Oh man, where do I start? Meteorology? Geoscience? Geography? No, GIS! All listed above are the choices I’ve pursed as a 22 year old, African American female and succeeded. However, throughout the ages of my life, of course, I was met with many hindering obstacles including depression, failing grades, and doubt which affected me in a way unimaginable. Truly thinking that representing myself within the STEM community as a futuristic Meteorologist would be a waste, I pushed myself to prove otherwise. Growing up, I was raised by a single mom and 9 other siblings. Of course our imaginations roamed free, bulbs of insights with bright ideas. I started being interested in meteorology at 11 years old studying its phenomenon, the dynamics, basics of jet streams, you name it. I used to also watch The Weather Channel as a bonus to enlighten my day of knowing whether it’d rain or not before heading to school. Within the depths of aging, I was met with unforeseen challenges. Being a South Floridian means to know that hurricanes are extremely well known in the state. In 2017, Hurricane Irma affected my small hometown, located near Lake Okeechobee. It nearly left my family and I without power for 2 weeks which affected me mentally. Decaying food, lack of water (including in stores), and heatwaves took a toll on me as a 13 year old. I then knew the severity of understanding meteorology: there’s more to it than studying weather. Irma was the storm that truly changed me for the better of wanting to insist in disaster volunteerism. Currently a senior studying Geoscience, I took the time to also certify in GIS and environmental science. I love that I’m able to widen my options of helping the world by making a difference. To act of knowing that there are people like me, African American; who not only loves STEM, but has a deep rooted love for meteorology as well. It’s a huge accomplishment to me as the percentages continue to grow! Not sure of what my next steps are, I do know for a fact that my short term goals are to go to grad school for Applied Climate Studies. I want to further my studies, education, understanding, and knowledge of action. I’m mostly aiming to better globalization and its rapid decline upon global warming. My long term goals apply to becoming a climate change analyst in departments of aerial photography, meteorology, and disaster impact research + awareness! That way, I’d be able to expand and advocate for a change. Financially, this scholarship will ease my worries of not being able to have funds for grad school as a low income student/person. It’ll put less stress on my mom as shes been striving for many years to provide shelter, food, and a great education for all of my 9 siblings and I. Now that we’re adults, I tell her that I don’t want her paying for my funds as she suffers from arthritis in her back, hands, and hips due to working for so long. Anything will make a difference.

Option 2. Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, you name it. These are the uses of technology that we, as people, are prone to use. However, you have to think deeply within the meaning of human connection. You see, we also have Indeed, LinkedIn, Handshake, Zoom, Google Meet, etc. The list goes on for days, but it doesn’t take away that fresh breath of air or the excitement of meeting up with friends & family. Away from all of this technology, I’ve come to the understanding, fact, and experience, that without eyeing your phone every second, you long for a naturalistic view of life. You stare away into the sky, bypassing the clouds as time goes by to reconnect with what life used to feel like beforehand. Many times, we as people need “stray days” away from our phones. That may be to deal with mental health, limit screen usage, or even to enjoy your vacation away from technology usage. On days that I’m overloaded with lab reports, I tend to limit my daily intake of screen time so I can be able to focus and concentrate. In I say we apply those principles to the use of technology with balance and efficiency. The same way you’d have a conversation over messaging can equal to in person, the same way you’d FaceTime friends or family members can equal to in person interaction, and lastly, the same way you’d laugh or cry with a significant other is the exact same way those emotions may be felt in person. Truly, emotions are key to authentic connections amongst us humans and fortunately, we’re all able to apply that to a daily basis of our lives. Whether that emotion is dealing with a sadness, anger, excitement, so on and so forth, we’re able respond with compassion and empathy. I grew up with a warm heart of consoling those who needed a hug and asking if they were okay. Even as a sibling of 10 (who was raised by a single mom), I’d check up on them and if they were alright or needed a hug. Through technology, I’ve come to realize that there’s many ways of communicating with one another. So as humans of society, we need to strengthen, preserve, and improve the true compassion, sympathy, and support for others! Even I've had days to where it felt like I was going through a crisis of depression and anxiety; a topic that many don’t speak about. Mental health is important. Which is why lots and lots of people need a source of support whether if that support is coming from a friend, family, or even a stranger, it’s highly appreciated! Animals are a source of support as well! To continue, the same applies as if you were supporting that person face to face. No matter what way or form of communication, by phone, laptop, or in person, it all applies to the same principles of communication. In the end, we should remind ourselves on how technology use and person interactions are linked.

Man, it’s pretty hot today. Orange skies, grayish looking clouds, and a bit of drizzle, all caused by burning cane. Living in a society where you’re forced to smell burning cane and see bits of pieces of “ash” fall out the of sky and cover the roads, plus cars turning on their windshield wipers in order to see. I’ve witnessed the increased climate change within my old hometown for 12 years before moving. Nevertheless, nothing has changed. Flooding has become intensively concerning and common for where I currently reside. Storm drains clogged with trash with no one to clean it up, causing cars to stall and float in ponds of water. I’ve decided to pursue my degree in geoscience in order to study, acknowledge, and inquire the understanding of climate complications that are happening throughout the world so I’d be able to help my community in return. One thing’s for sure, I’ve noticed the common denominator throughout my coursework in college with anthropogenic aka human activity, being the main factor. Who is to say that people are actually learning about the roles they play in society? This is my reasoning of wanting to pursue my Masters degree in Climate Change Science: to be able to spread awareness, knowledge, and insight. How so? Great question! Through data analysis and 24-hour timeframe aerial photography, I’d be able to monitor temperamental changes and environmental sustainability with before and after photos for 30 to 31 days. That way, I’d be able to compare and contrast months of climate and environmental change with the help of a projected thesis in hopes of reaching the audience. I hope my work would be able to contribute a voice to a healthier and greener society with the needs of understanding how even the smallest participation will make a difference. Only time will tell if human activity increases for the better than worse in some cases! However, for generations to come, I hope that children, students, and even future environmental leaders, would be able to invoice their concerns as well! Look at I. I’m finally able to express how I feel upon a rather sensitive topic that’s been unheard by me for many years. From the 12 year old future climate change analyst who sought to make the world a better, safer, and greener place, to the 22 year old who’s actually making her dream come to reality. I’m just getting started.

I was raised by a single mom and sometimes 9 siblings (when my mom was working), living in a small town in South Florida, that then had a population of less than 3,000. As a wild child, I loved staying outdoors to look at the clouds or watch the rainfall. I used to, of course, get teased about studying weather or becoming a future black meteorologist because in their eyes, it was “impossible” and “useless.” At first, I didn’t understand why, but soon came to realize about struggles. Struggles that my mom taught me about. As I’ve gotten older, I forecasted, studied, and witnessed with my own eyes, the harsh wrath of Mother Nature: destruction. Hurricane Irma destroyed parts of my town including parts of our roof. We went 2 weeks without power and struggled with maintaining cold food. Having to cook peanuts on a grill and also spaghetti as well, I am forever grateful for the unfortunate experience. Unforgettable, it gave me an insight of wanting change for my community. With meteorology being my favorite physical science, I eventually graduated with my associates degree in the subject. However, during my university years in college, I’ve had the love of GIS, known as Geographic Information Systems. You see, GIS isn’t only used to inform citizens of upcoming weather, but GIS gives us data to see satellite imagery of planets, countries, cities, towns, and even maps. GIS is used in today’s technology as well such as GPS. However, the BEST thing I love about GIS is the usage of aerial photography to which I’m able to see the similarities to satellite data. Mapping is my strength as I’ve created many during university labs! Currently, I’m doing a research project on hurricane impact in Sudan titled, “How can LiDAR improve targeting of impacted areas?” Most to all of my data includes the usage of GIS. With my experience in ArcGIS mapping, aerial photography, data research, and weather analysis, I plan on using that information to enhance disaster management and mentor those of presentational risk assessments within their area of flood (damage), disaster (damage), and future impacts, ALL using GIS. Slowly, but surely, I’m aiming for positions that relate to my geological research as hunting for internships hasn’t been easy. However, realizing that I have years to follow, my future awaits. I never knew as a young child that meteorology would be my intake on a career. I always wanted to be a “policewoman” or an “EMS.” You can even say I thought about being a firefighter, you are right. If I were to choose a career, it wouldn’t be anything else but a meteorologist or anything similar within the degree. Meteorology has truly shaped me! So with the help, support, and usage of this scholarship, I’d be able to pursue a masters degree that my hometown called “useless.” To support many low income, BICOP communities and their dreams of pursuing change as well. Wanting to create a solar systematic device that alerts those of dangerous weather situations in proximity range, I know that it’ll take true precision and hard work. I’m 22 years old and hard work has only made me stronger.

To whom it concerns, my name is Arleatha Humphrey. I grew up in a small town called Pahokee located in Florida, for 19 years with a care about my environment. Poor drainage systems, concerns about Lake Okeechobee’s levee, and unwanted trash are the ongoing problems as I write this essay. However, as a sibling of 10, I understood that being the only person interested in physical sciences: meteorology, geography, and environmental sciences, were to come with sibling jokes. “Weather girl Lisa” was the roaming name for me as my siblings would ask about the weather! I would, and still to this day, weather forecasts, cloud watch, photograph flowers, involve myself in trash cleanups, and analyze how green the grass would be. During the time within my community, my surroundings really didn’t care as I expressed concerns about anthropogenic problems in the area. To make problems dire, Pahokee doesn’t have a news channel to wake up to daily, hear about the problems of the area, and even the lingering situation of the environment. I personally thought that taking environmental and meteorology classes during my high school years would make it better, as it would be informal to others. I thought wrong. I went on to get my A.A. degree in meteorology and am currently enrolled at Florida Atlantic University with a future B.A. degree in geosciences, a certificate in environmental science, and a certificate in GIS. It may sound splendid, but I questioned myself many times by taking 10 months and 7 days to finally answer, “It’s me versus the environment, and I’m here to claim victory! One of the best decisions I’ve ever made was being able to partake in the Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management. Currently active and a little shy, I eventually was able to enjoy myself around my surroundings participating in one of their cleanup events: Winding Waters Natural Area. In the future, I hope to insist on projects within Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management to soon create internships, scholarships, and stipends for high school students. I also plan on teaching the importance of "wanting green" amongst K-8 students unfamiliar with how fun cleaning up the environment can be and the powerful phenomenon of being involved. Not being able to be heard or taken seriously as a young child gave me the strength and courage to fight back against the problems of the environment today. Whether that contains the issues amongst humans, nature, or water resources, I can address those concerns to those who are willing to listen and are willing to support and eventually spread environmental awareness! In the end, I’m taking one step at a time to fulfill my dreams and duties as a future climate change scientist or climatologist so when the time comes, I’ll be able to truly say, “Arleatha Humphrey: 1, the environment: 0!

I have dreams of becoming a futuristic meteorologist. No whether in atmospheric, environmental, hydrologic, or dynamic, I’ve never stopped striving for my dreams. Since a little girl, weather has been a great fascination that I’ve carried through my teen years. Change of weather patterns, thunderstorms, lightning, and so much more! I grew up with a single parent and 9 other siblings. As a low-income student, I don’t expect life to be “flowers and daisies.” I learned from my mother, that if I want the best results, I have to strive and also accept defeat sometimes as growth. I took her words throughout my years of education which has gotten me this far. There were times when I had some defeats but regenerated and succeeded. There were other times when I needed a mental break, but continued striving. There aren’t many BICOP, African American meteorologists in the field of atmospheric science. We are very underrepresented. Not because of less percentages amongst BICOP, and African Americans, but because of lack of representation. Believe it or not, African American meteorologists make unknown history within their family, state, or possibly universal. I am striving to become the first known meteorologist in my family. Which is why this scholarship will help further my criteria and studies of STEM, and meteorology. I do plan on furthering my education to a higher degree. Studying the dynamics, phenomenon, and history of meteorological studies. With the importance of black meteorologists as role models, I grew up watching The Weather Channel. Black meteorologists such as Paul Goodloe and Alex Wallace are major role models for the community! If it also wasn’t for The Weather Channel, my inspiration for meteorology would have faded away. I want to prove that even with the lowest income, poor background, and struggles, things can come to reality. There’s so much for me to learn about my upcoming to becoming the next meteorologist! I plan on in the future creating many scholarships for low-income students, BICOP, who want to pursue meteorology but don’t have the funds to. It’s all about giving back to the community which I couldn’t do before. To educate the importance of meteorological impact because I, an underrepresented and low-income student, can. This scholarship will benefit the complications of paying for secondary school like no other. In a spawn of 5 years to come, there will be a lot of things that I’ve achieved, such as obtaining my higher degrees!

My own experience with mental health has inspired me to strive for greater success, be aspirational, and assist those in need. I had my first experience with depression when I was fourteen. After graduating from middle school, my friends and I were heading to different high schools, but I didn't want to split up or go to other schools because I had known them for over ten years. As I've become older, I've discovered peace. The setting, weather, and other factors have all contributed to my ability to unwind and feel comfortable. Even though I struggled with major mental health problems including depression and negative thoughts, I overcame them. One of the many reasons I like myself is meteorology. I will be applying for jobs, internships, and even resumes in the future because of it. I have a strong desire to work as a meteorologist and am motivated, passionate, and committed to this field, besides staring at clouds. Thanks to cloud gazing, I can now appreciate life and always give it my all, no matter what. My mental health issues have caused me to lose several relationships, but I was able to mend them by being honest with them about how I was feeling. I understand that keeping your feelings about what's going on in your life or how you're feeling within can cause havoc with your own perspective on life. I'm glad I was able to tell the individuals I trusted how I really felt because I needed to. I'm also glad they were observant and understanding. If I were back where I was years ago, I would have struggled with mental health difficulties. I would like to thank all of the people who have helped me along the way to taking better care of myself. People who are struggling with mental health concerns should know that we support them, that they are not alone, and that they are worthy of assistance. After all of this, I'm eager to become the next Black meteorologist, with enormous goals ahead including teaching. It's not because of a "have to be" or "wanting to be," rather, it's a love and enthusiasm for the subject matter that is frequently misconstrued. My comprehension of mathematical principles has grown significantly as a result of studying my struggles and difficulties with the topic. I no longer slack off on the subjective aspect of math. To achieve my goals, it all comes down to how hard I work and how much effort I put into it.

Being the eighth kid born out of ten, I would compete with my older siblings to keep myself from being bored. My mother dropped out of college to raise us on her own, and she would be working to support us. Even though my mom's three oldest children would be watching, she strained to make ends meet and gave up a lot for us to make sure we were happy. She would occasionally treat herself to autonomous getaways by spending hours browsing through the park or beach waters. She would save money even on special occasions like Christmas to buy us shoes and clothes, and it was always making me smile. As I got older, she had fewer responsibilities as my siblings also aged. I told my mother of wanting to become the next meteorologist and humanitarian when I was eleven years old. She told me to "always go for my dreams and instinct and to not to act a fool and play around," a testimony to her dedication as a single mother, since school was no joke. Attending my HS ROTC pinning ceremony, HS senior award academy, and happily, my graduation, she was proud as a mom to see me walk across the stage as I graduated with a 3.56 GPA. Now that I'm older and enrolled in college, I assist my mom in recovering from bone surgery. I had some trouble with advanced arithmetic during my third semester of college. "Never doubt your ability to succeed. Just look at your brother, who's pursuing a computer science major." I felt better after hearing that, so I finished the term with a 3.0. In addition, my mother would inquire about the weather, saying things like "Is it going to rain today because it seems off?" To which I would respond with a laugh. My meteorological world has become a dream come true thanks to the support of my family, especially my mom. I have a true understanding of my mother and her capacity to assist us over the years, even though it was difficult to comprehend the concepts of hard labor and support as a child. She has helped me get through some of my most challenging college and mental health years. I truly had no idea that meteorology would turn out to be such a significant and enjoyable major. But with the help, I'm able to protect my family when they're not aware of it in addition to warning others about what's coming their way.

I grew up wanting to fulfill every young child's fantasy. A police officer, firefighter, nurse, ogbyn, and much more. Instead, it was because, as a little girl of BICOP diaspora, I had unknown limitations on my options. But I soon realized how passionate I am about something really enjoyable, tough, and teachable. When a hurricane hit my small town when I was eight years old, sections of my home were flooded with lost power and spoiled food. As a young child, I had no idea that meteorology was my passion, all because of a hurricane. Coming from a low-income and first-generation family of a single parent, I've been able to come closer to my dreams of truly becoming a part of the STEM community. Wanting to become a meteorologist, there aren’t many BICOP, African American meteorologists that are known and are very underrepresented. These represent only about 4 percent of the total number of people in the meteorological community. Growing up, I observed a lot of BICOP, African American meteorologists like Paul Goodle and Alex Wallace on The Weather Channel! I've gained insight into my ambitious career in meteorology and the tough obstacles I've had to overcome to persevere through my disappointments by watching The Weather Channel. I was hampered by several things, including poor mental confidence, difficulty with arithmetic, and lack of transportation. But I've been able to agree on a lot of things at once because of the correct correlation, preparation, mindset, etc. Only The Weather Channel has provided oblique advice on how to get ready for hurricanes, severe weather, and mood swings. I intend to continue my studies after receiving my degree in meteorology to positively influence other people. Watching The Weather Channel has helped me understand my aspirational job in meteorology and the difficult challenges I've faced to keep going after setbacks. A variety of problems hindered me, such as low self-esteem, math difficulties, and a lack of transportation. But because of the right correlation, planning, thinking, etc., I've been able to agree on several things at once. The Weather Channel is the only one that has offered vague tips on how to prepare for extreme weather, hurricanes, and mood swings. After earning my meteorology degree, I want to pursue my bachelor's to prove a further point! I consider meteorology to be the basic dynamics of weather. I've faced this challenge with the same enthusiasm and diligence that I had as a little child. I'm confident that this scholarship will enable me to pursue my meteorological career path by advancing my studies. I have only given meteorology consideration as a passion. Meteorology is my future and will be my nature call today, tomorrow, and forever!

Excuses, excuses. They're the main cause of a lot of my temporary shortcomings. "My thalassemia is affecting me at this moment, so I don't feel like contributing today." I know that sometimes, procrastination can dwell in my activities, academics, dreams, and goals. Allowing it to continue can very well affect my lifestyle as it has before. I've merely overcome procrastination as it is a process that's been gratefully improving. I've battled procrastination since I was a little child and throughout my adolescent years. I went through active stages as a child when I was not concerned about education or even how important it was for my development. My mother, as always, was my staunchest advocate, telling me about her hard work to support my nine siblings and me. Despite having Thalassemia from birth, a condition that my sister and I also carry, she never allowed it to stop her from supporting our family. She is my greatest inspiration for conquering obstacles in life, which she is content and appreciative of. After all of this, I'm eager to become the next Black meteorologist, with enormous goals ahead including teaching. It's not because of a "have to be" or a "wanting to be"; rather, it's a love and enthusiasm for the subject matter that is frequently misconstrued. My comprehension of mathematical principles has grown significantly as a result of studying my struggles and difficulties with the topic. I no longer slack off on the subjective aspect of math. To achieve my goals, it all comes down to how hard I work and how much effort I put into it. For me, it is crucial to succeed as a future weather analyst. When I had the chance, I spent my childhood exploring and appreciating nature. Rain, clouds, azuring skies, thunderstorms, lightning, tornadoes, etc. were all things I noticed and made into a charming leisure. Seeing the weather and clouds is my favorite passion! I adore The Weather Channel and other meteorological resources, as well as the phenomena that underpin meteorology research and explain physical science to extract my procrastination. Though it can be a struggle sometimes, my self-procrastination, which was formerly problematic, has developed, matured, learned, loved, contemplated, and loathed its blindside of never considering the negative effects of procrastination or how it can lead to despair. All the while chasing my aspirations of being the next cutting-edge meteorologist. I have mostly conquered my procrastination struggles and have tried to assist others in doing the same.

STEM is like no other! I punched and kicked my way through obstacles meant to be challenging and tough. That's the beauty of pursuing a degree in STEM. As a person of color, I was raised in a household of 10, the start of my rambunctious love for meteorology. My mom supported me throughout and said that she knew I'd always, "continue to pursue my passion for weather," and that I always spoke of "the rain" as a child. Her words meant a lot as she had to drop out of college to support my siblings and I. I did, however, realize that as a person of BICOP, there aren't many meteorologists who "look like me." There were a few such as Alex Wallace and Paul Goodle from The Weather Channel (my favorite broadcast network)! Those guys are awesome with giving indirect tips to their viewers and also making meteorology a worthy and fun degree. Statistically speaking, there are 9.0% of meteorologists who are Black with 0.46% being African American women. Both numbers represent a low, underrepresented impact amongst Black/African American meteorologists in general! But, with a reasonable change, I decided to pursue a degree in STEM. I had my ups and downs with math, mentality, procrastination, and drive. Deciding to finish strong, I hectically got back to what I started! Also, the added love for meteorology has made learning about thermodynamics, meteorological computing, GIS, and so much more substantially a fun hobby! That's not all, I do want to further my education with the completion of a bachelor's degree in meteorology to show a lot of BICOP that you can achieve anything if you can put your mind to it! I'll make an impact by sharing my knowledge, likes and dislikes, fun facts, presentations, and recreation of meteorology. It hasn't skipped my mind in a beat to become a meteorology teacher in the BICOP community, representing my achievements! I plan on creating scholarships for the BICOP community amongst those who want to pursue meteorology but due to financial reasons, can't. I want to host meteorology tours to explain its importance! To give tips on how to stay safe during extreme weather and when to be cautious. There's nothing like a kid growing up with loving her passion for meteorology. She always had the delicate passion like no other in her community! No matter what and how others opposed, she didn't listen and stuck with her passion. Her name is Arleatha Humphrey!

The world is such a mysterious place. We're surrounded by things that require such studies as their existence and how 'it' works. Understanding the concepts and phenomena of atmosphere, satellites, and physics is so important in today's society. UV sunlight, cold temperatures, snow, wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes, greenhouse gas, algae, you name it, are a part of nature's universe that explains the reasoning to why scientists enjoy their studies. I, greatly, am striving to establish my future career as an atmospheric scientist/meteorologist. Similar to other atmospheric scientists and meteorologists, the love for weather phenomena is greatly satisfied and enjoyable as we study the causes. When growing up, what interested my sights into meteorology was Hurricane Isaac. The remnants of Isaac left flood waters gated where I reside and long-term droughts. Living with 9 siblings and being raised by a low-income, single mom, we really didn't have much access to food after hurricanes would incapacitate power which spoiled the food. Incapacitated power left my home striped from A/C, which raised the temperamental degrees to even hotter stages. This is why I believe that it's important if futuristic scientists a part of STEM, including me, work to understand parts of the universe that haven't been explained very well, many new exemplary concepts would explain such theories, though we are less fortunate and underrepresented. With the ideas and concepts I futurely hope to employ, consists of exploring the earths hemisphere to understand 'why' earth's rotation causes an abruption to earths greenhouse gases, recording the suns temperature from satellite data to create a concept of the atmosphere. In order to do that, I hope to employ statistical data from water temperatures and UV sunlight and compare them to the greenhouse gas temperature. It takes a lot of mathematical, physical, meteorological, and even strive to do such things. But I ensure that with the idealistic concepts of world, atmospheric problems, those things can be established. I want to mininize natural disasters with my practical research and help from meteorological experts. Though it may take some time to record, hypothesis, and question the data that's given, it'll be worth it for futuristic solve. Does stars, fused radiation cause a bit of atmospheric change? Is the universe itself affecting the greenhouse gases? Questions that answer if nature is very much understood amongst the universe, then why not employ the help that's needed? The nature is apart of the universe and I gurarantee that permissible change is coming from my end.

When I'm in creative mode, building an individual home, and adding decorations and pets, I feel a sense of peace and calmness. Playing Minecraft overall is a general requirement for me as it stimulates my peace. Peace in Minecraft reminds me of how much you really can enjoy yourself on days of sadness. How you can relax in a matter of seconds and enjoy the aspects of your home and pets. The pets: dogs, cats, and wolves, give me a sense of responsibility that happens to take place in my reality. It is a big thing to have such responsibility with college, family, self-care, and many more things. So I can deeply imply that one particular goal I'm trying to establish within Minecraft is overcoming obstacles. Obstacles I know will be hard for me in the long run, but to establish that if I really want to overcome a hardship obstacle, I must learn how to overcome the complete factor of accepting failure. Learning from a growth mindset is best in my mind because with a growth mindset, learning from your mistakes is a must to ensure futuristic progress. Minecraft has really helped me understand the importance of peace and relaxation over stress and worries.