When I first arrived at the Bedford-Stuyvesant Family Health Center, I was intimidated by the extroverted staff who had high standards and an abundance of patients asking for my help. Besides volunteering at school events such as bake sales and parent-teacher conferences, this was my first experience volunteering at a facility. As the naturally shy and introverted person that I am, I went into this experience with a lot of nerves. I feared interacting with patients and not being able to help. However, as I jumped right into my role with guidance from the providers, I began to get comfortable helping patients. I provided them with good service by guiding them through mail-in lab exams and motivating them to make appointments for important check-ups. I was able to speak with patients in person, leading them to their providers, and translating for Spanish speakers. My experience at the BSFHC allowed me to connect with my community in a way that I had never before. I got to know the vulnerable people of my borough, Brooklyn, and how disadvantaged we can be when it comes to healthcare. The patients at the center reflect the demographics of Bed-Stuy, which is made up of mostly Black, low-income people. People who have fallen into the cracks of society, and who are disproportionately affected by health issues. My time behind the scenes at a medical facility sparked a new level of empathy and an interest in helping my community. This experience is the root of my interest in the field of sociology as I became intrigued with how factors like race, class, gender and so forth interact in the medical field. I wanted to further understand why Black people have such a different experience when it came to healthcare. I took my interest in the matter further as I began to conduct research during my time interning at Mount Sinai Beth Israel regarding Black apprehension toward the Covid-19 vaccine, and how it related to the Tuskegee Study. Furthermore, I researched Black maternal mortality and surrounding issues. By the time I started college, I became interested in intersectionality beyond the medical field. I wanted to learn about how it bled into every aspect of life, leading me to decide on Sociology as one of my majors. Volunteering not only allowed me to open up and gain interpersonal skills, but it also allowed me to discover my passion for helping my community and educating myself on social issues. Through a college education, I hope to break into the field of social work and journalism in order to help my community. As a low-income student, however, navigating college financially can be very difficult. Recently, my school increased tuition by 6%, which has added thousands of dollars to my tuition. Thousands of dollars that my family cannot afford to pay due to our current circumstances. Just last month, my grandfather passed away after battling brain cancer for just over six months. My mother, being one of his primary caretakers was not able to work as much and therefore did not make much money in those few months. My mother also became responsible for much of the funeral and burial costs which have created a financial hole in our lives. With that being said, winning this scholarship would lift a huge weight off my shoulders and allow me to continue my college education and live out my dream career.

As an immigrant in the United States and a low-income student of color, I have persevered and achieved many things that I believed were out of my reach. As a child, I was able to adapt to a new country and thrive in a school where no one spoke my language. I was able to learn English quickly and receive high grades all while juggling the challenges that I faced daily. But even when I think back at these tough times, I believe that my greatest achievement to this date was earning my Medical Assitant certification during my high school years. I attended a high school dedicated to the health professions, as once upon a time, my dream was to work in the medical field. My school offered a three-year medical assisting program that would prepare you to take the exam at the end of senior year and give you amazing opportunities to learn all about the medical field. I often the complaints from the upperclassmen that were in this program. They complained nonstop about the workload and the impossible exams, but I was not fazed. Me being me, I applied to the program and prepared myself for all of the hardships that would come with it. I quickly learned that "hard" was an understatement for the program. During the first year of the program in which we focused on autonomy and physiology, I learned so much about my academic abilities and weaknesses. Up until this point in my educational journey, I had never struggled to get an A on an exam, and I never felt the need to study. Success in school came naturally to me. However, my sophomore year began to go downhill when I realized that I did not know what methods of studying worked for me, and I began to struggle to pass exams. By my junior year of high school, I became disinterested in the medical field as a whole. I discovered that I romanticized the field, and did not think about the difficulties that came along with it. Nevertheless, I decided to remain in the program because I refused to give up on something that I had dedicated so much time and effort to. Though I was faced with so much frustration and defeat during this time of my life, a lot of good came from this experience. As part of the program, I began an internship at the Bedford-Stuyvesant Family Health Center, a local clinic that served low-income citizens. This experience opened my eyes to a whole new world: the field of social work. In the time I spent working with my supervisor and mentor, Nancy and her co-workers I realized how much goes on behind the scenes of medical facilities. It was amazing to see how these providers cared for their vulnerable patients and worked to help them in every aspect of their lives. My experiences talking to patients in person and over the phone to help them with the smallest things sparked my interest in the profession, and this interest carried over into my college career. Finally, my senior year of high school rolled around, and just when I thought that high school could not get more difficult, my entire year was moved onto Zoom due to the Covid-19 pandemic. I pushed through my last year of high school and the medical assisting program during the lockdown. It wasn't easy, as I often felt unmotivated and it became difficult for me to focus during Zoom lessons. Distractions were all around me, and I had to learn to hold myself accountable. As June approached, I tried various forms of studying to prepare for the big exam. I needed to cramp all of the information that I learned in the last three years to reach the finish line. Just days after the exam I found out that I had passed. Although I lost my passion for the medical field along the way, this was one of my proudest moments. I became bigger than just me becoming a certified Medical Assistant, it was more about me learning how much I could push myself and do the impossible. This difficult journey led me to my real passion for helping people in vulnerable positions, and I hope to carry that out in the future.

At six years old, I left my birthplace for the very first time. I left the quaint barrio of Los Molinas in the Dominican Republic for New York, the city that everyone raved about back home. Moving away from home was difficult, but it was even tougher as we had to leave my father behind as he had yet to receive his Visa. Just like that, my mother had to raise her three young girls on her own, and in a new country for the next few years of her life. In the intricate story that is my life, my mother Marisol remains at the forefront because of all the sacrifices she made for me to have the life that I have now. My mother took a risk by leaving her career behind in the Dominican Republic to take on a minimum-wage job at Burger King. Barely being able to afford rent, we lived in my grandparent's cramped one-bedroom apartment along with some other family members. These hardships are the reason that I continue to push myself in school and in everything I do. I strive to make my mother's dreams for me a reality. What drove not only my mother, but everyone in my family to make the sacrifices that they did was how much they value education and new opportunities. My mother knew that moving to a new country would not be easy, but she knew that it would be worth it if it meant that my sisters and I would get a better education and eventually live a better life.

I believe that the greatest flaw in society's approach to addressing social issues is the lack of representation where it truly matters. Growing up in the United States, I have witnessed our government's countless attempts to fix issues regarding race, poverty, sex and gender, and so on. Furthermore, my position in society as an immigrant, a Black and Hispanic woman, and a low-income student at a PWI, among other aspects of my identity, has granted me a unique view of society. This point of view has allowed me to notice the many patterns that have held us back as a society. When I first read this question, I immediately thought about the Supreme Court's recent decision on affirmative action, and how detrimental it will be to our efforts in helping the disadvantaged. A big consequence of this ruling will be the lack of diversity in institutions that are already incredibly homogenous. Not only that, but this lack of diversity will transfer into the workforce and positions of power, continuing a history of POC being underrepresented. The topic of affirmative action and the broader topic of race in colleges goes back to a long history of people of color being disproportionately disadvantaged. With little to no access to well-funded schools, and the inability to afford tutors, test prep, and other resources that would help them succeed, these students do not have a fair shot compared to their white and wealthy counterparts. This hinders their chances of getting into prestigious institutions which would not only benefit them but would also benefit from them. As I mentioned before, I am a student of color at a predominantly white school. At the start of each semester, I often find myself counting how many other students of color are in each of my classes. Most of the time, I can count them on one hand, and whether or not I speak to the other POC in my classes, just their presence brings me a sense of comfort. Many important conversations take place in a college setting, and I am always glad when POC are in the room to voice their opinions and offer a new perspective. Their presence is key in any discussion because a conversation regarding the disadvantaged without their presence is simply unproductive. Although I have zoomed in on the topic of diversity in the education system, this topic is a reflection of society as a whole. For one, I believe that education is a key tool when responding to and addressing these issues. It is important to be educated by the disadvantaged in order to learn how to address the issues that they face. Therefore, the disadvantaged should always have a place in higher education. But secondly, and most importantly, the power resides in the government, and the government must be a reflection of the people that it governs. This means that it should include people of all races, social classes, gender, sexual orientations, religion, and the list goes on. The push for diversity in schools will lead to more diversity in positions of power, resulting in more nuanced conversations, legislation and overall change.