Would you rather walk through the front door of your home or walk up the steps of a hotel? I don’t know about you, but the first option is a whole lot more appealing, but I don’t always have the option. My parents are hard-working people, but hard work doesn’t always cut it, so if I can be the provider of that home, if I can be the change my family needs, I want to do that. I love school, but I am not going to college just for the experience; instead, I’m going to leave with a high-paying career that can support me and my loved ones. My parents both had this opportunity stripped away from them, but they left this path open to me. To me, attending college is a way to bridge educational gaps and create generational health. To my family, I am an example of excellence. I am an example for my three younger siblings, for my younger cousins, and an extension of the goals my parents had for themselves. Throughout high school, I watched my parents struggle to keep a roof over our heads, and attending college and entering my career field of choice will completely eliminate this stress. Everyone around me has put effort into my education; they have dedicated time out of their busy schedules to support my achievements and interests, even when time may not have been on their side, so I want to give them time. I will repay my parents in time for all the work they have done and the nights they may have missed. After college, I want to become an oncologist and work in cancer research, and this is for one of two reasons: I want my work to matter and I want to work in a lucrative field. Day and day, I bear witness to the stress poverty causes and have seen how much more it costs to be poor in America than to be wealthy. Now my main interest may lie in supporting those who supported me, but outside of that, attending a four-year university opens so many opportunities. The school I want to attend, North Carolina A&T State University, the #5 HBCU in the nation and home to the blue and gold marching machine, and as a current high school senior, this is something I am interested in doing in college. The reason people attend college is unique to them all, but for me, attending college will be a way to support my family, a way to grow as an individual, and lastly, a way to explore my interests as a marching band student and instrumentalist. Receiving this scholarship will be money towards my goals and less stress for my future self in student loan debt. Reciving my bachelors degree with little to no debt is something that will only happen through the generous organizations who give scholarships to students in need and I would love to be that student.