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Being a mixed black girl with textured hair has never been easy. It's definitely been a journey to get myself to love my hair and not only love it but embrace it. It's crazy to look back and remember all the comments people used to say to me growing up and how it would make me feel. Words hold so much power so its to be mindful of how and when you're using them. Some peoples words caused me to not embrace my culture until my junior year of high school because "braids looked ratchet" on me. Its really important to not take peoples ignorance personally and to embrace who your are. I learned that the hard way but I am glad I figured it out because I couldn't be happier with my natural hair.

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It's really easy to get wrapped up in the bigger things like school, family problems, money, and friends. We are all living in our own individual worlds so it's good to stop, and take a second to appreciate the little things we may take for granted or don't usually give much attention to. This day I took a second to appreciate Chicago's first snowfall of 2023. It feels like the snow we get becomes less and less every year so despite how cold and windy it gets, I am glad I get to experience it.

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I started my freshman year with high expectations for myself where I really wanted to change the narrative from high school to college. I wanted to get the good grades I know I am capable of getting. While I think I have been doing pretty good, It's been getting harder to keep up with the work as the semester gets closer to the end. I find myself having to reflect and hold myself accountable for my actions or priorities. In this picture I decided to cancel plans and make the time to sit down and do the work that needed to be done. I had to hold myself accountable.

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I attended the American Dream Conference Roosevelt University hosted. This particular event they had was called "The Loyola Project". I found this to be a great way of "Keeping Track" with the history of Chicago. Im able to make a lot more sense of the current environment i'm in as I learn about Chicagos History. The Loyola Project did a great job at visually showing the relationship between collegiate basketball and racism. The players who were apart of the team during that time period told their stories and it was quite impactful.

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The Roosevelt women's basketball team went to volunteer at an elementary school where we all divided into different groups and took on different tasks with different grade levels. Through this experience I was able to reflect on my own time in elementary school. It's crazy how I was in elementary school only 8 years ago and the amount of changes there have been within those 8 years. Kids are now learning pronunciation with AI software. A 3rd grade girl actually recommended me this book to read after we had a conversation on different books we liked. It's really amazing to see how one generation differs from the other because I know I wouldn't have been able to have that conversation in 3rd grade.

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Growing up I always knew about my half brother but never got the chance to connect with him until now. Last time I had saw him I was 4 years old and now I am 18 reunited with him again except now he has a daughter and a beautiful wife named CeCe. I learned so much from the brief reunion we had. We actually have so much in common that it's really funny. It's really important to me to keep this connection alive with not only him but with all the new family that comes with him as well. It's never too late to build that connection.

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It was an assignment in our FYS course to get off campus and explore the city until we get to the John Alexander monument. Not only was the walk beautiful but the area that the monument was in was like a little secret world away from the city. Once you enter the park area it was so peaceful and green. The park was filled with flowers, trees and little paths for people to walk. I loved it there. The monument itself was mounted at the top of a hill so it can be shown off. I think it's important to "keep track" and tell historical history through symbols like monuments however it's important we hear as many perspectives and voices possible. It's a shame to see so many of the same perspective all around the city when it comes to our history. Of course, Its getting better and I see more representation everyday. Im excited to see what else the future holds when it comes to historical symbolism.

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"getting comfortable with the uncomfortable" 

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I went out with the Women's Basketball team to volunteer at the special olympics bocce ball tournament. The volunteer position was to be a referee for the several different Bocce ball games happening. I have never played this game before so it definitely had me stepping outside of my comfort zone and getting comfortable with the uncomfortable. I had to be open minded and accepting of any help or criticism given to me. The players were also very helpful and I had a great time despite it being something that I was hesitant to do from the beginning. Great things come when you embrace the discomfort.

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Starting new all over again from school, work, place to live and even the food I eat. I learned that "Community" is super important. I was lucky enough to come to Roosevelt with a support system already put in place for me. My college experience would not be the same without the Women's basketball team. They keep me on track with school, social experiences and so much more. It's been super fun and I wouldn't change it for anything.

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Every few weekends I find myself commuting back and forth from Downtown to my hometown by taking the Metra. This is me "Keeping Track" of my personal affairs by attempting to balance my connection with family and my work at school. This is important to me because family and school are all big parts of my life and affect me greatly as a person.