My name is Arrick Wilson and I am a native of Virginia Beach. I currently go to Virginia Commonwealth University where I study Mass Communications. Since I could talk, I have been in love with Sportscasting. My love for journalism came when I would watch commentators be amazing storytellers of sports games. I remember running around the house on Sundays, talking about sports, and having analytical commentary with myself! Over the years, my love for sports and Journalism has grown. I have always stayed glued to ESPN and all types of Sportswriting, but being a young black kid who wanted to be like Stephen A. Smith, Justin Tinsley, and Michael Wilbon there’s not many black and brown faces on the television screen so I always thought; “can I really do that?” Though my voice may shake, my answer will always be “yes”. I have written several write-ups on high school basketball, college basketball, and interviewed many coaches and players. Also I am the sports editor for my college's newspaper, "The Commonwealth Times". During my tenure I have one two statewide awards for my sports column. I also have a basketball youtube channel and podcast where I discuss high school basketball and Professional basketball. Journalusm has taught me how to be bold and live life boldly. Journalism has taught me that everyone needs a good storyteller; why not have a purpose to the storytelling. Why not become like some of the people that I’ve looked up to? Why not?

Someone I admire from history is my mom. Yes, I understand my mother is not a historical figure, but I believe I would not be here without her. My mother is the definition of the word perseverance. My family lost out how in 2017 when Hurricane Matthew hit our home of Virginia Beach. Throughout this change, my mother always gave a smile and confirmed to me that everything was all right. A year later in 2018, my mother developed breast cancer as we moved back into our home. It seemed as if, time after time, things continued to affect our lives. Through this, my mother never stopped being positive and continued to be a beacon of hope and perseverance in my life. My mother has persevered through losing her parents, raising four children, losing her home to a hurricane, and having breast cancer. My mother has taught me the true meaning of perseverance. The true meaning of persevering through internal problems that affect one's life. Now, I understand I may have gone off the prompt with admiring someone in history, but my mother is the only one that I truly admire. She is someone I have truly learned true experiences in my life. She may have not won a noble peace prize or won any mainstream national awards, but her biggest accomplishment is teaching and loving me. My mom being herself has taught me the true meaning of perseverance along, with never giving up and loving life. My mom is someone in history that I admire.

I apply creativity in my life through photography. I started art in elementary school, where I excelled in visual arts. I excelled so much that I was moved to the gifted art program in my school district. I shined my talent over my elementary and middle school years learning and gaining experience. My skills illuminated throughout my years, as I was awarded the first place trophy for my portfolio throughout the program. Sadly, I did not get into the high school portion of the program, and I stopped art. I couldn't focus on visual arts knowing that I wasn't per se good enough for the program. I lost my inner creativity, knowing I was not good to get into the extended program. In my senior year of high school, I found my creativity again. I found my creativity in a Nikon D90 camera. The camera was an outdated camera that my aunt left for me while she was moving houses. As a former realistic visual artist, I was in love with faces. With the camera, I brought that creativity to life again. Fast forward two years, and I have brought two more cameras and lenses to fuel my love of photography. Now I can apply that creativity to life. Every day that I use photography, I feel that imagination in my life.

My favorite book is "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother." This book is a tribute or an autobiography piece focusing on the life of Ruth McBride Jordan. James McBride, the writer, creates a telling piece about the life of his mother, a Jewish white woman, raising eleven biracial African American kids. During the book, McBride is a young kid dealing with "the color confusion,” while being raised by his mother, Ruth. The story parallels Ruth's youth troubles with James’s struggles growing up. Both deal with finding identity but persevere through hard times and succeed in the end, along with James’s eleven siblings. The author's purpose of this book is to encourage and also inform people that no matter the consequences, you can still make it through the world that we live in. Think about it, James McBride’s mother was a single mother with eleven kids by two different fathers who both passed away. Even though he only had one parent after the death of his father and stepfather, he and the ten other siblings all went to college and graduated. This whole book speaks of how they all persevered through hard times and still became successful. In this book, James McBride inspired me to not worry about the cards I was dealt, but to continue to push through these trials and tribulations in life that I go through. Without a question, James McBride achieved his purpose for writing this book. This is my favorite book because it tells his life story about his family and everything that they’ve been through. It also gives a strong story of perseverance, which I look up to. It is a very enlightening story and book.

My name is Arrick Wilson and I am a native of Virginia Beach. I currently go to Virginia Commonwealth University where I study Mass Communications. Since I could talk, I have had the hobby of Sports journalism and Sportscasting. My love for journalism came when I would watch commentators be amazing storytellers of sports games. How was that even possible to communicate that quickly and with such a personality. I remember running around the house on Sundays, talking about sports, and having analytical commentary with myself! I would imitate those I’d seen on television and get a makeshift microphone out of whatever I could find and talk and talk and talk. Over the years, my love for sports and Journalism has grown. I have always stayed glued to ESPN and all types of Sportswriting, but being a young black kid who wanted to be like Stephen A. Smith, Justin Tinsley, and Michael Wilbon there are not many black and brown faces on the television screen so I always thought; “can I really do that?” Though my voice may shake, my answer will always be “yes”. I hope that my career supersedes Stephen A. Smith with my continued hard work and dedication. In 9th grade, I embarked on a journey of having my own basketball blog; in my opinion, this has prepared me for the future in sports journalism. On my site, I have written several write-ups on high school basketball, Professional basketball, and interviewed many coaches and players. I have had some of my articles posted on my school board’s website; for example, an article where I interviewed a local girls’ basketball coach named Darnell Dozier. He was inducted into the Virginia High School League Hall of Fame for being an accomplished coach, and they chose me for the write-up. I also have a basketball youtube channel and podcast where I discuss high school basketball and Professional basketball. My podcast has been extremely instrumental in molding my journalism with my tech skills. At first, my basketball blog wasn’t getting a lot of views, and it discouraged me. I was a 15-year-old timid freshman who has always been nervous about starting new projects and scared to interview others. Instead of succumbing to the low views and jittery nerves; I overcame fear and doubt and continued to press toward my dream. My site has picked up many more views, and there’s even a demand for me to interview coaches and players. I became more outgoing and worked harder on being an amazing Sports Journalist. Journalism has impacted my life greatly. I am able to communicate and convey my thoughts better in my everyday life. I have met amazing peers with like-minded interests in this field, and they have been a great inspiration for me to continue writing and putting my all into giving people amazing stories to share. Journalism has taught me that everyone needs a good storyteller; why not have a purpose to the storytelling. Why not become like some of the people that I've looked up to? Why not?

1. I don't per se deserve this scholarship, but I believe I am qualified. By qualified, I have what it takes for this scholarship. In my first year of undergraduate, I earned the sports editor position for my school newspaper and the dean's list in both semesters. I have earned awards for my publications, and I believe I deserve this scholarship. 2. My goals academically and career-wise are both built on becoming successful. I want to make my parents and family proud. As for my career, I believe I am living my dreams, being the sports editor for my newspaper. To put it simply, I want to put a smile on my mother and father's face. 3. I overcame the obstacles of disasters. In 2016, 14 inches of rain hit my home in Virginia Beach when Hurricane Matthew hit my home, and we lost the house. After months of perseverance, my family moved back into our home. A year later, in my first year in high school, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. My family and I worked threw both situations and overcame these obstacles.

My name is Arrick Wilson and I am a native of Virginia Beach. I currently go to Virginia Commonwealth University where I study Mass Communications. Since I could talk, I have been in love with Sportscasting. My love for journalism came when I would watch commentators be amazing storytellers of sports games. How was that even possible to communicate that quickly and with such a personality. I remember running around the house on Sundays, talking about sports, and having analytical commentary with myself! I would imitate those I’d seen on television and get a makeshift microphone out of whatever I could find and talk and talk and talk. Over the years, my love for sports and Journalism has grown. I have always stayed glued to ESPN and all types of Sportswriting, but being a young black kid who wanted to be like Stephen A. Smith, Justin Tinsley, and Michael Wilbon there’s not many black and brown faces on the television screen so I always thought; “can I really do that?” Though my voice may shake, my answer will always be “yes”. I hope that my career supersedes Stephen A. Smith with my continued hard work and dedication. In 9th grade, I embarked on a journey of having my own basketball blog; in my opinion, this has prepared me for the future in sports journalism. On my site, I have written several write-ups on high school basketball, Professional basketball, and interviewed many coaches and players. I have had some of my articles posted on my school board’s website; for example, an article where I interviewed a local girls’ basketball coach named Darnell Dozier. He was being inducted into the Virginia High School League Hall of Fame for being an accomplished coach, and they chose me for the write-up. I also have a basketball youtube channel and podcast where I discuss high school basketball and Professional basketball. My podcast has been extremely instrumental in molding my journalism with my tech skills. At first, my basketball blog wasn’t getting a lot of views, and it discouraged me. I was a 15-year-old timid freshman who has always been nervous about starting new projects and scared to interview others. Instead of succumbing to the low views and jittery nerves; I overcame fear and doubt and continued to press towards my dream. My site has picked up many more views, and there’s even a demand for me to interview coaches and players. I became more outgoing and worked harder on being an amazing Sports Journalist. Journalism has impacted my life greatly. I am able to communicate and convey my thoughts better in my everyday life. I have met amazing peers with like-minded interests in this field, and they have been a great inspiration for me to continue writing and putting my all into giving people amazing stories to share. Journalism has taught me that everyone needs a good storyteller; why not have a purpose to the storytelling. Why not become like some of the people that I've looked up to? Why not?

In the fall of 2017, I faced one of the toughest obstacles in my life, this obstacle was that my mother developed breast cancer. When I heard that my mother had cancer, I began to have a fear of my mother's death. Starting in High School, I didn’t have that many friends because I was coming from a different Middle school than other students. As a student, I was struggling because I wasn't the best student, and I would always have bad thoughts about my Mom. I never told any friends or teachers about what my Mom and my family were going through. I tried to stay positive and always put my best foot forward in school. Being the kid with the complicated emotions of his mom being sick didn’t exactly fit into my peers' lives— it was heavy for me, how could I ask my friends to shoulder that burden with me? I was reluctant to tell my teacher because I didn’t want anyone to treat me differently. I told my friends in class with fear and worry in my heart, but I was met with hugs and applause from my classmates. From that day forward I was focused to bring my grades and make my mom proud. At the end of the school year, I had a 3.6 GPA, gained many awards, and joined variety of school activities. In the year 2018, my mother was healed of Breast Cancer. I evolved into a person who became driven with a purpose. Through my mom’s journey, I learned: in life, you have to persevere through everything and that I have to live my life with ambition and focus. My mom’s journey also taught me that you should never give up, no matter the circumstance, and continue to persevere and fight.

In the fall of 2017, I faced one of the toughest obstacles in my life, this obstacle was that my mother developed breast cancer. When I heard that my mother had cancer, I began to have a fear of my mother's death. Starting in High School, I didn’t have that many friends because I was coming from a different Middle school than other students. As a student, I was struggling because I wasn't the best student, and I would always have bad thoughts about my Mom. I never told any friends or teachers about what my Mom and my family were going through. I tried to stay positive and always put my best foot forward in school. Being the kid with the complicated emotions of his mom being sick didn’t exactly fit into my peers' lives— it was heavy for me, how could I ask my friends to shoulder that burden with me? I was reluctant to tell my teacher because I didn’t want anyone to treat me differently. I told my friends in class with fear and worry in my heart, but I was met with hugs and applause from my classmates. From that day forward I was focused to bring my grades and make my mom proud. At the end of the school year, I had a 3.6 GPA, gained many awards, and joined a variety of school activities. In the year 2018, my mother was healed of Breast Cancer. I evolved into a person who became driven with a purpose. Through my mom’s journey, I learned: in life, you have to persevere through everything and that I have to live my life with ambition and focus. My mom’s journey also taught me that you should never give up, no matter the circumstance, and continue to persevere and fight. Through perseverance and fight, I believe I can help encourage others to persevere through life. Along with generating generational wealth and fighting through everything in life.

In the fall of 2017, I faced one of the biggest and toughest obstacles in my life, and this obstacle that shook me to the core was that my mother developed breast cancer. When I heard that my mother had cancer, I began to have a fear of my mother's death. I was just a young fourteen-year-old timid freshman who was starting my first year in high school, and when I came to High School it was very hard for me. Starting in High School, I didn’t have that many friends because I was coming from a different Middle school than other students. As a student, I was struggling because I wasn't the best student, and I would always have bad thoughts about my Mom. The Fall semester was one of the hardest times in my life. I never told any friends or teachers about what my Mom and my family were going through. I tried to stay positive and always put my best foot forward in school. Being the kid with the complicated emotions of his mom being sick didn’t exactly fit into my peers' lives— it was heavy for me, how could I ask my friends to shoulder that burden with me? But there was always something off, and my AVID teacher, Mrs.Echols, had seen what I had been trying to hide from others— I was discouraged and unhappy about how my current situation was affecting my life. I was reluctant to tell my teacher because I didn’t want anyone to treat me differently. I then agreed to share the news with my class. After, she told them I came into the classroom with fear and worry in my heart, but I was met with hugs and applause from my classmates. From that day forward I was focused to bring my grades and make my mom proud. At the end of the school year, I brought my grades up to a 3.6 GPA, was awarded Student of the Year for my AVID class, and joined a variety of school activities. In the year 2018, my mother won her year-long battle with cancer and was healed of Breast Cancer. My life was changed forever, because of my situation. I evolved into a person who became driven with a purpose. Through my mom’s journey, I learned: in life, you have to persevere through everything, that time is not promised to anyone, and that I have to live my life with ambition, integrity, and focus. My mom’s journey also taught me that you should never give up, no matter the odds, no matter the circumstance, and continue to persevere and fight.

My educational goal is to complete my four years at my university to earn a bachelor's degree. Through this, I believe that I can not only help my family, but I believe I can create a cycle in my family of graduating with my degree. By graduating with my degree I can also create generational wealth. In the fall of 2017, I faced one of the biggest and toughest obstacles in my life, and this obstacle that shook me to the core was that my mother developed breast cancer. When I heard that my mother had cancer, I began to have a fear of my mother's death. I was just a young fourteen-year-old timid freshman who was starting my first year in high school, and when I came to High School it was very hard for me. Starting in High School, I didn’t have that many friends because I was coming from a different Middle school than other students. As a student, I was struggling because I wasn't the best student, and I would always have bad thoughts about my Mom. The Fall semester was one of the hardest times in my life. I never told any friends or teachers about what my Mom and my family were going through. I tried to stay positive and always put my best foot forward in school. Being the kid with the complicated emotions of his mom being sick didn’t exactly fit into my peers' lives— it was heavy for me, how could I ask my friends to shoulder that burden with me? But there was always something off, and my AVID teacher, Mrs.Echols, had seen what I had been trying to hide from others— I was discouraged and unhappy about how my current situation was affecting my life. I was reluctant to tell my teacher because I didn’t want anyone to treat me differently. I then agreed to share the news with my class. After, she told them I came into the classroom with fear and worry in my heart, but I was met with hugs and applause from my classmates. From that day forward I was focused to bring my grades and make my mom proud. At the end of the school year, I brought my grades up to a 3.6 GPA, was awarded Student of the Year for my AVID class, and joined a variety of school activities. In the year 2018, my mother won her year-long battle with cancer and was healed of Breast Cancer. My life was changed forever, because of my situation. I evolved into a person who became driven with a purpose. Through my mom’s journey, I learned: in life, you have to persevere through everything, that time is not promised to anyone, and that I have to live my life with ambition, integrity, and focus. My mom’s journey also taught me that you should never give up, no matter the odds, no matter the circumstance, and continue to persevere and fight.

My name is Arrick Wilson and I am a native of Virginia Beach. I currently go to Virginia Commonwealth University where I study Mass Communications. Since I could talk, I have been in love with Sportscasting. My passion for journalism came when I would watch commentators be amazing storytellers of sports games. I remember running around the house on Sundays, talking about sports, and having analytical commentary with myself! Over the years, my passion for sports and Journalism has grown. I have always stayed glued to ESPN and all types of Sportswriting, but being a young black kid who wanted to be like Stephen A. Smith, Justin Tinsley, and Michael Wilbon there’s not many black and brown faces on the television screen so I always thought; “can I really do that?” Though my voice may shake, my answer will always be “yes”. I have written several write-ups on high school basketball, college basketball, and interviewed many coaches and players. I have had some of my articles posted on my school board’s website; for example, an article where I interviewed a local girls’ basketball coach named Darnell Dozier. He was being inducted into the Virginia High School League Hall of Fame for being an accomplished coach, and they chose me for the write-up. I also have a basketball youtube channel and podcast where I discuss high school basketball and Professional basketball. I have met amazing peers with like-minded interests in this field, and they have been a great inspiration for me to continue writing and putting my all into giving people amazing stories to share. Journalism has taught me that everyone needs a good storyteller; why not have a purpose to the storytelling. Why not become like some of the people that I’ve looked up to? Why not?

In the fall of 2017, I faced one of the toughest obstacles in my life, this obstacle was that my mother developed breast cancer. When I heard that my mother had cancer, I began to have a fear of my mother's death. Starting in High School, I didn’t have that many friends because I was coming from a different Middle school than other students. As a student, I was struggling because I wasn't the best student, and I would always have bad thoughts about my Mom. I never told any friends or teachers about what my Mom and my family were going through. I tried to stay positive and always put my best foot forward in school. Being the kid with the complicated emotions of his mom being sick didn’t exactly fit into my peers' lives— it was heavy for me, how could I ask my friends to shoulder that burden with me? I was reluctant to tell my teacher because I didn’t want anyone to treat me differently. I told my friends in class with fear and worry in my heart, but I was met with hugs and applause from my classmates. From that day forward I was focused to bring my grades and make my mom proud. At the end of the school year, I had a 3.6 GPA, gained many awards, and joined variety of school activities. In the year 2018, my mother was healed of Breast Cancer. I evolved into a person who became driven with a purpose. Through my mom’s journey, I learned: in life, you have to persevere through everything and that I have to live my life with ambition and focus. My mom’s journey also taught me that you should never give up, no matter the circumstance, and continue to persevere and fight.

In the fall of 2017, I faced one of the biggest and toughest obstacles in my life, and this obstacle that shook me to the core was that my mother developed breast cancer. When I heard that my mother had cancer, I began to have a fear of my mother's death. I was just a young fourteen-year-old timid freshman who was starting my first year in high school, and when I came to High School it was very hard for me. Starting in High School, I didn’t have that many friends because I was coming from a different Middle school than other students. As a student, I was struggling because I wasn't the best student, and I would always have bad thoughts about my Mom. The Fall semester was one of the hardest times in my life. I never told any friends or teachers about what my Mom and my family were going through. I tried to stay positive and always put my best foot forward in school. Being the kid with the complicated emotions of his mom being sick didn’t exactly fit into my peers' lives— it was heavy for me, how could I ask my friends to shoulder that burden with me? But there was always something off, and my AVID teacher, Mrs.Echols, had seen what I had been trying to hide from others— I was discouraged and unhappy about how my current situation was affecting my life. I was reluctant to tell my teacher because I didn’t want anyone to treat me differently. I then agreed to share the news with my class. After, she told them I came into the classroom with fear and worry in my heart, but I was met with hugs and applause from my classmates. From that day forward I was focused to bring my grades and make my mom proud. At the end of the school year, I brought my grades up to a 3.6 GPA, was awarded Student of the Year for my AVID class, and joined a variety of school activities. In the year 2018, my mother won her year-long battle with cancer and was healed of Breast Cancer. My life was changed forever, because of my situation. I evolved into a person who became driven with a purpose. Through my mom’s journey, I learned: in life, you have to persevere through everything, that time is not promised to anyone, and that I have to live my life with ambition, integrity, and focus. My mom’s journey also taught me that you should never give up, no matter the odds, no matter the circumstance, and continue to persevere and fight.

My name is Arrick Wilson and I am a native of Virginia Beach. I currently go to Virginia Commonwealth University where I study Mass Communications. Since I could talk, I have been in love with Sportscasting. My passion for journalism came when I would watch commentators be amazing storytellers of sports games. I remember running around the house on Sundays, talking about sports, and having analytical commentary with myself! Over the years, my passion for sports and Journalism has grown. I have always stayed glued to ESPN and all types of Sportswriting, but being a young black kid who wanted to be like Stephen A. Smith, Justin Tinsley, and Michael Wilbon there’s not many black and brown faces on the television screen so I always thought; “can I really do that?” Though my voice may shake, my answer will always be “yes”. I have written several write-ups on high school basketball, college basketball, and interviewed many coaches and players. I have had some of my articles posted on my school board’s website; for example, an article where I interviewed a local girls’ basketball coach named Darnell Dozier. He was being inducted into the Virginia High School League Hall of Fame for being an accomplished coach, and they chose me for the write-up. I also have a basketball youtube channel and podcast where I discuss high school basketball and Professional basketball. I have met amazing peers with like-minded interests in this field, and they have been a great inspiration for me to continue writing and putting my all into giving people amazing stories to share. Journalism has taught me that everyone needs a good storyteller; why not have a purpose to the storytelling. Why not become like some of the people that I’ve looked up to? Why not?

My name is Arrick Wilson and I am a native of Virginia Beach. I currently go to Virginia Commonwealth University where I study Mass Communications. Since I could talk, I have been in love with Sportscasting. My love for journalism came when I would watch commentators be amazing storytellers of sports games. How was that even possible to communicate that quickly and with such a personality. I remember running around the house on Sundays, talking about sports, and having analytical commentary with myself! I would imitate those I’d seen on television and get a makeshift microphone out of whatever I could find and talk and talk and talk. Over the years, my love for sports and Journalism has grown. I have always stayed glued to ESPN and all types of Sportswriting, but being a young black kid who wanted to be like Stephen A. Smith, Justin Tinsley, and Michael Wilbon there’s not many black and brown faces on the television screen so I always thought; “can I really do that?” Though my voice may shake, my answer will always be “yes”. I hope that my career supersedes Stephen A. Smith with my continued hard work and dedication. In 9th grade, I embarked on a journey of having my own basketball blog; in my opinion, this has prepared me for the future in sports journalism. On my site, I have written several write-ups on high school basketball, Professional basketball, and interviewed many coaches and players. I have had some of my articles posted on my school board’s website; for example, an article where I interviewed a local girls’ basketball coach named Darnell Dozier. He was being inducted into the Virginia High School League Hall of Fame for being an accomplished coach, and they chose me for the write-up. I also have a basketball youtube channel and podcast where I discuss high school basketball and Professional basketball. My podcast has been extremely instrumental in molding my journalism with my tech skills. At first, my basketball blog wasn’t getting a lot of views, and it discouraged me. I was a 15-year-old timid freshman who has always been nervous about starting new projects and scared to interview others. Instead of succumbing to the low views and jittery nerves; I overcame fear and doubt and continued to press towards my dream. My site has picked up many more views, and there’s even a demand for me to interview coaches and players. I became more outgoing and worked harder on being an amazing Sports Journalist. Journalism has impacted my life greatly. I am able to communicate and convey my thoughts better in my everyday life. I have met amazing peers with like-minded interests in this field, and they have been a great inspiration for me to continue writing and putting my all into giving people amazing stories to share. Journalism has taught me that everyone needs a good storyteller; why not have a purpose to the storytelling. Why not become like some of the people that I've looked up to? Why not?

In the fall of 2017, I faced one of the toughest obstacles in my life, this obstacle was that my mother developed breast cancer. When I heard that my mother had cancer, I began to have a fear of my mother's death. Starting in High School, I didn’t have that many friends because I was coming from a different Middle school than other students. As a student, I was struggling because I wasn't the best student, and I would always have bad thoughts about my Mom. I never told any friends or teachers about what my Mom and my family were going through. I tried to stay positive and always put my best foot forward in school. Being the kid with the complicated emotions of his mom being sick didn’t exactly fit into my peers' lives— it was heavy for me, how could I ask my friends to shoulder that burden with me? I was reluctant to tell my teacher because I didn’t want anyone to treat me differently. I told my friends in class with fear and worry in my heart, but I was met with hugs and applause from my classmates. From that day forward I was focused to bring my grades and make my mom proud. At the end of the school year, I had a 3.6 GPA, gained many awards, and joined variety of school activities. In the year 2018, my mother was healed of Breast Cancer. I evolved into a person who became driven with a purpose. Through my mom’s journey, I learned: in life, you have to persevere through everything and that I have to live my life with ambition and focus. My mom’s journey also taught me that you should never give up, no matter the circumstance, and continue to persevere and fight.

My name is Arrick Wilson and I am a native of Virginia Beach. I currently go to Virginia Commonwealth University where I study Mass Communications. Since I could talk, I have been in love with Sportscasting. My love for journalism came when I would watch commentators be amazing storytellers of sports games. Earning a degree in Mass communications would help me finally complete my dream of becoming a professional sports journalist. I remember running around the house on Sundays, talking about sports, and having analytical commentary with myself! I would imitate those I’d seen on television and get a makeshift microphone out of whatever I could find and talk and talk and talk. Over the years, my love for sports and Journalism has grown. I have always stayed glued to ESPN and all types of Sportswriting, but being a young black kid who wanted to be like Stephen A. Smith, Justin Tinsley, and Michael Wilbon there’s not many black and brown faces on the television screen so I always thought; “can I really do that?” Though my voice may shake, my answer will always be “yes”. With Journalism, I became more outgoing and worked harder on being an amazing Sports Journalist. Journalism has impacted my life greatly. I am able to communicate and convey my thoughts better in my everyday life. I have met amazing peers with like-minded interests in this field, and they have been a great inspiration for me to continue writing and putting my all into giving people amazing stories to share. Journalism has taught me that everyone needs a good storyteller; why not have a purpose to the storytelling. Why not become like some of the people that I’ve looked up to? Why not?

I will like to think of myself as a dreamer. Throughout my whole life, I have wanted to do great things. Firstly, a long-term goal that I have continued to strive for is to become a successful Journalists. Since I could talk, I have been in love with the art of communicating and articulating ideas and speech revolving around Sports and popular culture. Over the years, my love for sports and Journalism has grown. I have always stayed glued to ESPN and all types of Sportswriting, but being a young black kid there are not many black and brown faces on the television screen, so I always thought, “can I do that?" and I am proud to say that I believe that I can. Hopefully, in the future, I will continue to strive to be a successful sports journalist. By becoming a Journalist, I believe I could help not only inform others while strive to communicate effectively. I can do this, by communicating important things to others, while promoting positivity in such a dark world. Since I was growing up, I always wanted I've always wanted to leave a mark on the world, and I believe through Journalism I can affect the world.

In the fall of 2017, I faced one of the biggest and toughest obstacles in my life, and this obstacle that shook me to the core was that my mother developed breast cancer. When I heard that my mother had cancer, I began to have a fear of my mother's death. I was just a young fourteen-year-old timid freshman who was starting my first year in high school, and when I came to High School it was very hard for me. Starting in High School, I didn’t have that many friends because I was coming from a different Middle school than other students. As a student, I was struggling because I wasn't the best student, and I would always have bad thoughts about my Mom. The Fall semester was one of the hardest times in my life. I never told any friends or teachers about what my Mom and my family were going through. I tried to stay positive and always put my best foot forward in school. Being the kid with the complicated emotions of his mom being sick didn’t exactly fit into my peers' lives— it was heavy for me, how could I ask my friends to shoulder that burden with me? But there was always something off, and my AVID teacher, Mrs.Echols, had seen what I had been trying to hide from others— I was discouraged and unhappy about how my current situation was affecting my life. I was reluctant to tell my teacher because I didn’t want anyone to treat me differently. I then agreed to share the news with my class. After, she told them I came into the classroom with fear and worry in my heart, but I was met with hugs and applause from my classmates. From that day forward I was focused to bring my grades and make my mom proud. At the end of the school year, I brought my grades up to a 3.6 GPA, was awarded Student of the Year for my AVID class, and joined a variety of school activities. In the year 2018, my mother won her year-long battle with cancer and was healed of Breast Cancer. My life was changed forever, because of my situation. I evolved into a person who became driven with a purpose. Through my mom’s journey, I learned: in life, you have to persevere through everything, that time is not promised to anyone, and that I have to live my life with ambition, integrity, and focus. My mom’s journey also taught me that you should never give up, no matter the odds, no matter the circumstance, and continue to persevere and fight. I continued this perseverance and fight throughout my high school career and began to lead others. I began covering all high school sports at my school, which led me to many awards and scholarships at the end of my high school career. I started a sports blog in my sophomore year, which led to many opportunities. I am very proud of stepping out on faith and doing something different to lead others.

In the fall of 2017, I faced one of the toughest obstacles in my life, this obstacle was that my mother developed breast cancer. When I heard that my mother had cancer, I began to have a fear of my mother's death. Starting in High School, I didn’t have that many friends because I was coming from a different Middle school than other students. As a student, I was struggling because I wasn't the best student, and I would always have bad thoughts about my Mom. I never told any friends or teachers about what my Mom and my family were going through. I tried to stay positive and always put my best foot forward in school. Being the kid with the complicated emotions of his mom being sick didn’t exactly fit into my peers' lives— it was heavy for me, how could I ask my friends to shoulder that burden with me? I was reluctant to tell my teacher because I didn’t want anyone to treat me differently. I told my friends in class with fear and worry in my heart, but I was met with hugs and applause from my classmates. From that day forward I was focused to bring my grades and make my mom proud. At the end of the school year, I had a 3.6 GPA, gained many awards, and joined variety of school activities. In the year 2018, my mother was healed of Breast Cancer. I evolved into a person who became driven with a purpose. Through my mom’s journey, I learned: in life, you have to persevere through everything and that I have to live my life with ambition and focus. My mom’s journey also taught me that you should never give up, no matter the circumstance, and continue to persevere and fight.

My name is Arrick Wilson and I am a native of Virginia Beach. I currently go to Virginia Commonwealth University where I study Mass Communications. Since I could talk, I have been in love with Sportscasting. My love for journalism came when I would watch commentators be amazing storytellers of sports games. Earning a degree in Mass communications would help me finally complete my dream of becoming a professional sports journalist. I remember running around the house on Sundays, talking about sports, and having analytical commentary with myself! I would imitate those I’d seen on television and get a makeshift microphone out of whatever I could find and talk and talk and talk. Over the years, my love for sports and Journalism has grown. I have always stayed glued to ESPN and all types of Sportswriting, but being a young black kid who wanted to be like Stephen A. Smith, Justin Tinsley, and Michael Wilbon there’s not many black and brown faces on the television screen so I always thought; “can I really do that?” Though my voice may shake, my answer will always be “yes”. In 9th grade, I embarked on a journey of having my own basketball blog; in my opinion, this has prepared me for the future in sports journalism. On my site, I have written several write-ups on high school basketball, Professional basketball, and interviewed many coaches and players. I have had some of my articles posted on my school board’s website; for example, an article where I interviewed a local girls’ basketball coach named Darnell Dozier. He was being inducted into the Virginia High School League Hall of Fame for being an accomplished coach, and they chose me for the write-up. I also have a basketball youtube channel and podcast where I discuss high school basketball and Professional basketball. My podcast has been extremely instrumental in molding my journalism with my tech skills. At first, my basketball blog wasn’t getting a lot of views, and it discouraged me. I was a 15-year-old timid freshman who has always been nervous about starting new projects and scared to interview others. Instead of succumbing to the low views and jittery nerves; I overcame fear and doubt and continued to press towards my dream. My site has picked up many more views, and there’s even a demand for me to interview coaches and players. I became more outgoing and worked harder on being an amazing Sports Journalist. Journalism has impacted my life greatly. I am able to communicate and convey my thoughts better in my everyday life. I have met amazing peers with like-minded interests in this field, and they have been a great inspiration for me to continue writing and putting my all into giving people amazing stories to share. Journalism has taught me that everyone needs a good storyteller; why not have a purpose to the storytelling. Why not become like some of the people that I’ve looked up to? Why not?

My name is Arrick Wilson and I am a native of Virginia Beach. I currently go to Virginia Commonwealth University where I study Mass Communications. Since I could talk, I have been in love with Sportscasting. My passion for journalism came when I would watch commentators be amazing storytellers of sports games. I remember running around the house on Sundays, talking about sports, and having analytical commentary with myself! Over the years, my passion for sports and Journalism has grown. I have always stayed glued to ESPN and all types of Sportswriting, but being a young black kid who wanted to be like Stephen A. Smith, Justin Tinsley, and Michael Wilbon there’s not many black and brown faces on the television screen so I always thought; “can I really do that?” Though my voice may shake, my answer will always be “yes”. I have written several write-ups on high school basketball, college basketball, and interviewed many coaches and players. I have had some of my articles posted on my school board’s website; for example, an article where I interviewed a local girls’ basketball coach named Darnell Dozier. He was being inducted into the Virginia High School League Hall of Fame for being an accomplished coach, and they chose me for the write-up. I also have a basketball youtube channel and podcast where I discuss high school basketball and Professional basketball. I have met amazing peers with like-minded interests in this field, and they have been a great inspiration for me to continue writing and putting my all into giving people amazing stories to share. Journalism has taught me that everyone needs a good storyteller; why not have a purpose to the storytelling. Why not become like some of the people that I’ve looked up to? Why not?

My name is Arrick Wilson and I am a native of Virginia Beach. I currently go to Virginia Commonwealth University where I study Mass Communications. Since I could talk, I have been in love with Sportscasting. My love for journalism came when I would watch commentators be amazing storytellers of sports games. I remember running around the house on Sundays, talking about sports, and having analytical commentary with myself! Over the years, my love for sports and Journalism has grown. I have always stayed glued to ESPN and all types of Sportswriting, but being a young black kid who wanted to be like Stephen A. Smith, Justin Tinsley, and Michael Wilbon there’s not many black and brown faces on the television screen so I always thought; “can I really do that?” Though my voice may shake, my answer will always be “yes”. I have written several write-ups on high school basketball, college basketball, and interviewed many coaches and players. I have had some of my articles posted on my school board’s website; for example, an article where I interviewed a local girls’ basketball coach named Darnell Dozier. He was being inducted into the Virginia High School League Hall of Fame for being an accomplished coach, and they chose me for the write-up. I also have a basketball youtube channel and podcast where I discuss high school basketball and Professional basketball. Journalism has taught me that everyone needs a good storyteller; why not have a purpose to the storytelling. Why not become like some of the people that I’ve looked up to? Why not?

This picture shows me being bold, as I interviewed a local girls’ basketball coach named Darnell Dozier. This article was eventually posted on my school board’s website. He was being inducted into the Virginia High School League Hall of Fame for being an accomplished coach, and they chose me for the write-up. This interview was my first as being a Journalism. I was very scared but I persevered and came out strong.

I remember the day like it was yesterday. After coming home from a long day at school, I went and flopped onto my family’s new gray sofa and cracked open a freshly cold Coca-Cola. It had been seen as a normal day full of Coronavirus jokes and usual teenage immature jokes. But nothing would be the same after this day. Nothing would be the same after March 13, 2020. I had received a message from the Virginian Pilot, whose story was broadcasted by Wavy News 10. The Governor had decided to close all Virginia Schools for two weeks. I was stunned and ecstatic at the same time. Finally, a break from Chemistry and AP English, I thought. I did not see the Virus as a threat. I viewed it as another Ebola or Swine Flu scare. In my eyes, all I saw was fourteen days of relaxation and eating. The care-free mindset had been launched and I was on Auto-Pilot mode. If I knew what I knew back then, I would have been grateful for the time I could freely walk around without a mask. I would have been grateful for the time I could spend with my friends who I would potentially not see for months. I would have been grateful to get one last funny story out of my Uncle Woodrow and Cousin Mike. I would have been grateful just to have a ‘normal’ life. The Pandemic has been a fluctuating experience for me. I have lost many family members, due to the virus and I have also gained new experiences and opportunities. The Covid-19 Pandemic has not only taken many freedoms from me but from many other people in this world. I usually do not like to think of when life was ‘normal’. I try not to because I think I will eventually cry or break down in tears. We as a people have lost so much to this Virus. I am so sick of going to Funerals and masking a happy face to combat the fear and sadness in my heart. I honestly did not fear this Virus until my brother eventually got it. During the week of the Fourth of July, my brother started to come down with symptoms of the Covid-19. It was nerve-racking, due to our whole family and his four-year-old daughter being exposed to him. It was also concerning because my Father is a diabetic, and my Mother, is a former cancer patient. For the whole month of July, my family had to take off work, not go to church or anything because we all had to quarantine in the house. It was a psychological eye-opener for me as I had to ‘Prison’ myself with my family for a whole month. But we all learned from it and it was an eye-opener. One thing I have learned from this Pandemic is to be grateful for every single thing in life. Life goes like a blink of an eye. Even though this Pandemic was hard, I am grateful for the experiences and lessons of perseverance that it has taught me. 2020 has taught me to stay vigilant. Perseverance is always key when going through the life we live.

In the fall of 2017, I faced one of the biggest and toughest obstacles in my life, and this obstacle that shook me to the core was that my mother developed breast cancer. When I heard that my mother had cancer, I began to have a fear of my mother's death. I was just a young fourteen-year-old timid freshman who was starting my first year in high school, and when I came to High School it was very hard for me. Starting in High School, I didn’t have that many friends because I was coming from a different Middle school than other students. As a student, I was struggling because I wasn't the best student, and I would always have bad thoughts about my Mom. The Fall semester was one of the hardest times in my life. I never told any friends or teachers about what my Mom and my family were going through. I tried to stay positive and always put my best foot forward in school. Being the kid with the complicated emotions of his mom being sick didn’t exactly fit into my peers' lives— it was heavy for me, how could I ask my friends to shoulder that burden with me? But there was always something off, and my AVID teacher, Mrs.Echols, had seen what I had been trying to hide from others— I was discouraged and unhappy about how my current situation was affecting my life. I was reluctant to tell my teacher because I didn’t want anyone to treat me differently. I then agreed to share the news with my class. After, she told them I came into the classroom with fear and worry in my heart, but I was met with hugs and applause from my classmates. From that day forward I was focused to bring my grades and make my mom proud. At the end of the school year, I brought my grades up to a 3.6 GPA, was awarded Student of the Year for my AVID class, and joined a variety of school activities. In the year 2018, my mother won her year-long battle with cancer and was healed of Breast Cancer. My life was changed forever, because of my situation. I evolved into a person who became driven with a purpose. Through my mom’s journey, I learned: in life, you have to persevere through everything, that time is not promised to anyone, and that I have to live my life with ambition, integrity, and focus. My mom’s journey also taught me that you should never give up, no matter the odds, no matter the circumstance, and continue to persevere and fight.

My name is Arrick Wilson and I am a native of Virginia Beach where I go to Green Run High School. Since I could talk, I have been in love with Sportscasting. My love for journalism came when I would watch commentators be amazing storytellers of sports games. How was that even possible to communicate that quickly and with such personality. I remember running around the house on Sundays, talking about sports, and having analytical commentary with myself! I would imitate those I’d seen on television and get a makeshift microphone out of whatever I could find and talk and talk and talk. Over the years, my love for sports and Journalism has grown. I have always stayed glued to ESPN and all types of Sportswriting, but being a young black kid who wanted to be like Stephen A. Smith, Justin Tinsley, and Michael Wilbon there’s not many black and brown faces on the television screen so I always thought; “can I really do that?” Though my voice may shake, my answer will always be “yes”. I hope that my career with supersede Stephen A. Smith with my continued hard work and dedication. In 9th grade, I embarked on a journey of having my own basketball blog; in my opinion, this has prepared me for the future in sports journalism. On my site, I have written several write-ups on high school basketball, Professional basketball, and interviewed many coaches and players. I have had some of my articles posted on my school board’s website; for example, an article where I interviewed a local girls’ basketball coach named Darnell Dozier. He was being inducted into the Virginia High School League Hall of Fame for being an accomplished coach, and they chose me for the write- up. I also have a basketball youtube channel and podcast where I discuss high school basketball and Professional basketball. My podcast has been extremely instrumental in molding my journalism with my tech skills. At first, my basketball blog wasn’t getting a lot of views, and it discouraged me. I was a 15-year-old timid freshman who has always been nervous about starting new projects and scared to interview others. Instead of succumbing to the low views and jittery nerves; I overcame fear and doubt and continued to press towards my dream. My site has picked up many more views, and there’s even a demand for me to interview coaches and players. I became more outgoing and worked harder on being an amazing Sports Journalist. Journalism has impacted my life greatly. I am able to communicate and convey my thoughts better in my everyday life. I have met amazing peers with like-minded interests in this field, and they have been a great inspiration for me to continue writing and putting my all into giving people amazing stories to share. Journalism has taught me that everyone needs a good storyteller; why not have a purpose to the storytelling. Why not become like some of the people that I've looked up to? Why not?

My name is Arrick Wilson and I am a native of Virginia Beach where I go to Green Run High School. Since I could talk, I have been in love with Sportscasting. My love for journalism came when I would watch commentators be amazing storytellers of sports games. How was that even possible to communicate that quickly and with such personality. I remember running around the house on Sundays, talking about sports, and having analytical commentary with myself! I would imitate those I’d seen on television and get a makeshift microphone out of whatever I could find and talk and talk and talk. Over the years, my love for sports and Journalism has grown. I have always stayed glued to ESPN and all types of Sportswriting, but being a young black kid who wanted to be like Stephen A. Smith, Justin Tinsley, and Michael Wilbon there’s not many black and brown faces on the television screen so I always thought; “can I really do that?” Though my voice may shake, my answer will always be “yes”. I hope that my career with supersede Stephen A. Smith with my continued hard work and dedication. In 9th grade, I embarked on a journey of having my own basketball blog; in my opinion, this has prepared me for the future in sports journalism. On my site, I have written several write-ups on high school basketball, Professional basketball, and interviewed many coaches and players. I have had some of my articles posted on my school board’s website; for example, an article where I interviewed a local girls’ basketball coach named Darnell Dozier. He was being inducted into the Virginia High School League Hall of Fame for being an accomplished coach, and they chose me for the write- up. I also have a basketball youtube channel and podcast where I discuss high school basketball and Professional basketball. My podcast has been extremely instrumental in molding my journalism with my tech skills. At first, my basketball blog wasn’t getting a lot of views, and it discouraged me. I was a 15-year-old timid freshman who has always been nervous about starting new projects and scared to interview others. Instead of succumbing to the low views and jittery nerves; I overcame fear and doubt and continued to press towards my dream. My site has picked up many more views, and there’s even a demand for me to interview coaches and players. I became more outgoing and worked harder on being an amazing Sports Journalist. Journalism has impacted my life greatly. I am able to communicate and convey my thoughts better in my everyday life. I have met amazing peers with like-minded interests in this field, and they have been a great inspiration for me to continue writing and putting my all into giving people amazing stories to share. Journalism has taught me that everyone needs a good storyteller; why not have a purpose to the storytelling. Why not become like some of the people that I've looked up to? Why not?

My name is Arrick Wilson and I am a native of Virginia Beach where I go to Green Run High School. Since I could talk, I have been in love with Sportscasting. My love for journalism came when I would watch commentators be amazing storytellers of sports games. How was that even possible to communicate that quickly and with such personality. I remember running around the house on Sundays, talking about sports, and having analytical commentary with myself! I would imitate those I’d seen on television and get a makeshift microphone out of whatever I could find and talk and talk and talk. Over the years, my love for sports and Journalism has grown. I have always stayed glued to ESPN and all types of Sportswriting, but being a young black kid who wanted to be like Stephen A. Smith, Justin Tinsley, and Michael Wilbon there’s not many black and brown faces on the television screen so I always thought; “can I really do that?” Though my voice may shake, my answer will always be “yes”. I hope that my career with supersede Stephen A. Smith with my continued hard work and dedication. In 9th grade, I embarked on a journey of having my own basketball blog; in my opinion, this has prepared me for the future in sports journalism. On my site, I have written several write-ups on high school basketball, Professional basketball, and interviewed many coaches and players. I have had some of my articles posted on my school board’s website; for example, an article where I interviewed a local girls’ basketball coach named Darnell Dozier. He was being inducted into the Virginia High School League Hall of Fame for being an accomplished coach, and they chose me for the write- up. I also have a basketball youtube channel and podcast where I discuss high school basketball and Professional basketball. My podcast has been extremely instrumental in molding my journalism with my tech skills. At first, my basketball blog wasn’t getting a lot of views, and it discouraged me. I was a 15-year-old timid freshman who has always been nervous about starting new projects and scared to interview others. Instead of succumbing to the low views and jittery nerves; I overcame fear and doubt and continued to press towards my dream. My site has picked up many more views, and there’s even a demand for me to interview coaches and players. I became more outgoing and worked harder on being an amazing Sports Journalist. Journalism has impacted my life greatly. I am able to communicate and convey my thoughts better in my everyday life. I have met amazing peers with like-minded interests in this field, and they have been a great inspiration for me to continue writing and putting my all into giving people amazing stories to share. Journalism has taught me that everyone needs a good storyteller; why not have a purpose to the storytelling. Why not become like some of the people that I've looked up to? Why not?