of the obstacles I conquered, remain as a memory of why I should keep going and it showed that there’s light at the end of the tunnel.

In Maya Angelou's "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" she delves into the complexities of identity, resilience, and racial injustice. This infamous philosophical book was published in 1969 shortly after the historic Civil Rights Movement in the United States of America. Though this book came out more than half a century ago, plenty of the things discussed in this book have been applied to society. Looking closer into a particular passage in the book, there is a pivotal moment where Maya's grandmother, “Momma”, confronts a caucasian dentist who refuses to treat Maya. The underlying message here was how systemic racism and the power dynamics within society exist. The passage reads, “Momma said, “Dentist Lincoln. It’s my grandbaby here. She got two rotten teeth that’s giving her a fit.” She waited for him to acknowledge the truth of her statement. He made no comment, orally or facially. “She had this toothache purt’ near four days now, and today I said, ‘Young lady, you going to the Dentist.’” “Annie?” “Yes, sir, Dentist Lincoln.” He was choosing words the way people hunt for shells. “Annie, you know I don’t treat nigra, colored people.” “I know, Dentist Lincoln. But this here is just my little grandbaby, and she ain’t gone be no trouble to you …” “Annie, everybody has a policy. In this world you have to have a policy. Now, my policy is I don’t treat colored people.” The sun had baked the oil out of Momma’s skin and melted the Vaseline in her hair. She shone greasily as she leaned out of the dentist’s shadow. “Seem like to me, Dentist Lincoln, you might look after her, she ain’t nothing but a little mite. And seems like maybe you owe me a favor or two.” He was choosing words the way people hunt for shells. “Annie, you know I don’t treat nigra, colored people.” “I know, Dentist Lincoln. But this here is just my little grandbaby, and she ain’t gone be no trouble to you …” “Annie, everybody has a policy. In this world you have to have a policy. Now, my policy is I don’t treat colored people.” The sun had baked the oil out of Momma’s skin and melted the Vaseline in her hair. She shone greasily as she leaned out of the dentist’s shadow. “Seem like to me, Dentist Lincoln, you might look after her, she ain’t nothing but a little mite. And seems like maybe you owe me a favor or two.” … Momma walked in that room as if she owned it. She shoved that silly nurse aside with one hand and strode into the dentist’s office. He was sitting in his chair, sharpening his mean instruments and putting extra sting into his medicines. Her eyes were blazing like live coals and her arms had doubled themselves in length. He looked up at her just before she caught him by the collar of his white jacket. … The dentist had no choice but to stand at R.O.T.C. attention. His head dropped after a minute and his voice was humble. “Yes, ma’am, Mrs. Henderson.” “You knave, do you think you acted like a gentleman, speaking to me like that in front of my granddaughter?”” This encounter showcases racial tensions throughout Maya's world. Momma's unwavering defiance in the face of the dentist's discriminatory actions symbolizes the resilience of marginalized communities in the face of oppression. Angelou paints Momma as a robust role model, unyielding in her demand for respect and dignity, despite the dentist's attempts to diminish her worth based on race. This portrayal highlights the importance of resistance and self-respect as essential tools for survival in a society plagued by racial inequality. Moreover, the dentist's refusal to treat Maya underscores the dehumanizing effects of racism. By denying Maya access to essential healthcare solely because of her race, the dentist sees her as less than. This dehumanization is further emphasized by the dentist's patronizing tone and condescending demeanor towards Momma, exposing the power dynamics inherent in racial oppression. Through this view, Angelou sheds light on the insidious ways in which racism strips individuals of their dignity which leads to a cycle of inequality and injustice. Furthermore, the scene underscores the intergenerational transmission of resilience and resistance within Black communities. Momma's steadfast resolve mirrors the strength and fortitude of previous generations who endured similar injustices, passing down a legacy of resistance to future generations like Maya. Maya celebrates this legacy, portraying Momma as a beacon of hope and inspiration for herself and others who strive to overcome the obstacles imposed by systemic racism. Additionally, the scene serves as a poignant reminder of the racism in American society. Despite the progress made in the fight for civil rights, instances of racial discrimination and injustice continued to persist. Angelou's portrayal of Momma's confrontation with the dentist challenges readers to confront the uncomfortable truths about race and power in America, urging them to be aware of oppression and inequality. In conclusion, Maya Angelou's "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" offers a profound exploration of the complexities of race, resilience, and resistance in the face of systemic injustice. With the use of close reading, we can truly unpack all the underlying messages in the scene where Momma confronts the white dentist. Maya Angelou did a wondrous job of providing valuable insights into the past and present acts of racism and the transformative power of resistance. By examining these themes and symbolism in this passage, we gain a deeper understanding of Angelou's powerful commentary on racial inequality and the human capacity for resilience in the face of adversity.

For my career goals, I long to be a part of the soon-to-come worldly developments derived from STEM that will improve society. It is a fact that just 9% of the 70,000 degrees in Computer Science have been received by African Americans, 28% of women work in STEM and just 1.8% of Black women make up the STEM industry. I believe that this is a result of the social inequity within the corporate world. I have a goal to increase those percentages so, I'd be a living example that a minority can be successful in STEM fields which would have a notable impact on my community because of the lack in the STEM industry of women and the lack of ethnic diversity represented. Working in my desired industry only grew my determination to stay in the STEM industry. I saw the need for engineers like me is steadily increasing. It’s undeniable that STEM is important because it has carried the responsibility of society’s advancement. As a STEM major, I would be remiss if I didn’t know the issues in our world that will affect us all. One of the many social issues today’s world is facing is our environment. I have a strong interest in eradicating global warming. In order for me to address this issue, it all starts with having good knowledge of the Human-Enhanced Greenhouse Effect. How it happens starts with the fossil fuels that are burnt off from the daily use of cars, factories, and power plants. These toxic, and harmful gases are adding to the radiation causing more gasses to get trapped in our atmosphere and bounce back onto us. Our world needs concepts such as STEM to assist in resolving these types of issues. Now more than ever, heat records have been broken. All of this heat has caused icebergs to melt and ice sheets to shrink. Countless dangerous effects are derived from global warming. One of the ways to stop global warming from getting worse is by reducing global emissions. Through my field of Computer Science, I’ll be able to make solar panels more efficient. This would include coming up with better ways to use fossil fuels like coal, oil, & gas which fuels fossil fuels. Not only is using solar panels environmental-friendly but also cost-efficient. Therefore I am determined to help solve this issue through STEM to ensure there will be a future generation and that they will be in good health.

Believe it or not, in high school, I didn't have the means to want to go to college. I thought it was a scam and there would be no way I could possibly go due to my family‘s finances! In today's society, in order to get a job that pays a living and or comfortable wage you have to go to college. However, in order to go to college, you have to pay half if not more of an average job’s annual salary. Now let’s say you do end up pursuing college and you come out with a degree to go into your “dream” job just to pay back then all the money you’ve just earned back to college. It sounds ridiculous, but it’s just as realistic. Then, like I said, I had never taken going to college seriously because as a middle-class family, we are too poor to pay for college fully out of pocket, yet we are also considered “too rich” to be eligible for Pell Grants or more financial government assistance. So in my mind, I didn’t find it plausible to believe college was in my reach. I had explained all of this to my college counselor at my high school who was trying to convince me to at least apply to colleges. I thought my rant would shut down any tactics she had up her sleeve but nothing could have prepared for how she responded. She said, “You’re right”, then proceeded to ask, “So what are you planning to do instead college after high school graduation?”. Her question stumped me because I already shutdown the idea of going straight into the workforce, and I know that i’m not built for the military. I began to ponder what would be the other options available and couldn’t come up with anything that I’d feel comfortable or confident doing so I ended up giving in to my college counsler. She began to influence me by assigning me to write a pros and cons list of going to college. She stated that regardless of which side has more reasons listed, I needed to focus on what each particular reason meant to me and how it would effect my life presently and in the future. By doing so I realized, I was hurting myself by bombarding my mind with so much of the bad that I completely disregarded the good in going. Thankfully, my parents weren’t the type to push me to go which let me independently think for what I wanted for myself. Of course when I was younger I fantasized about my college days and going to an HBCU but never thought it would be a reality. It surely wouldn’t be my actual reality today had my counselor not push me out of that disparaging mindset. The obstacle I had to overcome was essentially fear. Fear of how I’d get to where I wanted to be rather than focusing on the end goal. Fear of what could go wrong rather than visualizing what could go right. Still to this day I’m fearful for certain things but I make sure to face them.

In the 7th grade, I opted into a robotics elective. I designed and built with the help of my peers, an underwater robot for a school-wide competition. I was preparing for this after-school program called SeaPerch where the same code was used, the only difference being it taking place in a pool setting. In this class, I was introduced to electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and computer engineering. I also gained interest in hands-on activities through the opportunity to weld and construct for the first time. At the end of all of this, I decided that I liked the computer engineering arena the most because there was a coding aspect. It ultimately led me to want to major in computer science. This is when my passion for STEM sparked. I’m all about organization, color coordination, problem-solving, and enjoy how technology impacts our world. I also love gaming, from the detailed stories to the creativity displayed. It makes me exuberant, and I also get fixated on completing the objectives. Gaming has taught me countless skills, such as strategizing, focusing, and patience. Since I have a passion for gaming and coding, what better way to work in Game Development where I get a good mix of them both? Although STEM is a very difficult industry in terms of work and risks, it is a good type of challenge. It improves my cognitive thinking and prepares me for other hard situations I face in everyday life. It makes the problems life throws at you more manageable. For my career goals, I long to be a part of the soon-to-come worldly developments derived from STEM that will improve society. It is a fact that just 9% of the 70,000 degrees in Computer Science have been received by African Americans, 28% of women work in STEM and just 1.8% of Black women make up the STEM industry. I have a goal to increase those percentages. By doing so, I'd be a living example that a minority can be successful in STEM fields which would have a notable impact on my community because of the lack in the STEM industry of women and the lack of ethnic diversity represented. Working in my desired industry only grew my determination to stay in the STEM industry. I saw the need for engineers like me is steadily increasing. I have a strong interest in eradicating global warming. I also have good knowledge of the Human-Enhanced Greenhouse Effect. How it happens starts with the fossil fuels that are burnt off from the daily use of cars, factories, and power plants. These toxic, and harmful gases are adding to the radiation causing more gasses to get trapped in our atmosphere and bounce back onto us. Our world needs concepts such as STEM to assist in resolving these types of issues. Now more than ever, heat records have been broken. All of this heat has caused icebergs to melt and ice sheets to shrink. Countless dangerous effects are derived from global warming. One of the ways to stop global warming from getting worse is by reducing global emissions. Through my field of Computer Science, I’ll be able to make solar panels more efficient. This would include coming up with better ways to use fossil fuels like coal, oil, & gas which fuels fossil fuels. Not only is using solar panels environmental-friendly but also cost-efficient. Therefore I am determined to help solve this issue through STEM to ensure there will be a future generation and that they will be in good health.

In the 7th grade, I opted into a robotics elective. I designed and built with the help of my peers, an underwater robot for a school-wide competition. I was preparing for this after-school program called SeaPerch where the same code was used, the only difference being it taking place in a pool setting. In this class, I was introduced to electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and computer engineering. I also gained interest in hands-on activities through the opportunity to weld and construct for the first time. At the end of all of this, I decided that I liked the computer engineering arena the most because there was a coding aspect. It ultimately led me to want to major in computer science. This is when my passion for STEM sparked. I’m all about organization, color coordination, problem-solving, and enjoy how technology impacts our world. I also love gaming, from the detailed stories to the creativity displayed. It makes me exuberant, and I also get fixated on completing the objectives. Gaming has taught me countless skills, such as strategizing, focusing, and patience. Since I have a passion for gaming and coding, what better way to work in Game Development where I get a good mix of them both? Although STEM is a very difficult industry in terms of work and risks, it is a good type of challenge. It improves my cognitive thinking and prepares me for other hard situations I face in everyday life. It makes the problems life throws at you more manageable. For my career goals, I long to be a part of the soon-to-come worldly developments derived from STEM that will improve society. It is a fact that just 9% of the 70,000 degrees in Computer Science have been received by African Americans, 28% of women work in STEM and just 1.8% of Black women make up the STEM industry. I have a goal to increase those percentages. By doing so, I'd be a living example that a minority can be successful in STEM fields which would have a notable impact on my community because of the lack in the STEM industry of women and the lack of ethnic diversity represented. Working in my desired industry only grew my determination to stay in the STEM industry. I saw the need for engineers like me is steadily increasing. I have a strong interest in eradicating global warming. I also have good knowledge of the Human-Enhanced Greenhouse Effect. How it happens starts with the fossil fuels that are burnt off from the daily use of cars, factories, and power plants. These toxic, and harmful gases are adding to the radiation causing more gasses to get trapped in our atmosphere and bounce back onto us. Our world needs concepts such as STEM to assist in resolving these types of issues. Now more than ever, heat records have been broken. All of this heat has caused icebergs to melt and ice sheets to shrink. Countless dangerous effects are derived from global warming. One of the ways to stop global warming from getting worse is by reducing global emissions. Through my field of Computer Science, I’ll be able to make solar panels more efficient. This would include coming up with better ways to use fossil fuels like coal, oil, & gas which fuels fossil fuels. Not only is using solar panels environmental-friendly but also cost-efficient. Therefore I am determined to help solve this issue through STEM to ensure there will be a future generation and that they will be in good health.

After years of exploration to see what I like and dislike, enjoy, and get bored with, I concluded that my best career choice is Game Development. To do this, I would need to acquire a degree in Computer Science. I long to be a part of the soon-to-come worldly developments derived from STEM and have an impact on my community. It is a fact that just 9% of the 70,000 degrees in Computer Science have been received by African Americans, and 29% of women work in STEM. I have a goal to increase that percentage. By doing so, I'd be a living example that a minority can be successful in STEAM fields which would have a notable impact on my community because of the lack of women and ethnic diversity represented in the STEAM industry. I’m determined to get an education for myself, and also for the youth that I mentor to show that going to college is possible. Even if you have inadequate grades, you can change, develop, and improve them. The specific area I grew up in didn’t have the safest schools and lacked in giving good quality education. Majority of the time I got terrible grades in elementary school. The teachers never addressed any concerns to my mom or me so that I could break the habit. At that age, I didn’t know what a grade was or why it was important. This is something I should’ve been told by my teachers but wasn’t. I felt like I was the issue; not smart enough or had a learning disability but all in all, my teachers had failed me. They robbed me of having a good academic childhood, and they didn’t value me enough to tell me that my grades were an issue. Because of this, I told my mom that I wasn’t comfortable at school and that I wanted to go somewhere else. Sooner or later my mom requested an interdistrict transfer permit but the district denied it so we took it to court. With the very close to losing 5-4 judges’ decision, we were able to get their initial decision on the permit overturned. Thereafter, I thought everything would be better at my new school. I’d faced adversities such as racism from my teacher, discrimination in the classroom by being put in the back with other people of color, sometimes being superfluously separated from everyone during testing, and on many occasions, staff members implicated that I was a delinquent solely due to transferring from an underprivileged school. I ensured to disregard discrimination and disparaging words from teachers and peers. I’ve handled this trauma to ultimately become the student I am today. By climbing these difficult hurdles, I transformed tremendously into a 4.3 GPA student who cares about her grades, peers, and teachers. Overall, this experience has shaped me for the better and will continue to help me in the future. From this experience of both setbacks, I learned to grow tough skin and have come to a realization that troubles and tribulations happen, but they don’t last forever. Going through life every day gets difficult, but I make it a habit to seek the end goal and celebrate the good in every situation. It also taught me that I have control over my education. I know that I’m capable of achieving what I want with higher education since I’ve been preparing for college academically and emotionally. I want to continue to pursue higher education because I know it will be beneficial to being successful in my career and life in general.

In the 7th grade, I opted into a robotics elective. I designed and built with the help of my peers, an underwater robot for a school-wide competition. I was preparing for this after-school program called SeaPerch where the same code was used, the only difference being it taking place in a pool setting. In this class, I was introduced to electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and computer engineering. I also gained interest in hands-on activities through the opportunity to weld and construct for the first time. At the end of all of this, I decided that I liked the computer engineering arena the most because there was a coding aspect. It ultimately led me to want to major in computer science. This is when my passion for STEM sparked. I’m all about organization, color coordination, problem-solving, and enjoy how technology impacts our world. I also love gaming, from the detailed stories to the creativity displayed. It makes me exuberant, and I also get fixated on completing the objectives. Gaming has taught me countless skills, such as strategizing, focusing, and patience. Since I have a passion for gaming and coding, what better way to work in Game Development where I get a good mix of them both? Although STEM is a very difficult industry in terms of work and risks, it is a good type of challenge. It improves my cognitive thinking and prepares me for other hard situations I face in everyday life. It makes the problems life throws at you more manageable. For my career goals, I long to be a part of the soon-to-come worldly developments derived from STEM that will improve society. It is a fact that just 9% of the 70,000 degrees in Computer Science have been received by African Americans, 28% of women work in STEM and just 1.8% of Black women make up the STEM industry. I have a goal to increase those percentages. By doing so, I'd be a living example that a minority can be successful in STEM fields which would have a notable impact on my community because of the lack in the STEM industry of women and the lack of ethnic diversity represented. Working in my desired industry only grew my determination to stay in the STEM industry. I saw the need for engineers like me is steadily increasing. I have a strong interest in eradicating global warming. I also have good knowledge of the Human-Enhanced Greenhouse Effect. How it happens starts with the fossil fuels that are burnt off from the daily use of cars, factories, and power plants. These toxic, and harmful gases are adding to the radiation causing more gasses to get trapped in our atmosphere and bounce back onto us. Our world needs concepts such as STEM to assist in resolving these types of issues. Now more than ever, heat records have been broken. All of this heat has caused icebergs to melt and ice sheets to shrink. Countless dangerous effects are derived from global warming. One of the ways to stop global warming from getting worse is by reducing global emissions. Through my field of Computer Science, I’ll be able to make solar panels more efficient. This would include coming up with better ways to use fossil fuels like coal, oil, & gas which fuels fossil fuels. Not only is using solar panels environmental-friendly but also cost-efficient. Therefore I am determined to help solve this issue through STEM to ensure there will be a future generation and that they will be in good health.

For my career goals, I long to be a part of the soon-to-come worldly developments derived from STEM that will improve society. It is a fact that just 9% of the 70,000 degrees in Computer Science have been received by African Americans, and 29% of women work in STEM. I have a goal to increase that percentage. By doing so, I'd be a living example that a minority can be successful in STEM fields which would have a notable impact on my community because of the lack in the STEM industry of women and the lack of ethnic diversity represented. In the 7th grade, I opted into a robotics elective. In this class, I was introduced to electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and computer science. At the end of all this, I decided that I liked the computer science arena the most because there was a coding aspect. It ultimately led me to want to major in computer science. This was when my passion for STEM sparked. I’m all about organization, color coordination, problem-solving, and enjoy how technology impacts our world. I also love gaming, from the detailed stories to the creativity displayed. It makes me exuberant, and I also get fixated on completing the objectives. Gaming has taught me countless skills, such as strategizing, focusing, and patience. Since I am passionate about gaming and coding, what better way to work in Game Development where I get a good mix of them both?

I strive to pursue a higher education because most of my ancestors were not given the option to do so. I know that I am capable of achieving what I want with higher education since I’ve been preparing for college academically and emotionally. I want to continue to pursue higher education because I know it will be beneficial to being successful in my career and in life in general. I have been told by previous college graduates that it’s a life-changing moment from being a teenager to growing into a young adult; what better way to do that than with education? I also know that with a higher education, you will have more opportunities to attain personal goals career-wise and financially which is important to me because I want to put forth generational wealth which won’t happen without a college degree of some sort. Even though it’s possible to still be successful without getting a college degree, it’s rare and it will be very difficult to get through that stage of being denied, turned away, or disowned by family. Not only am I determined to pursue higher education for myself, but also for the youth that I mentor to see that going to college it’s possible to do even if you started out with inadequate education in your elementary days, and are told you’re nothing, you can change, develop, and improve your grades so that you can be at an adequate level to pursue education. I’m all about organization, color coordinating, problem-solving, and enjoy how technology impacts our world. I also love gaming, from the detailed stories to the creativity displayed. It makes me exuberant, and I also get fixated on completing the objectives. Gaming has taught me countless skills, such as strategizing, focusing, and patience. Since I am passionate about gaming and coding, what better way to work in Game Development where I get a good mix of them both? For my career goals, I long to be a part of the soon-to-come worldly developments derived from STEM that will improve society as a Computer Scientist. It is a fact that just 9% of the 70,000 degrees in Computer Science have been received by African Americans, and 29% of women work in STEM. I have a goal to increase that percentage. By doing so, I'd be a living example that a minority can be successful in STEM fields which would have a notable impact on my community because of the lack in the STEM industry of women and the lack of ethnic diversity represented. I’m determined to get an education for myself, and also for the youth that I mentor to see that going to college is possible to do even if you have inadequate grades, you can change, develop, and improve them. I will achieve these goals with self-determination, financial support, and frequent goal-checking.

1). In the 7th grade, I opted into a robotics elective. In this class, I was introduced to electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and computer science. At the end of all this, I decided that I liked the computer science arena the most because there was a coding aspect. It ultimately led me to want to major in computer science. This was when my passion for STEM sparked. I’m all about organization, color coordinating, problem-solving, and enjoy how technology impacts our world. I also love gaming, from the detailed stories to the creativity displayed. It makes me exuberant, and I also get fixated on completing the objectives. Gaming has taught me countless skills, such as strategizing, focusing, and patience. Since I am passionate about gaming and coding, what better way to work in Game Development where I get a good mix of them both? 2). For my career goals, I long to be a part of the soon-to-come worldly developments derived from STEM that will improve society. It is a fact that just 9% of the 70,000 degrees in Computer Science have been received by African Americans, and 29% of women work in STEM. I have a goal to increase that percentage. By doing so, I'd be a living example that a minority can be successful in STEM fields which would have a notable impact on my community because of the lack in the STEM industry of women and the lack of ethnic diversity represented. I’m determined to get an education for myself, and also for the youth that I mentor to see that going to college is possible to do even if you have inadequate grades, you can change, develop, and improve them. I will achieve these goals with self-determination, financial support, and frequent goal-checking. 3). I know that I am the best candidate for this scholarship because I am serious about my major. For each year of my high school career, I have taken a Computer Science class that would prepare me for this major. For two of those years, I took Honors Computer Science classes to take on more challenging tasks. I take the initiative by making the effort to attend outside STEM programs such as DigiGirlz and HIP. Yearly from 2016 to 2019, I participated in Microsoft's DigiGirlz Day to learn more about STEM careers, did hands-on projects that involve technology, and got to work alongside professionals currently in the STEM field. At the start of my junior year, I applied and got accepted into the Northrop Grumman’s HIP mentorship program which I completed at the end of my senior year. There, I also gained skills for college and the workforce. This program led me to 2 years consecutively of paid summer internships at Northrop Grumman where I was hands-on with coding projects. Last but not least, I’m committed to getting my bachelor's in computer science so, with certainty, this scholarship would go towards a future STEM graduate.

@lil.leilei

At the age of 3 years old, I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. All my life I have had a strong love for food. My favorite snacks were goldfish, pretzels, and chocolate brownies. That and more were taken from me almost immediately. Though that happened about 15 years ago, it still has impacted my life. If you didn’t know celiac disease in simple terms means that I am allergic to eating gluten/wheat, flour, barley, malt, rye, & soy. Yes. The stuff that’s literally in everything. Now of course there is a wide variety of food available in a grocery store but it’s difficult for people like me that are gluten-free to get a variety as well. There are either no substitutes, nasty ones, or decent substitutes for the most favored wheat foods. In most cases, if not all, I have to pay a higher price for food than others. It’s not my choice to have this condition but I have to live with it. One of the things I struggle with the most by having celiac disease is temptation because gluten is in almost everything that tastes good and is made very accessible. In my home, I get tempted since no one else in my immediate family has food allergens meaning there are tons of wheat foods everywhere in the house. Because of this, I have to frequently restrain myself. When my temptation would get too bad, I’d remind myself that the countless that I can’t have, but want so badly is not even healthy for anyone to eat on a daily basis. So then, I’ll open my double-door refrigerator with both hands to then begin fixing one of my favorite superfoods. My go-to combination is ice, blueberries, strawberries, one orange, and 1 ½ cups of Minute Maid’s fruit punch. The delicacy of cutting, peeling, and washing away inedible parts adds to the refreshing feeling when finally taking a sip. I have a strong connection to food and drinks so whatever comes in contact with my palate first, shakes me to the core. My smoothie never fails to satisfy my soul. The more I’m outside and surrounded by gluten, I’m surprisingly comfortable in my own skin. It took me a while to get there and along the way there were setbacks, but I persevered by recognizing the benefits of being gluten-free. You relatively stay at a good weight, it helps you avoid junk food, and you'll rarely have any stomach issues since foods without gluten is healthier. My celiac disease has also helped me learn early on in life to accept the things I can’t change. It got me to accept who I am and most of all, appreciate my uniqueness that I am part of the small but mighty 1% of people with celiac disease in the world.

I am a 18-year-old senior who’s 30 at heart with a hospitable attitude because of my passion for helping and improving others. I say I’m 30 at heart since I’ve had many experiences where an adult had mistaken me as one over the phone and other times when I engage in conversations with people they find me to be very mature for my age. I identify as a leader, optimistic, respectful, and charismatic individual due to the effort I put into transferring my positive, and good energy to others. I personally strive to pursue higher education because I know people before me didn’t even get the option. I know that getting a higher education will be beneficial to my success in my career and in life in general. It’ll create more opportunities that’ll help me attain personal goals career-wise and financially which is important to me because I want to put forth generational wealth. I also know that education will prepare me to add to the shift in our world once I graduate. For my career goals, I long to be a part of the soon-to-come worldly developments derived from STEM that’ll improve society. It is a fact that just 9% of the 70,000 degrees in Computer Science have been received by African Americans, and 29% of women work in STEM. I have a goal to increase that percentage. By doing so, I'd be a living example that a minority can be successful in STEM fields which would have a notable impact on my community because of the lack in the STEM industry of women and the lack of ethnic diversity represented. I’m determined to get an education for myself, and also for the youth that I mentor to see that going to college is possible to do even if you have inadequate grades, you can change, develop, and improve them. I know that I will achieve these goals with self-determination, financial support, and frequent goal-checking. I have a strong interest in eradicating global warming. I also have good knowledge of the Human-Enhanced Greenhouse Effect. How it happens starts with the fossil fuels that are burnt off from the daily use of cars, factories, and power plants. These toxic, and harmful gases are adding to the radiation causing more gasses to get trapped in our atmosphere and bounce back onto us. Now more than ever, heat records have been broken. All of this heat has caused icebergs to melt and ice sheets to shrink. There are countless dangerous effects coming from global warming. One of the ways to stop global warming from worsening is by reducing global emissions. Through my field of Computer Science, I’ll be able to make solar panels more efficient. This would include coming up with better ways to use fossil fuels like coal, oil, & gas which fuels fossil fuels. Not only is using solar panels environmental-friendly but also cost-efficient. Therefore I am determined to help solve this issue in order to ensure there will be a future generation and that they will be in good health.

A very memorable unexpected opportunity I came across at the start of my freshman year. I was placed in a seminar that I didn’t choose and I also was offended when I learned of the description. “Mental Math Bootcamp. For kids who struggle in math and need support.” I was dumbfounded that I was selected to be in the class. I had great grades in math previously. So, I thought, “How did my school come to the conclusion that I needed help in math if it’s only been three weeks with barely any assignments?” I tried switching immediately by speaking with the principal since at the time my counselor was bombarded with other seminar switches. When I asked my principal if I could switch seminars he didn’t give me a straight answer. “You haven’t even gone to the class yet, so why make your decision now?” He made a great point so I pursued a week of the seminar. Once I got the feel of the class, I soon realized that I was there to be of assistance to my peers. I along with 2 other students were people who excelled in math and all made good use of our time there throughout the course of the year. Little did I know that my experience was going to turn out the way it did. Many times we ventured out to go to an NBA Basketball game for free, went on 2 field trips during school, and 2 field trips outside of school to play NBA Math Hoops which is an educational board game we frequently played in seminar. In 2nd semester of Mental Math Bootcamp, I came across a wonderful opportunity that ended up having a great impact on my life. I applied to attend the National Championship Tournament for the NBA Math Hoops event that happens yearly. Without expecting anything from it, I was selected as 1 of 20 students nationally to participate in the 2019 NBA Math Hoops National Championships. Close to the end of my freshman year, and for the first time ever, I went to San Francisco, Oakland, Oracle Park, The Golden Gate Bridge, Golden State Warriors Facility, Pier 39, and Bleacher Report’s HQ while also getting the opportunity to represent my school. Funnily, and realistically I wouldn't have been able to experience any of these places if it weren't for math. Through NBA Math Hoops, I gained a love for math and ultimately problem-solving which is represented all through my major, Computer Science. Math teaches you to have patience and increase efficiency in most situations. This experience also has taught me to give new things a chance. Though initially, I didn't care too much for math, NBA Math Hoops increased my confidence in the subject which grew my liking for it. Had I not gone with the advice of my principal to stay in Mental Math Bootcamp, I’d never would have gotten the internal and external benefits from it.

I am a bright light who always offers a hand to hold or a shoulder to cry on. My persona is a temple. Always open to someone’s confessions. My hugs are more comforting than most. Others including myself consider them like a couch where they can just seep deep into the warmth and care of my arms. I’m slowly realizing I offer up myself so much that I feel like I can’t release my issues to someone else. I am physically and mentally strong but sometimes I get tiresome. The worst part of dealing with mental health is not accepting that you need help. With my good character and charismatic personality, I never thought I would have depression or suicidal thoughts due to how strong my connection is with God. In our society, being Christian and suicidal do not go together; because of this, I had long ignored the feelings I was having and just shook them off as if they were going to disappear on their own. My mental health for the very first time was challenged when the 2020 pandemic began. I did not know how to deal with it, and I didn't bother to ask anyone since many people were battling mentally themselves with the outlandish circumstance we were all in. My mental health altered my day-to-day things like eating and socializing. It threw off my focus on school, sports, and work. It took an even heavier toll of damage on my relationships with friends and family because they were not used to me, an extrovert, being distant. Some took offense to it, causing bonds with friends to break and a lack of communication with family. Especially for my family, it took them time to understand the changes I was making around the house such as closing my bedroom door, sleeping more, and engaging in conversation less. This mental state I was now in made me feel awkward, but I remember that some things change for the better. My experience with mental health taught me that the world is persistently unprepared to deal with these situations where the happiest people have a downfall. The world has yet to understand the toll it holds on people when mental health isn’t taken seriously nor attended to. With all things considered, mental health is so significant that it is crucial to educate everyone about it, therefore we could avoid a mass of misunderstandings between one another.

An African-American rising sophomore that attends Howard University is what I am on paper but I’m so much more. I have a strong love for music of all decades. Some people would refer to me as an old soul which I can’t deny; I love a good two-step. I’m a creative thinker who has many talents, but limited resources. I am young but mature-minded. Last, but not least, I am a blessed individual that knows what she desires and is a heavily determined go-getter. That’s me. Just like Ms.Ford, I value education. Learning comes in many different forms and shapes your life for the better. I personally strive to pursue higher education because I know most of my ancestors were not given the option to do so. Without a doubt, I am capable of achieving what I want with higher education since I’ve been preparing for college academically and emotionally. I want to continue to pursue a higher education because it will be beneficial to being successful in my career and in life in general. I also know that with a higher education, you will have more opportunities to attain personal goals career-wise and financially which is important to me because I want to put forth generational wealth which won’t happen without a college degree of some sort. Even though it’s possible to be successful without getting a college degree, it’s rare and burdensome to get through that stage of being denied, turned away, or disowned by family. Not only am I determined to pursue higher education for myself, but also for the youth that I mentor to show them that going to college is possible even if you started out with inadequate grades, and are told you’re nothing, you can change, develop, and improve your grades so that you can be at an adequate level to pursue education. I long to be a part of the soon-to-come worldly developments derived from STEM that’ll improve society. It is a fact that just 9% of the 70,000 degrees in Computer Science have been received by African Americans, and 29% of women work in STEM. I have a goal to increase that percentage. By doing so, I'd be a living example that a minority can be successful in STEM fields which would have a notable impact on my community because of the lack in the STEM industry of women and the lack of ethnic diversity represented. I was very excited to work as an intern in my field at a very well-known space company coming straight out of high school. Unexpectedly, I faced a roadblock. I quickly learned that the spaces I’m trying to work in don’t have people that look like me. It didn’t come as a shocker but more as a realization. Initially, I had found it difficult to not only adapt to a work environment that was less diverse than what I’m used to but to adapt to the workforce itself. Just one day felt more like a drawn-out week. My co-workers showed reluctant happiness towards me being in the position that I was in. The majority of my interning co-workers were already in college and older in age. Some mentioned how long it took them to land the internship. Many of them claimed that I was lucky but I knew that it wasn’t luck that got me there but because of my demeanor and the little experience I had fit the criteria. In order for me to get over the intimidation from my co-workers I had to learn to be appreciative and secure with my achievements.

The worst part of dealing with mental health is not accepting that you need help. With my good character and charismatic personality, I never thought I would have depression or suicidal thoughts due to how strong my connection is with God. In our society, being Christian and suicidal do not go together; because of this, I had long ignored the feelings I was having and just shook them off as if they were going to disappear on their own. My mental health for the very first time was challenged when the 2020 pandemic began. I did not know how to deal with it, and I didn't bother to ask anyone since many people were battling mentally themselves with the circumstance we were all in. My mental health altered my day-to-day things like eating and socializing. It threw off my focus in school, sports, and work. Most outlandishly, it damaged my relationships with friends and family because they were not used to me(an extrovert) being distant. Some took offense to it, causing bonds with friends to break and a lack of communication with family. This mental state I was now in made me feel awkward, but I remember that some things change for the better. My experience with mental health taught me that the world is persistently unprepared to deal with these situations where the happiest people have a downfall. The world has yet to understand the toll it holds on people when mental health isn’t taken seriously nor attended to. With all things considered, mental health is so significant that it is crucial to educate everyone about it, therefore, avoiding a mass of misunderstandings between one another.

In the 7th grade, I opted into a robotics elective. In this class, I was introduced to electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and computer science. At the end of all this, I decided that I liked the computer science arena the most because there was a coding aspect. It ultimately led me to want to major in computer science. This was when my passion for STEM sparked. I’m all about organization, color coordinating, problem-solving, and enjoy how technology impacts our world. I also love gaming, from the detailed stories to the creativity displayed. It makes me exuberant, and I also get fixated on completing the objectives. Gaming has taught me countless skills, such as strategizing, focusing, and patience. Since I have a passion for gaming and coding, what better way to work in Game Development where I get a good mix of them both? For my career goals, I long to be a part of the soon-to-come worldly developments derived from STEM that’ll improve society. It is a fact that just 9% of the 70,000 degrees in Computer Science have been received by African Americans, and 29% of women work in STEM. I have a goal to increase that percentage. By doing so, I'd be a living example that a minority can be successful in STEM fields which would have a notable impact on my community because of the lack in the STEM industry of women and the lack of ethnic diversity represented. I’m determined to get an education for myself, and also for the youth that I mentor to see that going to college is possible to do even if you have inadequate grades, you can change, develop, and improve them. I know that I will achieve these goals with self-determination, financial support, and frequent goal checking. I know that I am the best candidate for this scholarship because I am serious about my major. For each year of my high school career, I have taken a Computer Science class that would prepare me for this major. For two of those years, I took Honors Computer Science classes to take on more challenging tasks. I take initiative by making the effort to attend outside STEM programs such as DigiGirlz and HIP. Yearly from 2016 to 2019, I participated in Microsoft's DigiGirlz Day to learn more about STEM careers, did hands-on projects that involve technology, and got to work alongside professionals currently in the STEM field. At the start of my junior year, I applied and got accepted into the Northrop Grumman’s HIP mentorship program that I completed at the end of my senior year. There, I also gained skills for college and the workforce. This program led me to do a paid internship at Northrop Grumman during the summer where I was hands-on with coding projects. Last but not least, I’m committed to getting my bachelor's in computer science so, with certainty, this scholarship will would go towards a future STEM graduate.

At the age of 3 years old I was diagnosed with celiac disease. All my life I have had a strong love for food. My favorite snacks were goldfish, pretzels, and chocolate brownies. That and more were taken from me almost immediately. Though that happened about 15 years ago, it still has impacted my life. If you didn’t know celiac disease in simple terms means that I am allergic to eating gluten/wheat, flour, barley, malt, rye, & soy. Yes. The stuff that’s literally in everything. Now of course there is a wide variety of food available in a grocery store but it’s difficult for people like me that are gluten-free to get a variety as well. There are either no substitutes, nasty ones, or decent substitutes for the most favored wheat foods. In most cases, if not all, I have to pay a higher price for food than others. It’s not my choice to have this condition but I have to live with it. One of the things I struggle with the most by having celiac disease is temptation because gluten is in almost everything that tastes good and is made very accessible. In my home, I get tempted since no one else in my immediate family has food allergens meaning there are tons of wheat foods everywhere in the house. Because of this, I have to frequently restrain myself. When my temptation would get too bad, I’d remind myself that the countless that I can’t have, but want so badly is not even healthy for anyone to eat on a daily basis. So then, I’ll open my double-door refrigerator with both hands to then begin fixing one of my favorite superfoods. My go-to combination is ice, blueberries, strawberries, one orange, and 1 ½ cups of Minute Maid’s fruit punch. The delicacy of cutting, peeling, and washing away inedible parts adds to the refreshing feeling when finally taking a sip. I have a strong connection to food and drinks so whatever comes in contact with my palate first, shakes me to the core. My smoothie never fails to satisfy my soul. The more I’m outside and surrounded by gluten, I’m surprisingly comfortable in my own skin. It took me a while to get there and along the way there were setbacks, but I persevered by recognizing the benefits of being gluten-free. You relatively stay at a good weight, it helps you avoid junk food, and you'll rarely have any stomach issues since foods without gluten is healthier. My celiac disease has also helped me learn early on in life to accept the things I can’t change. It got me to accept who I am and most of all, appreciate my uniqueness that I am part of the small but mighty 1% of people with celiac disease in the world.

Family and friends continuously ask why I like Computer Science. Without any hesitation, I respond with, “I’m all about organization, color coordinating, problem-solving, and I enjoy how technology impacts our world.” I long to be a part of the soon-to-come worldly developments derived from STEM and have an impact on my community. It is a fact that just 9% of the 70,000 degrees in Computer Science have been received by African Americans. I want to accomplish my goal of increasing that percentage. By doing so, I would be a living example that a minority can be successful in STEM fields which would have a notable impact on my community because of the lack in the STEM industry of women alone and the lack of ethnic diversity represented. I find passion contingent upon how much effort you put into something. For example, I sometimes get so invested in coding that even if my Computer Science teacher gives me time in class to complete a project that's not due for weeks, I will still work on it at home. In particular, there was a project where I was assigned to make a DJ setlist with coding. Since music is also a passion of mine, I sometimes ended up working on it for 5 hours in one sitting. I got so into it because I didn’t want to lose my flow. I wanted to make sure my project could reflect my passion, deliberately set the mood that I intended for my listeners, and most importantly be perceived as entertaining to the vast majority of the audience. The little extra steps and time I took out paid off in the end because I got the end result I greatly wanted. So ultimately, I'll use my passion to soon become a part of making worldly developments derived from STEM that’ll have an impact on my community. I have a strong interest in eradicating global warming. I also have good knowledge of the Human-Enhanced Greenhouse Effect. How it happens starts with the fossil fuels that are burnt off from the daily use of cars, factories, and power plants. These toxic, and harmful gases are adding to the radiation causing more gasses to get trapped in our atmosphere and bounce back onto us. Now more than ever, heat records have been broken. All of this heat has caused icebergs to melt and ice sheets to shrink. There are countless dangerous effects coming from global warming. One of the ways to stop global warming from getting worse is by reducing global emissions. Through my field of Computer Science, I’ll be able to make solar panels more efficient. This would include coming up with better ways to use fossil fuels like coal, oil, & gas which fuels fossil fuels. Not only is using solar panels environmental-friendly but also cost-efficient. Therefore I am determined to help solve this issue in order to ensure there’ll be a future generation and that they will also be in good health.

I am seeking change within our country by starting small in my community to eliminate the detrimental effects of gentrification as well as getting easier access to fresh produce. I gained interest in learning about gentrification and having a want for change because I noticed it happening in my neighborhood & surrounding cities and I saw the huge impact gentrification had during the pandemic as well. I have also observed the huge distinction in where I can find and cannot find fresh produce. I got an interest in seeing a change in the inequity of the lack of fresh produce in minority communities. The change I would want to see in America as a country is to dissemble discrimination in all categories.I realized the way my community is laid out. There’s liquor stores and fast-food places on every corner, but people have to venture far out to get fresh produce. This causes people to have a dilemma of choosing to travel far to eat healthy or staying local to save money by eating fast food. What I perceived from it is that the higher-ranked people don’t want us to succeed. Through my volunteer service at the Food Banks, I learned how many people are in need of food, yet food gets wasted every day. I found out that we have plenty of food but dishing it out to people is the issue. Therefore the change needed would be a solution to lowering the percentage of Americans that suffer from hunger. It would also be amazing to see change in the whole world by countries working in harmony to diminish global warming by becoming carbon neutral, but we won’t be able to seize this if we don’t start small with a close-knit group and get people on one accord. I currently do my part in decreasing the carbon footprint left by my family and I by leaving our lights off until dark. We also recycle and use our electrical vehicle more than our gas-running vehicles. Locally, I help make a difference in my community socially and economically. Within a club that I help run outside of school called the United Afro Student Organization(UASO) our main goal is to educate, unite, and empower people on African-American issues. One way we’ve been serving our community has been through charity events. The most recent one we did was called, “A Mother’s Blessing” where we put together 30 unique care packages that included one’s basic needs such as clothes, food, sanitary products, toiletries and so much more to give to single black mothers. I also helped bring up a tutoring business called Remote Tutoring in the summer of 2020 to help my community adjust to remote learning by providing cheap prices but quality services to those in need. Our upcoming charity event is a Back-to-School drive through where we’ll gather donations to buy school supplies to give out at a local park to attract families with children who would appreciate the help. Because of my consistent dedication and determination towards helping others, every time, I am successful in what I do. I will ensure to continue to serve my community because there is nothing like a smile on someone’s face when receiving the help they need. My inspiration to keep going comes from the golden rule: “Treat those the way you want to be treated”. With this quote in mind, I’ll continue to serve my community through voluntary work up until the point where I can do more, like helping homeless people directly. Specifically, I’d get involved to assist them in their journey; get them to where they want to be rather that is getting a home or a job as their priority.

One of my favorite parts in my Financial Literacy was when we read, "The Psychology of Money" by Morgan Housel. I gained lots of knowledge and some things I did know already were then confirmed. I mainly gave most of my focus and analysis to the savings section in the book. What I concluded from it is that people have the tendency to act on their instincts. In some cases, that is a great attribute to have but when it comes to money, your approach must be different. It is a part of human nature to grab ahold of things that we want at that moment in time. When we end up doing that, later on, we end up regretting it or the consequence of our actions catch up to haunt us. Therefore, to avoid this, we must learn how to restrain ourselves. We can do that by saying, “No!”. Say no when going out places with friends that you truly don’t want to go to. Say no to going to that really expensive restaurant you love so much until you know for a fact that it won’t have much of an effect on your finances. If you truly want to be financially stable, you’ll want to say no to these things because building your wealth coincides with savings. You can’t have one without the other. When saving, you can enjoy the benefits that come with it such as flexibility, interest, and the feeling of security. Flexibility comes into play in your spending because essentially saving is a sign of preparedness, patience, and thoughtfulness. These qualities are what you want to have when dealing with money because it can cancel out a lot of unnecessary stress.

I know that most people learn life lessons from experiences but learned a great share from the short stories I was read when I was little. We’ve all heard the famous fable by the notorious Aesop either cuddled up in our beds or on a comfy town rug at elementary school. Of course, there are so many other books where a character had a substantial impact on me, but there is a particular reason why the story of, The Tortoise and the Hare distinctively came to mind. The story of The Tortoise and The Hare seems like such a simplistic lesson. However, I adapted part of my personality and morals from what I learned from both main characters. The Hare taught me to not be boastful. He taught me that you shouldn’t take advantage of someone’s disability. I acknowledge that confidence is a good thing to have, but the Hare illustrated that you still have to put in effort in order to reach your goals, or in the Hare’s case, to finish the race. Lastly, he brought to my attention how procrastination has consequences and is usually not the good kind. The Hare is a constant reminder of the type of person I never want to be. The Tortoise taught me the importance of obtaining patience. When I have a goal I want to achieve and I know there’ll be a rough journey towards it, I’ve adapted to have patience. Time truly waits for no one, so you better hop right on it and get down to business. That is just what the Tortoise had done. He didn’t worry about the fact that the Hare had an advantage and focused steadily on what he was doing. It was self-evident that the Hare was well-suited to win the race. But just because someone else may be better equipped than you, there is still potential for you to win the game of life. Of course, that was the result of the race. The Tortoise had won due to the good habit of taking it step-by-step. I equally learned lessons from the Tortoise and the Hare through their actions in addition to their thought and I applied what I learned to real-life. The best part of me learning from this is the self-growth that came with it. I sat there listening to what I thought was a boring story and left that classroom with gained morals.

Through SeaPerch, an optional program in middle school, I was introduced to electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and computer engineering. I gained interest in hands-on activities through getting the opportunity to weld and construct for the first time. At the end of all of this, I decided that I liked dealing with computers the most because of the coding aspect, so it led me to want to major in computer science. This is when my passion for STEM sparked. The high passion I have for STEAM intrigues me to take initiative in and outside of school. For each year of my high school career, I have taken a Computer Science class. I have also made the effort to attend outside STEM programs such as Microsoft's DigiGirlz which provided interactive projects with technology and the Northrop Grumman’s High School Involvement mentorship program where I get to work alongside professionals currently in a STEM field. Creativity is an overall huge part of me. My dream career is to work in many aspects of the Entertainment industry, including but not limited to acting, singing, dancing, directing, and choreographing. Because of my energetic and spirited personality, I easily fell in love with the arts. By being involved in Performing Arts, it gave me an opportunity to be surrounded by other creative people like me! I first started acting when I was six shortly after I attended an after-school performing arts program. Ever since, I have performed in 12 productions and assisted in 4 productions behind the scenes. I plan on continuing with it as my hobby because I enjoy every aspect of it. In the present day as well as the future I have a strong desire to work in many aspects of the Entertainment industry including but not limited to acting, singing, dancing, directing and choreographing. These two fields that I’m passionate about have already crossed paths. To name a few, face mics, earpieces, virtual auditions, mixers, live-streams, etc are the technology aspects within the arts. As a child, I loved singing, dancing and playing pretend. And so later on my mom found a flyer for my elementary school’s drama program. It was perfect because pretending is acting. So since then, I’ve always loved performing arts. In middle school, my drama teacher had assigned a new play for us to do but with the roles reversed as a catalyst where people that are used to acting in plays are now the crew and vice versa. I was mad and frustrated that I couldn’t do something that I have been doing for years. I initially thought it was terrible because I had never done anything like crew work before and with a flippant attitude I had made up my mind that I was going to hate it. This ended up pushing me out of my working comfort zone because experiencing the transition from being the star to going behind the scenes was uncalled for. Nevertheless, I grew a love for handling technical stuff such as lighting, building sets, coming up with ideas to fix situations pertaining to what we could and could not do, as well as cameras. I grew a love for cameras through this but also because I continued to work on my new craft outside of school.

As a child, I loved singing, dancing and playing pretend. And so later on my mom found a flyer for my elementary school’s drama program. It was perfect because pretending is acting. So since then, I’ve always loved performing arts. In middle school, my drama teacher had assigned a new play for us to do but with the roles reversed as a catalyst where people that are used to acting in plays are now the crew and vice versa. I was mad and frustrated that I couldn’t do something that I have been doing for years. I initially thought it was terrible because I had never done anything like crew work before and with a flippant attitude I had made up my mind that I was going to hate it. This ended up pushing me out of my working comfort zone because experiencing the transition from being the star to going behind the scenes was uncalled for. Nevertheless, I grew a love for handling technical stuff such as lighting, building sets, coming up with ideas to fix situations pertaining to what we could and could not do, as well as cameras. I grew a love for cameras through this but also because I continued to work on my new craft outside of school. I asked my dad who was a photographer at church about what he knew. I also started to research photographic techniques and read a camera manual. There were definitely obstacles, challenges, and times where I battled with myself. But I'm glad that I kept going with it, and ultimately, in the end, I picked up a new interest.

1. I deserve this scholarship because I need this money to pay for an education, to then get a job, that eventually pays for that education. 2. Though I had no intention during my freshman year of high school on going to college because to me at the time college was a scam, I plan to obtain a bachelor's degree in Computer Science. With this degree, I'd like to be a game developer. I also aspire to work in the Entertainment Industry as well. That would include but not limited to acting, singing, dancing, directing, and choreographing. 3. One obstacle I overcame was when I came home late after a long day. I was carrying so much weight on my back a was going through a lot. Right before I could stick the key into door, it dropped to the floor. I thought this was my last straw but persevered by inhaling & exhaling the stress gained from that moment.

The worst part in dealing with mental health is not accepting that you need help. With my good character and charismatic personality, I never thought I would have depression or have suicidal thoughts due to how strong my connection is with God. In our society, being Christian and suicidal do not go together; because of this, I had long ignored the feelings I was having and just shook them off as if they were going to disappear on their own. My mental health for the very first time was challenged when the 2020 pandemic began. I did not know how to deal with it, and I didn't bother to ask anyone since many people were battling mentally themselves with the circumstance we were all in. My mental health altered my day-to-day things like eating and socializing. It threw off my focus in school, sports, and work. Most outlandishly, it damaged my relationships with friends and family because they were not used to me(an extrovert) being distant. Some took offense to it, causing bonds with friends to break and a lack of communication with family. This mental state I was now in made me feel awkward, but I remember that some things change for the better. My experience with mental health taught me that the world is persistently unprepared to deal with these situations where the happiest people have a downfall. The world has yet to understand the toll it holds on people when mental health isn’t taken seriously nor attended to. With all things considered, mental health is so significant that it is crucial to educate everyone about it, therefore, avoiding a mass of misunderstandings between one another.

The high passion I have for STEM intrigues me to take initiative in and outside of school. For each year of my high school career, I have taken a Computer Science class that would prepare me for this career. I have made the effort to attend outside STEM programs such as DigiGirlz and Northrop Grumman’s HIP. Yearly from 2016 to 2019, I participated in Microsoft's DigiGirlz Day to learn more about STEM careers, do hands-on projects that involve technology, and got to work alongside professionals currently in a STEM field. I looked forward to it every year because of all the information I got in one day. At the start of my junior year, I applied and got accepted into the Northrop Grumman’s High School Involvement mentorship program that I am currently a part of. There, I also gained the following skills for college and insight into the STEM workforce. Family and friends continuously ask why I like Computer Science. Without any hesitation, I respond with, “I’m all about organization, color coordinating, problem-solving, and I enjoy how technology impacts our world.” I find passion contingent upon how much effort you put into something. For example, I sometimes get so invested in coding that even if my Computer Science teacher gives me time in class to complete a project that's not due for weeks, I will still work on it at home. In particular, there was a project where I was assigned to make a DJ setlist with coding. Since music is also a passion of mine, at times I ended up working on it for 5 hours in one sitting. I got so into it because I didn’t want to lose my flow. I wanted to make sure my project can reflect my passion, deliberately set the mood that I intended for my listeners, and most importantly is perceived as entertaining to the vast majority of the audience. The little extra steps and time I took out paid off in the end because I got the end result I greatly wanted. So ultimately, I'll use my passion to soon become a part of making worldly developments derived from STEM that’ll have an impact on my community. I have a strong interest in eradicating global warming. I also have good knowledge of the Human-Enhanced Greenhouse Effect. How it happens starts with the fossil fuels that are burnt off from the daily use of cars, factories, and power plants. These toxic, and harmful gases are adding to the radiation causing more gasses to get trapped in our atmosphere and bounce back onto us. Now more than ever, heat records have been broken. All of this heat has caused icebergs to melt and ice sheets to shrink. There are countless dangerous effects coming from global warming. One of the ways to stop global warming from getting worse is by reducing global emissions. Through my field of Computer Science I’ll be able to make solar panels more efficient. This would include coming up with better ways to use fossil fuels like coal, oil, & gas which fuels fossil fuels. Not only is using solar panels environmental-friendly but also cost-efficient. Therefore I am determined to help solve this issue in order to ensure there’ll be a future generation and that they’ll be in good health.

Out of all the classes I've taken in schooling, history has been the most eye-opening, intriguing, and valuable to me. However, I feel like it’s not emphasized enough. History just so happens to be the blueprint for future generations' physical and mental behaviors. It’s been shown repeatedly in history that history repeats itself. The way that this happens is due to the school system not highlighting the subject of history as much as the other general education classes. If history gets more emphasis in schools and the content given teaches all narratives of significant events, then it would unify our societies socially. What is taught in school truly affects the outside world and affects people’s patterns, so the study of history can influence impactful decisions. There is one historical event I wished I would have learned more about in school. Slavery changed America's history yet I ended up learning more about this subject at home. As an African-American, my dad introduced the topic of slavery to me when I was 10 years old. I vividly remember my dad saying, “The reason I’m telling you this now is because you most likely won’t hear it correctly anywhere else”. He was so right. Even though I had learned it myself, I wish I learned about it more in school because the first time I heard it in school was when it was intermittently in 8th grade Social Studies. Then I learned about specific events when I got to 10th grade World History. The events were skimmed over and were not discussed in depth. I didn’t authentically learn about the complexities of slavery, in school, until 11th grade U.S. History class. There, I got much more information and a deeper context that I was longing for. I've talked to many of my peers of various ethnicities and they agree that the education system needs to allow the history of people of color in America to be taught. One of the ways history has been valuable to me has been through my U.S. History class. I am reluctant to say that many teachers and textbooks in elementary school failed me when teaching about racism. Thankfully, I have had some teachers verbally correct parts in the textbooks that were not explicitly said. My U.S. History teacher introduced a book to our honors class called, “A People’s History of the United States” and it made me come to many realizations, challenged my thinking, and changed my thoughts on how I view America. I forever thank him for that. This is a clear example that there isn’t enough emphasis on history because if there was then state governments would invest more money into buying updated history textbooks that share different narratives.

I personally strive to pursue a higher education because I know most of my ancestors were not given the option to do so. I know that I am capable of achieving what I want with higher education since I’ve been preparing for college academically and emotionally. I want to continue to pursue a higher education because I know it will be beneficial to being successful in my career and in life in general. I have been told from previous college graduates that it’s a life-changing moment from being a teenager to growing into a young adult; what better way to do that than with education. I also know that with a higher education you will have more opportunities to attain personal goals career-wise and financially which is important to me because I want to put forth generational wealth which won’t happen without a college degree of some sort. Even though it’s possible to still be successful without getting a college degree, it’s rare and it will be very difficult to get through that stage of being denied, turned away, or disowned by family. Not only am I determined to pursue higher education for myself, but also for the youth that I mentor to see that going to college it’s possible to do even if you started out with inadequate education in your elementary days, and are told you’re nothing, you can change, develop, and improve your grades so that you can be at an adequate level to pursue education. Yes, education is important but to be versatile too is admirable. As a student-athlete it can be difficult but I find it enjoyable. That’s why for school I play Volleyball, Basketball, and Beach Volleyball. Outside of school, I love to play tennis, crochet, graphic design, do yoga/exercising, tutoring, work in my community, and as the pandemic restrictions are easing up more and more, I resumed singing, acting, and dancing. Because of the many sports and extracurricular activities I do, I had to learn how to prioritize and gain self-motivation but all in all, it’s worth it. As a child, I loved singing, dancing and playing pretend. And so later on my mom found a flyer for my elementary school’s drama program. It was perfect because pretending is acting. So since then, I’ve always been passionate about being in the performing arts industry. I know that in most cases it can be an unstable job so I will be pursuing both Computer Science and Performing Arts where either way I’ll be happy because I also love coding, technology, and gaming so coding games will be the perfect day job for me!

In the 7th grade, I opted into a robotics elective. I designed and built with the help of my peers an underwater robot for a school-wide competition. I was preparing for this after-school program called SeaPerch where the same code was used, the only difference being it taking place in a pool setting. In this class, I was introduced to electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and computer engineering. I also gained interest in hands-on activities through getting the opportunity to weld and construct for the first time. At the end of all of this, I decided that I liked the computer engineering arena the most because there was a coding aspect. It ultimately led me to want to major in computer science. This is when my passion for STEM sparked. The high passion I have for STEM intrigues me to take initiative in and outside of school. For each year of my high school career, I have taken a Computer Science class that would prepare me for this career. I have made the effort to attend outside STEM programs such as DigiGirlz and Northrop Grumman’s HIP. Yearly from 2016 to 2019, I participated in Microsoft's DigiGirlz Day to learn more about STEM careers, do hands-on projects that involve technology, and got to work alongside professionals currently in a STEM field. I looked forward to it every year because of all the information I got in one day. At the start of my junior year, I applied and got accepted into the Northrop Grumman’s High School Involvement mentorship program that I am currently a part of. There, I also gained the following skills for college and insight into the STEM workforce. Family and friends continuously ask why I like Computer Science. Without any hesitation, I respond with, “I’m all about organization, color coordinating, problem-solving, and I enjoy how technology impacts our world.” I find passion contingent upon how much effort you put into something. For example, I sometimes get so invested in coding that even if my Computer Science teacher gives me time in class to complete a project that's not due for weeks, I will still work on it at home. In particular, there was a project where I was assigned to make a DJ setlist with coding. Since music is also a passion of mine, at times I ended up working on it for 5 hours in one sitting. I got so into it because I didn’t want to lose my flow. I wanted to make sure my project can reflect my passion, deliberately set the mood that I intended for my listeners, and most importantly is perceived as entertaining to the vast majority of the audience. The little extra steps and time I took out paid off in the end because I got the end result I greatly wanted. So ultimately, I'll use my passion to soon become a part of making worldly developments derived from STEM that’ll have an impact on my community. I have a strong interest in eradicating global warming. I also have good knowledge of the Human-Enhanced Greenhouse Effect. How it happens starts with the fossil fuels that are burnt off from the daily use of cars, factories, and power plants. These toxic, and harmful gases are adding to the radiation causing more gasses to get trapped in our atmosphere and bounce back onto us. Now more than ever, heat records have been broken. All of this heat has caused icebergs to melt and ice sheets to shrink. There are countless dangerous effects coming from global warming. One of the ways to stop global warming from getting worse is by reducing global emissions. Through my field of Computer Science I’ll be able to make solar panels more efficient. This would include coming up with better ways to use fossil fuels like coal, oil, & gas which fuels fossil fuels. Not only is using solar panels environmental-friendly but also cost-efficient. Therefore I am determined to help solve this issue in order to ensure there’ll be a future generation and that they’ll be in good health.

After many years of exploring things in this world to see what I like and dislike, enjoy and bored with, I concluded that my best career choice is Game Development. This implies I would need to gain a degree in Computer Science. I long to be a part of the soon to come worldly developments derived from STEM and have an impact on my community. It is a fact that just 9% of the 70,000 degrees in Computer Science have been received by African Americans and that 29% of women work in STEM. I have a goal to accomplish to increase that percentage. By doing so, I would be a living example that a minority can be successful in STEAM fields which would have a notable impact on my community because of the lack in the STEAM industry of women alone and the lack of ethnic diversity represented. By graduating, I would be fulfilling a slight change in the thinking about college in my community. I’m determined to get an education for myself, and also for the youth that I mentor to see that going to college is possible to do even if you have inadequate grades, you can change, develop, and improve them. Since I have a passion for gaming and coding, what better way to work in Game Development where I get a good mix of them both. I know that I will achieve these goals with self-determination, financial support, and frequent goal checking. What this would look like is having the end goal in front of me, reaching out to organizations that I’ve worked with to obtain grants, and having a checklist along with a timeline to revisit to know how far I am away from goal attainment.

I wake up early in the morning. Just around the same time as the rising sun. When there is nothing else but birds chirping. By waking up this early allows me to freely think with no distractions. I then move on to using my most prized Christmas gift. My teal, Gaiam yoga mat to do some stretching on. While I do my yoga, I either put on jungle or ocean sounds that give good vibes since music is known to lighten your mood and even release any anxiety or stress that someone is having. Now that I’ve awakened my mind and body, believe it or not, this final step I take to practice self-care prepares me for the rest of the day. I transition to fix myself a nurturing smoothie from scratch. My go-to combination is ice, blueberries, strawberries, one orange, and 1 ½ cups of Minute Maid’s fruit punch. The delicacy in cutting, peeling, and washing away inedible parts adds to the refreshing feeling when finally taking a sip. I have a strong connection to food and drinks so whatever comes in contact with my palate first, shakes me to the core. My smoothie never fails to satisfy my soul. My trifecta of self-care steps impacts my life mentally, physically, and emotionally just within an hour of my day. I often feel more calm and happy that I took control over my day in the best way possible. It helps me know that it’s beneficial for me to be in the routine of doing something for myself or something that I enjoy. Honestly, I wish I got introduced to the idea of self-care sooner because it would have taught me how to love myself and could have saved me from a lot of unnecessary stress.

As a STEM major, there are lots of inputs needed in order to get an admissible output. $1,000 will not only assist me in buying the materials needed for my major but also help me accomplish my goal. Materials include but are not limited to a computer, school tuition, and labs. When going into college in general, a personal computer is a necessity. As a computer science major, a computer will be the main contributor to my success. In order to get to where I want to be, I’d need to acquire the funds to attend school. Colleges are expensive now more than ever and any bit of help will knock off some of those costs. Also, specifically for my major, there is a lab cost put on by colleges to cover in-class materials that we’ll use. As for my goal, it is a fact that just 9% of the 70,000 degrees in Computer Science have been received by African Americans. Youssef’s scholarship can help me increase that percentage. I'd then be a living example that a minority can be successful in STEM fields which would have a notable impact on my community because of the lack in the STEM industry of women alone and the lack of ethnic diversity represented. Once records show how people with STEM majors have a vast contribution to society, other people or companies will invest in us just as Youssef is doing.

I am a 17-year-old senior who’s 30 at heart with a hospitable attitude because of my passion for helping and improving others. I say I’m 30 at heart since I’ve had many experiences where an adult had mistaken me as one over the phone and other times when I engage in conversations with people they find me to be very mature for my age. I identify as a leader, optimistic, respectful, and charismatic individual due to the effort I put into transferring my positive, and good energy to others. I personally strive to pursue higher education because I know people before me didn’t even get the option. I know that getting a higher education will be beneficial to my success in my career and in life in general. It’ll create more opportunities that’ll help me attain personal goals career-wise and financially which is important to me because I want to put forth generational wealth. I also know that education will prepare me to add to the shift in our world once I graduate. It is a fact that just 9% of the 70,000 degrees in Computer Science have been received by African Americans and that 29% of women work in STEM. I have a goal to accomplish to increase that percentage. By doing so, I would be a living example that a minority can be successful in STEAM fields which would have a notable impact on my community because of the lack in the STEAM industry of women alone and lack of ethnic diversity represented. By graduating, I would be fulfilling a slight change in the thinking about college in my community. I’m determined to get an education for myself, and also for the youth that I mentor to see that going to college is possible to do even if you have inadequate grades, you can change, develop, and improve them. Through SeaPerch, an optional program in middle school, I was introduced to electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and computer engineering. I gained interest in hands-on activities through getting the opportunity to weld and construct for the first time. At the end of all of this, I decided that I liked dealing with computers the most because of the coding aspect, so it led me to want to major in computer science. This is when my passion for STEM sparked. The high passion I have for STEAM intrigues me to take initiative in and outside of school. For each year of my high school career, I have taken a Computer Science class. I have also made the effort to attend outside STEM programs such as Microsoft's DigiGirlz which provided interactive projects with technology and the Northrop Grumman’s High School Involvement mentorship program where I get to work alongside professionals currently in a STEM field. Creativity is an overall huge part of me. My dream career is to work in many aspects of the Entertainment industry, including but not limited to acting, singing, dancing, directing, and choreographing. Because of my energetic and spirited personality, I easily fell in love with the arts. By being involved in Performing Arts, it gave me an opportunity to be surrounded by other creative people like me! I first started acting when I was six shortly after I attended an after-school performing arts program. Ever since, I have performed in 12 productions and assisted in 4 productions behind the scenes. I plan on continuing with it as my hobby because enjoy every aspect of it.

As said by the influential Colin Powell, “A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work.” This quote inspired me and gave me the courage to shift my academic goals around. My dream for the future is to work in many aspects of the Entertainment industry, including but not limited to acting, singing, dancing, directing, and choreographing. I know that in most cases, many of these jobs can be unstable so I thought that I'd take a responsible approach by pursuing Computer Science. I’m all about organization, color coordinating, problem-solving, and I enjoy how technology impacts our world. Not too long ago, I noticed how much I loved gaming. From the detailed stories to the creativity displayed. It makes me exuberant, and I also get fixated on completing the objectives. Gaming has taught me countless skills, such as strategizing, focusing, patience, and funnily enough, anger management which is why overall, I love gaming. Since I have a passion for gaming and coding, what better way to work in Game Development where I get a good mix of them both. For my career goals, I long to be a part of the soon-to-come worldly developments derived from STEM that’ll improve society. It is a fact that just 9% of the 70,000 degrees in Computer Science have been received by African Americans. I have a goal to increase that percentage. By doing so, I would be a living example that a minority can be successful in STEM fields which would have a notable impact on my community because of the lack in the STEM industry of women alone and lack of ethnic diversity represented. No matter where I end up or what I end up doing, I know that I want to be happy doing it.

As said by the influential Colin Powell, “A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work.” This quote inspired me and gave me the courage to shift my academic goals around. My dream for the future is to work in many aspects of the Entertainment industry, including but not limited to acting, singing, dancing, directing, and choreographing. I know that in most cases, many of these jobs can be unstable so I thought that I'd take a responsible approach by pursuing Computer Science. I’m all about organization, color coordinating, problem-solving, and I enjoy how technology impacts our world. Not too long ago, I noticed how much I loved gaming. From the detailed stories to the creativity displayed. It makes me exuberant, and I also get fixated on completing the objectives. Gaming has taught me countless skills, such as strategizing, focusing, patience, and funnily enough, anger management which is why overall, I love gaming. Since I have a passion for gaming and coding, what better way to work in Game Development where I get a good mix of them both. For my career goals, I long to be a part of the soon-to-come worldly developments derived from STEM that’ll improve society. It is a fact that just 9% of the 70,000 degrees in Computer Science have been received by African Americans. I have a goal to increase that percentage. By doing so, I would be a living example that a minority can be successful in STEM fields which would have a notable impact on my community because of the lack in the STEM industry of women alone and lack of ethnic diversity represented. No matter where I end up or what I end up doing, I know that I want to be happy doing it.

The meaning of life. Of course, there is a definition of “life” but does anyone really even know? We are all in this together trying to figure it out as we go. Learning from others, from ourselves, our mistakes, our successes. The meaning of life to me is to fulfill your role on this earth. You do that by going out and exploring your likes and dislikes. Discovering something for the first can lead to you gaining experience or spark a new interest. Whatever someone believes is their passion can define their own meaning of life. Life really is what you make it. It’s your life to live! There is always a purpose for why each person is here or there at a particular time. I feel that destiny is a big part of the meaning of life because it’s unique to everyone. That’s why some people are better at doing certain things than others because they were destined to do it. Since your destiny is something of the future, don’t expect for you to find your meaning and purpose in life to be waiting for you. You have to go get it! The way I try to achieve my own meaning of life is by starting off with my surroundings. I make sure I’m secure with the people in my circle who know and view me differently than myself. You can get easily blinded by your own thoughts which may make it difficult for you to see the bigger picture of something you want to do. That is where your true friends and family come in. They’ll help you get to the finish line. Your finish line is whatever you envision for yourself but make sure you know when you’ve crossed it so that you know when to rest.

At the age of 3 years old I was diagnosed with celiac disease. All my life I have had a strong love for food. My favorite snacks were goldfish, pretzels, and chocolate brownies. That and more were taken from me almost immediately. Though that happened about 15 years ago, it still has impacted my life. If you didn’t know celiac disease in simple terms means that I am allergic to eating gluten/wheat, flour, barley, malt, rye, & soy. Yes. The stuff that’s literally in everything. Now of course there is a wide variety of food available in a grocery store but it’s difficult for people like me that are gluten-free to get a variety as well. There are either no substitutes, nasty ones, or decent substitutes for the most favored wheat foods. In most cases, if not all, I have to pay a higher price for food than others. It’s not my choice to have this condition but I have to live with it. One of the things I struggle the most with my celiac disease is temptation because gluten is in almost everything that tastes good and is made very accessible. In my home, I get tempted since no one else in my immediate family has food allergens meaning there are tons of wheat foods everywhere in the house. The majority of the time I support and am glad for what other people have going on but I have to admit that I get jealous of what others eat. Many times I get peer pressure on why I’m not getting lunch. I also feel left out a lot. This goes for parties, trends, and new food creations. I have countless memories of going to friends’ birthday parties and they either have cake or cupcakes. None of which I can have. Their moms would constantly say, ”Aw, come on. Grab a slice!” I’m usually never in the mood to tell people of my disorder so I just decline multiple times. Sadly, at my own birthday parties, I blew out candles on a cake that I couldn’t have in order to keep the tradition. A food trend I wanted to join was trying the Popeye’s Chicken Sandwich but due to it being fully breaded I had to sit back and watch others enjoy it. Lastly, there is this Tik Tok food creation that I made the effort in making alterations so that it’s gluten-free and it honestly didn’t turn out too bad. They were Nutella French Toast Rolls with syrup, powdered sugar, and topped with strawberries that made it absolutely delicious. When making it, I ran into some problems mainly because my bread’s structure is stiffer than wheat bread yet breaks easier. That experience helped me boost my confidence and has encouraged me to try to make the best out of every situation. The more I’m outside and am surrounded by gluten, I’m surprisingly comfortable in my own skin. It took me a while to get there and along the way there were setbacks, but I persevered by recognizing the benefits of being gluten-free. You relatively stay at a good weight, it helps you avoid junk food, and you'll rarely have any stomach issues since foods without gluten are healthier. My celiac disease has also helped me learn early on in life to accept the things I can’t change. It got me to accept who I am and most of all, appreciate my uniqueness that I am part of the small but mighty 1% of people with celiac disease in the world.

Out of all the classes I've taken in schooling, history has been the most eye-opening, intriguing, and valuable to me. However, I feel like it’s not emphasized enough. History just so happens to be the blueprint for future generations' physical and mental behaviors. It’s been shown repeatedly in history that history repeats itself. The way that this happens is due to the school system not highlighting the subject of history as much as the other general education classes. If history gets more emphasis in schools and the content given teaches all narratives of significant events, then it would unify our societies socially. What is taught in school truly affects the outside world and affects people’s patterns so, the study of history can influence impactful decisions. There is one historical event I wished I would have learned more about in school. Slavery changed America's history yet I ended up learning more about this subject at home. As an African-American, my dad introduced the topic of slavery to me when I was 10 years old. I vividly remember my dad saying, “The reason I’m telling you this now is because you most likely won’t hear it correctly anywhere else”. He was so right. Even though I had learned it myself, I wish I learned about it more in school because the first time I heard it in school was when it was intermittently in 8th grade Social Studies. Then I learned about specific events when I got to 10th grade World History. The events were skimmed over and were not discussed in depth. I didn’t authentically learn about the complexities of slavery, in school, until 11th grade U.S. History class. There, I got much more information and a deeper context that I was longing for. I've talked to many of my peers of various ethnicities and they agree that the education system needs to allow the history of people of color in America to be taught. One of the ways history has been valuable to me has been through my U.S. History class. I am reluctant to say that many teachers and textbooks in elementary school failed me when teaching about racism. Thankfully, I have had some teachers verbally correct parts in the textbooks that were not explicitly said. My U.S. History teacher introduced a book to our honors class called, “A People’s History of the United States” and it made me come to many realizations, challenged my thinking, and changed my thoughts on how I view America. I forever thank him for that. This is a clear example that there isn’t enough emphasis on history because if there was then state governments would invest more money into buying updated history textbooks that share different narratives.

I find joy through other people. Seeing someone smile or winning in life makes me happy. Happiness is contagious, influential, but I also find happiness within myself through my actions. I would say that lending a helping hand makes me happy because I know that whoever I helped can then later down the line do the same for someone else. I connect this to a personal experience where when I was younger I had a piano teacher. She taught me for 4 years. Not only did she teach me piano, she always dropped words of wisdom that I can use for life while growing up. Coincidentally, I now tutor her friend’s daughter in Math & English. I made sure to pay it forward, so every now and then when I tutor, I pass on valuable life lessons that connect with whatever I’m tutoring. My tutee’s guardian constantly tells me how difficult it is for them to teach. They’ve stated that because of me their student is getting back up to speed and I helped build their confidence. I’m happy to know that I have a positive effect on people who crossed paths with me. It makes me self-aware that every little thing I do that I may think isn’t such a big thing can be truly impactful to someone else.

I am a 17-year-old senior who’s 30 at heart with a hospitable attitude because of my passion for helping and improving others. I say I’m 30 at heart since I’ve had many experiences where an adult had mistaken me as one over the phone and other times when I engage in conversations with people they find me to be very mature for my age. I identify as a leader, optimistic, respectful, and charismatic individual due to the effort I put into transferring my positive, and good energy to others. I personally strive to pursue higher education because I know people before me didn’t even get the option. I know that getting a higher education will be beneficial to my success in my career and in life in general. It’ll create more opportunities that’ll help me attain personal goals career-wise and financially which is important to me because I want to put forth generational wealth. I also know that education will prepare me to add to the shift in our world once I graduate. It is a fact that just 9% of the 70,000 degrees in Computer Science have been received by African Americans and that 29% of women work in STEM. I have a goal to accomplish to increase that percentage. By doing so, I would be a living example that a minority can be successful in STEAM fields which would have a notable impact on my community because of the lack in the STEAM industry of women alone and lack of ethnic diversity represented. By graduating, I would be fulfilling a slight change in the thinking about college in my community. I’m determined to get an education for myself, and also for the youth that I mentor to see that going to college is possible to do even if you have inadequate grades, you can change, develop, and improve them. Through SeaPerch, an optional program in middle school, I was introduced to electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and computer engineering. I gained interest in hands-on activities through getting the opportunity to weld and construct for the first time. At the end of all of this, I decided that I liked dealing with computers the most because of the coding aspect, so it led me to want to major in computer science. This is when my passion for STEM sparked. The high passion I have for STEAM intrigues me to take initiative in and outside of school. For each year of my high school career, I have taken a Computer Science class. I have also made the effort to attend outside STEM programs such as Microsoft's DigiGirlz which provided interactive projects with technology and the Northrop Grumman’s High School Involvement mentorship program where I get to work alongside professionals currently in a STEM field. Creativity is an overall huge part of me. My dream career is to work in many aspects of the Entertainment industry, including but not limited to acting, singing, dancing, directing, and choreographing. Because of my energetic and spirited personality, I easily fell in love with the arts. By being involved in Performing Arts, it gave me an opportunity to be surrounded by other creative people like me! I first started acting when I was six shortly after I attended an after-school performing arts program. Ever since, I have performed in 12 productions and assisted in 4 productions behind the scenes. I plan on continuing with it as my hobby because enjoy every aspect of it.

I think of a wise story an elder once told me. There are four wheels on a shopping cart, it only takes one wheel to hold the cart back, which will make it harder to reach your destination. If my peers and I are on the same track and are in agreement with each other, the journey to the destination of graduation will be made easier. This quote first impacted me by making me realize the importance of who I associate myself with and let into my circle of friends. I thankfully understood this message and learned the lesson before substantial damage could be done. I learned to put myself around like-minded people that have goals and wants so that our shopping cart can just take off. I’m fortunate to have a strong support system and genuine friends for a good couple of years. Their successes and happiness lead to my success and happiness as well. This would be a good outcome of going through life with others and overall keeps me hopeful for my future friendships. Another way I’ve interpreted this quote is the shopping cart represents life and the one wheel represents bad habits. Everyone has their own fair share of bad habits but some choose to ignore them and yet wonder why they can’t get to where they’re going. Dealing with that one wheel can cause you to get frustrated and grab another cart. The analogy I’m making is that people quit out of frustration and will start a new path, but they shouldn’t. Although it is difficult to drop those bad habits, they have the ability to keep the cart going forward by pushing through the roughness of that “one wheel”.

The meaning of life. Of course, there is a definition of “life” but does anyone really even know? We are all in this together trying to figure it out as we go. Learning from others, from ourselves, our mistakes, our successes. The meaning of life to me is to fulfill your role on this earth. You do that by going out and exploring your likes and dislikes. Discovering something for the first can lead to you gaining experience or spark a new interest. Whatever someone believes is their passion can define their own meaning of life. Life really is what you make it. It’s your life to live! There is always a purpose for why each person is here or there at a particular time. I feel that destiny is a big part of the meaning of life because it’s unique to everyone. That’s why some people are better at doing certain things than others because they were destined to do it. Since your destiny is something of the future, don’t expect for you to find your meaning and purpose in life to be waiting for you. You have to go get it! The way I try to achieve my own meaning of life is by starting off with my surroundings. I make sure I’m secure with the people in my circle who know and view me differently than myself. You can get easily blinded by your own thoughts which may make it difficult for you to see the bigger picture of something you want to do. That is where your true friends and family come in. They’ll help you get to the finish line. Your finish line is whatever you envision for yourself but make sure you know when you’ve crossed it so that you know when to rest.

The specific area I lived in didn’t have the safest schools and most definitely lacked in giving good quality education. Majority of the time I got terrible grades in elementary school. The teachers never addressed concerns to my mom or me so that I could break the habit. At that age on my own, I didn’t know what a grade was or why it was important. This is something I should’ve been told by my teachers but wasn’t. I felt like I was the issue; not smart enough or had a learning disability but all in all, my teachers had failed me. They robbed me of having a good academic childhood, they didn’t value me and made me think that my grades weren’t a bad thing since they didn’t have the nerve to tell me. Because of this, I told my mom that I wasn’t comfortable at school and that I want to go somewhere else. Sooner or later my mom requested an interdistrict transfer permit but the district denied it so we took it to court. With the very close to losing 5-4 judges’ decision, we were able to get their initial decision on the permit overturned. From there on, I thought it would be the end of my bad days, but no. At my new school in a different district, I’d faced many adversities such as racism from my own teacher, discrimination in the classroom by always being put in the back with the rest of the people of color, sometimes being superfluously separated from everyone when testing took place, and on many occasions, staff members implicated that I was a delinquent solely due to the fact I came from an underprivileged school. I made sure to not let the discrimination from teachers and peers, nor disparaging words push me down in the trenches. I’ve dealt with this trauma to ultimately become the student I am now that I never thought I could be. By climbing over these difficult hurdles, I transformed tremendously into a 4.3 GPA student that cares about her grades, peers, teachers, and school as a whole. I do wonder where I would be academically if the pandemic didn’t take place. It seemed that I was achieving so much my sophomore year to the point where I could feel my climax at the tip of my fingers, but I just couldn’t grasp it quick enough. Overall, this experience has shaped me for the better and will continue to help me in the future. From this experience of both setbacks, I learned to grow tough skin and have come to a realization that troubles and tribulations happen, but they don’t last forever. Going through life every day gets difficult, but I make it a habit to seek the end goal and celebrate the good in every situation. I also learned that you can only change something that is in your control. Other people's feelings and actions aren’t one of them. Therefore, you shouldn’t let other people’s feelings and actions hinder you from your desires or objectives. When looking back at where I came from to where I am now, fills me with jubilation. Though it was difficult emotionally to deal with these circumstances as a young child not understanding why or what exactly was happening to me, I am still thankful that I got a 2nd chance. Had I not won the case nor wanted to better myself I would be in a completely different situation; most likely a worst one.

I wake up early in the morning. Just around the same time as the rising sun. When there is nothing else but birds chirping. By waking up this early allows me to freely think with no distractions. I then move on to using my most prized Christmas gift. My teal, Gaiam yoga mat to do some stretching on. While I do my yoga, I either put on jungle or ocean sounds that give good vibes since music is known to lighten your mood and even release any anxiety or stress that someone is having. Now that I’ve awakened my mind and body, believe it or not, this final step I take to practice self-care prepares me for the rest of the day. I transition to fix myself a nurturing smoothie from scratch. My go-to combination is ice, blueberries, strawberries, one orange, and 1 ½ cups of Minute Maid’s fruit punch. The delicacy in cutting, peeling, and washing away inedible parts adds to the refreshing feeling when finally taking a sip. I have a strong connection to food and drinks so whatever comes in contact with my palate first, shakes me to the core. My smoothie never fails to satisfy my soul. My trifecta of self-care steps impacts my life mentally, physically, and emotionally just within an hour of my day. I often feel more calm and happy that I took control over my day in the best way possible. It helps me know that it’s beneficial for me to be in the routine of doing something for myself or something that I enjoy. Honestly, I wish I got introduced to the idea of self-care sooner because it would have taught me how to love myself and could have saved me from a lot of unnecessary stress.

Every morning and night right before I go off to bed I make sure to hug my parents. That’s my main love language and it’s always have been. Hugs bring warmth, comfort, and can speak words for us. I offer my honest opinions on house improvements, new clothes, and food as a true family member. As for my friends, I show my love by listening to them while they're telling me about whatever situation they are in. I give them my best advice and make them aware of there if there's more than one way to handle it. I respect them for being vulnerable and so I owe it to them to let them know I’m there for them. Another way I make my friends feel loved is through celebrating either their or their family member’s birthdays, successes, and breakthroughs. I tend to spend a fair amount on my friends because I know that some of their love language or the way they respond to things is materialistic. To me, there’s nothing wrong with that. Everyone is their own person and likes different things. Therefore, I go the extra mile here and there by putting them before me because from my perspective, what little I do can bring them joy. Lastly, for any people I've made contact with, whether a stranger or an old-time friend, I recognize them for their contributions to my life. What I do to that is say those words to them that most people are afraid to say when they genuinely love someone. One of the best things you can ever do in life is to say those 3 special words and really mean it. This would ensure that the person on the receiving end will never have to doubt your love for them.

Joy is a sign of happiness, pride, and being victorious. All emotions are energy that is transferable. Therefore, expressing joy can lead to someone else's joy or bring hope to them that they too can reach a peak in life. Joy gives me a reason to smile and laugh on the regular. I feel freedom when I have it. I am in agreement with the belief in unspeakable joy. The best feeling you can have is something that you most likely can’t explain to others. The usual word that people fall back on is “joy”. That should help people realize the feeling that they can’t explain is JOY! The wonderful thing about it is that it usually comes after you’ve been in the storm and the rain. Going through struggles to then come up on top of it will bring you joy, and for that reason, I appreciate it a lot more. It pushes me to keep going and gives me something to look forward to even though I feel like nothing will change. I find joy through other people. Happiness as we know it is contagious, influential, but I also find joy within myself through my actions. Whenever I have the capability to help someone I make sure to do so. It’s rewarding just to see the impact I have on people. At times, I get told that I have a joyful soul. It is a compliment that is dear to me and will forever resonate with me. The feeling I got when I was told this was truthfully unexplainable. I guess I can say it was joy.

I find joy through other people. Seeing someone smile or winning in life makes me happy. Happiness is contagious, influential, but I also find happiness within myself through my actions. I would say that lending a helping hand makes me happy because I know that whoever I helped can then later down the line do the same for someone else. I connect this to a personal experience where when I was younger I had a piano teacher. She taught me for 4 years. Not only did she teach me piano, she always dropped words of wisdom that I can use for life while growing up. Coincidentally, I now tutor her friend’s daughter in Math & English. I made sure to pay it forward, so every now and then when I tutor, I pass on valuable life lessons that connect with whatever I’m tutoring. My tutee’s guardian constantly tells me how difficult it is for them to teach. They’ve stated that because of me their student is getting back up to speed and I helped build their confidence. I’m happy to know that I have a positive effect on people who crossed paths with me. It makes me self-aware that every little thing I do that I may think isn’t such a big thing can be truly impactful to someone else.

The simplest things that humans do every day can do so much good to their health. For example hugging and smiling. Hugging as we know it is an act of comfort in a way to show love and or support for one another. With that being said, this reduces stress and the last stress we have in our lives the better. I make it my mission to hug the people who I hold dearest to me and as well as strangers I just recently met, because more than likely the person will remember that nice strong hug you gave them. That's one of the best first impressions you can give. Speaking of best first impressions, smiling it’s something I definitely think will increase people's lifespans. It’s something that everyone is capable of doing. Smiling, matter of fact, is a human instinct to do and is even contagious. The meaning of a smile is a sign of happiness, pride and joy. All emotions which are energy are transferable. Therefore, every smile has a high probability of making someone else smile. So not only will a person be doing something healthy for their life but also would be giving positive energy to another that’ll increase their lifespan.

At a very early stage in schooling the majority of the time I got terrible, and I mean terrible grades. I didn’t care because my teachers never addressed a concern to my mom or me so that I could break the habit. Because of the young age I was at, I didn’t know much of what a grade was or why it was important. This is something I should’ve been told by my teachers but wasn’t. I felt like I was the issue; not smart enough or had a learning disability but all in all, my teachers had failed me. This was a wake up call for me to switch schools to where academic success was better encouraged. Now at this new school, I had faced many adversities such as racism from my own teacher, discrimination in the classroom by always being put in the back with the rest of the people of color, sometimes being superfluously separated from everyone when testing took place, and on many occasions, staff members implicated that I was a delinquent solely due to the fact I came from a different neighborhood. I made sure to not let the discrimination from teachers and peers, nor disparaging words push me down in the trenches. I’ve dealt with this trauma to ultimately become the student I am now that I never thought I could be. By climbing over these difficult hurdles, aging and maturing I transformed into a 4.3 GPA student that cares about her grades, peers, teachers, and school as a whole.

As said by the influential Colin Powell, “A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work.” This quote inspired me and gave me the courage to shift my academic goals around. My dream for the future is to work in many aspects of the Entertainment industry, including but not limited to acting, singing, dancing, directing, and choreographing. I know that in most cases, many of these jobs can be unstable so I thought that I'd take a responsible approach by pursuing Computer Science. I’m all about organization, color coordinating, problem-solving, and I enjoy how technology impacts our world. Not too long ago, I noticed how much I loved gaming. From the detailed stories to the creativity displayed. It makes me exuberant, and I also get fixated on completing the objectives. Gaming has taught me countless skills, such as strategizing, focusing, patience, and funnily enough, anger management which is why overall, I love gaming. Since I have a passion for gaming and coding, what better way to work in Game Development where I get a good mix of them both. For my career goals, I long to be a part of the soon-to-come worldly developments derived from STEM that’ll improve society. It is a fact that just 9% of the 70,000 degrees in Computer Science have been received by African Americans. I have a goal to increase that percentage. By doing so, I would be a living example that a minority can be successful in STEM fields which would have a notable impact on my community because of the lack in the STEM industry of women alone and lack of ethnic diversity represented. No matter where I end up or what I end up doing, I know that I want to be happy doing it.

I wake up early in the morning just around the same time as the rising sun when nothing but the birds are chirping. I do this because it allows me to freely think with no distractions. I then move on to using my most prized Christmas gift, my teal, Gaiam yoga mat to do some stretching on. While I do my yoga I either put on jungle, ocean, or instrumental good vibes since music is known to lighten your mood, and even release any anxiety or stress someone is having. Now that I’ve awakened my mind and body, believe it or not, this final step I take to practice self-care prepares me for the rest of the day. I transition to fix myself a nurturing smoothie from scratch. My go-to combination is ice, blueberries, strawberries, an orange, and 1 ½ cups of minute maid’s fruit punch. The delicacy in cutting, peeling, and washing away inedible parts adds to the refreshing feeling when finally taking a sip. I have a strong connection to food and drinks so whatever crosses paths with my palate first, shakes me to the core. My smoothie never fails to satisfy my soul. My trifecta of self-care steps impacts my life mentally, physically, and emotionally just within an hour of my day. I often feel more calm and happy that I took control over my day in the best way possible. It helps me to know that it’s beneficial for me to be in the routine of doing something for myself or something that I enjoy. Honestly, I wish I was introduced to the idea of self-care sooner because it would have taught me how to love myself as well as save me from a lot of unnecessary stress.

In the 7th grade, I designed and built with the help of my peers an underwater robot for a school-wide competition. I was preparing for this after-school program called SeaPerch where the same code was used, the only difference being it taking place in a pool setting. In this class, I was introduced to electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and computer engineering. I also gained interest in hands-on activities through getting the opportunity to weld and construct for the first time. At the end of all of this, I decided that I liked the computer engineering arena the most because of the coding aspect, so it led me to want to major in computer science. This is when my passion for STEM sparked. After many years of exploring things in this world to see what I like and dislike, enjoy and bored with, I concluded that my best career choice is Game Development. This implies I would need to gain a degree in Computer Science. The second way I came to this decision is because I noticed how much I loved gaming. From the detailed stories to the creativity displayed. It makes me exuberant, and I also get so fixated on completing the goal of the game. Gaming has taught me skills, such as strategizing, focusing, patience, and funnily enough, anger management which is why overall, I love gaming. The high passion I have for STEM intrigues me to take initiative in and outside of school. For each year of my high school career, I have taken a Computer Science class that would prepare me for this career. I have made the effort to attend outside STEM programs such as DigiGirlz and HIP. Yearly from 2016 to 2019, I participated in Microsoft's DigiGirlz Day to learn more about STEM careers, do hands-on projects that involve technology, and got to work alongside professionals currently in a STEM field. I looked forward to it every year because of all the information I got in one day. At the start of my junior year, I applied and got accepted into the Northrop Grumman’s High School Involvement mentorship program that I am currently a part of. There, I also gained the following skills for college and insight into the STEM workforce. Family and friends continuously ask why I like Computer Science. Without any hesitation, I respond with, “I’m all about organization, color coordinating, problem-solving, and enjoy how technology impacts our world.” I long to be a part of the soon to come worldly developments derived from STEM and have an impact on my community. It is a fact that just 9% of the 70,000 degrees in Computer Science have been received by African Americans. I want to accomplish my goal of increasing that percentage. By doing so, I would be a living example that a minority can be successful in STEM fields which would have a notable impact on my community because of the lack in the STEM industry of women alone and lack of ethnic diversity represented.

Every day I get to revisit my computer science pathway in school. We are currently working on a project which consists of mini-projects within that are challenges. Early on, we built a robot by hand that we eventually began to program in order to complete these challenges. The code found in my Github link is in python and you’ll notice that the sleeps have beats. That’s because our dance had to be in sync with a song of our choice. Mine happened to be with a BPM of 121. My intent with my code was to have my robot dance go satisfyingly with my song. The comments throughout my code derived from the annotated plan I made so that when I code that I could easily follow what movement I had in my head. Also when I want to repeat a dance but slightly change it up I could distinctively find it, copy, paste, and alter. Faith plays an important role in my life. It’s ultimately the reason I got into STEM and I'm continuing to pursue it. Most people look for their purpose but soon they’ll realize that your purpose finds you. God had positioned me to have a knack for technology. I had to have faith in God when making the decision to be involved in an industry where I’m a minority. I knew that it would be a somewhat uncomfortable experience at first but quickly noticed that I’d be successful in what I do regardless of obstacles.

Meme 1. #school #students #sleep #hours #elementary #middleschool #highschool #college #memes Meme 2. Youngest sibling vs the Oldest sibling: #teachers #siblings #oldest #youngest #meme Meme 3. Me when I spend the money I just got on food: #money #food #that70sshow#hyde #meme

I’m an optimistic, energetic, and determined individual who has a background in STEM athletics, and performing arts. I first gained interest in STEM fields in 7th grade when I learned how to code a robot to go a certain distance before turning around. I designed and built with the help of my peers an underwater robot to be used in a school-wide competition. I was prepared for this program called SeaPerch where the same code was used but in a pool setting. In this class, I was introduced to electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and computer engineering. At the end of all of this, I decided that I liked the computer engineering arena the most because of the coding aspect, so it led me to want to major in computer science. By going to outside computer science programs, I would benefit my local community because I’d be a living example that a minority can be successful in STEM fields. There is little to none of African-American women in this industry but I want to be included in that growing number. Interestingly, I am also an athlete. Currently, I play Volleyball, Basketball, Tennis & Beach Volleyball. I would say I have a natural-born talent for sports but unfortunately most of my life I fell on the shorter side of the height spectrum. This would prohibit me from reaching my full potential and getting to tap into my abilities but clearly, I didn’t let that phase me. Because I am a part of athletic programs, I’m encouraging my community that you can be short yet still useful in many sports. My experience can of course be inspirational to those who are in my predicament and make them more confident in their daily tasks. I believe that you shouldn’t let setbacks or disadvantages define you or what you do. This quote is what I lived by in Performing Arts as well. I first started acting when I was six shortly after I attended an after-school performing arts program. I learned very early on that not everything will go as intended. There was a very small number of kids that auditioned for the school play which ended in me getting cast for four roles. This was one of my most memorable experiences in the arts because it was my first time acting ever. I gained so much knowledge from it and carried it with me for the rest of my acting career. I learned that though I had to play four roles, I successfully pulled off each and every one. Due to Performing Arts, I now know how and sometimes even enjoy dealing with difficult situations. By being involved in Performing Arts, I'm helping the future of my local community. Performing arts is becoming less common in schools in the Hawthorne area. Since I obtained life skills many times through these programs, it’s crucial for the next generation to be introduced to Performing Arts so that it can continue running. All three of my interests had a positive impact on my life and I know it will do the same for my local community.

“You can't let fear paralyze you. The worst that can happen is you fail, but guess what: You get up and try again. Feel that pain, get over it, get up, dust yourself off, and keep it moving! (Latifah). I came across this quote at the perfect time in April of 2020. The moment I came to realize that I was not going back to school in person, I was not going to church in person, or outside in general. I had thought that after a couple of weeks we would be back in business because there were rumors that the virus was not serious as people made it out to be and that it’s not even real but clearly that wasn’t the case. I began to be fearful of the unprecedented adjustments my family and I had to make. Because of this fear, it stopped me from trying to do things I was used to doing in a different setting. It also made me hesitant to attempt to achieve a goal I set for myself way before the pandemic began. Yet, this well-spoken quote from the intelligent Queen Latifah motivated me to put my doubts and fears aside so that even though these circumstances that acted as obstacles were placed in front of me, I would still be able to achieve my goal.

As a child, I loved singing, dancing and playing pretend. And so later on my mom found a flyer for my elementary school’s drama program. It was perfect because pretending is acting. So since then, I’ve always loved and have been passionate about performing arts. In the present day as well as the future I have a strong desire to work in many aspects of the Entertainment industry including but not limited to acting, singing, dancing, directing and choreographing. I know that in most cases many of these jobs can be unstable so I will be pursuing both Computer Science and Performing Arts where either way I’ll be happy because I also love coding, technology, and gaming so coding games will be the perfect day job for me! The steps I’m taking currently to achieve these goals are rehearsing monologues and songs to prepare for audition openings. Also to gain experience in my future coding career, in my school I am taking the Computer Science Pathway and am planning on attending STEM programs outside of school such as DigiGirlz once again. An adversity I had faced took place in middle school. My drama teacher had assigned a new play for us to do but with the roles reversed as a catalyst where people that are used to acting in plays are now the crew and vice versa. I was mad and frustrated that I couldn’t do something that I have been doing for years. I initially thought it was terrible because I had never done anything like crew work before and with a flippant attitude I had made up my mind that I was going to hate it. This ended up pushing me out of my working comfort zone because experiencing the transition from being the star to going behind the scenes was uncalled for. Nevertheless, I grew a love for handling technical stuff such as lighting, building sets, coming up with ideas to fix situations pertaining to what we could and could not do, as well as cameras. I grew a love for cameras through this but also because I continued to work on my new craft outside of school. I asked my dad who was a photographer at church about what he knew. I also started to research photographic techniques and read a camera manual. There were definitely obstacles, challenges and times where I battled with myself. But I'm glad that I kept going with it, and ultimately in the end, I picked up a new interest.

I personally strive to pursue a higher education because I know most of my ancestors were not given the option to do so. I know that I am capable of achieving what I want with higher education since I’ve been preparing for college academically and emotionally. I want to continue to pursue a higher education because I know it will be beneficial to being successful in my career and in life in general. I have been told from previous college graduates that it’s a life-changing moment from being a teenager to growing into a young adult; what better way to do that than with education. I also know that with a higher education you will have more opportunities to attain personal goals career wise and financially which is important to me because I want to put forth generational wealth which won’t happen without a college degree of some sort. Even though it’s possible to still be successful without getting a college degree, it’s rare and it will be very difficult to get through that stage of being denied, turned away, or disowned by family. Not only am I determined to pursue higher education for myself, but also for the youth that I mentor to see that going to college it’s possible to do even if you started out with inadequate education in your elementary days, and are told you’re nothing, you can change, develop, and improve your grades so that you can be at an adequate level to pursue education. Yes, education is important but to be versatile too is admirable. As a student-athlete it can be difficult but I find it enjoyable. That’s why for school I play Volleyball, Basketball, and Beach Volleyball. Outside of school I love to play tennis, crochet, graphic design, do yoga/exercising, tutoring, work in my community and as the pandemic restrictions are easing up more and more, I resumed singing, acting, and dancing. Because of the many sports and extracurricular activities I do, I had to learn how to prioritize and gain self-motivation but all in all, it’s worth it. As a child, I loved singing, dancing and playing pretend. And so later on my mom found a flyer for my elementary school’s drama program. It was perfect because pretending is acting. So since then, I’ve always been passionate about being in the performing arts industry. I know that in most cases it can be an unstable job so I will be pursuing both Computer Science and Performing Arts where either way I’ll be happy because I also love coding, technology, and gaming so coding games will be the perfect day job for me!

I am seeking change within our country by starting small in my community to eliminate the detrimental effects of gentrification as well as getting easier access to fresh produce. I gained interest in learning about gentrification and having a want for change because I noticed it happening in my neighborhood & surrounding cities and I saw the huge impact gentrification had during the pandemic as well. I have also observed the huge distinction in where I can find and cannot find fresh produce. I got an interest in seeing a change in the inequity of the lack of fresh produce in minority communities. The change I would want to see in America as a country is to dissemble discrimination in all categories.I realized the way my community is laid out. There’s liquor stores and fast-food places on every corner, but people have to venture far out to get fresh produce. This causes people to have a dilemma of choosing to travel far to eat healthy or staying local to save money by eating fast food. What I perceived from it is that the higher-ranked people don’t want us to succeed. Through my volunteer service at the Food Banks, I learned how many people are in need of food, yet food gets wasted every day. I found out that we have plenty of food but dishing it out to people is the issue. Therefore the change needed would be a solution to lowering the percentage of Americans that suffer from hunger. It would also be amazing to see change in the whole world by countries working in harmony to diminish global warming by becoming carbon neutral, but we won’t be able to seize this if we don’t start small with a close-knit group and get people on one accord. I currently do my part in decreasing the carbon footprint left by my family and I by leaving our lights off until dark. We also recycle and use our electrical vehicle more than our gas-running vehicles. Locally, I help make a difference in my community socially and economically. Within a club that I help run outside of school called the United Afro Student Organization(UASO) our main goal is to educate, unite, and empower people on African-American issues. One way we’ve been serving our community has been through charity events. The most recent one we did was called, “A Mother’s Blessing” where we put together 30 unique care packages that included one’s basic needs such as clothes, food, sanitary products, toiletries and so much more to give to single black mothers. I also helped bring up a tutoring business called Remote Tutoring in the summer of 2020 to help my community adjust to remote learning by providing cheap prices but quality services to those in need. Our upcoming charity event is a Back-to-School drive through where we’ll gather donations to buy school supplies to give out at a local park to attract families with children who would appreciate the help. Because of my consistent dedication and determination towards helping others, every time, I am successful in what I do. I will ensure to continue to serve my community because there is nothing like a smile on someone’s face when receiving the help they need. My inspiration to keep going comes from the golden rule: “Treat those the way you want to be treated”. With this quote in mind, I’ll continue to serve my community through voluntary work up until the point where I can do more, like helping homeless people directly. Specifically, I’d get involved to assist them in their journey; get them to where they want to be rather that is getting a home or a job as their priority.

“You can't let fear paralyze you. The worst that can happen is you fail, but guess what: You get up and try again. Feel that pain, get over it, get up, dust yourself off, and keep it moving! (Latifah). I came across this quote at the perfect time in April of 2020. The moment I came to realize that I was not going back to school in person, I was not going to church in person, or outside in general. I had thought that after a couple of weeks we would be back in business because there were rumors that the virus was not serious as people made it out to be and that it’s not even real but clearly that wasn’t the case. I began to be fearful of the unprecedented adjustments my family and I had to make. Because of this fear, it stopped me from trying to do things I was used to doing in a different setting. It also made me hesitant to attempt to achieve a goal I set for myself way before the pandemic began. Yet, this well-spoken quote from the intelligent Queen Latifah motivated me to put my doubts and fears aside so that even though these circumstances that acted as obstacles were placed in front of me, I would still be able to achieve my goal.

The worst part and dealing with mental health is not accepting that you need help. With my good character and charismatic personality, I never thought I would have depression or have suicidal thoughts due to how strong my connection is with God. In our society, being Christian and suicidal do not go together; because of this, I had long ignored the feelings I was having and just shook them off as if they were going to disappear on their own. My mental health for the very first time was challenged when the 2020 pandemic began. I did not know how to deal with it, and I didn't bother to ask anyone since many people were battling mentally themselves with the circumstance we were all in. My mental health altered my day-to-day things like eating and socializing. It threw off my focus in school, sports, and work. Most outlandishly, it damaged my relationships with friends and family because they were not used to me(an extrovert) being distant. Some took offense to it, causing bonds with friends to break and a lack of communication with family. This mental state I was now in made me feel awkward, but I remember that some things change for the better. My experience with mental health taught me that the world is persistently unprepared to deal with these situations where the happiest people have a downfall. The world has yet to understand the toll it holds on people when mental health isn’t taken seriously nor attended to. With all things considered, mental health is so significant that it is crucial to educate everyone about it, therefore, avoiding a mass of misunderstandings between one another.