Black Excellence Scholarship

My life changed forever; on my sister’s 12th birthday, my mom transitioned. The loss of my mom impacted my entire life. After my mom’s transition, my sister and I moved from Georgia to Arkansas. Moving from one state to another at a young age was scary. I had to adjust to being a new student at a new school in a new city. The loss of my mom impacted the college I now plan to attend. My mom is an alumnus of Mercer University, located in Macon, GA. I probably would have applied for enrollment at Mercer University if my mom was here. As a resident of Arkansas, I plan to enroll at Arkansas Northeastern College because it is known to be one of the “cheapest schools in America. At the age of 10, I suffered from abandonment by my father. He walked out of our lives after our mother’s funeral. The absence of my parents impacted my ability to afford college. Shortly after my mom died, my dad moved to the Philippines, passing away in June of 2022. Knowledge of no possible financial support from my parents caused financial and emotional stress in my life. I miss the emotional support from my parents, who encouraged me to apply to the college of my choice without worrying about the cost of college. I also faced additional challenges at a young age, speech impediment being one of them. It contributed significantly to the problems I struggled with in school. I was too young to identify the reason why my life changed after my mom transitioned. My sister and I lived with our grandfather in a roach-infested house. He took us to school in his 1986 Chevy van as my mom’s truck remained parked. We did not get new clothes or shoes. Bags of new clothes and shoes, too small for us, were found. Our mom purchased the clothes and shoes for us, but she was too sick to give them to us. Our grandfather was not a shopper. We got only new school clothes and one pair of sneakers for the school year. Another change was we ate dinner at fast food restaurants. We had to order the cheapest meal on the menu. Emotionally, we were not allowed to play outside. We sat in the bedroom watching our mom suffer from depression and other physical illnesses. One day, I came across the Steel Tech Academy Program at Arkansas Northeastern College, which immerses students in the steelmaking processes, industrial technology, and manufacturing principles. After getting accepted into this program, I grew to love it. As a woman, I have always been interested in science and technology. The Steel Tech program allows me to learn and work with cutting-edge technology in the steel industry. The program challenges me and allows me to pave the way for women in a male-dominated field. Employment in this steelmaking plant was the only solution for money to pay for college. I am a high school senior and will become an intern at Big River Steel in Osceola, Ar June of 2024. I plan to use the money I make while doing my internship for college. My parents would be proud of my decision to attend college and work after school to pay for college expenses. I plan to graduate from the Steel Tech Program at ANC and then enroll at Arkansas State University, majoring in Engineering online while working at Big River Steel. I plan to use the valuable tools gained at Rivercrest High School. My life changed forever; on my sister’s 12th birthday, my mom transitioned. The loss of my mom impacted my entire life. After my mom’s transition, my sister and I moved from Georgia to Arkansas. Moving from one state to another at a young age was scary. I had to adjust to being a new student at a new school in a new city. The loss of my mom impacted the college I now plan to attend. My mom is an alumnus of Mercer University, located in Macon, GA. I probably would have applied for enrollment at Mercer University if my mom was here. As a resident of Arkansas, I plan to enroll at Arkansas Northeastern College because it is known to be one of the “cheapest schools in America. At the age of 10, I suffered from abandonment by my father. He walked out of our lives after our mother’s funeral. The absence of my parents impacted my ability to afford college. Shortly after my mom died, my dad moved to the Philippines, passing away in June of 2022. Knowledge of no possible financial support from my parents caused financial and emotional stress in my life. I miss the emotional support from my parents, who encouraged me to apply to college