Living in the Bay Area, I have seen the devastating effects that a lack of legal representation brings, whether it be people living in out-of-code apartments, communities where their fresh air has been taken by the highway, or undocumented families who fear for their livelihood.​ I remember driving home from school one day and hearing a radio program about a group that had organized to form a tenants' union. Because they lacked representation, they could not officially form a union, and slowly they got pushed out of their homes.​ Hearing about a group of people organizing to improve their lives, only to be stopped because they couldn’t afford legal representation, gave me a burning desire to do something. Our legal code contains so many protections meant to safeguard communities, yet too often those protections go unenforced because people don’t have access to legal support. I am excited to learn because knowledge, like an understanding of the legal system, can save lives. That excitement reminds me of my school's perhaps cliché motto, “Scientia Potentia Est: Knowledge is Power”. So whether it be from a radio program about tenants’ unions, or in a classroom about social justice movements, I have always been excited to learn knowledge that gives me the power to genuinely improve people's lives. That is why I dual-enrolled in community college classes: so I can graduate from my undergraduate school two years early and jump straight into a career as a public interest lawyer. Returning to that tenants' union, I was determined to not let things like that happen in my own community. And well, my eventual law career will play a role in that, but I wanted more immediate action. Two things came to my mind: 1. Educating people about what protections they have from out-of-code apartments and bad landlords, and 2. Creating a strong community that looks out for each other, so when people do have bad landlords, we have a way to support them. The first item was straightforward; I knew just what to do. I am the vice president of my school's pre-law society, and our club advisor’s daughter is a law student specializing in housing law. So we brought her in to speak. We publicized the event, and in the end, many people came, not only to learn about the rights they had, but also to share those rights with their family, neighbors, and communities. The second item is much more complex, and it’s something that I am still working on, but I have made progress. One example is when I heard that many of my classmates couldn’t access basic medical necessities because our school was too small for an on-site health clinic. I knew I couldn’t solve the problem myself, so I held a meeting with a dozen other students at my school, who shared the same concerns. Together, we made a mutual aid station for all of our peers. Quickly, people started using the station, and some joined in to help run it. One day, one of those people came in, even though we were already well stocked. Instead of bringing supplies, they brought freshly baked food for the rest of us to share. Seeing this made me realize this project was more than just a way for students to get essential supplies, because it built community. When I become a public interest lawyer, I will support the communities I serve not only through legal service, but also through education and community building. And through that, give them the strongest protection possible.