Hi, Meleah.

- Hi.

Why did you choose Beacon?

I chose Beacon because they have a really good education and I know that they can help you, get to a better school and have a better, more successful life than you would've had before.

How do you feel about Beacon Academy right now?

It's hard.

It's different.

It's like Different how?

A lot more work.

They expect a lot more from you and they trust you more.

How do you feel emotionally?

Emotionally?

Um, that I'm finally challenged than I used to be in my other school.

What would you like to accomplish this year?

In the next five years and in the next 10 years?

This year, I wanna accomplish getting into a school.

In the next five years, I hope to get into Harvard.

And in the next 10 years, I hope that I'm a journalist.

Next five years, um, finish high school and definitely get into college.

Next 10 years, um, make money, have a great family and stuff.

Mm-hmm.

What motivates you?

What motivates me?

Um, my mom.

Why?

'Cause I, she - 'cause I'm doing this for her and making her proud.

Makai seriously, you're gonna miss your train.

Today you have to get all your work for, um - tomorrow - for the weekend because, I told you - I already have all my English ready.

Okay.

I hated Beacon.

You can't love something that's hard at first.

Three trains about two hours, two and a half hours.

That's on the way here.

I take the commuter rail, then I get on the red line, then I get on the green line.

This essay, man.

What prompt did you pick?

It's not really a prompt.

We just have to get the baseline.

She said she's gonna give us a question.

Oh my God.

I had to rewrite my whole thing 'cause it was more than one page.

And then I wrote it too small now.

So right now we're in study hall and a lot of people are studying for the math finals, probably either math or facing history, because those are like our main two things that we have finals in tomorrow.

I know I'm not too good when it comes to maps and stuff, but hopefully later when I'm done studying, it'll be, it'll be a lot easier for me.

All right, the first 10 minutes is up.

At my old school, the Gardner, it was kind of hard to fit in with everybody else because the cool thing was not doing your work and getting F's.

In the future, I wanna be able to see some of my old friends from Gardner and say, I just graduated Harvard, I'm about to go to grad school and become a journalist, and I'm probably gonna write my own book.

I live with my mom, my sister, and her baby.

I remember every time the guidance counselor would ask me, oh, are you sure your mom wants to do this?

I'd be like, yeah, even though she really didn't want me to do it.

<laughter> But just wait until March 10th when all those letters come in.

She's gonna be, she's gonna be a little bit happier, if I get accepted.

I don't know.

Prob- hopefully.

I think, um, hm.

I don't know.

Hopefully.

I don't even know why my teacher recommended it for me, actually, 'cause honestly, I wasn't that good of a kid in her class, great of a kid, I used to be like the main class clown in her class.

A couple weeks before I graduated she was like, I found this program called Beacon Academy, and I think you'll do well I think you'll, you can do well in it.

I'm the only one telling I'm only telling you because I think you're really smart and a bright kid.

So guys, we have, I think we have time for one presentation.

Exavion was that the last one- Exavion?

Oh, we're not done yet?

Exavion's gonna present The Trap.

I forgot how to say the, um, author's name.

Um, Malia, I think, Melanie Raabe.

And this book's called The Trap.

And there's a caption on the front that says, I know who killed my sister, I wrote this book for him.

The author is um - author - whatever how you say it.

<laugh> Exavion, just say author.

Author.

And her sister died, got killed 12 years ago and she hasn't been out her house ever since her sister died for 11 years.

Whoa.

So she has like PTSD or something?

Yeah, something like that.

It's just like every time she sees something that <inaudible> through her sisters death she panics.

The only part, I think only connected to with her was like, uh, just like how her sister died and how my mother died.

But that was like the only connection.

But I won't go like that crazy and like get depressed and go to my house and not come back out for 12 years.

I live with my grandma because my mom lost me when I was younger.

Not lose me, like, just lost custody of me.

Bye Nana.

<whistling>.

My mom died last year.

I haven't seen her since this is eight, it'll be nine years.

No, I was in fourth grade at the time, supposed to be going in ninth grade.

Five years.

Haven't seen her since in five years.

Or hear her voice, really.

Right, but it's important to recognize that this actually existed in the suburbs.

A lot of white people grew up in a home exactly like what's depicted in the Dick and Jane story.

Like there were problems obviously, but um, they had like a nice yard and a dog and a cat and had ample food.

Things like that.

Mm-hmm.

That would all be accurate.

What you picture like a modern white family to be like, and like, they're always happy and they're like, even when things like are bad, like the dog trying to eat the pie, they're always happy.

Think it's very cheesy.

Okay.

Like 'Sally, come here, come get Puff.'

<giggles>.

Well, I think that's important though.

That's part of the childhood idyllic nature of the book is they have their innocence and they're able to just play.

But for, for me, my mom would just be like, go to the room.

I'll wait for you.

She'd say it in Spanish, <laughter>.

She'd be like, <speaking Spanish> <laughter> How about you guys?

Whenever you see these like children's books with everybody happy and the perfect family, you know, perfect suburban family or whatever.

I never see like a Black family.

<whipser> Facts.

There's never a perfect Black family.

So I, I think one way to think about this is when you're a child, whatever you see you think is normal until you start to see other things.

<student chatter> I wanna go to freaking Rhode Island for St. Georges.

I thought school was the best school in the world.

I was like, wait, what?

There's other schools?

It's called Williston Northampton - Oh, Dana Hall.

- It's at Newport.

That's such a good location.

Let's put our homework away.

As you know, we received your SSAT scores for the October SSAT.

And we're gonna talk about that momentarily.

- Should we just hand them out and then ask for reactions, maybe?

- Yeah.

Wanna look at imaginary scores today?

I kinda don't wanna flip it over.

Where's Marianne?

Pass it face down to Marianne please.

Wes Dog.

Hey kids, if you're getting it and you don't know how to understand it.

- Jer Bear - If you look in the, um, the column that says student percentile, that's comparing you to all the other eighth graders who took the test that day.

Terrible, terrible.

I, I improved a lot, but I improved 50 percent, but it was so low that it's still low.

Um, I had a 17, like percent.

Yeah.

That's terrible.

That's, that's like a Z, not even an F. That's a Z. I see a lot of sad faces.

This test isn't really fair guys, but It's not.

It's so important.

There are exactly two of you with a score above the 50th percentile.

You are competing with students who will score, - Mr. Nett, probably between 90 and 98?

- Yeah.

- Have they seen these?

- Yes, they have them.

This is disappointing.

Look at this guy, though.

This is shit.

But just think too about his reaction, he looks for a split second and it means so much to him.

It does, because you know, these, these, they're not everything.

They're not everything, but they mean a lot.

Tell me about what happens during SSAT prep.

Honest, this is honesty time.

What happens?

Go ahead, Meleah and then Mike.

Well they try to teach us a lot, but mainly not a lot of people in the class are listening.

Or at least in my class.

They're not listening, and you're just playing around.

Interesting.

Like, we're not supposed to try to bring other people down.

Mm-hmm <affirmative>.

So it gets really complicated and we end up wasting all of our time just from arguing.

Thank you for being honest.

I know how hard it is to get into these schools, but I know how valuable it is.

Not just money.

It's not just that you're earning like a quarter of a million dollars in scholarship.

That's not it.

It's, it's what comes next.

So when you dick around an SSAT class, you're basically saying, you know, I can get by without this.

Raise your hand if you've half-assed the homework, don't worry.

You know, don't be shy.

- Halfassing the homework.

- It's honesty time.

Yeah, it's okay.

It's all right, today.

Should we have lower expectations for you?

Absolutely not.

I've got a box in my office where I keep the golden tickets that we gave you.

Remember those, those golden tickets you got?

Well the box is on my desk if you need to return it, you just come, you just come and return it.

No, there'll be no hard feelings.

You can just go off and take your ass back to public school.

I love public school, but this ain't it.

The good news is, what is the good news?

There's still time to change this.

You could all move up.

There's wonderful schools all over Boston, great teachers.

The challenges faced by educators in the public school system here in this, in this urban area preclude them from having access to some of the resources that, you know, if you just go into very close suburbs, um, the teachers enjoy.

Suburban kids in Massachusetts just do better.

So we're looking to find kids who can be competitive with those suburban kids.

A lot of the kids who get forgotten, those are Beacon kids, but you've gotta make them believe that they're entitled to the same level of education that people of privilege get access to.

US News and World Reports is revealing its inaugural list of the best US states this morning, and the best state in the nation is, drum roll please, Massachusetts.

Brian, what is Massachusetts doing right that we could all learn from?

Well, I mean Massachusetts is a terrific education system.

Both higher ed, you know, Harvard, MIT, that whole crowd and, and K-12.

I mean the, the test scores outta Massachusetts are really good.

If I went to public school, I would probably be at Brockton High.

There were two days at the beginning of the year where 12 kids got arrested.

If I was in my other school, I'd probably been into a fight or something by now, probably suspended.

Be like, one of those cool kids.

But one that not learning nothing at all.

I'm just gonna read who increased and who decreased in order of best to worst.

Marianne, then Adelis, then Exavion, then Teejay, then Adrian, then Makai, then Stalin, then Meleah, then Kash.

I would've went to Brighton High.

But I was probably going to get bullied.

Like the police has to like check you in every day and I really don't wanna do that.

I have a 2-year-old sister.

If I do this correctly and I am able to create a successful path I want her to look at me as a role model.

My parents, they didn't have a great education so I know that I have to do better.

Once you come to Beacon everything hits you, it's like whoa, like I never learned that back in public school.

I'm the first in my family to actually pass middle school.

My mom's always wanted me to do everything she couldn't so she's always stressed education for me.

- Should I put that down?

- When did you get suspended?

- Fourth grade, a lot.

- Really?

- Yes.

- Ooh, he admits his past.

- What did you do?

- Let's not talk about that <laughter>.

- What did you do in fourth grade?

- Did it involve the Burger King parking lot?

- No, it didn't involve nothing, - it just involved teacher, hands, bleach.

- Teacher, hands, bleach?

- Yeah I told my teacher I'd spray bleach in his eye, yeah.

You what?

What'd you do?

- Sp- sprayed bleach in my teacher's eye.

- Why?

What'd the teacher do?

- On purpose?

- What'd the teacher do?

I don't know.

I was, kind of had loose, loose screws back then.

<laugh> - Alright, well yeah, don't mention that.

- Okay.

I think they're asking mainly like...

The first semester I didn't do my homework and I kinda came in bad, but now I do most of my homework.

I really didn't miss like one class with no homework done, this semester.

Even if it got me staying up til 12 o'clock, 1 o'clock at night trying to finish.

- Or like a lot of these kids who scored really, really poorly, - Uh-huh have like a natural sense for they can just make a sentence.

And I look at Exavion's sentences and it's like fascinating, - 'cause it's just like, - I think... - there's so many thoughts in there, but he just doesn't understand grammatically how a sentence comes together.

<Mmm> - It's just totally - like he missed the whole grammar portion of school - Yeah - or something - Like he just used ge- - There is no grammar in school - he used gerunds, like...

There isn't any grammar in school.

He has a, Wesley has a C in writing - which has been pretty consistent.

- He also cried this morning.

He was, when I saw him, when he came in, he was pretty, - he didn't look good at all.

- Mm-hmm <negative>.

- Wesley, Adelis, Karim.

- I'm also worried about, um, Angelica.

I'm a little worried also.

It's incumbent upon us at this point to figure out how to make her more successful.

- That's, that's why I'm bringing it up.

- Okay.

There's Angelica.

So listen sweetheart, okay.

I'm gonna just shoot straight with you.

I'm gonna be incredibly direct with you.

We asked you to come in the middle of the year because we believed that you have the star power and the, the strength to catch up and fly.

But right now what I'm hearing from your teachers is that you are only at about 60 percent of your max strength.

Now, my assumption is that you don't know what your max strength is because you've never had to work to be successful.

If you need help, you email Mr. Serrao.

Same with Mr. Nett.

Don't sit at home and not do something 'cause you don't know.

Okay, Chiquita?

Alright.

'Cause now we've told you, so now we're just gonna be brutal.

The smiles are over, for now.

Deal?

Mm-hmm <affirmative>.

- You should feel special.

- You are.

I like this essay.

I was like happy with it when I was done and I don't even think it's done yet.

BLS was my dream school.

The Windsor School.

I'm like, wait, wait.

So what schools do you have on your list?

I'm confused.

I have Milton, Dana, Nobles, Williston Northampton.

What is that?

Um, it's in Northampton.

Really?

- I don't know where that is.

<laugh> - Is that Massachusetts?

- It's it - Um, well for Williston Northampton mines is about how I feel how I used to feel pressured by like education, how I kind of lost purpose in doing it.

- Little dark <laugh> - That's not you, Meleah.

- Yeah, but the thing is mine stands out.

- 'cause like they're gonna cry.

- Yeah, I know, they're gonna You're supposed to have them like wanna like <chatter> not like contemplate their jobs.

- My <laughs> - of coure you gotta be all emo No, I, Williston Northampton lets me do 6,000 characters, okay.

I just had to describe how like I'm not sad anymore.

I kind of doubt myself.

I didn't realize that until I did applications.

So Mervan wanted us to select two kids, one girl, one boy for a 10 day trip to South Africa with Meadowbrook.

With Mervan as well I believe.

- For two kids to just like randomly be selected I feel like it's such a big deal.

- Yeah - Oh, I'm going to South Africa now.

Wow.

- And they won't get it because of their developmental age.

Can we narrow it down to like a list of four to six that I could show Mervan and see what he thinks if he has preferences?

- Sure.

Because he may, like you said, be drawn to - Yeah.

Three girls and three boys.

- So, um, Anaya, - Teejay - Quinton.

- Quinton.

<affirm> - He's Ugandan.

- um - Makai If he can be nice like I love him and he's not nice to the other kids.

He did it today.

He made a comment about Kents Hill in front of Davida and in front of Quinton and in front - about how their sports teams were terrible and like all this awful stuff.

And I'm like, so what, Makai?

If Exavion goes to Kents Hill and he's the most athletic kid there, good for him.

- Right.

- He's hurting.

- Captain of the soccer team.

Yeah, Ma- he's lashing - like it was really crappy.

How did he respond when you addressed it?

He was like, I wasn't trying, and I was like, but I want you to think about what you said.

I'm the only kid from Brockton that tried to come to Beacon, so the only person that I was really close with outside of Beacon he passed away last week.

Oh my gosh.

Yeah.

So.

The family of a 14-year-old hit and killed while riding his bike is speaking out.

Djalo's family says he was incredibly bright and today was set to begin sophomore classes though he's just 14 years old.

He dreamed of a future in computer science.

This was my best friend.

This is like the person I was closest with.

This weekend I feel like it impacted me negatively.

I didn't get to finish my homework too much because I tried to stay outta the house and not think about it, 'cause my house is right here and his house is right here so so even just walking outta the house, you see his house you just think about it and it just, it sucks.

Besides like work and stuff like that, I think this is gonna be like the hardest thing to work through.

I looked at this today and I noticed that some of you have been keeping up quite nicely with your trackers.

Others of you have not been doing so well with it.

I'm not, I don't mean to break your balls about this, but keep these trackers current.

Remember we're not grading these applications.

The schools are.

Were we grading them, yes, we would chase you down, but we're not.

And after January 15th for most schools it's too late to make a change.

You cannot allow yourself to let a weekend go by without you getting everything done anymore.

You guys need to seek excellence.

Exceptionalism.

You need to be selfish about this education business, competitive about these applications.

More competitive.

Get that tracker straight, fill it in.

So next time I open it it'll make some sense, looks like you actually give a rat's ass, okay?

Get to work.

Did you do any application that's, um, SAL?

- There is no actual name for it - You already did it?

These are just the schools.

These are the days they're due.

My next one's St. Seb's.

That's the next one that I have.

Then I have 1, 2, 3, 4 due on January 15th.

Uh, I like Dublin school, which is in New Hampshire 'cause that's the only school that has a recording studio And I like, um, rapping and making music and I think that was going to bring me at least a little more closer into doing more of that.

Adrian.

Where's Adrian?

Just seeing the opportunity that I have and the schools I can go to is just amazing.

I wanna go to school that has a good amount of diversity.

I know like some schools, their diversity is like 17% and that's, that's my SSAT score.

It's not good.

Getting outta the negatives.

Why don't we start with the forward?

Morrison chooses a small Black girl because small Black girls are the most vulnerable, susceptible and delicate type of people to have their self-esteem die due to the dehumanization of their race.

Anything people want to add to that?

You know, young Toni Morrison realizes that her friend has no appreciation of her own natural beauty.

So it's really weird and creepy to her that this friend of hers wants blue eyes.

Her friend says she wanted blue eyes and that made her like mad and stuff.

Why?

Because she was very black skinned, blue eyes wouldn't look <laughs> nice on her I guess.

- That <chatter> - that's why she's so upset about it?

It pushes down her own self-esteem 'cause she's Black also.

So she's like, Oh I'm not beautiful then 'cause I'm Black?

And then she's like, I don't have blue eyes either so is that - she said that it brought her down also.

Like with, um, her experience was like her friend saying that she wanted blue eyes.

That um, like people have a messed up version of what they consider beautiful.

So I think that's what she's trying to say.

Toni's friend was probably persuaded, like Toni was just thinking, why was she thinking that blue eyes's make her automatically more beautiful than what she already is?

- Mm-hmm <affirmative>.

So like she was probably thinking that someone probably told her that, oh, like not told her, like the Dick & Jane stories, how like everyone has blue eyes and, well not everyone, but most people have blue eyes, perfect family, stuff like that.

So she probably thought if she has that she was gonna be perfect just like in the stories.

Mm-hmm <affirmative>.

Angelica.

It was in a way like trying to demonstrate how, how much the idea was stressed and believed that like at that time that that was beautiful and like the fact that that's something that could be found in a Dick & Jane book was scary to me because it was like those were given to children of all descent.

So they were in a way programming children from colored backgrounds to think that that was the highest possible way of living.

That if, it didn't look like that, that there's something wrong with them, resulting in self, resulting in self hatrid, which is in a way what her friend felt when she wanted blue eyes.

That was deep.

Very deep, very perceptive.

- She just put on a clinic right there.

- Good job Angelica.

Where she's trying really consciously to elevate Black speech.

And she says also at the beginning that she's trying to create little connections between um, her and her community of readers that only, um, Black people would get.

Because if you think about what she's saying is at the beginning there's all these messages that she's gotten from larger white culture and she's trying to say at the same time, um, she wants to celebrate Black culture and create another voice in the discussion that's happening.

Stalin.

- I'm going to say to add on...

This essay got me shook.

You don't have to, we don't have to say what speech it is.

Just go like this <taps computer key>.

<reading> When it was my turn to speak, I decided to speak about something my mother had told me.

Because it's in the past from where the story is happening.

Right?

The past.

- Had told me that - That logic.

- No, come on, we learned this.

No.

Yes, but I still find it weird.

Like the whole thing is happening in the past, and then that event was more - but there's more past past - was more in the past.

So it's the past past.

But it makes sense.

But it's still like, it's weird to follow.

It's like there's past, but there's more past to it.

But you get it right?

- Yes.

- Okay.

Make sure someone looks at it.

You have some run-ons and some random capitalization.

- Okay.

Before you submit it.

- Alright.

- But the cap, the uh, content's good.

Whom would you choose to honor and why?

It's completely outta context.

Who would you honor?

Michael Jordan.

Uh, MLK.

So it has to be an alum.

There's like the son of Henry Ford in there for example.

Here.

What's the number?

- I have it.

- Good.

I'll call.

Is that your phone?

- Yeah.

Hotchkiss school admissions office <inaudible name> speaking.

<speaks in a nasely voice> Good afternoon, um I was calling because um, my son and I are trying to work through an application, um - Mm hmm <affirmitive> and I just had a question about one of the questions on the application.

Hopefully you could help me.

In question number two, um, think it's a great question.

Uh, Hotchkiss has a tradition in which the head of school declares a holiday in <silent laughter> honor of an alumnus, and it asks us whom would we choose to honor and why.

And is the, is the, is the point here to have the student think about a, a graduate of the school or, or is it something less contextual and uh, just someone in general who they would choose to honor.

- You see Victor I told you.

- And um, so yeah, I mean it's really.

Perfect.

Perfect.

Anyway, thank you so much for your time.

Alright, take care.

Thank you.

Bye-bye.

<laughter erupts> So we clear now?

Yes.

That makes me clear.

<navigation> Turn right onto Front Street toward Tabor Academy.

- To Tabor Academy!

It's near like nothing, they like leave their bikes outside and stuff without them being locked.

In Boston, like - don't get used to that Like don't go there and come home for the month and then - leave my bike outside or something.

Leave your bike outside because you know it'll be gone.

<laugh>.

Oh, Oh it looks like a little country.

The skyline looks like we're driving up to water, doesn't it?

- We are.

- Are we?

- Yeah - It's on the water?

- Yeah - Are you serious?

That's water right there.

Oh, Makai.

You're going to love this.

I think you're more scared than I am.

I am nervous.

I can't lie.

My stomach's like...

Please have them love him.

I've got the families coming in, okay?

- Ollie - Nice to meet you - is going to be your tour guide.

- Okay, very good.

Ask lots of questions.

Watch the walks.

- Thank you.

- So this is the Fish Center, the athletic center that I mentioned before.

- Okay.

Uh this is where all sports are happening unless they happen on the field around campus.

Like hanging out on the weekends, and... Basketball courts?

Yeah.

It gets pretty rowdy.

I'm sure.

Did, um, you guys are in the ISL, right?

We're gonna be in the ISL next year.

So we just - What are you guys in this year?

- I mean, depends on your sport but there's a lot of different leagues.

So every game's gonna be like an hour away.

- Oh.

This's - it's like a little room and you just sit around the sides, and um, it's called the Black Box.

And that'll count for your credits also.

<speaks softly> ...understatement Kinda snowy out, I wish you could see it - <sighs> Yep My heart hurts I want you to get into that school so bad.

Isn't it a nice school, hun?

- Yeah - March 10th they decide.

It's right around the corner.

Mr. Nett, <inaudible>.

I'm actually gonna read off the words to you.

Instead of printing one out, spell the word correctly and write the definition.

In my eighth grade year, they didn't have very high expectations.

They just expected us to pass through the year.

Tabor was nice, right?

Just getting through Beacon and getting to Tabor.

Right now I don't care about anything else.

If I don't get accepted then I don't know.

I don't know.

I- I don't know.

I- I'm not even gonna think about that.

When I went to Concord, I had like this home feeling.

There's a dining hall that looks like a castle.

Their classrooms are amazing.

<giggles> <giggles> They're just like really big and roomy.

And the Feng Shui looks nice in the science rooms and I'm a weirdo.

<Radio ad in background> I forgot how to do my tie.

- Big one.

Big one which way?

Small one?

All right, so this poem is called The Gap, by me.

You ever think about that sort of privilege gap?

I mean that gap between kids white and kids Black.

I mean mad of these public schools are so damn whack and mad of us urban kids gotta attend that.

We gotta attend schools with 30 kids to a class where you're expected to do very simple tasks where you learn only the basic ABCs and you learn only the basic 1-2-3s.

For urban kids who want a great private school education, Beacon Academy is really the perfect solution.

Beacon's an extra year that opens doors so that privilege gap closes more and more.

<laughter> So I'm talking about, I'm talking about this problem with, um, like privilege and opportunity and how and, and how the only way I can get opportunity is by going to schools in a white neighborhood.

And then all of a sudden I talk about Beacon.

I guess the end sounds more like a sales pitch, like I'm tryna say, oh, Beacon's all this - Perfect, yeah - And I'm sort of like detracting from what I was originally saying in the poem.

So I have to sort of change that up a little.

Name, name one of your Massachusetts senators, duh... - <voices in unison> Elizabeth Warren!

- Um, I have no idea what Brexit is.

- I heard two words so I was like, Czech Republic.

Did we ever talk about that?

It's Great Britain?

Wait, really?

- Yeah, Bre-xit - What?

- Wait what is Brexit?

- What is that?

What is Brexit?

What is it, what is it?

Yes?

The people of Great Britain... - World War I began in the year 19... - <whispers> I don't know.

- Wake up!

- <laughter> 1914 - 14 <clapping> <laughter> ended with the signing of an... <in unison> armistice!

- armistice on... 11th of... - <in unison> November Kash, Kash, look.

Stand right here, right.

Come, right here right here.

I was doing this earlier.

They all look the same.

- Yeah, but when you get closer - it's, they're mad different.

Like these three - like the lines sort of - they're the same but like this one, like if you look in the sky, the skies are different than these two.

- Oh yeah - but this one's like totally different than all of them.

- Yeah I think this one's like the best one.

- No, I think this, I don't like this one.

There aren't a ton of images of African American males in this museum.

We have not been subject, when I say we, I mean African American men have not been the subject of too many, um, fine artists over the centuries, for whatever reasons.

What is going on in this image?

The setting is this large pic- poster of a white family.

I see, uh, mostly African American line next to a poster that says 'there's no way like the American way.'

What more can we say about this, T'Nysha?

- The image is black and white.

The image is black and white.

Thank you.

Say something more about that please.

- This is during like the great depression times - Okay - Because like I learned that like people have to wait in line to get foods for like hours.

I think of it as like kind of like ironic that those people in there like have a car and like then there's these people they have to like get their food in buckets and stuff, so it's just like - Right They're looking for handouts or for free stuff.

Uh, let's hear a couple more and then, then we will move on.

- It says world's highest standard of living - Yes.

Yes.

- They're implying that the highest standard is like living like white people.

- Right.

Say more.

Come on, say more.

This painting is basically this room.

What makes you say that?

Because that's the same statue right here.

- Okay.

- That's the same statue.

- But the angle's from behind the statue.

- Right, right so why don't you go stand right there and take a look at it?

But look at the people too though.

You know, if you look at, if you look at the Sargents and all those kinds of portraits of people and they're all posed up and perfect.

Well look at these normal people, right?

This is a beautiful treatment of normal people.

Look at the older women back there.

The woman to the left.

She could be one of the coaches.

She looks like someone you might know, right?

Elephants aren't from North America.

Well somehow they got - this is - Elephants are like I swear it's like Asia and Africa.

Ever since I was in high school, I went from being in the Bronx, New York, this really difficult school situation.

It was like a, a little bit of the wild west.

One day I went from living there to going to this private boarding school in Rhode Island and all of a sudden landing on - on another, in another galaxy, on another planet.

It was such a shock maybe for me that I, that I- I didn't even focus on how different I was.

I just kind of like, my eyes were so wide, and I just wanted to eat it all up.

And so I try to bring that unreserved passion for the new, for the different, for being new and different.

Yeah.

Yeah.

But it's scary.

Look at, look at their faces.

- Well not like that, it's like, it's like <inaudible>.

Cleavage, they do not care.

Danny's 91.

Um, but the other good news about Exavion, 'cause Mervin just caught me on the way in and he said, um, he said Exavion pulled a Wendy Gomez.

And I said, well please tell me what that means, <laughter> And he said I won't use his language, but basically he said that um, Exavion's SSAT scores were very, very low and he just went from here to here.

- Awesome.

- Oh wow.

- And he said he's gonna have some real different options now as a result.

And I said, well that's great.

We gotta make sure the academic work goes along with - That's great.

- But so I'm really psyched for him.

- Right.

And this is just a little warning, their scores can be frighteningly low.

- Yes.

And they are.

- And so just so you guys know, when we first started Beacon, we were seeing kids when we did the baseline after we took everybody's money to start the school their scores were like ones, fours, under, many of them under 10.

And, I really wondered could we really get kids up to a competitive place to go to these schools?

So we were reassured by admissions directors when we first started Beacon that if kids get to the thirties or the forties or the fifties and they see a trajectory, um, both, you know, in their grades and in these tests that they will consider our kids.

When I asked him how the BB&N interview had gone, he said Thayer had been really fun, it had just been a conversation, but that at BB&N they had asked him really hard questions.

So I said, well what was the hardest question?

And they asked him, uh, what do you like to do in your free time?

What are your hobbies?

And that he had that, that his answer to them had been, I don't have any hobbies.

I just think they need practice.

He, he needs practice to spin it positive to say I just heard Yo-Yo Ma at the symphony and I'd never done that before, and I'd love to - you know, like give, like they need some prepackaged answers.

You know, and more you guys do that with them and own the process of getting them comfortable and ready for the interviews, the better they're gonna be.

'Cause we can do some of it here, but we're talking to like all the kids at once.

You guys are one-on-one and that's so powerful, helping the kids get to that next stage.

I just have this sense with him that there's so many things that are going on.

There's so much bubbling up for him, which is so normal.

He's not even 14.

Like he's right on the cusp of all the stuff that's gonna happen.

- Both have similar issues and there're girl dynamics among eighth graders.

Could you brief us a little bit about what's going on and what we should be sensitive to?

- Sure.

- Um - There's, there are things - I imagine there are lots of things we should know.

- I mean here's one.

Okay, we're all friends here so you know, um, here's a thing that comes up with at least one girl a year here.

Hair girl's hair, getting braids, getting extensions.

Um, it's expensive.

It's very personal.

It's a little awkward maybe, but actually I just think, all the awkward stuff, shove it off the table and let's help you do that, 'cause you go- you're about to go to interviews.

Um, I'm, I'm thinking of Meleah.

- Uh huh <affirmative> I mean, I think, I've already talked to her about it, just sort of... - Does she want it?

- Oh yeah.

- Yes.

- It's actually a really great way to connect with your kid.

- Yeah.

- Okay, thank you for telling me.

- Um, you know so it's just something, but that's one of the things.

- Kay - it's many hours - kind of a sensitive thing, but it actually shouldn't be.

<background> More than enough for everyone, and... You're not cold?

- No, I'm fine.

And the older you get the less surprised you are by it because it happens more often.

<laughes> People say, oh yeah, it's six degrees that's what they mean six degrees of separation.

That funny?

I think we should shop.

I think we should go shop before we run out of time.

Smalls are like up to here.

All the <inaudible> - Do you think this would fit me?

- Yeah it looks nice.

Should we just look at dresses in case there's something for like an interview?

Uhh, I'll look in a second.

Meleah, I feel like this would fit you.

This- this probably would fit you.

This is- - That might work.

The hood's kind of in the way.

- Yeah, you should get that.

That's really cute.

You know what it would be comfortable and soft underneath that sweater you just put- D'you know what I mean?

At private school, I feel like it's gonna be really hard.

Academically I'm probably going to be succ- I'm probably gonna be fine.

But socially might I might not be as fine.

because I've always been so used to being around people of color and even at Gardner I was like one of the only Black students among many Hispanics and maybe one white person.

But I kind of feel like once I go off to private school, I'm gonna feel like how that one white person felt.

Even though she was friends with everybody, she's she was still the minority so, you know, sometimes people would be talking about certain things that she knows that she can't talk about.

- <chatter> This one's smaller it's just black.

Even though she's just trying to fit in.

Oh yeah, that's like the other one you had.

doesn't she look charming, and look it goes with her boots.

- That's really nice.

Wait do any of you guys watch Scream Queens?

<laughs> pink is my color.

There you go.

Is it tight?

- No.

The hood is the problem.

You wouldn't wear it with the hood.

- Yeah.

Oh that's darling.

How's the sleeve length?

- It's very good.

- Turn around.

Let's see the back.

Yeah, that's your - got your name on it darling.

- <laugh> - <laugh> that's great.

- She's so classy.

You think I could pull it off or do you think it'll look too weird?

I think you could pull it off.

I do think it's a women's coat but- - No you don't.

- He looks fresh.

Not today.

- Not today.

- It's a hundred percent wool suit right here.

How do you even, is this a trench coat?

- Okay <laughs>.

I always wanted a pencil skirt, and I thought I would find one here and I did and I'm so happy.

This furry thing, like am I ever gonna wear it?

Who knows?

But like I feel like if I was to wear it at any moment in a day and not only would I get compliments, but people would like me a lot more and I would love myself in this because this is so soft.

I don't go shopping often.

Yeah, so this is like the first time in forever.

I have to read stuff a few times.

Last night I read ahead like we're supposed to be reading 24 to 37 and I already read to 28 but I have to read it again 'cause I don't feel confident with what I read <laughs>.

- That asking you?

- My coach, he teaches computer engineering.

I like computers, I like photography, I like like doing stuff on the computers.

My friend Madio, the one that passed away, he's the one that kind of got me into computers, and Clark's been supportive and been somebody to talk to about that.

So Andee said you have some application essays?

Yeah.

You want me to send 'em to you?

- If you want, sure, I can take a look at 'em.

- <kid's voice> Whatever.

<toddler makes noises> You're not sitting there.

- Makai?

- Yeah?

<plates clanging> - If you don't like anything, you don't have to eat it, okay?

- I usually like everything.

- Okay.

You want more?

- Yeah.

- What do you say?

- That's good.

- That's good?

- Thank-ah you-ah.

<lip smacking noises> - How you been?

What's going on?

- Yeah, it's been a long time.

That's what I said to Andee, I said I feel like I haven't seen Clark in forever.

- Yeah.

It's been a long time, but I've been alright.

I heard you did really well on the on the- on the SSAT.

- Yeah.

Yeah, I was pretty happy about that.

- That's exciting.

- What did you get, though?

A 63 - So it's a rank against all the other students that, uh that took the test so Makai did better than 63 percent of the other- 63 or 61?

- 62 percent - 62 percent <affirming> better than 62 percent of the kids who took the test, yeah.

When I went to Tabor they had this like ma- marine, like - Marine biology?

- Yeah - it was like a whole 'nother building near the water.

And they had like, they were dissecting squids and they had like testing tanks and stuff like that.

- Yeah.

- That's my favorite school that I've been to so far.

- Oh yeah?

- Yeah.

You guys need help?

- No, I think we're good.

Thank you for offering.

- Alright.

Exavion - Mr. Osborne, you know it's okay to be happy sometimes right?

- While we're young.

- What'd you say?

- It's okay to be happy sometimes.

It is okay.

I'm here, I'm here to support you.

<chatter> Okay so the first thing is we're gonna go through and we're gonna have lunch and then after lunch, um, you can go and look at books.

I just wanted to um, express my own gratitude to you coaches.

Um, so by now you all, if you're new or an old coach, you realize this is the real deal.

All of us upstairs, all the teachers appreciates um, not just your your willingness to do this, but your commitment to stick with these kids, um, and to advocate for them.

And hopefully we'll have a great, great, great day and holiday season.

We got this great New York trip coming up next week.

Ask the kids about that.

<chatter> I talk to my coach Ann Ryan, she's kind of a busy person too.

I gotta at least be grateful that she takes her time outta her day to um, talk to me, take me out to interviews and stuff.

So I'm actually glad she's my advisee.

- What's going on at home?

How, how's the situation with <inaudible name>, is he- - Uh - any updates on that?

- I just know- She had something happen to her too that's kind of similar to mine, so that's also brought us closer.

<laughs> You find this awfully too funny.

Yup, and then bring it back down.

Right?

Flip it over.

That's good.

That's nice.

This looks like it might be interesting.

Moses.

He'd think this was lame.

He wants, like, he's into, he's into Batman stuff.

Just write Batman on it with a marker or something.

That's adorable.

Thank you for that sweetheart.

I'm gonna save that.

That's really nice.

That really makes me feel good.

I'm gonna save that in a special place.

I'm excited for you going to New York.

Oh God.

<inaudible> - Between your third and your fourth finger and you wanna really relax.

- Third and fourth... Oh Meleah's in here.

Whataya doing?

- Excuse me.

Danny.

Danny, where are you headed?

Come here.

Don't fuck it up.

This could be the one.

- Mm-hmm <affirmative> - This is a good one.

- Yes sir.

- Wait till you see that they got 3D printers.

They got and they got, they have an observation observatory on campus.

Where'd you go yesterday?

- Uh I went to St. George's.

- Was your mom with you?

- It sounded like she was okay with me going there.

- She's still not fully there with uh- - Yeah, like it was kind of like a joking, 'Oh you wouldn't like to go here...' so I don't, I don't, I don't even know.

Like I think- - Uh, forget her.

I- I remember- - If I, if I do get in I'll probably go - You love her, we love her but forget her for this conversation, like what did you think?

- Um, I thought it was a good fit for me.

- You sound tepid.

- I would like to go there.

the- the problem was she didn't know how she could get out there.

Um like, 'cause she wants, I guess she, she'd wanna come like every weekend or something.

- No.

It's not gonna happen.

You're growing up.

She'll understand.

She's - your mom is so cute.

She's just wants- she loves you and she doesn't wanna let you go.

It's getting in the way of you being able to truly consider if a place is a place you would wanna go to.

'Cause it's only 1 hour and 50 minutes away.

I'll tell her about that stuff.

You just need to, but you just, I just need to know pretty soon when I start like, of which school standing out for you.

- Um.

- Don't tell me now, but think about it and let me know.

Picking everything up off the ground.

If you see scraps, if you see trash, pick it all up throw it away.

Don't you all feel really wanted?

Isn't that how they make you feel?

'If you come here,' they say, 'When you're here,' then they show you the dorms and then they get you excited about the buildings and the facilities and the possibilities.

Isn't that how it feels?

You're on these tours.

So if you don't complete your application, all that good feeling you have is like a waste of your time.

'cause I'll get the call on Monday or Tuesday.

We have this kid who came for an interview, did the inquiry.

We never received his application.

I could say, 'Well he's working on it.

It'll, it's just gonna be a couple days late.'

Well that choice makes us look bad.

So my more likely response is gonna be, 'Yeah, he's not applying.'

And then we'll pull the plug on that application.

What's your plan for being done?

- I finished all my short answers for SAL.

Gotta finish the essay for Brimmer 'cause Brimmer May is due tomorrow.

- Has someone looked over it already, any of it?

- No.

- That sounds, that sounds very serious.

Um, my friend.

It would be awesome and you don't have to do it, but it would be awesome if you can suggest something in common that these three books had.

- My father, he's been making me mad lately, 'cause he's been like, I think Beacon's starting to consume you and if I think it's like psychologically doing something to you, I could pull you out of it.

Even if he does, I will show up the next day at school.

<inaudible> <chatter> This is life changing.

You start to see, hey, there's more opportunities for me to go out and get.

There are bigger things in the world than being in Massachusetts or being in Roxbury.

Not a lotta people are gonna get this opportunity.

It's so hard to see it as big as it is or how big it will impact you until you're gone.

My life changed, like, tremendously.

Like I- I appreciate you, I appreciate, I appreciate everything.

Like... Hello?

Why am I so close?

What is wrong with this camera?

I don't know.

I just feel like I haven't really been talking to a lot of my parents or anybody in my family lately.

But because, because all like the applications are in and now we just wait.

But waiting is the hard part.

I just feel like if I got into any of these schools I would cry so much because right now I just kind of feel like I'm just, I don't wanna say I'm stuck, we're stuck in this cycle.

But something like that.

Like, something like being stuck in a cycle.

Check out what's here.

Bask in the glory of the light.

I mean this is Times Square.

You're never gonna- you don't get a chance to be here at night very often.

So just check it out and take some pictures and uh, and uh, stop trying to be weird and cute.

Just go enjoy it.

- They all took $5 from you.

You did get finessed.

- For a photo.

Where's that ball thing, that drops on?

- It's up there.

- Oh, it is?

- I'm tryna interview scary people.

Is it your first time in New York?

- No.

- Are you crazy?

- Hell yeah.

- Maybe.

<sings> 'New York, New York.'

Let's go Red Sox.

This my homie, my brother from another mother.

<cheers> Hello?

Yes, Mom?

I'm fine.

Oh really?

- What school?

- Oh I didn't - Yes I am.

I'm just surprised, I'm just- I'm just surprised.

- What school?

What school?

<student bangs table> - Brimmer.

<screams and cheers> <chanting> Quinton!

Quinton!

Quinton!

Quinton!

- Where is he, where is he?

- What is all this stuff?

- Bro, you got in!

<laughs> <cheers> Okay.

Angelica, it's for you.

- Hello?

- Angelica?

- Yeah.

- Hi, this is Andrew from Walnut Hill.

How are you?

- Good, you?

- I'm doing well.

I just wanted to call and let you know that we would love to have you enroll as a student here if you would be interested - <cheers>.

<screams> Oh, oh... Quiet, quiet, quiet, quiet <screams> Yeah!

<cheers> <chanting> Teejay!

Teejay!

Teejay!

Teejay!

<clapping> <singing> 'Come on!

Do-do-do' Oh are we done?

- Aw Ms. Smith, I love you guys, man.

<cheers, clapping> - Can we call your dad?

Dad!

I got accepted to BB&N.

<laughter> to BB&N.

<laughter> Grandma, guess what?

I got into Dublin today.

<laughs> St. Sebs, accepted with some financially aid.

Um, BB&N, I didn't hear back from them.

BC High, accepted with some financial aid.

Tabor, accepted, no financial aid.

Belmont, waitlisted.

Um, and Proctor accepted with no financial aid.

and then St. George's accepted with full financial aid.

So far out of the nine schools, I've gotten into Concord Academy and I'm really happy I got my financial aid too and it's not, I didn't get a full ride but I got a good amount paid for me.

Like $60,000 paid by Concord.

So I only have to pay like $1,000 dollars, and...

So it's um, called The Gap, by me, Kashetu Oseni.

Um, <clears throat> You ever think about that sort of privilege gap?

I mean that gap between kids white and kids Black.

I mean mad of these public schools are so damn whack and mad of us urban kids gotta attend that.

We gotta attend schools with 30 kids to a class where you're expected to do very simple tasks.

- So this is for English, it's the Odyssey.

These are my books for Latin.

This is for my history class.

I'm gonna be learning about Vikings, which I'm excited about.

Where school is just way too elementary.

To private schools what we learn is rudimentary.

- I need that - Gonna put that on your small bed?

- No.

Put it on the fl- I got the biggest room.

I realize if I want an education, that's a whole lot more than good.

My best bet is attending a private school in a white neighborhood.

- This is scary now.

Happened fast.

Scary.

- Okay - We should print yours out and then we'll copy and paste it.

- Okay But just look at what these elite schools lack.

They have a lack of students who are Black.

It seems in these schools, students of color are rare.

And I just think to myself, man, it's so unfair.

<Mwah> Alright.

'Cause there's certain things like phone, email that you just need to have so we can get in touch with you.

Right.

Why do white kids have so much opportunity?

At most schools are mediocre in the Black community, and these private schools claim to have diversity.

Then I see one Black kid on my tour, man, don't lie to me.

I guess going to a wealthy school is my only solution if I want to get myself the very best education though being the minority at these schools may be stressful It's my only path to becoming successful.

So yeah, that's my, that's my poem.

What do I wanna be when I grow up?

I want to know what I said before.

<laughter> A firefighter.

<laughter> I think you did say like you wanna be successful.

So boring.

<laugh> We need to emphasize to the juniors when we have that meeting Things are just different this year.

Our like prefectship was just like abbreviated.

Like we just got like a- a little trial.

- Yeah.

Which is a bummer.

- It's tough.

- Organizing certain things that required a lot of people to be together, but I couldn't think of anything.

- We're definitely gonna do a slip and slide, burgers.

- So much fun.

Like the big slip and slide?

- Like the huge one.

- Yeah - that we always do.

Because we tried to push for it in the fall, but - Why didn't they do it?

- Because of Covid, even though it's soap and water - That doesn't mean anything, though.

- like literally soap and water.

- Bra, you can still catch Covid in soap and water.

- With soap?

- It's like pouring mad soap into a sink and like locking it so the water stays there and you wash your hands in it, then you leave and then everybody else comes and washes their hands in that same sink.

- That's a good point.

- You have to like make sure that they remember all the traditions.

- The core values.

- Every little thing that we missed out on this year.

Like they need to bring it back.

- You know, I have the prefect books- So I wrote my platform and then I got top 10 and then I wrote my speech and then I got top five and then they voted again and I got head school prefect.

Um, yeah, it was, I think that's my proudest thing about my time here.

Okay, so that's the dorm.

Um, right there.

That's well that's the quad.

That's where everyone lives.

I wish I could show you inside, the rooms are so cool.

I think this is the reason why I like chose to come here.

When I walked through this door with my tour guide, me and my mom saw this, we were like, what the- So nice.

This year it's a little different.

We only have like one class in here at a time and most of it's virtual, but, it's still so good to be in here.

I started making friends like pretty early on.

Will, he's my roommate and my best friend.

He has me surfing, like what?

<laughs> Surf?

What?

I never even saw that there's a whole bunch of animals and stuff up there.

This is in underutilized space.

So pretty.

there's so much stuff both positive and negative that's like, you just can't like imagine before it happens.

The school did a great job with making sure all the Black students here felt supported, all around, but I think there's things that like catch you by surprise.

I remember one time my freshman year there was this kid and we were doing something like a football thing before practice and there was a line and I was up in line and it was my turn to go and he cut me and I was like, I was in line.

And he goes, 'Oh, that sucks.

That's what's wrong with being a minority in America.'

My whole life I'm surrounded by people who look, talk, sound like me.

And then you meet people who aren't like you, who haven't met people like you.

I'm like, the senior class celebrated 50 days 'til graduation last night.

Crazy.

Hello.

Okay, so before we go in, there's a few things I wanna explain.

One, um, so at Concord Academy everyone lives in houses.

So it's not necessarily like we have like these huge dorms.

Um, and my role as a senior, or I was voted as a head of house, which basically mean- I don't know, I describe it as something like an RA.

But rather than having like a floor of people, I just have like a house of 20 girls.

Because of Covid, I have a single um, I do have someone who lives directly across from me though <laugh>.

It's like my bestie and she's filming me right now <laugh> This is my bed, unimportant.

Um, this is also where I keep some more masks.

I also have some Greek stuff because I'm taking Greek this spring.

Anybody who has sent me a letter or a note, I like to keep them.

So if you've sent me something in the past four years, there's a big chance I have it.

These are all the ones I've collected over the past four weeks.

So like some of these are pen pals.

Most recent one is from Mary Kay, who is my coach that I love very much.

We still talk all the time.

At first when I got here, it was so overwhelming.

I was this small freshman.

I was also awkward and like emo.

It was just such a big shock to me.

It was very tough to, you know, find where I fit in.

I was with people who were like 18, who drive Teslas to school, people who had summer homes for the weekend.

And then I was also with people in my grade who had families who were in like the top one percent.

So it's just like really stressful and it was just kind of shocking in a way.

I became so obsessed with being the person that knows everything, the person that knows what they wanna do in their life, the person that has the perfect grades, has the perfect life in a way that I ended up hurting myself just in a lot of ways.

It was really, really hard on me.

This school has helped me a lot in that regard, but not in the way that I wish they had.

And I think that's what you'd find at a lot of predominantly white institutions.

They understand what's going on, but it falls on the students of color to often kind of carry that and start a lot of these conversations.

When I got to Dublin, it was kind of like mentally straining and also like kind of weird 'cause you know how Black Lives Matter's gotten stronger, and recently conflicting at this school 'cause- sometimes they feel disconnected.

I don't think they identify their white privilege sometimes.

Like they do identify their white privilege, but they feel like they're stepping around glass around people of color when they should just like, want to have these uncomfortable conversations or like educate themselves.

Especially the school.

Before I came here, they didn't even celebrate Martin Luther King Day.

And it was like you know what?

We should change that.

And so we've been doing it during Martin Luther King Day or something during Black History Month and people will come, but like, did they really gain anything from it or like feel more connected towards us?

'Cause I feel like they don't, I feel like they do it for like themselves mainly like, alright, I'm gonna do this to show that I am, I'm supporting the group, and that's it, like, that's where they draw the line.

They show support, but like, they don't do anything behind the scenes really.

That's, yeah.

I want starting defense in, I want uh starting attack in.

<whistle blows> Get back, get back.

Go two.

Go two, go two.

I was open.

I was, I should have yelled it.

I was like open right there.

I I didn't think you were gonna pass it so soon, thought I could pass it back to, um Nick.

Is there something wrong Dylan?

<inaudible> Just tell coach.

Just tell coach.

Hey guys, Exavion, great talk today.

Nice job.

I heard your communication all day.

Good job Henry.

1-2-3 Cats.

Brandford.

Brandon, what's up with your intensity?

- My intensity?

- Yeah.

Just do what you think is right and then if coach yells at you, he yells at you.

<laugh>.

Try like my best to be like the kindest person on campus, but also like a leader too.

Thinking back on Beacon, something that I personally would have wished that they had done sooner was mental health acknowledgement.

Mental health and the struggles that come with it hit students so hard.

Especially program students who are low income students who are people of color.

Especially in a system like this that's kind of pushing you to define yourself as a grade, it's really challenging.

Had they set people up with someone at first to talk about these issues, I think that step would have allowed the student to understand themselves more.

Mr. Osborne played a huge role in my Beacon year.

I think I was mentally prepared to like make friends, to be challenged and the workload here is way, way, way lighter than, even now, it's way lighter than it was at Beacon.

I think it's definitely something we all look back at and it's like that was, it helped us.

I've had so many doors open for me that otherwise just couldn't have been open.

I really like, really, really, really enjoyed my time here.

I think it was Beacon that made me like realize like what my grandma was doing for me.

I don't know.

I don't think I'd be the person I am today.

I don't think I'd be like the empathetic, kind, generous person.

I think I would be like less interest in learning and trying to succeed and more just like being a class clown or something.

Beacon might be a little stressful year, but like, I feel like the stress is kind of worth it because at the end of the day they teach you a lot of values or like a lot of tools that you can use later in life.

One of their mottos is figure it out.

It's like, what are you gonna do, from like point A to get to point B if there's a block?

Figure it out, think outside the box for you to succeed.

And that I feel like that's like one of the biggest things that you need to know in life And that's one of the core values that any Beacon student should take out of it.

Goodmorning everyone, happy Thursday, 4th of March.

No birthdays showing up on the calendar today, but coming to us live all the way from New Dorm, it's Zay for his senior presentation.

Take it away.

All right guys.

Um, the real goal of my senior presentation is to talk about two people in my life, my mom and my grandmother.

My grandmother, she passed last year, like a week before my birthday, but she was like one of the powerful inspirations in my life.

She's the one who pushed me to um, actually be here at Dublin, if it wasn't for her putting me in Beacon.

To understant, like, my story, kind of, you have to understand my mom's story.

My mom fell victim to depression and drug abuse.

So it was like the reason why she was in and outta my life.

And I suffered from like abandonment issues, which caused me to have anger problems when I was a younger kid.

I used to throw tantrums in class.

I think I was like a class threat and I was just like, does my mom not love me?

But like now I kind of understand.

My mom wasn't a bad mother.

She really tried her hardest, but she always like fell victim to the addiction.

People of color, they go through like the most trauma.

I mean everyone goes through a lot of trauma, but like I feel like they go through the most trauma that, where it's trauma, but they push it to the side.

And I just want to kind of change that culture a little.

Oh, I tweeted like me not eating and relying solely on multivitamins and coffee for my nutrition is good and healthy actually.

Mm-hmm <affirmative> And then she... Luckily I did end up finding my people.

I can tell you for certain that I ended up at the right place for me.

I learned so much about everything.

I've been exposed to social justice work.

I've also learned how to be an activist and how to define activism.

I've always had passion for education, but more so here.

Had somebody told me from the beginning, before high school, before Beacon, that my worth is not a grade, I wonder if it would have been as challenging.

It took me a very long time to learn that.

Anything that can be narrowed down to one label does not define me.

The only thing that really defines me is me.

I'm going to Tufts University.

I'm so excited that I got in.

I'm so excited that I'm going with my best friend.

I think I've always had like a little part of me that liked art.

So right now I'm leaning more towards like art history or something where I can create my own major.

I will be going to the University of Richmond in Virginia.

I wanna take psychology.

I kind of want to go on the track of a therapist.

A therapist for like people of color in like poor income areas.

I am going to Brown University.

Wow.

That feels very weird to say.

I don't really need to know what I wanna concentrate in.

Took me a long time to come to the conclusion that it's okay not to really know.

So it's awesome that I don't know because now it's like <laugh>, like anything can happen.