“Doubt is a pain too lonely to know that Faith is his twin brother.” Words spoken by Khalil Gibran. One must ask, What is it that causes our doubt to enshroud our entire existence ? I would have to say the absence of patience. It comes natural for most people, that doubt and negative thoughts begin to creep into our consciousness whenever our plans do not seem to be moving as planned, and our dreams are delayed. And it is for this exact reason that patience is truly a virtue. Patience is the foundation of every dream, vision, and goal. If not for patience we would lack the focus and faith to see ourselves through our most trying moments. In addition, when one has the ability to exercise true patience, they tend to increase the odds of things eventually going their way. It is not the dog in the fight, but the fight in the dog. And as a Father and husband I have learned many battles are won by simply exercising patience. In conclusion, I would like to draw attention to a very wise story. The one of the Tortoise and the Hare. Though the Hare was seemingly going to win the race, his lack of focus and patience caused him to lose to a much slower tortoise. And in my final words I would like to leave with whoever reads this passage is, that slow and steady is always the ultimate victor.

"What you do is less important than the difference you make", a legacy can be considered the shadow of one's life. To me, legacy is all that matters in terms of what we wish to do and accomplish in our life. I believe our legacy is the resume of our life, able to be viewed by anyone after we have transitioned from the life we live on Earth. One's legacy is all we have left, outside word of mouth by family, to show that we were ever even alive on the earth. To delve a little deeper when I see the word legacy I also see immortality because it has the potential to live on forever. My upbringing has significantly impacted my path on life. I say this because, there was no true legacy that my parents left for me to follow. I hate the feeling, but I can not blame them because their parents never left them with anything either. However, the difference my parents made was to expose me to the legacy of other notable figures in my community. Notable leaders like Dr. John Henrike Clark, to name one, who left a plethora of writings and teachings for millions of misfortunate and disadvantaged youth as myself. The legacy he left inspired so much so, that I am determined to leave a legacy for my daughter, and her children after her. It has brought to my attention the fact that though it could not be said for my ancestors, my future and my daughter's future is in my hands. Which is why I believe it is my duty to leave something for those who come after me. I do not plan to continue or break the cycle of my upbringing, my intentions are to correct it. There are many things that my parents did right and wrong, and as I mentioned before they had to work with what they had. My plans are to optimize their efforts, to keep what should of have been there, take out what should not have been there, and replace what shouldn't have been there with what should be there. I will actively teach and direct my daughter to understand the importance of leaving a legacy behind not only for one's own children, but for children through out the world. As I am an example, being a child inspired by the legacies of men and women who had no relation to me.

In order to support equality I have joined a non-profit organization called the Poor and Minority Justice Association. What we do is provide assistance to those who have suffered an injustice to due bad practice by law enforcement or discrimination. Also each week we host events in various neighborhoods to promote a spirit of brotherhood amongst all communities regardless of race, ethnicity, or religion. In addition I have hosted numerous speaking engagements bringing light, to the poverty and abandonment of many communities throughout our society. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, an injustice anywhere is an injustice every where and I must say I agree with him fully. I believe it is the job of all people every and any where to stand as support to our brothers and sisters who have suffered due to the blind actions of hate, racism, and bigotry. This is a concept I have been taught since a child, and is a concept I have made an effort to teach my daughter as well.

I have a number of goals I seek to reach before my life is over. The first among those is to successfully complete my degree in Computer Science with a minor in Finance. While completing undergrad, I plan to attend at least one internship prior to graduation. I also have taken the time to reach out to a personal mentor already in working in the 'Tech' field, who also has graduated with a STEM degree. After obtaining my Bachelor's degree it is in my immediate plans to test my marketability in the job market of that time. My first position will be a Software engineer After about 2 years of continuous work experience in the field, my plans are to then go and enroll in graduate school for my Master's degree. My reasoning for this really just goes back to my personality.I have a knack for pushing to find the next level, and I believe the next level for me at that point in my life would be obtaining a Master's in Computer Science. Following the reaching of this milestone I plan to then break into the world of Data Science and land possibly a lead role as a data scientist. Do these dreams sound a bit ambitious ? What would a person with such goals be doing today ?Let's just say the answer to those questions can be found here. Yes, my goals are ambitious, fortunately for me whatever I am ambitious about I prepare for. I have already began the self-taught route for coding/ computer programming. I currently work a full-time job, am a Father, and still find time to code for at least 2 hours everyday.I am also studying for my Comptia A+ certification which is pretty much providing a foundation in Networking in the tech industry.

What separates a job from a career ? Passion. And it is passion driving me not to just find a job in STEM, but to began an amazing career in such an amazing field. I believe in this very day and age we are undergoing something very similar to what the industrial revolution was back in the mid-18th century. However, it isn't exactly happening in the material world, it is taking place behind screens, electronics, the 'Cloud'. The world is changing drastically under all of our noses, and if we are not careful we will miss it. As an African American 'Black' student majoring in STEM, I have been bestowed with a non-negotiable obligation to take part in such a revolution. I feel this way because, unfortunately 'Black' people were in no position economically, politically, or even mentally to take part in the first one mentioned above. We were entirely and intentionally excluded from such a crucial stage in history, which is why I am grateful for the labor and resilience of my ancestors that have paved a way for many students today of various ethnicities and backgrounds placing us in a better position to compete and chase our dreams. In addition to what I have previously listed, I have a number of goals I seek to reach before my life is over. The first among those is to successfully complete my degree in Computer Science with a minor in Finance. While completing undergrad, I plan to attend at least one internship prior to graduation. I also have taken the time to reach out to a personal mentor already in working in the 'Tech' field, who also has graduated with a STEM degree. After obtaining my Bachelor's degree it is in my immediate plans to test my marketability in the job market of that time. The first position I plan on working as, is that of a Software Engineer. This is to gain industry experience, and a solid foundation for potential future jobs in the tech industry. After about 2 years of continuous work experience in the field, my plans are to then go and enroll in graduate school for my Master's degree. My reasoning for this really just goes back to my personality. I have a knack for pushing to find the next level, and I believe the next level for me at that point in my life would be obtaining a Master's in Computer Science. Following the reaching of this milestone I plan to then break into the world of Data Science and land possibly a lead role as a data scientist. Do these dreams sound a bit ambitious ? What would a person with such goals be doing today ?Let's just say the answer to those questions can be found here. Yes, my goals are ambitious, fortunately for me whatever I am ambitious about I prepare for. I have already began the self-taught route for coding/ computer programming. I currently work a full-time job, am a Father, and still find time to code for at least 2 hours everyday. I code in python every day from the simple fact I have a deep passion for STEM. In addition to teaching myself python, under the guidance of my mentor I am also studying for my Comptia A+ certification which is pretty much providing a foundation in Networking in the tech industry. In conclusion, I believe the goals I have will positively impact the world by showing that anyone can do it if you put your mind to the test.

What separates a job from a career ? Passion. And it is passion driving me not to just find a job in STEM, but to began an amazing career in such an amazing field. I believe in this very day and age we are undergoing something very similar to what the industrial revolution was back in the mid-18th century. However, it isn't exactly happening in the material world, it is taking place behind screens, electronics, the 'Cloud'. The world is changing drastically under all of our noses, and if we are not careful we will miss it. As an African American 'Black' student majoring in STEM, I have been bestowed with a non-negotiable obligation to take part in such a revolution. I feel this way because, unfortunately 'Black' people were in no position economically, politically, or even mentally to take part in the first one mentioned above. We were entirely and intentionally excluded from such a crucial stage in history, which is why I am grateful for the labor and resilience of my ancestors that have paved a way for many students today of various ethnicities and backgrounds placing us in a better position to compete and chase our dreams. In addition to what I have previously listed, I have a number of goals I seek to reach before my life is over. The first among those is to successfully complete my degree in Computer Science with a minor in Finance. While completing undergrad, I plan to attend at least one internship prior to graduation. I also have taken the time to reach out to a personal mentor already in working in the 'Tech' field, who also has graduated with a STEM degree. After obtaining my Bachelor's degree it is in my immediate plans to test my marketability in the job market of that time. The first position I plan on working as, is that of a Software Engineer. This is to gain industry experience, and a solid foundation for potential future jobs in the tech industry. After about 2 years of continuous work experience in the field, my plans are to then go and enroll in graduate school for my Master's degree. My reasoning for this really just goes back to my personality. I have a knack for pushing to find the next level, and I believe the next level for me at that point in my life would be obtaining a Master's in Computer Science. Following the reaching of this milestone I plan to then break into the world of Data Science and land possibly a lead role as a data scientist. "We must learn to live together as brothers, or perish together as fools", famous quote stated by the late MLK, yes I have made many mentions of plans, but there is a 'Why' for me. My 'Why' is that I wish to be a light to other young black kids that will come up in our community in many ways just like I did. I want to not only show our community that it is possible, but to provide an outline and a path to help aid them as they attempt to launch their own careers in STEM. I currently am apart of a Non-Profit organization called the PMJA, and I have volunteered with the 'Uhuru Foundation' which reach out to black communities and victims of colonialism. It is my plan to one day soon implement a buddy study program that will help push our black teens, children, and young adults toward meaningful degrees, and shift the tides of wealth in our country.

What separates a job from a career ? Passion. And it is passion driving me not to just find a job in STEM, but to began an amazing career in such an amazing field. I believe in this very day and age we are undergoing something very similar to what the industrial revolution was back in the mid-18th century. However, it isn't exactly happening in the material world, it is taking place behind screens, electronics, the 'Cloud'. The world is changing drastically under all of our noses, and if we are not careful we will miss it. As an African American 'Black' student majoring in STEM, I have been bestowed with a non-negotiable obligation to take part in such a revolution. I feel this way because, unfortunately 'Black' people were in no position economically, politically, or even mentally to take part in the first one mentioned above. We were entirely and intentionally excluded from such a crucial stage in history, which is why I am grateful for the labor and resilience of my ancestors that have paved a way for many students today of various ethnicities and backgrounds placing us in a better position to compete and chase our dreams. In addition to what I have previously listed, I have a number of goals I seek to reach before my life is over. The first among those is to successfully complete my degree in Computer Science with a minor in Finance. While completing undergrad, I plan to attend at least one internship prior to graduation. I also have taken the time to reach out to a personal mentor already in working in the 'Tech' field, who also has graduated with a STEM degree. After obtaining my Bachelor's degree it is in my immediate plans to test my marketability in the job market of that time. The first position I plan on working as, is that of a Software Engineer. This is to gain industry experience, and a solid foundation for potential future jobs in the tech industry. After about 2 years of continuous work experience in the field, my plans are to then go and enroll in graduate school for my Master's degree. My reasoning for this really just goes back to my personality. I have a knack for pushing to find the next level, and I believe the next level for me at that point in my life would be obtaining a Master's in Computer Science. Following the reaching of this milestone I plan to then break into the world of Data Science and land possibly a lead role as a data scientist. Do these dreams sound a bit ambitious ? What would a person with such goals be doing today ?Let's just say the answer to those questions can be found here. Yes, my goals are ambitious, fortunately for me whatever I am ambitious about I prepare for. I have already began the self-taught route for coding/ computer programming. I currently work a full-time job, am a Father, and still find time to code for at least 2 hours everyday. I code in python every day from the simple fact I have a deep passion for STEM. In addition to teaching myself python, under the guidance of my mentor I am also studying for my Comptia A+ certification which is pretty much providing a foundation in Networking in the tech industry. In conclusion, my passion for STEM driving force, and I have this passion simply because I know the contributions that I can make in 'World of STEM'. And I will push each day to do just that.