Hello! I was class of 2022 in my junior year of high school & I had just moved states & schools. I came from a predominately black school in mostly honor classes to a predominately white school in one honors class, which was English(my favorite subject). The whole move & transition to a different place was stressful, I didn't want to go, & what makes the situation worse at the time, we moved during Covid when schools still wore masks. Back to the story .. Despite me hating the move & disliking the school, I gave it my best shot & saught out the positive. I loved English, Sociology, & Theatre so naturally I tried my best in those classes. I don't want to be behind so I'm being proactive with meetings with my (black)counselor (who later quit due to the racial hate & personal issues) & asking my teachers questions to make sure I am on tasks with their curriculum. During this semester , I made the decision that I'd like to become a screenwriter for a career, so I was faithfully getting to know my English instructor & asking her in areas I can improve in especially with my essays. Back at my old school I recieved nothing short of a 93% & if I recieved lower, I'd have written feedback attached to my submission. The first graded english paper I got back from my new teacher was between a B-C . That caught me off guard. Especially when it was over a book I've read before at my previous school. Completely new prompt & essay, but It was the same book that I had a pretty good understanding of at the time. So I asked her was there anything I need to improve on , can I redo the essay ,& what areas of points I missed. She told me that my essay was great. I let this slide because she told me I was doing fine. However the next time I recieved a grade , she gave me a C. So of course I ask the same questions which she responded I'm doing fabulous in her class.I remember that same day I had a meeting with my counselor & voiced my concerns about my grade & the teacher. She informed me that other black students have expressed the same concerns & have the same experiences & that she shows favoritism , however nothing was being done to correct this issue & that there's nothing I can do because others have tried before & haven't succeeded. At this point I'm feeling pretty discouraged . Everything was fine at my old school & now I am here, but I am trying even harder to get my grade up because atp it's effecting my GPA. My last essay in her class was graded a D. So, I decided to stay another semester to get my GPA up to then get out of that school. So I ended up graduating a year early because no one would help me. My adice to someone who feels alone in a situation is to stick to your gut & to not let anyone think your crazy because more times than not, you know yourself more than anyone else so don't rely on others to solve your problems. This experience validated the reason why I feel like I can't ask others for assistance . This is a independent mindset I am working to get out of. Thank you for your time & consideration for this award !

Hello, My name is Niyah Martin & I am from St. Louis , MO . I love to paint, play soccer, I love my job in non-profit working in a childrens program. My goal this year is to read more & gain more of a social life as well as attend Film school. I am an often quiet & observant person who loves hard, but I find it challenging to be vulnerable with others on account of getting hurt . I grew up in a single parent household. My mother got pregnant when she was 18. After she had me, she enlisted into the Army so my Nana had guardianship over me til she came back. During this time I remember that I naturally thought my Nana was my mother & my mother was my sister, & even though I called my Nana, Mama (even til this day) I can say that she did a good job helping me remember who my mother was during our time apart. When my mother got back we were like PB&J, tied at the hip. She took me everywhere with her , almost like making up the love & time she didn't have when she was away. Her being a young mother , people would mistake us for being sisters. "Oh, thats your daughter? Your so young ! I thought you were sisters!" I think that went to her head. I was her sister & her best friend (her words) so growing up I felt treated as an adult & as her dependent . Even in her new marriage, If something went wrong between them, she'd emotionally take it out on me. If i'd bring something to her attention, somehow she'd make it about her. People continue to tell me that becuae she was a teen mom, she may still revert back to that mindset of how she interacts with me etc. To say the least , I get tired of making excuses for her when I am not being heard. Seemingly, I discovered things about myself that I didn't realize were in me concerning recent events with my mother. Before I dive deeper , I want to state that I using past tense because I am no longer living with my mother because of said events. I hold a fair amount of anger in me as a result of my upbringing & through personal growth I am learning to navigate my emotions, but through what I've been going through with my mother, I realized that I have a lot more composure & grace that I give myself credit . I see myself as this anger little firecracker. Through these tribulations I've been the most hurt I've ever been , but I've been the most calm & centered. Props to that have been on account of my spiritual & mental journey thats forever evolving & i just have to give myself more credit & grace.

Hello! My current circumstances have been the most challenging obstacle I've been through so far. I was forced out of my mothers house due to events relating to money & a family member's death; a person who I loved & was close to. This has been my toughest battle to come in life & I am only 20 years old & I wouldnt wish this experience upon anyone. This experience that I will not go into full details about, has put me into a spiritual & psychological warfare. I know & hear stories of how when people are tested it changes them or that in times of despair their true colors show. Often times , it is stories about good going bad. Tramua that victims face changes them & provokes them to do bad decisions & soon become the villian of their own story, but not me. I believe the things I experienced with my family growing up & years up til this incident has prepared me & that alone is a feeling I can not explain. However the saying that God doesn't give us anything we can't handle weighs heavy. I discovered months ago through inner-personal work that I have a lot of anger inside of me because of a multitude of reasons especially grieving over the lost of my family member, but I couldn't function that way & to get pass I had to surrender all of it. People who has had similar experiences know that surrendering is not at all easy. I think surrendering, one of many steps to my journey has allowed me to move in such grace & allowed my mind to be open instead of clouded with resentment & judgment towards people & situations I can not control. My journey has been a hard & lonely walk when every person in my mothers corner is telling me I am wrong because of the narrative she's given them, but the only way I can move pass this is by having love in my heart, faith & trusting in myself & God because I feel God guiding me. I am working on elevating my mind & spirit every day & to be real I know I would not be so gracefully & I wouldn't be able to hold my tongue & shake the demons & negativity if i didn't allow God in my heart. This has been the hardest journey come to pass but because I have God walking with me, I am whole. Thank you for taking the time in reading my submission & considering me for the Nabi Nicole Grant Scholarship! God Bless - Aniyah Martin

Hello, My name is Niyah Martin & I will be writing about my uncle, David Eugene Johnson Jr. David Eugene Johnson Jr. died at 32 years old on July 8th 2024. My uncle David & I were super close growing up because I lived with my Nana (his mom) & him for years & our bond was more like a big brother , annoying sister relationship. He was also one of the only male figures in my life who I felt love & supported by. He was & always will be one of my family people. His last text to me was on my birthday & one of the things he told me was that he was proud of the woman I have become & are becoming. He told me “keep going baby girl”. I read that message every day as motivation. His love for me & his values light a fire in me to preserve in any situation & challenges I face. There’s not a person for me more fitting to be the highlight of this essay than him, my guardian angel. His death feels unreal still to this day, but I have nothing but happy memories with him & all I can be is grateful & blessed to have known him in my life. Events carrying over after his death has now resulted in me being homeless, however as much as it hurts to admit , i wouldn't have pushed to attend film school this year if it was not for his death. He passed way before his time, but this experience gave me a taste of reality that time is not guaranteed & I should fulfill all that I want to while I'm here. There was a point I viewed life as hopeless & was preparing to end my life because of how hurt I was & still am, but I had to pray & surrender all of my pain & anger. For a long time I allowed the memories of his love for me to carry me day by day & lift me up & now I've tranformed his love for me into a new profound self-love I had to shape myself & I find myself still sad , but no longer angry. I realize I could never live the life I want to live if I kept the bitter feeling of his death. My name is Niyah Martin & I am making my dreams a reality by attending film school because a man named David Eugene Johnson Jr. gave me the courage, love & confidence to do so. Thank you for your time & consideration.

Hello, My name is Aniyah Martin , & my artist name is Niyali. I've been drawing for as long as I can remember. I enjoyed the way drawing made me feel, & because I wasn't comfortable expressing my emotions as a child using words, I sought to create drawings & sketches of how I felt, which later on helped me to later verbally express once. My inspiration to create has always been my Black American Culture. Not the part in history at one time they only wanted us to know & now they're fighting to erase. Learning about the Harlem Renaissance , the Black Power Movement, listening to Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Tupac, & so much more. Those inspire me & allow me to feel seen. Learning about my history as a kid up to now valids my experience as not just a Black Women , but as a human & I think to like a piece of art, means to see yourself within the artwork & reflect because everyone wants to feel validated in. some form. Another thing that inspires me is mental health & that came from that aspect in my life of always feeling alone. I'll say Mental Health is the basis of most of my pieces & other social issues. I strive to use bold & contrasting colors when creating my art & thats important to me because as so many people with mental health are misdiagnosed or underestimated, I believe that people can't help to look at my art because of the colors & I hope from that , conversation sparks & people are inspired to aid more awareness & education. As a career, I am pursuing the visual art of Filmmaking. I've wanted to be in the filmmaking industry since childhood. Movies & filmmaking have always been methods of connecting people, an excuse to spend time with family, analyze movies, break apart character dynamics, & compare fictional characters to ourselves. My passion for film exceeds the surface beyond just creating, but with my work, I also hope to allow others to feel seen by broadening stories & creativity. My ultimate dream, other than becoming a successful Screenwriter & Director, is to become a mentor within my community & do my part in sharing the knowledge I acquire with others who share the same passions. One day, I will operate a production company & provide jobs & experience for others. That is my dream.

Hello, My name is Aniyah Martin & I'm from St. Louis,MO. I am seeking my education in trade school because I do not have enough money for a 4-year college experience & trade school is also more appealing for me because I want to start my career faster. In the past months , I've gone through some traumatic events, which now caused me to be homeless. However , my dream has been to attend Film school & pursue a career in Filmmaking & so how everything aligned, I've gained the confidence & courage to go this year. It was love at first sight, however, It took me a while to realize that Filmmaking is what I want to do. It took me a minute to realize that a Filmmaking career is achievable for a Black Woman, only because the only ones I saw get praise while growing up were of a different race & gender. My achievement goals for film are to break down barriers for education & opportunities for people especially young adults interested in film who hold their love for filmmaking back because they weren’t aware that it is possible. On top of achieving my dream of being a successful Filmmaker, my ultimate goal is to give back & provide knowledge to communities. My community, the people, the atmosphere in St. Louis (my hometown) has inspired me to make my dreams into reality so I feel its only right that I help others. I currently work for The Salvation Army & my position is a youth development specialist for a fall & summer program in Ferguson,MO. My main focus & contribution to the children is art & literacy. I believe grade level reading has declined tremendously especially since I've been in elementary last as well as mentorship & SEL & awareness for youth workers. Children& my community have a soft spot on my heart & anyways I can do my part in nurturing their growth, I will. At my job , I am currently planning to grow a community childrens garden. Also, following my career, I definitely plan to incorporate mentorships & apprenticeships for youth & low-income people interested in film. I didn't have a lot of people to personally look up to growing but a few so I aim to provide the opportunity to kids that I lacked as a child. This scholarship (if awarded) will help me be a few steps closer to attending Film school in Florida. This money is an investment in my future & will aid me in putting most of my work check towards rent. My dreams have been put on hold since I got out of high school for a multitude of reasons, but I no longer am letting others dictate how I get to live my life so I am grinding every day to make my dreams a reality of becoming a Filmmaker & Mentor. My dream is to ultimately contribute to great films as well as give back to the community by offering my knowledge to prospective filmmakers & one day owning my own production studio to help shape careers to underserved individuals.Lastly, I thank you for your time & consideration.

Hi, my name is Aniyah Martin! I agree with Robin Williams’ quote. The arts have the power to bring people together, influence change, and make awareness. I wish that going to and being involved in the performing arts was still knowledgeable as a “Civic Duty”. I personally had the HONOR to grow up around artistic and power driven people my whole life. One of the things you notice when being in the performing arts atmosphere is that everyone is unique and each person collects different motives for why they do the craft they chose. My granny chose dance and being a Theater Director because she enjoyed bringing people together and bring about change. Every once in awhile I meet new people that knows my granny and everyone of them would say “Mrs. Gilkey, your grandmother is something else!” People would tell me that my granny was like a second mother to them because she would always push them to live up to their full potential which got them where they are today. My granny cared for her students and was devoted to showing children that there was more to life than what they knew. Even though I wasn’t born yet to see her choreographer career , I was blessed to see her as a Theater Director. Also, grateful that I played in a handful of her shows. Well, of course I did i am her “grand baby” (as she would call me) ! The production , the adrenaline, pulling all nighters , sleepless nights , the stage lights,— all the hard work leading up to the big debut is thrilling ! To see her work in action and for people to testify by saying how much my granny contributed to their lives , brings me joy because my granny has also been influential in my life. Im just glad other people got to experience how bright her light shines. My Granny has always been supportive of me. Especially, now that i’m opening up my own online Graphic design store. She has guided me into the direction of screenwriting and directing ! Because of her, I love the thrill of Producing art. One project that sits dear to my heart is when I wrote, directed, and starred in a skit for the Missouri History Museum about the Micheal Brown shooting, and it was also one of my favorites. It was voted the best skit of the segment by the Museum Theater Director. “by being entertaining, you make a connection with another person.” I’ll keep that in mind throughout my Screenwriting career.

I can definitely say that the possibility of having massive student debt has played a factor on whether or not I would attend college or not like many other students in general not just of inclusion, but sadly I believe that people of diversity have a higher disadvantage of factors and ultimately results in them not attending college. For me personally, It seems like I'm facing way more stress and obstacles throughout this college process than my white peers which pushes me to work hard more and more than ever for my future in entertainment. In the beginning of 2021, I moved to another state and transferred to a completely different school. I came from a small, black majority school, then to a large white majority school. Describing what an experience is like to someone who has not a clue what you're referring to feels like you're speaking a different language. It made me feel extremely lonely in my new environment because it was as if I moved to a different planet! I had to overcome a ton of adversity in the classroom, but more specifically with my teachers. I loved English class and English was my first class of the day. At first, the teacher welcomed me with a smile and a graceful tone and said, "If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask me!". I couldn't help but ask myself If the reason she did that is because I was black. Nonetheless, I said to myself, If nothing else works out at least I'd have my English class. Her welcome felt so heartfelt, I heeded her advice. My favorite thing to do in class was to write papers and at my previous school, I got no lower than a "B" on them. I decided that I wouldn't let that streak die and I would ask for advice and every time I asked she would say "you're doing fine! You are right on track!"... she said this all the way up until the year ended. Yet, somehow my concluded grade on my report came up to be a "D" and I didn't find out until the beginning of my senior year. In the end my counselor told me that there have been several complains about her from colored students about their grades and her shady behavior in the classroom. While she was talking, my eyes were filled with tears and It took everything in me not to burst out in tears. I knew my skills didn't at all deserve the grade I got, yet for a slight moment caused me to question my true value and abilities. Most of all, I was in total disbelief that someone would actually do a thing that my counselor described. Truth be told that later on I heard from people personally that they experienced things very similar. For the remainder time I spent at the school in my senior year, I had two new English teachers and in both classes being one of the only black kids, I strived to do above and beyond the expectations of assignments so not even they could look me in the eyes and tell me I earned anything less than an "A"! I aspire to pursue screenwriting/directing in the entertainment industry where we see little to no people of color in powerful roles. I want to use my career to inspire others of the black community especially young people and children . I want them to grow up seeing influential figures on the screen so they won't ever feel like they're a minority.

Most times more often than not , I find myself uninspired; even with the normal things I love to do on a daily I am just not motivated and It’ll be easy to just blame it on my manic depression and go on with my day blindly watching Netflix and binging on Carmel Cookie Crunch Gelato and blaming the world for my shit that happened yearssss ago, but continuing to live through it as I relive it in my mind bitterly. Oftentimes I feel empty— dissociative between my body and mind making me lose touch with reality and the most important people in my life. I sit alone at night in my room in the dark listening to 60’s folk music with my earphones, and mid-way into my cry session, I realize: not one person on earth right now, not to mention in my house knows that I am struggling this very second—... Nonetheless, I know that when that night is over I will have to face the world like everyone else with a mask, and it’s a matter if i’m able to keep it on until the night comes or else if I’m not to do so I will be ridiculed or judged in a sense. At least that’s how I feel, and because of this I dread the daylight. So what keeps me going ? It’s the fact that I know what I am feeling isn’t forever. Sometimes I force myself to “GET UP ! “ That’s not exactly what I tell myself in my head when i’m in a funk, but for the sake of this I will withhold my self-motivational speech... What truly inspires me is my little brother Jeremiah. I want him to grow up and not feel alone like I did— still do.

I have seen the mental and physical abuse that people of color are victims of from not having the proper care resources to become proactive in this attack. According to the Heart Foundation, African Americans are the #1 victims of heart disease due to a poor diet and it has become an unbroken habit forced down generation to generation. While someone is to blame for this corporate systemic genocide, it is my responsibility to help us learn for ourselves, educate in our communities, and provide the appropriate care for my people. There are advocates of these establishments in our communities who claim to help people within the community who are not able to pay for fruits and vegetables consistently and that this is a quick fix-- which is not true. This issue is worsening, and the more I am learning for myself, the more linked additional problems surface. The problem is we continue to leave the fate of our people in what is becoming the inevitable genocide and motivational gentrification of our existence. This goes beyond police brutality and black on black crime although highlighting relevant contemporary concerns, but above all this is psychological warfare and for our us to overcome I believe the first problem to be tackled is the necessity of nutrition among our schools and stores. We haven’t gotten anywhere working with the system nor side by side, and mostly because Black people love to announce every move we make to the public. To simply address the problem of nutrition and our other concerns, let’s move in silence. Let’s organize lunch meal programs for students during the school days with health options for all. Instead of the GMO and processed foods that are handed out on a daily with a nasty small carton of room temp milk. Let’s go even bigger by planting 40 acre community gardens in every district. We have the land for them. Vacant houses, fields, plazas, parks, etc are all waiting to be torn down to become a new Whole Foods right next to the Urban League given to us for good behavior, yet no one enters and no significant progress has been made from the looks of the loss of tax dollars. FUBU , we create our own sense of financial health care. What i’m proposing may seem far fetched to some who don’t envision more for our community because we’ve achieved what was deemed the impossible for centuries. Once we mental health care for ourselves, we will unleash the spell we’ve been under for thousands and thousands of years. A spell that tells us we can’t overcome without the sanction of others.

My mother gave birth to me when she was 18. So I basically grew up with her throughout what was supposed to be the peak of her young adult life. For a long time, all we had was each other and now even though our family has expanded, no one can get in between my immediate bond with my mama. Other than being a mama, she's been my best friend, my mentor, and like a sister. My bond with my mama is completely indescribable, she's my whole world and my rock. Although she may not recognize it, I've seen her struggle, sacrifice, and adapt to every obstacle that came in her way headstrong. My mama has pursued so many things in her life and one of the things I've learned from that is that I can truly do anything I put my heart towards with hard work and determination. It wouldn't sit right in my heart fulfilling only half of my potential when my mom gave her all so I can have everything. My mama has never ever pushed her beliefs/values on to me, yet rather simply placed the information and all the possibilities along with the consequences in front of me so that I can make the most informed decision. I say all that to say that she never pushed the need to go to college, just made it known to me that it was a possibility. I am my mama's number one fan!! My love for her gives me the courage to pursue whatever my heart desires and to gracefully fulfill them requires me to attend college. She is one of the strongest women I know following my nana and even both of their support has uplifted me through hard times during my childhood. My mama only wants the best for me and by her actions followed by her words of encouragement I know this to be true. My mama is a huge part of who I am and I am extremely blessed to have one as phenomenal as she is. Our relationship has influenced my decision to attend college because my love for her and her life has motivated me to love myself and want bigger and better things for myself. Obviously I can say I believe we're so close because she had me while she was nearly a child herself and we had 16 years with just me and her. That would be the overrated answer, but other than that I'll infer that she managed the courage to raise me above all odds based on her mama's love, because there's nothing like love from a mama.

Untitled When everyone wept, my face remained bare. People in shock, still in pain Grieving the child that was lost that day. To me the day was ordinary, it was all the same Instantly running vulgar with not 1 person to blame. Even though I submitted a poem, my dream is to screenwrite and to overall become a generational beacon of my community. I want to kindle their passions and open new doors for people who have never dreamed of opening them. This money will not only be a start of something huge for me, but also for the people I want to touch with my art forms.