 I am Alayna Neal and I am Rackham. I'm a graduate student in the School of Education. So my work looks at the educational experiences and outcomes for black girls in K through 12 school settings. These girls are fantastic. They are so eager to learn, hungry for opportunities. I think a lot of it comes from my own experiences in school. I had some times when I struggled and there's this kind of idea out there that black girls are so resilient and that they can meet any and every challenge and I know from my own experience and from my work in schools that that's not always the case. And so I'm really passionate about trying to unearth the needs of these young girls who no one is actually paying attention to. Every time I see them, every time they're saying, hey, Alayna, can you help? I got here because I had people in my corner who were helping me understand the things I didn't understand. When I graduate, I hope to continue doing a lot of the work that I've done here as a grad student, a little bit of teaching, research and to continue to work in the community. Nobody, and I mean nobody, was offering the same kind of funding that I was gonna get here. The funding I get from Rackham is truly the Michigan difference. All I have to worry about is trying to be the best scholar that I can be. That's what's important. And to me, that also lets me know how much they care about me as a scholar. Those funds are being used to actually do good work and to actually advance, I think, what we stand for here in Rackham. I am Alayna Neal. Thank you for giving to Rackham.