Two kids had a kid. That is the plain definition of my upbringing. My mom was also the daughter of a single Black mother and an absent father. I witnessed this circumstance's impact on her self-esteem, drive to seek education, feelings of self-worth, and parenting. Early in my teens, I became a source of strength for my siblings, which I found unfair and frustrating. I remember constantly comparing myself to my peers and their stable family lives and feeling jealous of all the emotional, material, and intellectual support they received from their parents. I felt confused and resentful toward my parents for not giving me what I needed to thrive as a young adult. When my daughter was born two years ago, I realized that my parents never noticed they weren't meeting my needs because they weren't mature enough to raise a family. They were too busy struggling with the bit of support they had in their journey and trying their best to survive with three children. That is all they were able to offer us. The path to forgiveness was probably the hardest thing I needed to pursue to move on with my life and break free from these negative emotions, which were weighing me down and restricting my growth. I reached forgiveness by acknowledging that the overwhelming feelings I felt as the eldest daughter of two unstable teenagers were real and valid, but they did not need to define the rest of my life. Eventually, I came to full terms with being a collateral effect of their traumas, and started carving a new story for myself. "The trauma passed onto you wasn't your fault, but it is your responsibility to heal from it to ensure that the following generations won't acquire your unhealed wounds". I heard this advice from a friend in a time of need and this is probably still the best advice someone in a similar situation could receive. The more I engaged in this new mindset, the more empowered I felt to change my trajectory, and the more doors opened. I refuse to let my daughter inherit the same patterns and feel unsupported as I did. I am working hard to pave a different path for her centered around education, ambition, self-assurance, and opportunity. Driven by my aspirations and the example I want to set for her, I decided to pursue a higher education. This scholarship represents an opportunity to build a better starting point for my daughter and ensure a future filled with promise, not limitations. I want her to look at my achievements in the future and have an itch to push the boundaries of what I offered her. I am seeking to break the cycle for myself and generations to come.

Two kids had a kid. That is the plain definition of my upbringing. My mom was also the daughter of a single Black mother and an absent father. I witnessed this circumstance's impact on her self-esteem, drive to seek education, feelings of self-worth, and parenting. Early in my teens, I became a source of strength for my siblings, which I found unfair and frustrating. I remember constantly comparing myself to my peers and their stable family lives and feeling jealous of all the emotional, physical, and intellectual support they had from their parents. I felt confused and resentful toward my parents for not giving me what I needed to thrive as a young adult. When my daughter was born two years ago, I realized that my parents never noticed they weren't meeting my needs because they weren't mature enough to raise a family. They were too busy struggling with the bit of support they had in their journey and trying their best to survive with three children. That is all they were able to offer us. The path to forgiveness was probably the hardest thing I needed to pursue to move on with my life and break free from these negative emotions, which were weighing me down and restricting my growth. I reached forgiveness by acknowledging that the overwhelming feelings I felt as the eldest daughter of two unstable teenagers were real and valid, but they did not need to define the rest of my life. Eventually, I came to full terms with being a collateral effect and started carving a new story for myself. The more I engaged in this new mindset, the more empowered I felt to change my trajectory, and the more doors opened. I realized it was all about healing my sickened and stagnant perceptions and clinging to the idea that I refuse to let my daughter inherit the same patterns and feel unsupported as I did. I am working hard to pave a different path for her centered around education, ambition, self-assurance, and opportunity. Driven by my aspirations and the example I want to set for her, I decided to pursue a higher education. This scholarship represents an opportunity to build a better starting point for my daughter and ensure a future filled with promise, not limitations. I want her to look at my achievements in the future and have an itch to push the boundaries of what I offered her. I am seeking to break the cycle for myself and generations to come.