"Volleyball is a white sport. Black people don’t play volleyball.” This remark made by one of the white male volleyball players at my high school stuck with, especially since I was one of the very few Black volleyball players at my school. Unfortunately, one-noted assumptions like these are not rare on Long Island. I'm a native Long Islander from Suffolk County. Growing up and to this day, media coverage of people who look like me has either been limited or negative. In order to show the diversity and fullness of minorities on Long Island, I decided to create my own media outlet. Shades of Long Island covers minorities, millennials and Generation Z on the island. I'm a diversity advocate, so I believe we can only benefit from learning about people who are different from us. I also want to shine a spotlight on people in my generation and younger. I've written for Essence.com, Newsday, The Long Islander and Raicebatir.com. I love thrillers and horror movies and will take on anyone in a game of volleyball (despite being Black). Ultimately I'm a STORYTELLER, and my mission is to tell the stories that too often go unheard.