The Break Down of my Access Map

Home:

Born July 20, 1993. I grew up in a two parent household as an only child. My parents were very involved in my early education, reading to me  and playing board games with me. My parents held positions on the PTA at my elementary and middle school. Between home and school there was an open dialect between my parents and teachers until high school.

School:

At the age of 3 I attended Lemon Tree Preschool at  the YMCA; 3 blocks down from my house. I then became a student of the Battle Creek Public Schools at the age of 5 when my mom signed me up for kindergarten at Fremont Elementary, which was 5 blocks down from my house. My mom had done extensive touring and research before she picked what school I was going to be sent to. I was labeled gifted since the 1st grade after the school found out my reading level was that of a 6th grader. I was encouraged to excel in math and became one of the top students in my grade starting 2nd grade to the end of elementary. In middle school I was put in honor classes and recognized for my skills in writing. I won the Carson Scholarship twice during middle school and won the quiz bowl three years in a row as well. In high school I tested into the Math & Science Center Program and spent half my high school career there. Year after year I became more interested in what went on outside of school due to the very diverse student body. I always wanted to go to Harvard. Most of my family has graduated from Ivy League schools. My aunt suggested Bryn Mawr. I applied and after looking at Bryn Mawr, Mount Holyoke, and Smith I decided I wanted to go into the 3-2 City Planning Program offered at Bryn Mawr College.

Community:

During my last four years, I became obsessed with breaking out of the class room. I spent most of my time with friends in the streets; learning how people interacted with one another.   Other than just being in the neighborhood I spent a lot of my time volunteering in my community. This led me to the creation of my program, MANHOOD, which is designed to help young men get back on track. While I took a lot of initiative in high school to start the school newspaper, hold a position on the student government, be a member of National Honor Society, and be the captain of my Varsity tennis team, I quickly began to become motivated by these thing to get people from my community involved and only saw these things as ways for me to network with other people and get me in into a top college.