To tell you a little about me I would start by saying I'm a 19-year-old first-generation college student. I am currently in my second year majoring in biology with a minor in psychology. I decided to go to college because I felt that it was the next best step for me after high school. Once I receive my degree in 2024 I want to go to Meharry Medical College where I will complete my residency and fellowship. After medical school, I hope to become a dermatologist. I want to finish the rest of my college career with a high GPA as far as my goals. To keep my GPA high I will continue putting school first, studying when I need to, staying focused, and always asking for help when I need it. Other goals of mine include, obviously, getting into medical school and getting matched with my career. To pursue this goal I plan to stay on top of my work and keep my grades high. After successfully entering and completing medical school, my next goal would be to successfully have my own clinic and shelter. To pursue all my goals I plan to work hard and never give up no matter what. I will always give everything I do one hundred percent. In life, I want to achieve genuine happiness, wealth, and success. Finally, to give back to my others, once I have obtained wealth and success I will make sure to take care of my family. And as far as giving back to my community I plan to open a shelter in my hometown of Kenner, Louisiana to help those in need.

The biggest problem facing the world right now, in my opinion, is that we have been in a pandemic for a year now. Covid-19 has been around since the end of 2019 and in less than 5 months we'll be in 2022 and nothing's changed yet. The shutdown was not strict enough which is why things didn't work out. People are constantly complaining that they want things to go back to normal but they aren't doing what they should be for that to happen. Some aren't wearing their mask and if they are it isn't the correct way. Other people are lying about being vaccinated just so they won't have to wear the mask. People aren't staying distanced nor are they being sanitary and following protocols. They're just going out being reckless, not thinking of anyone but themselves. We've had a pointless shutdown, nothing changed, cases still rose and now we have to deal with the Delta variant. We are right back where we have been since day one which is nowhere. One way we can work this out is to have a real, actual shutdown. That means no workers going to work unless they are first responders. First responders will wear masks and if they're having symptoms they will report them and not go to work. No stores, no malls, everything is closed. The only place a person can go is outside in their yard. I think that if we do this, then we'll be okay and possible, finally go back to normal.

Since I could understand the concept of money I have always been taught to be wise with it. The most helpful piece of financial advice I have ever received was to live on less than I make. Living below your means is when you spend less than what you make. In other words, you have money left over at the end of the month. You're not living paycheck to paycheck. Once it is gone it is not there to go towards saving money or paying off debt. I found this very helpful because instead of trying to spend money on things I can not afford. It has helped me to be wise with my money and save for when I needed to save. The financial advice of live on less than you make has taught me to worry about my money and only my money. Everything is not what it seems. Everyone has different income levels, savings, and debt therefore I should never try to keep up with the next person. This piece of advice has also helped me to save and prepare for the future as best as I can. There are so many people out there who living from paycheck to paycheck or whose on their last five dollars because they are not wise with their money. People who are not wise with their money are likely to lose everything when faced with unexpected emergencies. Because of the financial advice I received, I will never have to worry about being financially unstable.

Someone I admire from history is Helen Keller. Helen Keller was blind and deaf since she was one years old. All while being blind and deaf Keller was an author, disability rights advocate, teacher, and political activist. Throughout her life she has accomplished many wonderful things. She was the first deaf blind person to receive her bachelor's degree and she's written and published 42 books. She also put forth a lot of effort toward being able to communicate with the people in the world around her. Helen wanted people to think of her as an equal to others even though she was a little different. I think this is very inspiring because she wanted to be treated equally by every one else. Hellen Keller never felt sorry for herself and more importantly she didn't let others feel sorry for her either. Helen Keller was a hero, she overcame her struggle of being deaf and blind by never giving up. She dedicated her life to help others, and made change in the world despite her disabilities. I admire Helen Keller because she never let any obstacles stand in her way or stop her from doing things. She didn't use her disablities as an excuse to be lazy instead embraced them a became an inspiration for people. Because of her I will never make excuses for myself.

There are many great books that I have read but if I had to choose a favorite, my favorite would be Roman Fever by Edith Wharton. To sum it up if you've never read or heard of it, the story is about two ladies, Grace Ansley and Alida Slade who were friends all their lives. They finally see each other again after a long time in a restaurant. They decide to have dinner together and during the dinner, secrets come out and they discover the truth about one another. The truth was they couldn't stand each other and both wanted what the other one had. The ladies' envy towards each other caused them to not live but instead be in constant rivalry with each other, which is no way to live. They were so busy being jealous of each other nothing else mattered to them. Mrs. Slade was so envious that her marriage was not based on love and Mrs. Ansley was so envious that she got with her friend’s fiancé. Their envy towards one another caused their friendship to fail. It caused them to live with horrible lies and secrets that would not only hurt each other but the people in their lives. This book is my favorite because I learned to never let certain circumstances and situations force you to create friendships with people. What I mean by that is that just because I live across the street from someone who's my age doesn’t mean I should become friends with them. I feel this way because it’s exactly how Mrs. Slade and Mrs. Ansley’s friendship was formed. They were only friends because of their circumstances and the whole time the friendship wasn’t even genuine. Their friendship was built on the jealousy and envy they had towards one another.

Growing up my family and I have dealt with a lot of challenges. When I was 5 years old, I lost my dad, so coming up it was just me, my mom, and my 6 older siblings. Only having one parent was and still is extremely hard for my family. Everyone needs a father because growing up without one affected all of us in some type of way. My brother went down the wrong path because he had no male figure in his life to look up to and learn from. Aside from everyone being in control of their own life and making their own decisions, I strongly believe not having a male role model in his life also led my brother to where he is today. My big brother has always been my number one supporter for as long as I can remember. Our bond was unbreakable and of all my siblings we were the closest. He would always be there for me whenever I needed him. He would help me with all my problems, bought me things when I needed them, help me with school stuff, and so much more. Unfortunately, my brother has been incarcerated since I was 11 years old, and I am currently 19 years old. It has been hard not having him here. He was the person who always believed in me and picked me up when I was down. Since then, I have been the person picking myself up, which is not easy. Every day I miss my brother and it hurts so much to know that there’s nothing I can do to help him as he has always helped me. My goals for the future are to graduate college with nothing less than a 4.0 GPA. After college as of now, I want to attend Meharry Medical College for medical school to pursue my career as a dermatologist. Once I've completed medical school and I’ve done my residency and fellowship I want to open my own shelter for people in need in my hometown, Kenner, Louisiana. My brother’s incarceration has led me to want to become someone by being a dermatologist. And it has also made me want to have my own shelter to help people in need, so they don't have to look for help in the wrong places. So, with my brother being incarcerated I would say it has affected my education and goals for the better. With him being away it has made me push myself to do better and go harder so that I can make him proud when he comes home. Every day, I overcome adversity by doing what I must do to be where I want to be. I'm not letting anything, or anyone gets in the way of my goals. I am staying focused and reminding myself that everything I'm doing right now will pay off in the future and make my brother and me proud.

My name is Shamirah Bryant. I am a 19 year old first generation college freshman. I attend a Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana. I reside in New Orleans, Louisiana with my family. I am attending college to pursue a degree in biology pre-medicine. With my degree in the bachelors of science and after medical school I hope to become a dermatologist. As a kid and since before a teenager I have always struggled with horrible acne. On my face, my back, and even my chest. It’s very frustrating not being able to do anything about it. You can try all these products and nothing really works. It’s like no matter what you do it just won’t seem to go away. Acne can take a major toll on a person’s mental and even their confidence. So having dealt with that, I want to help people who suffer in the future and give them the confidence they deserve. Staying fit is something that is super important to me because of how I grew up. My family has always been a “workout” family. When quarantine first started we worked out as a family more. In order to stay fit, me myself, I’d work out at least once a day. I always keep myself busy so I’m constantly moving and never just lying around. Other ways I stay fit are just by drinking a lot of water. Water is very essential, it’s what the body has to have in order to do its job. I‘ve changed my diet completely and now I eat healthier. I eat plenty fruit, vegetables, less starchy foods, no fast food at all, and not so much junk food. Staying fit does a lot for a person. By staying fit I’ve noticed I have more energy most of the times. With more energy I have improved my work productivity as well as my mental performance. I’m no longer always super tired. I can walk longer distances without becoming short of breath too quick. I get good rest and it even reduced my stress and anxiety. In the future I will also benefit from staying fit right now because it can and will reduce my risk of many things. Some risk are dementia, osteoporosis, and even cancer. Lastly the best benefit of them all; a good life. With staying fit I will live a very long and healthy life in the future!

I am a first generation college student. My name is Shamirah Bryant and I'm 18 years old. I am currently attending Nicholls State University and I'm majoring in biology pre-medicine. With my degree I hope to become a dermatologist which is basically a skin doctor. I want to be a dermatologist because I’m fascinated with skin. I’ve always grew up mixing things together that I saw online. Trying to make face mask, moisturizers, and just anything really. I’ve suffered from acne since middle school all the way til now. It’s annoying, it really shoots down your confidence and make you not even wanna be seen in public. Since I know how that is and the toll it can take on person I want to be a dermatologist. To help people feel comfortable in their own skin. I want to give them that confidence that they should have. In my life I want to achieve many things, one being graduating college then going to medical school afterwards and just being successful overall. As of right now to achieve those things I am preparing myself to maintain good grades and staying focused.