King Jay Foundation Scholarship

Ukraine is fighting with Russia, while North Korea sits and watches the United States and makes weapons of mass destruction. Countries want to be in each other’s business. For example, the United States politicians are more worried about being in the Ukrainian disruption with Russia than dealing with the problems on our own soil. One of these problems is the violence in our youth. Youth violence in the United States has been an uphill battle to climb over the past decade. This is partly due to race, gender equality, peer pressure and what is in the media. We are taught as young Americans to hate or dislike someone just because they look different than us. An example would be A young black man who walks down the street, society automatically looks at him as a gang banger because of his skin color, how he walks, the manner he talks in, and the way that he chooses to dress. How about the white female that dates another race? She becomes a dirty drug addict. It does not matter that they are at the top of their class, has chosen to accept others like themselves or that they are just trying to find their voice in the world dictated by hatred. This is where violence stems from a lack of knowledge and respect for the average person. Past generations have overflowed their basket of hate onto the present generation. One category for youth violence is the amount of school crime. Bullying, victimization, assault, and rape all fall under this category. Students that come from tragedy tend to be in the generational loop of either being a victim or the aggressor. How would I know? I am one of those students, a victim of the world of social anguish with having to face another day of not being good enough for society generations before us built. Bullying has taken over our school because of social media and the ease of being able to hide behind a screen while taking out aggression on others. While teachers look away, students will use technology to constantly spread rumors and pry at those less fortunate. I believe students should be taught in classrooms instead of on computer screens. Students should be given a chance to flourish with their minds in positive ways. My plan has been set in motion by the loss of my mother through a crime that she could not escape, so she decided to end all the pain. I plan to attend a four-year accredited university while pursuing a double major in business management and creative writing. Creative writing has been my outlet for pain for the past two years. While I am pursuing these degrees, I will secure government grants along with working with state government officials to open an all-inclusive center for the youth of tragedy and violence. I plan on offering counseling and educational training as well as exploring the passions of the younger generation (arts, crafts, music, poetry, literature, etc.). I would like it to be a haven for teenagers that feel like they have no place to go when they cannot express themselves. This will not be like a community center because it will be founded around pride and self-esteem along with working with law enforcement. I would like for the youth to start to trust in the law again and help combat violence within their own social circles. I would like for them to take pride in themselves and their communities and be the generation to set a new path for the future.