Hello, my name is Zandashia Francis and I was introduced to Jesus when I was five. I remember my mom telling me we were going to church, and I would be at the children’s church and she would be in the sanctuary- separated from her. I honestly did not want to go into this new building and having to be away from my mom, but she explained I would be in good hands and this would be I could better understand the lesson. I will be honest I don’t remember the sermon I just know I was surrounded by children who loved to be in this building learning about god. I was greeted with kindness and love by the ministers. I do remember learning about the all-mighty God that loved me so much he gave his only son away just for me – for all of humanity. at the end of the service, we were asked 3 questions; if this was the first time we heard about Jesus if any of us have sinned, and if we wanted to accept Jesus into our lives and ask for forgiveness That day, I accepted Jesus in my heart and repented for all my sins. Ever since then my life has evolved around Christ even if I did not know it. Every morning my siblings and I prayed for protection before school, before every meal we would pray for the food to bring us nutrients, and every night I would thank god for letting me have a family like mine and pray to wake up the next day. Sundays we would have morning service and Wednesdays we would have bible study and I would annotate the bible on my own time. Writing all these things makes me pound but I am not a perfect person and have sinned since I have accepted Jesus. There were times I questioned God and my faith. I was heartbroken by the tragedies that were taking place. I was resentful because of how the world made me see myself. Most of all I was angry with the way people were being treated by Christians. I was furious that people were using my god – a loving god to justify their hate for others. I had to renew my faith and look at my relationship with God. What originally drew me to god? It was love, kindness, and acceptance. My life has gotten better ever since I renewed my faith, but bad things have also happened. However, I am still blessed and will continue to speak that over my life. I will go out in the world without judgment and preach love, kindness, and acceptance to spread the gospel. I know many people have been turned from chorist by using god to justify their hate- but through me, the people I encounter will know God is a loving god.

I think it is important for people to be involved in their communities to build relationships, develop skills, and most importantly giving back. Communities are formed and maintained by people to meet common needs. Members of a group have a sense of identity, safety, and concern for one another. To be in a community, you must actively partake in it; whether it be talking to neighbors, going to PTA meetings, or volunteering at your local homeless shelter. Being involved in a community lets a person build bonds and relationships with others. It also opens a person’s eyes to see different perspectives and allows them to appreciate others. While participating in your community you can develop skills like leadership, communication, and teamwork. Every community needs leaders people who can see problems and create solutions and rally people to take a step and make change for the better. Not everyone is a born leader but being active in a community gives the opportunity of taking a leadership role. Every effective community needs to have effective communication. While working in a community a person needs to be able to speak to others with respect and assertiveness. And no community would be successful if the people in it cannot work together. The most important reason for someone to be involved in their community would to be give it back to others. Many people do not realize all the roles there are in a community that is careers and not just volunteer work such as firefighters, teachers, and grocery store clerks. These are jobs that are all vital roles in a community – in society. There are many ways to give back and no action is too small; donating a dollar to a local hospital all the way to volunteering at a soup kitchen. Many things we have we take for granted and forget those that are less fortunate than us even a smile can go a long way. I help in my own community by being a volunteer at my church, being a role model for others, and speaking out on discrimination and unfair treatment of others. I do believe that people in a community should be like-minded and have similar morals. Such as treating others with respect, being kind, and considerate. I’m able to spread these morals and instill them in younger children at my church while ministering the gospel. We teach them to love themselves and others no matter their beliefs. This puts me in a position to be a role model for others- a person someone strives to be like. And apart from being a good role model, I participate in protests, spreading awareness on problems, and being supportive. I plan on being a nurse practitioner in the future. Discrimination is rampant in the medical field and I plan on being one of the many medical professionals to change this. I will provide adamant care to my patients no matter their race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. However, this is simply not enough I will also report others of malpractice.

My mom is the person I admire most in the world. An admirable person is someone that you respect because of their qualities, how they carry themselves, and their positive impact on society. My mom has some of the best qualities she is strong, independent, and determined. she is my role model and has influenced me in the best ways. One thing I admire most about my mom is her strength. I believe that having children is one of the hardest things a person can do. Somehow my mom is raising three young black children in America, one of whom has a disability. She has taught us how to stand up for ourselves, each other, and those in need. She taught us valuable lessons that we hard to learn but helped us embrace our culture and differences. I think one reason my mom is so strong is that she had to be independent. She is a single mother raising three children with no help. Sometimes it feels like she is always at work making sure she is providing for us. She has two jobs and picks up extra shifts to make sure we live comfortably. Yet somehow, she always checking on us ensuring that we are okay while she’s at work, driving us to school, showing up to games. at a young age, my mom gave birth to me which put a temporary stop in her education journey. Even though she is in her thirties she is trying to go back to school and earn a degree. She is determined to make a better life for her and to give us a better one. Since she was not given the same opportunities as us, she made sure we received them along with her support. My mom is determined to make the world a better place for us. My mom has impacted my life by allowing me to choose whom I want to be while instilling morals. For instance, speaking out against social injustices and using my voice for those who cant. She has taught me to be resilient, have empathy, and respect for others. She is also a CNA which has given me a different outlook on all the things medical professionals do. I want to follow in her footsteps to provide the same care that she gives to her patients.