I have a single mother who supports 4 children, while working as a Special Education teacher at Bullard High School in Fresno, CA, along with pursuing her Master’s degree. Money has never been a taboo topic in our household. I see my mom work hard and that has inspired me to always do my best. I grew up seeing firsthand what determination and grit looked like. I knew from a young age to excel in school I would have to always be determined, I would have to go above and beyond what others did. In early elementary, teachers believed I could not read and wanted to hold me back. They encouraged my mother to retain me or consider special placement. She fought to allow me to have the space to grow academically without restrictions. As I worked hard to prove my abilities at a young age grew to see with determination and grit I could do anything; I also found a love for reading. As a student I have applied this determination and I always do my best to go above and beyond both inside the classroom and outside of it. I have continued to achieve top grades while being a dual athlete and working a part time job. My first employment began my freshmen year, after a club advisor was impressed with my work ethic. For the last two years I have worked for the Rise Up program, tutoring and supporting Black students in AP courses. This program has allowed me to offer support and friendship to students who in many cases are the only African-Americans in their classes. I feel my work with Rise Up has allowed me to create more space for African-American students to feel welcomed in accelerated, high-performing classes. I am a student who understands that hard work is not an option, it is the standard. I recently achieved Summa Cum Laude along with athletic honors in both my sports. After graduation from Edison High School, I will attend Sonoma State University. During my time at Sonoma, I will be a member of their women’s track team. I will pursue a degree in Psychology and Criminology. After completing my bachelor’s degree at Sonoma State University, I would like to seek my master’s degree from a HBCU. I have worked hard to put myself in a position to qualify for academic scholarships in addition to athletic scholarships, my hope is that I can assist my single mother with my college expenses.

The way social justice helped me find my place and voice. The social justice movement over the last few years has really changed me as a person. I recall my family going to a march, and being scared and I’m sure if we should be a part of it. I worried we would be safe, would I be a bigger target than my siblings because of the color of my skin compared to theirs. As I started to process the things happening around me, I started to find spaces in which I felt safe enough to use my voice. One of a few safe spaces has always been my schools Black Student Union (BSU), my advisor offered me space to talk and feel without fear. I was then able to offer friends and other students the same space. Watching much of the social uprising from a far I feel many youth including myself we’re looking for ways to be positive influences and examples. One way that I focus my energy was through different projects hosted by my schools. In Fresno Unified my region hosted a virtual Black History event, in which I had the honor to sing the Black National Anthem. This was my first time singing publicly in high school, but I wanted the opportunity to share my gift, in the hope that I can inspire others. Another great experience I had was in my law class, we worked on policies about things that should change in the Central Valley and the topic I decided on was Sex Education. My group was called Just Do It, Right was pushed out of their comfort zone to achieve what we wanted to do. I was pushed to use good communication, photography, conducting interviews, and in depth research on my topic, and how to give presentations. Practicing these skills made me better at them, while allowing me to not be afraid while giving interviews or presentations. Which in return improved my networking skills. I was also able to find my voice during this project and speak about how i felt we could teach students an accurate, inclusive sex education curriculum. Concluding the project, we presented in front of judges, entered a billboard contest with a picture and a phrase that captured our topic. Finally, I realized how big of an impact my voice has when it’s used and heard. This project impacted me greatly and I will be continuing to try to make a policy that would be applied to all Fresno Unified district schools.

I have a single mother who supports 4 children, while working as a Special Education teacher at Bullard High School in Fresno, CA, along with pursuing her Master’s degree. Money has never been a taboo topic in our household. I see my mom work hard and that has inspired me to always do my best. I grew up seeing firsthand what determination and grit looked like. I knew from a young age to excel in school I would have to always be determined, I would have to go above and beyond what others did. In early elementary, teachers believed I could not read and wanted to hold me back. They encouraged my mother to retain me or consider special placement. She fought to allow me to have the space to grow academically without restrictions. As I worked hard to prove my abilities at a young age grew to see with determination and grit I could do anything; I also found a love for reading. As a student I have applied this determination and I always do my best to go above and beyond both inside the classroom and outside of it. I have continued to achieve top grades while being a dual athlete and working a part time job. My first employment began my freshmen year, after a club advisor was impressed with my work ethic. For the last two years I have worked for the Rise Up program, tutoring and supporting Black students in AP courses. This program has allowed me to offer support and friendship to students who in many cases are the only African-Americans in their classes. I feel my work with Rise Up has allowed me to create more space for African-American students to feel welcomed in accelerated, high-performing classes. I am a student who understands that hard work is not an option, it is the standard. I recently achieved Summa Cum Laude along with athletic honors in both my sports. After graduation from Edison High School, I will attend Sonoma State University. During my time at Sonoma, I will be a member of their women’s track team. I will pursue a degree in Psychology and Criminology. After completing my bachelor’s degree at Sonoma State University, I would like to seek my master’s degree from a HBCU. I have worked hard to put myself in a position to qualify for academic scholarships in addition to athletic scholarships, my hope is that I can assist my single mother with my college expenses.