My parents grew up in Uganda, a country that has gone through many wars and civil unrest. My father lived through some of those wars and experienced a lot of grief. It is fair to say that life has never been easy for either of my parents. Despite all of that, my father managed to go to school and make something of himself. My mother on the other hand wasn't so lucky and didn't get to finish high school. Even if my father went to school for agriculture, the economy was terrible and he had to leave his family behind to go and work in other countries. Due to these circumstances, I didn't get to see much of my father until I was nine years old when we were finally reunited in the USA. Since the education my father got was in a country that is not recognized academically by the USA, my father couldn't get jobs that could support us financially. This meant that both my parents had to constantly work more than 40 hours a week for us to get by. Even when my mother was seven months pregnant she had to work many hours. This meant that I had to raise my younger brother for the most part when he was born. I spent summers taking care of him and during the academic year, I had to come right back home from school to take care of him so that my mother could go to work. Not much has changed since that time other than the fact that my baby brother is no longer a baby and he can now do a lot more for himself. My father also managed to go back to school and get a certificate in nursing so now he can afford to take a day off every week. My father has always spoken about the power of education, specifically the power of getting an American education. That combined with the life we have lived, I grew to believe that education truly was my only way out. I have spent many nights awake fighting to understand subject matters that I didn't understand in class. I did everything my mentors said it would take for me to get into college and that combined with the responsibilities I had at home, I collapsed from exhaustion multiple times. When I finally got into University, I had to find a way to pay for the extra costs not covered by scholarships. I have been working while attending university to cover the cost of everything I need to succeed because I genuinely believe that I am better off because of the education I am getting. Future prospects aside, I have significantly grown as a person due to having access to higher education. I am more aware and know more about the things that matter like social justice and the way others live all around the world. Since I regard education so highly, I have decided to become an educator. It has always been something I enjoy doing anyway. I started by tutoring my younger sister who couldn't stay after school for extra help because no one would be able to pick her up, to now teaching English to adult refugees and immigrants and working in preschool classrooms. Coming to the USA proved to be challenging due to lack of money and my parents not having an American education. This has made me ambitious and I hope that through my hard work, I can earn my degree and be able to provide for myself as well as my family.

As a first-generation student who is also an immigrant, I have gone through a lot of hardships and I've seen others in my same situation also face these same challenges. I realized that so many people need help just like myself but they often can't afford to gain access to what they need. I vowed to help others where I could even if I didn't have much to give. I realized that the most valuable thing in my possession is my time when I discovered that I could volunteer and work at non-profits that serve immigrants and refugees from all different backgrounds. Ever since I had that realization in high school, I have never stopped serving my community and I continue to do so even after I graduate. As I mentioned, it all started in high school when I volunteered for the first time. I've volunteered and worked in non-profits for most of my youth because I've always found it rewarding to give back even when I didn't have much of my own. Through this work, I have been given the honor to educate many. I ran multiple after-school programs where I tutored school-age children, taught English to adults and provided resources and information on important matters such as covid-19 and the vaccine. There are many things that my community isn't educated on, whether it be because of the language barrier or because no one ever took the time to inform them. That is why one day I chose to share my experiences battling with mental health. In many minority communities, mental health isn't taken seriously or is simply brushed aside so many just suffer in silence. I wanted to change this narrative, at least for the people I was working with. After I finished telling my story, I gave out pieces of paper with information on how to seek help and the multiple ways we can all take care of ourselves and each other. I wanted and still want to work toward a future where mental health and mental illness aren't stigmatized. These experiences have led me to realize that I want to be an educator and make an impact. It's not an easy role to fulfill and I have had many moments when I reconsidered what I should do with my future but at the end of it all I always come back to education and teaching because it brings me joy. Being a part of a minority group has taught me that we have to be there for each other in any way that we can. My way of supporting my community is through providing information and education because I strongly believe that knowledge is power. This is because well-informed individuals can then make the best decisions for themselves. I want to empower my people so that they can make decisions they feel good and confident about. Being an immigrant made me realize that we all need each other and that the way American society is currently set up doesn't allow us to easily be in community and help one another. That is why we have to put in the extra effort to not only ask for help but to also offer it. Due to my beliefs surrounding community and taking care of each other, I have decided to study education and become an educator in my community. My experience as an immigrant has awakened a sense of purpose and passion in me. Though life is hard for me and others like me, I can wake up and proudly say that I am working towards the betterment of my life and theirs. I am passionate about what I do and I am proud to be an immigrant.

Free speech has to be one of the greatest reasons why I am glad I attended the University that I did. Brandeis University has great professors and a selection of courses that encourage free speech and open and honest discussions. I feel that I have greatly benefited from the open discussions I've had in my courses and also outside of the classroom. These conversations have allowed me to learn from my fellow peers and in turn, broaden my way of thinking. When it comes to contributing to my intellectual development, I think free speech has done a lot for me in that aspect. This is because my professors and peers are comfortable with sharing their perspectives and the information they possess. There are of course many ideologies out there so sometimes I get to hear someone say something that contradicts what I believe. Sometimes multiple contradicting ideas will be proposed in a singular discussion. This is when my mind goes to work and my critical thinking skills are put to use. This practice of gathering information and then thinking for oneself to determine where you stand is very important and useful. This is something I will need for the rest of my life and free speech creates an environment where the skill of critical thinking can be practiced and improved. In terms of the personal level aspect, I believe that free speech can allow students to further discover who they are. When people are allowed to discuss their ideas freely, there is an opportunity to learn something, whether you end up agreeing or disagreeing. Someone can bring up a topic that resonates with someone else, something they had never heard of or even thought of before. Something that they can now use to identify themselves with. In other instances, someone can learn something new that they now can say is a part of their values. Being more informed of what's out there can allow us to accept or reject ideas that are new to us, which in turn builds and adds to our character. It is essential to preserve this fundamental right because of all the reasons I previously mentioned but also because no one deserves to be silenced. When some are allowed to speak but others aren't, we end up with an unfair society in which some are elevated and others are stepped on. I think we already have enough of that so we should not do anything that would add to that problem. That is why I have chosen fields of study that are based on diversity and sharing of ideas. In the education program, we are taught how to create room for our students to speak freely and question the world openly. We also discuss what methods we believe are best when it comes to teaching among other very important topics. In the East Asian Studies program, we discuss culture, history and what that means for us now. These discussions create a space for students to teach each other about their cultures and what they know about the chosen topics which adds to the information that we have been provided with through textbooks and lectures. Lastly, I am also a part of many cultural clubs that facilitate important discussions involving topics that affect the modern-day person. These club events along with the courses I take have made me gain a newfound appreciation for free speech and the voices and experiences of others.