Little Bundle Supermom Scholarship — High School Award

I am the eldest of a single mother. I come from a low-income family, and I will be the first person in my family to attend college. My parents were divorced when I was very young. My mother had to work double shift jobs, leaving us to babysitters, and eventually, I had to care for my younger brother. I didn’t spend much time with my father because he was an alcoholic, and he wouldn’t provide for us. I grew up in an environment where I wasn’t in the right emotional state, and I wasn’t doing well in school because of the difficulties that I faced at home caused by the arguments that my mother and father had about custody child support. I would go to school to try to relieve my hopelessness. The added responsibility of being my brother’s caretaker while my mother worked pushed me to become better with time management in high school. I quickly learned how to compartmentalize my responsibilities. I wake up early to get my brother ready, walk him to school, and then make it to school before my first class starts. I then use the time before my first class to work on homework that I cannot finish the night before because I have to make sure my brother is taken care of first. After school, I have sports, and I start my workouts early and finish earlier than my other teammates to pick up my brother from school. When I get home, I prepare dinner for all of us and do my daily chores. After, I help my brother with homework and tutor him in academic areas that need improvement. It’s not until my brother is done with his tasks that I begin my homework and wait for my mother to get home. COVID-19 impacted my responsibilities at home. Not only did I have to adjust to distance learning, but I also had to mentor my brother through it. I live in an apartment, so I study in my room that I share with my brother while my brother is in the living room for his classes. It’s been a difficult situation because the wifi at home isn’t stable and my brother using the wifi also makes it slower. I consistently cut off and got kicked out of the Zooms. Sometimes while I’m in class, my brother asks me for help in his schoolwork, and I have to take time off my classes and help him since it’s difficult for him to ask for help with online learning. In December, I had to travel out of the country because my grandmother was diagnosed with diabetes, and no one could care for her. I did my classes out of the country having internet issues. Sometimes I couldn’t join the class because the wifi didn’t work the whole day. I would rely on my peers’ notes to keep up with the class. Despite being out of the country for 2 weeks, I still managed to finish finals and maintain my grades. It’s the challenges of my day-to-day routine that keep me motivated to pursue higher education. I envision a better future for myself and my family. The barriers that have made it difficult for me to focus in school have also prepared me to overcome future challenges. I want to pursue a career in computer engineering. I have taken on challenging coursework in preparation for the next step in my educational journey, and my dream is for that next step to be college. Seeing how my mother came into this country to give us a better future has shown me that I must do my absolute best to help her provide her a house of her own for everything she's done for my brother and me. I spent countless hours in high school doing extracurricular activities, studying, taking all honors and AP classes. I would apply to my dream school in November 2020, and I got into UCLA. I had faith and got into UCLA, and I didn't just do this for myself but also for my mother to show her that all the difficulties weren't for nothing. I am proud to have such a hard-working mother that shows her love for me by actions. I am showing actions and would want to be helped financially in college to provide for her soon. I see myself in the future working in the field of computer engineering and hopefully buying my first home for my mother. I see her happily waking up and having her own garden and have her own family and show my children the importance of family. I believe I deserve this scholarship because I am going to a school where tuition is costly, and I wouldn't want my mother to worry or work even more to help pay for my tuition. I wouldn't want to worry either since this school is challenging, and I won't have much time outside of school to be working a part-time or full-time job. Being able to have a sufficient amount of money to pay for books and tuition would help me succeed in my dream school and get a Bachelor's in Computer Engineering. This means so much to me, and I do not have any thoughts on giving up on school just because I am a low-income student. I am doing my best and spending countless hours studying on top of that, applying for scholarships to help me financially when I begin college. If a person ever wants to grow, it's heavy sacrifice involved and heavy discomfort involved. Seeing the impact my mother had on me has made me achieve something many may doubt, but I believe it is possible with hard work and even difficulties. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity.

I am not a single mother, but I'm the eldest daughter of a single mother. I'm basically mom #2 to my little brother with autism. My mother has raised my brother and I by herself for the past 8 years. This has changed my life drastically because we have struggled financially. For 6 years, the three of us lived in a single room in my aunt's house. I could never stay up and do homework, I had to be mindful that we had to wake up at 5am in order for my mom to get to work on time. She worked so hard to get a place of her own, and now she owns a house, and we all have our own room. She didn't receive help from anyone, besides the small income I brought in from my internship and part-time job. I admire her so much for this, and it has helped me believe that anything is possible. At her job at State Fund she has moved her way up by working since she was 23, now she has a job that requires a bachelor's degree once applying. She worked her way to that position with only a high school diploma. I currently work at YR Media, formerly known as Youth Radio, and I work a part-time job at Gap. All while maintaining my 4.0 gpa my senior year. I get tired sometimes, I work at YR Media 3 times a week after school, and roughly 3 days a week at Gap. I don't like to complain because I know my mom has experienced worse at my age. I've worked at YR Media since I was 15, the start of my sophomore year. I had no interest in journalism at the time, I didn't even know what it was. I simply applied because they offered positions at the age of 15, I was eager to start working. It became something I loved, the best part of my day. I started off as a DJ for the weekly radio shows. Then I decided to start writing pieces for the news stations. It was addicting hearing my words on air, knowing that I was finally being heard. From there they moved me up to YR's newsroom to collaborate with KCBS and KQED, and I was only 16. My mom was ecstatic, and I finally felt like I was doing something right. I moved departments several times at YR, I wanted to gain much experience as possible. I didn't just work as a journalist, I also explored areas such as graphic design for album covers and podcasts. Currently, I code interactive articles for our newsroom. I've featured in a video, and spoke on a Emmy-award winning podcast. I still can't believe the opportunities that have come my way. Working to support my family wasn't something I dreaded when I was also pursuing something I was passionate about. If I didn't live in the conditions I lived in, I wonder if I would have the same work ethic. I also work at Gap because YR Media only pays minimum wage, but if I'm being honest, I would work at YR Media even if I were working for free. My mom doesn't like me working until 11pm, but my motivation is for her to work less. My dream career is to be a journalist at a big time news company. Journalism is very competitive when it comes to pay. It makes me anxious when I begin thinking about my future salary. I need enough to support my mom and brother, and myself. So I've been considering computer science since coding comes to me as second nature. It isn't what I love, or my ideal career, but it pays. Winning this scholarship will take some weight off my shoulders, I don't always want to work 2 jobs. I already have a hard time finding time for my school work now, I can't imagine the challenges I'll face once I start college. I think about giving up all the times, but then I remember my mom never gave up on us.

Looking back over my childhood, being raised by a single mom humbled me in many ways yet gave me many opportunities to be grateful. Our not-so-uncommon situation provided the environment for a tight-knit relationship I do not see in the lives of my two-parent home peers. We discuss just about everything. Our personal lives are known in almost their entirety to one another and this has drawn us together. The openness in our relationship has brought us close and works to our advantage, whether good or bad, whenever we have upset one another. For example, I know every one of her many triggers and if I am ever upset I know the exact button to push to put her on edge. However, if I am feeling remorseful about my actions I know all I have to do is apologize and spend some good quality time (her love language) with her in order to restore myself to her good graces. I have yet to discover any negatives in the way I envision my future, well, I can think of one that really is not too bad but could be a little strange: dating. My mother is only 21 years older than me and so there is a real possibility we might enter the dating scene together. I could very well bring a boyfriend home from college to introduce him to her while she brings home a man to introduce to me - the sheer horror. Nevertheless, the positives truly outshine the singular negative. My mom relentlessly encourages me to try my best and push myself. When I told her I wanted to go Stanford she did not attempt to dissuade me by explaining the cost and the academic rigor it held, instead, she told me if it was meant to be God would provide a way. I would call her a “cool mom”. This term is not to be mistaken or confused with the idea of her giving me free roam and allowing me to traipse up and down these streets. Oh no. She is a Black momma tried and true, no mistake about it; my behind attest to that. She is, however, level-headed and gentle, honest, and compassionate even when I want her to be the exact opposite. Her love is boundless and I know she has made more sacrifices than I’ll ever know to provide for me the life I live. Experiencing my mother’s love plays one of the biggest roles in my career path. I want to become an Obstetrician-Gynecologist because I want to assist women in bringing into this world someone they can pour their love onto in a way they cannot anyone else. The love a mother can give to her child is unparalleled to anything and can be closest compared to the way Jesus loves us. In order to achieve my dream, I hope to attend Stanford University and then apply to a graduate program. After attaining some experience, I desperately desire to open my own private practice to provide a place of acceptance and comfort to women from all different backgrounds and situations. I want to curate a place of understanding and not judgment, because I have witnessed first-hand the looks a single-mom can receive. This, I never understood, if you are a single mom it is usually because your significant other left - you stayed. Where is the shame in that? Winning this scholarship would contribute to raising the funds needed if I am to attend Stanford come Fall of 2022. It is my dream to receive my acceptance letter and have the funds to go and leave debt-free. Winning this scholarship would be a stepping stone to accomplishing something I pray will outlive me - love and not shame for everyone.