September 2021 Scholar Blog

My name is Danielle and I am a part of Wake Forest University’s College LAUNCH for Leadership program in Winston-Salem. During our September Summit, I was able to do some more in-depth college searching using a BigFuture feature on the College Board website. While using the BigFuture college search, I was able to put in filters such as majors I am interested in, location/region, campus activities/sports, campus size and so many other important factors when looking for a college that aligns with what I want. I really enjoyed this opportunity to learn new things about colleges I was already interested in, as well as learn about new colleges that had the specifications that I am looking for. Through this activity, I was able to gain more knowledge as to the requirements needed to get into certain colleges and how my current academic status compares to those requirements. 

At the September Summit, our social justice topic of the meeting was focused on socio-economic challenges that certain groups may experience. My breakout room was given the task of discussing systemic injustices that Racial or Ethnic Minorities face. Through our discussion, my group was able to come up with some of the challenges this group faces including systematic racism & injustices in education, workforce discrimination, lack of access to financial literacy, higher incarceration rates, and laws that impact voting rights. I enjoyed this discussion because it was something that I could personally relate to as a member of a racial minority group myself. I also enjoyed hearing other breakout rooms discuss challenges their assigned group may face as well. Hearing how different someone may experience life based on things they may or may not be able to change was eye-opening and expanded my perspective.