Black Students in St. Louis Scholarship

Essay 2 Maya Angelou once said, "You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them." This quote resonates with me because I've gone through so much in life, and it was my choice not to let those things negatively affect me. I was raised by strong black women who taught me to keep pushing through the storm, which has significantly shaped my life. Three of those women in my life sadly were affected by breast cancer, but they did not let that stop them. I have a passion for sports, cooking, and, most of all, equality. It's so important in life to push past barriers that were put in place to impede African Americans' growth. Ever since high school, I can say that I have been very passionate about diversity and equality. I attended an all-girls private, catholic school, located in a wealthy neighborhood in St.Louis. I had attended public school my whole life, so I wasn't aware of private schools and their environment. When I attended high school, I was immediately faced with the big challenge of being in an environment where very few people looked like me. I witnessed microaggressions and blatant racism in some cases. This opened my eyes to the injustices happening not only in the world but in my community. I became the President of our Diversity club in highschool. My goal as President was to bring to light these injustices and make them right. That year I was able to get a mandatory training session added to professional development and a new African American literature class added to the curriculum. Since then, I was accepted into the Multicultural Scholars program at Maryville University. This program is a scholarship that is awarded to minorities on campus. As one of the Multicultural Scholars program's selected members, I attend monthly meetings with my cohort and often discuss issues of social justice and diversity. This program has allowed me to continue to be a voice on my campus for social justice and equality. I want to be the strong voice of an African American woman to others just as my family is. Minorities are underrepresented in the top business positions; I am trying to change that by pushing past the stereotypes and rewriting the narrative. In the next five to ten years, I would have hoped to secure a job within the sports industry, a white and male-dominated industry. I want to use my platform to encourage other young African American women to push past barriers and be who they want to be. I want to become a mentor for youth pursuing a career within the business or sports business. With the recent events happening in the world, I've had the opportunity to march with my community to protest the violence against our black brothers and sisters. I want to encourage others to vote and to push for change. It's essential to be a model for the youth so they feel inspired and will keep pushing on.