The change that I want to see in the world is increased access to higher education, as well as the alleviation of economic inequality. The most apparent way that these two issues intersect is our ever-growing student debt crisis here in the United States, with roughly 69% of college students taking out student loans in order to finance their education. First-generation students, economically disadvantaged students, and ethnic minorities are disproportionately impacted by this issue as well; in my hometown, these groups accounted for a large majority of our high school student population. Over the past four years, I have been working to address this at the local level through the nonprofit my mother and I started in 2017 called the Zero Debt College Project. In my role as Executive Director, I personally mentor students as young as 10 years old, helping them create a roadmap to prepare for the college admissions process and teaching them scholarship strategies with the goal in mind of them completing their post-secondary education with zero student loan debt at absolutely no charge to the students or their families. Thus far, we have been extremely successful, and have helped many students from my town and surrounding cities find a way to fund their education with scholarships rather than loans. In addition to my work with my nonprofit organization, I am a lifelong Girl Scout. In 2019, I earned my Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award in scouting. This was awarded to me in acknowledgment of a community service project that I planned and executed all by myself at the age of 16, which focused on alleviating economic inequality in my town through making changes in the school district to support at-risk students and students from low-income families, which made up 50% of the population at my high school. For this project, I decided to research the causes of cyclical impoverishment, and what other school districts had done in the past to better support economically disadvantaged students to improve learning outcomes and college attendance rates among graduates; I even received funding from Toyota to assist with the costs associated with my project. From my research, I pinpointed several key things my school district could implement in order to better support students, ranging from restructuring disciplinary policies to offering take-home meals for free for students who may not have access to healthy food at home. I then presented my research and recommendations to our Board of Trustees, and over time, many of my suggestions have been implemented in campuses within my school district.

In 2019, I earned my Girl Scout Gold Award, an accomplishment only 6% of Girl Scouts earn. For the award, I planned and executed a community service project surrounding the issue of economic inequality in my hometown, where almost 50% of my classmates at school came from families classified as economically disadvantaged. Over the course of a year, I researched the causes of cyclical impoverishment and ways other communities have addressed the issue. I presented my findings to the Board of Trustees, and shared my recommendations for increasing upward income mobility through things that could be implemented in our schools; at the age of 17, I had managed to find a way to leave a lasting positive impact on my community. I want to go to law school because I am passionate about working towards improving my community through advocacy and activism, and I feel that the best way for me to accomplish this is to become an attorney. Over the course of my future career in law as an attorney, I hope to serve as an advocate for underserved communities and to affect positive change with regard to the United States criminal justice system, which plays a major role in the continued disproportionate incarceration of minorities. I am also considering transitioning into public administration after working as an attorney for a while and eventually becoming a Senator. As a Senator, I hope to influence education and prison reform legislation to continue working towards equality for all. Overall, my goal in life is to act as a catalyst for positive change within my community. Presently, I do this through my work with my non-profit, The Zero Debt College Project, which works to help students avoid student debt by assisting families in the college planning process completely free of charge. This summer, I accepted a role as a Federal Policy Intern with WE ACT, a non-profit geared towards increasing participation in the political process within low-income communities and communities of color with regard to environmental justice. As an attorney, I hope to continue to positively impact my community through my work. I can’t wait to explore the legal field more while in college through internships, and I am determined to utilize my education to contribute to improved justice in my community and in my country.

Last summer, in the wake of the nationwide protests sparked by the murder of George Floyd, I organized the first and only Black Lives Matter protest in my city. My protest was peaceful and brought together hundreds of members of my community of different ages and ethnicities. The protest was centered around offering a platform for young people like myself who felt as though their voices were going unheard. I had an open mic, where community members were invited to come up and express their experiences, feelings, and frustrations with the issue of police brutality as well as racism as a whole here in the United States. Following this, I found a way to marry my passion for activism and advocacy with my academic interest in political science and public policy. I began holding voter registration drives on Saturdays at various locations in my county. I interned on a campaign for the Texas House of Representatives as well as with Vote From Home 2020, a grassroots organization dedicated to educating Americans on their options for voting during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, I acted as the campaign manager for Dr. Monique Thompson’s Little Elm ISD School Board campaign and played an instrumental role in her winning her election and becoming the first Black woman to serve on my city’s school board. Prior to the events of last summer, I was already heavily invested in contributing to positive change within my community through volunteerism. I have earned the White House Gold Presidential Service award twice, as well as the Bronze award once. Last October, I received the Bronze award again for having completed 250 hours of community service over the course of one calendar year. I have been featured in my local newspaper a number of times for my community service as well. I earned my Girl Scout Gold Award in June of 2019, which was focused on raising awareness of the long-term effects of cyclical impoverishment. I earned my Girl Scout Silver Award in 2017, for which I co-founded the Zero Debt College Project, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization over which I serve as the Executive Director; community service is my way of advocating for marginalized groups within our society. My commitment to improving my community and acting as a catalyst for positive change has also informed my career goals; I hope to become a Senator, so that I may advocate for marginalized communities as I write and influence public policy. In particular, I plan to work toward alleviating the issue of mass incarceration by implementing laws and programs that work towards reducing the recidivism rate as well as the incarceration rate among non-violent offenders, who make up the majority of the U.S. prison population.

For me, education is an essential tool; a tool that I must continue to utilize throughout my life in order to continue to impact my community in a positive way. I am currently a first-year student at Howard University where I am pursuing my Bachelor’s degree in political science; I have earned a 3.6 G.P.A. and made the Dean's List after completing my very first semester at Howard. I am extremely interested in the inner workings of the American government, mainly pertaining to the legislature. Over the course of the Fall semester, I explored this interest by interning on Jennifer Skidonenko’s campaign for the Texas House of Representatives. Additionally, I managed Dr. Monique Thompson’s successful campaign for Little Elm ISD’s Board of Trustees, leading her to become the first Black woman ever elected to the LEISD School Board. I will continue to explore the legal system while in college through internships, and am determined to utilize my education to contribute to improved justice in my community and in my country. After completing my Bachelor’s degree at Howard, I will return to Texas to attend law school at Thurgood Marshall School of Law. Upon completion of my postsecondary education, I plan to pursue a career in criminal law as an attorney before transitioning into public administration in hopes of eventually becoming a Senator. As a Senator, I hope to influence important education and prison reform legislation in order to alleviate the issues of mass incarceration and the student debt crisis. Overall, my goal in life - and thus, for my education and career - is to act as a catalyst for positive change within my community.