On Saturday mornings you can find me in my garage, passing wrenches back and forth to my Dad as he lays under the car. As he drains the yucky oil from underneath the car, I can’t help but glance into the engine. How this magical apparatus works intrigues me. The way several parts like the cylinder block and fuel pump work together to make a car run fascinates me. I often poke my head around or even stick my finger inside (Of course not when the car is on!) just to get a closer look into how this machine works. My interest in the inner mechanisms of cars translated into a love of coding. Like a car, I love learning how programs are made. When I started learning Python, I spent hours peeling over each line of code to comprehend its specific function. This made it easier for me later when I was coding an outfit generator or using MatplotLib to create a graph. Nonetheless my initial drive for creation and tinkering led to my love of all things computer science to flourish. Since learning how to code I’ve been able to combine my technical skills with my art. Last year I put my skills and creativity to use in my first ever hackathon, the Unity Hacks competition. For the competition, I built and designed a prototype web site that connected local farmers with food banks and won the Best Beginner award. In addition, my passion for technology has opened numerous doors and opportunities for me. I’ve conducted independent research. My first research experience was the Research Catalyst competition. I research how green computing affects businesses winning my team 1st place in the competition. Recently, I finished my year long independent capstone project which explored the intersection between data science and fashion trends. Now I’m undergoing another adventure and exploration into data science as a DataGen scholar. As a DataGen scholar, I’ll take classes on the fundamentals of AI as well as data science. After completing these classes, I’ll work on mini projects for various companies and organizations. Through these experiences, I gained integral knowledge and skills that I hope to continue nourishing to better understand how technology interacts with humanity. In the future I want to focus on data science. With this knowledge and through this field, I’ll develop more effective AI tools that fight against the most pressing issues of our society.

A mixture of lilac and magenta color my fingerprint. Neon green and yellow splatter on my wrists and tee-shirt. With my fan brush, I coat half of the brush in orange and the other half in seafoam blue. I glide my brush on the canvas feathering in rainbow swirls the black silhouettes I previously painted. My thumb and index finger wrap around my pencil as I draw an eye. With light strokes, I paint the iris hot pink and plum and use my finger to blend the two colors into a gradient. As I step back, my shirt covered in paint, I take a good look at my artwork and love what I see. Art is an integral part of the mural that is my life. So I approach all of my projects as if they were a blank canvas. My mind is always mixing, smearing, and blending colors to paint the ideas I’ve dedicated my time to. Of all the things I have painted, Bridges Club, which strives to celebrate diversity and inclusion in my school community, is one of my proudest works. As a freshman, I was a club member. We had lunch meetings once a month to try different cultural foods. But I wished students outside the club could join the fun. When I became Vice President sophomore year, I wanted to work with the other club leaders to paint over the old and expand our club’s impact. Equipped with my pen as my brush, I wrote a speech about different religious holidays around the world, educating the student body and parents at the holiday celebration. I encouraged young students to be painters themselves by creating a puppet show that taught them how to be good friends. I gave my brush to others, allowing them to paint, by organizing a drive where students could donate old winter clothes to Native Americans struggling with poverty so that students could add color to someone else’s life. But I didn’t completely paint over the club’s original canvas. I mixed an old event with a new one by planning an Asian food stand where everyone could try new food. I believe it’s important to remember where I started so I can reflect on how I grew. When I work on an existing project, my hopes aren’t to demolish someone else’s legacy but instead cultivate it, allowing others’ work to flourish. Through my paintings and Bridges Club, I’m able to unleash my creativity and remake anything into something new. I painted other canvases as well: I created an Instagram page to promote the publications of the school newspaper, I sewed old clothes into new outfits, I drew an intersection between politics, economics, and fashion, and used data analytics to predict fashion trends. By doing so, I create a unique role for myself on campus. Instead of having a singular identity, I’m an artist across campus painting diverse experiences for my entire community. As high school draws to a close, I envision how I will continue to impact others. I want to add my own mixture of colors to my newest canvas: the global community. I want to use my pallet to paint our globe and the expansion of technology will help me. Whether it’s evaluating data on climate change or developing an AI tool to identify potential victims of human trafficking, I want to use my skills to paint the world a loving pink. I can achieve my goals with the help of my future college. I know the experiences that I gain from my school will paint me into something new.

“Why is this not working?” Ms. T, the director of the play, said as she shook her iPad. She tried to take my photo again as she moved her iPad closer to my face. Ms. T was using PicsArt, an app that turns photos into Renaissance-inspired paintings, to make the play’s poster. However, unlike my fair-skinned castmates, the app didn’t work with my dark skin. Every time Ms. T tried to take my photo, the app continuously generated a blank canvas. After this event, I learned in AP Computer Science that computers can be biased just like humans. Computers learn how to make decisions through machine learning, a process of teaching a computer by giving it information. However, if this information isn’t diverse enough, the computer won’t know what to do when it’s presented with different information. The creators of PicsArt likely used pictures of fair or light-skinned people to train their software so the program didn’t know how to detect my dark skin. I don’t think the PicsArt creators had any malicious intent but my experience shows how computers can become biased. This is why I want to major in Computer Science. Bias in technology transcends photo editing apps, it can affect lives. For instance, if an autonomous car can’t detect who or what is a walking pedestrian, the car could endanger the people in and outside the vehicle. I want to learn how to extinguish bias in technology so it can help everyone. Equality in technology will allow everyone to benefit from technological advancements. While technology can be extremely helpful, technology can also be weaponized. The existence of deepfakes, secret spy cams, and cyberattacks makes my hair stand up and send chills down my spine. But instead of cowering in fear, I want to fight back. In college, I’ll learn how to use and develop technology ethically. With my technical knowledge, I can be a better advocate for public policies that monitor the use of technology such as AI. Technology is changing every day so it’s hard for lawmakers to keep up with every development. In addition, new technology can be hard to understand at first. That’s why the skills that I learn from college will be vital in not only my future but our future. I can teach lawmakers about new advancements in technology and work with them to strategize laws that properly manage and oversee the use of technology so it’s not weaponized to hurt others. By studying computer science, I hope we can work together to build a safe and helpful digital landscape for everyone.

“Why is this not working?” Ms. T, the director of the play, said as she shook her iPad. She tried to take my photo again as she moved her iPad closer to my face. Ms. T was using PicsArt, an app that turns photos into Renaissance-inspired paintings, to make the play’s poster. However, unlike my fair-skinned castmates, the app didn’t work with my dark skin. Every time Ms. T tried to take my photo, the app continuously generated a blank canvas. After this event, I learned in AP Computer Science that computers can be biased just like humans. Computers learn how to make decisions through machine learning, a process of teaching a computer by giving it information. However, if this information isn’t diverse enough, the computer won’t know what to do when it’s presented with different information. The creators of PicsArt likely used pictures of fair or light-skinned people to train their software so the program didn’t know how to detect my dark skin. I don’t think the PicsArt creators had any malicious intent but my experience shows how computers can become biased. This is why I want to major in Computer Science. Bias in technology transcends photo editing apps, it can affect lives. For instance, if an autonomous car can’t detect who or what is a walking pedestrian, the car could endanger the people in and outside the vehicle. I want to learn how to extinguish bias in technology so it can help everyone. Equality in technology will allow everyone to benefit from technological advancements. While technology can be extremely helpful, technology can also be weaponized. The existence of deepfakes, secret spy cams, and cyberattacks makes my hair stand up and send chills down my spine. But instead of cowering in fear, I want to fight back. With my technical knowledge, I can be a better advocate for public policies that monitor the use of technology such as AI. Technology is changing every day so it’s hard for lawmakers to keep up with every development. In addition, new technology can be hard to understand at first. That’s why the skills that I learn from university will be vital in not only my future but our future. I can teach lawmakers about new advancements in technology and work with them to strategize laws that properly manage and oversee the use of technology so it’s not weaponized to hurt others. By studying computer science, I hope we can work together to build a safe and helpful digital landscape for everyone.

I know high school will come and go, but every student will carry the memories of high school with them for the rest of their lives. This is why I created the annual scavenger hunt. Once a year, all 317 students gather in teams and travel to different stations on campus. At each station, teams have to solve the riddle to know the location of the next one. Starting this tradition significantly impacted my community because it brought everyone closer together. I saw this firsthand as I managed one of the stations. I saw everyone who walked by me smiling and laughing. For me, seeing my classmates happy is worth more than all the money in the world combined. I believe I made my community stronger through this event because the shared memories of running around campus looking for clues allowed my community to form stronger relationships with each other. The impact of having a strong community is tenfold. Through strong community bonds, everyone can rally together for a cause because everyone wants to support each other. For example, Miracle Club helps raise money for the Children’s Hospital of Atlanta. I’m the co-chair and an avid supporter of the club because I want to help these young patients live and have prosperous lives. I could have never raised $10,000 on my own. It was only through the support of my community that I could accomplish that feat. I plan to use my creativity to drive innovation in my community and globally. Like I did with the scavenger hunt, I plan to use my imagination to brainstorm new ideas. My creativity won't be the only skill I use. I will also utilize my perseverance to experiment with new ideas. I know that things don't always work the first time so I'll keep fixing and adjusting to make them better. At college, I want to use my skills to create new events that will bring the student body together like serving on a residential housing committee where I would plan events for students living in my dorm building. I can also use my talents to plan activities that students participate in to immerse themselves in other cultures. In high school, I organized a Henna Table during lunch where students could get henna done and learn about its importance. I want to do a similar activity in college where I can provide a space for any student to learn and embrace a new worldly perspective.

“Whatcha reading today?” Mrs. Marliyn cranks her neck from under the hair dryer and over my shoulder to what’s on the page. “It’s about a normal girl named Avery who unexpectedly obtains a massive fortune from a man she never met before. Now she lives in his mansion and has to solve puzzles to solve the mystery of her strange inheritance.” I say half screaming as the dryer’s hot wind above my head muffles my words. “Fascinating. Let me order it on Amazon.” Mrs. Marliyn uses her phone to scan my book cover and hands me her book. “This here is about a woman and her quest to find her mother who left her at the hospital.” This is my friend Mrs. Marliyn and I’s routine every time we’re at the hair salon: exchanging our new favorite books. While she’s an adult and I’m a teenager, we both share a love for reading. The salon where I get my hair done is always bustling with several black women. I can always guarantee that the women will host intriguing conversations on politics, relationships, pop culture, work, and more. Despite our differences in skin tones, nationalities, sexualities, and religions, we all were laughing and talking in one place wanting the same thing: to get our hair done. We don’t care about what makes us different and we strive to find similarities. There my community gave me a sense of belonging. However, at school, it was the opposite. I realized that I was black when I walked into my new school and every girl in the room was blonde. Previously, I attended a middle school where most students there were the same shade as me but in this new pond, I was literally the black swan. The difference between me and everyone else was pointed out almost every day: my hair. Instead of long blonde hair, I had long black braided hair. Lots of people complimented my unique hair and were intrigued by how it was done. I appreciated their curiosity and kindness but still felt like I didn’t belong there. The women at the hair salon taught me that despite outward appearances, one conversation can reveal just how alike we are. So I decided to reach out to my new classmates and I found out that many girls in my class like reading mystery books just as much as I do. Because of my community of black women, I learned to create spaces for myself and others to find common ground. I want to do that in the technology field as well. Interestingly, technology can also connect people who are different. For instance, despite hundreds of different languages being spoken around the world, we can learn coding languages like Python or Java and understand each other. The interconnection of technology gives me hope that in the future the field will become more inclusive to underrepresented groups. Today, I work to make this field more inclusive by teaching girls website development.

Ruby Bridges was the first African American child to attend an all-white school helping bring an end to segregation of public schools. She was a brave child having to walk through a mob of adults yelling and throwing insults at her. Her dauntless actions showed me that leaders don’t always take the path paved for them, but instead, they make their own. For example, Bridges Club is a relatively young organization at my school. It was established in 2021. I fell in love with the club because it strived to celebrate my school’s diverse and inclusive community. When I became vice president in 2022, I was forced to pave a path for the club because there were no pre-established traditions. The other club leaders and I planned new club events like a Henna decorating table at lunch, a presentation about Martin Luther King, a winter clothing drive for Native Americans living on reservations, and many more. While creating a new path is exciting, venturing into the unknown sometimes scares me. However, Ruby Bridges has inspired me to always have courage. The voices of self-doubt lingered in my head. “What if my plan doesn’t work?” “What if no one participates?” However, I will never know if I never try. So I tried and even if I failed, I got back up and tried again. The outcomes of the Birdges events that I created are better than I expected. For instance, we collected over 40 items for Native Americans in need and we gave multiple presentations about various topics like Diwali and Yom Kippur. The courage that Ruby Bridges instilled in me taught me to not be afraid of creating something new or foraging a new path. Like Ruby Bridges, I will stand up for what is right by being a leader that defends other women. In male-dominated fields especially, women are often overlooked or mistreatment. I want to speak up whenever I see this happen. The most important gift I have is my voice and I will use it to not only support other women through success and hardship but also to inspire younger women that they can do it too. Some people don't know if they can do it if they too will be successful one day so I want to help them. Besides my career goals, I hope to start a mentorship program for young women so they can learn from other successful women that they can be successful too.

“Whatcha reading today?” Mrs. Marliyn cranks her neck from under the hair dryer and over my shoulder to what’s on the page. “It’s about a normal girl named Avery who unexpectedly obtains a massive fortune from a man she never met before. Now she lives in his mansion and has to solve puzzles to solve the mystery of her strange inheritance.” I say half screaming as the dryer’s hot wind above my head muffles my words. “Fascinating. Let me order it on Amazon.” Mrs. Marliyn uses her phone to scan my book cover and hands me her book. “This here is about a woman and her quest to find her mother who left her at the hospital.” This is my friend Mrs. Marliyn and I’s routine every time we’re at the hair salon: exchanging our new favorite books. While she’s an adult and I’m a teenager, we both share a love for reading. The salon where I get my hair done is always bustling with several black women. I can always guarantee that the women will host intriguing conversations on politics, relationships, pop culture, work, and more. Despite our differences in skin tones, nationalities, sexualities, and religions, we all were laughing and talking in one place wanting the same thing: to get our hair done. We don’t care about what makes us different and we strive to find similarities. There my community gave me a sense of belonging. However, at school, it was the opposite. I realized that I was black when I walked into my new school and every girl in the room was blonde. Previously, I attended a middle school where most students there were the same shade as me but in this new pond, I was literally the black swan. The difference between me and everyone else was pointed out almost every day: my hair. Instead of long blonde hair, I had long black braided hair. Lots of people complimented my unique hair and were intrigued by how it was done. I appreciated their curiosity and kindness but still felt like I didn’t belong there. The women at the hair salon taught me that despite outward appearances, one conversation can reveal just how alike we are. So I decided to reach out to my new classmates and I found out that many girls in my class like reading mystery books just as much as I do. Because of my community of black women, I learned to create spaces for myself and others to find common ground. I want to do that in the technology field as well. Interestingly, technology can also connect people who are different. For instance, despite hundreds of different languages being spoken around the world, we can learn coding languages like Python or Java and understand each other. The interconnection of technology gives me hope that in the future the field will become more inclusive to underrepresented groups. Today, I work to make this field more inclusive by teaching girls website development.

I’ve failed at many things the first time around including sewing own my clothes. It was all planned out in my head. I was going to cut holes in the shape of butterflies in an old pair of jeans, and then I would sew a colorful bandana into that hole to make a butterfly design. These jeans were going to be perfect. However, once I lifted my foot off the sewing machine to stop the needle, I realized instead of sewing the bandana to just the hole, I had sewn it to both layers of denim, closing the pant leg shut. While I may not be a natural at sewing, I realized it’s what I love doing. For as long as I can remember, I have always been an artist. When I was young, I would draw random things constantly like basketballs, ponies, and cats. But I would also draw characters that I imagined and I would design outfits for them based on the personality I gave them. For instance, one I named Blossom, and she had the powers of nature so I drew her a pink and green outfit with rose embroidery. That’s when I started my passion for fashion and design. Like drawing, fashion design has allowed me to express myself in many ways and has challenged me to push the boundaries of my imagination. Consequently, I dream of creating my own fashion brand where I can create something that not only benefits society and our environment but also demonstrates that there’s no limit to what we can accomplish. Today, with the dominance of fast fashion, people and the environment alike are suffering. The people making the clothes don’t receive fair wages nor work in good conditions. Further, with more and more clothing being made, the landfills of unwanted clothing pile up high leading to environmental risks like contamination and CO2 emissions. In the future, I want to use my company to help fight for ethical and sustainable business practices. But how could I? Fast fashion companies are successful and they attract consumers by keeping up with the latest trends in fashion. However, there’s a way to attract consumers while being ethical and sustainable. As I love fashion, I also love computers. When I was in the 3rd grade, I was involved in robotics competitions. I loved building building and coding the robots to complete all the missions on the course. While I’m no longer a part of a robotics team, I still enjoy coding. As a part of coding, I like experimenting with 3D printing. I’ve made statues, keychains, and toys from 3D printing but I wonder if I can make clothes out of it. And not like clothes that are like an armor of plastic but clothes that people can be comfortable going to work in or dancing in or sleeping in. I want my clothing line to specialize in clothing made from 3D printing. In order to achieve my goals, I want to get my degrees in computer science and business. The computer science degree will give me the skills to code a program to print clothing items as well as engineer a method to print with recyclable materials. The business degree will show me how to run and promote my product and company. I hope the innovation of my future fashion brand will not only help solve our current problems but also expand into the future.

I’ve failed at many things the first time around including sewing on my clothes. It was all planned out in my head. I was going to cut holes in the shape of butterflies in an old pair of jeans, and then I would sew a colorful bandana into that hole to make a butterfly design. These jeans were going to be perfect. However, once I lifted my foot off the sewing machine to stop the needle, I realized instead of sewing the bandana to just the hole, I had sewn it to both layers of denim, closing the pant leg shut. While I may not be a natural at sewing, I realized it’s what I love doing. For as long as I can remember, I have always been an artist. When I was young, I would draw random things constantly like basketballs, ponies, and cats. But I would also draw characters that I imagined and I would design outfits for them based on the personality I gave them. For instance, one I named Blossom, and she had the powers of nature so I drew her a pink and green outfit with rose embroidery. That’s when I started my passion for fashion and design. Like drawing, fashion design has allowed me to express myself in many ways and has challenged me to push the boundaries of my imagination. Consequently, I dream of creating my own fashion brand where I can create something that not only benefits society and our environment but also demonstrates that there’s no limit to what we can accomplish. Today, with the dominance of fast fashion, people and the environment alike are suffering. The people making the clothes don’t receive fair wages nor work in good conditions. Further, with more and more clothing being made, the landfills of unwanted clothing pile up high leading to environmental risks like contamination and CO2 emissions. In the future, I want to use my company to help fight for ethical and sustainable business practices. But how could I? Fast fashion companies are successful and they attract consumers by keeping up with the latest trends in fashion. However, there’s a way to attract consumers while being ethical and sustainable. As I love fashion, I also love computers. When I was in the 3rd grade, I was involved in robotics competitions. I loved building building and coding the robots to complete all the missions on the course. While I’m no longer a part of a robotics team, I still enjoy coding. As a part of coding, I like experimenting with 3D printing. I’ve made statues, keychains, and toys from 3D printing but I wonder if I can make clothes out of it. And not like clothes that are like an armor of plastic but clothes that people can be comfortable going to work in or dancing in or sleeping in. I want my clothing line to specialize in clothing made from 3D printing. In order to achieve my goals, I want to get my degrees in computer science and business. The computer science degree will give me the skills to code a program to print clothing items as well as engineer a method to print with recyclable materials. The business degree will show me how to run and promote my product and company. I hope the innovation of my future fashion brand will not only help solve our current problems but also expand into the future.

“Let the moment land” is something that my drama teacher and director Lorriane Thompson always says in rehearsal. She would tell me this when I’m performing in any scene with high emotions like the death of a character or a tense argument. By letting “the moment land”, the audience experiences what the character is feeling. Even when the show is over, the audience will always remember the sadness when a character passes away or the anger when two characters fight. I wanted to accomplish something similar for my high school. I wanted to create something that my community could always remember. I know high school will come and go, but every student will carry the memories of high school with them for the rest of their lives. This is why I created the annual scavenger hunt. Once a year, all 317 students gather in teams and travel to different stations on campus. At each station, teams have to solve the riddle to know the location of the next one. Starting this tradition significantly impacted my community because it brought everyone closer together. I saw this firsthand as I managed one of the stations. I saw everyone who walked by me smiling and laughing. For me, seeing my classmates happy is worth more than all the money in the world combined. I believe I made my community stronger through this event because the shared memories of running around campus looking for clues allowed my community to form stronger relationships with each other. The impact of having a strong community is tenfold. Through strong community bonds, everyone can rally together for a cause because everyone wants to support each other. For example, Miracle Club helps raise money for the Children’s Hospital of Atlanta. I’m the co-chair and an avid supporter of the club because I want to help these young patients live and have prosperous lives. I could have never raised $10,000 on my own. I accomplished my goal because my community was cheering me on, showing up to fundraising events, and donating money. It was only through the support of my community that I could accomplish that feat. Through my leadership skills, I strive to continue my community's strong bond into the future. I want to show younger students the value of community so that after I graduate they will continue to support one another. In the future, I want my school to feel less like a group of students and more like a family.

I’ve failed at many things the first time around including sewing on my clothes. It was all planned out in my head. I was going to cut holes in the shape of butterflies in an old pair of jeans then I would sew a colorful bandana into that hole to make a butterfly design. These jeans were going to be perfect. However, once I lifted my foot off the sewing machine to stop the needle, I realized instead of sewing the bandana to just the hole, I had sewn it to both layers of denim, closing the pant leg shut. While I may not be a natural at sewing, I realized it’s what I love doing. For as long as I can remember, I have always been an artist. When I was young, I would draw random things constantly like basketballs, ponies, and cats. But I would also draw characters that I imagined and I would design outfits for them based on the personality I gave them. For instance, one I named Blossom, and she had the powers of nature so I drew her a pink and green outfit with rose embroidery. That’s when I started my passion for fashion and design. Like drawing, fashion design has allowed me to express myself in many ways and has challenged me to push the boundaries of my imagination. Consequently, I dream of creating my own fashion brand where I can create something that not only benefits society and our environment but also demonstrates that there’s no limit to what we can accomplish. Today, with the dominance of fast fashion, people and the environment alike are suffering. The people making the clothes don’t receive fair wages nor work in good conditions. Further, with more and more clothing being made, the landfills of unwanted clothing pile up high leading to environmental risks like contamination and CO2 emissions. In the future, I want to use my company to help fight for ethical and sustainable business practices. But how could I? Fast fashion companies are successful and they attract consumers by keeping up with the latest trends in fashion. However, there’s a way to attract consumers while being ethical and sustainable. As I love fashion, I also love computers. When I was in the 3rd grade, I was involved in robotics competitions. I loved building building and coding the robots to complete all the missions on the course. While I’m no longer a part of a robotics team, I still enjoy coding. As a part of coding, I like experimenting with 3D printing. I’ve made statues, keychains, and toys from 3D printing but I wonder if I can make clothes out of it. And not like clothes that are like an armor of plastic but clothes that people can be comfortable going to work in or dancing in or sleeping in. I want my clothing line to specialize in clothing made from 3D printing. In order to achieve my goals, I want to get my degrees in computer science and business. The computer science degree will give me the skills to code a program to print clothing items as well as engineer a method to print with recyclable materials. The business degree will show me how to run and promote my product and company. I hope the innovation of my future fashion brand will not only help solve our current problems but also expand into the future.

I’ve failed at many things the first time around including sewing own my clothes. It was all planned out in my head. I was going to cut holes in the shape of butterflies in an old pair of jeans then I would sew a colorful bandana into that hole to make a butterfly design. These jeans were going to be perfect. However, once I lifted my foot off the sewing machine to stop the needle, I realized instead of sewing the bandana to just the hole, I had sewn it to both layers of denim, closing the pant leg shut. While I may not be a natural at sewing, I realized it’s what I love doing. For as long as I can remember, I have always been an artist. When I was young, I would draw random things constantly like basketballs, ponies, and cats. But I would also draw characters that I imagined and I would design outfits for them based off of the personality I gave them. For instance, one I named Blossom, and she had the powers of nature so I drew her a pink and green outfit with rose embroidery. That’s when I started my passion for fashion and design. Like drawing, fashion design has allowed me to express myself in many ways and has challenged me to push the boundaries of my imagination. Consequently, I dream of creating my own fashion brand where I can create something that not only benefits society and our environment but also demonstrated that there’s no limit on what we can accomplish. Today, with the dominance of fast fashion, people and the environment alike are suffering. The people making the clothes don’t receive fair wages nor work in good conditions. Further, with more and more clothing being made, the landfills of unwanted clothing pile up high leading to environmental risks like contamination and CO2 emissions. In the future, I want to use my company to help fight for ethical and sustainable business practices. But how could I? Fast fashion companies are successful and they attract consumers by keeping up with the latest trends in fashion. However, there’s a way to attract consumers while being ethical and sustainable. As I love fashion, I also love computers. When I was in the 3rd grade, I was involved in robotics competitions. I loved building building and coding the robots to complete all the missions on the course. While I’m no longer a part of a robotics team, I still enjoy coding. As a part of coding, I like experimenting with 3D printing. I’ve made statues, keychains, and toys from 3D printing but I wonder if I can make clothes out of it. And not like clothes that are like an armor of plastic but clothes that people can be comfortable going to work in or dancing in or sleeping in. I want my clothing line to specialize in clothing made from 3D printing. In order to achieve my goals, I want to get my degrees in computer science and business. The computer science degree will give me the skills to code a program to print clothing items as well as engineer a method to print with recyclable materials. The business degree will show me how to run and promote my product and company. I hope the innovation of my future fashion brand will not only help solve our current problems but also expand into the future.

"Are you ready?" my zipline guide asked me as I dangled by a wire over the edge of a mountain. A little harness was the only thing preventing me from falling over 2000 feet. I do exactly what you’re not supposed to do when you’re that high up: look down. Fear rushes through me. I’ve always been terrified of heights ever since I was young. The worst possible outcomes imaginable raced through my mind. "What if I fall off?" My fears and anxieties came in like a tide and quickly streamed out as tears. “Don’t be scared. It’ll be fun!” my guide tries to reassure me as frightened tears flow down my cheek. My friends standing nearby gave me encouraging words like, “You got this!” and “You go, girl!” I was still scared, but a part of me knew that I would regret not trying. I had to give it a shot. Through my tears, I choked on the word "Go" My guide counted down "1...2" On three, I lifted my knees and started to glide through the air. That was how I felt zip-lining down a mountain in South Africa for the first time. While I was petrified because of my fear of heights, I’m glad that despite my worries I zip-lined down that mountain. This is one of the many times in my life that I benefited from conquering my fears. For instance, after zip-lining down that mountain, I felt accomplished and instead of being afraid, I saw the beauty of nature around me like the magnificent waterfalls. In addition to facing my fear of heights, I’ve faced my stage fright by performing in my school plays and comedy shows. Performing allowed me to build my confidence, showcase my creativity, and belong to a community of friends with similar interests as me. In another case, I was scared of running for Class President because I was afraid of losing. I ended up winning and I am honored to be given that position. The opportunity has allowed me to serve my school and local community in numerous ways like starting the new tradition of a school-wide scavenger hunt and leading a hygiene drive for the homeless shelter. In the end, the act of facing my fears is scary, however these scary experiences: zip-lining, performing on stage, and running for class office have challenged me in many ways. , thus, allowing me to grow as a person. College will be my next fear to overcome. Frankly, I’m afraid to move away from my family and friends and move to a new city. Despite this, I think college will be an enriching experience. College will allow me to grow academically and become more independent and resilient. Through education, I’ll be able to broaden my perspective and knowledge about the world and people around me. I hope that one day, I’ll be able to mentor others and show them they too can overcome their fears.

Has a book ever sung to you? Of course, books can tell you a story but they rarely ever sing to you. However, when crafting the literary magazine, the words on the page started singing to me. The literary magazine is a collection of poems, short stories, artwork, and photography done by students at my high school. As the Graphic Designer of the magazine, I’m responsible for curating the overall aesthetic of the magazine. Every year, I try to make the magazine unique compared to the previous one. I was out of new ideas until the book started singing to me a soft melody. As I was reading one of the poems called “Fine” about someone’s struggle with living up to the high expectations placed on them, a familiar tune started to play in my head, a song called “Mirrorball” by Taylor Swift. The song also details the draining experience of living to please others. I relate to both the poem and the song as I struggled with finding my own identity. I thought I had to fit into a specific box like a sphere block fitting in the circle space because others categorized me as such. For example, art is a big part of my life as I paint on the weekends at my parents' art gallery, but I am not just an “art” person. I’m also interested in coding as I like to create websites. Like me, my local and school community doesn’t fit into one box. Everyone a part of my community has different interests and skill sets. As I learned to embrace the variety in my interests and skills, I applied this to my leadership style. I show leadership by empowering other students to express their ideas and interests. For instance, the literary magazine displays the voices of artists and poets. While, as Class President, I encourage my peers to voice their concerns so I can work with faculty to solve these problems. The outcome of this approach creates a stronger community where all students feel heard and welcomed. With a stronger bond, my community can easily support one another. For example, as students feel closer to their community, they're willing to support community events like spending Friday nights preparing meals for the residents at the local homeless shelter or donating to the Children's Hospital of Atlanta. Like a family, a strong connection with members of our community drives and encourages us to help one another.

I’ve failed at many things the first time I tried it, including sewing my own clothes. It was all planned out in my head. I was going to cut holes in the shape of butterflies in an old pair of jeans, and then I would sew a colorful bandana into that hole to make a butterfly design. These jeans were going to be perfect. However, once I lifted my foot off the sewing machine to stop the needle, I realized instead of sewing the bandana to just the hole, I had sewn it to both layers of denim, closing the pant leg shut. While I may not be a natural at sewing, I realized it’s what I love doing. For as long as I can remember, I have always been an artist. When I was young, I would draw random things constantly like basketballs, ponies, and cats. But I would also draw characters that I imagined and I would design outfits for them based on the personality I gave them. For instance, I named one character Blossom, and she had the powers of nature so I drew her a pink and green outfit with rose embroidery. That’s when I started my passion for fashion and design. Like drawing, fashion design has allowed me to express myself in many ways and has challenged me to push the boundaries of my imagination. Consequently, I dream of creating my own fashion brand where I can create something that not only benefits society and our environment but also demonstrates that there’s no limit to what we can accomplish. Today, with the dominance of fast fashion, people and the environment alike are suffering. The people making the clothes don’t receive fair wages nor work in good conditions. Further, with more and more clothing being made, the landfills of unwanted clothing pile up high leading to environmental risks like contamination and CO2 emissions. In the future, I want to use my company to help fight for ethical and sustainable business practices. But how could I? Fast fashion companies are successful and they attract consumers by keeping up with the latest trends in fashion. However, there’s a way to attract consumers while being ethical and sustainable. As I love fashion, I also love computers. When I was in the 3rd grade, I was involved in robotics competitions. I loved building building and coding the robots to complete all the missions on the course. While I’m no longer a part of a robotics team, I still enjoy coding. As a part of coding, I like experimenting with 3D printing. I’ve made statues, keychains, and toys from 3D printing but I wonder if I can make clothes out of it. And not like clothes that are like an armor of plastic but clothes that people can be comfortable going to work in or dancing in or sleeping in. I want my clothing line to specialize in clothing made from 3D printing. To achieve my goals, I want to get my degrees in computer science and business. The computer science degree will give me the skills to code a program to print clothing items as well as engineer a method to print with recyclable materials. The business degree will show me how to run and promote my product and company. I hope the innovation of my future fashion brand will help solve our current problems and expand into the future.

I want to be someone who doesn’t become comfortable, but continues to improve themself.

@renee_mcargill