Most people believe that donating clothes to their local thrift shop is a good thing. I was one of those people until the day I happened to peek behind the staff section of my local Salvation Army. Faced with mounds upon mounds of clothing, I wondered how they could ever resell such an overwhelming amount of donations. After some research, I realized they couldn't. Less than 20% of donated clothing is resold. When I realized that the majority of clothes thrift stores in my community received ended up in the local landfill, I felt a burning desire to help solve this problem in my community. Along with my twin sister, I co-founded Remixxed Bags, a social enterprise tackling clothing waste by upcycling unsold thrift shop jeans into stylish tote bags. We partnered with local thrift stores in our community to source donations, saving them the money of transporting unsold clothing to landfills. We sold at local fairs and helped sponsor sustainable fashion galas that allowed us to sell our product while sharing our sustainable message. We even got our bags stocked in a zero-waste grocery store and used as gift bags at a national investment forum. Not only were we able to directly reduce clothing waste in our community, but we put people first, using our financial profit to give back to our partner organizations like the Salvation Army that serve those in need. Running my own business is something that I have already done that has shown me that change is possible and that business is a powerful force for social change. My experience as an entrepreneur has led me to believe that business is a tool that can help empower underserved populations, solve some of the biggest environmental problems facing our planet and create game-changing innovation. Because of this experience, I am majoring in Finance at Howard University to better understand and contribute to the business world. My education from Howard University will prepare me to make a positive impact on my community by giving me the skills I need to teach my community financial literacy and, through consulting, help other small businesses perform better, tackle social issues and be more environmentally sustainable. It will also prepare me to solve some of the biggest issues facing our world today. I'm passionate about sustainability and want to reshape how the fashion industry thinks about supply chains, overproduction, and consumer waste. I aim to continue to grow and expand Remixxed Bags into a full sustainability apparel company and aim to one day become the CEO of a sustainable apparel or retail company. At Howard University, I've been able to minor in fashion and study supply chain and consumer buying behavior, participate in pitch competitions to scale my business, and travel to different countries to learn more about how business operates across cultures and the importance of sustainability globally. I know that my education at Howard University will give me the skills, knowledge, and network to make a positive difference in my community and the world.