Some of the most powerful people in the world are listeners. There are plenty of listeners who feel powerless at times, as if what they were doing wasn’t enough, or their efforts just fell by the wayside. I am a listener, but one that has felt this same way. It is hard listening to those you love and then feeling like you failed them, but I had to learn that some of those who you listened to needed to feel heard outside of your conversations. As heartbreaking as it is to hear, some of the people you listened to just didn’t feel as heard as you had intended them to feel, and over time you learn the impact you had on a person by just sitting down and hearing what they had to say. Finding notations after someone’s passing which emphasized how heard they felt in your presence is so bittersweet knowing they chose to close their chapter with the world so much sooner than you had hoped. The power of a listener shouldn’t be determined by the outcomes of those conversations, but the value within the kindness and compassion shared between one another in each other’s presence. Growing up I loved to write, but I leaned into writing about what people cared to share with me or what they wanted me to find out about them. Making people feel seen through my writing was a strong suit, and being able to express someone else's story through my own words is what I became extremely passionate about. Choosing to further pursue my education by studying journalism at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst allowed me to begin to look into practicing this concept more efficiently and effectively. Mass amounts of problems arise within our economy, government, and political systems due to one’s inability to listen to another. I also chose to complete a second major in political science and a certification in international relations during my time as an undergraduate student because I hope to diligently allow everyone to acknowledge and understand perspectives other than their own. It becomes difficult to move forward individually as one country let alone alongside or with those surrounding you if one cannot remain cohesive within itself. Though I am not entirely sure where I want to end up in terms of a job or practice, I want those who have had conversations with me to leave feeling heard. I hope to have such an impact on people that they feel the need to come back and hold another conversation with me. Having a positive impact on the world means people feel heard in your presence, and that they leave your conversations feeling seen and acknowledged. Because without this, every conversation would be meaningless, and having those difficult conversations is how you leave your impact on the world.

As a feature twirler for the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, I get to fulfill my dreams of performing with the well-known 400-member Minuteman Marching Band, though not every baton twirler gets to fulfill such a dream. Many twirlers know it is an honor to represent a university through the sport and that title is something many twirlers who keep up with the sport will strive towards. Problems arise when there is a negative bias or discrimination towards certain minority groups within the sport. These groups could include but are not limited to people of color, twirlers with disabilities, or even heavier twirlers who won't be judged as fairly as everyone else just because of their body type. Growing up I tended to be the heavier twirler at competitions. As I started twirling my shoes were never the newest, my baton ends weren't always the whitest, and my mom worked hard to sew all of my costumes since we were unable to afford the newest store-bought ones, but over time I learned that my hard work would eventually shine through. I wanted to share my passion for the art of baton twirling with people in my community free of cost and more importantly, free of discrimination. I hoped to show them how the sport of baton twirling was a place for freedom of expression and that what other people saw as their limitations only made them stronger. Throughout high school, I held a class once a week in a parking lot to alleviate the cost of rehearsal spaces, and I collected all of my old batons to pass down to those who attended. Even if I was just able to start them on the basics of twirling and then they were able to find a coach full time, or even if they stuck with me just for the fun of it to have something to do after school, it was something I loved sharing with my community and I loved seeing how well they responded to the art. When my senior year of high school rolled around, I ended up doing a research project which determined the impacts of negative bias towards certain minority groups within the sport of baton twirling and my results were strongly unsatisfying. Within competitions, baton twirlers receive feedback and comments back on score sheets which explain why they scored the way they did, but when it comes to how these twirlers were placed and their comments which determined that baffles me. One African American twirler mentioned since her hair was braided a judge wrote how the braids in her hair were distracting, despite already being up in a bun which the preferred hairstyle is. A second twirler wrote how her judge mentioned her getting counted off for not spinning on the leg where her prosthetic was, and a third twirler wrote how judges would write comments about her costumes being too small for her body size or how they did not "flatter her figure." My goal in teaching younger generations the art of baton twirling is how to become confident despite negative bias within the sport to look a certain way. This is also an issue that certainly isn't just in the sport of baton twirling, but one that is dismissing younger generations from these activities of wide varieties and ignoring the fact that everyone should have a right to be involved in various arts and sports. With this being said, thank you for your time and consideration.

Every female figure in my family is a single mother and a teacher all from the state of Texas. Whether they teach young children in schools or yoga at a studio, they all provide knowledge for those who are in need in one way or another. All have encouraged me to follow my dreams of pursuing my studies in journalism, political science, and international relations in the Northeast, and they have all taught me the true value of education in one way or another. My grandmother has instilled this driven mentality not only in her two children but in my sister and me as well. Despite her resilience, she started to struggle more than ever as I was entering high school. She has medical conditions preventing her from losing weight, so her ability to get around started as limited, but then by the end of high school she was struggling to make it to let her dog outside. It was certainly hard to watch her struggle because she truly raised me since my mom took on three jobs to support our family after my father left when I had just entered the first grade. Having my grandmother take care of me for all those years and then all of the sudden having to take care of my grandmother while taking on two other jobs, committing 40 hours a week to my interests of baton twirling and bassoon playing, and continuing to go to school for 8 hours a day was a struggle. I took on the role of getting to my grandmother’s house, which was an hour away from my own, anywhere from 3-6 times a week. Sometimes it was taking care of her laundry, getting her in and out of the shower, cleaning up her bathroom so it could be suitable for the next use, or making her meals for the week. The tasks built up over time and some nights it meant I didn’t sleep, but my family never could afford to have someone else come in and help take care of her. This never came as a shock, but more of a realization of how I have taken on this role my entire life. It started with my mother taking me over to her house and giving me chores to do for her while she went to work, and then over the years turned into me figuring out what needed to be done like turning her living room into a one-room living space by installing a bathroom and kitchenette. This is why I am truly the most empathetic person I could be, and it certainly made me into the person who does whatever they can to help those around me no matter their situation. When my grandmother knew it was time for me to go off to school, she was the first to tell me I had to go. She originally had hired some help to come over, but that was until my aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer and needed financial assistance from my grandmother. I am trying to find a way to pay for my education through a scholarship since I am certainly not one of the families coming from generational wealth or parental assistance, but in hopes of getting some financial help with out-of-state tuition, I am still trying to support my grandmother from Massachusetts. I look forward to going back this summer and being able to help once again, but this scholarship would certainly be a step to alleviating some of the financial stress off my shoulders.