William A. Lewis Scholarship

An obstacle that I had to overcome in pursuit of higher education was securing my on campus housing assignment during my Fall 2022 semester. At that time, housing at Florida Memorial University and other HBCUs were limited because of the increased enrollment of incoming freshmen. I already paid my $250 room deposit back in July 2022 and had to drive from Orlando to Miami in order for me to get to my campus. Before the Spring Semester started, I had to make sure that my classes were registered for the Fall 2022 semester and my financial aid was intact before I arrived to campus. Fast forward to August 2022, I arrived to Florida Memorial University ready to start the process to clear the business office. Unfortunately, some thing had happened with my FAFSA and I would need to make some necessary corrections to proceed. The person that helped me overcome that obstacle was my advisor Ray Smith. Ray Smith and I are both members of the elite Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Incorporated. Ray noticed that I needed to clear the business office before I can move in into my dorm, so he offered me to stay at his place while he left to go to Philadelphia for a few days. He trusted me to watch his pets and look after his home in his absence and I did just that. After about a week had passed, I finally was able to clear the business office for the Fall 2022 semester. I still wasn’t able to move in my dorm after that ordeal because there were no available dorms at the time. So Ray let me this at his house once more until I was eventually moved off the housing waitlist FMU had set in place. About two weeks later, an available dorm was opened up and I happily moved all my stuff with Ray’s assistance. My fraternity advisor, Ray Smith, was definitely my crutch during that time in need. The fact that he trusted me enough to let me stay at his house while he was gone spoke volumes. Ray and I first met back in March 2022 when I was interested in becoming a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity. Currently, we still have that brotherly bond and we’re able to come to one another for anything at anytime. Being able to call on people in my circle whenever I need some help is a blessing at its best. I am forever grateful for my brother Ray.

One of the biggest obstacles I have had to overcome in pursuit of higher education was a lack of financial resources. Growing up, my family struggled to make ends meet and I often worried about how I would be able to afford the cost of tuition and other educational expenses. This concern weighed heavily on my mind and made it difficult for me to focus on my studies and plan for my future. However, I was fortunate to have the support of a dedicated teacher who helped me overcome this obstacle. Mrs. Smith was my high school English teacher and also served as my mentor. She was always there to listen when I needed someone to talk to and encouraged me to stay focused on my goals despite the challenges I faced. With Mrs. Smith's support, I was able to improve my grades and gain confidence in my abilities. She helped me see the value of education and understand that with hard work and dedication, I could achieve my goals. She encouraged me to apply to college and even wrote a letter of recommendation for me. One day, Mrs. Smith told me about a scholarship program for low-income students that could help me pay for college. She helped me fill out the application, provided me with letters of recommendation, and even wrote a personal statement on my behalf. Her support and encouragement made all the difference, and I was awarded the scholarship. This scholarship allowed me to pursue my education without worrying about the financial burden and opened up a world of opportunities for me. I was able to focus on my studies, participate in extracurricular activities, and make new friends. I also gained the confidence I needed to pursue my dreams and set my sights on a future in which anything was possible. Mrs. Smith's unwavering support and encouragement had a profound impact on my life and I will always be grateful to her. She showed me that it is possible to overcome obstacles and reach my goals, no matter what challenges I may face. Her selfless dedication to helping students succeed was an inspiration to me and continues to be a source of motivation as I work toward my future. In conclusion, the obstacle of limited financial resources was a major challenge in my pursuit of higher education. However, with the help of a dedicated teacher, I was able to overcome this challenge and pursue my dreams. Mrs. Smith's unwavering support and encouragement helped me to see that anything is possible with hard work and determination, and I am deeply grateful for her impact on my life.

As an African American male from a low-income home in Detroit Michigan, the main obstacle that I have had to overcome to pursue higher education is a lack of hope. Growing up I experienced quite a bit of adversity. From living in a home with pile wood where windows should be to our utilities shut off not knowing from time to time. Having a father that either bounced from job to job or spent years at a time without a real job at all and not knowing whether or not we could afford school clothes and supplies when it was time to go back to school. I did not have much hope for the future. I only had a plan to find and keep a job when I grew up so that I would not experience the financial insecurity and instability I faced during my childhood. It is hard to overcome an obstacle like a lack of hope until you see that it is possible to hope for more and achieve it. My older sister is the first person to spark hope in me that higher education was something I could actually obtain. She always knew she wanted to attend a Historically Black College or University (HBCU). She worked hard during high school and took full advantage of every opportunity her teachers and counselor presented her to make that happen. Seeing her receive letter after letter of acceptance into various colleges turned my spark of hope into a flame. My hope to one day attend an HBCU myself began the day my older sister left for her first year of college. The day my sister helped me completely overcome the obstacle of a lack of hope was the day she sent me a PDF file outlining the steps I needed to take to get into the college or university of my choice. This document included links to websites and apps to apply for scholarships so I would not have to worry about how to pay for school. This passing on of knowledge was the final ingredient needed to set me on my way to pursuing higher education. Now that I am well on my way to starting my college journey I want to be that example that stirs hope in another inner city youth. I plan to spread hope at each step on my path, starting with showing my little brother that despite the challenges we faced during the pandemic it is possible to recover academically and graduate with honors. During my time in college, I plan to be a peer mentor to high school students who seek to take a similar route to higher education that I have. I have a few of my own currently and they have given me hope in the likelihood of doing well in my studies and still having an enjoyable college experience. I want to share that hope with another student like myself who struggled to find a balance between homework and extracurricular activities in high school. Finally, I will use my degree in Construction Management and Design to come back to my community to work on rebuilding our neighborhoods. It is hard to have hope for the future when everything around you is abandoned or in a state of disrepair. I believe that hope starts at home. If people can see changes made and big things happening around them there is the possibility that a spark of hope will grow in that person to do more and be that hope for someone else.

Xavier Holton, Freshman I.T. major: William A. Lewis Scholarship Over the past few years, I've had many obstacles that have challenged me but one personal obstacle was my stubbornness that never allowed me to reach out to someone if I was dealing with something or needed help. My self-reliance got in the way many times, and quite frankly I probably missed out on opportunities because of it. My independent mindset was setting me back and the older I got, the more it became clear to me. Unnecessary struggles are a good way of putting my situation in words. I have very smart and willing parents and grandparents who are always there whenever I need advice or am going through something so I couldn't say I have too much of an excuse either. It took me some time to realize that my elders and people above me have gone through the same stuff I have and often do have very insightful things to say to me. Another reason not asking many things hindered me was I didn't always get the chance to hear multiple opinions about things because I would never ask. I quickly picked up this one of the worst things I could do for myself. So by the time I was in 12th grade, I had decided to speak up about anything I needed help with or anything I wanted to have more knowledge about. It wasn't a fast transition, I steadily had to prompt myself but over my senior year, the confidence just slowly built up and by the time the year was over I never looked back on conversations and wished they had gone differently. So now here I am in college proud of myself for putting in the hard work and thankful for having such a great support system around me which I can give all the credit to. Especially my grandad who was a professor for many year and helped kids from many walks of life. He always told me to simply "open my mouth more and speak", and I have lived by that. Another thing that has greatly helped my communication was football and more importantly my teammates and coaches. I have always been very vocal on the field and as a linebacker, I had to be the main one speaking up and giving orders. So during the football year, all I was thinking was "If I can speak up, ask questions, and be communicative on the football team then I can do that everywhere else. I adopted that mindset and it changed my life. Thank you for this opportunity!