I’ve always wanted to be a lawyer, and maybe one day a judge. That urge comes from watching how unfair the world can be, especially when it comes to race and gender. Where I grew up, you see all sorts of people, and the legal system messes with their lives a lot more than it helps. I watched friends and family hit these barriers real brick walls and it just ate at me. There’s the frustration, but also this ache for them, like you wish you could do something. That’s what really pushes me to want to fix things in the justice system, especially in civil and family law. People need actual help in those areas. I think standing up for folks who usually get ignored matters more than anything. The system feels cold and distant, especially if you’re from a group that gets overlooked. As a lawyer, I’d want to make sure they’re heard. I want things to be fair, or at least fairer, so everyone actually has a shot. For that, I know I need to major in political science get the basics down about government and law. I’m planning on minoring in psychology too, because you’ve got to understand people if you’re going to help them in court. Law school’s going to be tough, no question about it. So undergrad has to be solid good grades, internships, maybe even reaching out to professors for advice and recommendations. It’s not just about the classroom, though. Debate club can help me find my voice. Volunteering, joining advocacy groups those things build up your critical thinking and keep you close to the problems people actually face. You see what families are up against, and I want to help with that. After I finish undergrad, it’s straight to law school. That part’s going to take everything I’ve got, but the idea of speaking up for people who never get heard keeps me going. I want to focus on civil and family law, especially clinics that help low-income people or people of color. That’s where you learn the real stuff, up close the challenges, the setbacks, the little wins. That’s how I’ll get better at fighting for them. Once I graduate, I need real-world experience. Public defender, civil rights lawyer, family law doesn’t matter, each path teaches you something. Volunteering at nonprofits matters too. It keeps you connected, reminds you who you’re fighting for. I never want to lose that. Becoming a judge? That’s the long game. You’ve got to see the whole system, stay committed to fairness, never zone out. It’s a long road, and there’s no way around that. Maybe I’m dreaming big maybe it sounds out there but I believe a more compassionate system could change everything. Some days the dream feels far off, but I’m okay with that. I’m not giving up.

My interest in law really started picking up during the Black Lives Matter protests. It was this big thing that made me think hard about justice and how unequal things can be in society. I saw people fighting for their rights, and it pushed me to learn more about legal systems and how they are supposed to protect everyone. That is what got me into political science as my major, and now I am set on working in family law or civil law someday. The movement showed me all these systemic problems, like how laws can help or hurt people depending on who you are. It seems like a lot of folks do not have the right support to deal with legal stuff, especially families going through tough times. I want to step in as an advocate for those who feel like they have no voice, maybe in cases involving kids or home issues. Being president of my community group and an intern for Department of Human Services in Child Support Administration has given me a closer look at real legal challenges. We do outreach, and I have talked to families facing custody fights, domestic violence situations, or even unstable housing. These interactions make me believe that access to legal help should be for everyone, not just those who can afford it. The law can empower people if it is used right, but often it feels the opposite. In my classes, political science ties into all this by showing how policies and laws connect to bigger societal values. I am starting to see the links, which I think will help me push for better reforms later on. Movements like BLM keep inspiring that kind of change, calling out injustices that need fixing. Family law and civil law overlap in ways that interest me a lot, especially how decisions affect whole families across time. I aim to work on policies that put children and families first, making sure the system protects them instead of pushing them away. It might be oversimplifying, but that intersection feels like where I can make a difference. This scholarship would take a lot of pressure off financially, so I could focus more on school and my community work. Without that stress, I can build the skills to be a solid advocate for people who need it. I am committed to making the legal world fairer, improving access for all kinds of families. My passion from BLM has grown into something real for me in family and civil law. Through advocacy, I hope to bring positive shifts to communities. With support like this, I will keep moving toward that, focused on justice for those who get overlooked most.

Growing up being surrounding by family all around, I always wanted to help people. My grandmother was very active in our community (Seat Pleasant, MD) she would take in foster kids, host events, charities, and was apart of the NANBPWC (Negro Business and Professional Women’s Club Inc. She is my role model, once I turned 13 she came to me and my cousins with an opportunity to start a youth club. Starting off wasn’t easy we would have meetings once a week but I felt like we weren’t getting anywhere. Until I turned 16 she asked me if I wanted to bring it back, I answered with Of Course! She then asked me to be the president, and I was so honored. My grandmother a leader of many things saw me as one. So from then on me and my friends and my little cousin made it a goal to actually help people doing meetings every week. Helping my grandmother at church when we can. And making goals such as hosting huge events, feeding the homeless, etc. That wasn’t the only thing I did. Once I reached Highschool I was very depressed so my academics isn’t what I want it to be so, I started doing more. I’ve been apart of 3 non-profits Lessons Learned, Ketchmore Kids, and Goode Fight. These three non profits have the same goal which is to better the life of kids going through hardships. Before helping and joining these organizations I didn’t realize how everyone life is different. I grew up in a household with both parents who have been married for 20+ years, 4 siblings, aunts and uncles, and having loving grandmothers. All lot of people don’t have support systems or any family at all. Which is why I want to continue with my club and potentially expand it, not just helping the youth but everyone who needs help. Life isn’t easy, I can’t change the life of people but I at least want to help them be better. Thats why my life goal is to become a civil lawyer, someone who is about the people for the people. I rarely see younger lawyers of my skin color helping us or worried about us instead a lot of them are in politics more worried about the president than helping people. I want to be an example to younger people and even older people because it is never to late to chase what you want and strive for greatness. All I want to do is help people and I would do whatever it takes to get there mentally, physically, and emotionally. I want to help like my grandmother and even like Ms. Hill. When I leave this world I want to leave with a purpose and a mark on this earth, I want to help people even after life. It gives me purpose knowing I can make someone’s life easier. I want to be the kind of person who leaves other better than I found them.

I love help the youth and minorities so volunteer work is my favorite extracurricular activity more than 53,000 youth are tried as adults every year in the US. These are just a few facts when it comes to the criminal justice system. A lot of African-Americans aren’t able to get the justice they need because of opinionated people. Things like this for you can affect them in the near future can affect them getting jobs, getting houses, etc. When minors are criminalized at an early age a placement a long-term strain on courts, law-enforcement, correctional facilities and social services and every year hundreds and thousands of minors are arrested for the most nonviolent offensives like theft, drug possession or disorderly conduct and in 2021 405,000 arrest were minors in for these offensive they have to serve time which affected their life, such as getting the proper education and being able to grow with their surrounding families. Cases like these heavily made me wanna work with the youth and minorities because they’re being treated unfairly in the criminal justice system, and I feel like if kids see another minority help them Maybe they’ll feel protected in a way. Growing up a big family I have always been surrounded by kids and different minorities such as African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians, etc. so it’s not just African-Americans I wanna help. I wanna help everyone, but I have noticed that minorities are the ones who don’t get as much help being black myself I have noticed a repetitive cycle of mistreated civilians and seeing this cycle has grown my love for wanting to be in the criminal justice system to be able to help those mistreated civilians. since 2020 I have been a part of three nonprofits that help youth individuals get out of their hardships and show them a better life so in a way I have been helping people but being a lawyer or a judge is my career goal to help those people even further. Being a part of these nonprofits have shown me that everybody doesn’t grow up the same and everybody has their own situation going on and seeing these things have grown my horizon on how everybody goes through different things and has made me more understanding as a person. So that is one change that I would like to see in the criminal justice system, and I will wanna be a part of that change.

The criminal justice system today is not really focused on African Americans and Youth. The has been a big problem years but right now we are talking about recent issues, in 2022 the arrest rates for Black individuals was 4,544 per 100,000 which is double the amount for white individuals. Black people takeover 14% of U.S. population but 32% of the 14% is incarcerated. Black students take more disciplinary action than white students. getting the proper education and being able to grow with their surrounding families. More than 53,000 youth are tried as adults every year in the US. These are just a few facts when it comes to the criminal justice system. A lot of African-Americans aren’t able to get the justice they need because of opinionated people. Things like this for you can affect them in the near future can affect them getting jobs, getting houses, etc. When minors are criminalized at an early age a placement a long-term strain on courts, law-enforcement, correctional facilities and social services and every year hundreds and thousands of minors are arrested for the most nonviolent offensives like theft, drug possession or disorderly conduct and in 2021 405,000 arrest were minors in for these offensive they have to serve time which affected their life, such as getting the proper education and being able to grow with their surrounding families. Cases like these heavily made me wanna work with the youth and minorities because they’re being treated unfairly in the criminal justice system, and I feel like if kids see another minority help them Maybe they’ll feel protected in a way. Growing up a big family I have always been surrounded by kids and different minorities such as African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians, etc. so it’s not just African-Americans I wanna help. I wanna help everyone, but I have noticed that minorities are the ones who don’t get as much help being black myself I have noticed a repetitive cycle of mistreated civilians and seeing this cycle has grown my love for wanting to be in the criminal justice system to be able to help those mistreated civilians. since 2020 I have been a part of three nonprofits that help youth individuals get out of their hardships and show them a better life so in a way I have been helping people but being a lawyer or a judge is my career goal to help those people even further. Being a part of these nonprofits have shown me that everybody doesn’t grow up the same and everybody has their own situation going on and seeing these things have grown my horizon on how everybody goes through different things and has made me more understanding as a person. So that is one change that I would like to see in the criminal justice system, and I will wanna be a part of that change.

The criminal justice system today is not really focused on African Americans and Youth. The has been a big problem years but right now we are talking about recent issues, in 2022 the arrest rates for Black individuals was 4,544 per 100,000 which is double the amount for white individuals. Black people takeover 14% of U.S. population but 32% of the 14% is incarcerated. Black students take more disciplinary action then white students. In California ages 12 to 24 are most likely to be stopped and searched for guns and drugs. in 2017-2018 school year black students made up 15% of the enrollment but 31% of arrests a lot of schools policies, push students into the justice system instead of offering help or counseling to better them. more than 53,000 youth are tried as adults every year in the US. These are just a few facts when it comes to the criminal justice system. A lot of African-Americans aren’t able to get the justice they need because of opinionated people. Things like this for you can affect them in the near future can affect them getting jobs, getting houses, etc. When minors are criminalized at an early age a placement a long-term strain on courts, law-enforcement, correctional facilities and social services and every year hundreds and thousands of minors are arrested for the most nonviolent offensives like theft, drug possession or disorderly conduct and in 2021 405,000 arrest were minors in for these offensive they have to serve time which affected their life, such as getting the proper education and being able to grow with their surrounding families. Cases like these heavily made me wanna work with the youth and minorities because they’re being treated unfairly in the criminal justice system, and I feel like if kids see another minority help them Maybe they’ll feel protected in a way. Growing up a big family I have always been surrounded by kids snd different minorities such as African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians, etc. so it’s not just African-Americans I wanna help. I wanna help everyone, but I have noticed that minorities are the ones who don’t get as much help being black myself I have noticed a repetitive cycle of mistreated civilians and seeing this cycle has grown my love for wanting to be in the criminal justice system to be able to help those mistreated civilians. since 2020 I have been a part of three nonprofits that help youth individuals get out of their hardships and show them a better life so in a way I have been helping people but being a lawyer or a judge is my career goal to help those people even further. Being a part of these nonprofits have shown me that everybody doesn’t grow up the same and everybody has their own situation going on and seeing these things have grown my horizon on how everybody goes through different things and has made me more understanding as a person. So that is one change that I would like to see in the criminal justice system, and I will wanna be a part of that change.