Every summer, while many kids are enjoying time off from school, some face a very different reality—one where regular meals aren't guaranteed. For many students, school lunches are their most reliable source of food. When summer break arrives, that support disappears, leaving families to struggle with feeding their children. This is a social issue that has become especially personal to me: food insecurity. Although I'm just one person, I'm doing what I can to help address the issue.
Each summer, my family and I volunteer with the Forever Fed food pantry through our church. One of our main roles is building lunches for kids who may not have access to daily meals otherwise. It’s something we do quietly and consistently. We gather ingredients, assemble lunches, pack them into bags, and help with distribution. It might sound like a small act, but I’ve come to realize how much of a difference even one meal can make to a child who might otherwise go without.
Food insecurity is a big problem, and I used to think that helping in such a small way wouldn't matter. But I've learned the opposite. Every sandwich we make, every piece of fruit we pack, every juice box we include—it all adds up. When I hand over lunch to a child or a parent picking up food, and they smile with relief or say a quiet thank you, I know I'm doing something meaningful. It's not just food we're giving—it's dignity, comfort, and a reminder that someone cares.
Volunteering with Forever Fed has taught me that addressing social issues doesn’t always have to mean organizing a huge event or creating a massive nonprofit. Sometimes, it means showing up regularly and doing the work that needs to be done, even if it seems simple. Food insecurity is complex, but feeding hungry children is a clear and direct way to start helping.
Through this mission, I’ve also learned about the value of community. I’ve seen how families, churches, and volunteers come together to support each other. Being part of this effort has shown me that solutions to social problems often start with people who care enough to act. I want to continue being one of those people. Whether it’s helping with lunch prep, raising awareness, or simply encouraging others to volunteer, I want to be part of the solution.
I know I’m not ending food insecurity on my own. But I also know that every meal matters. Every hour I spend helping matters. And every child who eats lunch because of what we do is a reminder of why this work is so important. It’s a small act—but small acts, done consistently, can lead to big changes. Which is how I am impacting and addressing a social issue in MY community.
My Great-grandfather was a very honorable Man; he was a principal, Husband, and veteran. He fought in World War II and was an active speaker against war. Coming from a small nation called Ghana (located in West Africa), Where my Father and mother were born. I don't know much about him, but I believe that he stood for world peace and equality and was a born nationalist. I Love being a Christian and often think about how my faith can create a world my grandfather believed in with science.
Through my early years in college, the outlook for most youth in Atlanta, Georgia, is to work but to be innovative later. Whereas this goes against who I am, I believe in financial sovereignty and dignification through an endeavor. Working for a company is worthwhile, and accumulating new skills is essential. But life is more than banknotes and monetary security. Sometimes, you must take a painstaking risk to gain that rare reward.
Due to that, my mother never contacted a repairperson or a plumber but commissioned me at a tender age to mend everything, calling me the "fixer". As I matured, my friends introduced me to computer science, leading me to try to comprehend everything about it. I grew up in Chicago, which was very different from my African background, but I desired to try to understand the components of computers and how they could alter all forms of life.
I have numerous relatives and few friends, and each didn't understand much about technology, creating an opportunity for me to help. I took the time and operated on my family's laptops with my twin brother; I endeavored to understand how their computers became so unperceptive and wanted to comprehend them. To our surprise, we repaired some, and this changed the perspective of everyone around me; it created the pathway for me to grow and sparked my parents' curiosity to continue pushing me. Due to that, people I knew started allowing me to fix their devices, which led me to improve my coding and familiarity with technology.
Financial technology is vital to the success of any online or physical credit system; many companies launched in the retail market in the past decades have disappeared or filed for bankruptcy. However, I want to transform the industry; food loss is unpredictable for farmers in Georgia, with Georgia having its most alarming peach season ironically. It created a burning passion for me to solve this, and create a company based on Climate and Data analysis that provides a market for local farmers to use this Data to distribute and purchase products on my B2B marketplace. As well as to bring this to African nations.
Furthermore, I am enrolled at Georgia State University and studying Computer Science. In the next three years, I hope that computer science can help me understand the philosophical features of hardware and can push me further into S.T.E.M. and Fintech (Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). I think about how I could utilize hardware to change the lives of the less fortunate and the disabled, who may not be able to access computers, which people like me regard as a right but truly is a privilege. Winning this Scholarship would aid me in producing the Information God leads me to create that will truly change lives, nations, and the world.
