1.) I grew up firmly believing this country was a meritocracy. Sure, there was always a risk of corruption, coercion, or favoritism, but eventually, those best suited for a role would rise to the occasion and charlatans would be exposed. This principle guided me as I was young, especially in sports; if I worked harder than everyone else and perfected my craft eventually I would get an opportunity to showcase my talent and hard work - the mamba mentality. Yet one week into my undergraduate experience at New York University, I realized this is not at all how the world works and by the grace of god I have just been getting extremely lucky with the majority of opportunities that fell before me or that my parents sacrificed for. The world was not a meritocracy, and this country was no exception. Those in positions of power would do anything to circumvent any chance of raw talent or hard work receiving an opportunity to showcase itself. The few controlled the masses as they always have and in order to survive you had to be two steps ahead of an enemy that had more resources and more time than you. So when asked what matters most to me, the answer is a single word - willpower. Having the will to fight for opportunities, to pick oneself up regardless of the obstacle, and to adapt as needed to prove to the world your position is absolute and undeniable regardless of the systems at play. With this in mind, I will do whatever it takes to help someone willing to help themselves. I am not the person who will be on the front lines of any protest or chaining myself to a tree in a demonstration but I will exhaust all my resources and skills to assist someone else who has the willpower and is trying to change their position or the world. This idea was paramount to my time with Local 32BJ as a CRM administrator for one of the largest service employer unions in the world. When the covid-19 pandemic hit, there was an uprising in workers who recognized their ability to push back against the oppressive nature of the world and with my technical background I had the skills necessary to assist in the technological shift of the remote and digital world. I hope to further develop this idea as I approach my legal career. While working in tech I have seen the lack of regulation and control around monopolies in data and data-adjacent industries. I hope to concentrate on data protection and antitrust to continue to help folks create new businesses, protect competition and help individuals regain control over their digital identities as the world continues to digitize. I deeply respect anyone who has the will to want to change things and it is my goal to foster that spirit and multiply it among all those who need it. 2.) Throughout the law school application process I truly started to understand the importance of knowing oneself. There are a plethora of options to choose from when applying whether it be the school selections, the cycles for LSAT testing, or the types of specialties to concentrate on within law school. All of these options would have caused decision paralysis for a younger version of myself because my ambition would have propelled me to apply to everything, explore every concentration, and repeat testing options in pursuit of perfection. Unfortunately, there is not an infinite amount of time in life and one must distinguish between tasks that deserve our attention and those that do not fit into the plan. Yet first a plan must be developed and to do that, I have to know myself. During the application process I had to ask myself what type of person I want to be when I come out the other side, what industry can I see myself working in, and what region of the world can I see myself in; am I willing to prioritize precision and prestige for flexibility and safeguarding? I have been fortunate to secure a job in technical consulting that allows me the freedom to live wherever I want, work with minimal supervision and have a high salary matrix with clear paths of promotion. Would I be willing to give that up in pursuit of something entirely new and potentially vastly different? When faced with this question, I look inward and concluded - Yes. I know myself. I am hungry for knowledge, for a challenge and I see a void in my community of those technologically minded with an understanding of the law and how the legal system works. I am adaptable and excited to expose myself to cities different than the one I am from in New York. I know I am curious but focused and I would need an environment with the resources to support any research I may want to explore but also the intimate feel of a smaller institution within classes. I am the type of person that thrives on reading and learning, but also critically applying information to novel problems. The application process further developed my ability to prioritize my time, forecast the future for myself, and stick to a schedule. Yet to quote Kobe Bryant, “The job’s not finished”. I need to stick with this plan, trust myself and the decisions I have made thus far and will make in the future and finish the job ultimately ending at the passage of the Bar and full-time employment. I am looking forward to it.