Introduction

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Kai

I love photography.

It lets me express how I really feel on the inside, but I didn't know how to do that for the longest time.

I was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and that's where I've stayed all of my 19 years of living. As a kid, I had a great childhood even though my dad was black and my mom was white, and it got even better when my little sister, Danielle was born when I was seven. As I grew older, I had trouble identifying with my race. Everyone assumed I was African-American because of my dark complexion, and never wanted to find out who I really was on the inside.

In my Sophomore year of high school, my parents bought me a Polaroid camera for my birthday and I immediately fell in love. I was fascinated by the black and white pictures because everyone looked the same on the outside. After years of being discriminated against, I was so caught up in what people looked like on the outside I forgot what was underneath. After a few months, I joined my school's photography club and connected with other people who shared the same passion as me. I started signing up for different competitions and began winning enough awards to be recognized by an art school in my hometown. I was stoked when I found out I got accepted and I promised myself I would make the world a better place through my photos, even if I had to go person by person.

Although I stopped judging people because of their color, everyone else never stopped judging me.

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