What matters most to me is that I leave a lasting impact on the world. My father taught me that the measure of your manhood is not what you accomplish for yourself, but what you can accomplish for others. While this statement is far easier said than done, I have made it my mission to continue to give back to my community every step of the way. One way in which I believe I can make an impact on our society is through education. I have applied this principle throughout my life to date by creating scholarships for low-income African American students throughout Chicago and raising funds for the community that built me through my streetwear brand, Gratitude Chicago, LLC. My goal is to leave a long-lasting impact that leads to more opportunities for the people who come after me while honoring the people who came before me. My mom is a Chicago Public School principal, and she always emphasized the power of education, which led to my love for school. Education developed my awareness and the process by which I solve issues. I am aware that my story could have easily been a different one had it not been for the support and guidance that I was privileged to have from my support system. As a Chicago public school graduate, I entered private school and experienced an immediate culture shock. The differences in public and private education were very apparent and I saw how much my parents had to sacrifice to be able to afford to send me to school. I had never experienced that level of academic rigor and I earned the worst grades I had ever earned during my first year. During my process of moving from public to private schooling, I saw the impact that lack of funding had on my elementary school and the income barriers that prevented some of us, who didn’t have access to scholarships, from such education. I was blessed enough to receive scholarships such as the Justice Adolpho A. Birch Jr. Scholarship and work opportunities to help supplement my undergraduate tuition. This scholarship would assist me in my ability to afford to attend law school. Too many students of diverse backgrounds fall through the cracks of society because they aren’t introduced to the opportunities that await them. Leaving a lasting impact on society is so important to me because I know that I may not be in this situation today if it weren’t for people who took the time to make an impact on me. I am a firm believer in the fact that we can change the world through education and opportunity, and it is my goal to leave an impact on society through my role as a mentor, liaison to the industry, and continuing to find ways to assist with the financial burden of higher education. The most valuable insights that I learned from the law school application process are the importance of using research in establishing perspectives and the benefits of being able to clearly articulate your goals/aspirations. My law school application process spanned two application cycles before I received my formal acceptance letter from my dream school, Georgetown University. I was put on the preferred waitlist after applying early decision and decided to defer to revamp how I approached the process. In my second application process, I dove deeper than my initial attempt. I utilized online resources for any meaningful school data/LSAT prep, I used LinkedIn to connect with professors and attorneys, I reached out directly to the Office of Admissions to schedule calls and physically visit campuses where possible, etc. I focused on refining my application and being able to articulate my dreams, clearly and concisely, which I hope to accomplish through law school. Many of these insights I learned during my time in the Just the Beginning Foundation Summer Legal Institute during my Junior year of high school, but the law school application process enamored these in me further and I witnessed the benefits of my labor once I was accepted. While the law school application process was certainly daunting and left me anxious a lot of the time, I wouldn’t have had it any other way. This process will help me transition to law school because I will continue to use these same insights during my time in law school just as outlined in A(mateur) to B(arrister). The same insights that pushed me toward connecting with potential mentors within the legal industry and refining my logic/writing skills for my law school applications will also push me to utilize my professor’s office hours and refine my outlining skills in preparation for my 1L year. As I matriculate through the process, I am continuing to learn how to articulate my goals which is paramount to achieving them. The law school application process has further convinced me that becoming an attorney is still my dream career and has given me the groundwork necessary to give me an extra boost of motivation as I begin classes in the Fall.