Milan Alexander Memorial Scholarship

We all have stories of life's hurdles unexpectedly pushed upon us, often as a means of casting a shadow on our bright future. My hurdles started at birth as I was born with a webbed right hand (Syndactyly) which caused me to undergo several surgeries at a young age. My last surgery was in 2016. However, my family and I were determined not to allow this to be an excuse to curtail my development and enjoyment of life. This hurdle has allowed me to develop my leadership roles and has contributed to my academic success and social change endeavors. In my free time, I actively play the piano, soccer (my passion), and tennis (my future). I started playing soccer at four years old and continued throughout high school. I now teach the basic skills and fundamental of tennis to young people at the Salvation Army Kroc Center in Chicago, IL. My students are often amazed that I can play because of my hand. I continuously reinforce to them through my leadership that God has given everyone the ability to achieve utilizing their own special gifts. I aspire to be a Financial Analyst. At a young age, I knew that I wanted to have a career where I can utilize my analytical and mathematical skills. Overtime, I learned about the importance of money and investments. I have always excelled in my math classes. Throughout my academic journey, I have pursued and taken honors or advanced courses with success. The courses challenged me to study and apply what was learned. One of the most interesting experiences I had was taking a budgeting class for six months. Students were given real world scenarios to plan and budget around adult living situations like rent, car note, food, clothing, savings, etc. This really kept my interest as I wanted to learn even more about business, and I was engaged with the financial aspect and wanted to continue studying finances and budgeting. My next step is to continue obtain a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Finance at North Carolina A&T State University. I want to utilize this degree to continue learning more about business and then teach other youths how to manage and invest their money (just like I can teach youth early how to play tennis). It is best to learn how to manage and invest money at a young age before bad habits are formed. I want to especially share my learnings to others in my community. Community Service is key in my life. Whether it is giving time to teach youth or participating in service projects, I always try to give back in appreciation of the blessings that I have received. I have volunteered over fifty hours alone this year with feeding the hungry, tutoring, cleaning up neighborhoods, and so much more. During the Summer of 2023, I had the opportunity to start my journey working in Finance. I was employed as a Discovery 1 Intern with the Risk Analyst team at Deloitte where I collaborated with fellow interns to complete “real life” client projects. This internship increased my curiosity about Finance and where it can possibly lead me into the future. I am most humbled to be considered for this scholarship. My academic perseverance and dedication to education has prepared me for success. If selected to receive the prestigious scholarship, it would be a great blessing and an investment towards continuing my education. The funds would be used towards my out of state tuition, housing, and additional fees required for enrollment to ensure my continued educational success.

Education has always been a cornerstone in my family, a value instilled by my immigrant military father and my hardworking American-born mother. As a second-born child, I've witnessed the sacrifices my parents made to ensure my sister and I received quality education. My sister recently completed her college journey, which my parents diligently financed, supporting us both through our academic pursuits. However, despite their unwavering support, the financial strain of funding two college educations has left me in a precarious position as I navigate my undergraduate studies. I am immensely grateful for the sacrifices my parents have made, but I recognize the need for additional support to pursue my aspirations in the field of veterinary medicine. My passion lies in creating a veterinary clinic accessible to all, regardless of financial constraints. Inspired by my upbringing and a desire to give back, I envision a clinic that prioritizes the needs of animals above all else. Too often, I've seen beloved pets handed over due to their owner's inability to afford necessary care. My goal is to provide affordable veterinary services while also establishing a haven for animals, ensuring they receive the care and love they deserve without being forced into unsuitable homes. The aspiration to open this clinic isn't solely about business; it's about creating a compassionate space where animals are respected and cared for with dignity. This vision fuels my determination to overcome financial obstacles hindering my academic journey. My mother, an ardent church worker, has been my guiding light in community service. Together, we assist the homeless, babysit children, prepare meals, and participate in various church-hosted events. These experiences have taught me empathy, resilience, and the importance of giving back to the community. However, the road to achieving my dreams is not without challenges. Despite my family's hard work, my mother couldn't finish college to support my sister and me, amplifying the financial strain on our education. Receiving this scholarship would not only alleviate the burden of tuition but also enable me to focus wholeheartedly on my studies, gaining the knowledge necessary to realize my dream of establishing a compassionate veterinary clinic. My future goals extend beyond personal success; they encompass creating a positive impact on both animal welfare and the community. I aspire to be a beacon of hope for animals in need and a resource for families seeking affordable veterinary care. In conclusion, this scholarship isn't just about financial assistance; it represents an opportunity to transform aspirations into reality. It's a chance to honor my parents' sacrifices by continuing their legacy of dedication, service, and resilience. With this support, I am determined to pursue my passion, create a lasting impact, and contribute meaningfully to both the field of veterinary medicine and the community I deeply care about.

Achieving your goals can be quite challenging, particularly if you come from a low-income family. It calls for effort, devotion, commitment, and the necessity of applying oneself. I will gain from this scholarship because I am aware of my financial struggles. Getting the reward will be a blessing even if it won't be enough to pay off my balance. Since the beginning of June, I have dedicated a significant amount of time to applying for scholarships. I haven't received one as of yet. I'm determined to finish my business degree at Savannah State. I shall keep requesting financial assistance from scholarship websites that can benefit me and my cost of attendance at Savannah State University. This is some background information about myself. I've always wanted to graduate from college and proceed across the stage. I can still picture myself lying in bed at night and visualizing receiving a degree. I applied to more than forty HBCUS and colleges during my final year of high school. I was accepted to over 27 colleges, and I was unable to decide which one to attend. When I eventually made up my mind to attend Jackson State University, I virtually tested out for their dance team and was accepted even though I was living in Georgia. My desire has always been to major in business management while dancing in college. Given that she is the only parent in our home, my mother was anxious about the financial status at Jackson State. I was sobbing myself to sleep, applying for scholarships and praying, not even aware that my grandfather was unwell. I had to pause for a second. After a week, Savannah State University was the final college to grant me admission. Since Savannah State would provide me with in-state tuition rather than Jackson State's out-of-state tuition, my mother advised me to look into the university. Although money has always been tight in my family, I've always worked hard to achieve outstanding grades so that I may please my grandparents and mom. I currently receive very little financial aid as a sophomore at Savannah State. Living on campus may be quite challenging, particularly if you don't have access to a job or any form of transportation. These days, companies back home prefer full-time employees, thus they do not want college students working during breaks. That being said, I work hard to hustle and make money any way I can, yet I also struggle with money due to trying to focus on academics. One of the dancing organizations on my campus is one that I helped start. We participate in numerous off-campus and community service events. Community service includes things like picking up litter on the streets and helping and connecting with the kids at the Boys and Girls Club. Also, my family and friends strive to feed the homeless with unused food and discarded clean clothing throughout the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. That being said, this scholarship will help my mother and me from having to pay $2,500 out of pocket. I've been putting in a lot of effort to raise my GPA this semester to above 3.0. I hope that ultimately everything will work itself out for me. After mentioning that, I will keep requesting financial assistance to help my mother and reduce her extreme stress. I'll also keep devoting time to improving my academic position and submitting applications for additional scholarships. It will be an absolute blessing and an honor for me to get this financial reward.

Greetings application team, I am excited to provide you with an overview of my desired career path and how this opportunity will support my goal of becoming an internationally renowned Museum Director. As a rising Spelman College Junior with a fascination and respect for archived historical documents and papers, this opportunity will provide further exposure to opportunities in my field. My love for history was discovered early in my education when I competed for Maryland History Day in middle school. My partner and I won locally and competed at the state level. Through this early experience, my recognition of artifacts and enjoyment of visiting museums caused me to ponder how to combine both into a career. Freshman year proved to be an exciting learning experience. Studying at this illustrious college and the exposure to the Art Collective as an Art History major with a minor in Curatorial studies and management is rigorous. It has allowed me to engage or be exposed to many venues. While completing the class Art History I: Pyramids to Cathedrals, I was employed as a Museum Assistant under the direction of Dr. Liz Andrews and Mr. Phillips. Being a Museum Assistant and taking my first Art History class helped provide a greater perspective on the daily museum operations and collections. I accomplished equally in my sophomore year as in my freshman year. I traveled to Bentonville, Arkansas, and New York City with the AUC Art Collective to immerse myself more in the art scene. I was also able to engage in a plethora of courses like Art History II: Renaissance to Contemporary, Mining the Museum, Entering the Art World: Culture and Context, the Black Female Body in Visual Arts, and finally, Introduction to the Object. Of many applicants, I was chosen to be a Co-Curator of the Inaugural student exhibition through the AUC Woodruff Library. Being selected to work on one of my first exhibitions is something that I will never forget. Over the summer of my sophomore year, I participated in a summer internship with the Getty Research Institute under the digital media and content strategy department. I was responsible for copywriting, filing metadata, and helping the other interns use Google Arts and Culture. Junior Year, I was a Library of Congress Junior Fellow under the Daniel A.P. Murray Collection, researching the American Colonization Society and its involvement with the country of Liberia. After graduating from Spelman, I want to pursue a master’s in Art Business and Library Science. In addition, I have also considered a law degree concentrating on copyright, historic preservation, or customs law, which relates to the transportation or conservation of art and artists. My decision to add management and organization to my art history major is to be worldly in protecting black, brown, and indigenous people’s artifacts in addition to teaching these same demographics of people how to use art and other luxury goods as wealth and assets. My other extracurricular interests include being a Lowry Institute Scholar, a Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated member, the Outreach Chair for LYTEhouse and Morehouse College, and a member of the AUC Art History and Curatorial Studies Collective. Please accept my resume and letter of recommendation as the first step in applying for this opportunity. Thank you for reviewing my application, and I look forward to speaking with you soon. Thank you, Vierra Queen, Junior Art History Major at Spelman College