Taelor Desnoes I can confidently say that, up until recently, I didn’t have a superhero that I really cared about. My family and I are all avid marvel fans who would watch every, and I mean every, movie together. Despite this I was never really attached to a single superhero. So, when people would ask who my favorite superhero was, which is apparently a very common ice breaker question, I would usually pick Wonder Woman or Black Widow because women are awesome. Even though I loved all the superhero movies, there was never a single character that I could relate to. This opinion didn’t really change until I watched Across the Spider-Verse last year. I expected the movie to be great because Into the Spider-Verse was amazing, but I was quite literally blown away by the sequel. I was blessed to see it in theaters, and with the animation, the music, the plot, and the character development, Spiderman quickly became my new obsession. After watching the movie, I really started to develop a deeper appreciation for Spiderman’s character. Something that really resonated with me was that Spiderman could be anyone. There wasn’t just one kind of person that could be behind the mask, it could literally be anyone. Spiderman was just a guy trying his best to balance his homework, his friends, his family, and saving the city. So essentially, Spiderman was just like me, if you exclude the superhuman strength and the genius scientific intellect. As my obsession started to grow at an unhealthy rate, I started to rewatch some of the older live action films. Conveniently, The Amazing Spider- Man with Andrew Garfield was added to Disney Plus around that same time. I remember enjoying The Amazing Spider- Man before, but I thoroughly enjoyed watching The Amazing Spider-Man again. I loved that his portrayal of Spiderman always highlighted how goofy and geeky Spiderman really was. From the way he used his body language to emphasize his emotions, to his clever banter with Gwen Stacy, I was just in love with how natural and real he made the role seem. When I rewatched those movies, I just felt so close and connected to his character. Overall, I personally believe that Andrew Garfield is my favorite Spiderman. Although Tom Holland and Tobey Maguire both did an amazing job in their own respects, I don’t think either of them quite captured the laidback cleverness of Spiderman the way Andrew Garfield did. Now, I will say that I am a bit biased since I haven’t really watched any of Tobey Maguire’s Spiderman films in several years, but I believe my point still stands. Spiderman is meant to be a relatable hero that anyone can feel connected to, no matter who you are. I personally believe that Andrew Garfield’s naturally awkward approach encapsulated the essence of Spiderman’s very human character best.

While I’ve grown up in the United States, I’ve heard the shouts and seen the protests for justice on the news come and go. Of course seeing them began to bother me more as I got older and began to understand what was happening. Despite this, as I kept hearing the same story and watching more innocent people lose their lives without any justice, I became numb. Hearing about police brutality would make me upset, and I would shake my head when I saw it on tv, but it never invoked any real anger anymore. This was all before George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor were murdered in 2020. Each of their deaths brought out similar feelings in me. Hearing, and watching, what happened to Ahmaud Arbery had my family and I all yelling at the tv, but I don’t think I felt as angry as I should have. When I heard about what happened to Breonna Taylor, an innocent EMT just sleeping in her house, I was bothered and angry, but I still felt relatively numb. A couple of months later, George Floyd was killed, and I think that was when I started to feel different. I don’t know if it was because of the terrible video that the whole nation watched, or if it was because of the rapid succession of unjustifiable murders, but I was enraged nonetheless. As I watched the protests on the news, I wanted to be there so badly, so I could scream and shout, and let the whole world know how angry I was. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to be there, but I realized something very important in the end. Because of the nation’s response to the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, the government finally took some action. Did the government take enough action, I don’t think so, especially for Breonna Taylor. However, George Floyd’s murderer was convicted and sentenced for his crimes, as well as the men who killed Ahmaud Arbery. Seeing this allowed me to realize how important my voice is. By using their voices, the protesters were able to force their local and federal government to do something about all of the injustice. Because of the events that occurred throughout 2020 and 2021, I am now more aware of the power I have with my constitutional right to protest. I plan to use my rights in the future to do what I can to make a difference in America, and I plan to continue to educate myself on social injustice so I can be better prepared for my future.

I always knew that I wanted to go to college. I've always thought that college seemed so exciting and I felt I would be able to gain a new sense of independence while I was learning. When I was just starting my college search I was still very indecisive in trying to find the best school for me. All I knew was that I wanted to find a school that could lead me towards my dream career of working with animals. It wasn’t until I toured the campus of the University at Buffalo that I was certain that I wanted to be there. Even though they don’t have any animal degrees or programs, I believe that UB is a good place to start my education. Shortly after I applied to the university, my family and I found out that I was accepted. I am beyond excited to spend the next year of my life at this school, and I’m looking forward to seeing how far my education will bring me, and how many animals it will allow me to help. Since I was small, I’ve always loved animals. I remember sitting in front of the television with the rest of my family watching “Animal Planet” and being fascinated and eager to learn more. My sister and I would compete to see how many animal facts we could each recall, and teach each other something new. Although I was fascinated by wild animals, there was a special place in my heart for dogs. I remember memorizing as many dog breeds as I could just because I had the time. Unfortunately, I was never able to have a dog, no matter how much I begged my parents, since some of my siblings have dog allergies. However, I never stopped loving animals for being and I've always known that I wanted to use my education to work alongside animals and help them in some way in the future. Even though I didn’t get to spend much time with animals when I was smaller, I still enjoyed every interaction I was able to have. It’s because of this passion that I know that I want to work with animals in my future. I’m not sure what exact field of work I want to pursue yet, but I'm currently looking into animal physical therapy. It’s because of this that I recently started an internship at a local Dog Daycare so I could learn more about domestic animal management and, of course, spend time with a ton of dogs. I hope that throughout my future career I can improve the lives of either domestic or wild animals by making them healthier, and therefore happier.

Both of my parents were born in Jamaica and raised in New York City. They grew up in households of Jamaican families, and they learned, firsthand, everything there was to know about being a Jamaican. My siblings and I were born and raised in Buffalo. Specifically in predominantly Caucasian communities and neighborhoods. I didn’t get to learn and inherit the traditions and customs of Jamaica like my parents did. As I got older I began to feel more disconnected from the Jamaican culture. I felt as if I acted more like the other kids from my school, instead of talking like an average Jamaican, understanding the language, listening to the popular Jamaican music, or eating the traditional foods. In a lot of ways, I felt like a disappointment to my culture. I felt as if I had somehow failed them by acting “white”. It wasn’t until recently that I realized how wrong that idea was. Why should my origin of birth determine my heritage? Why should the way I act change the culture that I was born into? I now know that nothing can change the fact that I am a Jamaican. I shouldn’t have to change how I act or feel in order to fit a certain “criteria”. Understanding my own identity has allowed me to have a deeper respect for myself, and to have a better understanding of why I should be avoiding stereotypes instead of matching them. To continue, I’ve learned how to be more comfortable in my own skin. I’ve struggled with self confidence since middle school, and adding more insecurities regarding my culture wasn’t very helpful. I wouldn’t only be unhappy with my appearance, but I would also be unhappy with my personality and choices. Since I’ve learned to accept myself for who I am, I’ve looked at my reflection with higher esteem and I've began to value myself more. Overall, this experience has allowed me to become a more well rounded person, and to be more self aware. I’m currently looking into attending a 4-year university close to home. I’m especially interested in going to the University at Buffalo; I’ve been in love with the campus and the school ever since I visited it. I’m currently interested in studying something related to animal sciences, or veterinary medicine, because of my love for animals, but I’m still unsure. It can be said that my plans for the future are very unclear, but I’m very excited to see what the future may hold for me.

I can’t imagine a time in my life without music. Ever since I was young, my siblings and I would watch every Disney movie and memorize the lyrics to practically every song. I don’t think there’s a single song from any Disney movie that I’m unfamiliar with. I’ve been singing songs that I love for as long as I can remember and, to this day, I can’t imagine not being able to sing. I’ve sung many songs and been obsessed with countless albums from time to time, but there’s always one song from each phase that will stick with me forever. The song “My Future” by Billie Eilish really resonates with, and inspires, me. I spend a lot of time (when I’m not singing) thinking about where I want to find myself in the future. Sometimes, thinking about my future is scary, and the unknown can be terrifying. In the lyrics of “My Future” Billie Eilish sings, “ I'm in love with my future, can't wait to meet her”. Billie makes it clear that she’s not scared of her future, but instead she’s excited. Hearing something like that really puts me at ease and gives me a better perspective on how to look at my future. Hearing her confidence and excitement throughout the song inspires me to keep moving forward with my life and embrace the unexpected, despite how scary it may seem. Billie’s song inspired me to be more optimistic and excited to grow into a better person and. Overall, Billie Eilish’s song, “My Future”, gave me hope and let me realize, as she sang, that I, “Just wanna get to know myself”.