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My name is Moriah, I’m more inquisitive than not. Naturally, growing up I had a lot of different interests, ranging from fashion to mathematics; I always had time for a new hobby. There were a lot of art programs that I got into like classical music, band, printmaking, animation, and sewing. This helped me learn how to express myself in ways that made more sense to me. I do remember my favorite pastime though. This was taking photos. Going through them and putting them into photo albums. I loved it, sneaking around the house with my very own camera. I got my first camera when I was a kid as it was a gift from my parents. About a month before I received that gift, I was a patient in the hospital for the first time since my birth. I remember it clearly… I was doing my own thing whilst being watched by my older brothers at home. At the time, I was already embarking to be as independent as I could so I thought that I could make my own tea. No seven year old should really make their own tea without supervision. I did so and just as I was finished, piping hot water spills over my torso, melting my skin off. I had to be rushed to hospital via ambulance after that. Although it could’ve been worse, this is one of my first memories that I probably won't forget.
Getting burnt wasn’t painful. I didn't feel anything due to the fact that my nerves were completely damaged. The following months after that were extremely brutal, having to recover from surgery and heal all my wounds. That experience taught me a lot about patience and endurance. Even now, I’m never sloppy while making tea. Although I had to take a break from school, once I was back, I hit the floor running. During school, I often got bored a lot. I didn’t have many friends growing up and never felt seen by the people around me. I spent most of my time around family members, especially my grandparents and cousins. I have a lot of family in the south so we were always traveling to either Mississippi or Florida. I always loved to see all the nature while spending time on my family's farms. The way the culture was different from in Chicago intrigued me. I already knew as a kid that I wanted to see what else the world had to offer (often returning home with a preoccupied mind); I wanted to explore other environments. I resorted to writing and reading and that’s how I spent the majority of my pre teen years. A passion for poetry grew which I would later be able to showcase during my late years of high school.
Community service and volunteering was a significant part of growing up. For the majority of my pre-teen years, I was in the Girl Scouts. This organization helped me build strong relationships while learning many valuable skills today. My mother dedicated most of her time helping families and partnering with organizations to give what she can. As a default, I spent my time in those spaces too, learning to look out for people. S made sure I knew that it could always be worse, to remain humble and devout. This did and still does inspire me. I developed rage seeing the injustices and lack of resources that our community faced. This work continued into my time as a high school student, volunteering mostly on the south and west side of Chicago. I even was able to work alongside my mother during the pandemic of 2020. I believe these experiences shaped me into who I am now.
I always had a compass during my teen years. The problem was I was never really content as to where it was pointing. One day during my sophomore year, I came across this film called Drylongso. This film was the first time I felt what it feels like to be represented- A young black woman who explores racial injustices using film photography although the older adults in her life didn't believe in what she did, which is something I too felt throughout my teen years. I related to the main character perfectly and she inspired me to do what I want. For the rest of my High School career, I went to a private school on the north side of Chicago. This environment allowed me to develop a completely different perspective on what my city really was, I was able to make art and explore a lot of creative paths. Towards the end of my time there I realized I was unsatisfied with what I was doing. Yes I did want to continue to grow in creative areas, but I really wanted to explore more STEM concepts and I didn’t really do that for my 11th and 12th grade years.
For college, I went to school in Michigan, not too far from Chicago where I grew up. This experience is something that I wouldn’t trade for anything. I started to be more passionate about my education again which made me happy. The anxiety of doing what I love and not what people expected me to do was a mental struggle for me that I endured all my life and I decided not to let this feeling dictate my undergraduate career. I realized that I didn’t have to be Maya Angelou to write or Albert Einstein to want to experiment. I studied here with a concentration of Community and Global Health. I was able to complete the goal of studying abroad and finally leave the US for the first time. My summers making up of journalism projects, photographing and volunteering. Every time I wanted to give up I just thought of my mom and how I needed to become successful for not only myself but her too.
Now I’m a successful professional while still doing what I love. I graduated as a first generation college student. I’m a healthcare worker while still a writer and photographer. I have a few books out there somewhere from my work throughout my undergraduate experience. My life isn’t what I expected it to be when I was younger. I spent a few years working with Médecins Sans Frontières, which was a goal of mine since I was younger. Life is way more calm now and I’m okay with that. Making my own schedule and dedicating a lot of that time to research. I use what I know and the connections that I've built to offer the help that white America hasn’t, never forgetting where and how I grew up.
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I'm taking this class online with the rest of my classmates due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It's interesting to see how my work plays out during this time. Doing this AP was difficult because although I like to write, I hate writing about myself and then having to display it. So this AP was something to endure within itself. I must say it was satisfying having a finished product.
