Student profile
Personal Essay
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My passion for being a voice to the voiceless began when my dad was diagnosed with Post-Polio Syndrome. Ten years ago, my dad was told he had this rare, incurable, progressive neuromuscular disease. Despite never having heard the term before, I was terrified at its horrific implications. PPS patients' muscles gradually grow weaker until,eventually, they can no longer move. On many days, my dad was too weak to even lift his arms. Being an only child with my mother always at work, I took on new responsibilities: learning to cook for my family, helping my dad shower, and overseeing his medical routine. Seeing my father's struggle up- close shook me to my core. Research funding for PPS is limited, and therefore, it is difficult to find experienced doctors. All my dad could do was suffer - no cure, not much support, no way to fight back. In his struggle against PPS, my father's cry for a cure has gone unheard.
I realized that, in our world today, there are many others like my dad: stuck in situations their pleas for help often unheard. I decided to commit myself to being an advocate for those who continuously suffer, their voices ignored by the government and society.
In high school, I joined the Mitty Advocacy Project, a dedicated team of students who research and advocate for a variety of issues, ranging from environmental justice to immigration reform. Nevertheless, I was not convinced that I would be advocating for people like my dad, who were stuck in situations where they could neither escape nor protest.
A trip to the Delancey Street Foundation, a restorative justice organization with a mission of reintegrating the incarcerated into society, introduced me to a cause that I aspired to advocate for: criminal justice reform. The public's perception of criminals is largely determined by their often one-sided portrayal in the media. I, too, had believed in the frightening images of dangerous, violent men who deserve to be locked up to keep innocent citizens safe. However, at the Foundation, I spoke with a former recidivist who had spent over three decades in various federal prisons; he showed me the inaccuracy of this generalization. The rehabilitation and restorative justice provided by the Foundation did what three decades of 'punishment' could not, and he eventually reunited with his wife and son.
Galvanized by this visit, I joined the Criminal Justice Wing of MAP, where I became directly involved in spreading restorative justice awareness. After two years of hard work and dedication, I became captain, leading efforts in legislative advocacy, meeting with members of Congress in Sacramento and Washington D.C. to promote criminal justice reform. We advocated for the First Step Act, a landmark, bipartisan bill with implications stretching from drug sentences all the way to mandatory minimum sentences. We traveled to Washington to speak with Senator Kamala Harris, notorious for her tough stance on crime. In the process, she brought up many counterarguments and dissenting opinions, but my team and I were well prepared.
Ultimately, we convinced her to vote "Yes" on the bill, which led to its passage last December. As a tribute to our efforts, Senator Harris sent us a hand-signed letter thanking us for our hard work and determination in convincing her to advocate for the bill.
By putting my passion into practice while advocating for criminal justice reform, I learned that I could create real and valuable change in my community. I learned to be driven, confident, and persuasive with people in power. I hope to use these skills to advocate on behalf of my dad and others who suffer from incurable diseases. I aim to tackle the funding, staffing, and research disparities for rare diseases such as PPS. Through my rewarding experience advocating for the First Step Act, I know I'm up for the challenge.