This past spring, I graduated from high school at Phillips Academy Andover and I am currently an incoming first-year student at the University of Pennsylvania. I am very proud of my Jamaican-American identity because I love the richness of my culture. Jamaicans, as a rule, never do anything half-way and I really appreciate how my cultural values have shaped who I am today. I also take great pride in my extensive book collection. I love to read in my free time and have often been described as a voracious reader. My favorite part of reading is when I discover books, such as Mark Dunn's Ella Minnow Pea, where the author writes using a technique or style that I haven't encountered before.In college, I hope to pursue International Relations, Linguistics, and Women's and Gender Studies. I am passionate about issues of social justice and strive to continue educating myself and others about systems of oppression as well as ways to aid initiatives working toward building a more just society. I am an advocate for better mental health support and education for teens and young adults, and worked with faculty, administrators, and other students at Phillips Andover to create a program to educate students about mental illness and neurodivergence as well as provide them with the language and skills they need to advocate for their care. I am also heavily involved with the arts community. With leadership positions in both the music and theater departments, I worked with my team to ensure students have safe spaces to creatively express themselves and foster a sense of community between in-person and remote students.