Soléi (Political Science, CUNY Baruch)

Soléi, the eldest of three in a family headed by a single mother, remembers rough patches they shared in recent times. Studying in a dark hallway became the norm, as did being eighth in line to use the bathroom in the morning. But, she recalled, “this laid the foundation for the young woman I am and aspire to be.” In writing her application essay — in her own room in an apartment where the morning battle of the bathroom now involves only her two sisters and her mother — “I can honestly say that these were powerful and fundamental life lessons that stood as small milestones of adversity but in the end were testimonies of my strength.” Her college counselor at Millennium Brooklyn High School notes “an optimism and light about her that is contagious,” and says, “She will add so much to her college campus.” She will attend the City University’s Baruch College with the goal of tackling criminal justice reform.