As a child, my books allowed me to find a passion for language. The influence of language framed themes in my books and I learned to connect that influence in my own life; on the individuals around me, within my home, community, and country. I never knew how I would apply language to help others, but knew advocacy began with my parents. Joining the enclave of young Kenyan immigrants that arrived in the early 90s, alone in the compartment of a plane, was my 19-year-old father when he emigrated to the U.S. Likewise, so did my mother. She was 17 years old. This migration of opportunity for many African immigrants, education was seen culturally as a place of privilege and value. My father attended Worcester State University, paying his way through, while my mother initially attended a two-year community college, but due to issues with her immigration status, had put her education on hold (has since returned to school now that her children are older). I am the second-generation in my family to attend university, and my chance for an education in this country began with them. The impact of language; as a child, it framed the dynamics between my beloved characters. As I got older, I learned how the impact language framed dynamics within my community, and thus society. The way the words could be articulated defined how well the language would protect individuals; or better yet, put them at a disadvantage. In high school, I led a Diversity Inclusion Club, providing kids in my community outlets of advocacy. I co-organized an open mic night in which kids from several schools including mine used language to express their identities. I also worked politically as a member of the JEDI E-Board for the Massachusetts High School Democrats, a sub-organization of the Massachusetts Democratic Party, where I collaborated with other high school students across Massachusetts to hold a lobby day, connecting with state politicians regarding youth civic engagement policy. I continued this pursuit well into college, interning with different sectors of the Massachusetts state legislature. In the spring of my freshman year, I served as a paid intern in the Northampton Office of State Representative Lindsay Sabadosa. Organizing an annual Youth Reproductive Roundtable, l learned the influence of the language with regard to holistic reproductive healthcare; Tapestry Health, Planned Parenthood, and other organizations served to assist these conversations. That summer, I spent at the State House, serving as a legislative intern for State Senator Robyn Kennedy. Sitting in hearings, I learned how different polices were influenced by the way of language. My relationship to language holds an understanding of its privilege, and I intend to use it to interpret the law. This fall, my work with Massachusetts Black and Latino Caucus provoked me to learn how state policy serves our immigrant communities. As witnessed nationally, the immigration crisis persists; with little to no due process for families separated. Federally, the dominating party and lobbying groups in support have remained against these reforms - encouraging this backlog and violence towards our immigrants. That said, on a state level, working with within a local level to assist the issues of immigration has posed as the easiest way of personal reform. For me, it means advocacy & collaboration within my state government to strengthen policy; and providing tangible support in states that struggle. I intend to drive change in this way, and through the influence of language, this is my pursuit.

Joining the enclave of young Kenyan immigrants that arrived in the early 90s, my parents were able to achieve their own path of the American dream - four children, a colonial home in the suburbs, and expectations of their first-generation children to maintain this stability. Perseverance and hard work are qualities pushed upon immigrants in order to survive in systems that do not cater. I adopted this mentality as a young child. With my dim nightlight against the bedroom wall, I read every night as a child. For my classes, I challenged myself with honors in high school. I even took on leadership roles in after-school clubs and worked part-time. I adopted perseverance and hard work into myself, so when their daughter was to walk at graduation, she was evidence despite the systems that did not cater. I wish she existed. My path with perseverance and hard work did not follow the same way as it did for my parents. As a young child, I was able to adopt these qualities without question. As I got older, I barely kept up with a simple routine of hygiene. In disarray, my room reflected my own apathy. My laundry met unevenly across the floor as I failed to organize them and myself. I had reverenced through school and worked hard, yet I felt like it meant nothing. The concept of mental health struck my parents as taboo, despite the trauma that came with navigating this country alone. Embracing feelings of vulnerability and dependency was not an option for them, so it was not an option for me. As my mental health got worse, so did my commitment to perseverance and hard work. I failed to show up for my classes, my clubs, my work, and eventually my high school graduation. Learning to create a unique path for myself after such failure encouraged me to embrace the very feelings my parents rejected. I had to learn what perseverance and hard work meant to me. As a young black woman, I knew the systems did not cater, but the injustice that led to my own self concealment was an even bigger disadvantage. My school of mainly white faculty had placed laziness, instead of concern when I began to fail. My parents had placed stigma, instead of support when I began to withdraw - and I did not know where to turn. I picked up my diploma a month after graduation. However, I knew I had to maneuver a new path. Perseverance and hard work allowed my parents their opportunity, but survival required concealing the depression- allowing it to manifest. I did not want that to be the case for me. I wanted to embrace my own struggle, exposing my depression through the taboo of mental health in my community. After high school, I had taken the year off to figure out what perseverance and hard work meant for my path. I knew that it was a social necessity for my parents to conceal their mental health struggles, but it did not have to be the same for me. I did not have to internalize this notion on my path. Turning outward for support allowed me to flourish. I began community college in the fall and took on my own path. For my classes, I challenged myself with five courses and got honors. I even took on an internship for the Massachusetts Black and Latino Caucus, advocating for policy that serves immigrant communities. As an adult, my path leads with perseverance and hard work, without dismissing my wellbeing for the systems that do not cater.

My parents are first-generation, Kenyan immigrants; my mother emigrated to the U.S at 17 and my father at 19. Alongside the movement of Kenyan immigration in the 90s, they built careers specifically in healthcare. My father attended Worcester State University, paying his way through, while my mother initially attended a two-year community college, but due to issues with her immigration status, she had to put her education on hold but has since returned to school. I am the second generation in my family to attend university, and my chance for an education in this country began with them. Through sacrifice, my parents worked themselves into the middle class, affording my siblings and I with those opportunities. I was enrolled at Westfield State University as a college freshman pursuing Political Science in the fall semester. At university, I continued my commitment to public service and began working at the Northampton office of State Representative Lindsay Sabadosa. In the classroom, I learned the importance of municipal government; and working in this area has allowed me to deepen my understanding of legislative work, community outreach, and the policymaking process. Due to the costs of school, I had to withdraw during the second semester, but now I am enrolled in community college and intend to transfer after receiving my associates. While the route to my degree changed, through my own personal service, I continue the pursuit of my education. My relationship to education holds an understanding of its privilege and I intend to pursue the use of my education to interpret the law. I intend to learn and address the language of law to help those who face the disadvantages of it. The impact of language; it quite literally plays into how we deal with human nature and the structure of society. I want to interpret the law because I’ve seen the impact of language within my own family. The language towards immigrants in this country has my mother still working to receive citizenship, after multiple decades and thousands of dollars given to this country. I want to advocate with this language because I’ve learned how without proper advocacy, individuals cannot navigate the structural barriers that will remain for as long as we have to deal with them. We utilize the law to protect, defend, and stand impartial in a civil or criminal sense. For my own community, we have utilized the law in interpretations that have been detrimental. For our community, the immigration crisis impacts families that leave their supports at home from across the diaspora - only to find struggles in navigating the "supposed access to freedom" in this country. On a federal level, the dominating party and lobbying groups in support have remained against these reforms - encouraging this backlog and lack of access for our immigrants. That said on a state level, working with within a state level to assist the issues of immigration has posed as the easiest way of personal reform towards this system. For me, it means supporting immigrants in states that do not have supportive state policy. It means advocacy within state government to improve policy to better the policy in place. I intend to drive change in this way; and through the sacrifice of my parents, the bravery of my educational choices, and service, I will pursue it.

My parents are first-generation, Kenyan immigrants; my mother emigrated to the U.S at 17 and my father at 19. Alongside the movement of Kenyan immigration in the 90s, they built careers specifically in healthcare. My father attended Worcester State University, paying his way through, while my mother initially attended a two-year community college, but due to issues with her immigration status, she had to put her education on hold but has since returned to school. I am the second generation in my family to attend university, and my chance for an education in this country began with them. Through sacrifice, my parents worked themselves into the middle class, affording my siblings and I with those opportunities. I was enrolled at Westfield State University as a college freshman pursuing Political Science in the fall semester. At university, I continued my commitment to public service and began working at the Northampton office of State Representative Lindsay Sabadosa. In the classroom, I learned the importance of municipal government; and working in this area has allowed me to deepen my understanding of legislative work, community outreach, and the policymaking process. Due to the costs of school, I had to withdraw during the second semester, but now I am enrolled in community college and intend to transfer after receiving my associates. While the route to my degree changed, through my own personal service, I continue the pursuit of my education. My relationship to education holds an understanding of its privilege and I intend to pursue the use of my education to interpret the law. I intend to learn and address the language of law to help those who face the disadvantages of it. The impact of language; it quite literally plays into how we deal with human nature and the structure of society. I want to interpret the law because I’ve seen the impact of language within my own family. The language towards immigrants in this country has my mother still working to receive citizenship, after multiple decades and thousands of dollars given to this country. I want to advocate with this language because I’ve learned how without proper advocacy, individuals cannot navigate the structural barriers that will remain for as long as we have to deal with them. We utilize the law to protect, defend, and stand impartial in a civil or criminal sense. For my own community, we have utilized the law in interpretations that have been detrimental. For our community, the immigration crisis impacts families that leave their supports at home from across the diaspora - only to find struggles in navigating the "supposed access to freedom" in this country. On a federal level, the dominating party and lobbying groups in support have remained against these reforms - encouraging this backlog and lack of access for our immigrants. That said on a state level, working with within a state level to assist the issues of immigration has posed as the easiest way of personal reform towards this system. For me, it means supporting immigrants in states that do not have supportive state policy. It means advocacy within state government to improve policy to better the policy in place. I intend to drive change in this way; and through the sacrifice of my parents, the bravery of my educational choices, and service, I will pursue it.

My parents are first-generation, Kenyan immigrants; my mother emigrated to the U.S at 17 and my father at 19. Alongside the movement of Kenyan immigration in the 90s, they built careers specifically in healthcare. My father attended Worcester State University, paying his way through, while my mother initially attended a two-year community college, but due to issues with her immigration status, she had to put her education on hold but has since returned to school. I am the second generation in my family to attend university, and my chance for an education in this country began with them. Through sacrifice, my parents worked themselves into the middle class, affording my siblings and I with those opportunities. I was enrolled at Westfield State University as a college freshman pursuing Political Science in the fall semester. At university, I continued my commitment to public service and began working at the Northampton office of State Representative Lindsay Sabadosa. In the classroom, I learned the importance of municipal government; and working in this area has allowed me to deepen my understanding of legislative work, community outreach, and the policymaking process. Due to the costs of school, I had to withdraw during the second semester, but now I am enrolled in community college and intend to transfer after receiving my associates. While the route to my degree changed, through my own personal service, I continue the pursuit of my education. My relationship to education holds an understanding of its privilege and I intend to pursue the use of my education to interpret the law. I intend to learn and address the language of law to help those who face the disadvantages of it. The impact of language; it quite literally plays into how we deal with human nature and the structure of society. I want to interpret the law because I’ve seen the impact of language within my own family. The language towards immigrants in this country has my mother still working to receive citizenship, after multiple decades and thousands of dollars given to this country. I want to advocate with this language because I’ve learned how without proper advocacy, individuals cannot navigate the structural barriers that will remain for as long as we have to deal with them. We utilize the law to protect, defend, and stand impartial in a civil or criminal sense. For my own community, we have utilized the law in interpretations that have been detrimental. For our community, the immigration crisis impacts families that leave their supports at home from across the diaspora - only to find struggles in navigating the "supposed access to freedom" in this country. On a federal level, the dominating party and lobbying groups in support have remained against these reforms - encouraging this backlog and lack of access for our immigrants. That said on a state level, working with within a state level to assist the issues of immigration has posed as the easiest way of personal reform towards this system. For me, it means supporting immigrants in states that do not have supportive state policy. It means advocacy within state government to improve policy to better the policy in place. I intend to drive change in this way; and through the sacrifice of my parents, the bravery of my educational choices, and service, I will pursue it.

My parents are first-generation, Kenyan immigrants; my mother emigrated to the U.S at 17 and my father at 19. Alongside the movement of Kenyan immigration in the 90s, they built careers specifically in healthcare. My father attended Worcester State University, paying his way through, while my mother initially attended a two-year community college, but due to issues with her immigration status, she had to put her education on hold but has since returned to school. I am the second generation in my family to attend university, and my chance for an education in this country began with them. Through sacrifice, my parents worked themselves into the middle class, affording my siblings and I with those opportunities. I was enrolled at Westfield State University as a college freshman pursuing Political Science in the fall semester. Driven by a deep passion for social sciences and community engagement, my interest in politics and policy stems from personal experience—my parents are Kenyan immigrants, and the immigration process demonstrated to me at a young age how personal politics and policy are to our lives. Through bravery, I led by the example of attending college from high school as the first generation in my family. At Westfield State, I continued my commitment to public service and began working at the Northampton office of State Representative Lindsay Sabadosa. In the classroom I learned the importance of municipal government; and working in this area has allowed me to deepen my understanding of legislative work, community outreach, and the policymaking process. Due to the costs of school, I had to withdraw during the second semester and I am now working to enroll in community college to receive my degree. While the route to my degree changed, through my own personal service, I continue the pursuit of my education. These values have been themes throughout my educational journey, but have allowed me to envision how I use it. My relationship to education holds an understanding of its privilege and I intend to pursue the use of my education to interpret the law. I intend to learn and address the language of law to help those who face the disadvantages of it. The impact of language; it quite literally plays into how we deal with human nature and the structure of society. We utilize the law to protect, defend, and stand impartial in a civil or criminal sense. For my own community, we have utilized the law in interpretations that are detrimental This influence that language of the law maintains; the way the words articulate in the text showcases how well individuals are protected, or better yet, put others at an immediate disadvantage. I want to interpret the law because I’ve seen the impact of language within my own family. The language towards immigrants in this country has my mother still working to receive citizenship, after multiple decades and thousands of dollars given to this country. I want to advocate with this language because I’ve learned how without proper advocacy, individuals cannot navigate the structural barriers that will remain for as long as we have to deal with them. Dissecting the law is a career that came through my interests in literature and history. I realized how the impact of language throughout literature conveys themes - messages that are reflective of people or society. Within history, language drives the progression of societal change - the language reflective of the access or denial of certain privileges. The law is an honor to interpret because of what it reflects for the underprivileged in this country- and it would be an honor to work towards understanding it to enact great help for others. For our community, the immigration crisis impacts families that leave their supports at home from across the diaspora - only to find struggles in navigating the "supposed access to freedom" in this country. On a federal level, the dominating party and lobbying groups in support have remained against these reforms - encouraging this backlog and lack of access for our immigrants. That said on a state level, working with within a state level to assist the issues of immigration has posed as the easiest way of personal reform towards this system. For me, it means supporting immigrants in states that do not have supportive state policy. It means advocacy within state government to improve policy to better the policy in place. I intend to drive change in this way; and through the sacrifice of my parents, the bravery of my educational choices, and service, I will pursue it.

My parents are first-generation, Kenyan immigrants; my mother emigrated to the U.S at 17 and my father at 19. Alongside the movement of Kenyan immigration in the 90s, they built careers specifically in healthcare. My father attended Worcester State University, paying his way through, while my mother initially attended a two-year community college, but due to issues with her immigration status, she had to put her education on hold but has since returned to school. I am the second generation in my family to attend university, and my chance for an education in this country began with them. The belief that education is a powerful privilege to have in my culture motivated my parents to work themselves into the middle class, affording my siblings and I with those opportunities. I was enrolled at Westfield State University as a college freshman pursuing Political Science in the fall semester. Driven by a deep passion for social sciences and community engagement, my interest in politics and policy stems from personal experience—my parents are Kenyan immigrants, and the immigration process demonstrated to me at a young age how personal politics and policy are to our lives. My education allowed me to explore this aspect of my life; and eventually motivated me to pursue this career. At Westfield State, I continued my commitment to public service and began working at the Northampton office of State Representative Lindsay Sabadosa. In the classroom I learned the importance of municipal government; and working in this area has allowed me to deepen my understanding of legislative work, community outreach, and the policymaking process. Due to the costs of school, I had to withdraw during the second semester and I am now working to enroll in community college to receive my degree. However, my pursuit given my education has remained. My relationship to education holds an understanding of its privilege and I intend to pursue the use of my education to interpret the law. The impact of language; it quite literally plays into how we deal with human nature and the structure of society. We utilize the law to protect, defend, and stand impartial in a civil or criminal sense. This influence that language of the law maintains; the way the words articulate in the text showcases how well individuals are protected, or better yet, put others at an immediate disadvantage. I want to interpret the law because I’ve seen the impact of language within my own family. The language towards immigrants in this country has my mother still working to receive citizenship, after multiple decades and thousands of dollars given to this country. I want to advocate with this language because I’ve learned how without proper advocacy, individuals cannot navigate the structural barriers that will remain for as long as we have to deal with them. Dissecting the law is a career that came through my interests in literature and history. I realized how the impact of language throughout literature conveys themes - messages that are reflective of people or society. Within history, language drives the progression of societal change - the language reflective of the access or denial of certain privileges. The law is an honor to interpret because of what it reflects for the underprivileged in this country- and it would be an honor to work towards understanding it to enact great help for others. Through my education, I want to make my impact through the pursuit of this career - and my education has guided me towards this purpose.

My parents are first-generation, Kenyan immigrants; my mother emigrated to the U.S at 17 and my father at 19. Alongside the movement of Kenyan immigration in the 90s, they built careers specifically in healthcare. My father attended Worcester State University, paying his way through, while my mother initially attended a two-year community college, but due to issues with her immigration status, she had to put her education on hold but has since returned to school. I am the second generation in my family to attend university, and my chance for an education in this country began with them. The belief that education is a powerful privilege to have in my culture motivated my parents to work themselves into the middle class, affording my siblings and I with those opportunities. I was enrolled at Westfield State University as a college freshman pursuing Political Science in the fall semester. Driven by a deep passion for social sciences and community engagement, my interest in politics and policy stems from personal experience—my parents are Kenyan immigrants, and the immigration process demonstrated to me at a young age how personal politics and policy are to our lives. My education allowed me to explore this aspect of my life; and eventually motivated me to pursue this career. In high school, I led a Diversity and Inclusion Group, and we did initiatives that intend to strengthen JEDI values in our community. We connected with middle schools in our district to strengthen Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) values through after-school seminars. I also worked politically as a member of the JEDI E-Board for the Massachusetts High School Democrats, a sub-organization of the Massachusetts Democratic Party, where I collaborated with other high school students across Massachusetts to hold a lobby day, connecting with state politicians regarding youth civic engagement policy. At Westfield State, I continued my commitment to public service and began working at the Northampton office of State Representative Lindsay Sabadosa. In the classroom, I learned the importance of municipal government; and working in this area has allowed me to deepen my understanding of legislative work, community outreach, and the policymaking process. However, as I continued to pursue my education, I’ve come to understand that, despite my parents' hard work, their efforts were often constrained by an unspoken privilege that simply couldn't be earned. Navigating this system, affording tuition, managing the debt, those accessing opportunities could not be earned privileges. Through every step of this process, it is evident that without the proper tools to navigate higher education, without that understanding, the privilege to even attend college remains challenging. Due to the costs of school, I had to withdraw during the second semester, and I am now working to enroll in community college to receive my degree. However, my pursuit for my education has remained. I intend to pursue the use of my education to interpret the law. The impact of language; it quite literally plays into how we deal with human nature and the structure of society. We utilize the law to protect, defend, and stand impartial in a civil or criminal sense. I realized how the impact of language throughout literature conveys themes - messages that are reflective of people or society. Within history, language drives the progression of societal change - the language reflective of the access or denial of certain privileges. The law is an honor to interpret because of what it reflects for the underprivileged in this country- and it would be an honor to work towards understanding it to enact great help for others.

As a child, my books allowed me to find a passion for language. The influence of language framed themes in my books and I learned to connect that influence in my own life; on the individuals around me, within my home, community, and country. I never knew how I would apply language to help others, but advocacy began as a start. As I got older, I provided kids within my community outlets of advocacy. I felt that my voice was amplified through my own language and throughout high school, I created spaces for students to utilize their voice - discussing cultural barriers that students face and tackling discriminatory rhetoric. I organized an open mic night in which kids from several schools including mine used language to express their identities. I also worked politically as a member of the JEDI E-Board for the Massachusetts High School Democrats, a sub-organization of the Massachusetts Democratic Party, where I collaborated with other high school students across Massachusetts to hold a lobby day, connecting with state politicians regarding youth civic engagement policy. I continued my path at Westfield State University as a college freshman pursuing Political Science in this fall semester. Due to the costs of school, I had to withdraw during the second semester and now I am working to enroll in community college and transfer to university. That said, my education allowed me to explore this aspect of my life; and eventually motivated me to pursue this career. At Westfield State, I continued my commitment to public service and began working at the Northampton office of State Representative Lindsay Sabadosa. This opportunity allowed me to see how language within legislative and constituent work influenced community outreach, and the policymaking process. The impact of language; as a child, it framed the dynamics between my beloved characters. As I got older, I learned how language framed institutions within society. The way the words articulate in the text shows how well the language is able to protect individuals, or better yet, put others at an immediate disadvantage. Through the influence of language, I found that I wanted to interpret the law. I want to advocate with this language because I’ve learned how without proper advocacy, individuals cannot navigate the structural barriers that will remain for as long as we have to deal with them. I realized how the impact of language throughout literature conveys themes - messages that are reflective of people or society. Within our country, language drives the progression of societal change - the language reflective of the access or denial of certain privileges. allowed me to seek this career and continue this path. My books pushed me to step into this career path - and through my education, I will learn to interpret this language to help those in my community.