Hey! I was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. I’m an artist, youth mentor, tennis player, humanitarian, nature watcher, and a Global Citizen Year Fellow.
I wasn’t raised in a wealthy family. I was born into this world with few tools for success, but as I’m getting older I’m making my own tools to build a future for myself, and a successful one at that. We all go through obstacles that only make us stronger. What matters is what we do now, how we can not only make our lives better, but the lives of people around us.
The person I am now has no qualms about his future. I am opened minded to the constantly changing world we live in. I have gained more social experience than I ever had before by doing community service with a non-profit organization called buildOn. I have over two hundred service hours with buildOn and have gained multi-cultural knowledge and self-appreciation from my community. I have left my comfort zone and interacted with different kinds of people. We are all alike in so many ways. Seeing people struggle and seeing other teens like myself strive to become better and grow makes me know I’m not alone. I feel like we all can come together in the pasture of life and flourish. Like the invasive weed, we can dominate and strive, showing we belong here.
I believe I’m doing this because I want to understand what’s beyond my city borders, beyond just what the media shows me and people in general tell me. I will not be deprived of what’s good. I believe if everyone would gain multi-cultural knowledge and self-appreciation, this world would be a better place, a place where we would all be one.
