My African American Culture

1. what inspires you?

My appreciation for my African American culture inspires me to pursue opportunities that young African Americans were once denied. However, it was not until I viewed my heritage through an artistic lens that I truly appreciated its importance. "A Subtlety" is an exposé of slavery in the South by Kara Walker. This piece helped to inform me on slavery in a way that no textbook or fatherly lecture could. Once I realized how much perseverance and strength it took to overcome the tribulations of slavery, I made it my goal to embrace my culture, especially in the area of politics. My commitment to politics is a pivotal component of the work that I do to further the rights of minorities. In the previous election I even volunteered

Regardless of her challenges, she ingrained her passion, perseverance, and and motivation into the core values that she taught me. As a result, her influence on my life is endless. More importantly, my mother was a survivor. Not only did she raise four children as a single, Black woman, but she did all of which while simultaneously fighting breast cancer for over seventeen years. Despite the difficulties, my mother never succumbed to the severity of her condition. She did not wait to die, but in fact lived her life to the fullest. Ranging from traveling the world, running successful businesses, and being a mother, she left no stone unturned. This is one of the reasons that I respect my mother so much. The fact that she went the extra mile to care for my siblings and I, pursue her own career, while holding on to her life, inspires me to never let my challenges keep me from my living an abundant life. I hope to be a fraction of the woman that my mother was when I grow

Often times, the skills that I use for one class tend to aid me in completing tasks for another. This correlation motivates me to not limit myself to one area of study. even if the college that I attend does not provide a course that touches on these two areas, I will attempt to develop a curriculum that fulfills both of my interests and present it to my college for consideration.

3. Why?

The screened art program, in my school provided me with the platform to cultivate my artistic abilities. outside of school, I also took part in student programs that trained me to view art through a critical lens. I am specifically interested in utilising my artistic abilities to extend on the work that i do in the Youth Insights Leaders program, at the Whitney Museum.

Nevertheless, when I joined the research program at my school, the study of microbiology also peaked my interest. During this program I developed an experiment that tested the inhibitory effect of honey, black pepper, and ginger against staphylococcus epidermis. This was done to recommend a natural substitute to a harmful synthetic chemical (triclosan), which is used in antibacterial hygiene products. The success of this experiement in competition solidifed my insterest in a science related