Robin S. Sharma stated that "leadership is not a title or designation. It's about impact, influence, and inspiration." I plan to make a positive difference in the world around me and impact, influence, and inspire youth so that they too can be empowered to make their own change in the future. I want to focus my change in tackling education and education infrastructure reform, especially in low income areas. I strive to improve the academic world and the minds within it. While in high school, I was an education activist. I represented my school at district meetings, visited elementary schools to provide mentor-ship, and even represented my district at the Texas state capital to discuss changes in curriculum and teaching techniques. I am currently employed as a math instructor where I teach K-12 and beyond a variety of math subjects and test preparation skills. I also volunteer my time to speak to schools and universities about ways to improve academic technique and perform better on exams. On the days I am not in class or at work, I volunteer as an after school tutor for high school students. This past New Year I began raising money for an education project and was able to raise $1,500 for the cause by selling shirts and asking for donations through social media. This scholarship will help me continue to lead by funding my education. It is estimated that students at my university spend over $10,000 a semester for their education. I am not fortunate enough to have that given to me, especially for all four years. To come up with the money, I apply for Fafsa, work two jobs, and apply for scholarships like this one. Even then, I find myself still struggling to pay for additional expenses like textbooks and course materials. The stress of these expenses almost doubled after the devastation of COVID-19. If I were to receive this scholarship, a huge financial weight would be lifted off of my shoulders for the upcoming school year. Once I receive my degree in civil engineering, I plan to work for firms that build schools. Through my job I hope to improve education infrastructure and learn more about how structures, lighting, and resources impact academic performance. I also plan to continue my studies and receive my master's and Ph.D so that I can one day teach at a college or university. I hope to change lives through education and I have a strong passion to do so. I will continue helping those around me and work hard to make a profession of helping others. The mind is something to be cared for and strengthened, and what better way to help young minds than to go to where the learning takes place. Thank you for this scholarship opportunity!

Being who you are can be hardest and easiest thing a person can do. Like many others in the LGBTQ+ community, I have struggled with my identity my entire life. Despite this, I was able to find love within myself and acceptance for who I am through what some people might consider an unlikely source: TikTok. As many people know, TikTok is a social media platform that is currently on the rave. Tiktok allows people to make videos, interact with others, and share common interests. Through the app, many people have made communities that highlight these common interests. Tiktok helped me start to love who I am when I came across LGBTQ+ creators on my “for you page.” I’ve always known that I was a part of the LGBTQ+ community since as early as age 13, but I had a lot of trouble accepting it. Between my religion and what I thought other people would think of me, I had a lot of trouble being who I was and I often lied to myself and told myself it would just go away. I was scared to be who I was and I did not love myself because I knew I was doing myself a disservice by not being who I am. Being on TikTok helped me realize that loving who you love is 100% okay. I learned about how grand the community is and how supportive people can be. Not only did the creators that I watched help me accept myself, but the support that they had in their comments sections and the millions of followers they had helped me realize that other people could support me as well. I even started my own TikTok page for other LGBTQ+ users that also struggle with their identity and acceptance. The page currently has over 9000 followers and I am happy to help people like other creators helped me. I have even made friends from all over the world through this app. I wish to continue helping others on TikTok, as well as other social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram. I was even able to finally come out to my friends and family this year because of the confidence that I gained through TikTok. I am forever grateful for the people who have supported me in my journey of acceptance and I am excited for all the people that I help in the future. Thank you for the scholarship opportunity!

Education impacts people‘s lives in many different ways. For me specifically, education is not only something that I receive but something that I give. Through providing education for others, I realized that the education field is the place for me. Currently, I am employed as a math instructor for the worldwide company, Mathnasium. Through the company, I am able to instruct students of all ages, k-12 and beyond. While I was still in high school, I was chosen by my job to teach at an elementary school for an entire day. At the time I was only used to working after school so teaching a class all day was a big step for me. I was honored that I was chosen for the opportunity and I was excited for the experience. I had lesson plans and an array of activities for the whole day. If I am being honest, I was nervous at first, but as soon as I saw the fifth graders walk in I felt a sense of belonging. I started off my lesson with a review on volume and area since that’s what the students were currently working on. We also practiced multiplication techniques and I showed them more effective ways to get answers and how to get around questions they get stuck on. The most impactful moment for me throughout the entire day was seeing the smiles on the kids faces when they finally understood the topic. At Mathnasium we call this the lightbulb, and the indescribable feeling it gives me is something that I live for. The warmth that I got after helping the children understand and them being inspired through math is why I ultimately decided to work to become a teacher. As many people know math is not most students’ favorite subject so, the fact that I was able to get kids to actually enjoy math and have fun while also learning new concepts touched my heart. As I continued teaching at schools and working at my job, I noticed many things that I felt needed to be changed in the education system. These things vary from curriculum, to the overall infrastructure of schools, to communication between students parents and faculty. As an educator, I plan to work to improve these things. In summation, becoming an educator is my ultimate goal because of the impact education has on other people’s lives. I plan to continue to educate while I am in college and hopefully land a job as a college professor one day. Thank you for this scholarship opportunity, as the money will help me further my dreams in education.

Education plays a big part in my life. For starters, education has allowed me to change lives through being an educator. I am an instructor working for the company Mathnasium. Mathnasium is a worldwide corporation founded on the principle of making math make sense. Through my job, I not only help with homework or assignments, but I also instruct on foundational concepts using customized learning plans made to help students understand mathematics and furthermore enrich their mathematical and problem solving skills. Even though I started my job to make some extra money for college, I soon learned that the education field is the place for me. Being in the educator allows me to be a leader and a mentor. I have grown to have more of an appreciation for educators after becoming one and I plan to work with other educators in education reform in the United States. While education plays a big part in my life with me being an educator, it also plays a big part of my life with me being a student. Currently I am enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin. With the University of Texas at Austin being a widely recognized school, I am blessed with great educators. Having knowledgeable and experienced professors allows me to perform better in my studies and do better in the career I choose to pursue. This is an important aspect of education because without great educators many students fall astray. I also use the skills that I learned from my professors to help me become a better educated myself. Overall, my life revolves around the education field whether it is me teaching in a classroom or learning in one. I plan to grow not only as a student but as an educator and I would like to thank you all for this scholarship opportunity!

My name is Alyce Keys. I currently study at the University of Texas at Austin. I enjoy reading, eating grilled cheese, painting, and graphic design. I am currently running my very own online apparel business, Always Kindness. [ Alwayskindnessbyak.com ] After being interested in art and fashion at a young age and taking art, fashion, photography, and graphic design courses in high school school, I began to design and create my own apparel and graphic work. Initially, I made pieces for personal use and practice, sharpening my skills and learning new techniques along the way. Soon after, I began posting and wearing my designs. I started to get compliments from my friends, family, and other people online and in person. It was not until my design was noticed by the famous musician, SZA, that I decided to turn my work into a full functioning business. I got my business license, constructed my very own website, and currently take online orders. Not only do I do what I enjoy, but I can also provide my digital designs to people all over. In addition to designing products for fashion purposes, I also decided to make pieces with one hundred percent of proceeds on those items going towards organizations and charities. I was brought up on the principles of giving back and helping the world around me. For this reason, I wanted my company to reflect these values. As a result, the company was named Always Kindness. I wish to use my platform and business to not only showcase designs, but also encourage positivity and awareness towards societal issues. These issues include but are not limited to civil rights, environmental protection, and education assistance and reform. I plan to continue to grow my company and contribute towards a better world and overall spreading generosity. By doing so, I hope to inspire young artists, influencers, and entrepreneurs to work towards a change and have a better tomorrow for generations to come. The more people that work together, the more change can be done. My most recent fashion campaign was inspired by the devastating injustice of the Breonna Taylor case. As a African American woman in the United States, I have experienced, first-hand, the plague of racism the United States faces. It pains me and many others that after years and years, the Black community continues to be oppressed. I am currently raising money to donate to several civil rights organizations in order to tackle this national crisis. Case after case results seemed to get worse and worse. Finally after the Breonna Taylor case, the idea came to me to start the fundraising, especially with my new website. I plan to also campaign for other issues in the future and do my part to make a difference. I hope that my company continues to grow and can continue to get recognized for years to come. Always Kindness is new, but I can see it going far and making an impact. Thank for this scholarship opportunity!

My name is Alyce Keys. I currently study at the University of Texas at Austin. I enjoy reading, eating grilled cheese, painting, and graphic design. I am currently running my very own online apparel business, Always Kindness. [ Alwayskindnessbyak.com ] After being interested in art and fashion at a young age and taking art, fashion, photography, and graphic design courses in high school school, I began to design and create my own apparel and graphic work. Initially, I made pieces for personal use and practice, sharpening my skills and learning new techniques along the way. Soon after, I began posting and wearing my designs. I started to get compliments from my friends, family, and other people online and in person. It was not until my design was noticed by the famous musician, SZA, that I decided to turn my work into a full functioning business. I got my business license, constructed my very own website, and currently take online orders. Not only do I do what I enjoy, but I can also provide my digital designs to people all over. In addition to designing products for fashion purposes, I also decided to make pieces with one hundred percent of proceeds on those items going towards organizations and charities. I was brought up on the principles of giving back and helping the world around me. For this reason, I wanted my company to reflect these values. As a result, the company was named Always Kindness. I wish to use my platform and business to not only showcase designs, but also encourage positivity and awareness towards societal issues. These issues include but are not limited to civil rights, environmental protection, and education assistance and reform. I plan to continue to grow my company and contribute towards a better world and overall spreading generosity. By doing so, I hope to inspire young artists, influencers, and entrepreneurs to work towards a change and have a better tomorrow for generations to come. The more people that work together, the more change can be done. My most recent fashion campaign was inspired by the devastating injustice of the Breonna Taylor case. As a African American woman in the United States, I have experienced, first-hand, the plague of racism the United States faces. It pains me and many others that after years and years, the Black community continues to be oppressed. I am currently raising money to donate to several civil rights organizations in order to tackle this national crisis. Case after case results seemed to get worse and worse. Finally after the Breonna Taylor case, the idea came to me to start the fundraising, especially with my new website. I plan to also campaign for other issues in the future and do my part to make a difference. I hope that my company continues to grow and can continue to get recognized for years to come. Always Kindness is new, but I can see it going far and making an impact. Thank for this scholarship opportunity!

Often in life one is presented with experiences that allow for self discovery. One of the most impactful ways for one to understand themselves is how he, she, or they interacts with others. I was able to learn more about myself as an engineer in this way. In the Spring of my Junior year of high school I was selected to participate in a summer engineering program at Georgia Tech. This was an amazing opportunity to interact with other aspiring engineers from all over the world and experience what it is like to be a working engineer first-hand. At the program we were divided into groups and given different issues that engineering could solve, like reprogramming a toy helicopter, constructing pulley systems, and building various structures given certain conditions. The project I liked the most was our group’s capstone project that required us to construct a functioning water tower, routing where the water would come from, creating a system for pumping the water, and marketing the design to other students and staff members. This project allowed me to realize that as engineer have a lot if important qualities. For starters, I realized that I am versatile. I realized this through my ability to adapt to the issues the project presented and help in different areas of construction. I also learned that I have well developed leadership skills. I realized this after I noticed my fellow teammates asking me questions and looking to me for guidance. I was even called the “checker,” because I was always the one to check the math, chemistry, and coding. I also realized that I am great at motivation and allowing everyone to showcase their specialty. My team sometimes felt sluggish from working long hours on our tower, but I always found a way to motivate them. My team also had students that took an interest in different types of engineering. One member had a lot of experience in computer science, one specialized in chemical engineering, one loved mechanical engineering, and I took an interest in civil engineering. I encouraged everyone to use their specialty to add to the project, allowing us to collaborate more effectively and divide the work evenly. We received to many compliments and comments on how impressive our project turned out. I was proud of my team and was very thankful for the experience to become more self aware in my engineering ability. Overall, my skills as an engineer are versatility, leadership, motivation, and utilizing my teams skills for efficiency and success. After realizing these skills I made the decision to not only be a civil engineer but make my career goal becoming a construction manager. Construction management consists of directing projects, checking work, and presenting it to others. I believe I possess the skills needed for this job and enjoyed doing these skills at the summer program. I hope to go on and continue to grow as an engineer and uncover more skills that I have along the way. Thank you for your time!