Support My Journey to Rice University

I will be attending Rice University’s Summer Engineering Program, I am raising money to cover my tuition, room and board and any additional fees. I was selected due to my academic achievements and my interest in Aerospace Engineering.

I submitted a short essay, take a look below if you’d like to read it.

Describe a current leader who has had a significant influence on you and describe that influence.

In modern day society, one of the biggest problem the nation faces is the lack of representation and pride; for multiple cultures, including both American and multiple Latino communities. Little kids have grown up feeling alienated because of the color of their skin or where their family has come from. However this is not an issue that has recently come to surface. The lack of cultural pride is something that has been seen in the U.S. for years, its forms of protests and awareness evolving as well. Modern problems require modern leaders: ones who can use fame for advocacy, increase cultural pride, and focus on social impact, encouraging the youth to learn of the social issues their communities face. One specific person that has had a major impact on the U.S. and his home country, Puerto Rico, is Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, or more widely known as Bad Bunny. Bad Bunny, through his authenticity and advocacy, has stood up for social issues, such as the politics of Puerto Rico and the representation of the Latino community as a whole. He encourages young people in the Latino community to embrace their identity through his music, using his lyrics and even instruments to celebrate and value the culture he comes from. His lyrics often employ a strong sense of Latino identity, and embrace life in Puerto Rico, despite the struggles. Along with cultural identity, he includes his political beliefs in his different songs, utilizing his fame to fight for what he believes and refusing to be silenced. His music itself has shown the Latino community, myself included, that we should never shy away from our roots and instead be proud of our culture. Throughout middle school, my cultural identity was almost erased, and I felt ostracized having more hair or darker skin than the other girls. Since listening to his music and following him as a person, I have learned to celebrate my culture as an American-Mexican and value the morals and traditions taught to me by my family members. His influence through his music and activism specifically has inspired me to feel a sense of pride in where my family comes from and given me the confidence to speak and feel freely about my own identity, taking leadership roles in my school's clubs. Bad Bunny has taught me and many others that activism and leadership do not revolve around titles, they are built on using your own voice, even while it challenges the status quo, and even if no one else is with you.