My Father Is A Lawyer

As a diverse student, in a very low income community I have always been known to standing up for others, as well as for myself. Having this natural drive i found myself taking a huge role in our high school Beta Club. As a natural leader, I was challenged with the opportunity to represent our high school’s Beta Club Chapter while running for North Carolina Beta Secretary. Although I felt experienced as a leader, I was really nervous to get up in front of all of North Carolina and give a speech at the Beta Club convention. Although I was nervous, I opened my mouth, and the words just began to come out. My fears went away, and I addressed everyone on topics of educational improvements and opportunities for all students to succeed. I used this

During 8th grade at Howard D. McMillan Middle, I believed one person could make a difference if they just set their mind to do so. Our school had many restrictions and few student activities. Early that year I became interested in Student Government (S.G.) and National Junior Honor Society (NJHS), so I decided to run for President of both clubs hoping to make a change.

“The most rewarding part of being in student council is we get to help our school and do great things for our students,”Student Council member sophomore Madison Inman

On April 26, 2017 I was made eighth grade secretary. Last year Mrs. Trimble, our advisor, just had us in her advisory. Thirty minutes a week to organize immense school functions for a little over one-thousand students wasn’t enough time, imagine that. This year we have student council as an elective class, so we are allowed more time to do what we need to. This is extremely nice because we have a lot to do as a board. Student council positions in high school can open up opportunities to apply for scholarships and prepare you for future jobs. Soon enough, I’ll start thinking about those possibilities, but all the worry is worth

Throughout my school years, I have always tried to be a positive role model for younger students as well as my peers. This year I decided that the best way to serve my school was to participate in our school’s Student Leadership Council. It has proven to be a fantastic decision for me. I succeeded in getting the most votes out of all of the candidates and have had a great experience taking a leadership role in my school. I feel like I have become a much better leader and role model because of Student Leadership Council. I have been really fortunate to be exposed to the Jeter’s Leaders program, since they come to our school to mentor us as SLC members. It has been an incredible experience, and I would really love to continue with it. As an eighth grader at Saint Augustine, we are required to mentor our younger students. I

Society has made it so hard for blacks to become successful, but for the great minds of the students at CAU; it’s so easy for them to succeed and not for them to fall into what society calls the “system”. This too, is a reason as why some African Americans feel like they just don’t have to try. The harder they try; they may still get nowhere being limited to so many great opportunities. Although there are no excuses to be made for the African American communities, this reasoning’s will leave some people to think they will never be good enough for society. “Eliminate what’s distracting you and keep it moving in order to succeed” are words that I will always remember Helen Smith Price saying before the closing of Founders Convocation 2017. In life not everyone will support you nor help you get to where you want to be and those are the people you leave behind in order to succeed. As a graduating senior of Clark Atlanta University I will always “Find a Way or Make

I have long respected the law’s ability to shape everyday experiences. As part of my Gifted Support project in the fifth grade, I wrote a report about Brown v. Board of Education. At that young age, I had heard some of my parents’ accounts of what their educational experiences were but I had never read or heard the profound and perverse impact that segregation had on children who looked like me. The lesson I learned from the project was that the law was not just a set of statutes and cases but something that gave me the right and opportunity to have an equitable chance at success in life where I could be judged based on my abilities and not the amount of melanin in my skin. My goal is to combine the passion for the law that I’ve had ever since learning about the enormity of Brown v. Board of Ed as a fifth grader, with a law degree from the University of Michigan that will give me the skills needed to bring my desires to fruition .

Growing up in Washington D.C. in an area with high poverty, STI and HIV rates, and low high school graduation rates, I was afforded an opportunity to attend a prestigious private school in Northern Virginia. While I was grateful to be able to receive a wonderful education in a safe environment, I always understood that many of my peers in the Black community did not have this privilege. Particularly, supportive faculty members encouraged me to pursue an accelerated math track so that I would be prepared when I pursued a STEM career. As I reached a high math level AP Calculus BC, I was one of five girls and the only black student in this course. I realized that as I pursued a career that requires high level math and science, due to educational disparities, my classroom’s racial and gender demographic will become my norm. Initially, I did not view this fact as a potential source of motivation to help bridge this gap. Instead, this observation led to loneliness, insecurity, and depression because no one else in the classroom innately related to me, not just in this math course, but for over 14 years in one school, the loneliness can become psychologically damaging. Yet, this damage was the cost of a invaluable education and the juxtaposition of emotional suffering and academic preparation allowed me to graduate top 10 in my graduating class in college.

From my father, who has dedicated his life to developing community through ministry, to my mother, who despite being raised as a transnational migrant worker, pursued public education and now advocates for individuals with physical and intellectual disabilities, a strong sense of community has always been a part of my value set. I believe that my life experiences serving disadvantaged and often systemically oppressed minority communities have led to my desire to pursue the profession of law. My time spent interning at a law firm only reaffirmed my belief that the practice of law is right for

The final mast of school and community involvement was catalyzed when I joined Key Club as a freshman. Finding a passion for service and leadership, it rapidly became my primary focus in deepening my high school experience. Key Club inspired me to search for further opportunities for leadership and involvement, leading me to join Student Council, Relay for Life, and so forth. Through my various executive positions, I have not only improved my own character and qualities, but also inspired others around me to do the

Student Council and the National Honor Society both share a common purpose: helping others. I have been a representative for my grade in Student Council for three of my high school years and a National Honor Society member for two. In the National Honor Society, I have served as president throughout my senior year. Coincidentally, one of the four pillars of the National Honor Society is service, a component in a good citizen. As a National Honor Society president, I have helped coordinate a blood drive and assisted in others, provided support to the students who struggle socially or academically, and coordinated award presentations to a majority of the student body. The other side, Student Council, has also provided for me a way to help others and be a good citizen. Through Student Council, I have displayed citizenship through boosting school morale, volunteering for various school events and creating and approving new, innovative plans to make school life better. As an active, volunteering student, I hope that I made a positive impact, big or small, both inside and outside of the

Annika’s natural propensity towards academic success has always placed me in a position of comparison; though three years younger, I would strive to excel as she did. Even if I couldn’t reach her level, the pressure motivated me to do my best, and her assuring and calm demeanor would remind me that there’s always another shot. Learning from her habits and attitude gave me the guidance to succeed on my own and be proud of my accomplishments; my inductance into National Honor Society proved to me that the pressure of having someone to look up to can be a supportive force rather than a debilitating grievance. Similarly, Jaineel’s natural athletic ability in every sport he pursued from basketball to karate pushed me to perform my best in tennis. His determination to live by a schedule in order to see progress gave me the foresight to not give up when I wanted to throw in the towel, and his love for sports reminds me of why I continue to play tennis even today.  Living with 8 other perspectives to a situation is a true blessing. If there is ever a dilemma in my life, everyone will share his or her opinion but support me no matter which direction I choose. Growing up with my family has definitely been a unique experience, but I would never change it for the world. My home gives me strength, assurance, stability, laughter, and love as I wake up to 8 people banging on my bedroom door every morning ready to

One’s family’s history, culture and environmental factors can influence a great deal of who they are. In fact, all three of these factors have influenced a great deal of the young woman I am today. To begin with, I am an African-American woman of Haitian descent. My family immigrated from Haiti years before I was born seeking a better life. I grew up in a close-knit family that worked odd jobs to reach ends meet. I remember fondly, my mother, a single mother working three jobs struggling to put food on the table, clothes on me and my three sibling’s backs, and electricity in the house. My mother never had time to rest, enjoy her day or spend time with me or my siblings. We often took cold showers, and had many hungry nights. Due to the amount

For many years my mother and I relocated as many as three times a year and we depended on government assistance to keep us afloat. Upon moving to North Carolina and gaining financial stability I made it a personal goal to serve others just like me. The truth about where I came from is an essential key to determine where I will go, and so I share my story with everyone.During my junior year of high school I was inducted into the National Honor Society. During the induction I lit the candle symbolizing leadership. Unbeknownst to me I was creating my destiny and months later I became the President of my school’s chapter. Being a teenager there are but so many things I can do and I struggled to understand the fact that I cannot do everything-- not yet. I sought inspiration to handle my cognitive dissonance from the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. who stated “If I cannot do great things, I will do small things in a great way.” As a future student, I dedicate every fiber of my being to embody Howard’s core values. I hope to serve as yet another representation of excellence and walk in the footsteps of many great leaders before me in the path to

As a senior at Hannibal High School my life is a little hectic at times. To start off the year I became Senior Class Secretary so I could help make a difference in our school. In order to help out school spirit, which has been more or less sad at best in the past, my fellow class officers and I organized