Let Your Light Shine Scholarship

I plan to create a legacy rooted in visibility, voice, and value, especially for black youth who often grow up feeling unseen or unheard. My dream business isn’t traditional. I want to build a creative media brand and storytelling platform that bridges personal identity, community history, and digital culture. It’ll be part production company, part community studio, and part educational resource; a space that invites people, especially those from marginalized communities, to tell their stories beautifully, unapologetically, and on their own terms. Right now, I’m laying the foundation through my YouTube channel and photography projects, but this is only the beginning. My long-term goal is to expand into a full media company, one that offers workshops, production opportunities, grants, and storytelling mentorships for youth, especially those in underfunded schools or low-income areas. I want to disrupt the idea that you need fancy connections or expensive equipment to create something meaningful. I want to make creativity accessible. I grew up watching people settle. Not because they weren’t ambitious, but because they didn’t have the resources or support. I want to shift that narrative. My business will be a place where young creators find tools, mentorship, and belief in themselves. Where art and entrepreneurship live side-by-side. Where storytelling is treated not just as entertainment, but as a form of liberation. I shine my light through service, creativity, and connection. I've volunteered with Habitat for Humanity during an alternative spring break, worked backstage on community fashion shows, and taken on leadership roles in student organizations—all while continuing to show up for my peers emotionally and creatively. I’m someone who pays attention to the quiet pain in others and tries to transform it into something meaningful, whether that’s through helping someone organize their ideas, capturing their beauty through a photo, or simply listening when they feel invisible. I also shine by refusing to shrink myself. As a low-income student of color, I’ve been told to play it safe, get a stable job, and keep my head down. But I believe safety comes from building something real, something that reflects who you are and uplifts those around you. That’s what entrepreneurship means to me: freedom, purpose, and impact. This scholarship would help me continue my studies in management information systems, a field I chose because I believe digital tools can expand access and representation. My passion lives at the intersection of tech and storytelling, and I plan to use both to reimagine what’s possible for young black creatives. Legacy, to me, isn’t just about personal success. It’s about creating something that outlives you, something that leaves doors open behind you. I want my work to echo long after I’m gone; to remind people that their stories matter, that their creativity can heal, and that with vision and community, they can change the world. That’s the legacy I plan to leave behind.