Will Bland, a graduate of Virginia Beach, Virginia's International Baccalaureate program, is in his sophomore year at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. At MIT, he is double majoring in Finance and Urban Studies and Planning with plans to pursue a joint JD/MPP degree. A debate fellow of Concourse, Will engages with first-year adversaries and Civil Discourse participants to explore intersections between STEM and the humanities. Bland is a point guard for the Men's Varsity Basketball team and engages in the Black Student Union and National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). Furthermore, he is a member of the Office of Minority Education's The Standard (a pre-professional community for minority-identifying men) and Mentor Advocate Partnership. A member of St. Paul A.M.E. Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Will is passionate about community empowerment, cultural enlightenment, and mitigating injustices, illustrated by his service, advocacy, research, and work. Checkpoints include the Urban League of Hampton Roads, EdLogics (a digital health literacy company), Virginia Beach City Public Schools, the David Cochrane Basketball Academy, and more. Endorsed by Senator Tim Kaine, Will Bland was awarded the 2023 Virginia Mental Health Advocacy Champion by Mental Health America of Virginia for creating the Student-Athletes' Mental and Emotional Health Alliance (SAME-H), a non-profit.