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Summer Challenge Personal Statement

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I want to attend Summer Challenge because it gives me the opportunity to get a headstart on preparing for my future. In college, I hope to major in Human Development so that I can understand human behavior and interactions, as well as learn about how we are shaped by our environment. The Boston University Summer Challenge offers unique courses which fit perfectly into the path of study I would like to pursue in the future.
The course which interests me the most at Summer Challenge is Abnormal Psychology. Throughout my life, I have always had an interest in mental health and helping others who are struggling with a mental illness. As a sophomore in high school, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to attend a course provided by the organization teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA) which culminated with my certification in teen mental health aid. After this training, I have been able to support and …show more content…

In tenth grade, my English teacher assigned the class to read the book Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson. The book is Stevenson’s memoir about his experiences as a criminal justice defense attorney, specifically handling cases of inmates on death row and others who have either been wrongly accused or unfairly sentenced. Analyzing this book sparked my interest in reform of the justice system, inspiring me to enroll in the same teacher’s new course for next year: Defining the Vision (DTV). DTV serves as a class surrounding social justice, examining topics such as racism, sexuality, and countless other paths specific to the interests of the student. In this class, I am now beginning to read Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America by James Foreman Jr., a book similar in ideas to Just Mercy. All of this has led me to Summer Challenge’s Criminal Justice course, where I hope to get even deeper insight into our justice system and its

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