00:00I'm Kayla Thompson. I am a junior psychology major from Cleveland, Ohio and I currently
00:09attend Howard University and I proudly serve on the Howard University Royal Court as Miss
00:14College of Arts and Sciences. It's really been an amazing experience just being surrounded by
00:21so many people of color who are so excellent in so many different things. I mean I literally go
00:27to school with the best and the brightest and it motivates me every day to be the best and the
00:31brightest. In every class that I have there's always a big emphasis on black scientists who have really
00:36laid the framework and allowed us to be here today so I think it's really important to know your
00:41history and know where you came from and how it really provides us with that. My most cherished
00:45memory at Howard? Definitely when I was with the Howard Gospel Choir we sang at the wharf so that's
00:50like right on the water and then at the end of the concert fireworks went off and it was just a really
00:55beautiful moment. The HBCU experience is just being submerged in your culture and loving every
01:01second of it and then also being surrounded by people who are just so excellent but they also look
01:06like you which makes it all the more amazing. My favorite part about homecoming is Yardfest so that
01:12is a big concert on the yard. There's vendors, there's food, all the alumni are there and it's just really
01:19great. My purpose is to leave light everywhere that I go and to always just inspire people to be their
01:26best selves but also to be true to themselves. I think it's really important just to be genuine
01:31and I think that that's when you find the greatest success. One thing that Howard has taught me that
01:36will always stay with me is that everyone can be great and that there's a seat at the table for
01:40everyone. One thing that I kind of lost sight of when I got here just being surrounded by everyone who
01:44was just so amazing was that you know everybody is great and there's a place for everyone you just
01:49have to find it.
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