What makes me shine as a leader is my perseverance, determination, and authenticity. Some of those factors I feel are rarer, especially in academia or corporate settings. Leaders are people who exemplify courage and compassion but also have the ability to balance. Most importantly, leaders should always be ready and willing to learn from others and experiences, not solely from themselves. In my experience, leadership has taken many forms. I have been on the executive board of 4 clubs in high school and college, disrupted and innovated the workplace at my current internship, seeing where I can fit in and how to include others. My strongest suit is providing accessibility, exposure, and mentorship for underrepresented groups, whether that be race, gender, sexuality, etc. My priority has always been to the underserved. I initially felt a sense of imposter syndrome being a Black person in the GRRRR! Spirit Club, in a school filled with white dominant normativity. Instead, I chose to decline that reality and turn the spirit club into my own. In those years, I became the creative director and co-president of the club, which meant I had full control. I invited two teams: Latin Dance Fusion and TAK, a K-Pop dance team to perform during our pep rallies, giving them a stage an audience they deserved; invited more black and brown individuals to the club; and also hosting the pep rallies and spirit weeks in an attempt to give hope to other marginalised youth like me the hope and push that they need to lead something that they care about against the grains of white peer pressure. Me2We2Them is a service based organization that started the year before I went to high school. It partners with the broader WE organization, which I have been associated with for six years. Over the years, Me2We2Them has hosted many service initiatives and social awareness events to gauge civic engagement across the school. I became co-president this year, with the intention of expanding to a Baskets and Blankets project to give to homeless shelters during COVID-19 as well as our annual project: We Are Silent, a silent protest where students put a color tape on their body for a cause they care about. This club pushed and challenged my social awareness, activism, and civic duties to levels I never pushed them to before. During my college career, I assisted the team leaders at Howard University's business school to mentor and assist first-year business students in case presentations, resumes, and career fairs, as well as supporting them in their academic journey, while holding myself up in the two semesters of 2022-2023. At work, I encouraged more networking events between fellow interns and participated in robust conversations to help build community between myself and also managers of the firm for which I am still a part now. I feel like I still have a lot of growth to go, I always think there is more to do. Time on Earth is extremely limited and I think my purpose is to make an imprint and spark conversation, to be a vessel of opportunity for others outside of myself. I used to think that I did not want to grow up, but I think it may be the best thing that I have ever done.

The study of business and the economy has always fascinated me in regards to entrepreneurship and what spaces allow people who look like me in them. Recently, I read a Wall Street Journal article: Why Are There Still So Few Black CEOs? The article included statements such as, “Black professionals comprise 1% of the executives running America’s top 500 companies” and “Among all U.S. companies with 100 or more employees, Black people hold just 3% of executive or senior-level roles, according to Equal Employment Opportunity Commission data.” To me, this was not new information, instead it was something that has continuously been present and emphasized in the context of our modern day situation. When you look up at big corporations and major companies, we see Tim Cook, John Donahoe, Bob Iger, David Greenberg, or Jeff Bezos—all white men. While there are a lot of companies owned by Black people such as JAY-Z’s multiple companies or Rihanna’s Fenty Corporation, those are owned by Black celebrities, endorsements during their fame instead of before; but even with celebrity influences, those companies have not cracked the top 500 companies. The reason there are so many few Black individuals in top positions connects back to Black individuals in the workplace, and even further down to the connection of racial stereotyping and discrimination in plenty of buisnesses in America. The reason I want to be here, is so I can set myself apart from those stereotypes, proving that Black people are in fact capable of succeeding, not only for representation, but also for the needs of all people. Take the aforementioned Jeff Bezos for instance: he created Amazon and its subsidiary, Whole Foods, effectively taking the needs of people for them to never need to leave the house again; it simply requires a press of a button to get virtually anything one could ever ask for. When it comes to business and entrepreneurship, one would have to be innovative and come up with a new, effective, and needed product. While doing that, accessibility, equity, need, and opportunity are at the front of my mind. My previous actions have demonstrated that I could be capable of this, by using my clubs such as Me2We2Them to help people in need or give voice to social issues in creative ways such as silent in-school protest movements, donating to homeless individuals, or creating over fifty slogans for a Valentine’s Day fundraiser. Our school spirit club to reinvent pep rallies and school events every year to engage the student body but to bring in commonly excluded students to perform in front of the school. Business in particular has been pulling me in its direction for years. While I could get a lot of money in the field, that is not the prime reason I want to be in there. To echo my previous statements, I want fields like these to be more inclusive and the only way, I truly believe this could happen is by having people from marginalized groups in collaboration with non-oppressed individuals in order to help to create a platform that is inclusive for all. By allowing and opening up more jobs for minority citizens, I believe that slowly, more Black and brown individuals could escape the cycle of poverty and provide for their families, but it takes one person to hit the jackpot and succeed and to spread that wealth. I firmly believe that I could be that one.

In recent years, my life has changed drastically to prepare me for the future. In the past 4 years alone, I have started many different inclusion initiatives and been a piece of the representation for silenced and underprivileged voices. I was a part of the change that made white spaces more accessible for marginalized communities, functioning our spirit club to truly representing the full student body and inheriting a service group both of which I played a major role in since my freshman year. Seeing and being in charge of how these two groups operate I realized how much of an impact someone makes, but also truly facing head on the reality of people who have and those who are without. I initially felt a sense of imposter syndrome being a Black person in the GRRRR! Spirit Club, in a school filled with white dominant normativity. Instead, I chose to decline that reality and turn the spirit club into my own. In more recent years, I became the creative director and co-president of the club, which meant I had full control. I invited two teams: Latin Dance Fusion and TAK, a K-Pop dance team to perform during our pep rallies, giving them a stage an audience they deserved; invited more black and brown individuals to the club; and also hosting the pep rallies and spirit weeks in an attempt to give hope to other dark-skinned youth like me the hope and push that they need to lead something that they care about against the grains of white peer pressure. Me2We2Them is a service based organization that started the year before I came to Payton. It partners with the broader WE organization, which I have been associated with for six years now. Over the years, Me2We2Them has hosted many service initiatives and social awareness events to gauge civic engagement across the school. I became co-president this year, with the intention of expanding to a Baskets and Blankets project to give to homeless shelters during COVID-19 as well as our annual project: We Are Silent, a silent protest where students put a color tape on their body for a cause they care about. This club pushed and challenged my social awareness, activism, and civic duties to levels I never pushed them to before. These two clubs have been my passion for the past 4 years because they have changed the view of myself as a person and guided me closer to realizing my impact and potential as a person that does not stop when I graduate. These endeavors developed my idealisation of being a global citizen, defined as: “awareness, caring, and embracing cultural diversity while promoting social justice and sustainability, coupled with a sense of responsibility to act” (Reysen & Katzarska-Miller, 2013). With the this scholarship, it can help push me to another level and beyond and continue the work I began in my collegiate and professional careers.

During my freshman year at Payton, I was paired with several upperclassmen through the Payton Advisory Leader (PALs) program. These individuals were not only an inspiration for me as a new student, but they were also mentors and confidantes in my early days at the school. My PALs would assist me with anything from locating my classrooms to dealing with social or academic conflicts. The PALs program was an integral part of my adaptation to the culture and pace of Payton, and I knew that I would one day want to help other underclassmen reap the same benefits I did. When I wasn't nominated to become a PAL during my junior year, I was saddened as I couldn't serve my community in that way. I knew that I could leverage my leadership skills to mentor the next set of great students at Payton, but it had to be in a different way. Also understanding my own thoughts and feelings from my earlier days, I knew that my role as in the community lied elsewhere. So I switched my attention to focus more of the spirit club. My participation in the GRRRR! Spirit Club made a positive impact on my community, as I created a safe and welcoming community for Payton students to show off their backgrounds and cultures no matter what they look like or come from. Building the community at Payton is extremely important because increasing student involvement and engagement helps enrich one’s high school experience. I remember being an underclassman, and there were often times when I was too shy to speak up or didn’t feel inclined to join, but the nudges I got from other students helped push me further than before. In college, I want to continue to have the same positive impact in my community, as I want to be an outgoing and helpful source who will bring people together through conversation and social bonding. So far, I have assisted first-year business students in their case studies and professional growth, often staying after hours with them to help them progress with presentations, resumés, and mentoring them to hopefully be able to win internships and build a strong network and backbone to where if they stumble, someone can catch them when they fall. In the Black community, sometimes these resources are not always accessible, so being able to close the gap in our community means the most. In corporate America, no matter what our professional careers look like, we find ourselves lost and feeling like imposters. I feel like my purpose on this Earth is to be the bridge. Sometimes, I think of the world as the broken Pangea and in a weird way, I can be Golden Gate, Manhattan, London, and the Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge all in one.

Growing up, this question was hard for me to answer. When I look at my most streamed songs on the album, "Style" surpasses anything, but for me, it represents a love and an experience that I haven't had yet. "Style" for me is almost a mourning of a lover for whom has given everything to you even in your down times and the darkest of nights citing that our relationship would be forever despite everything because "we never go out of style", that is something I aspire to have, but I have not. Recently, after my Eras tour date, I have been contemplating "I Wish You Would". This track 7 has defined its meaning in growing up and experimenting in relationships: both platonic and romantic. I feel as though I don't intend to break hearts, but we make mistakes, often something we cannot come back from. IWYW remarks accountability, no matter how much you want to avoid it. It has the same givings as remarked in "Style", the ideal perfection of a relationship as seen in "Wildest Dreams", and themes echoed in "All You Had to Do Was Stay" only this time, Taylor, like myself, wishes that we had the power to mend our relationships even though the power is now out of our hands. For the longest time, "1989" was and is my favorite album, it was my one of my favorite sets of the Eras Tour, for that grace to be extended into the surprise songs as well, really defined who I was. IWYW is a landmark in this stage of my life where I am figuring out decisions, watching people stay and go. I go through bouts of emotion and stories and experiences all in one. Ironically, I am also typing this from New York, where I have gotten my new beginning, in which it is often for me, more now than ever, I love someone recklessly, I pay the price, and in my mind I retrace sidewalks and streets every night in an effort to remember, because I never truly can forget. "1989", to me, is one of Swift's, more mournful albums. It is depression and sadness disguised as pop perfection. The meanings of these songs get morphed when heard acoustically, even though, as a whole these are the songs we know and love, ultimately. "1989" is the perfect facade for any broken-hearted boy or girl "wishing they could go back" and erase all the mistakes. So with this I hope that one day I find myself, then that becomes my everything.

In recent years, my life has changed drastically to prepare me for the reality of the real world. In the past 4 years alone, I have started many different inclusion initiatives and been a piece of the representation for silenced and underprivileged voices. I was a part of the change that made white spaces more accessible for marginalized communities, functioning our spirit club to truly representing the full student body and inheriting a service group both of which I played a major role in since my freshman year. Seeing and being in charge of how these two groups operate I realized how much of an impact someone makes, but also truly facing head on the reality of people who have and those who are without. I initially felt a sense of imposter syndrome being a Black person in the GRRRR! Spirit Club, in a school filled with white dominant normativity. Instead, I chose to decline that reality and turn the spirit club into my own. In more recent years, I became the creative director and co-president of the club, which meant I had full control. I invited two teams: Latin Dance Fusion and TAK, a K-Pop dance team to perform during our pep rallies, giving them a stage an audience they deserved; invited more black and brown individuals to the club; and also hosting the pep rallies and spirit weeks in an attempt to give hope to other dark-skinned youth like me the hope and push that they need to lead something that they care about against the grains of white peer pressure. Me2We2Them is a service based organization that started the year before I came to Payton. It partners with the broader WE organization, which I have been associated with for six years now. Over the years, Me2We2Them has hosted many service initiatives and social awareness events to gauge civic engagement across the school. I became co-president this year, with the intention of expanding to a Baskets and Blankets project to give to homeless shelters during COVID-19 as well as our annual project: We Are Silent, a silent protest where students put a color tape on their body for a cause they care about. This club pushed and challenged my social awareness, activism, and civic duties to levels I never pushed them to before. These two clubs have been my passion for the past 4 years because they have changed the view of myself as a person and guided me closer to realizing my impact and potential as a person that does not stop when I graduate. These endeavors developed my idealisation of being a global citizen, defined as: “awareness, caring, and embracing cultural diversity while promoting social justice and sustainability, coupled with a sense of responsibility to act” (Reysen & Katzarska-Miller, 2013). Bestowing gifts to others without is a sensibility I live by.

I remember in 2020, it was a difficult time in my life especially as I was coming to terms with myself and into my own. My mother was mad at me for whatever reason at the time, but the conversations that came out of it were shocking. Usually, my parents never talk to each other, whenever they did, which was incredibly rare, it was of intense concern for me. My mother thought that there was something going on, internally, trying to be the best parent she could and wanted to be there. When the thoughts were expressed to my dad it was worse. I recall talking to him on my way home from staying late at my high school. One question popped up: "Are you gay?" I said no with quickness, but not too fast. Under his breath he said "thank god" which caught a rolled eye from me on my side of the phone. From that I never recovered. In my mind, I did not identify as gay, so answering "no" technically wasn't a lie, although I still felt it was. For the longest time I identified as bisexual because I knew I had same sex feelings, but I do have some lingering opposite sex feelings. Since the question wasn't "Do you like boys?" I felt comfortable in my answer. Comfortable enough. In the same vein, I don't feel like my sexuality needs a label, but that would add excess complexity to his antiquated mind. How I felt when he said "Thank god" made my heart drop and sink into an abyss that it was unable to swim out from. If I were to ever "come out" to him then I felt like he would be disappointed; if I were to show him my boyfriend or anything like that, just disappointed. He went on to continue to say what everyone else ––people that barely know me or haven't seen me –– were saying. It made me feel betrayed and hurt that other family members were just gossiping and looking at me differently instead of asking or talking to me. Effectively isolating me more because of their assumptions. This also reminded me that we don't have any queer male family members in our immediate or extended family members which hurt because I wouldn't have any confidantes. This did explain, however, why all eyes felt like they were on me. Being a business major, I have always had a focus on breaking barriers for myself and people like me in a field that is dominated by white, heterosexual men. Being able to have people walk into a room and feel accepted, confident, and no longer voiceless being able to express their power. I have always wanted to penetrate the primary retail field of athleisure and working to create funds for LGBTQ+ people like my own and showing success for those without. Athleisure in particular is interesting because fashion still isn't for everyone even though we present it as that, inviting diverse voices to recreate and remodel existing structures and physiques into things people like instead of carbon copies of the competitors. A lot of the dominant retail companies are scared to tap into the queer demographic, but there is a lot of success that could be had, if that field was penetrated. Taking my degree to push people forward is everything and more of what I want to do in life leaving me in ultimate fulfillment.

The reason there are so many few Black individuals in top positions connects back to Black individuals in the workplace, and even further down to the connection of racial stereotyping and discrimination in plenty of buisnesses in America. The reason I want to be here, is so I can set myself apart from those stereotypes, proving that Black people are in fact capable of succeeding, not only for representation, but also for the needs of all people. Take the aforementioned Jeff Bezos for instance: he created Amazon and its subsidiary, Whole Foods, effectively taking the needs of people for them to never need to leave the house again; it simply requires a press of a button to get virtually anything one could ever ask for. When it comes to business and entrepreneurship, one would have to be innovative and come up with a new, effective, and needed product. While doing that, accessibility, equity, need, and opportunity are at the front of my mind. My previous actions have demonstrated that I could be capable of this, by using my clubs such as Me2We2Them to help people in need or give voice to social issues in creative ways such as silent in-school protest movements, donating to homeless individuals, or creating over fifty slogans for a Valentine’s Day fundraiser. Our school spirit club to reinvent pep rallies and school events every year to engage the student body but to bring in commonly excluded students to perform in front of the school.

The study of business and the economy has always fascinated me in regards to entrepreneurship and what spaces allow people who look like me in them. Recently, I read a Wall Street Journal article: Why Are There Still So Few Black CEOs? The article included statements such as, “Black professionals comprise 1% of the executives running America’s top 500 companies” and “Among all U.S. companies with 100 or more employees, Black people hold just 3% of executive or senior-level roles, according to Equal Employment Opportunity Commission data.” To me, this was not new information, instead it was something that has continuously been present and emphasized in the context of our modern day situation. When you look up at big corporations and major companies, we see Tim Cook, John Donahoe, Bob Iger, David Greenberg, or Jeff Bezos—all white men. While there are a lot of companies owned by Black people such as JAY-Z’s multiple companies or Rihanna’s Fenty Corporation, those are owned by Black celebrities, endorsements during their fame instead of before; but even with celebrity influences, those companies have not cracked the top 500 companies. The reason there are so many few Black individuals in top positions connects back to Black individuals in the workplace, and even further down to the connection of racial stereotyping and discrimination in plenty of buisnesses in America. The reason I want to be here, is so I can set myself apart from those stereotypes, proving that Black people are in fact capable of succeeding, not only for representation, but also for the needs of all people. Take the aforementioned Jeff Bezos for instance: he created Amazon and its subsidiary, Whole Foods, effectively taking the needs of people for them to never need to leave the house again; it simply requires a press of a button to get virtually anything one could ever ask for. When it comes to business and entrepreneurship, one would have to be innovative and come up with a new, effective, and needed product. While doing that, accessibility, equity, need, and opportunity are at the front of my mind. My previous actions have demonstrated that I could be capable of this, by using my clubs such as Me2We2Them to help people in need or give voice to social issues in creative ways such as silent in-school protest movements, donating to homeless individuals, or creating over fifty slogans for a Valentine’s Day fundraiser. Our school spirit club to reinvent pep rallies and school events every year to engage the student body but to bring in commonly excluded students to perform in front of the school. Business in particular has been pulling me in its direction for years. While I could get a lot of money in the field, that is not the prime reason I want to be in there. To echo my previous statements, I want fields like these to be more inclusive and the only way, I truly believe this could happen is by having people from marginalized groups in collaboration with non-oppressed individuals in order to help to create a platform that is inclusive for all. By allowing and opening up more jobs for minority citizens, I believe that slowly, more Black and brown individuals could escape the cycle of poverty and provide for their families, but it takes one person to hit the jackpot and succeed and to spread that wealth. I firmly believe that I could be that one.

The study of business and the economy has always fascinated me in regards to entrepreneurship and what spaces allow people who look like me in them. Recently, I read a Wall Street Journal article: Why Are There Still So Few Black CEOs? The article included statements such as, “Black professionals comprise 1% of the executives running America’s top 500 companies” and “Among all U.S. companies with 100 or more employees, Black people hold just 3% of executive or senior-level roles, according to Equal Employment Opportunity Commission data.” To me, this was not new information, instead it was something that has continuously been present and emphasized in the context of our modern day situation. When you look up at big corporations and major companies, we see Tim Cook, John Donahoe, Bob Iger, David Greenberg, or Jeff Bezos—all white men. While there are a lot of companies owned by Black people such as JAY-Z’s multiple companies or Rihanna’s Fenty Corporation, those are owned by Black celebrities, endorsements during their fame instead of before; but even with celebrity influences, those companies have not cracked the top 500 companies. The reason there are so many few Black individuals in top positions connects back to Black individuals in the workplace, and even further down to the connection of racial stereotyping and discrimination in plenty of buisnesses in America. The reason I want to be here, is so I can set myself apart from those stereotypes, proving that Black people are in fact capable of succeeding, not only for representation, but also for the needs of all people. Take the aforementioned Jeff Bezos for instance: he created Amazon and its subsidiary, Whole Foods, effectively taking the needs of people for them to never need to leave the house again; it simply requires a press of a button to get virtually anything one could ever ask for. When it comes to business and entrepreneurship, one would have to be innovative and come up with a new, effective, and needed product. While doing that, accessibility, equity, need, and opportunity are at the front of my mind. My previous actions have demonstrated that I could be capable of this, by using my clubs such as Me2We2Them to help people in need or give voice to social issues in creative ways such as silent in-school protest movements, donating to homeless individuals, or creating over fifty slogans for a Valentine’s Day fundraiser. Our school spirit club to reinvent pep rallies and school events every year to engage the student body but to bring in commonly excluded students to perform in front of the school. Business in particular has been pulling me in its direction for years. While I could get a lot of money in the field, that is not the prime reason I want to be in there. To echo my previous statements, I want fields like these to be more inclusive and the only way, I truly believe this could happen is by having people from marginalized groups in collaboration with non-oppressed individuals in order to help to create a platform that is inclusive for all. By allowing and opening up more jobs for minority citizens, I believe that slowly, more Black and brown individuals could escape the cycle of poverty and provide for their families, but it takes one person to hit the jackpot and succeed and to spread that wealth. I firmly believe that I could be that one.

The study of business and the economy has always fascinated me in regards to entrepreneurship and what spaces allow people who look like me in them. Recently, I read a Wall Street Journal article: Why Are There Still So Few Black CEOs? The article included statements such as, “Black professionals comprise 1% of the executives running America’s top 500 companies” and “Among all U.S. companies with 100 or more employees, Black people hold just 3% of executive or senior-level roles, according to Equal Employment Opportunity Commission data.” To me, this was not new information, instead it was something that has continuously been present and emphasized in the context of our modern day situation. When you look up at big corporations and major companies, we see Tim Cook, John Donahoe, Bob Iger, David Greenberg, or Jeff Bezos—all white men. While there are a lot of companies owned by Black people such as JAY-Z’s multiple companies or Rihanna’s Fenty Corporation, those are owned by Black celebrities, endorsements during their fame instead of before; but even with celebrity influences, those companies have not cracked the top 500 companies. The reason there are so many few Black individuals in top positions connects back to Black individuals in the workplace, and even further down to the connection of racial stereotyping and discrimination in plenty of buisnesses in America. The reason I want to be here, is so I can set myself apart from those stereotypes, proving that Black people are in fact capable of succeeding, not only for representation, but also for the needs of all people. Take the aforementioned Jeff Bezos for instance: he created Amazon and its subsidiary, Whole Foods, effectively taking the needs of people for them to never need to leave the house again; it simply requires a press of a button to get virtually anything one could ever ask for. When it comes to business and entrepreneurship, one would have to be innovative and come up with a new, effective, and needed product. While doing that, accessibility, equity, need, and opportunity are at the front of my mind. My previous actions have demonstrated that I could be capable of this, by using my clubs such as Me2We2Them to help people in need or give voice to social issues in creative ways such as silent in-school protest movements, donating to homeless individuals, or creating over fifty slogans for a Valentine’s Day fundraiser. Our school spirit club to reinvent pep rallies and school events every year to engage the student body but to bring in commonly excluded students to perform in front of the school. Business in particular has been pulling me in its direction for years. While I could get a lot of money in the field, that is not the prime reason I want to be in there. To echo my previous statements, I want fields like these to be more inclusive and the only way, I truly believe this could happen is by having people from marginalized groups in collaboration with non-oppressed individuals in order to help to create a platform that is inclusive for all. By allowing and opening up more jobs for minority citizens, I believe that slowly, more Black and brown individuals could escape the cycle of poverty and provide for their families, but it takes one person to hit the jackpot and succeed and to spread that wealth. I firmly believe that I could be that one.

The study of business and the economy has always fascinated me in regards to entrepreneurship and what spaces allow people who look like me in them. Recently, I read a Wall Street Journal article: Why Are There Still So Few Black CEOs? The article included statements such as, “Black professionals comprise 1% of the executives running America’s top 500 companies” and “Among all U.S. companies with 100 or more employees, Black people hold just 3% of executive or senior-level roles, according to Equal Employment Opportunity Commission data.” To me, this was not new information, instead it was something that has continuously been present and emphasized in the context of our modern day situation. When you look up at big corporations and major companies, we see Tim Cook, John Donahoe, Bob Iger, David Greenberg, or Jeff Bezos—all white men. While there are a lot of companies owned by Black people such as JAY-Z’s multiple companies or Rihanna’s Fenty Corporation, those are owned by Black celebrities, endorsements during their fame instead of before; but even with celebrity influences, those companies have not cracked the top 500 companies. The reason there are so many few Black individuals in top positions connects back to Black individuals in the workplace, and even further down to the connection of racial stereotyping and discrimination in plenty of buisnesses in America. The reason I want to be here, is so I can set myself apart from those stereotypes, proving that Black people are in fact capable of succeeding, not only for representation, but also for the needs of all people. Take the aforementioned Jeff Bezos for instance: he created Amazon and its subsidiary, Whole Foods, effectively taking the needs of people for them to never need to leave the house again; it simply requires a press of a button to get virtually anything one could ever ask for. When it comes to business and entrepreneurship, one would have to be innovative and come up with a new, effective, and needed product. While doing that, accessibility, equity, need, and opportunity are at the front of my mind. Business in particular has been pulling me in its direction for years. While I could get a lot of money in the field, that is not the prime reason I want to be in there. To echo my previous statements, I want fields like these to be more inclusive and the only way, I truly believe this could happen is by having people from marginalized groups in collaboration with non-oppressed individuals in order to help to create a platform that is inclusive for all. By allowing and opening up more jobs for minority citizens, I believe that slowly, more Black and brown individuals could escape the cycle of poverty and provide for their families, but it takes one person to hit the jackpot and succeed and to spread that wealth. I firmly believe that I could be that one.

Being left out of events and gatherings led me on a path to incorporate or include others. Diversity is not enough. Inclusion, representation, and innovation are the best ways our society can move into a future where everyone can see themselves. In the past 4 years alone, I have started many different inclusion initiatives and been a piece of the representation for silenced and underprivileged voices. I was a part of the change that made white spaces more accessible for marginalized communities, functioning our spirit club to truly representing the full student body and inheriting a service group both of which I played a major role in since my freshman year. Seeing and being in charge of how these two groups operate I realized how much of an impact someone makes, but also truly facing head on the reality of people who have and those who are without. I initially felt a sense of imposter syndrome being a Black person in the GRRRR! Spirit Club, in a school filled with white dominant normativity. Instead, I chose to decline that reality and turn the spirit club into my own. In more recent years, I became the creative director and co-president of the club, which meant I had full control. I invited two teams: Latin Dance Fusion and TAK, a K-Pop dance team to perform during our pep rallies, giving them a stage an audience they deserved; invited more black and brown individuals to the club; and also hosting the pep rallies and spirit weeks in an attempt to give hope to other dark-skinned youth like me the hope and push that they need to lead something that they care about against the grains of white peer pressure. Me2We2Them is a service based organization that started the year before I came to Payton. It partners with the broader WE organization, which I have been associated with for six years now. Over the years, Me2We2Them has hosted many service initiatives and social awareness events to gauge civic engagement across the school. I became co-president my senior year, with the intention of expanding to a Baskets and Blankets project to give to homeless shelters during COVID-19 as well as our annual project: We Are Silent, a silent protest where students put a color tape on their body for a cause they care about. This club pushed and challenged my social awareness, activism, and civic duties to levels I never pushed them to before. These two clubs have been my passion for the past 4 years because they have changed the view of myself as a person and guided me closer to realizing my impact and potential as a person that does not stop when I graduate. These endeavors developed my idealisation of being a global citizen, defined as: “awareness, caring, and embracing cultural diversity while promoting social justice and sustainability, coupled with a sense of responsibility to act” (Reysen & Katzarska-Miller, 2013). In the future, I would love to continue the work of the past and also the future, after finding my stability at Howard, I want to continue to step forward in the world as a Bison and having a positive influential effect on all lives for which I will enter. While I am not completely sure yet, I want to use previous things I've enjoyed and events I've executed in order to push the world forward.

The study of business and the economy has always fascinated me in regards to entrepreneurship and what spaces allow people who look like me in them. Recently, I read a Wall Street Journal article: Why Are There Still So Few Black CEOs? The article included statements such as, “Black professionals comprise 1% of the executives running America’s top 500 companies” and “Among all U.S. companies with 100 or more employees, Black people hold just 3% of executive or senior-level roles, according to Equal Employment Opportunity Commission data.” To me, this was not new information, instead it was something that has continuously been present and emphasized in the context of our modern day situation. When you look up at big corporations and major companies, we see Tim Cook, John Donahoe, Bob Iger, David Greenberg, or Jeff Bezos—all white men. While there are a lot of companies owned by Black people such as JAY-Z’s multiple companies or Rihanna’s Fenty Corporation, those are owned by Black celebrities, endorsements during their fame instead of before; but even with celebrity influences, those companies have not cracked the top 500 companies. The reason there are so many few Black individuals in top positions connects back to Black individuals in the workplace, and even further down to the connection of racial stereotyping and discrimination in plenty of buisnesses in America. The reason I want to be here, is so I can set myself apart from those stereotypes, proving that Black people are in fact capable of succeeding, not only for representation, but also for the needs of all people. Take the aforementioned Jeff Bezos for instance: he created Amazon and its subsidiary, Whole Foods, effectively taking the needs of people for them to never need to leave the house again; it simply requires a press of a button to get virtually anything one could ever ask for. When it comes to business and entrepreneurship, one would have to be innovative and come up with a new, effective, and needed product. While doing that, accessibility, equity, need, and opportunity are at the front of my mind. My previous actions have demonstrated that I could be capable of this, by using my clubs such as Me2We2Them to help people in need or give voice to social issues in creative ways such as silent in-school protest movements, donating to homeless individuals, or creating over fifty slogans for a Valentine’s Day fundraiser. Our school spirit club to reinvent pep rallies and school events every year to engage the student body but to bring in commonly excluded students to perform in front of the school. Business in particular has been pulling me in its direction for years. While I could get a lot of money in the field, that is not the prime reason I want to be in there. To echo my previous statements, I want fields like these to be more inclusive and the only way, I truly believe this could happen is by having people from marginalized groups in collaboration with non-oppressed individuals in order to help to create a platform that is inclusive for all. By allowing and opening up more jobs for minority citizens, I believe that slowly, more Black and brown individuals could escape the cycle of poverty and provide for their families, but it takes one person to hit the jackpot and succeed and to spread that wealth. I firmly believe that I could be that one.

Giving is important because I come from a home where I do not get everything I want. Often I am not up to date with owning new shoes or clothes, or able to go everywhere I want to go, or even to any music festival. I know what it is like to not have. So I dedicated my life to giving back such as protesting or donating blood; these resources do not cost much but they make gigantic impact for someone else. I hosted numerous fundraisers during my high school career or went out to shelters for animals to help the animals and those who take care of the animals. People often think giving back is difficult, but for me it is one of the easiest things you can do.

Listening is described as the listener being receptive. That trait is the most important. If you aren't being receptive, you aren't listening. Being receptive could include facial expressions, body language, or audible responses and more importantly responsive dialogue. All of those mean a lot to me. Conversational listening is the act of all of the above. If someone isn't doing at least one of those things, they aren't listening. Good listening also includes empathy and showing that you actually care about what the person actually says. Keeping the resonance of a conversation means a lot to me because I love talking, but when I feel like I'm no longer being listened to then I stop talking. I always go through my head and think: "What would I like to hear?"

Coming home after a semester was difficult, but it allowed me to reflect on everything I had so far on this planet. Realizing my that life isn't perfect and I couldn’t get everything I wanted, yet simultaneously having more than most people and feeling as if I lived multiple lifetimes, telling tales that other people could not tell. This was a thought I talked to my mom about as she always wanted it so her kids can get anything they ever wanted, allowing us to go to college was one thing itself. A lot of people don’t even have the blessing to breathe every day or have a roof over their head. That living versus mine pushes me every day towards success. Some don't have a close friend circle that cares about them, but I have that. Those small things and big helps push me through every day and makes me feel better, but also motivates me to give back and live graciously every day.

Giving is important because I come from a home where I do not get everything I want. Often I am not up to date with owning new shoes or clothes, or able to go everywhere I want to go, or even to any music festival. I know what it is like to not have. So I dedicated my life to giving back such as protesting or donating blood; these resources do not cost much but they make gigantic impact for someone else. I hosted numerous fundraisers during my high school career or went out to shelters for animals to help the animals and those who take care of the animals. People often think giving back is difficult, but for me it is one of the easiest things you can do.

The day I was able to go to Lollapalooza for the first time was an absolutely blissful moment. I was able to see some of my favorite artists and discover some new ones with some of my high school friends, new people, and some of the best people in my life. It was life changing, revolutionary, and a once in a lifetime opportunity.