The most inspirational book that I have read is “Hood Feminism: Notes From The Women That A Movement Forgot” by Mikki Kendall. In this Book, Kendall criticizes mainstream feminism by pointing out ways that it has failed to advocate for women of marginalized groups. There are many women worldwide who don’t get access to medical care, higher education, and safe neighborhood. Unfortunately, feminism has been shaped to advocate for increased privileges for women who already have access to these basic needs. The book brings this to light and suggests ways to solve every women’s problem. Mikki Kendall grew up in an impoverished neighborhood. Because her hard work allowed her to advance in her education, she is now able to be the voice that her community needs. Immigration, and other issues addressed in the book, affect every woman that I know. As a black woman, I see myself reflected in Kendall’s book. Reading this book made me feel recognized by the movement that I have long identified with. In this book, Kendall articulates why an intersectional approach to feminism is mandatory. She also describes issues that are not recognized as feminist issues however predominantly they affect women. These issues include gun violence, hunger, poverty, and unstable housing. Solutions to these problems are only created when everyone contributes their part. Hood feminism didn’t frame women of marginalized groups as victims. Rather, it recognized their lack of resources to unlock their potential. Kendall, through her phenomenal book, taught the world that no woman will have rights until all women have rights.

I live by the quote said by Gwendolyn Brooks, "We are each other’s harvest; We are each other’s business; We are each other’s magnitude and bond”. I don’t view myself as an individual. Rather, I am part of a large community that requires collaboration to thrive. I grew up in Ethiopia. When I was eight years old, my parents got divorced and both of my parents moved to a different country. So, I had to move to my grandmother’s house. I had a different school, a different home, and a different family. To foster a sense of belonging in my new community, I needed a support group. When I turned thirteen, I volunteered as a history teacher in a local Orphanage for a full summer. This experience was very fulfilling and helped me adjust to the new environment that I was living in. It was also an inspiration to devote my time to community service hereafter. When I immigrated to America a few years later, life’s obstacles seemed unbearable. I had to overcome language and cultural barriers. But, I found a welcoming church that was willing to accept me as a member. I built long-lasting and impactful relationships in my church. This allowed me to maintain my academic trajectory while being a well-rounded person. I was lucky enough to be supported by my community when I was going through hard times in my life, but only a few people have the resources to overcome challenges that hinder their path to success. I learned this when I started volunteering as a tutor under a program called Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) in September. This is a year-long program designed to aid students, who speak English as a second language, in their pursuit of post-secondary education. For the 20 hours of service that I spent on this organization, I have met several students who are filled with potential. One of my students was a senior in high school when I first met her. She immigrated from Mexico at the start of her high school journey. She had the passion to pursue a career as an architect in the U.S. But, she also wanted to inherit her grandparents’ business in Mexico. She didn’t plan on applying to universities at the start of her senior year because she didn’t think she could balance both her education and her grandparents’ business. This student shared her story with me. I also shared my story with her. I have faced a lot of self-doubts when I was applying to universities because I am a first-generation college student. Yet, I am able to preserve my academic achievements because I believe in myself. I shared this with my student and showed her that she can pursue her dreams if she works hard. Fast forward to December, my student applied and got accepted at four universities. She decided to take a gap year to find ways to keep her grandparents’ business. Most importantly, she believed that she could achieve what she desires. For me, Giving back to my community means being a resource to people in my community by fostering leadership. A leader is someone who spots potential in people and convinces them that they can make their dreams a reality. I am someone who cultivates leadership in people by showing them their unique and invaluable side. I am a resource that allows people to shoot for the moon. At the same time, I know that there are billions of moons in our galaxy. So, I encourage people to identify their moons and shoot for their fullest potential.

My skill is being flexible. I didn’t know how flexible my body was until I started practicing yoga. I have been doing yoga for two years. On the first day that I practiced yoga, it was hard for my body to adjust to the different poses. My thighs got sore, my legs were hurting, and my arms felt numb. Despite all this pain, I showed up for yoga practice the next day. The second day wasn’t significantly different from the first. My body was still learning how to do yoga. The third day, however, felt absolutely incredible. My mind and body were able to sync with my breath. I felt a sense of calmness rush through my body, and I could hear the yoga instructor’s soothing voice as I felt the warmth of my yoga mat beneath my feet. At that moment, I knew that the My body had the ability to be flexible. My favorite pose in yoga is called the crow pose. It requires patience and strength to attain this pose. Crow pose is painful for beginners, but I didn’t let that hold me back from learning this pose. I spent the first month of my yoga journey trying to master the crow pose. One month after I started doing yoga, I was finally able to stay in crow pose for ten seconds. In addition to improving my body’s flexibility, this pose taught me that pain shouldn’t make me quit but rather encourage me to get stronger. When I say I am grateful that I still practice yoga, it is an understatement. Yoga gave my life harmony and allowed me to see the world differently. It also taught me how to bring out the best in every experience by making me flexible in all aspects of life.

Living in the society that we live in, I couldn’t help but notice the immense pressure that is put on men to keep their emotions to themselves. I learned from a very young age that boys are not acquainted with being vulnerable or crying. According to the CDC, Suicide is among the leading cause of death for men but not for women (https://www.cdc.gov/healthequity/lcod/men/2017/index.html). I have a strong belief that this is true because most men don’t have someone who can demonstrate that they are understood. When they express their emotions in casual conversations, men are perceived as weak. As a society, we need to show compassion to men who are going through hard times instead of encouraging them to hold their emotions for themselves. Listening from the heart is the highest form of respect that a person can pay. To make the world a better place, I listen to everyone that approaches me. But, I pay special attention to the men in my life because they are more likely to benefit from moments of heartfelt encouragement.

My purpose in life is to spread hope. For me, dentistry is a tool for doing this. I was born in Ethiopia. I grew up witnessing problems caused by severe poverty. One of my childhood memories was in the elementary school located a few feet away from my grandmother’s house. Most of the students who learned at this school came from low-income families. These students used to pass out in class because they weren’t able to eat for days. It was heartrending for me to watch children’s health shatter because of their economic status. This school was located in the capital city of Ethiopia, so the issue got political attention. A campaign that aimed to feed these students at least once a day was implemented. This allowed the students to excel academically. But, I can’t help but wonder about the living conditions of children living in rural areas. Their needs aren’t understood. They get little to no access to education and medical care. They are denied hope. There are many communities in underdeveloped countries that don’t get sufficient dental care. I decided to become a dentist because I want to provide dental care to people who can’t afford it. I fall in love with dentistry on the first day that I shadowed a dentist. On that day, I understood that dentists have the opportunity to connect with their patients in the deepest way possible. Dentists do so much more than treat diseases. They ease anxiety. They create a safe space for their patients. They make their patients smile confidently. They spread hope. There is no reason for a person to be denied these benefits because they are born in an underserved community, so I want to be the source of hope that my community deeply desires.

I consider the development of vaccines as the greatest scientific achievement in the history of humanity. Life expectancy has increased significantly since humans figured out a way to make vaccines. Edward Jenner developed the first vaccine when he noticed that people who were exposed to cowpox, a disease of cows that can also affect humans mildly, developed some form of immunity to smallpox. He then developed the first vaccine by exposing a young man to cowpox then to smallpox; the treatment worked, and vaccines became known to humans. Vaccines have been under the spotlight for the last year because of covid 19. This pandemic revealed how important vaccines are. It also provided the opportunity to develop vaccines using different techniques like mRNA. The tenth of thousands of people who have died at the start of the pandemic because of the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak might have been saved by a vaccine. The development of vaccines has taught scientists how our immune system fights off pathogens, so it has contributed a lot to the discovery of many other scientific discoveries like some antibiotics. Unlike most treatments, vaccines create a perpetual effect on our immune system. Vaccines don’t give our immune system immunity, rather they force our body to produce immunity. This alone makes them greatly significant.

Michelle Obama once said “I loved getting A’s. I liked being smart. I liked being on time. I thought being smart is cooler than anything in the world.” I too like to learn and be smart. I am interested in learning and meeting new people, and college is an excellent place to do these things. I know that life is full of opportunities. I want to seize those opportunities by challenging myself, and I see no better way to challenge myself than going to college. I crossed the Atlantic and came to America hoping to get a better life through education. I know that I have the potential to succeed in college, and I want to use my potential to the fullest. Another reason that I want to go to college is to get new experiences. I believe that college is a time to transition from childhood to adulthood. In college, I hope to get new experiences that will help me reflect on the person I was as a child and become the person that I want to be as an adult. I want to take classes that will challenge me. I also want to take on responsibilities that will prepare me for my life beyond college. I want to collaborate with people of different backgrounds and expand my understanding of different cultures. My purpose in life is to spread hope. For me, dentistry is a tool for doing this. I was born in Ethiopia. I grew up witnessing problems caused by severe poverty. One of my childhood memories was in the elementary school located a few feet away from my grandmother’s house. Most of the students who learned at this school came from low-income families. These students used to faint in class because they weren’t able to eat for days. It was heartrending for me to watch children’s health shatter because of their economic status. This school was located in the capital city of Ethiopia, so the issue got political attention. A campaign that aimed to feed these students at least once a day was implemented so that they will have the opportunity to focus on their education. But, I can’t help but wonder about the living conditions of children living in rural areas. Their needs aren’t understood. They get little to no access to education and medical care. They are denied hope. There are many communities in underdeveloped countries that don’t get sufficient dental care. I decided to become a dentist because I want to provide dental care to people who can’t afford it. I fall in love with dentistry on the first day that I shadowed a dentist. On that day, I understood that dentists have the opportunity to connect with their patients in the deepest way possible. Dentists do so much more than treat diseases. They ease anxiety. They create a safe space for their patients. They make their patients smile confidently. They spread hope. There is no reason for a person to be denied these benefits because they are born in an underserved community, so I want to be the source of hope that my community deeply desires.

For me, confidence means having comfort in being unique. A few years ago, I considered the standards that were expected of me when I defined success. I moved to America at the start of my junior year of high school. The biggest problem I noticed in this country is the pressure society puts on young people to be the best in everything. As soon as I moved here, I was expected to get a perfect SAT score, get a full-tuition scholarship, and pursue a specific career that my parents wanted. While these are good things, for me, success wasn’t defined by achieving what other people wanted me to. This steered me to depression. The worst thing about this feeling was that I didn’t know how to overcome it. My happiness disappeared with my sense of self. I didn’t even care if there was light at the end of the tunnel, but I hated the tunnel that I was living in. Confidence shouldn’t be a socially defined term. Collectively defining confidence doesn’t fulfill anyone’s life purpose. Everyone has unique talents and aspirations. Confidence is figuring out what those talents are and then working to cultivate them. Individuality should be respected because it is what makes a society function as it should. To attain “self” fulfillment, I needed to learn how to listen to my inner self. After long hours of thinking and reflecting on myself, I created my definition of confidence. Confidence is being unapologetic for being me. Confidence is being positive and radiating positive energy to others. Even if I still have pressure to conform to what society wants me to, I always lingered on my need to be my true self. I arrange time in my schedule to reflect on myself and maintain my “self” confidence.

I grew up in Ethiopia. In a single household, I lived with my grandmother, mother, sister, aunts, and cousins. I have a lot of memories in my grandmother's house, but one memory stands out: the day that I moved into the house. It wasn’t long before that day that I found out that my parents got divorced. That was heartrending news for the eight-year-old me. I now had a different school, a different home, and a different family. I had to adjust to the new environment. I knew that there were obstacles in the way, but I was eager to overcome them. Although it wasn’t easy getting used to a different lifestyle, I was able to adjust to it. My new school followed a different curriculum. But I still scored as high as my classmates who were already used to the school’s curriculum. I was even elected as the class representative the following year. This experience taught me that I am capable of achieving whatever I put myself up to. This lesson paid off when I moved to the U.S. The same thing happened here too. I had to move and adjust to yet another new environment. Immigrating to America was different from moving to my grandmother’s house because not only did I have to get used to the new school and house, but I also had to adjust to a new country. Regardless, because I am dedicated to achieving my goals, it wasn’t hard for me to get used to the new country. Soon enough, I was able to maintain my academic excellence while being an active member of my church. The main thing that living in America has taught me is that I can be anything that I want. I vividly remember the moment that I stepped out of Dallas airport. I thought to myself “wow! Everything is big here”. The cars, the roads, and the buildings seemed larger. I later learned that dreams are also big in the U.S. I knew that I shouldn’t limit my potential but rather dream bigger and work harder. I always had the interest to pursue a career in dentistry. After moving to the U.S., I was assured that I can achieve that goal. I am no stranger to moving and adapting to a new environment which is why I became successful in college as well. I graduated high school with honors. I was able to earn the scholarship that I need to finance my education for my freshmen year of college. Without the scholarships, I wouldn’t be able to pursue a college education. I also believe in giving back to my community. I tutor high school students who are immigrants just like me. I pave the way for them to succeed in their post-secondary education. In the future, I will overcome obstacles just like I always have. I will become a dentist, and I have no doubt that I will be a good one.

Coconuts Coconut smells like happiness. As a person with 20 inches of curly hair, washing my hair is very tiresome. I was nine years old when I decided to wash my hair by myself for the first time. I was doubting myself. But I did it. I got through an hour of shampooing, detangling, and deep conditioning. When I finished, my hair smelled like coconut from the products that I used. I smelled happiness. I still smell the scent of coconut and remember the hard work that I put into myself. I feel happiness and appreciation when I smell coconuts.

Fighting Period Poverty If there is one word that could describe me, that word would be FEMINIST. I am very passionate about decreasing period poverty. My grandmother is the main reason why I am a feminist. She didn’t get the chance to finish high school, but she single-handedly raised seven children. My grandmother was forced to marry at the age of 18. Her father and husband agreed that she should be allowed to finish high school. But she couldn’t pursue her secondary education because she already had three children by the time she was a junior in high school. However, this didn’t stop her from pursuing a career. She managed to get a job at a telecommunication corporation. This job allowed her to create a better life for her children. My grandmother’s story highlights the importance of education to young females. Unfortunately, there are many girls in underdeveloped countries that don’t get equal access to education as their male counterparts. One of the main reasons for this is period poverty. Lack of sanitary products hinders girls’ academic success. It also makes them vulnerable to infections and other physiological problems. I have seen girls who live in rural parts of Ethiopia that use dried cow feces as a menstrual sanitary product. They don’t have access to pads and tampons, so they use cow feces instead. There is also stigma behind period blood in their community. To avoid being seen, they have to wait until the sun sets to change their sanitary products. This makes them susceptible to sexual assault. It is estimated that period poverty affects 500 million people worldwide. It would be immoral for me to do nothing about the issue. This is why I am committed to decreasing period poverty. No one should face problems because of their gender

For me, dentistry is a way to spread hope. I was born in Ethiopia. I grew up witnessing problems caused by severe poverty. One of my childhood memories was in the elementary school located a few feet away from my grandmother’s house. Most of the students who learned at this school came from low-income families. These students used to pass out in class because they weren’t fortunate enough to eat for days. It was heartrending for me to watch children’s health shatter because of their economic status. This school was located in the capital city of Ethiopia, so the issue got political attention. The first lady of Ethiopia launched a campaign that aimed to feed these students at least once a day so that they will have the opportunity to focus on their education. But, I can’t help but wonder about the living conditions of children living in rural areas. Their needs aren’t understood. They get little to no access to education and medical care. They are denied hope. There are many communities in underdeveloped countries that don’t get sufficient dental care. Poor dental care causes chronic health problems. I decided to become a dentist because I want to provide dental care to people who can’t afford it. I fall in love with dentistry on the first day that I shadowed a dentist. On that day, I understood that dentists have the opportunity to connect with their patients in the deepest way possible. Dentists do so much more than treat diseases. They ease anxiety. They create a safe space for their patients. They make their patients smile confidently. They spread hope. There is no reason for a person to be denied these benefits because they are born in an underserved community, so I am dedicated to serving underserved communities after I graduate from dental school. I am completing my undergraduate degree in Medical Laboratory Science at George Mason University. I choose to pursue this STEM degree because it involves one year of instruction at medical laboratory sciences schools on top of three years of instruction at a four-year university. Medical laboratory sciences schools provide a hands-on learning experience. I will be able to earn valuable skills to perform research through this undergraduate degree. I plan to take a gap year before enrolling in a dental school. For my gap year, I will move back to Ethiopia and conduct research to explore the needs of my community regarding dental care. This will enable me to serve my community effectively after I graduate from dental school. I am currently a member of an organization called Volunteer Around World Dental (VAWD). This organization facilitates annual trips for dentists and students to underserved communities. The dentists give free dental service for the time that they stay in that country. This summer, VADW is organizing a trip to Guatemala. If I am the recipient of the Cliff T. Wofford STEM Scholarship, I will use it to be a part of VADW’s trip to Guatemala and pursue my dream of spreading hope.