Rebuild.Inform.Grow. by Shayna

Rebuild.Inform.Grow. by Shayna - June 2020 Scholarship Essay

Today, June 6th, 2020, I am sitting down, a white, queer female, to write to you while my best friend, a queer African American female, walks in protest for justice. I have always been an advocate. As a child, I wore a baby polar bear shirt that said “save the planet” and started a fundraiser for clean water for Charity Water. I was the only girl in an all-boys baseball league, and I grew up being labeled as “special” and “unique.” Raised by a single mother, my grandpa, a litigator for Skadden, Arps, was the most incredible man in my life and I wanted to do everything to be like him. ​The day he died, the room was still and quiet, yet my mind was overcrowded with noise. As I glanced at my grandpa on his deathbed, vision blurry with tears, I thought about every moment we’d spent together. The man breathless in front of me had taught me everything I’d known and I had no idea how I would live without him. I remembered every baseball game he’d coached, every trip we’d taken together, our long motorcycle rides through mountains, and how no matter what, he never gave up on me. When I said my final goodbye to him, I swore that I would work as hard as possible to continue to make him proud.
Today, a twenty-three year old with an Honors degree and admittance to Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, it is my duty to use my life to make a difference. My best friend, whom I previously mentioned, is the co-founder of my nonprofit, The R.I.G.(Rebuild.Inform.Grow.), and we work tirelessly together everyday to help others by bringing fitness to at-risk communities. I have NEVER felt more of a responsibility than I do now to use my privilege, as a white person attending law school, to make an impact. I am not rich, or spoiled, or lazy; but I am privileged. I am lucky that I can attend class everyday or walk my dogs without fearing for my safety. It sickens me to my core to know that my best friend can’t say the same. I have always dreamt of pursuing social work and child advocacy, but as I sit in this world of injustice, fear, inequality, and sadness, I want to be part of the beauty and strength. As a law student and future lawyer, I want to be a voice for those who are silenced. I want to make social work a part of legal work and be an attorney who practices with heart and dedication, and not just by following the books. This money would not only change my world, but allow ​me t​o change the worlds of people like my best friend. I don’t want to just be an advocate anymore; I want to be a change-maker, ally, listener, and fighter. And I truly can not do it without your generous support.