I do not know that many adults in my personal life that work in the medical field, except for my aunt. As a female born into an African American family, the aspect of working in the medical field was not particularly pushed on me either. Despite that, I have always felt a pull to medicine since childhood; as my aunt, a pediatric doctor, served as my role model. I aspire to go into the biomedical field to try to discover more about disease and life so I can improve the lives of others out in the world. While I do have this aspiration, it feels that it is not as attainable because of the lack of representation in that field. Even while researching colleges, or articles about biomedical science, I scarcely see photos of people that look like me--even if they share the same race, they would not be an African American woman. If you cannot see yourself doing something, then you will be more likely not to do it; this is the same with the healthcare field. This idea itself may also be why diversity within the medical field is a little low; if the African American youth do not see themselves in the field, then they may not pursue a degree in that field--therefore, the diversity remains low. Diversity in healthcare is extremely important to me, because it means that, with others of the same race, a young person can feel safe in the fact that they will be comfortable in their job--and may even be able to be friends with coworkers because of similar backgrounds. Greater diversity will give me the sense that while I may feel accomplished that I have achieved my dream career, there will be something to keep me going--the fact that I am not alone and singled out in my work. In addition to the general issue of lack of diversity in the medical field, the wage gap is also an issue because it can also discourage youth from entering the field. If the Black youth are not addressed in a manner equal to that of how the white youth are addressed, why would the Black youth even put themselves in a position where they would continue to be treated unequally? The system itself was made to be a barricade against African American growth, and I think now--after 400 years--it is (and has always been) the time to break down that barricade and address our current societal problems in order to improve the lives of not just African American people, but also other people of color. Being able to increase that diversity gives us youth the chance to be seen, and therefore a part of improving lives across the country.

Throughout the entire series of "The Summer I Turned Pretty", it was always an internal battle of whether I rooted for Jeremiah or Conrad. Sometimes I would even root for both, and other times I would root for anyone but them. My history of watching other shows and movies that were a romance or a romantic comedy also helped me to essentially decide whose side I am currently on going into the fourth season. Simply put, I am team Conrad. While I was not consistent with this side due to the ups and downs of Conrad and Belly's relationship, it ultimately brought me life as I continued to watch for what would happen next throughout the show. Belly has been 'in love'--or infatuated, in my opinion--with Conrad since childhood, but that feeling has gotten its chance to grow into actual teenage love, once it was reciprocated. As a teen myself, my friends and I have always viewed teenage love, or puppy love, as special--it contained a special kind of naivety and carelessness that wasn't shared, in my opinion, by the love between adults that is shown in other romance series or movies. I got the chance to see that love through both Conrad and Jeremiah, but it was only shown in a special way when Belly and Conrad were together. Their love appeared to be special and lasting, as shown in the special moment when Conrad and Belly visited the summer house and got the chance to do cliche couple things such as playing in the snow and drinking hot chocolate together while bundled up on the couch. Conrad and Belly's relationship's ups and downs were also realistic and entertaining to watch. Realistically, people don't watch a romance just for its healthiness, but they watch it for the journey and the drama that happens in the middle. That is also what attracted me so much to Conrad and Belly's relationship. Their relationship was, and still is, very rocky, but it encourages the watcher to continue watching because of the teenage drama. While Belly is with Jeremiah, is it still hinted throughout the scenes that Conrad is still on Belly's mind; meaning that she never stopped loving him. The opposite does not happen though; when Belly is with Conrad, she thinks of Jeremiah as a brother figure, and treats him as a friend. Shown throughout all the scenes before Belly and Jeremiah kissed in the pool, it is apparent that Belly did not give Jeremiah a second thought in terms of their romantic potential. While my stance may change when the fourth season of "The Summer I Turned Pretty" comes out, I stand firmly with Conrad because of the spice that he brings when he is with Belly. Frankly, Belly and Jeremiah's relationship is very bland, in my opinion, which also leads me to side with Conrad. Belly as a person should also reevaluate her decisions when it comes to protecting her peace, because while she experiences great moments with both Conrad and Jeremiah, it has slightly harmed her mental and social health so far.

"The Office" was a show that had me entranced to the core; I would watch it whenever I had the free time and would even procrastinate some things to watch the show. Considering that, I did grow to favor and resonate with some characters, while not liking others as much. Throughout the entire show, I have always liked Pam--and even felt like I could connect with her. I empathized with her while she was in her stagnant relationship with Roy, as she remained with him even though there were apparent red flags, out of love and hope that Roy would finally step up and be the man she deserved. It was like my own hope, as I remained in a few toxic friendships out of my love for that person, and hope that it was simply a 'rough patch' to get through. Even so, the show matches my own humor, and brought me to a different view of how dynamics at an office workplace could work. Michael's scenes were a hard watch sometimes, especially during the dinner scene with Jan, Pam, Jim, Angela, and others. Other times, though, Michael brought great humor to some scenes, such as in the second episode of the first series, Diversity Day. While the show includes endless scenes of irony and sarcasm that encourage the watcher to think through certain jokes, the blunt humor throughout the show is something I adore the most--particularly when Jim and Dwight go through another one of their prank wars. "The Office" taught me that workplace dynamics weren't as boring as I once thought they were; it can introduce you to lifelong relationships that would bring you to your own happy ending. Workplace dynamics can also include fun, and while the people still must get work done, they are still able to enjoy their time with one another through the weekly meetings, pranks, and holiday 'parties'. Overall, after watching "The Office", I don't look at office jobs the same way I have before; I no longer assume that it's repetitive and boring--instead I wonder more about what experiences the workers may have had together that may resemble the tight-knit bond that is shared between the characters of "The Office".

I remember first watching Minecraft on YouTube. Nostalgia to me always included the feeling of either going on YouTube to watch Minecraft or playing it on a tablet. I can still name some YouTubers, though not as well: Stampy, DanTDM, and one couple (though I can't remember their names). I also, sometimes, got the chance to play Minecraft at the public library: there was a website you could access that would allow you to play it for free. Safe to say, I was obsessed--I would find any way to play it, and if I couldn't, I would just watch it. When I would play Minecraft, it was all about building. I barely played on the modes that included the monsters, as I was still a young child that was somehow very scared of the creepers and baby zombies (they were super-fast). Sometimes I would follow tutorials out of the Minecraft building book that I managed to get from a book fair at school, and other times I would build out of imagination or inspiration from a YouTube video. I would build anything: mansions, underground hideouts, and even schools. With creative mode, I had access to every single building block in the game I could think of. Quartz tended to be my favorite, as it gave off a clean look throughout whatever building I made. Otherwise, I would play survival mode--in peaceful. I would occupy my free time by chopping down trees, exploring caves, and building a base for myself. I admit; sometimes I would cheat to get ahead in the game. Sometimes I would give myself diamonds, other times I would give myself materials necessary to enter the End, or the Nether. All in all, I don't know if I can say there was a specific activity that was a favorite of mine; maybe it was building. My mother always described me as a curious child; one that always annoyed her by asking "Why?" all the time. I wouldn't stop until I got an answer, too. Minecraft was, and still is, a very special game because it was simple but endless. Minecraft enabled me to let my curiosity run free, and all I had to do was build.

I do not know many adults in my life that work in the STEM field. As a female born into an African American family, the aspect of working in the STEM field was not particularly pushed on me either. While my father was a plumber and engineer, he passed away at a young age--impacting how I would be influenced in terms of future career options. Despite that, I have always felt a pull to medicine since childhood; that would be my introduction to STEM. I aspire to go into the biomedical field to try to discover more about disease and life so I can improve the lives of others out in the world. While I do have this aspiration, it feels that it is not as attainable because of the lack of representation in that field. Even while researching colleges, or articles about biomedical science, I scarcely see photos of people that look like me--even if they share the same race, they would not be an African American woman. If you cannot see yourself doing something, then you will be more likely not to do it; this is the same with the STEM field. This idea itself may also be why diversity within the STEM field is low; if the African American youth do not see themselves in the field, then they may not pursue a degree in that field--therefore, the diversity remains low. Diversity in STEM is extremely important to me, because it means that, with others of the same race, a young person can feel safe in the fact that they will be comfortable in their job--and may even be able to be friends with coworkers because of similar backgrounds. Greater diversity will give me the sense that while I may feel accomplished that I have achieved my dream career, there will be something to keep me going--the fact that I am not alone and singled out in my work. In addition to the general issue of lack of diversity in the STEM field, the wage gap is also an issue because it can also discourage youth from entering the field. If the Black youth are not addressed in a manner equal to that of how the white youth are addressed, why would the Black youth even put themselves in a position where they would continue to be treated unequally? The system itself was made to be a barricade against African American growth, and I think now--after 400 years--it is (and has always been) the time to break down that barricade and address our current societal problems in order to improve the lives of not just African American people, but also other people of color. The STEM field is incredibly massive, and being able to increase the diversity in that field opens African Americans to endless opportunities for growth. Being able to increase that diversity encourages the youth, including me, to take a glance of what working in that field might offer. Being able to increase that diversity gives us youth the chance to be seen, and therefore a part of improving lives across the country. I hope that, for the future, I will get the chance to teach my own children about the STEM field because it will no longer be a distant dream for them; instead it will be a possible reality.