Hi! My name is Sheba Bentum-Mensah and I am from Toronto, Canada but I currently live in Wisconsin. I like dancing, reading, and doing puzzles, but the topic that I am most passionate about is crime prevention. This curiosity started when my mom would habitually listen to crime podcasts during our routine road trips. It was not until I was older that I realized that the nexus for my mothers apparent fixation on criminal activity was that she was a survivor of childhood abuse and violence. It is for this reason that I am committed to reducing worldwide brutal criminal behavior. I am truly fascinated by examining if people are simply born evil or if the environment in which one grows up is a determining cause. Essentially it is the great nurture vs nature debate. It is perplexing to me that the most vile criminals secretly live amongst people in society without appearing suspicious. I am particularly focused not on the manner in which said crimes are committed, but mainly by what causes seemingly normal people to perpetuate acts of violence. Undeniably, the underlying reasons or catalyst for people who commit the most heinous acts is a fascinating yet extremely complex conundrum that needs to be elucidated. I believe that once you understand the root cause behind why people perform brutal offences, you can preemptively prevent it. I envision and I hope you can too, a world where senseless acts of violence are non-existent. This is why I plan to dual major in criminology and psychology at the University of Pennsylvania in the fall of 2028 (Go Quakers!). I am eager to learn more about criminal justice as my previous exposure to this subject focused on the precursors to crime rather than its societal effects and in Psychology, I am incredibly psyched to examine the causes of immoral behavior. My curiosity about the etiology of crime led me to my approved AP Research question: “What Childhood Events Are Correlated With The Development of Necrophiliac and Cannibalistic Signatures in Serial Killers?”. In college, my objective is to land research opportunities at my University and be able to actually test theories that would perhaps explain human behavior. I believe that my impending research will be critical in developing policies/procedures that help eradicate the propensity for violence. My passion for exploring and creating strategies for pre-crime intervention is what makes me want to not only be a criminal forensic psychiatrist, but to be the absolute best. In my career, my goal is to conduct research to treat and diagnose criminal offenders, then use this information to implement preventative programs and strive towards a safer, crime-free world. I would love to work for a law enforcement agency and use my skills to help eradicate violent crimes. Both professionally and personally I am committed to creating a more understanding, united, and peaceful environment. After I receive my undergraduate degree, I aspire to go to graduate school and then complete a residency to earn my medical certification. My goal is to help society by developing markers that pinpoint the precursors to violence and strive toward a safer, crime-free world for everyone, but especially in honor of my mother, by preventing violent crimes before they even happen. This scholarship will be an integral catalyst in achieving my dreams. Thank you.

"O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name; Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, And I'll no longer be a Capulet". In this scene, Juliet declares her love for Romeo but he never gives her a response back saying that he loves her too. This is because Romeo does not truly love Juliet. Instead, Romeo is mistaking his lust for love, searching for escapism via Juliet and thus, he is simply acting as a mischievous teenager. Romeo is, in fact, attracted to Juliet's looks, and he mistakes lust for love. First of all, Romeo is intrigued by Juliet because she is just like Rosaline -- a beautiful Capulet. At the beginning of the play, Romeo sneaks into a Capulet party to see the target of his unrequited love, Rosaline. Consequently, a few moments later, he sees another young and beautiful Capulet, Juliet. Romeo has never seen “one fairer than [his dear Rosaline],” but surprisingly enough, Juliet is also his ideal type (I.ii.98-100). According to Romeo, a moment of mutual gaze is all it takes for them to fall in love but subconsciously, Romeo becomes attracted to Juliet solely because Juliet is exactly like Rosaline. Also, the day after Romeo meets Juliet at the Capulet party, he sleeps with her, believing that he feels a deep affection for her when, in reality, he is mistaking lust for love. Romeo himself claims that he “[does] love a woman, [specifically Rosaline]” in the very first scene of the play and that he loves her to the point that he feels depressed because she does not reciprocate his love (I.i.212). He even “shuts up his windows, [and] locks fair daylight out, [to make] himself an artificial night” (I.i.142-143). However, as soon as he sees Juliet, he claims to fall in love with her and forgets all about Rosaline, even though he only glanced at Juliet momentarily. True love is not solely based on looks; it encompasses loving who a person is, not what a person looks like. Romeo, being the young teenager that he is, does not know the difference between his lustful desires and actual passion; thus, true love does not exist between the characters Romeo and Juliet. Instead, lust is what the character Romeo feels. Therefore, physical attraction is the only reason that Romeo and Juliet have a connection, for they know nothing about each other. In addition, Romeo uses Juliet as an escape from other relationships, proving that he is not really in love with her and is only in a relationship for selfish purposes. Furthermore, Romeo does not truly love Juliet and he is solely using her to get over his unrequited love for Rosaline. Romeo’s love for Rosaline was intolerable; he loved her so much that became depressed and isolated from his family because she could not return his love. He became “so secret and so [closed]” off from society (I.i.152-153). He spent all of his time alone in a dark bedroom. So, instead of enduring this pain for an extended period of time, Romeo decides to sneak into the Capulet party to compare all of the “admirèd beauties of Verona”; thus, when he sees Juliet, he convinces himself that he loves her in order to get over his painful unrequited love (I.ii.90-94). Romeo has convinced himself that the relationship between him and Juliet is love but in reality, he manipulates her for his own personal and selfish gain. Accordingly, Romeo is just being. rebellious teenager. Thus, throughout the play, Romeo experiences reactance, which is a physical mechanism where people feel the need to do the opposite of what they are told to and supposed to do. Although the “two households,” Capulet, and Montague, are “both alike in dignity,” they have an “ancient grudge [that leads] to new mutiny” (I.prologue.1-3). Romeo knows that their families are fighting and that being associated with the opposing family is looked down upon, and yet he still sees Juliet, betraying his family’s trust. This is happening because Romeo does not like the fact that his freedom is being restricted; so, he convinces himself that the greatest way to rebel against his family is to marry their “great enemy” (I.iv.150-151). Still, Romeo does not truly love Juliet; instead, he is in that relationship solely for the thrill of it. Like most teenagers, they enjoy the excitement of sneaking around and being privy to something. Hence, Romeo and Juliet’s relationship exists in total secrecy, forcing them to use “night’s cloak to hide [themselves] from [the] eyes” of the other citizens(II.ii.80). Their entire relationship in itself is a form of rebellion because it goes against the violent nature and mutual hatred between the two families that has been installed in Romeo since he was an infant. Also, instead of making the wise decision to talk to their families about their marital desires, Romeo hides his so-called love and when their relationship is finally discovered, he choose to take his own life. Overall, instead of just enjoying the company of one another, Romeo and Juleit enter their relationship merely for thrill seeking purposes. In sum, the fictional character Romeo represent that young love is extremely untrustworthy and is not true love; rather, it is entirely based on underlying principles like desire, escapism, and deception. Shakespeare accurately demonstrates that relationships based off of the wrong principals can never be successful; therefore, it will only ever cause additional hardships. William Shakespere concludes that “young love is [like] a flame; very pretty, often very hot and fierce, but [is] still only [a] flickering” light that eventually dies out (Henry Ward Beecher).

Hi, I am from Toronto, Canada but I currently live in Wisconsin. I like dancing, reading, and doing puzzles. The topic that I am most passionate about is crime prevention. This curiosity started when my mom would habitually listen to crime podcasts during our routine road trips. It was not until I was older that I realized that the nexus for my mother's apparent fixation on criminal activity was that she was a survivor of childhood abuse and violence. It is for this reason that I am committed to reducing worldwide brutal criminal behavior. I am truly fascinated by examining if people are simply born evil or if the environment in which one grows up is a determining cause. Essentially it is the great nurture vs nature debate. It is perplexing to me that the most vile criminals secretly live amongst people in society without appearing suspicious. I am particularly focused not on the manner in which said crimes are committed, but mainly by what causes seemingly normal people to perpetuate acts of violence. Undeniably, the underlying reasons or catalyst for people who commit the most heinous acts is a fascinating yet extremely complex conundrum that needs to be elucidated. I believe that once you understand the root cause behind why people perform brutal offenses, you can preemptively prevent it. I envision and I hope you can too, a world where senseless acts of violence are non-existent. This is why I plan to dual major in criminology and psychology at the University of Pennsylvania in the fall of 2028 (Go Quakers!). I am eager to learn more about criminal justice as my previous exposure to this subject focused on the precursors to crime rather than its societal effects and in Psychology, I am incredibly psyched to examine the causes of immoral behavior. My curiosity about the etiology of crime led me to my approved AP Research question: “What Childhood Events Are Correlated With The Development of Necrophiliac and Cannibalistic Signatures in Serial Killers?”. In college, my objective is to land research opportunities at my University and be able to test theories that would perhaps explain human behavior. I believe that my impending research will be critical in developing policies/procedures that help eradicate the propensity for violence. My passion for exploring and creating strategies for pre-crime intervention is what makes me want to not only be a criminal forensic psychiatrist but to be the absolute best. In my career, my goal is to conduct research to treat and diagnose criminal offenders, then use this information to implement preventative programs and strive towards a safer, crime-free world. I would love to work for a law enforcement agency and use my skills to help eradicate violent crimes. Both professionally and personally I am committed to creating a more understanding, united, and peaceful environment. After I receive my undergraduate degree, I aspire to go to graduate school and then complete a residency to earn my medical certification. My goal is to help society by developing markers that pinpoint the precursors to violence and strive toward a safer, crime-free world for everyone, but especially in honor of my mother, by preventing violent crimes before they even happen. This scholarship will be an integral catalyst in achieving my dreams. Thank you.

I really enjoy giving back to my community as I feel like it truly connects me to my environment and to the people I live around. This is why I try to be an active member of my high school clubs. I am a natural-born leader and tend to gravitate to leadership roles in most of those organizations. I have participated in competitive sports for several years and have developed a certain level of expertise in the activities that I do. With this, I typically lead my teams by training teammates on proper technique for the sports that I am. I love helping others and cultivating an encouraging environment. On my basketball and tennis teams, I have worked alongside my coaches to create a friendly environment so teammates are not afraid to try their best and ask questions. I have also spent the past 4 years participating in competitive and recreational dance classes (Bollywood, tap, jazz, contemporary, step, Caribbean, and African style and ballet classes) to expand my dance acumen. Oftentimes, my fellow dancers have struggled with asking questions in class so I try to set a good example and be the person who asks questions when they are lost. While familiar with hip-hop, I am new to other styles of movement. In my class, these styles changed monthly and many of the dancers were unfamiliar with the routines. Recognizing this, I assist my peers when they do not grasp the choreography, even going the extra step to practice with them in my spare time at home. In addition, on my Track and Field Teams, I have made sectionals two years in a row for the triple jump and often coach incoming jumpers as it is a unique activity. The most memorable time that I have helped out my peers was during a JV Track and Field practice match. My coaches were preoccupied with other events so I dedicated myself to helping my underclassmen learn how to triple jump. I love triple jumping and I love helping others so coaching the JV girls was a super beneficial experience for me. I got to teach them the correct way to jump (twice on one leg and once on the other) and land in the sandpit. Also, I was responsible for taking note of their steps in relation to the track board and if they reached their records. In all, I loved helping out my peers and I will do the same in my future college communities.

Hi, my name is Sheba Bentum-Mensah and I am from Toronto, Canada, but I currently live in Wisconsin. I like dancing, reading, and doing puzzles, however, the topic that I am most passionate about is crime prevention. This curiosity started when my mom would habitually listen to crime podcasts during our routine road trips. It was not until I was older that I realized that the nexus for my mother's apparent fixation on criminal activity was that she was a survivor of childhood abuse and violence. It is for this reason that I am committed to reducing worldwide brutal criminal behavior. I am truly fascinated by examining if people are simply born evil or if the environment in which one grows up is a determining cause. Essentially it is the great nurture vs nature debate. It is perplexing to me that the most vile criminals secretly live amongst people in society without appearing suspicious. I am particularly focused not on the manner in which said crimes are committed, but mainly by what causes seemingly normal people to perpetuate acts of violence. Undeniably, the underlying reasons or catalyst for people who commit the most heinous acts is a fascinating yet extremely complex conundrum that needs to be elucidated. I believe that once you understand the root cause behind why people perform brutal offenses, you can preemptively prevent it. I envision and I hope you can too, a world where senseless acts of violence are non-existent. This is why I plan to dual major in criminology and psychology at the University of Pennsylvania in the fall of 2028 (Go Quakers!). I am eager to learn more about criminal justice as my previous exposure to this subject focused on the precursors to crime rather than its societal effects and in Psychology, I am incredibly psyched to examine the causes of immoral behavior. My curiosity about the etiology of crime led me to my approved AP Research question: “What Childhood Events Are Correlated With The Development of Necrophiliac and Cannibalistic Signatures in Serial Killers?”. In college, my objective is to land research opportunities at my University and be able to test theories that would perhaps explain human behavior. I believe that my impending research will be critical in developing policies/procedures that help eradicate the propensity for violence. My passion for exploring and creating strategies for pre-crime intervention is what makes me want to not only be a criminal/forensic psychiatrist but to be the absolute best. In my career, my goal is to conduct research to treat and diagnose criminal offenders, then use this information to implement preventative programs and strive towards a safer, crime-free world. I would love to work for a law enforcement agency and use my skills to help eradicate violent crimes. Both professionally and personally I am committed to creating a more understanding, united, and peaceful environment. After I receive my undergraduate degree, I aspire to go to graduate school and then complete a residency to earn my medical certification. My goal is to help society by developing markers that pinpoint the precursors to violence and strive toward a safer, crime-free world for everyone by preventing violent crimes before they even happen. My career path will change my life trajectory by allowing me to become a researcher and psychiatrist who works one-on-one with people who need mental health help. This scholarship will be an integral catalyst in achieving my dreams. Thank you.

Inexperienced in exposure to the genre, I used to think that nonfiction literature, biographies, and documentaries were uninteresting and unremarkable. Ironically, my openness changed when I encountered an exceptional fictional series: Attack On Titan. I will not be pedantic and analyze the minute details of every episode, but summarily, the show is about a group of people surrounded by colossal walls guarded by cannibalistic titans. This may sound incredibly juvenile at first glance, but it most definitely is not. After a lifetime in confinement, the captives break free only to realize that the difficulties facing them in the outside world might be insurmountable and ultimately inescapable. There are countless situations and events in this anime that mirror real life and, for me, led to deep personal revelations and reflections on the origins of the contemporary human experience. Through researching historical events, one can discover many instances where certain classes of people were imprisoned figuratively as opposed to literally. For example, South Africa post-apartheid, Native Americans during the colonial era, or African Americans after the emancipation proclamation. This correlates with the central theme in the Attack On Titan series: Freedom is an illusion. Since, oftentimes, on paper, people are free, but are we really? In AP Human Geography, we extensively studied African-American migration patterns but did not examine how people of color (POC) were segregated financially, politically, and socially. Post-physical enslavement, Black people continued to be subjected to oppression, discrimination, and hate crimes for just existing, all while being classified as “free.” Systemic racism continues to prevent POCs from acquiring opportunities and invariably creates barriers to success. Ongoing issues with redlining and gentrification further prevent minorities from achieving comparable wealth and growth, but at least we are “free”, right? Wrong. Being theoretically liberated but consistently prohibited from existing comfortably in your community, history reveals, is not genuine freedom. This conundrum is highlighted frequently throughout the series. The imprisoned Eldians were initially overjoyed to be free and then thoroughly devastated once faced with reality. Both the overt and the subtle discrimination portrayed in the show were clearly evident to me as the newly released prisoners were treated horrendously. However, many of my anime-loving friends did not see that same trend. It is remarkable that a work of fiction could reveal hidden truths about the infrastructure of our contemporary human predicament. The civilization on the show is eerily parallel to our own exposes racial disparities that remain in the shadows and seldom invokes empathy. The conversations that I had with my peers and their inability to correlate and contextualize past events with current circumstances sparked several epiphanies, igniting my desire to explore history and read more non-fiction. Oddly enough, during the college application process, I found similarities between this series and my personal life. I am truly enthusiastic about starting a new chapter in life and gaining the autonomy that, for years, I have been striving for. Conversely, with said freedom comes a lot more responsibility, regulations, and restrictions. And, while I know that there will be challenging situations that my sheltered life has obscured, just like the Eldians, I am determined to be independent, and I am excited and optimistic to commence my upcoming life journey. Attack on Titan is an interesting, relatable, and deep show, Give it a watch!

Inexperienced in exposure to the genre, I used to think that nonfiction literature, biographies, and documentaries were uninteresting and unremarkable. Ironically, my openness changed when I encountered an exceptional fictional series: Attack On Titan. I will not be pedantic and analyze the minute details of every episode, but summarily, the show is about a group of people surrounded by colossal walls guarded by cannibalistic titans. This may sound incredibly juvenile at first glance, but it most definitely is not. After a lifetime in confinement, the captives break free only to realize that the difficulties facing them in the outside world might be insurmountable and ultimately inescapable. There are countless situations and events in this anime that mirror real life and, for me, led to deep personal revelations and reflections on the origins of the contemporary human experience. Through researching historical events, one can discover many instances where certain classes of people were imprisoned figuratively as opposed to literally. For example, South Africa post-apartheid, Native Americans during the colonial era, or African Americans after the emancipation proclamation. This correlates with the central theme in the Attack On Titan series: Freedom is an illusion. Since, oftentimes, on paper, people are free, but are we really? In AP Human Geography, we extensively studied African-American migration patterns but did not examine how people of color (POC) were segregated financially, politically, and socially. Post-physical enslavement, Black people continued to be subjected to oppression, discrimination, and hate crimes for just existing, all while being classified as “free.” Systemic racism continues to prevent POCs from acquiring opportunities and invariably creates barriers to success. Ongoing issues with redlining and gentrification further prevent minorities from achieving comparable wealth and growth, but at least we are “free”, right? Wrong. Being theoretically liberated but consistently prohibited from existing comfortably in your community, history reveals, is not genuine freedom. This conundrum is highlighted frequently throughout the series. The imprisoned Eldians were initially overjoyed to be free and then thoroughly devastated once faced with reality. Both the overt and the subtle discrimination portrayed in the show were clearly evident to me as the newly released prisoners were treated horrendously. However, many of my anime-loving friends did not see that same trend. It is remarkable that a work of fiction could reveal hidden truths about the infrastructure of our contemporary human predicament. The civilization on the show is eerily parallel to our own exposes racial disparities that remain in the shadows and seldom invokes empathy. The conversations that I had with my peers and their inability to correlate and contextualize past events with current circumstances sparked several epiphanies, igniting my desire to explore history and read more non-fiction. Oddly enough, during the college application process, I found similarities between this series and my personal life. I am truly enthusiastic about starting a new chapter in life and gaining the autonomy that, for years, I have been striving for. Conversely, with said freedom comes a lot more responsibility, regulations, and restrictions. And, while I know that there will be challenging situations that my sheltered life has obscured, just like the Eldians, I am determined to be independent, and I am excited and optimistic to commence my upcoming life journey. Attack on Titan is an interesting, relatable, and deep show, Give it a watch!

Being new is not “new” to me. I was new to the United States, new to Wisconsin, new immigrant, new to the suburbs, new to high school, new to a less diverse community. During the summer of 2020, my family relocated from Toronto Canada, where I was born and had spent my entire childhood, to Mequon, Wisconsin, US. On top of leaving everything I have ever known we moved during the height of COVID-19 and my family and I experienced severe isolation. Canadian government restrictions prevented us from properly saying goodbye to our extended family and we packed up our belongings and moved across the border. In addition to the pain of leaving Canada during the pandemic, we could not travel home, and this reality was extremely tough and depressing for me. In all honesty, being a person of color and an immigrant in a predominantly white institute created significant emotional struggles during my freshman year. On my first day of high school, I felt alone and that everyone already knew each other. In addition, social distancing, wearing masks, using dividers, and refraining from group work made making friends difficult. I decided that, notwithstanding the heartbreaking circumstances, I would have a growth mindset and make the best out of the situation. I enrolled in numerous honors classes as well as an AP class. It was a hard transition as high school teachers do not remind you to do homework or turn in assignments and my first trimester was extremely strenuous. I was determined to succeed and worked extremely hard to adjust. I joined the tennis and basketball teams as well as the Black Student Union to integrate myself into my school community. Since the onset of my freshman year, I have taken increasingly complex courses and have learned to never give up, even when things get hard. I continue to be an active member of Homestead High School’s social, athletic, and academic environment and consistently inspire my younger sibling to do likewise. Given the opportunity, this is something that I intend to carry forward into my university life and beyond. Similarly to high school, I plan to lead my university’s student government and black student organization. I hope to major in psychology & criminology at UPenn as I am intrigued by the etiology of crime and why people commit acts of violence. My passion for creating strategies for pre-crime intervention steers me toward a career as a criminal psychiatrist. My goal is to develop markers that identify the precursors to violence. Aside from education, I have volunteered with United Way, Discovery World, and Hunger Task Force. Notably, in my Teens Against Trafficking club, I raised awareness/organized fundraisers to prevent/assist victims. Both professionally and personally I am committed to creating a more understanding, united, and peaceful world. Any future career that I embark on will incorporate a service aspect. In all of the struggles, adversities, and challenges that I have overcome during my high school experience, I know that I moved to the U.S. for a better education. With this scholarship money, I could continue my pursuit of a higher education while being able to attend an academically rigorous college that provides me with the opportunity to achieve my goals.

If I could choose only one thing for you to know about me, it would be that I love to read. When I am reading, I get to travel all over the world and, as I like to say, I get to experience multiple different lives. The sheer amount of descriptions allows me to visualize the book's plot and my mind gets blown every time I finish a novel. In the past, I had read school-required novels or mangas/manhwas, and the books were either too boring for me to imagine the scenarios or the stories mostly consisted of images and required no creative power. But with books that I actually choose to read, I can exercise my imagination and envision an amazing story. Now, I love reading all kinds of books, from classics to rom-coms, because they all offer innovative stories that I can envision and I get most of these novel recommendations from BookTok. I am extremely grateful that BookTok exists because, without it, I do not know if I would have pursued my love for reading if not for its continuous literature suggestions. BookTok has provided and continues to provide me with books to add to my never-ending “To be read” list. If I could select novels from BookTok to put in my ideal bookshelf, I would choose the following books; Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover, all the books in The Selection series by Kiera Kass, The Housemaid Secret by Freida McFadden, The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren, The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides, Every Summer After by Carley Fortune, the books in the Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi, Cruel Prince by Holly Black, The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, and Normal People by Sally Rooney. Out of the aforementioned novels, the books that are must-haves are It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover (I know she is kind of controversial but I still thought the book was good), The Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, and The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides. It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover shows the readers the first-hand experience of domestic abuse and how it steadily develops over time. Many people in my family have been victims of domestic abuse and as a child, I wondered why they did not just leave. But after reading the novel, a vast amount of BookTokers and I realized how gradually domestic abuse occurs and how the victims unconsciously justify it. The Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo was important to BookTok because I feel like it introduced people to the world of fantasy novels and how amazing they can be. It is a fast-paced series that had me on the edge of my seat the entire time while reading it. Lastly, The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides is probably my favorite book out of the three. This novel is a psychological thriller that starts with a bang (literally). This book impacted BookTok by showing BookTokers the power of a well-written thriller. As someone who loves crime podcasts, when I read crime-related novels, the ending is often predictable. However, this novel showcased the power of a well-written, astonishing, and surprising plot. I believe that this novel helped fellow BookTokers become more interested in thriller novels. In all, Booktok is an amazing platform where one can get all of the book recommendations that they could possibly ask for. I wish I could live in a pile of BookTok books forever!

“I do not like green eggs and ham, Sam-I-am.” -Dr. Seuss While most are familiar with this children’s story, as it happens, I have my own personal “Sam-I-am” anecdote. Here is my unique narrative: At 10 years old, I was excited, overjoyed in fact, as I was entrusted with babysitting my 2-year-old cousin. It was going perfectly until snack time, and I was tasked with getting her to eat yogurt for the first time. I was ill-prepared for the ensuing temper tantrum, flailing arms, yelling and her absolute determination not to eat it. She felt, without a doubt, that it would taste absolutely disgusting. Employing new tactics, I eventually persuaded her to try it and within seconds, she consumed the entire bowl. This situation reminded me of Sam-I-am because, just like how Sam was convinced that he would intensely dislike green eggs and ham, my cousin was equally unwavering in her impending disdain for yogurt. But why was she so adamant against trying it? I wondered. Then it dawned on me: My cousin was wary of the unknown and expected the worst. I forgot about that incident for several years until I had an opportunity to take dance lessons and initially hesitated. My mother tried to convince me that I should embrace a new opportunity and cajoled me to think it over. I sat down and contemplated the risk. I had never danced before; what if I detested it? Was I rejecting the yogurt just like my cousin? Was I Sam and simply frightened of the unknown? Was I passing up an incredible opportunity? I decided to brush aside my apprehensiveness and ended up thoroughly enjoying my first class. I have been dancing competitively for four years now, and dance is an integral part of who I am and how I express my creativity. My experience and subsequent love of dance made me reflect and provoked an epiphany as I pondered the many times I had refused and/or avoided something solely because of fear. After self-examination, I decided that from then on, I would venture out of my comfort zone and, as my instructor continually re-iterates, “get comfortable with being uncomfortable”. This motto has helped me grow exponentially and more specifically explore who I am as a person. I have spent the past 4 years participating in competitive hip-hop dance at the Academy of Dance Arts. In addition, I have also ventured outside of my comfort zone and participated in recreational classes such as Bollywood, tap, jazz, contemporary, step, and ballet to expand my dance acumen. I absolutely love to dance, and I am in awe of its ability to combine music and movement to convey complex feelings and emotions. Dance makes the world a better place because it provides people with a community and an outlet for creative expression while also providing the viewers with inspiration and an enjoyable performance. If I had another 24 hours in the day, I would spend it all dancing. Most importantly though, for me, dance serves as a constant reminder to NOT be like Sam-I-am. To NOT fear the unknown and to continue to try new things and explore the hidden corners of my life. For, “I am a dancer, I am Sheba, Sheba I am!”

Hi! My name is Sheba Bentum-Mensah and I am from Toronto, Canada but I currently live in Wisconsin. I like dancing, reading, and doing puzzles. My high school experience included numerous challenges that I transformed into opportunities. During 2020, my family relocated from Canada, to the US. During the pandemic, we could not travel home, and this reality was tough and stressful for me. Being a person of color and an immigrant in a predominantly white institute created significant emotional struggles during my freshman year. On my first day, I felt alone and that everyone already knew each other. In addition, social distancing, wearing masks, using dividers, and refraining from group work made making friends difficult. I decided that, notwithstanding the heartbreaking circumstances, I would have a growth mindset and make the best out of the situation. I enrolled in numerous honors classes as well as an AP class. It was a hard transition as high school teachers do not remind you to do homework or turn in assignments and my first trimester was extremely strenuous. I was determined to succeed and worked extremely hard to adjust. I joined the tennis and basketball team as well as the Black Student Union to integrate myself into my school community. Since freshman year, I have taken increasingly complex courses and have learned to never give up, even when things get hard. I continue to be an active member of Homestead high school’s social, athletic and academic environment and consistently inspire my younger sibling to do likewise. Given the opportunity, this is something that I intend to carry forward into my university life and beyond. The topic that I am most passionate about is crime prevention. This curiosity started when my mom would habitually listen to crime podcasts during our routine road trips. It was not until I was older that I realized that the nexus for my mothers apparent fixation on criminal activity was that she was a survivor of childhood abuse and violence. It is for this reason that I am committed to reducing worldwide brutal criminal behavior. I am truly fascinated by examining if people are simply born evil or if the environment in which one grows up is a determining cause. Essentially it is the great nurture vs nature debate. It is perplexing to me that the most vile criminals secretly live amongst people in society without appearing suspicious. I am particularly focused not on the manner in which said crimes are committed, but mainly by what causes seemingly normal people to perpetuate acts of violence. Undeniably, the underlying reasons or catalyst for people who commit the most heinous acts is a fascinating yet extremely complex conundrum that needs to be elucidated. I believe that once you understand the root cause behind why people perform brutal offences, you can preemptively prevent it. I envision and I hope you can too, a world where senseless acts of violence are non-existent. This is why I plan to dual major in criminology and psychology at the University of Pennsylvania in the fall of 2028 (Go Quakers!). I am eager to learn more about criminal justice as my previous exposure to this subject focused on the precursors to crime rather than its societal effects and in Psychology, I am incredibly psyched to examine the causes of immoral behavior. My curiosity about the etiology of crime led me to my approved AP Research question: “What Childhood Events Are Correlated With The Development of Necrophiliac and Cannibalistic Signatures in Serial Killers?”. In college, my objective is to land research opportunities at my University and be able to actually test theories that would perhaps explain human behavior. I believe that my impending research will be critical in developing policies/procedures that help eradicate the propensity for violence. My passion for exploring and creating strategies for pre-crime intervention is what makes me want to not only be a criminal forensic psychiatrist, but to be the absolute best. In my career, my goal is to conduct research to treat and diagnose criminal offenders, then use this information to implement preventative programs and strive towards a safer, crime-free world. I would love to work for a law enforcement agency and use my skills to help eradicate violent crimes. Both professionally and personally I am committed to creating a more understanding, united, and peaceful environment. After I receive my undergraduate degree, I aspire to go to graduate school and then complete a residency to earn my medical certification. My goal is to help society by developing markers that pinpoint the precursors to violence and strive toward a safer, crime-free world for everyone, but especially in honor of my mother, by preventing violent crimes before they even happen. This scholarship will be an integral catalyst in achieving my dreams. Thank you.

Hi! My name is Sheba Bentum-Mensah and I am from Toronto, Canada but I currently live in Wisconsin. I like dancing, reading, and doing puzzles, but the topic that I am most passionate about is crime prevention. This curiosity started when my mom would habitually listen to crime podcasts during our routine road trips. It was not until I was older that I realized that the nexus for my mothers apparent fixation on criminal activity was that she was a survivor of childhood abuse and violence. It is for this reason that I am committed to reducing worldwide brutal criminal behavior. I am truly fascinated by examining if people are simply born evil or if the environment in which one grows up is a determining cause. Essentially it is the great nurture vs nature debate. It is perplexing to me that the most vile criminals secretly live amongst people in society without appearing suspicious. I am particularly focused not on the manner in which said crimes are committed, but mainly by what causes seemingly normal people to perpetuate acts of violence. Undeniably, the underlying reasons or catalyst for people who commit the most heinous acts is a fascinating yet extremely complex conundrum that needs to be elucidated. I believe that once you understand the root cause behind why people perform brutal offences, you can preemptively prevent it. I envision and I hope you can too, a world where senseless acts of violence are non-existent. This is why I plan to dual major in criminology and psychology at the University of Pennsylvania in the fall of 2028 (Go Quakers!). I am eager to learn more about criminal justice as my previous exposure to this subject focused on the precursors to crime rather than its societal effects and in Psychology, I am incredibly psyched to examine the causes of immoral behavior. My curiosity about the etiology of crime led me to my approved AP Research question: “What Childhood Events Are Correlated With The Development of Necrophiliac and Cannibalistic Signatures in Serial Killers?”. In college, my objective is to land research opportunities at my University and be able to actually test theories that would perhaps explain human behavior. I believe that my impending research will be critical in developing policies/procedures that help eradicate the propensity for violence. My passion for exploring and creating strategies for pre-crime intervention is what makes me want to not only be a criminal forensic psychiatrist, but to be the absolute best. In my career, my goal is to conduct research to treat and diagnose criminal offenders, then use this information to implement preventative programs and strive towards a safer, crime-free world. I would love to work for a law enforcement agency and use my skills to help eradicate violent crimes. Both professionally and personally I am committed to creating a more understanding, united, and peaceful environment. After I receive my undergraduate degree, I aspire to go to graduate school and then complete a residency to earn my medical certification. My goal is to help society by developing markers that pinpoint the precursors to violence and strive toward a safer, crime-free world for everyone, but especially in honor of my mother, by preventing violent crimes before they even happen. This scholarship will be an integral catalyst in achieving my dreams. Thank you.

Hi! My name is Sheba Bentum-Mensah and I am from Toronto, Canada but I currently live in Wisconsin. I like dancing, reading, and doing puzzles, but the topic that I am most passionate about is crime prevention. This curiosity started when my mom would habitually listen to crime podcasts during our routine road trips. It was not until I was older that I realized that the nexus for my mothers apparent fixation on criminal activity was that she was a survivor of childhood abuse and violence. It is for this reason that I am committed to reducing worldwide brutal criminal behavior. I am truly fascinated by examining if people are simply born evil or if the environment in which one grows up is a determining cause. Essentially it is the great nurture vs nature debate. It is perplexing to me that the most vile criminals secretly live amongst people in society without appearing suspicious. I am particularly focused not on the manner in which said crimes are committed, but mainly by what causes seemingly normal people to perpetuate acts of violence. Undeniably, the underlying reasons or catalyst for people who commit the most heinous acts is a fascinating yet extremely complex conundrum that needs to be elucidated. I believe that once you understand the root cause behind why people perform brutal offences, you can preemptively prevent it. I envision and I hope you can too, a world where senseless acts of violence are non-existent. This is why I plan to dual major in criminology and psychology at the University of Pennsylvania in the fall of 2028 (Go Quakers!). I am eager to learn more about criminal justice as my previous exposure to this subject focused on the precursors to crime rather than its societal effects and in Psychology, I am incredibly psyched to examine the causes of immoral behavior. My curiosity about the etiology of crime led me to my approved AP Research question: “What Childhood Events Are Correlated With The Development of Necrophiliac and Cannibalistic Signatures in Serial Killers?”. In college, my objective is to land research opportunities at my University and be able to actually test theories that would perhaps explain human behavior. I believe that my impending research will be critical in developing policies/procedures that help eradicate the propensity for violence. My passion for exploring and creating strategies for pre-crime intervention is what makes me want to not only be a criminal forensic psychiatrist, but to be the absolute best. In my career, my goal is to conduct research to treat and diagnose criminal offenders, then use this information to implement preventative programs and strive towards a safer, crime-free world. I would love to work for a law enforcement agency and use my skills to help eradicate violent crimes. Both professionally and personally I am committed to creating a more understanding, united, and peaceful environment. After I receive my undergraduate degree, I aspire to go to graduate school and then complete a residency to earn my medical certification. My goal is to help society by developing markers that pinpoint the precursors to violence and strive toward a safer, crime-free world for everyone, but especially in honor of my mother, by preventing violent crimes before they even happen. This scholarship will be an integral catalyst in achieving my dreams. Thank you.

Hi! My name is Sheba Bentum-Mensah and I am from Toronto, Canada but I currently live in Wisconsin. I like dancing, reading, and doing puzzles, but the topic that I am most passionate about is crime prevention. This curiosity started when my mom would habitually listen to crime podcasts during our routine road trips. It was not until I was older that I realized that the nexus for my mothers apparent fixation on criminal activity was that she was a survivor of childhood abuse and violence. It is for this reason that I am committed to reducing worldwide brutal criminal behavior. I am truly fascinated by examining if people are simply born evil or if the environment in which one grows up is a determining cause. Essentially it is the great nurture vs nature debate. It is perplexing to me that the most vile criminals secretly live amongst people in society without appearing suspicious. I am particularly focused not on the manner in which said crimes are committed, but mainly by what causes seemingly normal people to perpetuate acts of violence. Undeniably, the underlying reasons or catalyst for people who commit the most heinous acts is a fascinating yet extremely complex conundrum that needs to be elucidated. I believe that once you understand the root cause behind why people perform brutal offences, you can preemptively prevent it. I envision and I hope you can too, a world where senseless acts of violence are non-existent. This is why I plan to dual major in criminology and psychology at the University of Pennsylvania in the fall of 2028 (Go Quakers!). I am eager to learn more about criminal justice as my previous exposure to this subject focused on the precursors to crime rather than its societal effects and in Psychology, I am incredibly psyched to examine the causes of immoral behavior. My curiosity about the etiology of crime led me to my approved AP Research question: “What Childhood Events Are Correlated With The Development of Necrophiliac and Cannibalistic Signatures in Serial Killers?”. In college, my objective is to land research opportunities at my University and be able to actually test theories that would perhaps explain human behavior. I believe that my impending research will be critical in developing policies/procedures that help eradicate the propensity for violence. My passion for exploring and creating strategies for pre-crime intervention is what makes me want to not only be a criminal forensic psychiatrist, but to be the absolute best. In my career, my goal is to conduct research to treat and diagnose criminal offenders, then use this information to implement preventative programs and strive towards a safer, crime-free world. I would love to work for a law enforcement agency and use my skills to help eradicate violent crimes. Both professionally and personally I am committed to creating a more understanding, united, and peaceful environment. After I receive my undergraduate degree, I aspire to go to graduate school and then complete a residency to earn my medical certification. My goal is to help society by developing markers that pinpoint the precursors to violence and strive toward a safer, crime-free world for everyone, but especially in honor of my mother, by preventing violent crimes before they even happen. This scholarship will be an integral catalyst in achieving my dreams. Thank you.

Introduction: Picture this: Sarah, a white woman, is standing on her balcony on a normal Friday morning when she sees a black man running on the sidewalk. Sarah’s first thought is that the man is running away from something illegal, like a robbery, so she calls 911. But he was simply hurrying to catch the bus. Or look at John’s work situation. He has the choice to hire a male or a female candidate with identical credentials. However, he believes that the woman will be an untrustworthy co-worker since she will eventually have kids and prioritize them. What is similar about Sarah and John’s cases? They both negatively stereotyped the people around them. These scenarios demonstrate the theory that I will be exploring in this essay about how stereotypes negatively impact judgment and, because of this, I believe that understanding the detrimental nature of these stereotypes in our universe will allow us to reduce their prominence in society. But what are stereotypes? According to psychologist Erin Beeghly, stereotypes are a subclass in the category of generics that makes specific claims about social kinds (Beeghly, 676). These “claims” typically include statements about gender or race. Either way, stereotypes exist and they are extremely harmful. To judge the harmful nature of stereotypes in the universe, we first need to understand the effects that they have on others. Background: We know that stereotypes have been around for a long time, observe, for example, the employment of black slaves in the British colonies over native slaves in the 1800s primarily because black people supposedly had “stronger” bodies and immune systems than the Natives. But how do stereotypes influence the way we see the world today and is stereotyping harmful? In this paper, I will be explaining why I believe that stereotyping is bad not only because it influences how we think about people, but also because it changes how we act towards others and places a significant burden on those affected. Thoughts: The first problem with stereotypes is how they affect people’s thoughts about others. Many studies have been conducted to see if psychologists could observe the effects of stereotypes in real life. One experiment in particular was performed by psychologists at Hope College and involved two groups of participants. In both groups, the participants saw a video of an argument between a black person and a white person. However, in group one, the video ended with the black man pushing the white person, and the second group saw vice versa (Consequences of Stereotypes). Any guesses about the results? Unsurprisingly, 75% of the participants thought that the black person was being aggressive and dangerous, but only 17% thought the same about the white man. This experiment shows that stereotypes, in this case, the “black men are dangerous stereotype”, do play a role in people's perceptions of others. But why is that bad, you may ask? I believe that false generalizations about any set of people are bad because they strip away the individuality of the members of the group and treat everyone based on a negative connotation they have about that community, usually unjustifiably. In addition, it makes it extremely hard for the victims of stereotypes to defeat the allegations because, for example, even if only one black man out of fifty does happen to be dangerous, that one person reinforces the schema people have in their heads about black people and therefore undermines the efforts of the other 49 people to refute the stereotype, continuing the prominence of negative thoughts towards black people. Once people have unfavorable thoughts about one group of people based on stereotypes, they then change their behavior to match their thoughts. Behavior: In my opinion, people act based on their thoughts. In the case of stereotypes, when people believe something bad about one group of people, they then act negatively towards the group. Social psychologist Shanna B. Tiayan confirms this phenomenon by stating that “if the stereotype is negative, research suggests, it may lead us to consciously or subconsciously avoid or limit contact with entire groups of people—and negative experiences with a stereotyped group can reinforce this avoidant behavior” (Tiayan). This is a problem because as citizens in this world, everyone deserves to live their life freely, in a good way, and without being judged. However, with stereotypes, this becomes next to impossible for the victims of stereotyping. The burden: To me, the qualities that make up a good life include freedom, fun, and good relationships, but when people get stereotyped, all of those standards get taken away. According to chapter 5 of Claude Mason Steele’s book about social psychology, a white student named Ted McDougal demonstrated this exact concept. Ted stated that while he was at university he joined an African American political science class where he was the minority. Throughout the semester, Ted recalled feeling uncomfortable and feeling the need to prove to his classmates that he wasn’t racist and, instead, that he was a good person–an ally. Furthermore, he was too scared to express his opinions because he thought that if he said anything incorrect, it would confirm the suspicion that his classmates had about him being a bigot. Additionally, he performed way worse in the class than he normally did in school. (Steele, 85-86). In his situation, Ted’s freedom was limited because he couldn’t express his opinions openly for fear of being judged/labeled as prejudiced. His fun was limited because he felt out of place/insecure the entire semester. And lastly, he didn’t make any good relationships in the class because he felt like he was being examined by everyone. It seems like Ted didn’t have a very worthwhile time in his class, luckily he could be done with it after the semester. However, many people who are the subjects of negative stereotypes for their entire lives can’t just leave a class and suddenly have freedom/fun/good relationships. No. This is their entire lives. I wholeheartedly believe that this is unfair. Moreover, as Steele writes, “if people are under threats from stereotypes for long periods, they may pay a tax. The persistent extra pressure may undermine their sense of well-being and happiness, as well as contribute to health problems caused by prolonged exposure to the physiological effects of the threat” (Steele, 127). So if this is the case, how are black men (referencing the stereotype that black men are dangerous) ever going to get on equal footing as those around them? If their grades and mental health are suffering because of these stereotypes, wouldn't that put them at a disadvantage in their careers and social lives? This drawback then impacts the opportunities they receive and keeps them at their relatively low socioeconomic standings. This makes it exceptionally hard, though not impossible, for black people, much less black men, to achieve the same level of success as their white peers who aren’t subjected to these stereotypes, consequently contributing to the problem of racial disparities. Hence I believe that stereotypes are harmful in our universe. Conclusion: In sum, I believe that stereotypes are harmful in nature because they cause negative thoughts toward the people being stereotyped, which then influences how others act toward said people. In addition, stereotypes place unfair burdens upon the people being stereotyped and degrade their quality of life. It is important to understand the harmful nature of stereotypes in our universe to prevent them from developing in the future. However, some psychologists might disagree with my stand on the problem of stereotyping. They would say that sometimes stereotyping is beneficial. For example, if someone claims that an object is a ball because it is circular and “all balls are round” (Beeghly, 688). But I believe that there is something inherently different in stereotypes related to objects in comparison to ones about minorities. That’s like comparing apples and oranges, or, in the context of this paper, apples and the problem of racism in America. They aren’t on the same level. In the future, I hope to study psychology at university and conduct research that will help me find ways to eliminate the stereotypes that people have in order to make a more fair world. To conclude, I believe that viewing, judging, and having negative attitudes/actions towards a group of people as a result of stereotypes is the exact reason why stereotypes are harmful in nature and negatively influence our universe. Sources: Beeghly, Erin. “What Is a Stereotype? What Is Stereotyping?” Hypatia, vol. 30, no. 4, 2015, pp. 675–691, https://doi.org/10.1111/hypa.12170. Shanna B. Tiayon. “How Do Stereotypes Shape Your Judgment?” Greater Good, greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_do_stereotypes_shape_your_judgment. Accessed 3 Aug. 2023. Steele, Claude. Whistling Vivaldi: How Stereotypes Affect Us and What We Can Do. W.W. Norton, 2011. “What Are the Consequences of Stereotypes?” Getting Race Right, 7 May 2023, blogs.hope.edu/getting-race-right/our-context-where-we-are/the-history-we-inhaled/what-are-the-consequences-of-stereotypes/.

The Summer I Turned Pretty is an amazing show. I can’t believe that I binge-watched the series with my cousins over the span of three days. The best part about watching the show is the character when Jeremiah appears on the screen. He is funny, sympathetic, and empathetic. The ideal boyfriend for Belly. My cousins and I are all in agreement that Jeremiah is not only a better partner for Belly, but that he is also a much better person than Conrad. This is because Jeremiah is selfless/cares for Belly, and can communicate his feelings properly. In the series, Conrad only ever cares for himself and oftentimes ignores Belly. This is seen in the episode where Belly and Conrad get into an argument about the fact that he crashed one of her dates and Conrad then calls her immature and vain. Also, in the scene where Belly confesses her feelings to Conrad, he says that he doesn’t love her and that she should love someone else. That statement isn’t inherently selfish, but Conrad could end the conversation there instead of building on Belly’s pain and making her cry by stating that she is playing games with him, Jeremiah, and Cam. If Conrad truly cared about Belly, he would not slander or reject her at all. Jeremiah, on the other hand, actually cares for Belly. This is seen in the same scene when Jeremiah tells his brother to stop being a jerk to Belly because he saw that she was crying. He even goes to the extent of getting into a physical fight with his brother to defend Belly. Furthermore, Jeremiah loves Belly the whole time she is dating Conrad but he doesn’t sabotage or break up their relationship because cares more about her happiness than necessarily being with her. Conrad, in opposition, purposely acts cold and distant to Belly and the partners she has before him, as seen when he comes up with the plan to crash Belly’s date with Cam, proving that he cares more about Belly being his girlfriend than her happiness. In addition, Jeremiah is better at communicating with Belly. This is seen at Susannah’s funeral when Conrad gets into an argument with Belly and he ends up storming off. Shouting at someone and then avoiding them aren’t good communication skills. He should have told her exactly what was making him mad and tried to calm himself down before taking out his problems on someone whom he is supposedly in love with. As the eldest out of Jeremiah, Belly and himself, Conrad should know how to communicate effectively best, however, that is not the case. Jeremiah is much better at talking to Belly as seen in the scene where he is driving her to find Conrad after he disappears…again. In this scene, Jeremiah is mad at Belly because he feels as though she is responsible for breaking up their friend group (Conrad, Jeremiah, Belly and Steven). Instead of storming off and yelling at Belly like Conrad did, Jeremiah explains to her why he is mad, and they work together to diffuse the tension between them. Most people want a partner who isn’t easily angered and can communicate effectively. Jeremiah emulates those characteristics while Conrad demonstrates the complete opposite. I like Jeremiah better than Conrad because he treats Belly the way any girlfriend would want to be treated: with trust, love, and affection as well as the openness to communicate properly. Jeremiah demonstrates this throughout the entire novel but Conrad does not. Thus, I believe that Jeremiah is a better match for Belly. Team Jere all the way!

I remember driving in the car with my mom one day in 2020 and there was this song that I kept hearing over and over again on the radio. The song sounded amazing and was very catchy. When I got home that day, I googled the lyrics that I remembered, and discovered that the song was called Dynamite by BTS. I was surprised that a boy group sang that song but my curiosity didn’t stop there. I eventually researched who the members of BTS were, and what other songs they have created. Then after all of that digging, I realized that I loved their music and I was their biggest fan. Now, BTS is my favorite K-pop group and the members have impacted my life in ways that I didn’t think were even possible as they gave me motivation to succeed, broadened my music taste, discovered my love for dance, and impacted my global culture through the Korean language. During the summer of 2020, my family relocated from Toronto Canada, where I was born and had spent my entire childhood, to Mequon, Wisconsin, US. On top of leaving everything I have ever known, we moved during the height of COVID-19 and my family and I experienced severe isolation. In addition to the pain of leaving Canada during the pandemic, we could not travel home, and this reality was extremely tough, stressful, and depressing for me: My mental health was not in a good place. However, BTS helped motivate me to become the hard worker that I am today. As Namjoon said, “You don't want to study? Study”. It was that simple and, for some reason, I took his words to heart and started studying everyday in hopes of doing right by Namjoon. Although now, I study more because I want to, I am grateful that BTS provided me with the strength to have my current work ethic. In addition, BTS broadened my music taste and impacted my global culture. Before I discovered this boy band group, I only listened to one music genre: Rap. I was in desperate search for new music genres when BTS’s song Dynamite appeared before me. Now, I am a collector of music, as my Spotify Wrapped 2023 states, and I listen to so many different genres. Some of which include K-pop, Hip-Hop, K-rap, R&b, K-r&b, Reggaeton, Latin-rap. Latin-pop, J-pop and J-r&b, Soca and Afrobeats. Furthermore, they have impacted my global culture because as a BTS stan, I am so exposed to Korean culture that I have adopted some elements into my personal life. For example, I started learning Korean so that I could listen to their songs freely without needing to look at the english translations to understand, and I started eating more Traditional Korean dishes that I saw them making in their Reality TV show (like Tteokbokki and Kimchi). They are so delicious! Lastly, BTS helped discover my love for dance. J-Hope, my bias, is an amazing dancer. Watching him sparked an epiphany in me: I wanted to be a talented dancer, like J-Hope. Then, I started watching all of their dance practices and learning as much of their choreography as I could, and let me tell you, those dances are no joke. I have no Idea how they dance full out while singing perfectly. I have spent the past 4 years participating in competitive hip-hop dance at the Academy of Dance Arts and I couldn’t imagine my life without this passion. I am eternally grateful to BTS for how they have changed my life for the better. Bangtan for life!

One technology that truly inspires me in the way that technology can make the world a better place is the three-light traffic signal. It was invented by Garrett Morgan in 1923 and has truly revolutionized automobile transportation. Before this was invented, traffic signals only had two colors: red for stop and green for go. This previous design gave drivers little to no time to react as the traffic light changed color and oftentimes led to many collisions. Garrett Morgan, recognizing the design flaw in the two-light traffic signal, came up with the idea to add a third color to the light, giving the drivers a warning of the changing traffic sign, thereby giving them more time to react while driving. This invention inspires me as it proves two things: the power of technology and the innovativeness of Black People. Garrett Morgan’s technology proves that with every new piece of technology, the world becomes a safer place and therefore a better place. As previously mentioned, without the three-light traffic signal, many drivers would frequently get into car accidents and were constantly putting their lives at risk while they were driving. New inventions like Morgan’s increase safety in all communities and help its citizens live more comfortable and worry-free lives. In addition, Garrett Morgan’s invention inspires me to put myself out there more and let my creativity and innovativeness shine. As an African-American immigrant, I have had difficulties in trying to express my original ideas as some of the people around me believe that Black People are not capable of developing good, fully-thought-out ideas that could be useful in society. However, when I look at the multitude of inventions throughout history, like Garrett Morgan’s Three-Light Traffic signal, I get hope. Hope that someday, I can become as great of an inventor as he once was. Thus, why I do not let the criticism of my peers get to me, I persevere, and I keep being creative and coming up with new ideas.

Growing up with only one parent was not easy for me and oftentimes was very isolating. I remember going to parent-teacher interviews and sporting events with just my mom and the gloomy empty chair beside her made me feel like I was missing out on something that all my friends with two parents had. At recess during elementary and middle school, while other kids always had funny stories to share about their dads, I never did and I could never relate. I have come to terms with the fact that not everyone grows up in two-parent households, but it doesn't make the emptiness in my heart go away. My father left my family when I was seven years old and since then, my mom has had to carry the weight of being both the mom and dad, the good parent and the bad one, the fun parent and the strict one. I know that pressure is hard for her and yet somehow she does an amazing job at being my mom. She is a confident, courageous, and inimitable person who has shown me unconditional love and taught me to love myself. My mother is the most supportive person in my life. She always encourages me to pursue my dreams and I am eternally grateful for her unwavering support. As soon as I told her that I wanted to be a surgeon at 10 years old, she started watching Grey’s Anatomy with me so that I could familiarize myself with the medical world. When at 13 years old I told her that I wanted to be a professional hip-hop dancer and study dance in college, she signed me up for my very first dance class so that I could improve my dancing abilities. And when, at 16 years old, I finally realized that I wanted to be a psychiatrist and help other people suffering from mental disorders, she was the first person to say that I would make an amazing psychiatrist. In addition to my career, my mom has supported me in my desire to pursue a higher education. She encourages me to not limit myself or narrow my interests down to one individual area since I am excited to learn about various fields of education and develop lifelong skills such as communication, problem-solving, and critical thinking. In all, her presence and support in my life are what make me the adventurous, inquisitive, knowledge-seeking, and happy person that I am today. I love you, Mama.

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” I have heard this question excessively throughout my life and, for me, it is impossible to answer. My 10-year-old self was convinced that I was destined to save lives daily as a surgeon. Then at 12, I knew I was going to be a world-class neurologist. When I turned 13, after an epic episode of Criminal Minds, I earnestly contemplated becoming a crime-solving pathologist. At 15 years old, once I accepted that I was not going to be a professional singer, I figured the next best choice was to be a hip-hop backup dancer touring the world with BTS (I had big dreams!). But now, if you ask my current self, I would be brutally honest and admit that I have no idea. Some teenagers are incredibly lucky to know at an early age what they want their future to entail, yet my candid opinion isthat, at 17 years old, I do not know what I do not know. With the multitude of things that I intend to undertake and explore, I simply have not ventured, inquired, or studied broadly enough yet to choose one life-long career path. However, I can realistically work towards my general vision without knowing exactly what I want to do for the rest of my life. Fortunately for me, initially, I would not be required to limit myself as a first-year undergraduate and narrow my interests down to one individual area. I am excited to learn about different fields of education while also developing lifelong skills such as communication, problem-solving, and critical thinking. In addition to further developing my fascination with everything STEM-related, I could participate in a large variety of extra-curricular activities and continue my passion for dance. I would also take the opportunity to dive deeper into Natural, Mathematic and Social Sciences as well as, Humanities and Arts. This past summer I was fortunate to attend UChicago’s Woodson Summer Scholars program and participate in a humanities course, where I am happy to say that my love of philosophy was born. The class was immensely eye-opening, and I pondered existential questions about the universe more profound than anything I had ever experienced. I am genuinely grateful for that amazing chance for self-discovery, and I am excited for college based on the growth sparked in that course. I also benefited tremendously from living with and bonding not only with my fellow African American peers but also with the other Latin American and international students. At my high school, I lead a Black Student Union which supports and uplifts students in my school which I believe is necessary for POC’s to thrive. As a minority, in a PWI it is often exceedingly difficult to find a place where I feel safe, accepted, and challenged to succeed. I plan to seek out and further cultivate that inclusive environment in college and empower minorities to acquire opportunities and eliminate barriers to success in achieving comparable wealth and growth.

Everyone has a favorite aunt whether they acknowledge it or not. For me, my favorite was Aunt Vanessa. I remember that she used to take me to different theme parks every weekend and buy me all of my favorite candy. Whenever I got in trouble as a kid, she was the one to comfort me and make sure that I was feeling okay. She was confident, courageous, and inimitable. She reminded me every day that she loved me and would support me in whatever I decided to do. Additionally, she is the person who taught me to categorically love myself and to unapologetically be true to who I am. Remarkably, she never missed a single recital, sporting event, or competition that I had. Seeing her proud face in the audience/stands cheering me on brought me so much happiness. At times, it seemed like she always knew how to read my mind and knew exactly what I needed emotionally, even when I was unaware. When I was going through one of the most difficult times of my life, during the pandemic in 2020 when my family had to move to the U.S., Aunt Vanessa called me every single day to check in on me and make sure that I was adjusting well. She was the one person that I could always count on to guide me throughout my life. Aunt V was always there for me and was the most positive, happy, and genuine person I have ever met. Though, that impression all changed on the day when she tried to end her life. I remember getting called out of school early to go visit her at the hospital. At first, I thought that my mom was playing some kind of cruel prank on me and she was taking me out of school to surprise me with something fun, like ice cream. Unfortunately, that was not the case. I was flabbergasted when I found out that the news about my Aunt's suicide attempt was real. I couldn’t believe that my ray of sunshine Aunty wasn’t feeling so bright. I could not comprehend how someone who acted so happy and positive was feeling the complete opposite on the inside. Since then, little me swore that I would become someone who could help stop others from feeling the same way that my Aunt did. I know how serious mental illnesses are and that it was very difficult for my Aunt to seek professional help not only because of the expenses but also because of the stigmatism around mental health in black communities. If I had the power, I would give free mental health services and resources to African Americans living in low-income communities and increase the amount of representation of black people receiving mental health treatment in the media to eliminate the shame surrounding it. Furthermore, I am determined to become a psychiatrist so that I can continue to help the people in my community more professionally and hopefully, I can save other people like my Aunt Vanessa.

The Ode To Millennials-Gen Z text talked a lot about the similarities between the Millennials/Generation Z and the previous "Greatest Generation". In my opinion, both the current Generations and the previous "Greatest Generation" are alike in the sense that they have all experienced worldwide traumatic events and then have had to reconstruct their societies after that. In addition, Millennials-Gen Z are also very different from the "Greatest Generation" and this is seen with all of the societal changes that they continue to make in their communities to, slowly but surely, improve the world. I believe that even though Millennials-Gen Z are similar to the previous "Greatest Generation", they will learn from the generations before them, build off of the foundation created in the past, and create a better life for themselves and all of the future generations to come, making them the greatest generations of today. In my eyes, Millennials-Gen Z are similar to the previously called greatest generation as they have both experienced generationally traumatic events and then have had to recover from them. Back in the day, the greatest generation experienced World War II and the Great Depression as well. Those worldwide events affected the many people who lived near/in the location where they occurred. As someone who was not alive during that time, I can not truly explain the aftereffects that those occasions had on society; however, I assume that living during a cross-continental war and national economic depression must not have been easy. In addition, after these events, the greatest generation had to rebuild their societies after they had fallen apart due to the damage that the war and failing economy left. These occurrences remind me of the COVID-19 pandemic that recently happened because my society was ruined similarly. During 2020, no one could leave their houses or even go to their jobs. Businesses were shutting down, people were losing their occupations, and everyone's mental health was suffering. Just like the previous greatest generation, Millennials-Gen Z had to focus on the reconstruction of their society. This looked like social distancing, wearing masks, as well as flexible business and school hours to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Much like how the greatest generation rebuilt their society before, the new and improved greatest generations did the same as well. Moreover, I believe that Millennials-Gen Z are going a step further by expanding on the foundation set by the greatest generation and improving the world. Two examples of this are seen with the improvements in gender barriers and working conditions in today's world. In the past, the greatest generation had to fight to break the gender inequalities for women. Back then, men were the only people allowed to work and the women were forced to stay at home and take care of the house. Eventually, the women got tired of being at home all the time and started fighting for their well-deserved rights to be independent and get jobs. They successfully protested and, to a certain extent, they got what they were looking for. Though, that doesn't mean that men and women all of a sudden became equal. Today, Millennials-Gen Z are still fighting for gender equality but they have made more progress than the older generations have. Now, women can work in higher-paying jobs than their male peers and aren't required to stay home at all. In opposition, more men are staying home to take care of their houses while their partners are at work than ever seen in the past. Furthermore, Millennials-Gen Z are so inclusive that they have broken another gender barrier: being transgender. Before, the sex that you were born with at birth is what you are stuck with for the rest of your life, but to that, the new greatest generation asks, "Why does the world have to work that way?". So now, people are more than free to switch their gender if they feel like it. Isn't that amazing? I bet the previous greatest generation couldn't imagine something like that happening during their time, but the new and improved greatest generation made it happen. In addition, during the WW2 era, people were forced to work 5-7 days a week for sometimes more than eight hours per day. Back then, the greatest generation was focused on labor laws and preventing people from overworking themselves as they deemed that to be unfair. This, once again worked, but only to some extent. A lot of people were able to work slightly fewer hours per day and got more time to spend in whatever way they pleased. However, the Millennials-Gen Z took that a step further. Since COVID-19, many businesses have been forced to make their employees work from home for a few days per week to avoid cross-contamination. This is exactly what happened to my mom. She used to go into her company building 5 days a week for 10 hours per day, but since the coronavirus, she only has to go into work three days per week and she could not be more overjoyed about that. This same development has happened to many Millennials-Gen Z and they have realized that going into work 5 days a week is not mandatory. Now, building off of the decrease in work hours that the previous generation created, they want to decrease the amount of in-person work days that are mandatory and increase the work-life balance of all employees so that they can live a more nomadic, and freeing lifestyle. In all, I agree with the Ode to Millennials-Gen Z as the similarities between both the greatest generation of the past and the new greatest generation are evident. Though, what makes Millennials and Gen Z the greatest generations of today is their continuous attempts to fix the inequalities in present-day society and to create a better society for all people.

One topic that I can never stop talking about is true crime. It is so interesting to me that the most vile criminals secretly live amongst other people in society without appearing suspicious. I have no idea how serial killers can go around acting "normal", but then kill other human beings for fun in their free time. This curiosity started when my mom decided to put one of her true crime podcasts on during one of our routine road trips. Now, I listen to these podcasts whenever I can: when I am cleaning, when I’m reading, and even when I am doing my homework. I am truly fascinated by, not specifically the manner in which said crimes are committed, but mainly by what causes these people to end up as murderers. Is it the environment in which they grew up, or were they born to become murderers? Furthermore, I want to know what is going on in their minds and how they ever justify harming another person because it’s something I truly don’t understand the concept of. This is why I love criminology and psychology. However, if someone were to ask me which I’d rather major in, I wouldn’t be able to choose one. Luckily for me, many universities allow me to double major while simultaneously getting knowledge from the general education requirements that the specific school offers. I would love to dual major in criminology and psychology as well as pursue other related interests. I am eager to learn more about criminal justice as my previous exposure to this subject focused on the precursors to crime rather than its societal effects. In Psychology, I am incredibly psyched to examine the causes of immoral behavior as well as connect with my peers through active, literature-based discussions. I am fascinated by the etiology of crime and how seemingly normal people commit the most heinous acts. This curiosity led me to my approved AP Research question: “What Childhood Events Are Correlated With The Development of Necrophiliac and Cannibalistic Signatures in Serial Killers?”. During my preliminary research, I discovered interesting facts about the aforementioned topic and I developed fundamental research skills that help me process, analyze, and explain different phenomena that are related to both criminology and psychology. Yet, I still would have preferred to have investigated this phenomenon in an interactive environment. With psychology and criminology majors, I could use my skills in research, data interpretation, and investigative reasoning to expand my knowledge on the aforementioned topics.

Being new is definitely not “new” to me. I was new to the United States, new to Wisconsin, new immigrant, new to the suburbs, new to high school, new to a less diverse community. When I look back I can not believe that this all occurred in the same year. I think that I did more than survive, I actually thrived during this incredibly difficult period in my life. In reflection, my high school experience included numerous challenges that I transformed into opportunities. During the summer of 2020, my family relocated from Toronto Canada, where I was born and had spent my entire childhood, to Mequon, Wisconsin US. On top of leaving everything I have ever known we moved during the height of COVID-19 and my family and I experienced severe isolation. Canadian government restrictions prevented us from properly saying goodbye to our extended family and we packed up our belongings and moved across the border. In addition to the pain of leaving Canada during the pandemic, we could not travel home, and this reality was extremely tough, stressful and depressing for me. In all honesty, being a person of color and a new immigrant in a predominantly white institute created significant emotional struggles during my freshman year. On my first day of high school, I felt alone and that everyone already knew each other. In addition, social distancing, wearing masks, using dividers, and refraining from group work made making friends difficult. I decided that, notwithstanding the heartbreaking circumstances, I would have a growth mindset and make the best out of the situation. I enrolled in numerous honors classes as well as an AP class. It was a hard transition as high school teachers do not remind you to do homework or turn in assignments and my first trimester was extremely strenuous. I was determined to succeed and worked extremely hard to adjust. I joined the tennis and basketball teams as well as the Black Student Union to integrate myself into my school community. Since the onset of my freshman year, I have taken increasingly complex courses and have learned to never give up, even when things get hard. I continue to be an active member of Homestead High School’s social, athletic and academic environment and consistently inspire my younger sibling to do likewise. Given the opportunity, this is something that I intend to carry forward into my university life and beyond. In all of the struggles, adversities and challenges that I have overcome during my high school experience, I know that I moved to the U.S. for a better education. With this scholarship money, I could continue my pursuit of a higher education while being able to attend college. In addition, this money would help my mom financially as she is my sole provider and does not have much money to send me to college. She also had to uproot her life just to give me a better chance to succeed in school and, for that, I want to take off the stress and pressure that she has about sending me to college with her lower income.

Everyone has a favorite aunt whether they acknowledge it or not. For me, my favorite was Aunt Vanessa. She was the one person that I could always count on to guide me throughout my life. Aunt V was always there for me and was the most positive, happy, and genuine person I have ever met. Though, that all changed on the day when she tried to end her life. I was flabbergasted when I found out about the news about my Aunt's suicide attempt. I couldn’t believe that my ray of sunshine Aunty wasn’t feeling so bright. I could not comprehend how someone who acted so happy and positive was feeling the complete opposite on the inside. Since then, little me swore that I would become someone who could help stop others from feeling the same way that my Aunt did. I know how serious mental illnesses are and that it was very difficult for my Aunt to seek professional help not only because of the expenses but also because of the stigmatism around mental health in black communities. If I had the power, I would give free mental health services and resources to African Americans living in low-income communities and increase the amount of representation of black people receiving mental health treatment in the media to eliminate the shame surrounding it.

“I do not like green eggs and ham, Sam-I-am.” -Dr. Seuss While most are familiar with this children’s story, as it happens, I have my own personal “Sam-I-am” anecdote. Here is my unique narrative: At 10 years old, I was excited, overjoyed in fact, as I was entrusted with babysitting my 2-year-old cousin. It was going perfectly until snack time, and I was tasked with getting her to eat yogurt for the first time. I was ill-prepared for the ensuing temper tantrum, flailing arms, yelling, and her absolute determination not to eat it. She felt, without a doubt, that it would taste absolutely disgusting. Employing new tactics, I eventually persuaded her to try it and within seconds, she consumed the entire bowl. This situation reminded me of Sam-I-am because, just like how Sam was convinced that he would intensely dislike green eggs and ham, my cousin was equally unwavering in her impending disdain for yogurt. But why was she so adamant against trying it? I wondered. Then it dawned on me: My cousin was wary of the unknown and expected the worst. I forgot about that incident for several years until I had an opportunity to take dance lessons and initially hesitated. My mother tried to convince me that I should embrace a new opportunity and cajoled me to think it over. I sat down and contemplated the risk. I had never danced before; what if I detested it? Was I rejecting the yogurt just like my cousin? Was I Sam and simply frightened of the unknown? Was I passing up an incredible opportunity? I decided to brush aside my apprehensiveness and ended up thoroughly enjoying my first class. I have been dancing competitively for four years now, and dance is an integral part of who I am and how I express my creativity. My experience and subsequent love of dance made me reflect and provoked an epiphany as I pondered the many times I had refused and/or avoided something solely because of fear. After self-examination, I decided that from then on, I would venture out of my comfort zone and, as my instructor continually re-iterates, “get comfortable with being uncomfortable”. This motto has helped me grow exponentially and more specifically explore who I am as a person. I have spent the past 4 years participating in competitive hip-hop dance at the Academy of Dance Arts. In addition, I have also ventured outside of my comfort zone and participated in recreational classes such as Bollywood, tap, jazz, contemporary, step, and ballet to expand my dance acumen. I love to dance and I am in awe of its ability to combine music and movement to convey complex feelings and emotions. Most importantly though, for me, dance serves as a constant reminder to NOT be like Sam-I-am. To NOT fear the unknown and to continue to try new things and explore the hidden corners of my life. For, “I am a dancer, I am Sheba, Sheba I am!”

Everyone has a favorite aunt whether they acknowledge it or not. For me, my favorite was Aunt Vanessa. I remember that she used to take me to theme parks every weekend and buy me all of my favorite candy. Whenever I got in trouble as a kid, she was the one to comfort me and make sure that I was feeling okay. She was confident, courageous, and inimitable. She reminded me every day that she loved me and would support me in whatever I decided to do. Additionally, she is the person who taught me to categorically love myself and to unapologetically be true to who I am. Remarkably, she never missed a recital, sporting event, or competition. Seeing her proud face in the audience/stands cheering me on brought me so much happiness. At times, it seemed like she always knew how to read my mind and knew exactly what I needed emotionally, even when I was unaware. She was the one person that I could always count on to guide me throughout my life. Aunt V was always there for me and was the most positive, happy, and genuine person I have ever met. Though, that all changed on the day when she tried to end her life. I remember getting called out of school early to go visit her at the hospital. At first, I thought that my mom was playing some kind of cruel prank on me and she was taking me out of school to surprise me with something fun, like ice cream. Unfortunately, that was not the case. I was flabbergasted when I found out that the news about my Aunt's suicide attempt was real. I couldn’t believe that my ray of sunshine Aunty wasn’t feeling so bright. I could not comprehend how someone who acted so happy and positive was feeling the complete opposite on the inside. Since then, little me swore that I would become someone who could help stop others from feeling the same way that my Aunt did. I know how serious mental illnesses are and that it was very difficult for my Aunt to seek professional help not only because of the expenses but also because of the stigmatism around mental health in black communities. If I had the power, I would give free mental health services and resources to African Americans living in low-income communities and increase the amount of representation of black people receiving mental health treatment in the media to eliminate the shame surrounding it.

Growing up with only one parent was not easy for me and oftentimes was very isolating. I remember going to parent-teacher interviews and sporting events with just my mom and the gloomy empty chair beside her made me feel like I was missing out on something that all my friends with two parents had. At recess during elementary and middle school, while other kids always had funny stories to share about their dads, I never did and I could never relate. I have come to terms with the fact that not everyone grows up in two-parent households, but it doesn't make the emptiness in my heart go away. My father left my family when I was seven years old and since then, my mom has had to carry the weight of being both the mom and dad, the good parent and the bad one, the fun parent and the strict one. I know that pressure is hard for her and yet somehow she does an amazing job as my mom. She is a confident, courageous, and inimitable person who has shown me unconditional love and taught me to love myself. My mother is the most supportive person in my life. She always encourages me to pursue my dreams and I am eternally grateful for her unwavering support. As soon as I told her that I wanted to be a surgeon at 10 years old, she started watching Grey’s Anatomy with me so that I could familiarize myself with the medical world. When at 13 years old I told her that I wanted to be a professional hip-hop dancer and study dance in college, she signed me up for my very first dance class so that I could improve my dancing abilities. And when, at 16 years old, I finally realized that I wanted to be a psychiatrist and help other people suffering from mental disorders, she was the first person to say that I would make an amazing psychiatrist. In addition to my career, my mom has supported me in my desire to pursue a higher education. She encourages me to not limit myself or narrow my interests down to one individual area since I am excited to learn about various fields of education and develop lifelong skills such as communication, problem-solving, and critical thinking. In all, her presence and support in my life are what make me the adventurous, inquisitive, knowledge-seeking, and happy person that I am today. I love you, Mama.

Being new is definitely not “new” to me. I was new to the United States, new to Wisconsin, new immigrant, new to the suburbs and new to high school, new to a less diverse community. When I look back I can not believe that this all occurred in the same year. I think that I did more than survive, I actually thrived during this incredibly difficult period in my life. In reflection my high school experience included numerous challenges that I transformed into opportunities. During the summer of 2020, my family relocated from Toronto Canada, where I was born and had spent my entire childhood, to Mequon, Wisconsin US. On top of leaving everything I have ever known we moved during the height of Covid and my family and I experienced severe isolation. Canadian government restrictions prevented us from properly saying goodbye to our extended family and we packed up our belongings and moved across the border. In addition to the pain of leaving Canada during the pandemic, we could not travel home, and this reality was extremely tough, stressful and depressing for me. In all honesty being a person of color and a new immigrant in a predominantly white institute created significant emotional struggles during my freshman year. On my first day of high school I felt alone and that everyone already knew each other. In addition, social distancing, wearing masks, using dividers, and refraining from group work made making friends difficult. I decided that, notwithstanding the heartbreaking circumstances, I would have a growth mindset and make the best out of the situation. I enrolled in numerous honors classes as well as an AP class. It was a hard transition as high school teachers do not remind you to do homework or turn in assignments and my first trimester was extremely strenuous. I was determined to succeed and worked extremely hard to adjust. I joined the tennis and basketball team as well as the Black Student Union to integrate myself into my school community. Since the onset of my freshman year, I have taken increasingly complex courses and have learned to never give up, even when things get hard. I continue to be an active member of Homestead high school’s social, athletic and academic environment and consistently inspire my younger sibling to do likewise. Given the opportunity, this is something that I intend to carry forward into my university life and beyond.