Angelia Zeigler Gibbs Book Scholarship

It’s kind of hard to name the next phase of my life because the next steps are unexpected. With so much unexpectancy, I would name my chapter “The Start of the Beginning”. I chose this name for my chapter because the years of childhood are soon to end, and I will now have to transition into adulthood. How do I file taxes? How long do I cook the pot roast? Why does the car sound like that? While there are so many questions that need to be answered, graduating from high school has brought me many cool experiences and pushed me to my limits. If there is anything senior year has taught me, it’s that you have to do things yourself if you want them done. With that being said, I’ve learned a lot about myself, and now I’m learning how to navigate through my future. Nobody is perfect in life. There isn’t a guide on how to navigate life, but there are experiences in my past that teach and humble me on how to be an asset to society. For example, I’m currently in dual enrollment for nursing. Volunteering is a part of our curriculum. My class goes to a nursing home every week. I have catered to many different people and even had to care for the ones who moved on. With all this being said, I may face some very scary and different situations, but that is life, and it’s officially going to start. If I can be honest… I am scared to grow up, not because of wrinkles and bad eyesight, but because I’m unsure if I’ll succeed. Yes, I can have good schooling, a good job, and all the things parents preach about, but our society is becoming harder to live in, especially with me as an African American female. I’m part of the minority who have to deal with unwanted tribulations. The fear of failure has been ingrained in me because I have seen too many people I love go the wrong path and I want to be the one in my family to prove we can do right and make something of ourselves. Aside from the negatives, I’m excited to see what life has to offer. I want to put myself in a position where I can be successful and provide for my family. After high school, I want to major in diagnostic medical sonography using my degree to help people, especially minority patients, because we are often overlooked and unseen. My parents are my biggest supporters, always going the extra mile to make sure I succeed in school, so to be wealthy financially and intellectually, where I can support them, is what keeps me going.

If I had to choose a name for this next chapter of my life, I would name it "A Leap of Faith." I feel that this phrase perfectly exhibits my mindset as I prepare to play college football. Recently, my family and I have decided that I will attend Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts; a college that is 1,090 miles from my home in Kennesaw, Georgia. Throughout my college search, I constantly debated if it would be worth the risk to leave everything that I know to chase an academic dream in a place I was unfamiliar with. I debated choosing safer options that were closer to home and more comfortable to me. As this decision went on, I realized that I have never truly progressed as a person when I have been comfortable. Every time God has placed me in a situation that I am unfamiliar with, I have learned valuable lessons and matured as a person. These uncomfortable situations have shaped me into who I am and created an undeniable passion to succeed in whatever I do . They have also prepared me for the adversity that is to come in the future. The term "Leap of Faith" is one that is commonly thrown around, but rarely understood for its true meaning. The power of this phrase lies in the last word, "faith." Faith is a complete trust or belief in something combined with the conviction of things not seen. As of now, I cannot fully comprehend the struggles and triumphs I will face in college, but my faith allows me to trust God and his plan for me. Attending such a prestigious university could allow me to create valuable opportunities for myself past football. High school has led me to understand that there is a plan specific for me, and that I must fully trust if I want to achieve the goals that my ambition has led me to. It should be known that I have done well so far in my life, but I am nowhere near my full potential. I am someone with an unmatched level of passion for what I do, but I also realize that my best work is yet to come. I have created positive habits of hard work and dedication that will help me achieve my goals in the future. Although I am thankful for my accomplishments so far in high school, I believe that there is a plethora of opportunities for me that are still out in the world. That is what truly excites me.