Hello! My name is Tatianna Bryant. I’m 17 years old and I’ve completed my first-last year of school. Why did I oddly put first and last together? Well, I say first because I switched schools during my senior year. It’s quite the sob story if I do say so myself. Now, I said last because I’m a fresh graduate. No more high school for me! All those years of hard work and I’ve finally made it to the end or have I truly? Although this may seem like the case, I have realized that many endings tend to only be new beginnings in disguise, like going to college right after high school. It’s an amazing opportunity that was bestowed upon me to be able to do such things. As a first-generation student, one must understand the amount of pressure placed on the shoulders of those who have to carry such a burden. Imagine the dreams of your entire family becoming heavier as the gravity of reality falls into your arms. It’s a lot to bear but it drives people in many directions. As for me, it only inspires me to reach higher into the clouds. The sky is the limit so why settle with staying on the ground? To continue, I’m a fan of art. Not just with paintings or music but with everything that surrounds me. There’s art in talking, breathing, walking, and living in general. The beauty in nature captivates me so I open up to it. I also want to talk about how I view myself in an artistically complex way. Everyone has their puzzle and I would consider my puzzle to be a Rubik’s cube. I’ve never solved one before. The most I could do is get one side or two but it wouldn’t matter because I’d have to destroy those sides to get others also before it’s completed. I view myself to be like this since there’s still more to myself that I have yet to piece together even if I do think I’m fine where I stand. All in all, there’s more to me than what meets the eye. I’d prefer expecting the unexpected because surprises add more thrill to experiences and people as the tight knot unravels. It’s something indescribable with just words. I suppose this would be the end of info about me here but then again, nothing ever truly ends. It’s only a new beginning. Onto the main topics, after all of that, the impact I so greatly want to achieve on the world is making exceptional discoveries of biological forms that dell beneath the surface of the ocean. It's always been something of high interest to me considering how little is known about the ocean. Imagine the life forms that would be discovered over the next 10 years. I challenged myself to part of those discoveries so we can learn more about the "other world" besides what is on land. I love science and knowing how interactive STEAM is brings me joy. It can help children of all ages excel because of how abstract it is. It's open to more creativity and better help that allows children to better build themselves for the future. I'm intrigued with how things shall work out shortly because of STEAM and what it has to offer. Creativity more than anything is what sheds light on many different paths children can take. I want to ensure that STEAM would give them that and others too as well. That's about all I can say about STEAM, but I do hope to learn more about it soon.

I love math because it challenges my brain and its calculations. Despite it being so difficult, it's quite fun in the long run. The joy you feel after solving a math problem that's been a struggle for so long is an amazing feeling. I used to have a hard time in math. In 6th grade, I had an advanced math class that I was kicked out of because I wasn't doing good at all. It made me ashamed of myself and I thought I would be like the majority of people in this world who had a hate for math but this wasn't the case. After I reached the 8th grade, I took the course Algebra Honors. I thought I was going to fail because I just wasn't great but I was proven wrong over time. I excelled in my studies and achieved something great. I've learned a lot about applying myself and my brain eventually clicked. Before I knew it, I was a mini mathematician. To this day, I tell people my little testimony; "I was kicked out of advanced math in 6th grade. Because of that, I wasn't able to get ahead. I could've been in AP Calculus! Although this is the case, I'm still happy about my feats and achievements. I've excelled in something that I thought I never could. If I could make a comeback like this then you can too. If anything, I'll help!" Math means so much to me and it's an honor to be able to teach others. It's amazingly fun an can be applied to all aspects of life. I can't wait to learn more.

How I give back with all that I have to the black community is to support my fellow people who are struggling with things that they need such as education, food, clothes, etc. From what I see as I walk down the roads of the city I live in, many homeless people don't have anything but carts filled with clothes and thin mats to lie on. It breaks my heart to see that a majority of them are my color and no one else is putting in the effort even to give these people water or food to drink. I'm not the only one who acts of course but I do see myself mainly putting in the time and money to at least get these people something. The smile that spreads across the faces of my fellow brothers and sisters makes me proud to stand where I stand without anyone telling me what I can and can't do. We need to stick up for one another so that we can put ourselves and those who come after us in a better position. I'm going to school and majoring in Marine Biology and Oceanography. I'm looked down on by some of the people within my community because I choose to do something that seems above what we should be doing but I disregard comments like that. I want to show the people in my community that they could go above and beyond. You don't have to settle with something that's the norm. You want to go out and do greater things. You don't often see people of color associated with major fields such as medicine or engineering. We need to break that so we can get out there and inspire others within our community to do the same. With a significant amount of damage done by covid to the black community, we were set back with many losses. It seemed to be that colored people were impacted especially judging by the high death rates that occur within our community. Also, consider how unemployment was on the rise after many were fired or lost their jobs due to covid. It takes away from our community because many aren't on the level of CEO or founder, just minorities within the workforce. Others also don't have any degrees or diplomas so it makes it harder to get into the workforce. My goal while I'm in college is to learn how to do business on the side so I can put together a non-profit program that allows people of color who suffered gravely from the effects of covid and capitalism to get back on their feet and get out into the world with the knowledge that'll benefit them in the long-run so they may help others who are also in need. It'll take some time but I'm willing to do this for my community despite all odds that I'd be up against. All I want is to inspire others within the community and help as much as possible so we can clear up the dark corners of this beautiful portrait that we call The Black Community.