The summer before my senior year I decided I would try to get others involved in something big. Many others have struggled with the same identity confusion and I decided to create a photography project based on loving the skin you were given. "Black is Beautiful", aims to break down society's views on black youth and communicates to the viewer that we are beautiful people and we deserve to be seen as such. Participants were asked: "What does being black mean to you?" "Being black means strength and perseverance that comes from all the times where we got up after our skin color was used as a reason to put us down" (Rihanna Oumer). Each person involved in the photo shoot had something positive to say about their race and once we were finished, I knew that my goal had been reached. My main goal with photography is to continue to tell the stories of others while educating myself on different cultures even my own. I’ve learned so much about my own interests through photographing others, while better understanding those I have photographed. Ultimately, I want to travel the world and take photos of all different kinds of people, especially those who are under-appreciated/perceived as inferior/perceived as disadvantaged by society. Throughout this ongoing journey I've become more and more invested in social justice, equality and strength. I started off with some vivid ideas and strong opinions and now I’m able to articulate those ideas and present them through art, something universal.