I'm Laura.
I have a positive outlook on life and I love making
a difference in my community.
(pencil scribbling)
♪♪
Laura: I feel little kid me versus me
now is a completely different person because I
was very timid and quiet and I guess it was hard
for me to make friends because I was too scared
to talk to people.
♪♪
I'm looping, I'm looping, I'm looping!
Laura: I play rugby, wrestling and still in
between I guess soccer and I am a youth ambassador.
♪♪
Laura: I'm a senior at Valley High
School.
I have six siblings and my family I guess is from
around the world.
I have a very diverse huge family that is supporting
me.
I feel like they are the people that push me
because I know they're watching.
Laura: I'm in CORE, Community of Racial
Equity.
Through the years I have learned a lot about racial
equity that later on could actually influence me to
work on criminal justice and go into law.
And throughout the community I have done
youth leadership initiative, partnered with
the Greater Des Moines Partnership, and that was
a huge impact in my life.
We learned five huge cores and my favorite is
encourage the heart because I love
understanding others and putting myself into
someone else's position.
♪♪
Laura: I volunteer at the Genesis Youth
Foundation here in Des Moines, Iowa.
That organization helps kids from refugee parents
or immigrant parents.
Recently I had a Zoom call with the kids and parents
about I guess being involved in activities and
sports.
Also coming from immigrant parents and having the
same similarities with the kids made them realize
that they can do what I do and anything is possible.
♪♪
Laura: Working with leadership and with
kids and having impact on people's lives changes
like I guess what I want to do career wise.
Laura: I love to compete and you can tell, it's a
lot of aggression sports.
But I have been playing rugby for three years now
and my first two years were at Valley High
School.
We had a huge girls team and the third year, this
year, due to COVID and most of my team graduating
we only had three girls on the Valley team.
So that led me to move to Roosevelt's team.
It's kind of like a huge 18 girls family.
And I guess what I'm aiming for this year for
rugby is probably the all-state team or the
elite team and also the MVP award.
♪♪
Laura: So this year was my second year of
wrestling for Valley High School.
And my first year I made it to the quarter finals
at state.
♪♪
Laura: Due to me playing a lot of sports
it's kind of hard for me to choose which one I want
to play in my college career.
So just recently I just signed with Grandview and
I'll be wrestling with them next year.
♪♪
Laura: My plans for the future, I
currently am going to attend Grandview
University in Des Moines and major in criminal
justice.
♪♪
Laura: I guess all of the opportunities and
activities that I continue on doing I get that
motivation.
And what inspires me mostly is mostly my
family.
♪♪
Laura: A lot of things that my parents
have done to even come here or all the
opportunities that I am given, I feel like that is
a privilege.
And I feel like when opportunities are there I
should always take them.
And knowing that I have family in Africa and
knowing that I have family I guess just around the
world in general watching me always gives me that
drive and motivation to do better and just do my best
and be happy.
♪♪