I am a Black female student from Oakland, California. I grew up in a single parent family home. My mom was my guiding force. Although she didn’t attend college, she always had high hopes for my education and my future. When I was very young she researched scholarships that gave minorities the opportunity to be a part of higher education. Thanks to “A Better Chance” and of course my loving mom, I was able to attend private school for my entire life.
Being in a school where there were not many people who looked like me was both a blessing and a curse. It was a blessing because I learned to define myself in a different way than everyone else. A curse because with the difference also came bullying and questioning. However, something my mom always taught me was to never run away from my problems. Partly because she was aiding in the character and self-definition that I was starting to build. But also because we didn’t have the money and resources available to pack up and switch schools like other students did. I learned to push through any adversity that came my way. In this way I feel I’ve had a different experience in education than most. Learning for me wasn’t just about what was in the textbooks or on a piece of paper. Learning was also learning about myself every step of the way.
When I was in second grade, I started to notice my love for reading and writing emerge. We always wrote short stories with pictures and passed them around the class in order to see what our classmates were writing about. I realized that I enjoyed both actions equally. As I grew up that love for reading was transferred to spending countless hours in the local library and sometimes Barnes & Nobles immersed in the world of literature. My love for writing transferred to enjoying writing assignments in school and attempting to write my own novel in high school.
Both writing and reading have a therapeutic effect for me. When I do either, I feel as if I’m in another world, either controlled by me or controlled by the author. Everyone has something that they enjoy academically, and for me it has always been English and History. Both classes have helped me find my writerly voice and formulate better processes of thinking. Personally, I find these classes to be the most useful in everyday life. Being able to flesh out your thoughts influences your ability to speak in a convincing way, which would aid an individual in job interviews. Being able to write academically and professionally would be extremely helpful in typing out emails to work colleagues or bosses.
Welcome to my mind. Sometimes I think about a lot and sometimes I enjoy drowning in nothingness. This, as you can imagine makes my mind a pretty complicated place. However I’m inviting you in because I, selfishly, believe I have something to offer you. High school was a transformative chapter in my life. I started out as a shy individual who was pretty much mute in class discussions. I left as the senior class representative and a debate mentor. This growth allowed me to become the person I define myself as today. I learned about the power of my voice and my thoughts. Both things that I previously thought were simply unnecessary. Regardless, now my mind has changed, and my influence matters. Although I am an average teenager who suffers from first world problems, I hope that at least one thing I say will resonate with you.