As an undergraduate student at Georgia State University, I believe that what makes me unique is my passion for community service and my drive to make a positive impact on the world. Growing up, I was always interested in giving back to those in need. This desire to help others was instilled in me by my family, specifically, my mom who often volunteered at our local church and food bank where she donated clothes to women and children. As I got older, I became more involved in volunteer work, where I served as a leader in a student-led non-profit that helped low-income communities gain access to generic medication. Through experience, I have developed a strong sense of empathy and compassion for those in need. This passion for community service has led me to pursue a degree in Finance, where I believe I can make a difference by highlighting my strengths in business. My ultimate goal is to become a licensed corporate attorney and provide legal assistance to whistleblowers calling out against corruption within their organizations. By providing legal services to those in need, I hope to create a more equitable and just society. In addition to my academic pursuits, I have also taken on leadership roles in various student organizations and volunteer initiatives. For example, I serve as the president of Scholarship for my fraternity, where we involve ourselves in philanthropy work for boys' homes in Atlanta. Through this organization, I have developed my leadership skills and gained valuable experience in event planning, marketing, and fundraising. I have also volunteered at a local homeless shelter and food bank. Through this experience, I've gained a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by individuals experiencing homelessness and food insecurity. I have learned that homelessness is often a result of systemic issues such as poverty, lack of affordable housing, and inadequate access to mental health care. These experiences have motivated me to become an advocate for social justice and to work towards creating more equitable communities. Looking to the future, I plan to continue my commitment to community service by seeking out opportunities to give back to those in need. I hope to start my own nonprofit organization that focuses on providing legal services to low-income communities as well as whistleblowers. I believe that this initiative is important because legal service is often inaccessible to those who need them most. Through this organization, I hope to create a sustainable model for delivering high-quality assistance to individuals and families who might not otherwise have access to it. To achieve this goal, I plan to leverage technology to make legal services more accessible to underserved communities. For example, I hope to develop an app that provides low-cost or free legal resources worldwide to those who may not be able to afford in-person sessions and may need immediate consultation. I believe that technology can be a powerful tool for social change, and I plan to use it to make a positive impact on my community. In conclusion, my ambition, drive, and unique experiences have prepared me to make a positive impact on the world through community service. By continuing to pursue my academic and professional goals, as well as giving back to my community, I'm confident that I can make a difference in the lives of those around me. My ultimate goal is to create a more equitable and just society where everyone has access to the resources they need to thrive. I believe that Finance and Corporate Law are fields that allow me to achieve this goal, and I'm excited to continue working towards it.

While my family has no doubt been one of the biggest motivators for me in becoming an entrepreneur, the support system that has truly granted me the tools to become successful in running my own business is my close friends, Ethan and Mason. At the start of 2019, I was just another bored high school student. I hated the fact that I was always low on funds, and my friends had similar problems. We used to do all sorts of gigs for money; whether it was part-time jobs or flipping snacks at football games, we were always the ones coming up with new schemes to get ahead. This was a pretty great example of how I first experimented with entrepreneurship through my support system. After pursuing various gigs, we eventually looked to the internet to see how other kids around the country were making money. We found one idea that really stuck with us: E-Commerce. It was like a lightbulb went off for us; it was then that we had begun brainstorming something bigger than a side hustle: a business. When considering E-Commerce ideas, we wanted to create a product that would catch fire through common usage and popular trends. Throughout this period in my life, I realized that my support system of Ethan and Mason, who were now my business partners, was actually key in reassuring me that this idea was possible and more than just a pipe dream. We realized many in our community were very passionate about the 2020 Presidential election and decided to capitalize on it. We began selling T-Shirts from two websites, one in support of the Democratic Party and another in support of the Republicans. This idea took off, and soon we saw real revenue take place in front of our very eyes. Today, the business has been restructured to offer a range of political gear that both parties are passionate about. We have had the honor to serve customers across the country, something that I could never have imagined beforehand. I am truly grateful for my support system of my close friends Ethan and Mason. Looking back on this, I would never have had the confidence to keep going when times got tough without them. It is clear that only through my support system was our business made possible; furthermore, I sincerely hope that this brief outlook on how our teen business has survived and thrived is an inspiration to other young entrepreneurs out there, as entrepreneurship is one of the most valuable gifts to learn in America.

One of my favorite personal examples where I was a leader was when I finally took initiative and started my 501c3 non-profit organization, "Combat The Patent Prices". This story starts when I and another High School Student, Pranav began working together on a cause that means a lot to us. We began brainstorming, and it immediately clicked. We landed on the cost of prescription drugs, how they are so unnecessarily high despite being incredibly necessary for everyday people's lives. This was a topic we both found interesting, as Pranav suffers from diabetes and my mother from autoimmune disorders. Both of us faced this common issue of struggling to pay for medical costs, and that is where we came up with this idea. That is how I define leadership: Taking the first step towards greatness. One's initiative is the key component to any great leader, and if we hadn't taken the initiative, Pranav and I wouldn't be where we are today. Now, Combat The Patent Prices has reached new heights, working with hundreds of students across the country, meeting with health professionals and politicians, and most importantly bringing awareness to the issues we care about. All of this took lots of hard work and leadership, and Pranav and I motivated each other to get through some of the hardest of days. From the whole experience of being a leader in a non-profit, I plan to take the hard days as learning opportunities. I hope to use all that I have learned with Combat The Patent Prices to one day start a business and be a leader in that realm. I wish to create jobs and help people learn further, and I believe the best way to do that and continue my path is to become a leader in the business world after and during college. Finally, I would like to end with some advice for all my fellow students out there: you are capable of so much more than you think. When Pranav and I started out, I was very unsure whether or not we would succeed. The entire experience has helped me gain an immense amount of confidence and filled me with pride from the people we have touched. If we can do it, I promise you that at home sitting at your computer you can do just the same. Everyone is capable of greatness, and when we as students unlock that greatness we can do amazing things.

As a high school student who loves chemistry, I look at the great chemists when considering my favorite scientist. However, my pick is one that doesn't get nearly the credit she deserves in the scientific community: the criminally underrated Rosalind Franklin. Franklin was a female chemist at a time where the leaps and bounds she was making were unheard of. Not only did she discover that DNA could crystalize into two different forms, but she was the first to develop a technique to separate them. These aren't the only accomplishments she made in DNA, the list is endless for Dr.Franklin. Unfortunately, she was never given any of the credit for these accomplishments until after her death when she earned the Nobel Prize post mortem. This is exactly what draws me to her, however, as she is someone who was passionate about the STEM field despite the lack of mainstream praise.

Before I was even born, doctors made it clear to my parents that the next nine months would be a struggle. Doctors at the Children's Hospital of Boston diagnosed me with CDH (Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia) a defect often found in an unborn baby's diaphragm that makes the separation of the chest and abdominal cavity cave-in, causing problems with breathing and lung development. CDH occurs in about one in every 2,200 births. In 2003 when I was diagnosed, my survival rate chances were about 30-40%. (Today the survival rate for CDH newborns is thankfully much higher, at around 70%) My mom at the time was terrified to learn of all of this. We all hear about the rare cases of child defects, but nobody thinks to worry over if it could be them who has to go through the risks associated with it as a mother. My family asked many questions which were all answered with confidence by her amazing medical staff, who made sure she was taken care of. When it came time, there were over 25 doctors in the room when my mom was about to give birth. There was so much medical attention there that my dad had to watch from outside a glass window with a supportive smile and nod. The doctors were about to perform a c-section so that they could keep me connected to the umbilical cord for a bit longer which would help me continue to breathe since my lungs were underdeveloped. The surgeons gave me various steroids meant to speed the growth of my lungs which would give me the ability to breathe on my own. Amazingly this worked, and over the course of the next twelve months, I spent each day and night at the Boston Children's Hospital undergoing treatment. Months passed, and inevitably we were able to make it as a family. Looking back though, the odds were heavily stacked against us. I would not be here today without the absolute bravery and kindness of the Boston Children's Hospital medical staff. Their showcasing of strength, empathy, bravery, and intense professionalism is truly what got me through the fight for a chance to live. Their kindness means everything to me and my family, and I wish for nothing but to make them proud of the life they saved.