(1) Nobody tells you the impact the last item a person with dementia remembers giving you will have on your life. A simple camera given to me by my grandfather has single-handedly shifted my entire perspective about which moments in life possess true importance. When age causes memories to both diminish and fade, those instances captured in pictures help to rekindle seemingly lost experiences. As I attempt to sum up my life’s events, I wondered: what did and do I want those moments to say? My answer: I want to be known for protecting quality over quantity. Many around me as well as in the larger Black community remain frustrated with our system of government and rules precisely because members of our community cannot appreciate the beauty of how the exigencies and complexities of our lives work. The structure we assign to our laws would constitute a reactive design to shift our nation’s views. The laws our nation creates, implements, and enforces correlate directly to social, political, and juridical events. This has always been the case, but I didn’t recognize its daily influence and power until I started capturing moments through a camera lens. During my undergrad career, I volunteered at a community farm in a food desert in South Dallas. I had the opportunity to design and shoot media for an advertisement campaign focused on a healthier and less environmentally damaging take on soul food. Despite my entry-level position on the board, I knew exactly what soul food meant to my community. However, the director of the organization lacked this perspective and I quickly noticed her guiding us down a barren path. She wanted results without understanding the intricate complexities of how to get there (she understood quantitative data but not qualitative). My personal connection to the people we were trying to aid inspired me to encourage rather than attack those of us who aren’t always ready or in the financial position to make the healthy shift. It was an experience that influenced my journey into environmental justice. I know that my life has been a never-ending barrage of blessings, as such, what matters most to me is being able to advocate for a life of quality for those who cannot. I want to ensure the representation of those who are usually silenced as a form of erasure and overlooked out of convenience. I want to ensure that our systems that save the Earth, save the people on it, too. (2) The law school application is overhyped, over-exclusive, and under-explained. There is such a large information gap that many applicants experience before, during, and after they have submitted the applications. As such, I am so grateful for my mother. With every question, short essay, personal statement, and diversity statement submitted, my mother worked with me on the 20 rough drafts before the final. This brings me to my first lesson: you need to believe you were meant to apply to law school. There are so many obstacles to starting the process not only financially but also mentally because how are you supposed to know what you don’t know? However, this cannot stop your drive. No, the system is not built for you but that doesn’t mean you are not needed. In fact, this is more of a sign that you are necessary to the future success of underrepresented lawyers. (I plan on relying on this factor significantly when I run into difficult topics in my 1L classes). The second lesson that I have learned is: Dig deep and decide what you want out of law school. Although this is a terminal degree, this is not all you will do in life. As such, understanding how this opportunity will push you toward your life goals will help in deciding where to apply and what schools are worth considering. I paid attention to factors that I know were important to my success in undergrad such as an active alumni network, unique program opportunities that expanded my education, and financial assistance. I decided on the University of Southern California Gould School of Law specifically for their attention to those three factors. I have already taken advantage of their alumni-student matching program and have been able to earn a scholarship to BarBri Prep. My next adventure will be understanding which program will advance my understanding of my role in law. The financial assistance is less about making my life easier, and more about their intention and belief in their students. Scholarships are a risk to the University’s bottom line, but if they are willing to invest in you, then so should you. This brings me to my third and final lesson: invest in you. I took the paid prep courses because I knew the LSAT was a different type of exam than what I was used to. I did not score my best during my first attempt and I was distraught. My mother gave me the most valuable piece of advice in my life. She said, “Your soul needs this lesson”. Rather than wallow in my lack, I decided to turn it into an opportunity to see what else I need to learn. I invested my time in learning from my mistakes and ranked in the 75th percentile on my second attempt. Applying is a beast, but so am I. So shake off that chip and keep going because I am meant to do great things in law and life.