It’s been (unbelievably) five years since I graduated [HS]2. Five years ago I was a youngin’ looking to finish off high school strong, graduate, head off to one of ten or so colleges that Betsy’s superb college counseling helped me to narrow in on, major in computer science, and make some amazing friendships and memories along the way. Five years have brought many twists and turns that I couldn’t have predicted, but that I more often than not felt prepared for as a result of the solid foundation and guidance afforded me by [HS]2.
At [HS]2 I learned the immensely valuable life lesson of following my deepest passions, wherever they lead me. For example, my love and commitment to mother earth and healing started on the banks of the Crystal River and the hikes up Red Hill and Sopris, where I was first exposed to understanding ecological health, watersheds, and so much more during [HS]2. Since graduating from the program in 2016, I have finished up two undergraduate bachelor’s degrees from Stanford University in African & African American Studies and Human Biology. Academically, I concentrated on health and development within marginalized communities as well as ancestry, intersectionality, and the arts. As a graduating senior this past year I was awarded the Tom Ford Fellowship in Philanthropy, where I’m currently leveraging my perspective and passions to support Black and Indigenous community organizations through campaigns around reparations in America, climate change action, and food justice. I’m hoping that my journey will continue to build my capacity to support community revitalization and reimagination. I see a landscape in this country where Black and Brown communities have access to holistic health: clean air, abundant greenery, locally sourced organic foods, safe streets, thriving learning centers, and traditional modalities of healing.
[HS]2 first gave me the space to breathe and dream vastly beyond my life experience. I was able to deliver poetry and music at Coffee House, and I have since cultivated my art practices as pathways to my healing and outlets to share inspiration with my communities. As an artist, I create music, poetry, performance, and visual arts inspired by Afrofuturist traditions. Through these means, I hope to continue to relate to my people among the infinite realms of possibility for our futures on this planet and among the stars. I have immense gratitude to share with all the program staff at [HS]2, who instilled a sense of limitlessness in me over the course of those three summers.