In my junior year language arts class, we read the book Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson, and not to be dramatic, but it changed my outlook on what I wanted my future to be. Stevenson is a lawyer working to get wrongfully convicted people (unfortunately, mostly people of color) out of prison. In the book, he writes about his most impactful cases and discusses issues with our country's justice system. The whole book made me feel like I had to do something to help the problems the author was facing. However, I knew that I had zero ability or desire to be a lawyer or cop or anything related to the justice system. So I was unsure of how I would help the cause, and I was left feeling a bit helpless after reading the book. Then, when our class was preparing for a discussion on the book, there was one chapter about a mother who was wrongfully convicted. This story struck a chord with me because I have always felt connected to mothers. From early on, I knew that I wanted to learn more about pregnancy and birth. The idea that women can bring a whole new life into this world will forever be one of the most amazing things to me. So, when we read the chapter in Just Mercy about mothers in the prison system, it immediately grabbed my attention, and I felt like I needed to learn more about the disparities that Stevenson touched on in the book. I did my research and I ended up learning more than I expected. One statistic that constantly stuck with me is that the maternal mortality rate for black women is three times higher than that of white women in the US. That is unacceptable. This convinced me that my future needed to include working with mothers. I would make it my mission to ensure women of color are not overlooked, and that being a certain race should never mean having a higher risk of dying. I was certain this was the change I wanted to make in the world, but I was just uncertain of how I would go about it. It took me a while to figure out how to connect this passion to a career that would be right for me. I went back and forth over different career tests, program choices, and advice from others, trying to find the one job that would make me feel like I could make a difference. Then I discovered what a midwife is, and it just felt right. I realized that I want to be a midwife, and help women through the most life-changing times they will experience. I want to provide the highest quality of care possible, which is why I am pursing the best education I can get. I plan to get my nursing degree at Emory University and then keep up that education to get my master's in midwifery. Once I become a midwife, my goal is to specifically care for mothers in low-income areas or even in developing countries if I can. I want to learn about why the maternal mortality rate is so different depending on race and actively work to close that gap. Having a safe and comforting delivery should not be a privilege, it should be a given for everyone. I would never have guessed that my path in life would be changed by a book that I had to read in eleventh grade, but safe to say that I am forever grateful for it.

I have always felt connected to mothers. I remember being interested whenever one of my older cousins was having a baby, and I still get super excited whenever anyone announces a pregnancy. Not just for the idea of a new baby; but also to see a woman I love grow into a mother. From early on, I knew that I wanted to learn more about pregnancy and birth. The idea that women can bring a whole new life into this world will forever be one of the most amazing things to me. I have been casually learning about birth and pregnancy for a while. I follow a few labor and delivery nurses online, and I’ve watched plenty of youtube videos on the topic because it never fails to fascinate me. However, one statistic that constantly stuck with me was that the maternal mortality rate for black women is three times higher than that of white women in the US. That is unacceptable. This convinced me that my future needed to include working with mothers somehow. I would make it my mission to ensure black mothers are not overlooked, and that being a certain race should never mean having a higher risk of dying. I was certain this was the change I wanted to make in the world, but I was just uncertain of how I would go about this goal. It took me a while to figure out how to connect this passion to a career that would be right for me. I went back and forth over different career tests, program choices, and advice from others; trying to find the one job that would make me feel like I could make a difference. Then one day I discovered what a midwife is, and it just felt right. I realized I want to be a midwife and help women through the most life-changing times they will experience. I want to help a mother bring new life into the world and witness the moment when she discovers a new love she did not even know she was capable of. I want to provide the highest quality of care possible, which is why I want to pursue the best education I can get. I am on my way to earning my nursing degree at Emory University and then keep up that education to get my master's in midwifery. Once I become a midwife, my goal is to specifically care for mothers in low-income areas or even in developing countries if I have the chance. I want to learn about why the maternal mortality rate is so different depending on race and actively work to close that gap. Having a safe and comforting delivery should not be a privilege only for those with a certain amount of money, it should be a given for everyone. Achieving a great college education is my first step to making this impact on the world.

In my junior year language arts class, we read the book Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson, and not to be dramatic, but it changed my outlook on what I wanted my future to be. Stevenson is a lawyer working to get wrongfully convicted people (unfortunately, mostly people of color) out of prison. In the book, he writes about his most impactful cases and discusses issues with our country's justice system. The whole book made me feel like I had to do something to help the problems the author was facing. However, I knew that I had zero ability or desire to be a lawyer or cop or anything related to the justice system. So I was unsure of how I would help the cause, and I was left feeling a bit helpless after reading the book. Then, when our class was preparing for a discussion on the book, there was one chapter about a mother who was wrongfully convicted that I wanted to discuss. This story struck a chord with me because I have always felt connected to mothers. From early on, I knew that I wanted to learn more about pregnancy and birth. The idea that women can bring a whole new life into this world will forever be one of the most amazing things to me. So, when we read the chapter in Just Mercy about mothers in the prison system, it immediately grabbed my attention, and I felt like I needed to learn more about the disparities that Stevenson touched on in the book. I did my research and I ended up learning more than I expected. One statistic that constantly stuck with me is that the maternal mortality rate for black women is three times higher than that of white women in the US. That is unacceptable. This convinced me that my future needed to include working with mothers. I would make it my mission to ensure women of color are not overlooked, and that being a certain race should never mean having a higher risk of dying. I was certain this was the change I wanted to make in the world, but I was just uncertain of how I would go about it. It took me a while to figure out how to connect this passion to a career that would be right for me. I went back and forth over different career tests, program choices, and advice from others, trying to find the one job that would make me feel like I could make a difference. Then I discovered what a midwife is, and it just felt right. I realized that I want to be a midwife, and help women through the most life-changing times they will experience. I want to provide the highest quality of care possible, which is why I am pursing the best education I can get. I plan to get my nursing degree at Emory University and then keep up that education to get my master's in midwifery. Once I become a midwife, my goal is to specifically care for mothers in low-income areas or even in developing countries if I can. I want to learn about why the maternal mortality rate is so different depending on race and actively work to close that gap. Having a safe and comforting delivery should not be a privilege, it should be a given for everyone. I would never have guessed that my path in life would be changed by a book that I had to read in eleventh grade, but safe to say that I am forever grateful for it.

My dream is to work as a midwife to give women the best and safest pregnancy experience possible, in underdeveloped areas and countries that need it most, and change people's lives one at a time.

I was dripping in sweat, I couldn’t feel my legs, and I just wanted to take a nap. We had finished our dance Christmas show in the activities room of a local retirement home; I was in most of the dances we performed that December day, so I was extremely tired. Before we left, we got the chance to meet some of the residents. One told me, “I just loved watching you dance today. It’s so nice to take my mind off of everything and just watch you really enjoy what you’re doing.” I thanked her for the beautiful compliment, and immediately forgot about how exhausted I was. I just appreciated that I was able to bring some light to this woman’s day. I have done dozens of performances like this in the community over the years. Including fall festivals, homes for disabled adults, and countless retirement homes. Each one of these community performances fills me up, and I realized that it is because I am able to brighten people’s days simply by dancing. I have also participated in Catholic Work Camp for the past two summers, and I plan to continue this summer. CHWC is a camp for catholic youth groups to come together and serve the community. We travel to other cities and complete all manner of service projects. I have worked on an old farm, helped a shelter for veterans, and even helped an elderly person clean out their attic. I absolutely love being able to participate in these projects each year because it has taught me that the most rewarding work is that which you do to benefit others. The delight in the faces of those who you are helping when the job is done is all the repayment I could need. These experiences have shown me that what I’m meant to do in my life is bring others joy. I want my influence to impact my life as dance has impacted me. I will never stop dancing, it's a part of who I am, but I’ve also realized that I will always be working to spread joy. I have always felt connected to mothers. I remember being interested whenever one of my older cousins was having a baby, and I still get super excited whenever anyone announces a pregnancy. Not just for the idea of a new baby; but also to see a woman I love grow into a mother. The idea that women can bring a whole new life into this world will forever be the most amazing thing to me. However, one statistic that constantly stuck with me was that the maternal mortality rate for black women is three times higher than that of white women in the US. That is unacceptable. This convinced me that my future needed to include working with mothers somehow. I would make it my mission to ensure black mothers are not overlooked. I want to become a midwife and provide the highest quality of care possible, which is why I want to pursue the best education I can get. My goal is to specifically care for mothers in low-income areas or even in developing countries if I have the chance. I want to learn why the maternal mortality rate is so different depending on race and actively work to close that gap. Having a safe and comforting delivery should not be a privilege only for those with a certain amount of money, it should be a given for everyone. I am sure that this is the impact I want to have on the world.

I have always felt connected to mothers. I remember being interested whenever one of my older cousins was having a baby, and I still get super excited whenever anyone announces a pregnancy. Not just for the idea of a new baby; but also to see a woman I love grow into a mother. From early on, I knew that I wanted to learn more about pregnancy and birth. The idea that women can bring a whole new life into this world will forever be one of the most amazing things to me. I have been casually learning about birth and pregnancy for a while. I follow a few labor and delivery nurses online, and I’ve watched plenty of youtube videos on the topic because it never fails to fascinate me. However, one statistic that constantly stuck with me was that the maternal mortality rate for black women is three times higher than that of white women in the US. That is unacceptable. This convinced me that my future needed to include working with mothers somehow. I would make it my mission to ensure black mothers are not overlooked, and that being a certain race should never mean having a higher risk of dying. I was certain this was the change I wanted to make in the world, but I was just uncertain of how I would go about this goal. It took me a while to figure out how to connect this passion to a career that would be right for me. I went back and forth over different career tests, program choices, and advice from others; trying to find the one job that would make me feel like I could make a difference. Then one day I discovered what a midwife is, and it just felt right. I realized I want to be a midwife and help women through the most life-changing times they will experience. I want to help a mother bring new life into the world and witness the moment when she discovers a new love she did not even know she was capable of. I want to provide the highest quality of care possible, which is why I want to pursue the best education I can get. I plan to get my nursing degree at Emory University and then keep up that education to get my master's in midwifery. Once I become a midwife, my goal is to specifically care for mothers in low-income areas or even in developing countries if I have the chance. I want to learn about why the maternal mortality rate is so different depending on race and actively work to close that gap. Having a safe and comforting delivery should not be a privilege only for those with a certain amount of money, it should be a given for everyone. Achieving a great college education is my first step to making this impact on the world.

We, as humans, are too hard on ourselves. We need to learn to focus more on the positives of life to be happier. When I was younger, I began to compare myself to everyone else. I only ever measured my success against the successes of others, and I didn't see the progress I made because others might have progressed faster. I had fallen into the trap of constantly comparing myself, and it wasn’t allowing me to feel fulfillment in life. Then when we got our first report cards in high school, I ranked second in my class out of about 700. Despite the accomplishment, I only focused on the one person who ranked higher. I couldn’t just let myself be happy with being second. I started to notice these feelings after a while and how they kept me from happiness. I decided I wasn’t going to let my thoughts keep me from finding joy any longer. So, I began to question the way I saw my achievements. I recognized my unhelpful thoughts and turned them into more optimistic ones. I started focusing on what I did have, instead of what I lacked. It took me a long time to implement this thinking, and I’m still working on it, but I am so glad I made the change. Focusing on the positives opened me to more gratitude throughout my life, which simply allows me to have more joy. I also now look at others with kinder eyes. When I see someone be successful in any way, I no longer internally discredit them to make myself feel better. I’m now able to congratulate them and be honestly happy for them. I'm thankful I learned this lesson early on, and I hope to spread optimism to more people throughout my life.