We all want to be accepted. Be, included. Be, not alone. As a child, our caregivers tell us what we can be. A doctor, a lawyer, a C average student. Yet, when we become teenagers, we begin to think for ourselves and who we aspire to be. In the teen years, isolation begins. New thought patterns emerge, along with growth spurts that I missed out on. With our change in thinking comes a change of being. We learn who the cool kids are, and if you don’t know any cool kids, then you may not be one of them. As teens, we think we should wear our hair a certain way, buy the newest trendy clothes, or even listen to certain types of music; even though we highly dislike the subject matter. All of these exclusions carry on with us into college and adulthood where we find less and less people to relate to, which the nerd in me wants to make a wordplay joke and claim that the previous statement is relative. We are all placed in our own boxes based on stereotypes, cultural upbringing, socioeconomic status, internet access, and anything else that can visibly divide us. As a non-traditional college student, I felt all of the burdens of being alone. The classroom was my only home away from home, and just as we sometimes want to leave certainty, we remain isolated in comfortability. Jeremiah Martin was born and raised in the south suburbs of Chicago, IL. He developed a passion for words and wordplay at a young age, often crafting satirical songs that mimicked popular radio hits and corporate jingles during his youth. His unique blend of comedy and lyric writing propelled him on a lifelong journey toward becoming a published poet and outstanding scholar. As a former fellow of The BAD Lab at Stanford University and a current student-teacher in Peoria, IL, Jeremiah actively seeks to incorporate Black speech into secondary education curricula. His goal is to provide underrepresented students of color with opportunities to have their cultural voices heard and accepted throughout their educational journeys. Being actively involved in the McNair Scholars program at Knox College, he is set to graduate with bachelor’s degrees in Creative Writing and Secondary Education in 2024, and aspires to pursue his PhD with a focus on hip-hop poetry and social and emotional learning. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx