Community service is important to me because I believe in the saying, "It takes a village". It is important to give back to your community to make everyone whole. Community service benefits everyone overall. Those being helped receive the care and items they need, and the volunteer receives a feeling of serotonin being released throughout their body by committing to doing a good deed. Community service is also important to me because I live in Baltimore, Maryland and I believe that if we completed more community-oriented events, we'd have a closer community. We would have a community that would encourage one another to come together for a good cause, rather than hurt each other. I currently participate in packaging meals for the elderly with an organization named, "Meals on Wheels" at the Central Maryland location. These meals are prepped based on the nutritional needs of the elderly who are unable to leave their homes. We also take into consideration other needs of the elderly; for example, many of the elderly need soft things to eat such as potatoes or steamed carrots because they are easier to chew. I will be majoring in nursing in the fall of '2024 as an undergraduate student. I intend to use my degree to educate the African American community on the importance of receiving medical help when in need. Too often people in the African American community decline help for their mental health issues because of the stigma that it is "embarrassing" to go to a therapist or to seek professional help generally. I want to use my degree to promote the importance of healthy eating and physical movement. Unfortunately, when an African American person is eating rather healthier than usual and trying to be fit, they are referred to as "trying to be white". Ultimately, I want to change the mindset of the black community, so we can tackle the statistics of typically having higher blood pressure, higher risk of strokes and higher risks of diabetes compared to other races and ethnicities. Representation is important and young African American women need to see more women that look like themselves to be able to visualize themselves in future roles and know that they are capable of being just as successful. This degree will allow me to serve as the representation we need in the African American community. The younger generations deserve to have someone to look up to.

Law enforcement agencies can improve relationships with the African American population in the United States by acknowledging the obstacles and mistreatment we experience from them. Once law enforcement agencies are able to acknowledge their role in the relationship with the African American community there will be more growth. This means working on their approach and comparing the interactions they have with Caucasian people to African Americans. Law enforcement has to recognize African Americans as citizens and treat us as such for relationships to be improved. This could mean getting involved in our community events and interacting with us to show their effort in trying to improve their relationships with African Americans in the United States. Law enforcement can improve their relationship with the African American community by being present in times of need. Often times, it takes law enforcement much longer to arrive to a scene in comparison to if a Caucasian person called. This creates a tension filled relationship and makes African Americans feel uncomfortable asking for help from law enforcement agencies because they do not show up as efficiently compared to other races. This is an another step law enforcement agencies can take to improve the trust between African American and law enforcement agency relationships. Law enforcement agencies must become less hostile when approaching African Americans. In doing so, this will ease the tension that is already stigmatized between the African American community and law enforcement. All interactions do not require excessive force or aggressive tones. This leads to people getting hurt and unnecessary unfortunate deaths in the African American community. Majority of events can be diffused through law enforcement having better approaches and understanding how to connect with the African American community. Accepting feedback from the African American community would improve the relationship between the two. Having the African American community complete surveys about their interactions with law enforcement agencies could give them the opportunity to learn about what they need to improve on in their relationships with the black communities. These surveys would serve as taking direct action to improve these relationships. Hearing the voice of the African American community and listening to enact these recommendations into their practices would heavily impact the improvement of the relationship between the two. To improve the relationship between law enforcement agencies and the African American community, law enforcement agencies must take the initiative to listen to the African American community, become more involved, make less hostile approaches and enact recommendations provided.

I have overcome adversity by applying myself to opportunities that are typically not targeted for the African American community to be apart of. I try to place myself outside of the stereotypes placed among African American people. Those stereotypes are typically that African Americans are lazy, don’t want to work for themselves and only want to depend on governmental assistance. Last summer I was hired at Oak Crest Retirement Center. Since then, I have been able to sustain this job and it has taught me a lot about myself and have became knowledgeable from listening to the wise residents. Being able to obtain and sustain this job has allowed me to overcome one stereotype and overcome adversity. This job has allowed me to provide some of the necessities a young woman may need for herself. In the future, I wish to support my community by advocating for African American women. In the fall of 2024, I will attend a four-year university to major in nursing. This knowledge will allow me to be able to advocate for black women when in the care of hospital professionals. It is too often that medical professionals ignore what a black woman is feeling because “she may be faking it to get drugs”. I wish to combat these stereotypes and advocate for black woman to receive the healthcare they are in need of as well as ensure they have the necessities they require to sustain their health and wellness. I wish to help my community by promoting the idea of it being normal to accept help for mental illnesses. Our community often dismisses their feelings and try to continue to be “strong” instead of seeking help when in need. Trying to continue “to be strong” is the downfall in our community and leads to generational trauma. I will promote this idea by educating black women about their mental health and ways to decompress in stressful events. Single African American mothers endure the most stress in our community as they try to juggle and maintain the role of both parents and trying to ensure their children have what they need to be successful. Currently I volunteer with the organization ‘Meeks On Wheels’. My role is to package meals for the senior citizens in need. In the near future I wish to volunteer with non-profit organizations that are specifically targeted to help black families. To engage and collaborate with communities you are apart of makes an effort much more meaningful.

My name is Adrienne Stith. I’m a 17 year old female student attending Western High School in Baltimore City. I was recently selected as President of the National Honor Society. I current have a 4.2 GPA. During my high school experience I’ve completed honors courses and advanced placement courses. I’ve also participated in soccer along with track and field sporting activities. I enjoy spending time with my family, friends, and cat. I love pets! I also enjoy traveling and trying new restaurants. I am a hard-working and goal driven individual who isn't afraid to face a challenge. I'm passionate about my academic and professional development. I would describe myself as an open and honest person. My current goals are to obtain a full ride an academic scholarship. I also plan to graduate high school to attend an undergraduate college as a nursing major. I will graduate high school in 2024. For my undergraduate studies, I hope to attend either Coppin State University, University of Maryland, or Bowie State University. After obtaining an undergraduate degree, I hope to attend graduate nursing school at Johns Hopkins University located in Baltimore, Maryland. My ultimate professional goal is to becoming a nurse anesthesiologist. I have a passion to help and serve others, especially in the African American community where access to quality healthcare is limited. I hope to someday set an example for the young people in my community. This scholarship will provide the opportunity to be one step closer to reaching my academic goals. This scholarship will lessen the financial stress of college. This scholarship means more to me than just obtaining money; it also means that I am viewed as having potential for the future of our society. I will continuously have individuals to thank for my accomplishments. Serving my community is very important to me. I’m a current volunteer (Meal Packer) with Meals on Wheels located in Baltimore. This volunteer opportunity provides me with the chance to end hunger in my community. My volunteer responsibilities includes working on a fast pace box packaging line to pack meals. I typically stand for 3 hour and participating in activities that require lifting, reaching, and bending continuously. This volunteer experience has provided me with the opportunity to connect with other volunteers and the chance to strengthen my ties to the community. My volunteer experience has also impacted me by boosting my confidence and self esteem.

I am a rising high school senior wanting to major in nursing when I attend a 4-year college institution. I am a member of the National Honor Society, where we pride ourselves on academics. We host tutoring sessions at our school during lunch periods and after school. During the weekend, I work at Oak Crest Retirement Center. I am a dining server there and pride myself on good service. As I earn my way to a bachelor’s degree in science in nursing, I hope to learn how to be an advocate for black women. Their pain is usually ignored due to the stereotype of black women as "not really being in pain" and "strong".     As a future RN, I want to be there for black women to relate to. Patients are more at ease when they have someone to relate to. I plan to advocate for black women because I often hear horror stories about their time in the emergency room, outpatient care centers, and more. Not only black women, but all patients may face doctors and nurses who dismiss their symptoms and pain levels.   I will measure my success based on the change I create within the healthcare system. As a young woman, I am aware that I have a lot of work to do. I have the ambition, drive, and passion to be the change I want to see. I will use my education to educate patients and form reassuring relationships with them to inform them about their health.   To do this, it is important to be a listening ear, compassionate, and educated. The patient is the top priority, and listening to them will make them feel comfortable voicing their symptoms and how they feel without being judged or fearing someone won’t believe them. I do not want any patient to fear speaking up because they are frightened of their doctor or nurse giving them an attitude or not listening to them. I will be the nurse who listens, educates my patients on further care plans, and answers all of their questions. The show "New Amsterdam", on Netflix displays a new medical director coming into the hospital and creating change in all departments, no matter how much energy, money, meetings, and disagreements it takes. The drive he shows is what I aspire to be. Continuing to fight for patients and help them when they are unable to do so themselves.