Hebrews 10:36 NIV “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” A lot of people say God doesn’t give you more than you can handle. This sentiment, often shared to provide comfort during difficult times, is a cornerstone of faith for many believers. However, in my walk as a Christian, I have found that embracing this belief hasn’t always been the easiest thing to do. There have been moments of intense struggle and doubt when it felt like the challenges before me were insurmountable. Yet, during these times of hardship, I have learned valuable lessons about faith, resilience, and the boundless grace of God. I know that for myself, it hasn’t always been easy to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Life’s trials often obscure the clarity of hope and make the journey seem endlessly arduous. However, staying active in the church has been a vital anchor for my soul. Engaging in communal worship, participating in church activities, and receiving guidance from spiritual leaders have all been instrumental in sustaining my faith. Moreover, these practices have provided me with a sense of belonging and purpose, reinforcing my commitment to walk in faith despite the challenges. Continuing my journey in faith has been the best decision for my spiritual and personal growth. I am constantly reminded that God has my best interests at heart. This belief instills in me a profound sense of peace and confidence, knowing that my struggles are not in vain. As long as I continue my journey in good faith, I am assured that I will be rewarded abundantly for my perseverance and dedication. Although the timing of this reward is unknown, my faith reassures me that everything happens for a reason, and nothing I go through will be without purpose. School has presented its own set of challenges. Balancing academic demands, personal commitments, and spiritual growth often feels like a precarious juggling act. There have been times when the weight of my responsibilities has felt overwhelming, and I’ve questioned my ability to succeed. It can feel like I’m driving into a dead end, with no clear path forward. However, during these moments, I remind myself to take a step back and gain perspective. My journey is not defined by the bumps in the road but by my resilience and determination to keep moving forward. I am learning to view these obstacles not as insurmountable barriers but as opportunities for growth and learning. Each challenge is a lesson in patience, faith, and perseverance. My journey isn’t about the immediate outcomes but about the enduring process of striving towards my goals, no matter how difficult the path may be. I have something better waiting for me at the end of the road, and this belief sustains me through the toughest times. In my walk of faith, I understand that hard work is essential to achieving my dreams. Nothing worth having comes easily, and the value of my achievements is amplified by the effort I put into realizing them. This principle applies to all aspects of life, from academic pursuits to personal growth and spiritual development. Life won’t always be easy, but as long as I work with my end goal in mind, everything is possible.

Forgiveness Isn’t For Everyone Everyone that has faced conflict with someone they love can relate to the necessity for forgiveness to happen in order to heal. Forgiveness can look like acceptance, allowing someone to have a second chance, or knowing that even though apologies were said there is no room for disrespect. I believe that forgiveness is necessary to relationships you want to maintain. Then and only then will you make the decision to continuously go down that path. Some people forgive too early and some people forgive too late but the one thing that all people have in common is that they know what an apology looks like. Things weren't always like this for me. As you grow older you start to realize how important it is to set boundaries and differentiate apologies for gaslighting. This was a lesson I learned very early. One thing that I picked up on at an early age was when you do something wrong you apologize. If you're on the slide and you push someone down, a teacher or an aid will immediately come over to fix the situation and tell you to apologize. As you grow older the situations get more serious. If you lie to your mom about something you said you didn't do she made you apologize for your actions. Then as you get older you have to apologize for the way you express certain things or you have to apologize for tone or volume. I never quite understood why. I felt like apologies were for when something bad occurred. Me expressing myself never felt like a bad thing even though people tried to make me feel that way. Forgiveness should be reserved when you slight or disrespect someone. Just because you don't agree with the way someone says something you should be able to leave emotions as consideration and truly get to the route of the problem. Lack of communication is a huge reason as to why many arguments and fights start. I think that people don't always consider the ease in communication. People don't always realize that forgiveness is even needed. I believe that people should be forgiven. I think if you're truly sorry and you work towards atoning for the mistakes you made, forgiveness will be easy. However when forgiveness turns into something that only needs to be given to one person is where everything should cease. Having to constantly accept the same or similar apologies can be tiring and it feels like an endless loop. If people consciously make the decision to treat you as if you are disposable or like you dont matter then you are responsible for everything they do. Apologies are supposed to be sincere, they shouldn’t be about blaming the other person, and they shouldn’t only be about the person who is apologizing. Once you set your boundaries for what a proper apology looks like in your eyes, the way you view forgiveness will equate to the way you look at release.

At some point, we’ve all dreamed of starting a business with a friend. It always begins the same way. An exciting idea takes shape, you sit together envisioning the possibilities, and suddenly you’re planning everything where you’ll work, how it’ll look, and maybe even designing a logo. But most of the time, that’s where it ends. The ideas fizzle out, the enthusiasm fades, and nothing moves forward. This wasn’t our story. My best friend of five years came to me with a vision I believed in, so we gave it everything we had. He came to me determined to start a clothing brand centered around mental health. The idea resonated deeply with me. I was midway through my junior year, dealing with my own mental health struggles, and dreaming of becoming a psychology major. I knew the power of opening up about mental health, and the opportunity to turn it into something tangible lit a fire in me. He had a vague plan but didn’t know where to start, so we brainstormed together. What the clothes would look like, the message we wanted to send, and the impact we hoped to have. My friends and I voted on designs, landing on a simple but bold hoodie that became the company’s very first product. At that time, I didn’t realize I was already stepping into a role beyond “supportive friend.” Among my group, I was always that person with a camera in my hand, always capturing moments and creating videos. I loved documenting everything and pulling my friends into TikToks and photoshoots. So, my friend suggested that I take photos of the hoodie and show them around to get people’s feedback. Without knowing it, I launched an informal marketing survey and I took it seriously. I talked to 200 students at my school, asking them to vote on their favorite design and gathering real opinions. By the end of it, I knew we had a winner and an opportunity worth fighting for. I needed to be better, so I committed myself to learning. I immersed myself in anything related to business and marketing. I even enrolled in my school’s sports and entertainment marketing class which was a turning point I’ll never forget. For the first time in my education, I was having fun. Marketing felt intuitive to me, like I’d finally found my calling. I studied marketing foundations, practiced what I learned, and saw our brand grow stronger with each step. Most importantly, it showed me how to take my passion and shape it into a future. As I am earning my degree, I am eager to take this passion further. My major is in business with a concentration in marketing, while hopefully minoring in strategic communications . My dream is to launch and run my own business. A sister company to what we’ve already built with Unspokenn. I’m so proud of what we’ve accomplished so far, but I know this is only the beginning. College is the next step, the place where I’ll sharpen my skills, deepen my knowledge, and arm myself with the tools I need to bring my ideas to life.Starting this journey showed me what’s possible when hard work and vision meet. It’s no longer just a dream or an idea. This experience has proven I’m ready for more. I’m determined to keep learning, growing, and creating. This is just the start, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.

At some point, we’ve all dreamed of starting a business with a friend. It always begins the same way. An exciting idea takes shape, you sit together envisioning the possibilities, and suddenly you’re planning everything where you’ll work, how it’ll look, and maybe even designing a logo. But most of the time, that’s where it ends. The ideas fizzle out, the enthusiasm fades, and nothing moves forward. This wasn’t our story. My best friend of five years came to me with a vision I believed in, so we gave it everything we had. He came to me determined to start a clothing brand centered around mental health. The idea resonated deeply with me. I was midway through my junior year, dealing with my own mental health struggles, and dreaming of becoming a psychology major. I knew the power of opening up about mental health, and the opportunity to turn it into something tangible lit a fire in me. He had a vague plan but didn’t know where to start, so we brainstormed together. What the clothes would look like, the message we wanted to send, and the impact we hoped to have. My friends and I voted on designs, landing on a simple but bold hoodie that became the company’s very first product. At that time, I didn’t realize I was already stepping into a role beyond “supportive friend.” Among my group, I was always that person with a camera in my hand, always capturing moments and creating videos. I loved documenting everything and pulling my friends into TikToks and photoshoots. So, my friend suggested that I take photos of the hoodie and show them around to get people’s feedback. Without knowing it, I launched an informal marketing survey and I took it seriously. I talked to 200 students at my school, asking them to vote on their favorite design and gathering real opinions. By the end of it, I knew we had a winner and an opportunity worth fighting for. I needed to be better, so I committed myself to learning. I immersed myself in anything related to business and marketing. I even enrolled in my school’s sports and entertainment marketing class which was a turning point I’ll never forget. For the first time in my education, I was having fun. Marketing felt intuitive to me, like I’d finally found my calling. I studied marketing foundations, practiced what I learned, and saw our brand grow stronger with each step. Most importantly, it showed me how to take my passion and shape it into a future. As I am earning my degree, I am eager to take this passion further. My major is in business with a concentration in marketing, while hopefully minoring in strategic communications . My dream is to launch and run my own business. A sister company to what we’ve already built with Unspokenn. I’m so proud of what we’ve accomplished so far, but I know this is only the beginning. College is the next step, the place where I’ll sharpen my skills, deepen my knowledge, and arm myself with the tools I need to bring my ideas to life. Starting this journey showed me what’s possible when hard work and vision meet. It’s no longer just a dream or an idea. This experience has proven I’m ready for more. I’m determined to keep learning, growing, and creating. This is just the start, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.

“you don’t have to do this alone” I think when you are going through something and the people in your life want to help you it’s one of the main things they say. They say you’re not alone or I'll be here for you and all those things can all be true, but it’s hard to allow somebody to help you when you don’t know what’s hurting you. My junior year of high school was not easy for me. I got injured very early into my first fall season for soccer, and I found myself not having anything to do. Throughout my entire high school years I struggled with what my parents believe to be a seasonal affect disorder. My father has one and I would go through similar things he went through during the winter. I would self isolate, I wouldn’t eat often and I wouldn’t talk to people or go out with my friends. Most times I could manage it, I would force myself out of bed or force myself to eat. However after leaving myself with way too much time on my hands since I wasn’t playing soccer, it only aided my depression to form in new ways. We were in mid March and I was still having the same problems emotionally that I was having in December. This led me to believe that my mental health issues were not subject to a season and that I needed more help. I was not the type of person that was always good at getting assistance so I bottled my feelings up. As we were preparing for stretching to go on the field, my coach told me that I would be playing the full game unless my injury started up again. With the anxiety that came with me about to play in a serious game for the first time after my injury I got nervous. I didn’t have anything to smoke and I was three hours away from home. I had an anxiety attack in the bathroom. Soon after, a teammate found me and was trying to calm me down before the game. She said “you don’t have to do this alone”. It was that thing again that everybody had been telling me. So I played through the whole game until my body couldn’t take it. We lost the game so my season was over. I was left with my thoughts so I began to start smoking again. I thought that I was happy, I thought that my anger and sadness went away, but I was only suppressing it. My mom figured out what was going on and put me in therapy. She knew that I couldn’t keep holding on to my emotions for much longer. Since I have been in therapy I have found healthy ways to deal with my emotions and I’m no longer smoking. I'm forever thankful for everyone in my life that told me that I was not alone. It might not have been the thing I always wanted to hear but it was what I needed to hear.

Soccer has been the thing that led me to finding my strength. I was a 5’5" goalkeeper who had earned the nickname “Superwoman” because of my jumping ability. I didn’t fall in love with the sport until I turned twelve and we went undefeated in our league, which won us the fall championship. That year, I was rewarded with trophies and accolades, but it was also the first year I realized the racial differences between me and my peers. I was talking to a white girl in my class; she played for our archrivals, and we were scheduled to play them this upcoming Sunday. It was a Tuesday afternoon, and we were in the bathroom, talking about the game. I told her my team was going to kill her team because we had a better record and better players. She walked out of the bathroom, and when I returned to class, everyone was staring at me. My teacher sent me to the counselor’s office, where the counselor then asked me if I said I was going to kill her team. I told my counselor yes, but I didn’t mean it in the way they were saying it. The girl got one of her friends to say she saw an altercation happen where I threatened to kill the girl and her team, and I physically attacked and threatened her. I didn’t know this information until after they gave me the suspension, so I immediately went home and told my mom. My parents went to the school to dispute my suspension over time, and I tried to get proof from my friends who heard her say she only wanted me to get suspended so I wouldn’t play that Sunday. Although they told me they were going to remove the suspension from my record after they realized she was lying, the memories I had from those weeks are something I could never forget. Tenacity is a word I was quick to learn, and I believe it’s the perfect way to describe myself. I’ve always had to overcome obstacles and climb the walls people thought were too tall for me. This conquering spirit is why I would like to use my degree to open businesses that create shared spaces for people who look like me. This scholarship will allow me to receive the education that is necessary for me to not only live out my dreams without the worry of financial burden but also advocate for others to pursue their dreams. Even though I’ve spent a lot of time focusing on 'winning,' whether that's in the classroom or on the soccer field, I have learned that sometimes all you need is a break. I hope that as I study and learn more about businesses, marketing, and entrepreneurship, I can give those breaks to other people. I’d like to believe that being tenacious isn't something I just am; it’s something I strive for.

The importance of a good natured laugh. The one where you clutch your stomach and the tears stream down your face. It doesn’t happen every time but when it does, it breeds ground for memories you’ll never forget. I would love to bring that light and love to a digital screen or phone. The entertainment industry has been around for a long time and it has taken many forms, however the feeling it gives its viewers hasn’t yet changed. I see the entertainment industry as an escape from reality. You can be a part of someone else’s story for about thirty minutes to an hour and it’s wonderful. My desire to contribute to the entertainment industry stems from a passion for storytelling and a commitment to enriching people's lives through art. In my free time I write scenes to plays and poetry. With my art I am given the opportunity to push the needle on right from wrong and work towards bringing more people into the stories I want to tell. This industry wields immense power to inspire, educate, and bring joy, and working within it means playing a part in shaping cultural narratives and societal perspectives. It offers the chance to be involved in a dynamic and creative field, driving innovation and influencing the collective consciousness. By being dedicated to the work, one can help amplify diverse voices, foster new talent, and contribute to an industry that profoundly impacts how people perceive and interact with the world. This dedication reflects a commitment to enhancing the quality and reach of entertainment, making it more inclusive and impactful. In conclusion, the power of laughter, the joy of shared cinematic experiences, and the profound impact of storytelling highlight the essential role of the entertainment industry in our lives. My passion for contributing to this field is driven by a deep-seated belief in its ability to connect people, evoke emotions, and create lasting memories. Whether it's through the heartwarming laughter that binds us together or the poignant narratives that challenge our perspectives, the entertainment industry offers a unique platform to inspire and unite. By dedicating myself to this vibrant and influential industry, I aim to bring more light, love, and inclusivity to screens around the world, enriching lives and fostering a deeper sense of understanding and togetherness.

The importance of a good natured laugh. The one where you clutch your stomach and the tears stream down your face. It doesn’t happen every time but when it does, it breeds ground for memories you’ll never forget. I would love to bring that light and love to a digital screen or phone. The entertainment industry has been around for a long time and it has taken many forms, however the feeling it gives its viewers hasn’t yet changed. I see the entertainment industry as an escape from reality. You can be a part of someone else’s story for about thirty minutes to an hour and it’s wonderful. Spending time watching movies with family and friends fosters stronger relationships and creates lasting memories. It offers a shared experience that can spark meaningful conversations and deepen emotional connections. Watching movies together provides a relaxing and enjoyable way to bond, allowing everyone to unwind and engage in a common interest. It also helps bridge generational gaps, as diverse movie genres and themes can appeal to different age groups, encouraging empathy and understanding. Ultimately, these shared cinematic moments enrich relationships, enhance communication, and contribute to a sense of belonging and togetherness. My desire to contribute to the entertainment industry stems from a passion for storytelling and a commitment to enriching people's lives through art. In my free time I write scenes to plays and poetry. With my art I am given the opportunity to push the needle on right from wrong and work towards bringing more people into the stories I want to tell. This industry wields immense power to inspire, educate, and bring joy, and working within it means playing a part in shaping cultural narratives and societal perspectives. It offers the chance to be involved in a dynamic and creative field, driving innovation and influencing the collective consciousness. By being dedicated to the work, one can help amplify diverse voices, foster new talent, and contribute to an industry that profoundly impacts how people perceive and interact with the world. This dedication reflects a commitment to enhancing the quality and reach of entertainment, making it more inclusive and impactful. In conclusion, the power of laughter, the joy of shared cinematic experiences, and the profound impact of storytelling highlight the essential role of the entertainment industry in our lives. My passion for contributing to this field is driven by a deep-seated belief in its ability to connect people, evoke emotions, and create lasting memories. Whether it's through the heartwarming laughter that binds us together or the poignant narratives that challenge our perspectives, the entertainment industry offers a unique platform to inspire and unite. By dedicating myself to this vibrant and influential industry, I aim to bring more light, love, and inclusivity to screens around the world, enriching lives and fostering a deeper sense of understanding and togetherness.

At some point everyone has tried to start a business venture with a friend. At first it starts with this idea, you guys sit down and elaborate on what you would do. You go over all the intricate details of where you’ll live and you might even make a logo. However most people don’t actually go through with it. In this case, we decided that our idea was good enough to give it a shot. My best friend of about five years came to me with a business plan. He knew he wanted to start a clothing brand around mental health but he didn’t know how to get started. At the time I was midway through my junior year, I was dealing with my own mental health issues and I wanted to be a psychology major. He asked me a few questions about how he wanted the clothes to look and a couple of my friends and I voted on which hoodie he should start with. Outside of my interest in mental health and psychology amongst my friends I was known to always have a camera in my hand. I’m the friend that always wants to take pictures, make TikTok videos and record our memories. So I also force all of my friends to make videos with me. Knowing this my best friend told me that I should take pictures of his hoodies and show them to other people and see what they think. At the time what I didn’t know was I doing a marketing survey for a brand. I ended up talking to 200 people in my school, getting them to vote on the hoodie that ended up being our first product for the company. Starting a business was not as easy as I thought it would be, since I helped with a lot of the preliminary work I had to build my own team to be able to work on the marketing and promotion of our brand. I started by coming out strong making the videos I thought people wanted to see. I used the videos and pictures that we took from a photo shoot and I used the videos to gain traction and hype around our brand. I gained excitement as I saw people starting to follow and engage with my content. However, with us being new and not having a full level of knowledge I had to do what I could to learn while I worked. Within our first and second quarter I spent a lot of time educating myself on business and marketing. I even enrolled in the sports and entertainment marketing class at my school. In my many years of doing primary education I had never had as much fun in a class as I did in my marketing class. There I learned many of the foundations of marketing and it helped me to build a better brand. It also helped me to redirect my passion into something I could turn into the career I would like to have for my life. In college my hope is to continue to major in business with a focus in marketing. I would also like to hopefully minor in entrepreneurship. My goal is to open and own my own business that would act as a sister company to Unspokenn. I love all that I have been able to accomplish with starting my business so far but this is only the beginning for me. Receiving secondary education will only help to better arm me with the tools needed for success.

At some point everyone has tried to start a business venture with a friend. At first it starts with this idea, you guys sit down and elaborate on what you would do. You go over all the intricate details of where you’ll live and you might even make a logo. However most people don’t actually go through with it. In this case, we decided that our idea was good enough to give it a shot. My best friend of about five years came to me with a business plan. He knew he wanted to start a clothing brand around mental health but he didn’t know how to get started. At the time I was midway through my junior year, I was dealing with my own mental health issues and I wanted to be a psychology major. He asked me a few questions about how he wanted the clothes to look and a couple of my friends and I voted on which hoodie he should start with. Outside of my interest in mental health and psychology amongst my friends I was known to always have a camera in my hand. I’m the friend that always wants to take pictures, make TikTok videos and record our memories. So I also force all of my friends to make videos with me. Knowing this my best friend told me that I should take pictures of his hoodies and show them to other people and see what they think. At the time what I didn’t know was I doing a marketing survey for a brand. I ended up talking to 200 people in my school, getting them to vote on the hoodie that ended up being our first product for the company. Starting a business was not as easy as I thought it would be, since I helped with a lot of the preliminary work I had to build my own team to be able to work on the marketing and promotion of our brand. I started by coming out strong making the videos I thought people wanted to see. I used the videos and pictures that we took from a photo shoot and I used the videos to gain traction and hype around our brand. I gained excitement as I saw people starting to follow and engage with my content. However, with us being new and not having a full level of knowledge I had to do what I could to learn while I worked. Within our first and second quarter I spent a lot of time educating myself on business and marketing. I even enrolled in the sports and entertainment marketing class at my school. In my many years of doing primary education I had never had as much fun in a class as I did in my marketing class. There I learned many of the foundations of marketing and it helped me to build a better brand. It also helped me to redirect my passion into something I could turn into the career I would like to have for my life. In college my hope is to continue to major in business with a focus in marketing. I would also like to hopefully minor in entrepreneurship. My goal is to open and own my own business that would act as a sister company to Unspokenn. I love all that I have been able to accomplish with starting my business so far but this is only the beginning for me. Receiving secondary education will only help to better arm me with the tools needed for success.

At some point everyone has tried to start a business venture with a friend. At first it starts with this idea, you guys sit down and elaborate on what you would do. You go over all the intricate details of where you’ll live and you might even make a logo. However most people don’t actually go through with it. In this case, we decided that our idea was good enough to give it a shot. My best friend of about five years came to me with a business plan. He knew he wanted to start a clothing brand around mental health but he didn’t know how to get started. At the time I was midway through my junior year, I was dealing with my own mental health issues and I wanted to be a psychology major. He asked me a few questions about how he wanted the clothes to look and a couple of my friends and I voted on which hoodie he should start with. Outside of my interest in mental health and psychology amongst my friends I was known to always have a camera in my hand. I’m the friend that always wants to take pictures, make TikTok videos and record our memories. So I also force all of my friends to make videos with me. Knowing this my best friend told me that I should take pictures of his hoodies and show them to other people and see what they think. At the time what I didn’t know was I doing a marketing survey for a brand. I ended up talking to 200 people in my school, getting them to vote on the hoodie that ended up being our first product for the company. Starting a business was not as easy as I thought it would be, since I helped with a lot of the preliminary work I had to build my own team to be able to work on the marketing and promotion of our brand. I started by coming out strong making the videos I thought people wanted to see. I used the videos and pictures that we took from a photo shoot and I used the videos to gain traction and hype around our brand. I gained excitement as I saw people starting to follow and engage with my content. However, with us being new and not having a full level of knowledge I had to do what I could to learn while I worked. Within our first and second quarter I spent a lot of time educating myself on business and marketing. I even enrolled in the sports and entertainment marketing class at my school. In my many years of doing primary education I had never had as much fun in a class as I did in my marketing class. There I learned many of the foundations of marketing and it helped me to build a better brand. It also helped me to redirect my passion into something I could turn into the career I would like to have for my life. In college my hope is to continue to major in business with a focus in marketing. I would also like to hopefully minor in entrepreneurship. My goal is to open and own my own business that would act as a sister company to Unspokenn. I love all that I have been able to accomplish with starting my business so far but this is only the beginning for me. Receiving secondary education will only help to better arm me with the tools needed for success.

At some point everyone has tried to start a business venture with a friend. At first it starts with this idea, you guys sit down and elaborate on what you would do. You go over all the intricate details of where you’ll live and you might even make a logo. However most people don’t actually go through with it. In this case, we decided that our idea was good enough to give it a shot. My best friend of about five years came to me with a business plan. He knew he wanted to start a clothing brand around mental health but he didn’t know how to get started. At the time I was midway through my junior year, I was dealing with my own mental health issues and I wanted to be a psychology major. He asked me a few questions about how he wanted the clothes to look and a couple of my friends and I voted on which hoodie he should start with. Outside of my interest in mental health and psychology amongst my friends I was known to always have a camera in my hand. I’m the friend that always wants to take pictures, make TikTok videos and record our memories. So I also force all of my friends to make videos with me. Knowing this my best friend told me that I should take pictures of his hoodies and show them to other people and see what they think. At the time what I didn’t know was I doing a marketing survey for a brand. Not to be cocky or arrogant but I did a great job. I ended up talking to 200 people in my school, getting them to vote on the hoodie that ended up being our first product for the company. Starting a business was not as easy as I thought it would be, since I helped with a lot of the preliminary work I had to build my own team to be able to work on the marketing and promotion of our brand. I started by coming out strong making the videos I thought people wanted to see. I used the videos and pictures that we took from a photo shoot and I used the videos to gain traction and hype around our brand. I gained excitement as I saw people starting to follow and engage with my content. However, with us being new and not having a full level of knowledge I had to do what I could to learn while I worked. Within our first and second quarter I spent a lot of time educating myself on business and marketing. I even enrolled in the sports and entertainment marketing class at my school. In my many years of doing primary education I had never had as much fun in a class as I did in my marketing class. There I learned many of the foundations of marketing and it helped me to build a better brand. It also helped me to redirect my passion into something I could turn into the career I would like to have for my life.

“you don’t have to do this alone” I think when you are going through something and the people in your life want to help you it’s one of the main things they say. They say you’re not alone or I'll be here for you and all those things can all be true, but it’s hard to allow somebody to help you when you don’t know what’s hurting you. My junior year of high school was not easy for me. I got injured very early into my first fall season for soccer, and I found myself not having anything to do. Throughout my entire high school years I struggled with what my parents believe to be a seasonal affect disorder. My father has one and I would go through similar things he went through during the winter. I would self isolate, I wouldn’t eat often and I wouldn’t talk to people or go out with my friends. Most times I could manage it, I would force myself out of bed or force myself to eat. However after leaving myself with way too much time on my hands since I wasn’t playing soccer, it only aided my depression to form in new ways. The first time I tried smoking marijuana I was 16 years old. I remember I was at a party with one of my teammates who I knew smoked and she asked me if I would like to smoke with her. The first time that she asked, I said no because I always remembered my mother saying that smoking was bad for you. So when she asked the second time, I saw that she had already smoked and she was fine, I thought to myself what could be so bad. I remember feeling lightheaded at first but when I started spending time with my friends, I felt better. I remember an almost euphoric feeling but I also remember not feeling sad anymore. So I started to use marijuana to ease and ignore my pain. I would smoke during school, before school, after school, before I went to sleep, and shortly after I couldn’t even eat without smoking first. I thought that marijuana was the thing that was gonna make me feel bad because the only time I seemed to be happy was when I was under the influence. What I didn’t know was that it was only making me feel worse. Every time I try to stop smoking I end up buying more or getting some from a friend and it’s only repeated the cycle. Once I went back to playing soccer I was extremely out of shape and I was unable to keep up with a lot of training drills. My coach was disappointed, but he thought it was because of lack of training as I went through physical therapy. He encouraged me to work out more so I could get my head in the game for states. As states were slowly approaching, I began to stop smoking a little bit. We were in mid March and I was still having the same problems emotionally that I was having in December. This led me to believe that my mental health issues were not subject to a season and that I needed more help. I was not the type of person that was always good at getting assistance so I bottled my feelings up. As we were preparing for stretching to go on the field, my coach told me that I would be playing the full game unless my injury started up again. With the anxiety that came with me about to play in a serious game for the first time after my injury I got nervous. I didn’t have anything to smoke and I was three hours away from home. I had an anxiety attack in the bathroom. Soon after, a teammate found me and was trying to calm me down before the game. She said “you don’t have to do this alone”. It was that thing again that everybody had been telling me. So I played through the whole game until my body couldn’t take it. We lost the game so my season was over. I was left with my thoughts so I began to start smoking again. I thought that I was happy, I thought that my anger and sadness went away, but I was only suppressing it. My mom figured out what was going on and put me in therapy. She knew that I couldn’t keep holding on to my emotions for much longer. Since I have been in therapy I have found healthy ways to deal with my emotions and I’m no longer smoking. I'm forever thankful for everyone in my life that told me that I was not alone. It might not have been the thing I always wanted to hear but it was what I needed to hear.

Soccer has been the thing that lead me to finding my strength I was a 5’5" goalkeeper who had earned the nickname “Superwoman” because of my jumping ability. I didn’t fall in love with the sport until I turned twelve and we went undefeated in our league, which won us the fall championship. That year, I was rewarded with trophies and accolades, but it was also the first year I realized the racial differences amount me and my peers. was talking to a white girl in my class; she played for our archrivals, and we were scheduled to play them this upcoming Sunday. It was a Tuesday afternoon, and we were in the bathroom, talking about the game. I told her my team was going to kill her team because we had a better record and better players. She walked out of the bathroom, and when I returned to class, everyone was staring at me. My teacher sent me to the counselor’s office, where the counselor then asked me if I said I was going to kill her team. I told my counselor yes, but I didn’t mean it in the way they were saying it. The girl got one of her friends to say she saw an altercation happen where I threatened to kill the girl and her team, and I physically attacked and threatened her. I didn’t know this information until after they gave me the suspension, so I immediately went home and told my mom. My parents went to the school to dispute my suspension over time, and I tried to get proof from my friends who heard her say she only wanted me to get suspended so I wouldn’t play that Sunday. Although they told me they were going to remove the suspension from my record after they realized she was lying, the memories I had from those weeks are something I could never forget. Tenacity is a word I was quick to learn, and I believe it’s the perfect way to describe myself. I’ve always had to overcome obstacles and climb the walls people thought were too tall for me. This conquering spirit is why I would like to use my degree to open businesses that create shared spaces for people who look like me. This scholarship will allow me to receive the education that is necessary for me to not only live out my dreams without the worry of financial burden but also advocate for others to pursue their dreams. Even though I’ve spent a lot of time focusing on 'winning,' whether that's in the classroom or on the soccer field, I have learned that sometimes all you need is a break. I hope that as I study and learn more about businesses, marketing, and entrepreneurship, I can give those breaks to other people. Everyone can be a good student but tenacity isn’t something that can just be taught. I’d like to believe that being tenacious isn't something I just am; it’s something I strive for.

Soccer has been the thing that lead me to finding my strength I was a 5’5" goalkeeper who had earned the nickname “Superwoman” because of my jumping ability. I didn’t fall in love with the sport until I turned twelve and we went undefeated in our league, which won us the fall championship. That year, I was rewarded with trophies and accolades, but it was also the first year I realized the racial differences amount me and my peers. was talking to a white girl in my class; she played for our archrivals, and we were scheduled to play them this upcoming Sunday. It was a Tuesday afternoon, and we were in the bathroom, talking about the game. I told her my team was going to kill her team because we had a better record and better players. She walked out of the bathroom, and when I returned to class, everyone was staring at me. My teacher sent me to the counselor’s office, where the counselor then asked me if I said I was going to kill her team. I told my counselor yes, but I didn’t mean it in the way they were saying it. The girl got one of her friends to say she saw an altercation happen where I threatened to kill the girl and her team, and I physically attacked and threatened her. I didn’t know this information until after they gave me the suspension, so I immediately went home and told my mom. My parents went to the school to dispute my suspension over time, and I tried to get proof from my friends who heard her say she only wanted me to get suspended so I wouldn’t play that Sunday. Although they told me they were going to remove the suspension from my record after they realized she was lying, the memories I had from those weeks are something I could never forget. Tenacity is a word I was quick to learn, and I believe it’s the perfect way to describe myself. I’ve always had to overcome obstacles and climb the walls people thought were too tall for me. This conquering spirit is why I would like to use my degree to open businesses that create shared spaces for people who look like me. This scholarship will allow me to receive the education that is necessary for me to not only live out my dreams without the worry of financial burden but also advocate for others to pursue their dreams. Even though I’ve spent a lot of time focusing on 'winning,' whether that's in the classroom or on the soccer field, I have learned that sometimes all you need is a break. I hope that as I study and learn more about businesses, marketing, and entrepreneurship, I can give those breaks to other people. Everyone can be a good student but tenacity isn’t something that can just be taught. I’d like to believe that being tenacious isn't something I just am; it’s something I strive for.

My best friend of about five years came to me with a business plan. He knew he wanted to start a clothing brand around mental health but he didn’t know how to get started. At the time I was midway through my junior year, I was dealing with my own mental health issues and I wanted to be a psychology major. He asked me a few questions about how he wanted the clothes to look and a couple of my friends and I voted on which hoodie he should start with. Outside of my interest in mental health and psychology amongst my friends I was known to always have a camera in my hand. I’m the friend that always wants to take pictures, make TikTok videos and record our memories. So I also force all of my friends to make videos with me. Knowing this my best friend told me that I should take pictures of his hoodies and show them to other people and see what they think. At the time what I didn’t know was I doing a marketing survey for a brand. I ended up talking to 200 people in my school, getting them to vote on the hoodie that ended up being our first product for the company. Starting a business was not as easy as I thought it would be, since I helped with a lot of the preliminary work I had to build my own team to be able to work on the marketing and promotion of our brand. I used the videos and pictures that we took from a photo shoot and I used the videos to gain traction and hype around our brand. I gained excitement as I saw people starting to follow and engage with my content. However, with us being new and not having a full level of knowledge I had to do what I could to learn while I worked. Within our first and second quarter I spent a lot of time educating myself on business and marketing. In my many years of doing primary education I had never had as much fun in a class as I did in my marketing class. There I learned many of the foundations of marketing and it helped me to build a better brand. With this brand I hope others can feel connected to their mental health like me.

Hebrews 10:36 NIV “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” A lot of people say God doesn’t give you more than you can handle. This sentiment, often shared to provide comfort during difficult times, is a cornerstone of faith for many believers. However, in my walk as a Christian, I have found that embracing this belief hasn’t always been the easiest thing to do. There have been moments of intense struggle and doubt when it felt like the challenges before me were insurmountable. Yet, during these times of hardship, I have learned valuable lessons about faith, resilience, and the boundless grace of God. I know that for myself, it hasn’t always been easy to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Life’s trials often obscure the clarity of hope and make the journey seem endlessly arduous. However, staying active in the church has been a vital anchor for my soul. Engaging in communal worship, participating in church activities, and receiving guidance from spiritual leaders have all been instrumental in sustaining my faith. Moreover, these practices have provided me with a sense of belonging and purpose, reinforcing my commitment to walk in faith despite the challenges. Continuing my journey in faith has been the best decision for my spiritual and personal growth. I am constantly reminded that God has my best interests at heart. This belief instills in me a profound sense of peace and confidence, knowing that my struggles are not in vain. As long as I continue my journey in good faith, I am assured that I will be rewarded abundantly for my perseverance and dedication. Although the timing of this reward is unknown, my faith reassures me that everything happens for a reason, and nothing I go through will be without purpose. School has presented its own set of challenges. Balancing academic demands, personal commitments, and spiritual growth often feels like a precarious juggling act. There have been times when the weight of my responsibilities has felt overwhelming, and I’ve questioned my ability to succeed. It can feel like I’m driving into a dead end, with no clear path forward. However, during these moments, I remind myself to take a step back and gain perspective. My journey is not defined by the bumps in the road but by my resilience and determination to keep moving forward. I am learning to view these obstacles not as insurmountable barriers but as opportunities for growth and learning. Each challenge is a lesson in patience, faith, and perseverance. My journey isn’t about the immediate outcomes but about the enduring process of striving towards my goals, no matter how difficult the path may be. I have something better waiting for me at the end of the road, and this belief sustains me through the toughest times. In my walk of faith, I understand that hard work is essential to achieving my dreams. Nothing worth having comes easily, and the value of my achievements is amplified by the effort I put into realizing them. This principle applies to all aspects of life, from academic pursuits to personal growth and spiritual development. Life won’t always be easy, but as long as I work with my end goal in mind, everything is possible.

“you don’t have to do this alone” I think when you are going through something and the people in your life want to help you it’s one of the main things they say. They say you’re not alone or I'll be here for you and all those things can all be true, but it’s hard to allow somebody to help you when you don’t know what’s hurting you. My junior year of high school was not easy for me. I got injured very early into my first fall season for soccer, and I found myself not having anything to do. Throughout my entire high school years I struggled with what my parents believe to be a seasonal affect disorder. My father has one and I would go through similar things he went through during the winter. I would self isolate, I wouldn’t eat often and I wouldn’t talk to people or go out with my friends. Most times I could manage it, I would force myself out of bed or force myself to eat. However after leaving myself with way too much time on my hands since I wasn’t playing soccer, it only aided my depression to form in new ways. The first time I tried smoking marijuana I was 16 years old. I remember I was at a party with one of my teammates who I knew smoked and she asked me if I would like to smoke with her. The first time that she asked, I said no because I always remembered my mother saying that smoking was bad for you. So when she asked the second time, I saw that she had already smoked and she was fine, I thought to myself what could be so bad. I remember feeling lightheaded at first but when I started spending time with my friends, I felt better. I remember an almost euphoric feeling but I also remember not feeling sad anymore. So I started to use marijuana to ease and ignore my pain. I would smoke during school, before school, after school, before I went to sleep, and shortly after I couldn’t even eat without smoking first. I thought that marijuana was the thing that was gonna make me feel bad because the only time I seemed to be happy was when I was under the influence. What I didn’t know was that it was only making me feel worse. Every time I try to stop smoking I end up buying more or getting some from a friend and it’s only repeated the cycle. Once I went back to playing soccer I was extremely out of shape and I was unable to keep up with a lot of training drills. My coach was disappointed, but he thought it was because of lack of training as I went through physical therapy. He encouraged me to work out more so I could get my head in the game for states. As states were slowly approaching, I began to stop smoking a little bit. We were in mid March and I was still having the same problems emotionally that I was having in December. This led me to believe that my mental health issues were not subject to a season and that I needed more help. I was not the type of person that was always good at getting assistance so I bottled my feelings up. As we were preparing for stretching to go on the field, my coach told me that I would be playing the full game unless my injury started up again. With the anxiety that came with me about to play in a serious game for the first time after my injury I got nervous. I didn’t have anything to smoke and I was three hours away from home. I had an anxiety attack in the bathroom. Soon after, a teammate found me and was trying to calm me down before the game. She said “you don’t have to do this alone”. It was that thing again that everybody had been telling me. So I played through the whole game until my body couldn’t take it. We lost the game so my season was over. I was left with my thoughts so I began to start smoking again. I thought that I was happy, I thought that my anger and sadness went away, but I was only suppressing it. My mom figured out what was going on and put me in therapy. She knew that I couldn’t keep holding on to my emotions for much longer. Since I have been in therapy I have found healthy ways to deal with my emotions and I’m no longer smoking. I'm forever thankful for everyone in my life that told me that I was not alone. It might not have been the thing I always wanted to hear but it was what I needed to hear.

September 14th, 2005 was the day I was born. My mother was only twenty seven weeks and three days into her pregnancy when she went into labor. My father was scared for both of our safety’s on this day. When I first came out I was not breathing, doctors and nurses rushed me to the NICCU where they worked night and day to try to get me to breathe. My parents were not allowed to touch me, and my mother could not get out of bed to see me. The doctor told my parents I wasn’t going to start breathing on my own for the first six months of my life. So you would imagine their surprise when I started breathing on my own just two days after. I like to think of my birth as an early glimpse into what I’d have to face later in life. When I was six I started playing soccer. I was a 5’5 goalkeeper who had earned the nickname superwoman because of how high I jumped. I didn’t fall in love with the sport until I turned twelve and we went undefeated in our league which won us the fall championship. That year I was faced with so many triumphs and accolades but it was also the first year I realized that I was black. I always had an awareness of my skin tone, but I didn’t always know that it would change the way other people saw me. I was talking to a white girl in my class, she played for the rival team in our division and we happened to be playing them this upcoming Sunday. It was a Tuesday afternoon and we were in the bathroom and we were talking about the game. I told her my team was going to kill her team because we had a better record and better players. After a slightly heated argument, she walked out of the bathroom. When I came back to class everyone was staring at me. My teacher sent me to the counselor’s office where she asked me if I said I was going to kill her team. I told my counselor yes but I didn’t mean it in the way they were saying it. I was 14 years old and I didn’t know the severity of my words. I just thought that I was being competitive just as the other girl was. The girl got one of her friends to say she saw an altercation happen where I threatened to kill her and her team all while I physically attacked and threatened her. I didn’t know this information until after they gave me the suspension so I immediately went home and told my mom. Before I did that, I asked her myself, “why did you tell the consumer that”. Her response, “I didn’t want you to play on sunday, and now you won’t”. My mom and dad went to the school to dispute my suspension over time and I tried to get proof from my friends who heard her say she only wanted me to get suspended so I wouldn’t play that Sunday. Although they told me they were going to take the suspension off my record after they realized she was lying, the memories I had from those weeks are something I could never forget. Tenacity is a word I was quick to learn and I believe it’s the perfect way to describe myself. I’ve always had to overcome obstacles and climb the walls people thought were too tall for me. Which is why when I get my degree I want to open businesses that create shared spaces for people who look like me such as restaurants and lounges. This scholarship will allow me to receive the education that is necessary for me to live out my dreams without the worry of the financial burden. Even though I’ve spent a lot of time focusing on “winning”, whether that's me winning in the classroom or on the soccer field. Sometimes all you need is a break and I hope that as I study and learn more about businesses, marketing, and entrepreneurship I can give those breaks to other people. Everyone can be a good student but everyone doesn’t have the drive to keep going forward. Tenacity is something that can’t be taught, it’s something I work towards everyday.

Soccer has been the thing that lead me to finding my strength I was a 5’5" goalkeeper who had earned the nickname “Superwoman” because of my jumping ability. I didn’t fall in love with the sport until I turned twelve and we went undefeated in our league, which won us the fall championship. That year, I was rewarded with trophies and accolades, but it was also the first year I realized the racial differences amount me and my peers. was talking to a white girl in my class; she played for our archrivals, and we were scheduled to play them this upcoming Sunday. It was a Tuesday afternoon, and we were in the bathroom, talking about the game. I told her my team was going to kill her team because we had a better record and better players. She walked out of the bathroom, and when I returned to class, everyone was staring at me. My teacher sent me to the counselor’s office, where the counselor then asked me if I said I was going to kill her team. I told my counselor yes, but I didn’t mean it in the way they were saying it. The girl got one of her friends to say she saw an altercation happen where I threatened to kill the girl and her team, and I physically attacked and threatened her. I didn’t know this information until after they gave me the suspension, so I immediately went home and told my mom. My parents went to the school to dispute my suspension over time, and I tried to get proof from my friends who heard her say she only wanted me to get suspended so I wouldn’t play that Sunday. Although they told me they were going to remove the suspension from my record after they realized she was lying, the memories I had from those weeks are something I could never forget. Tenacity is a word I was quick to learn, and I believe it’s the perfect way to describe myself. I’ve always had to overcome obstacles and climb the walls people thought were too tall for me. This conquering spirit is why I would like to use my degree to open businesses that create shared spaces for people who look like me. This scholarship will allow me to receive the education that is necessary for me to not only live out my dreams without the worry of financial burden but also advocate for others to pursue their dreams. Even though I’ve spent a lot of time focusing on 'winning,' whether that's in the classroom or on the soccer field, I have learned that sometimes all you need is a break. I hope that as I study and learn more about businesses, marketing, and entrepreneurship, I can give those breaks to other people. Everyone can be a good student but tenacity isn’t something that can just be taught. I’d like to believe that being tenacious isn't something I just am; it’s something I strive for.

At some point everyone has tried to start a business venture with a friend. At first it starts with this idea, you guys sit down and elaborate on what you would do. You go over all the intricate details of where you’ll live and you might even make a logo. However most people don’t actually go through with it. In this case, we decided that our idea was good enough to give it a shot. My best friend of about five years came to me with a business plan. He knew he wanted to start a clothing brand around mental health but he didn’t know how to get started. At the time I was midway through my junior year, I was dealing with my own mental health issues and I wanted to be a psychology major. He asked me a few questions about how he wanted the clothes to look and a couple of my friends and I voted on which hoodie he should start with. Outside of my interest in mental health and psychology amongst my friends I was known to always have a camera in my hand. I’m the friend that always wants to take pictures, make TikTok videos and record our memories. So I also force all of my friends to make videos with me. Knowing this my best friend told me that I should take pictures of his hoodies and show them to other people and see what they think. At the time what I didn’t know was I doing a marketing survey for a brand. Not to be cocky or arrogant but I did a great job. I ended up talking to 200 people in my school, getting them to vote on the hoodie that ended up being our first product for the company. Starting a business was not as easy as I thought it would be, since I helped with a lot of the preliminary work I had to build my own team to be able to work on the marketing and promotion of our brand. I started by coming out strong making the videos I thought people wanted to see. I used the videos and pictures that we took from a photo shoot and I used the videos to gain traction and hype around our brand. I gained excitement as I saw people starting to follow and engage with my content. However, with us being new and not having a full level of knowledge I had to do what I could to learn while I worked. Within our first and second quarter I spent a lot of time educating myself on business and marketing. I even enrolled in the sports and entertainment marketing class at my school. In my many years of doing primary education I had never had as much fun in a class as I did in my marketing class. There I learned many of the foundations of marketing and it helped me to build a better brand. It also helped me to redirect my passion into something I could turn into the career I would like to have for my life. In college my hope is to continue to major in business with a focus in marketing with a minor in entrepreneurship. My goal is to open my own business and to show that women can be in power in their own spaces. I would hope to hire previously incarcerated people at my business , with my hope being to give a second chances to black women and men in America.

At some point everyone has tried to start a business venture with a friend. At first it starts with this idea, you guys sit down and elaborate on what you would do. You go over all the intricate details of where you’ll live and you might even make a logo. However most people don’t actually go through with it. In this case, we decided that our idea was good enough to give it a shot. My best friend of about five years came to me with a business plan. He knew he wanted to start a clothing brand around mental health but he didn’t know how to get started. At the time I was midway through my junior year, I was dealing with my own mental health issues and I wanted to be a psychology major. He asked me a few questions about how he wanted the clothes to look and a couple of my friends and I voted on which hoodie he should start with. Outside of my interest in mental health and psychology amongst my friends I was known to always have a camera in my hand. I’m the friend that always wants to take pictures, make TikTok videos and record our memories. So I also force all of my friends to make videos with me. Knowing this my best friend told me that I should take pictures of his hoodies and show them to other people and see what they think. At the time what I didn’t know was I doing a marketing survey for a brand. Not to be cocky or arrogant but I did a great job. I ended up talking to 200 people in my school, getting them to vote on the hoodie that ended up being our first product for the company. Starting a business was not as easy as I thought it would be, since I helped with a lot of the preliminary work I had to build my own team to be able to work on the marketing and promotion of our brand. I started by coming out strong making the videos I thought people wanted to see. I used the videos and pictures that we took from a photo shoot and I used the videos to gain traction and hype around our brand. I gained excitement as I saw people starting to follow and engage with my content. However, with us being new and not having a full level of knowledge I had to do what I could to learn while I worked. Within our first and second quarter I spent a lot of time educating myself on business and marketing. I even enrolled in the sports and entertainment marketing class at my school. In my many years of doing primary education I had never had as much fun in a class as I did in my marketing class. There I learned many of the foundations of marketing and it helped me to build a better brand. It also helped me to redirect my passion into something I could turn into the career I would like to have for my life. In college my hope is to continue to major in business with a focus in marketing. I would also like to hopefully minor in entrepreneurship. My goal is to open and own my own resturant that would act as a sister company to Unspokenn. I know that with this direction I would be able to give job opportunities to previously incarcerated people and I would be able to start a company I could be proud of.

At some point everyone has tried to start a business venture with a friend. At first it starts with this idea, you guys sit down and elaborate on what you would do. You go over all the intricate details of where you’ll live and you might even make a logo. However most people don’t actually go through with it. In this case, we decided that our idea was good enough to give it a shot. My best friend of about five years came to me with a business plan. He knew he wanted to start a clothing brand around mental health but he didn’t know how to get started. At the time I was midway through my junior year, I was dealing with my own mental health issues and I wanted to be a psychology major. He asked me a few questions about how he wanted the clothes to look and a couple of my friends and I voted on which hoodie he should start with. Outside of my interest in mental health and psychology amongst my friends I was known to always have a camera in my hand. I’m the friend that always wants to take pictures, make TikTok videos and record our memories. So I also force all of my friends to make videos with me. Knowing this my best friend told me that I should take pictures of his hoodies and show them to other people and see what they think. At the time what I didn’t know was I doing a marketing survey for a brand. Not to be cocky or arrogant but I did a great job. I ended up talking to 200 people in my school, getting them to vote on the hoodie that ended up being our first product for the company. Starting a business was not as easy as I thought it would be, since I helped with a lot of the preliminary work I had to build my own team to be able to work on the marketing and promotion of our brand. I started by coming out strong making the videos I thought people wanted to see. I used the videos and pictures that we took from a photo shoot and I used the videos to gain traction and hype around our brand. I gained excitement as I saw people starting to follow and engage with my content. However, with us being new and not having a full level of knowledge I had to do what I could to learn while I worked. Within our first and second quarter I spent a lot of time educating myself on business and marketing. I even enrolled in the sports and entertainment marketing class at my school. In my many years of doing primary education I had never had as much fun in a class as I did in my marketing class. There I learned many of the foundations of marketing and it helped me to build a better brand. It also helped me to redirect my passion into something I could turn into the career I would like to have for my life.

At some point everyone has tried to start a business venture with a friend. At first it starts with this idea, you guys sit down and elaborate on what you would do. You go over all the intricate details of where you’ll live and you might even make a logo. However most people don’t actually go through with it. In this case, we decided that our idea was good enough to give it a shot. My best friend of about five years came to me with a business plan. He knew he wanted to start a clothing brand around mental health but he didn’t know how to get started. At the time I was midway through my junior year, I was dealing with my own mental health issues and I wanted to be a psychology major. He asked me a few questions about how he wanted the clothes to look and a couple of my friends and I voted on which hoodie he should start with. Outside of my interest in mental health and psychology amongst my friends I was known to always have a camera in my hand. I’m the friend that always wants to take pictures, make TikTok videos and record our memories. So I also force all of my friends to make videos with me. Knowing this my best friend told me that I should take pictures of his hoodies and show them to other people and see what they think. At the time what I didn’t know was I doing a marketing survey for a brand. Not to be cocky or arrogant but I did a great job. I ended up talking to 200 people in my school, getting them to vote on the hoodie that ended up being our first product for the company. Starting a business was not as easy as I thought it would be, since I helped with a lot of the preliminary work I had to build my own team to be able to work on the marketing and promotion of our brand. I started by coming out strong making the videos I thought people wanted to see. I used the videos and pictures that we took from a photo shoot and I used the videos to gain traction and hype around our brand. I gained excitement as I saw people starting to follow and engage with my content. However, with us being new and not having a full level of knowledge I had to do what I could to learn while I worked. Within our first and second quarter I spent a lot of time educating myself on business and marketing. I even enrolled in the sports and entertainment marketing class at my school. In my many years of doing primary education I had never had as much fun in a class as I did in my marketing class. There I learned many of the foundations of marketing and it helped me to build a better brand. It also helped me to redirect my passion into something I could turn into the career I would like to have for my life.

At some point everyone has tried to start a business venture with a friend. At first it starts with this idea, you guys sit down and elaborate on what you would do. You go over all the intricate details of where you’ll live and you might even make a logo. However most people don’t actually go through with it. In this case, we decided that our idea was good enough to give it a shot. My best friend of about five years came to me with a business plan. He knew he wanted to start a clothing brand around mental health but he didn’t know how to get started. At the time I was midway through my junior year, I was dealing with my own mental health issues and I wanted to be a psychology major. He asked me a few questions about how he wanted the clothes to look and a couple of my friends and I voted on which hoodie he should start with. Outside of my interest in mental health and psychology amongst my friends I was known to always have a camera in my hand. I’m the friend that always wants to take pictures, make TikTok videos and record our memories. So I also force all of my friends to make videos with me. Knowing this my best friend told me that I should take pictures of his hoodies and show them to other people and see what they think. At the time what I didn’t know was I doing a marketing survey for a brand. Not to be cocky or arrogant but I did a great job. I ended up talking to 200 people in my school, getting them to vote on the hoodie that ended up being our first product for the company. Starting a business was not as easy as I thought it would be, since I helped with a lot of the preliminary work I had to build my own team to be able to work on the marketing and promotion of our brand. I started by coming out strong making the videos I thought people wanted to see. I used the videos and pictures that we took from a photo shoot and I used the videos to gain traction and hype around our brand. I gained excitement as I saw people starting to follow and engage with my content. However, with us being new and not having a full level of knowledge I had to do what I could to learn while I worked. Within our first and second quarter I spent a lot of time educating myself on business and marketing. I even enrolled in the sports and entertainment marketing class at my school. In my many years of doing primary education I had never had as much fun in a class as I did in my marketing class. There I learned many of the foundations of marketing and it helped me to build a better brand. It also helped me to redirect my passion into something I could turn into the career I would like to have for my life. My hope with my career is to not only empower my community but to leave a space to have more open conversations about and surrounding mental health.

When I was six I started playing soccer. I was a 5’5 goalkeeper who had earned the nickname superwoman because of how high I jumped. I didn’t fall in love with the sport until I turned twelve and we went undefeated in our league which won us the fall championship. That year I was faced with so many triumphs and accolades but it was also the first year I realized that I was black. I was talking to a white girl in my class, she played for the rival team in our division and we happened to be playing them this upcoming Sunday. It was a Tuesday afternoon and we were in the bathroom and we were talking about the game. I told her my team was going to kill her team because we had a better record and better players. She walked out of the bathroom and when I came back to class everyone was staring at me. My teacher sent me to the counselor’s office where she then asked me if I said I was going to kill her team. I told my counselor yes but I didn’t mean it in the way they were saying it. The girl got one of her friends to say she saw an altercation happen where I threatened to kill the girl and her team and I physically attacked and threatened her. I didn’t know this information until after they gave me the suspension so I immediately went home and told my mom. My mom and dad went to the school to dispute my suspension over time and I tried to get proof from my friends who heard her say she only wanted me to get suspended so I wouldn’t play that Sunday. Although they told me they were going to take the suspension off my record after they realized she was lying, the memories I had from those weeks are something I could never forget. Tenacity is a word I was quick to learn and I believe it’s the perfect way to describe myself. I’ve always had to overcome obstacles and climb the walls people thought were too tall for me. Which is why when I get my degree I want to open businesses that create shared spaces for people who look like me, like restaurants and lounges. This scholarship will allow me to receive the education that is necessary for me to live out my dreams without the worry of the financial burden. Even though I’ve spent a lot of time focusing on “winning”, whether that's me winning in the classroom or on the soccer field. Sometimes all you need is a break and I hope that as I study and learn more about businesses, marketing, and entrepreneurship I can give those breaks to other people. Everyone can be a good student. Tenacity is something that can’t be taught and I’d like to believe that tenacious isn’t something I just am, it’s something I work for.

At some point everyone has tried to start a business venture with a friend. At first it starts with this idea, you guys sit down and elaborate on what you would do. You go over all the intricate details of where you’ll live and you might even make a logo. However most people don’t actually go through with it. In this case, we decided that our idea was good enough to give it a shot. My best friend of about five years came to me with a business plan. He knew he wanted to start a clothing brand around mental health but he didn’t know how to get started. At the time I was midway through my junior year, I was dealing with my own mental health issues and I wanted to be a psychology major. He asked me a few questions about how he wanted the clothes to look and a couple of my friends and I voted on which hoodie he should start with. Outside of my interest in mental health and psychology amongst my friends I was known to always have a camera in my hand. I’m the friend that always wants to take pictures, make TikTok videos and record our memories. So I also force all of my friends to make videos with me. Knowing this my best friend told me that I should take pictures of his hoodies and show them to other people and see what they think. At the time what I didn’t know was I doing a marketing survey for a brand. Not to be cocky or arrogant but I did a great job. I ended up talking to 200 people in my school, getting them to vote on the hoodie that ended up being our first product for the company. Starting a business was not as easy as I thought it would be, since I helped with a lot of the preliminary work I had to build my own team to be able to work on the marketing and promotion of our brand. I started by coming out strong making the videos I thought people wanted to see. I used the videos and pictures that we took from a photo shoot and I used the videos to gain traction and hype around our brand. I gained excitement as I saw people starting to follow and engage with my content. However, with us being new and not having a full level of knowledge I had to do what I could to learn while I worked. Within our first and second quarter I spent a lot of time educating myself on business and marketing. I even enrolled in the sports and entertainment marketing class at my school. In my many years of doing primary education I had never had as much fun in a class as I did in my marketing class. There I learned many of the foundations of marketing and it helped me to build a better brand. It also helped me to redirect my passion into something I could turn into the career I would like to have for my life. I’ve always wanted to help people, as our brand expands our vision is to help people become more aware about the mental health. Our plan is to put an end to the stigmas around people being “crazy” as we try to aide people in their mental health journeys through therapeutic, medicinal, or financial assistance .