DejSlays SlayBabe Scholarship

I was seven when I designed and constructed my first building by hand. It was an ambitious (and more than a little overconfident) task to take on by myself, but ultimately my work paid off. Constructed of no less than one umbrella, four blankets, one desk, two chairs, and four pillows, my masterpiece took up one whole corner of my room and was big enough to sit upright and stretch out in. In the mornings, I read books and watched the morning light streaming in through the umbrella roof. In the afternoons, I took naps with my feet just barely peeking out the blanket door, and in between all this time I made various structural integrity checks and repairs. Although I didn’t know it at the time, that 13-square-foot makeshift structure was the first sign that I’d want to become an architect. As I grew older, those signs multiplied. If I was a guest in someone’s house, I observed their ceiling height, hallway width, kitchen space, window types, etc. I played with Tinker Toys, Lincoln Logs, and Legos. As a child who had always lived in a one-story house just under 2,000 square feet, I imagined designing mansions with towers and stonework, craftsman houses with dormers and tall chimneys, log cabins with lofts and massive fireplaces. It was about this same time that my parents began taking my sister and I to museums and various excursions in Dallas. It was there I was first exposed to homelessness. It was a strange realization to me, that not everyone lived in a house but in tents and on sidewalks and under bridges; they didn't get to come home and sleep in a bed or eat three meals a day like me. Suddenly, my imagination changed from mansions and brownstones to tiny homes, small but concise. I rearranged things in my head, how a living room could also be a second bedroom, how much storage could fit in stairsteps without being too steep. My parents, though certainly not rich, have been fortunate enough to have always provided a stable home for my sister and I. While they certainly weren’t homeless growing up, they had to be okay with one or two pairs of shoes per year and shopping at second-hand stores. Since then, they have always provided a stable home for my sister and I and given us more than they had at their age. Knowing that my parents sacrificed and gave so much for our family has made me realize that I owe it to them and myself to constantly work toward my goals and never limit myself from accessing my full potential. I still have that hope that I can combine the two things I care about. I want to major in Architecture and minor in Environmental Sustainability, because I do believe we need to heal the earth. But first and foremost, I aim to become an architect and design small, temporary homes for the homeless that serve as a stepping off point to better living conditions. Every person is entitled to “life, liberty, and property” according to John Locke, and I want to take steps to make that a reality by bridging the gap between the homed and homeless. I know the transition to college will be hard. I’ll miss the things that are familiar to me: my family, my home, my friends. But knowing that what I’ll study and work toward in college will one day reduce the homeless percentage, and possibly even that of the unemployed and poor? That will always, always be worth it.

Growing up in a small town in the South (Amite, Louisiana), I was not exposed to many opportunities that would strengthen particular social skills, education, and development programs as a child. In my environment, the quota for a child that wanted to advance in life was to graduate from high school, go to college, and make it in the world. However, there were limited tools that taught you how to do so. In my particular case, my goal was to escape the limitations of my environment and expand my mind and opportunities by experiencing new educational programs in my area. One program that was a key component in my transition from high school to college was a program called Upward Bound. This program was created to mentor students by exposing them to the reality of college life through firsthand experience. We were able to take college-based courses at a local university and experience the life and responsibility of college. As a college student, I have had time to contemplate how my life lessons and college experience will be helpful to the next person. I plan on using my education to promote awareness in marginalized groups and communities to encourage change. I would develop this idea by creating a volunteer program for high school and undergraduate students can participate in and aid their community. Creating a program such as this would allow students to see firsthand what the meaning of leadership and community service is all about, helping those in need. I feel as though this would be a great way for students to build their resumes as well as for the community to be uplifted by those who came from similar beginnings. Change starts with an idea that implements positive outcomes for those who are underserved or underrepresented. A way that I saw fit to give back to my community while balancing STEM classes was through community service. I made it my duty to lend my time to families and organizations that valued the service I was able to give. For example, an organization that I joined by the name of Mobilization at Xavier 2.0 allowed me to aid victims that were impacted by Hurricane Ida back in August of 2021. I was able to help clean out homes that suffered water damage and collected mold and mildew. After doing so, fellow volunteers and I were able to listen to the perspective of the community and how the storm impacted their lives as a result. Based on that experience alone, I understood the bond and level of empathy and compassion we as African Americans have for one another. Along with this experience, I also was granted the opportunity to intern for the Office of Public Health's Legislative and Regulatory Affairs Department under their Legislative and Policy Summer Institute program in 2022. There I learned about the intricate process of creating laws and policies that affect not only marginalized communities, but the entire state of Louisiana. In addition to giving back, I plan on impacting my community by pursuing a career in Public Health so that I am able to help disenfranchised communities and marginalized groups of people at a higher scale. Holding a position in the field of public health gives me the opportunity to advocate for people who share the same background and story as me in the black community. This form of effective change would be the start of a tremendous accomplishment at equality for African Americans.