Dr. Samuel Attoh Legacy Scholarship

As a member of the African American community on my mother's side, the legacy of my ancestors has always been engraved in my heart and mind. We are to work hard so that those who come after us may live a better life than us full of prosperity and wealth. These same ideas were passed down to my parents, and they were instilled in me as well. As a member of the West Indies community on my father's side, the legacy of my ancestors has always been to gain status and power so that those who come after us do not have to work has hard to achieve their own dreams. While I understand where the ideals of both sides of my lineage come from, I can not say that I agree wholeheartedly. Working hard to achieve your dreams is important. It creates a sense of pride and fulfillment. Unfortunately, my lineage has instilled the idea of working to the bone in order to achieve these dreams no matter the cost. Growing up I was led to believe that the only paths available to me were in medicine, engineering, or law. In order to bring status and prosperity to my family, I had to pick a career path that would leave me wealthier than my parents. What my lineage has failed to realize is that money and status do not equate to happiness. These ideals are not at the heart of a family or the memories that are made. Growing up I put aside many different passions in order to pursue careers that made my family happy, and I let myself believe that continuing our legacy in the way they had taught me would make me happy too. I succeeded in academics and I worked hard to gain money to support my dreams. In the midst of all the sweat I was accumulating by chasing these dreams so feverishly, I lost sight of the things that mattered most to me individually. What my lineage had failed to relay to me was that all these accomplishments came with sacrifices, sacrifices I was no longer willing to take. I came to realize that the top is lonely when you outcast everybody around you in order to get there. To me, legacy is about the memories you create that can be passed down from generation to generation. It is about the morals you instill within your children to make them better, more understanding people. It is about the love you create that will last a lifetime. Creating happiness within your life is more important than allowing generational pressure to tie you down to live a predetermined lifestyle. In my future home, I want to create a new legacy, one in which I allow my children to achieve the goals that they set for themselves without the constraints of their ancestors to hold them down. Of course, I want them to work hard for what they want, but not at the cost of their own health, both mental and physical. As much as I love my family and those that came before me, I want to change our lineage and our legacy for the better. While my career path in life does align with the ideals of my father's lineage, I have made these choices solely on my own terms and for my own happiness. [ the photo ] Attached is a photo of my grandmother, the strongest, bravest woman that I know.

To me, legacy means creating a sustainable foundation for others to thrive and making an impact in your community through service and advocacy. Recently, I have done this at Arizona State University through JEDI work and curriculum. In my junior year, I joined the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity (JEDI) workgroup for the School of Sustainability as an undergraduate chair member. In our first meeting, we discussed how the School of Sustainability (SOS) has done little to acknowledge the contribution of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) to sustainability efforts or issues. Although the SOS did require courses that considered equity and justice there were few offerings that focused on race or how race, class, and gender create different realities for different people. I suggested we create a course that studied the intersections of race and identity and how different communities experience or act upon sustainability. I suggested that we move quickly to offer this new course in the upcoming spring semester and make it student-led, faculty-advised. I received support from a faculty member, developed a course proposal, sent it to the registrar, and got it approved in a week’s time. I developed the course without any prerequisites so that it would be accessible to anyone at my university while being inclusive of all degree levels such as undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students. I was able to successfully enroll 21 students in the course while splitting it in half for undergraduate and graduate students. One topic I taught about was Black Representation in Sustainability and how Black Americans have paved the way for the modern-day environmental movement by preventing toxic facilities, advocating for public lands, and highlighting climate change as a human rights issue. After facilitating part of the class, I handed it over to the students where they split into teams to teach one class. Collectively, we brought in guest speakers and learned about topics such as ecofeminism, leadership from indigenous communities, and land stewardship. An idea I thought was ambitious at the time only scratched the surface of my potential and reflects the passion I have to lead by uplifting others. I was proud of myself because this experience made me realize my leadership prevails when I amplify voices. I created space for everyone to express their cultural identities, passions, and interests they otherwise could not find in academia. As I continue to learn, I will continue to do work that leaves space for myself and others who need it the most.