My name is Beautiful and I'm a senior at Joseph C Wilson Magnet High School. I'm a former youth organizer at teen empowerment. As youth organizer I worked with 12 of my peers ages 14 to 22 to plan free events for members of our community to attend. At these events we will write, memorize and perform verbal Arts related to issues in our community. The issues in our community that we brainstormed consisted of things like systemic racism, police brutality, teen pregnancy, drug addiction and abuse, as well as school climate. I'm also a Roc Responder, as a Roc esponder I was trained to de-escalate conflict in my school.I am currently a student assistant unit-aide at Highland Hospital on the floor E7 neurology. As a student assistant I help the nurses and patient care technicians assist patients throughout their stay at the hospital. I am an auntie of eight nieces and nephews ,I aspire to be a pediatric nurse practitioner. My hobbies include but are not limited to reading, writing and binge watching Netflix.This scholarship would be assistance to me through greatly helping me being able to afford higher education ,being able to obtain a bachelor's degree then later a master's degree in order to become a pediatric nurse practitioner.I believe I should receive this award because I'm a resilient young lady who continues to push through despite the obstacles that I am faced with. For example when I was a sophomore in high school one afternoon I was headed home from work and while getting out of a car I was hit by an oncoming car. This resulted in me having my leg broken into separate places. I was in the cast in bed phone for approximately three months. Throughout this time I work with my mom and School staff to make sure I completed the rest of my sophomore year as well as taking all of my regents exams. When it was time for me to take my Regents exam I will wake up and get myself dressed in one of my siblings will carry me down the stairs and then to the car so that I can go to school. I will wait outside the handicap accessible door and wait for the school nurse to bring me a wheelchair. Once I got in the wheelchair I had it to the library and begin taking my Regents exams. This resulted in me taking and passing all of my Regents exams for that year despite being in Mobile and bound to a wheelchair.

My name is Beautiful and I'm a senior at Joseph C Wilson Magnet High School. I'm a former youth organizer at teen empowerment. As youth organizer I worked with 12 of my peers ages 14 to 22 to plan free events for members of our community to attend. At these events we will write, memorize and perform verbal Arts related to issues in our community. The issues in our community that we brainstormed consisted of things like systemic racism, police brutality, teen pregnancy, drug addiction and abuse, as well as school climate. I'm also a Roc Responder, as a Roc esponder I was trained to de-escalate conflict in my school.I am currently a student assistant unit-aide at Highland Hospital on the floor E7 neurology. As a student assistant I help the nurses and patient care technicians assist patients throughout their stay at the hospital. I am an auntie of eight nieces and nephews ,I aspire to be a pediatric nurse practitioner. My hobbies include but are not limited to reading, writing and binge watching Netflix.This scholarship would be assistance to me through greatly helping me being able to afford higher education ,being able to obtain a bachelor's degree then later a master's degree in order to become a pediatric nurse practitioner.I believe I should receive this award because I'm a resilient young lady who continues to push through despite the obstacles that I am faced with. For example when I was a sophomore in high school one afternoon I was headed home from work and while getting out of a car I was hit by an oncoming car. This resulted in me having my leg broken into separate places. I was in the cast in bed phone for approximately three months. Throughout this time I work with my mom and School staff to make sure I completed the rest of my sophomore year as well as taking all of my regents exams. When it was time for me to take my Regents exam I will wake up and get myself dressed in one of my siblings will carry me down the stairs and then to the car so that I can go to school. I will wait outside the handicap accessible door and wait for the school nurse to bring me a wheelchair. Once I got in the wheelchair I had it to the library and begin taking my Regents exams. This resulted in me taking and passing all of my Regents exams for that year despite being in Mobile and bound to a wheelchair.

I aspire to be a pediatric nurse practitioner. Being a nurse has been my dream for as long as I can remember. I have always wanted to follow in the footsteps of my mom who is a LPN and my grandma who is a CNA. Once I told my mom that I wanted to be a LPN like her. She looked at me and firmly said “no you are going to go farther than me and my mom you're going to be a RN” and if you want you're going to be a nurse practitioner. I quickly made my mind up that I wanted to be a nurse practitioner because my love for school has extended far beyond a young age and I know that if I continue to stay dedicated and motivated I can get there. My decision to go to college was fairly simple, I knew that I wanted to work in the medical field and what my mom told me that I had to go farther than her, going to trade school to be a registered nurse wasn’t my best option. I took what my mom said into consideration. I know that it is best to live your life for you, I want to make myself proud, and with this I decided to go to college because she was right; I should push myself further and never limit myself. I want to apply the education from Roberts into my life as a nurse by providing adequate care for African-Americans and people of color which has not been seen much in the past. Being an African-American girl and coming from a single-parent home, I knew pretty early on that I would always have to work ten times harder. Even though I knew I had to work harder, I also always saw helping others as mutually beneficial. When I was in my middle school math class I would almost always get done with my work early and offered to help my friends. After my math teacher noticed this she came to me and said “this is a great way to make sure your friends do not fall behind and to make sure that you understand the work.” I believe she is 100% right. My friends know that if I understand something and they do not I will never do the work for them, but I’m always willing to help explain things in different ways so that they understand. This is mutually beneficial because they get to do their work and understand what’s going on and I get to review and confirm my understanding. I see myself as a natural caregiver t as an auntie of 10 nieces and nephews. I am the go to babysitter whenever my older siblings have to work, or even just want a night out to themselves. I volunteer to watch the kids. These experiences have strengthened my passion for service and being compassionate. My love for school and helping others brought me here.

My name is Beautiful Destiny Ford, I am applying to this scholarship for financial help while continuing my education. I aspire to be a pediatric nurse practitioner. Being a nurse has been my dream from a very young age for as long as I remember. Aside from being a pediatric nurse practitioner I want to minor in African-American studies. I want to take my minor and apply it to my life as a nurse by providing adequate care for African-Americans and people of color which has not been seen much in the past. I will be a black scholar not a statistic.

Flashlights Come in handy when the lights go off, but not the hot water.. not when there’s no food and you gotta push through but I kept a flashlight I ain’t gone lie , nights like those suicide crossed my mind every night but my dad raised a soldier and I knew I hadda fight .. fight to survive, wondering why was I still breathing but didn’t feel alive ... I kept a flashlight Mom I still love you, despite what you put me through .. I started taking care of my self when I was 14, at 15 I had to jobs and eventually I started taking care of you , even though I wanted to leave the house at 14 , even though when my dad died all I got was a ring , because insurance never crossed your mind , all that time he was laying in the hospital, 5 years .. 5 long years that I will never forget, I will never forget eating sleep for dinner every other night , I will never forget how alone I felt when you were just across the hall , I will never forget all the award ceremonies you were invited to and didn’t show , I will never forget the birthdays you missed , I will never forget being so young and not have the chance to be a kid .. but I kept a flashlight.. I tried to steer clear of my problems when Depression dragged me While my anxiety boosted ..I just wanted to slip away One day ... I'm happy , my social life is blooming my family is doing fine my nieces a are walking and my nephew is talking ... a few days later I'm breaking down with a razor to my wrist , why do I keep breaking down ? Why can I never push the razor down enough? It's like I take just enough pills to keep breathing... I don't wanna keep breathing I'm unwanted in my own home .. I wish these voices would just leave me alone I hate my life as a whole DO NOT RESUSCITATE, I want these words tattooed in bold Everything hurts , I feel numb... I don’t know how I’m going to do this. Dad you taught me everything and for that I admire you .. but you never taught me how to live without you I will keep my flashlight... for nights like these , when I’m crying so hard I lose sight of everything Poem by Beautiful Destiny Ford

My favorite artist is Tupac Shakoor because well he promoted things that can be viewed as a negative influence, he also promoted things like educating yourself as well as taking care of your community and uplifting each other.

My name is Beautiful Destiny Ford, I aspire to be a pediatric nurse practitioner. Being a nurse has been my dream from a very young age for as long as I remember. Always wants to follow in the footsteps of my mom who is the LPN and my grandma who is a CNA. Once I told my mom that I wanted to be a LPN like her. She looked at me and firmly said “no” you are going to go farther than me you are going to go farther than my mom you're going to be a RN and if you want you're going to be a nurse practitioner. I quickly made my mind up that I wanted to be a nurse practitioner because my love for school has extended far beyond a young age and I know that if I continue to stay dedicated and motivated I can get there. Aside from being a pediatric nurse practitioner I want to minor in African-American studies. Since I was a freshman in high school and I noticed that I didn't learn much about people that look like me I knew that I had to be accountable for learning about my ancestors real history. I want to take my minor and apply it to my life as a nurse by providing adequate care for African-Americans and people of color which has not been seen much in the past. Another reason why I want to pursue a career in health is because I see myself as a personal caregiver, I have 10 nieces and nephews and total and I'm the go-to babysitter. For as long as I can remember I would help my brothers and sisters with taking care of my nieces and nephews and this always brought me joy. When my father suffered a massive heart attack which later claimed his life I always had the feeling that if I knew more about health I could have helped prevent this in some way. I want to further my education and learn ways to promote healthier lifestyles in the lives of both my family and myself.My first job as youth organizer at Teen Empowerment ,I had the opportunity to give back to my community through using the platform given to me to express issues that teens in my neighborhood face. I believe that as a future nurse I will continue giving back to my community when I open my own practice.While working as a student assistant-unit aide at Highland Hospital it's been an amazing to see how much being compassionate and going the extra mile to help patients can really uplift a person’s spirit during what could be the most difficult time of their lives.Experiencing the gratitude from friends and family members when their loved ones are being treated properly and with respect is the most satisfying thing someone could ask for while working in the healthcare field.I will get my masters in nursing,I will be a black scholar not a statistic. Being an African-American girl and coming from a single-parent home, I knew pretty early on that I would always have to work ten times harder.

Over the summer I started a waist bead company. This is something that I never saw myself doing for many reasons. I never saw myself starting my own business especially in the summer a time to enjoy yourself and have a summer job to make a little bit of money just to have spending money going into the school year. The story behind me starting a waste beads Business in the summer of 2020 started about two years prior. I was at a community event and there was a stand where a lady was selling handmade waist beads. Intrigued, I went to the stand and asked her the story behind the waist beads and how she started them. She told me that wearing waist beads wasn't African tradition and she started to make and sell them because her daughter loved the way they look and constantly ask her for some. Once she started making waist beads for her daughter she would wear them to school and many people would say “I love your Beats where did you get them”. I bought a set of waist beads from the stand at the community event and went home content. The waist beads I purchased were called permanent waist beads. They are the bead that you wear all day 24/7 and you do not take off unless you cut them off and no longer want to wear them. After months of wearing my single set of waist beads I wanted some more. So I went to Michaels with my best friend and we brought the breads, string and charms to make ourselves waist beads. That day I made myself five waste bees which were permanent and I wore them everyday. As time went by many people would ask me where I got my beads, how much they were and how they get themselves some. Once I told people that I made my beads myself they were all asked if I could make them some and offered to pay me. This has been going on for a couple of months and finally that summer my sister came to me and said “so many people love the waist beads that you made for me and asked how do they get in contact with you and get their own”, she convinced me to start my own business. I loved selling waist beads that whole summer and making young ladies of color and other ethnicities feel beautiful and empowered. Once I received more orders from customers I decided to make it official by getting myself business cards as well as making social media platforms to promote my work. This journey of being an entrepreneur and starting my own business has been a great one. I feel more connected to my ancestral roots while making products that promote African traditions.

Hey, my name is Destiny Ford, I am a 2nd year youth organizer at TE. One of my earliest memories as a kid was going on a fishing trip to Florida with my dad.. The day was going smoothly. We packed lunches, we had bait and as far as we could tell the fish were biting. For the first time in my eight year old life I caught a fish.. A catfish, I smiled from ear to ear with joy and a feeling of accomplishment. Not even twenty minutes later, I laid my fishing pole down in the sand, the improper way of course, what do you expect from a eight year old girl from the city? Seconds later I heard my dad yell “DESTINY IMA WHOOP YO-” the fishing hook got caught in his hand. It felt like the world stopped spinning. Minutes earlier, I was so happy… on cloud nine, then we were rushing to the hospital because I got a hook stuck in my dad’s thumb. Eight year old me was horrified, but over time, current me is thankful for that life lesson. You see my dad was upset. I mean who wouldn’t be when “daddy daughter day” turns into a emergency room (field) trip. But on the way to the hospital, while my dad drove with one hand and the other wrapped in a beach towel , he looked at me and said “ you're young, you will make mistakes the important thing is that you know I will always be here to help you from making the same mistake twice.” Fast forward two years later… Im ten years old, its just before my first day of fifth grade. I’m in the car with my mom and sisters on my way home from school shopping. Life is good. My mom got a call from my oldest sister who said “Daddy had a massive heart attack”.Once again it felt like the world stopped spinning. Five years later, I’m fifteen years old, a freshman in highschool and it’s regents week. I’m about to take tests that determine whether I pass my classes for the year. But, hey no stress, my 19 year old sister graduated high school the year prior. We were preparing for my other sister’s prom, then graduation. We were just at peace. Until we were told my dad had taken his last breath after five years of being hospitalized. I thought back to when my dad said “ I will ALWAYS be here”. In that moment I realized, I may have looked at my dad as superman. But he was human, not immortal. That day, he officially passed the torch onto my mom. The seemingly impossible job of working fulltime and raising five TEENAGE girls became her burden to carry, alone. Even though our financial struggles got worse, we were ok. We were rich in heart. My dad wasn’t suffering anymore, my siblings and I were advancing in life. Whenever my mom stumbled financially, my grandma came and saved the day. Eventually my brother got a truck and became the “family taxi” At 14 I was hired at TE as a youth organizer, ready to do my part both at home and in my community. TE became another part of my village. The youth and the staff all work together to make sure we are strong, healthy and reaching our fullest potential

My smart phone impacts my every day life. I have had a cell phone since I was about 12 years old once my older brother got a new phone he gave me his old cell phone . I remember when I was younger I was sometimes get in trouble for being on my cell phone past the curfew. I will be on my cell phone with when my mom walked in I will just put it under my pillow until she left out of my room eventually I got caught. of the coronavirus pandemic school became completely virtual and online. Once the school is chrome book that I was assigned to stop working I had to use my phone to do all of my school work as well as my college applications. Virtual school has been anything but easy but have my my cell phone as a back up has been a great advantage to me because I do not have to miss out on work because my laptop isn’t working . There will be days when I would run out of data on my phone so I would have to drive 20 to 30 minutes to one of my friends or relatives houses so use their Wi-Fi so that I could get on my online classes. My phone has help me succeed in my online classes by me being able to screen record lessons so that I could go back and watch them later.Another impact my phone has on my life is social media. I made the decision a few months back to delete all of my social media for a while. I made this decision because I realized how much it was impacting my mental health and how it made me self-conscious of my body.My cell phone has more of an impact on mute while I’m driving then I would like. I have my phone set up to as soon as I get into a moving car it will go to do not disturb and if anyone text me they will get a automatic message saying that I am driving and will text him back when I get back to my destination. Although I have this set up sometimes I still text and drive and change my music while I’m driving. I try to be mindful that is it is unsafe and do it not as often as some of my peers do it.

My all-time favorite film is Cadillac records. This is my favorite film because it expresses how music was create it and how hard black artist had to work at the time for them to be appreciate it for their work.This film also reminds me of my dad who passed away less than two years ago. This reminds me of him because we would always watch it together and he would tell me about all the cars and how much they were worth then and how valuable they are now.

My name is Beautiful Destiny Ford, I aspire to be a pediatric nurse practitioner. Being a nurse has been my dream from a very young age for as long as I remember. Always wants to follow in the footsteps of my mom who is the LPN and my grandma who is a CNA. Once I told my mom that I wanted to be a LPN like her. She looked at me and firmly said “no” you are going to go farther than me you are going to go farther than my mom you're going to be a RN and if you want you're going to be a nurse practitioner. I quickly made my mind up that I wanted to be a nurse practitioner because my love for school has extended far beyond a young age and I know that if I continue to stay dedicated and motivated I can get there. Aside from being a pediatric nurse practitioner I want to minor in African-American studies. Since I was a freshman in high school and I noticed that I didn't learn much about people that look like me I knew that I had to be accountable for learning about my ancestors real history. I want to take my minor and apply it to my life as a nurse by providing adequate care for African-Americans and people of color which has not been seen much in the past. Another reason why I want to pursue a career in health is because I see myself as a personal caregiver, I have 10 nieces and nephews and total and I'm the go-to babysitter. For as long as I can remember I would help my brothers and sisters with taking care of my nieces and nephews and this always brought me joy. When my father suffered a massive heart attack which later claimed his life I always had the feeling that if I knew more about health I could have helped prevent this in some way. I want to further my education and learn ways to promote healthier lifestyles in the lives of both my family and myself.My first job as youth organizer at Teen Empowerment ,I had the opportunity to give back to my community through using the platform given to me to express issues that teens in my neighborhood face. I believe that as a future nurse I will continue giving back to my community when I open my own practice.While working as a student assistant-unit aide at Highland Hospital it's been an amazing to see how much being compassionate and going the extra mile to help patients can really uplift a person’s spirit during what could be the most difficult time of their lives.Experiencing the gratitude from friends and family members when their loved ones are being treated properly and with respect is the most satisfying thing someone could ask for while working in the healthcare field.I will get my masters in nursing,I will be a black scholar not a statistic.

“Untitled,” by Beautiful Destiny Ford I Am a African American girl. With broad hips, thick lips and when my hair gets wet it curls. In most cases I'm the head of the house, and NO, I don’t “talk white.” I speak proper. I come from greatness, my ancestors were most likely sharecroppers. I’m educated, but not enough. I was never taught in school how African Americans can use and manipulate tools the way we do. We made: -Irons, -Dustpans, -Combs, -The first traffic light, Let me know how Thomas Edison's lightbulb would of shined if a black man didn’t create the carbon filament to go inside -from the gas furnace, to the gas mask it was created by BLACK HANDS Yet, we were called “porchmonkeys,” “ignorant”... Let me know how “ignorant porchmonkeys” contributed so much to society we know today…. I’m labeled a menace for havin’ melanin. I’m tired, so tired of being tired.. I’m tired of being an outcast. I’m tired of racism putting me last. Making me feel like I’m less of a person because my hips are spread wide And calling me an angry Black girl because I refuse to lie Well, I can’t change my skin and I refuse to perm my hair just to fit in, somewhere I’m not welcome America Please tell me, what did I do so wrong? Born and raised in the U.S., but it feels like I don’t belong. Where guns are valued more than students Where books that can actually educate are banned from schools Where schools are constantly failing our children, and we wonder why America is no longer winning. Where our Black males are set up for criminal lives Where mumbling rappers are overpaid and teachers are underpaid, and we wonder why the graduation rates are so low Segregation is sugar-coated African Americans are still slaves, we just don’t know it Where PTSD, depression and anxiety are swept under the rug for people that look like me Where babies raise babies and young boys are forced into men Where police are allowed to do everything but serve and protect Where having white skin is somehow a bullet-proof vest Where we take one step forward and ten steps back Back into the past That we Refuse To talk about.

My name is Beautiful Destiny Ford, I aspire to be a pediatric nurse practitioner. Being a nurse has been my dream from a very young age for as long as I remember. Always wants to follow in the footsteps of my mom who is the LPN and my grandma who is a CNA. Once I told my mom that I wanted to be a LPN like her. She looked at me and firmly said “no” you are going to go farther than me you are going to go farther than my mom you're going to be a RN and if you want you're going to be a nurse practitioner. I quickly made my mind up that I wanted to be a nurse practitioner because my love for school has extended far beyond a young age and I know that if I continue to stay dedicated and motivated I can get there. Aside from being a pediatric nurse practitioner I want to minor in African-American studies. Since I was a freshman in high school and I noticed that I didn't learn much about people that look like me I knew that I had to be accountable for learning about my ancestors real history. I want to take my minor and apply it to my life as a nurse by providing adequate care for African-Americans and people of color which has not been seen much in the past. Another reason why I want to pursue a career in health is because I see myself as a personal caregiver, I have 10 nieces and nephews and total and I'm the go-to babysitter. For as long as I can remember I would help my brothers and sisters with taking care of my nieces and nephews and this always brought me joy. When my father suffered a massive heart attack which later claimed his life I always had the feeling that if I knew more about health I could have helped prevent this in some way. I want to further my education and learn ways to promote healthier lifestyles in the lives of both my family and myself.My first job as youth organizer at Teen Empowerment ,I had the opportunity to give back to my community through using the platform given to me to express issues that teens in my neighborhood face. I believe that as a future nurse I will continue giving back to my community when I open my own practice.While working as a student assistant-unit aide at Highland Hospital it's been an amazing to see how much being compassionate and going the extra mile to help patients can really uplift a person’s spirit during what could be the most difficult time of their lives.Experiencing the gratitude from friends and family members when their loved ones are being treated properly and with respect is the most satisfying thing someone could ask for while working in the healthcare field.I will get my masters in nursing,I will be a black scholar not a statistic.

My name is beautiful 4 and I'm a senior at Joseph C Wilson Magnet High School. I'm a former youth organizer at teen empowerment. As youth organizer I worked with 12 of my peers ages 14 to 22 to plan free events for members of our community to attend. At these events we will write, memorize and perform verbal Arts related to issues in our community. The issues in our community that we brainstormed consisted of things like systemic racism, police brutality, teen pregnancy, drug addiction and abuse, as well as school climate. I'm also a Roc Responder, as a Roc esponder I was trained to de-escalate conflict in my school.I am currently a student assistant unit-aide at Highland Hospital on the floor E7 neurology. As a student assistant I help the nurses and patient care technicians assist patients throughout their stay at the hospital. I am an auntie of eight nieces and nephews ,I aspire to be a pediatric nurse practitioner. My hobbies include but are not limited to reading, writing and binge watching Netflix.This scholarship would be assistance to me through greatly helping me being able to afford higher education ,being able to obtain a bachelor's degree then later a master's degree in order to become a pediatric nurse practitioner.I believe I should receive this award because I'm the resilient young lady who continues to push through despite the obstacles that I am faced with. For example when I was a sophomore in high school one afternoon I was headed home from work and while getting out of a car I was hit by an oncoming car. This resulted in me having my leg broken into separate places. I was in the cast in bed phone for approximately three months. Throughout this time I work with my mom and School staff to make sure I completed the rest of my sophomore year as well as taking all of my regents exams. When it was time for me to take my Regents exam I will wake up and get myself dressed in one of my siblings will carry me down the stairs and then to the car so that I can go to school. I will wait outside the handicap accessible door and wait for the school nurse to bring me a wheelchair. Once I got in the wheelchair I had it to the library and begin taking my Regents exams. This resulted in me taking and passing all of my Regents exams for that year despite being in Mobile and bound to a wheelchair.

My name is beautiful 4 and I'm a senior at Joseph C Wilson Magnet High School. I'm a former youth organizer at teen empowerment. As youth organizer I worked with 12 of my peers ages 14 to 22 to plan free events for members of our community to attend. At these events we will write, memorize and perform verbal Arts related to issues in our community. The issues in our community that we brainstormed consisted of things like systemic racism, police brutality, teen pregnancy, drug addiction and abuse, as well as school climate. I'm also a Roc Responder, as a Roc esponder I was trained to de-escalate conflict in my school.I am currently a student assistant unit-aide at Highland Hospital on the floor E7 neurology. As a student assistant I help the nurses and patient care technicians assist patients throughout their stay at the hospital. I am an auntie of eight nieces and nephews ,I aspire to be a pediatric nurse practitioner. My hobbies include but are not limited to reading, writing and binge watching Netflix.This scholarship would be assistance to me through greatly helping me being able to afford higher education ,being able to obtain a bachelor's degree then later a master's degree in order to become a pediatric nurse practitioner.I believe I should receive this award because I'm the resilient young lady who continues to push through despite the obstacles that I am faced with. For example when I was a sophomore in high school one afternoon I was headed home from work and while getting out of a car I was hit by an oncoming car. This resulted in me having my leg broken into separate places. I was in the cast in bed phone for approximately three months. Throughout this time I work with my mom and School staff to make sure I completed the rest of my sophomore year as well as taking all of my regents exams. When it was time for me to take my Regents exam I will wake up and get myself dressed in one of my siblings will carry me down the stairs and then to the car so that I can go to school. I will wait outside the handicap accessible door and wait for the school nurse to bring me a wheelchair. Once I got in the wheelchair I had it to the library and begin taking my Regents exams. This resulted in me taking and passing all of my Regents exams for that year despite being in Mobile and bound to a wheelchair.

My name is beautiful 4 and I'm a senior at Joseph C Wilson Magnet High School. I'm a former youth organizer at teen empowerment. As youth organizer I worked with 12 of my peers ages 14 to 22 to plan free events for members of our community to attend. At these events we will write, memorize and perform verbal Arts related to issues in our community. The issues in our community that we brainstormed consisted of things like systemic racism, police brutality, teen pregnancy, drug addiction and abuse, as well as school climate. I'm also a Roc Responder, as a Roc esponder I was trained to de-escalate conflict in my school.I am currently a student assistant unit-aide at Highland Hospital on the floor E7 neurology. As a student assistant I help the nurses and patient care technicians assist patients throughout their stay at the hospital. I am an auntie of eight nieces and nephews ,I aspire to be a pediatric nurse practitioner. My hobbies include but are not limited to reading, writing and binge watching Netflix.This scholarship would be assistance to me through greatly helping me being able to afford higher education ,being able to obtain a bachelor's degree then later a master's degree in order to become a pediatric nurse practitioner.I believe I should receive this award because I'm the resilient young lady who continues to push through despite the obstacles that I am faced with. For example when I was a sophomore in high school one afternoon I was headed home from work and while getting out of a car I was hit by an oncoming car. This resulted in me having my leg broken into separate places. I was in the cast in bed phone for approximately three months. Throughout this time I work with my mom and School staff to make sure I completed the rest of my sophomore year as well as taking all of my regents exams. When it was time for me to take my Regents exam I will wake up and get myself dressed in one of my siblings will carry me down the stairs and then to the car so that I can go to school. I will wait outside the handicap accessible door and wait for the school nurse to bring me a wheelchair. Once I got in the wheelchair I had it to the library and begin taking my Regents exams. This resulted in me taking and passing all of my Regents exams for that year despite being in Mobile and bound to a wheelchair.

At 14 I was hired at TE as a youth organizer, ready to do my part both at home and in my community. TE became another part of my village. The youth and the staff all work together to make sure we are strong, healthy and reaching our fullest potential.As youth organizers we are the hands, feet, heart and voice of the work. I realized that my voice matters and I have an important role in this village through my leadership being a positive voice for change inside and out of TE’s walls. leaving school early to go to meetings, news interviews ,any many more things that I’ve stopped keeping track of, all while maintaining a 4.0 gpa. I did not come this far just to make it this far.As youth organizer it was my job to work along my peers to plan Free community-based events for teens in the area to come to. I apply for the job position as youth organizer my freshman year and was accepted. Once I was a youth organizer I worked with 12 other youth ages 14 to 21 we planned events based on issues that we saw in our community. The issues we planned events around included things such as systemic racism School climate police brutality teen pregnancy drug abuse and addiction as well as many other things. At these events they were all free of charge for the members of the community to 10 myself and other youth organizers wrote and memorized verbal Arts to express the issues we face in our community as well as giving Solutions of ways we can work forward to stopping them. The verbal Arts we wrote memorize and perform for things such as rap poetry spoken word as well as plays and skits. Among other things we have done f as youth organizers are things such as institutional works like going to Rochester city school district school board meetings to speak on behalf of our peers as well as going to Albany to lobby for more funding for our schools. Another community-based thing that we did as youth organizers where have you used police dialogues to see ways in which we can do better the relationship between law enforcement and teens in our community.

At 14 I was hired at TE as a youth organizer, ready to do my part both at home and in my community. TE became another part of my village. The youth and the staff all work together to make sure we are strong, healthy and reaching our fullest potential.As youth organizers we are the hands, feet, heart and voice of the work. I realized that my voice matters and I have an important role in this village through my leadership being a positive voice for change inside and out of TE’s walls. leaving school early to go to meetings, news interviews ,any many more things that I’ve stopped keeping track of, all while maintaining a 4.0 gpa. I did not come this far just to make it this far.As youth organizer it was my job to work along my peers to plan Free community-based events for teens in the area to come to. I apply for the job position as youth organizer my freshman year and was accepted. Once I was a youth organizer I worked with 12 other youth ages 14 to 21 we planned events based on issues that we saw in our community. The issues we planned events around included things such as systemic racism School climate police brutality teen pregnancy drug abuse and addiction as well as many other things. At these events they were all free of charge for the members of the community to 10 myself and other youth organizers wrote and memorized verbal Arts to express the issues we face in our community as well as giving Solutions of ways we can work forward to stopping them. The verbal Arts we wrote memorize and perform for things such as rap poetry spoken word as well as plays and skits. Among other things we have done f as youth organizers are things such as institutional works like going to Rochester city school district school board meetings to speak on behalf of our peers as well as going to Albany to lobby for more funding for our schools. Another community-based thing that we did as youth organizers where have you used police dialogues to see ways in which we can do better the relationship between law enforcement and teens in our community.

At 14 I was hired at TE as a youth organizer, ready to do my part both at home and in my community. TE became another part of my village. The youth and the staff all work together to make sure we are strong, healthy and reaching our fullest potential.As youth organizers we are the hands, feet, heart and voice of the work. I realized that my voice matters and I have an important role in this village through my leadership being a positive voice for change inside and out of TE’s walls. leaving school early to go to meetings, news interviews ,any many more things that I’ve stopped keeping track of, all while maintaining a 4.0 gpa. I did not come this far just to make it this far.As youth organizer it was my job to work along my peers to plan Free community-based events for teens in the area to come to. I apply for the job position as youth organizer my freshman year and was accepted. Once I was a youth organizer I worked with 12 other youth ages 14 to 21 we planned events based on issues that we saw in our community. The issues we planned events around included things such as systemic racism School climate police brutality teen pregnancy drug abuse and addiction as well as many other things. At these events they were all free of charge for the members of the community to 10 myself and other youth organizers wrote and memorized verbal Arts to express the issues we face in our community as well as giving Solutions of ways we can work forward to stopping them. The verbal Arts we wrote memorize and perform for things such as rap poetry spoken word as well as plays and skits. Among other things we have done f as youth organizers are things such as institutional works like going to Rochester city school district school board meetings to speak on behalf of our peers as well as going to Albany to lobby for more funding for our schools. Another community-based thing that we did as youth organizers where have you used police dialogues to see ways in which we can do better the relationship between law enforcement and teens in our community.

A woman in my life that I admire is my old manager at teen empowerment shawanda Mickey. I admire her for many reasons. Some of the reasons include the fact that she taught me that it is okay to be vulnerable and share my story and hopes that it may help someone else. She would tell me and my co-workers how she was pregnant at a young age and had to face many adversities in order for her to get her high school diploma and further her education. She has impacted my life through letting me know that life will always get hard. You cannot avoid it. The only thing that you can do is control the way that you respond to the struggles in life rather than reacting and doing something that you may later regret. I will carry her life lessons in to my potential career By constantly reminding myself that life will always be hard and it is okay to slow down but it is not okay to stop because once you stop you truly feel.

As a first generation child I can encourage my older siblings to go to school because it is possible despite the challenges we have to face in life. As the youngest sibling in the one to have succeeded academically my older siblings told me a lot that I Inspire them. I want to inspire them to continue their higher education. I believe a my older siblings could see that higher education despite life's obstacles is very possible in obtainable. I believe I will gain leadership through Community engagement activities through providing support for others the same support that I have gotten throughout my high school years and even earlier. I believe the leadership skills I will learn our skills that I can take anywhere with me in life throughout my journey of pursuing a a higher education and even Beyond.Community and service activities in the Rochester region I look forward to helping and giving back to my community. When I was younger I would always hear people say quote I want to make it up the hood and quote this became my way of thinking for a while. For a long time I thought that my main goal in life should be able to make it out of my neighborhood to make it somewhere where I could feel safe taking a walk down the street or even going to a near store. I thought that life would be better if I could Escape the trauma that came with living in the neighborhood Like Mine. It wasn't until recently that my perspective changed and I understood that my goal shouldn't be to make it out the hood but to help my husband to make my neighborhood a place where I will want to have a family and I would feel okay with my mom or any of my nieces and nephews walk into a store or just going for a walk.

At 14 I was hired at TE as a youth organizer, ready to do my part both at home and in my community. TE became another part of my village. The youth and the staff all work together to make sure we are strong, healthy and reaching our fullest potential.As youth organizers we are the hands, feet, heart and voice of the work. I realized that my voice matters and I have an important role in this village through my leadership being a positive voice for change inside and out of TE’s walls. leaving school early to go to meetings, news interviews ,any many more things that I’ve stopped keeping track of, all while maintaining a 4.0 gpa. I did not come this far just to make it this far.As youth organizer it was my job to work along my peers to plan Free community-based events for teens in the area to come to. I apply for the job position as youth organizer my freshman year and was accepted. Once I was a youth organizer I worked with 12 other youth ages 14 to 21 we planned events based on issues that we saw in our community. The issues we planned events around included things such as systemic racism School climate police brutality teen pregnancy drug abuse and addiction as well as many other things. At these events they were all free of charge for the members of the community to 10 myself and other youth organizers wrote and memorized verbal Arts to express the issues we face in our community as well as giving Solutions of ways we can work forward to stopping them. The verbal Arts we wrote memorize and perform for things such as rap poetry spoken word as well as plays and skits. Among other things we have done f as youth organizers are things such as institutional works like going to Rochester city school district school board meetings to speak on behalf of our peers as well as going to Albany to lobby for more funding for our schools. Another community-based thing that we did as youth organizers where have you used police dialogues to see ways in which we can do better the relationship between law enforcement and teens in our community.

Flashlights Come in handy when the lights go off, but not the hot water.. not when there’s no food and you gotta push through but I kept a flashlight I ain’t gone lie , nights like those suicide crossed my mind every night but my dad raised a soldier and I knew I hadda fight .. fight to survive, wondering why was I still breathing but didn’t feel alive ... I kept a flashlight Mom I still love you, despite what you put me through .. I started taking care of my self when I was 14, at 15 I had to jobs and eventually I started taking care of you , even though I wanted to leave the house at 14 , even though when my dad died all I got was a ring , because insurance never crossed your mind , all that time he was laying in the hospital, 5 years .. 5 long years that I will never forget, I will never forget eating sleep for dinner every other night , I will never forget how alone I felt when you were just across the hall , I will never forget all the award ceremonies you were invited to and didn’t show , I will never forget the birthdays you missed , I will never forget being so young and not have the chance to be a kid .. but I kept a flashlight.. I tried to steer clear of my problems when Depression dragged me While my anxiety boosted ..I just wanted to slip away One day ... I'm happy , my social life is blooming my family is doing fine my nieces a are walking and my nephew is talking ... a few days later I'm breaking down with a razor to my wrist , why do I keep breaking down ? Why can I never push the razor down enough? It's like I take just enough pills to keep breathing... I don't wanna keep breathing I'm unwanted in my own home .. I wish these voices would just leave me alone I hate my life as a whole DO NOT RESUSCITATE, I want these words tattooed in bold Everything hurts , I feel numb... I don’t know how I’m going to do this. Dad you taught me everything and for that I admire you .. but you never taught me how to live without you I will keep my flashlight... for nights like these , when I’m crying so hard I lose sight of everything

Over the summer I started a waist bead company. This is something that I never saw myself doing for many reasons. I never saw myself starting my own business especially in the summer a time to enjoy yourself and have a summer job to make a little bit of money just to have spending money going into the school year. The story behind me starting a waste beads Business in the summer of 2020 started about two years prior. I was at a community event and there was a stand where a lady was selling handmade waist beads. Intrigued, I went to the stand and asked her the story behind the waist beads and how she started them. She told me that wearing waist beads wasn't African tradition and she started to make and sell them because her daughter loved the way they look and constantly ask her for some. Once she started making waist beads for her daughter she would wear them to school and many people would say “I love your Beats where did you get them”. I bought a set of waist beads from the stand at the community event and went home content. The waist beads I purchased were called permanent waist beads. They are the bead that you wear all day 24/7 and you do not take off unless you cut them off and no longer want to wear them. After months of wearing my single set of waist beads I wanted some more. So I went to Michaels with my best friend and we brought the breads, string and charms to make ourselves waist beads. That day I made myself five waste bees which were permanent and I wore them everyday. As time went by many people would ask me where I got my beads, how much they were and how they get themselves some. Once I told people that I made my beads myself they were all asked if I could make them some and offered to pay me. This has been going on for a couple of months and finally that summer my sister came to me and said “so many people love the waist beads that you made for me and asked how do they get in contact with you and get their own”, she convinced me to start my own business. I loved selling waist beads that whole summer and making young ladies of color and other ethnicities feel beautiful and empowered. Once I received more orders from customers I decided to make it official by getting myself business cards as well as making social media platforms to promote my work. This journey of being an entrepreneur and starting my own business has been a great one. I feel more connected to my ancestral roots while making products that promote African traditions.

Over the summer I started a waist bead company. This is something that I never saw myself doing for many reasons. I never saw myself starting my own business especially in the summer a time to enjoy yourself and have a summer job to make a little bit of money just to have spending money going into the school year. The story behind me starting a waste beads Business in the summer of 2020 started about two years prior. I was at a community event and there was a stand where a lady was selling handmade waist beads. Intrigued, I went to the stand and asked her the story behind the waist beads and how she started them. She told me that wearing waist beads wasn't African tradition and she started to make and sell them because her daughter loved the way they look and constantly ask her for some. Once she started making waist beads for her daughter she would wear them to school and many people would say “I love your Beats where did you get them”. I bought a set of waist beads from the stand at the community event and went home content. The waist beads I purchased were called permanent waist beads. They are the bead that you wear all day 24/7 and you do not take off unless you cut them off and no longer want to wear them. After months of wearing my single set of waist beads I wanted some more. So I went to Michaels with my best friend and we brought the breads, string and charms to make ourselves waist beads. That day I made myself five waste bees which were permanent and I wore them everyday. As time went by many people would ask me where I got my beads, how much they were and how they get themselves some. Once I told people that I made my beads myself they were all asked if I could make them some and offered to pay me. This has been going on for a couple of months and finally that summer my sister came to me and said “so many people love the waist beads that you made for me and asked how do they get in contact with you and get their own”, she convinced me to start my own business. I loved selling waist beads that whole summer and making young ladies of color and other ethnicities feel beautiful and empowered. Once I received more orders from customers I decided to make it official by getting myself business cards as well as making social media platforms to promote my work. This journey of being an entrepreneur and starting my own business has been a great one. I feel more connected to my ancestral roots while making products that promote African traditions.

At 14 I was hired at TE as a youth organizer, ready to do my part both at home and in my community. TE became another part of my village. The youth and the staff all work together to make sure we are strong, healthy and reaching our fullest potential.As youth organizers we are the hands, feet, heart and voice of the work. I realized that my voice matters and I have an important role in this village through my leadership being a positive voice for change inside and out of TE’s walls. leaving school early to go to meetings, news interviews ,any many more things that I’ve stopped keeping track of, all while maintaining a 4.0 gpa. I did not come this far just to make it this far.As youth organizer it was my job to work along my peers to plan Free community-based events for teens in the area to come to. I apply for the job position as youth organizer my freshman year and was accepted. Once I was a youth organizer I worked with 12 other youth ages 14 to 21 we planned events based on issues that we saw in our community. The issues we planned events around included things such as systemic racism School climate police brutality teen pregnancy drug abuse and addiction as well as many other things. At these events they were all free of charge for the members of the community to 10 myself and other youth organizers wrote and memorized verbal Arts to express the issues we face in our community as well as giving Solutions of ways we can work forward to stopping them. The verbal Arts we wrote memorize and perform for things such as rap poetry spoken word as well as plays and skits. Among other things we have done f as youth organizers are things such as institutional works like going to Rochester city school district school board meetings to speak on behalf of our peers as well as going to Albany to lobby for more funding for our schools. Another community-based thing that we did as youth organizers where have you used police dialogues to see ways in which we can do better the relationship between law enforcement and teens in our community.

Over the summer I started a waist bead company. This is something that I never saw myself doing for many reasons. I never saw myself starting my own business especially in the summer a time to enjoy yourself and have a summer job to make a little bit of money just to have spending money going into the school year. The story behind me starting a waste beads Business in the summer of 2020 started about two years prior. I was at a community event and there was a stand where a lady was selling handmade waist beads. Intrigued, I went to the stand and asked her the story behind the waist beads and how she started them. She told me that wearing waist beads wasn't African tradition and she started to make and sell them because her daughter loved the way they look and constantly ask her for some. Once she started making waist beads for her daughter she would wear them to school and many people would say “I love your Beats where did you get them”. I bought a set of waist beads from the stand at the community event and went home content. The waist beads I purchased were called permanent waist beads. They are the bead that you wear all day 24/7 and you do not take off unless you cut them off and no longer want to wear them. After months of wearing my single set of waist beads I wanted some more. So I went to Michaels with my best friend and we brought the breads, string and charms to make ourselves waist beads. That day I made myself five waste bees which were permanent and I wore them everyday. As time went by many people would ask me where I got my beads, how much they were and how they get themselves some. Once I told people that I made my beads myself they were all asked if I could make them some and offered to pay me. This has been going on for a couple of months and finally that summer my sister came to me and said “so many people love the waist beads that you made for me and asked how do they get in contact with you and get their own”, she convinced me to start my own business. I loved selling waist beads that whole summer and making young ladies of color and other ethnicities feel beautiful and empowered. Once I received more orders from customers I decided to make it official by getting myself business cards as well as making social media platforms to promote my work. This journey of being an entrepreneur and starting my own business has been a great one. I feel more connected to my ancestral roots while making products that promote African traditions.

I have had mental health issues for the great part of my life , the spoken word piece that follows goes into details Flashlights Come in handy when the lights go off, but not the hot water.. not when there’s no food and you gotta push through but I kept a flashlight I ain’t gone lie , nights like those suicide crossed my mind every night but my dad raised a soldier and I knew I hadda fight .. fight to survive, wondering why was I still breathing but didn’t feel alive ... I kept a flashlight Mom I still love you, despite what you put me through .. I started taking care of my self when I was 14, at 15 I had to jobs and eventually I started taking care of you , even though I wanted to leave the house at 14 , even though when my dad died all I got was a ring , because insurance never crossed your mind , all that time he was laying in the hospital, 5 years .. 5 long years that I will never forget, I will never forget eating sleep for dinner every other night , I will never forget how alone I felt when you were just across the hall , I will never forget all the award ceremonies you were invited to and didn’t show , I will never forget the birthdays you missed , I will never forget being so young and not have the chance to be a kid .. but I kept a flashlight.. I tried to steer clear of my problems when Depression dragged me While my anxiety boosted ..I just wanted to slip away One day ... I'm happy , my social life is blooming my family is doing fine my nieces a are walking and my nephew is talking ... a few days later I'm breaking down with a razor to my wrist , why do I keep breaking down ? Why can I never push the razor down enough? It's like I take just enough pills to keep breathing... I don't wanna keep breathing I'm unwanted in my own home .. I wish these voices would just leave me alone I hate my life as a whole DO NOT RESUSCITATE, I want these words tattooed in bold Everything hurts , I feel numb... I don’t know how I’m going to do this. Dad you taught me everything and for that I admire you .. but you never taught me how to live without you I will keep my flashlight... for nights like these , when I’m crying so hard I lose sight of everything

I quote that motivates me is “Everything Beautiful in its time” Ecclesiasticus 3:11 beacuse It’s easy to love yourself when everything is going good when you’re in shape you like the way your body looks yah hair perfect everything is perfect everything is going your way but when you really need to give yourself the most love is when shit hits the fan when you’re out of shape over weight you’re scared to look in the mirror your hair looks crazy and everything around you feels like it’s crumbling that’s when self-love is needed the most that is when self-love can be the difference between life and death that its when the author chooses to continue their story despite how messy you may get

Over the summer I started a waist bead company. This is something that I never saw myself doing for many reasons. I never saw myself starting my own business especially in the summer a time to enjoy yourself and have a summer job to make a little bit of money just to have spending money going into the school year. The story behind me starting a waste beads Business in the summer of 2020 started about two years prior. I was at a community event and there was a stand where a lady was selling handmade waist beads. Intrigued, I went to the stand and asked her the story behind the waist beads and how she started them. She told me that wearing waist beads wasn't African tradition and she started to make and sell them because her daughter loved the way they look and constantly ask her for some. Once she started making waist beads for her daughter she would wear them to school and many people would say “I love your Beats where did you get them”. I bought a set of waist beads from the stand at the community event and went home content. The waist beads I purchased were called permanent waist beads. They are the bead that you wear all day 24/7 and you do not take off unless you cut them off and no longer want to wear them. After months of wearing my single set of waist beads I wanted some more. So I went to Michaels with my best friend and we brought the breads, string and charms to make ourselves waist beads. That day I made myself five waste bees which were permanent and I wore them everyday. As time went by many people would ask me where I got my beads, how much they were and how they get themselves some. Once I told people that I made my beads myself they were all asked if I could make them some and offered to pay me. This has been going on for a couple of months and finally that summer my sister came to me and said “so many people love the waist beads that you made for me and asked how do they get in contact with you and get their own”, she convinced me to start my own business. I loved selling waist beads that whole summer and making young ladies of color and other ethnicities feel beautiful and empowered. Once I received more orders from customers I decided to make it official by getting myself business cards as well as making social media platforms to promote my work. This journey of being an entrepreneur and starting my own business has been a great one. I feel more connected to my ancestral roots while making products that promote African traditions.

My family background has affected the way I see the world. My mom is a licensed nurse practitioner and my grandmother is a certified nurse assistant these two things were the beginning of why I feel passionate at pursuing a career in nursing. When I was about to enter the fifth grade my father had a massive heart attack which leader claimed his life. I struggled with the absence of my father for many years and the biggest thing I took away from it is that if I could educate myself on the proper health and maintaining health that I can probably help members of my family from this happening to them. I will take what I learned from my family into my career by learning from the mistakes that were made as well as demonstrating the morals and values that I have been taught from them. I know that I want to major in nursing and minor in African American studies .

This spoken work piece is my ever thing , I wrote it three years ago . Unfortunately it is still relevant but it is a great representation of my style of writing and it recently (on February 2nd) was published in a book for letters to Vice President Kamala Harris. I am extremely proud of myself and my work .

A woman in my life that I admire is my old manager at teen empowerment Shawanda Mickey. I admire her for many reasons. Some of the reasons include the fact that she taught me that it is okay to be vulnerable and share my story and hopes that it may help someone else. She would tell me and my co-workers how she was pregnant at a young age and had to face many adversities in order for her to get her high school diploma and further her education. She has impacted my life by letting me know that life will always get hard. You cannot avoid it. The only thing that you can do is control the way that you respond to the struggles in life rather than reacting and doing something that you may later regret. I will carry her life lessons into my potential career By constantly reminding myself that life will always be hard and it is okay to slow down but it is not okay to stop because once you stop you truly feel.

Over the summer I started a waist bead company. This is something that I never saw myself doing for many reasons. I never saw myself starting my own business especially in the summer a time to enjoy yourself and have a summer job to make a little bit of money just to have spending money going into the school year. The story behind me starting a waste beads Business in the summer of 2020 started about two years prior. I was at a community event and there was a stand where a lady was selling handmade waist beads. Intrigued, I went to the stand and asked her the story behind the waist beads and how she started them. She told me that wearing waist beads wasn't African tradition and she started to make and sell them because her daughter loved the way they look and constantly ask her for some. Once she started making waist beads for her daughter she would wear them to school and many people would say “I love your Beats where did you get them”. I bought a set of waist beads from the stand at the community event and went home content. The waist beads I purchased were called permanent waist beads. They are the bead that you wear all day 24/7 and you do not take off unless you cut them off and no longer want to wear them. After months of wearing my single set of waist beads I wanted some more. So I went to Michaels with my best friend and we brought the breads, string and charms to make ourselves waist beads. That day I made myself five waste bees which were permanent and I wore them everyday. As time went by many people would ask me where I got my beads, how much they were and how they get themselves some. Once I told people that I made my beads myself they were all asked if I could make them some and offered to pay me. This has been going on for a couple of months and finally that summer my sister came to me and said “so many people love the waist beads that you made for me and asked how do they get in contact with you and get their own”, she convinced me to start my own business. I loved selling waist beads that whole summer and making young ladies of color and other ethnicities feel beautiful and empowered. Once I received more orders from customers I decided to make it official by getting myself business cards as well as making social media platforms to promote my work. This journey of being an entrepreneur and starting my own business has been a great one. I feel more connected to my ancestral roots while making products that promote African traditions and it motivates me to succed.

Over the summer I started a waist bead company. This is something that I never saw myself doing for many reasons. I never saw myself starting my own business especially in the summer a time to enjoy yourself and have a summer job to make a little bit of money just to have spending money going into the school year. The story behind me starting a waste beads Business in the summer of 2020 started about two years prior. I was at a community event and there was a stand where a lady was selling handmade waist beads. Intrigued, I went to the stand and asked her the story behind the waist beads and how she started them. She told me that wearing waist beads wasn't African tradition and she started to make and sell them because her daughter loved the way they look and constantly ask her for some. Once she started making waist beads for her daughter she would wear them to school and many people would say “I love your Beats where did you get them”. I bought a set of waist beads from the stand at the community event and went home content. The waist beads I purchased were called permanent waist beads. They are the bead that you wear all day 24/7 and you do not take off unless you cut them off and no longer want to wear them. After months of wearing my single set of waist beads I wanted some more. So I went to Michaels with my best friend and we brought the breads, string and charms to make ourselves waist beads. That day I made myself five waste bees which were permanent and I wore them everyday. As time went by many people would ask me where I got my beads, how much they were and how they get themselves some. Once I told people that I made my beads myself they were all asked if I could make them some and offered to pay me. This has been going on for a couple of months and finally that summer my sister came to me and said “so many people love the waist beads that you made for me and asked how do they get in contact with you and get their own”, she convinced me to start my own business. I loved selling waist beads that whole summer and making young ladies of color and other ethnicities feel beautiful and empowered. Once I received more orders from customers I decided to make it official by getting myself business cards as well as making social media platforms to promote my work. This journey of being an entrepreneur and starting my own business has been a great one. I feel more connected to my ancestral roots while making products that promote African traditions.

At 14 I was hired at TE as a youth organizer, ready to do my part both at home and in my community. TE became another part of my village. The youth and the staff all work together to make sure we are strong, healthy and reaching our fullest potential.As youth organizers we are the hands, feet, heart and voice of the work. I realized that my voice matters and I have an important role in this village through my leadership being a positive voice for change inside and out of TE’s walls. leaving school early to go to meetings, news interviews ,any many more things that I’ve stopped keeping track of, all while maintaining a 4.0 gpa. I did not come this far just to make it this far.As youth organizer it was my job to work along my peers to plan Free community-based events for teens in the area to come to. I apply for the job position as youth organizer my freshman year and was accepted. Once I was a youth organizer I worked with 12 other youth ages 14 to 21 we planned events based on issues that we saw in our community. The issues we planned events around included things such as systemic racism School climate police brutality teen pregnancy drug abuse and addiction as well as many other things. At these events they were all free of charge for the members of the community to 10 myself and other youth organizers wrote and memorized verbal Arts to express the issues we face in our community as well as giving Solutions of ways we can work forward to stopping them. The verbal Arts we wrote memorize and perform for things such as rap poetry spoken word as well as plays and skits. Among other things we have done f as youth organizers are things such as institutional works like going to Rochester city school district school board meetings to speak on behalf of our peers as well as going to Albany to lobby for more funding for our schools. Another community-based thing that we did as youth organizers where have you used police dialogues to see ways in which we can do better the relationship between law enforcement and teens in our community.

At 14 I was hired at TE as a youth organizer, ready to do my part both at home and in my community. TE became another part of my village. The youth and the staff all work together to make sure we are strong, healthy and reaching our fullest potential.As youth organizers we are the hands, feet, heart and voice of the work. I realized that my voice matters and I have an important role in this village through my leadership being a positive voice for change inside and out of TE’s walls. leaving school early to go to meetings, news interviews ,any many more things that I’ve stopped keeping track of, all while maintaining a 4.0 gpa. I did not come this far just to make it this far.As youth organizer it was my job to work along my peers to plan Free community-based events for teens in the area to come to. I apply for the job position as youth organizer my freshman year and was accepted. Once I was a youth organizer I worked with 12 other youth ages 14 to 21 we planned events based on issues that we saw in our community. The issues we planned events around included things such as systemic racism School climate police brutality teen pregnancy drug abuse and addiction as well as many other things. At these events they were all free of charge for the members of the community to 10 myself and other youth organizers wrote and memorized verbal Arts to express the issues we face in our community as well as giving Solutions of ways we can work forward to stopping them. The verbal Arts we wrote memorize and perform for things such as rap poetry spoken word as well as plays and skits. Among other things we have done f as youth organizers are things such as institutional works like going to Rochester city school district school board meetings to speak on behalf of our peers as well as going to Albany to lobby for more funding for our schools. Another community-based thing that we did as youth organizers where have you used police dialogues to see ways in which we can do better the relationship between law enforcement and teens in our community.

At 14 I was hired at TE as a youth organizer, ready to do my part both at home and in my community. TE became another part of my village. The youth and the staff all work together to make sure we are strong, healthy and reaching our fullest potential.As youth organizers we are the hands, feet, heart and voice of the work. I realized that my voice matters and I have an important role in this village through my leadership being a positive voice for change inside and out of TE’s walls. leaving school early to go to meetings, news interviews ,any many more things that I’ve stopped keeping track of, all while maintaining a 4.0 gpa. I did not come this far just to make it this far.As youth organizer it was my job to work along my peers to plan Free community-based events for teens in the area to come to. I apply for the job position as youth organizer my freshman year and was accepted. Once I was a youth organizer I worked with 12 other youth ages 14 to 21 we planned events based on issues that we saw in our community. The issues we planned events around included things such as systemic racism School climate police brutality teen pregnancy drug abuse and addiction as well as many other things. At these events they were all free of charge for the members of the community to 10 myself and other youth organizers wrote and memorized verbal Arts to express the issues we face in our community as well as giving Solutions of ways we can work forward to stopping them. The verbal Arts we wrote memorize and perform for things such as rap poetry spoken word as well as plays and skits. Among other things we have done f as youth organizers are things such as institutional works like going to Rochester city school district school board meetings to speak on behalf of our peers as well as going to Albany to lobby for more funding for our schools. Another community-based thing that we did as youth organizers where have you used police dialogues to see ways in which we can do better the relationship between law enforcement and teens in our community.I hope to achieve making black and brown people more comfortable with checking on their health often. To prep myself I am currently working in a hospital to learn more about the field of nursing .

“Untitled,” by Beautiful Destiny Ford I Am a African American girl. With broad hips, thick lips and when my hair gets wet it curls. In most cases I'm the head of the house, and NO, I don’t “talk white.” I speak proper. I come from greatness, my ancestors were most likely sharecroppers. I’m educated, but not enough. I was never taught in school how African Americans can use and manipulate tools the way we do. We made: -Irons, -Dustpans, -Combs, -The first traffic light, Let me know how Thomas Edison's lightbulb would of shined if a black man didn’t create the carbon filament to go inside -from the gas furnace, to the gas mask it was created by BLACK HANDS Yet, we were called “porchmonkeys,” “ignorant”... Let me know how “ignorant porchmonkeys” contributed so much to society we know today…. I’m labeled a menace for havin’ melanin. I’m tired, so tired of being tired.. I’m tired of being an outcast. I’m tired of racism putting me last. Making me feel like I’m less of a person because my hips are spread wide And calling me an angry Black girl because I refuse to lie Well, I can’t change my skin and I refuse to perm my hair just to fit in, somewhere I’m not welcome America Please tell me, what did I do so wrong? Born and raised in the U.S., but it feels like I don’t belong. Where guns are valued more than students Where books that can actually educate are banned from schools Where schools are constantly failing our children, and we wonder why America is no longer winning. Where our Black males are set up for criminal lives Where mumbling rappers are overpaid and teachers are underpaid, and we wonder why the graduation rates are so low Segregation is sugar-coated African Americans are still slaves, we just don’t know it Where PTSD, depression and anxiety are swept under the rug for people that look like me Where babies raise babies and young boys are forced into men Where police are allowed to do everything but serve and protect Where having white skin is somehow a bullet-proof vest Where we take one step forward and ten steps back Back into the past That we Refuse To talk about.

“Untitled,” by Beautiful Destiny Ford I Am a African American girl. With broad hips, thick lips and when my hair gets wet it curls. In most cases I'm the head of the house, and NO, I don’t “talk white.” I speak proper. I come from greatness, my ancestors were most likely sharecroppers. I’m educated, but not enough. I was never taught in school how African Americans can use and manipulate tools the way we do. We made: -Irons, -Dustpans, -Combs, -The first traffic light, Let me know how Thomas Edison's lightbulb would of shined if a black man didn’t create the carbon filament to go inside -from the gas furnace, to the gas mask it was created by BLACK HANDS Yet, we were called “porchmonkeys,” “ignorant”... Let me know how “ignorant porchmonkeys” contributed so much to society we know today…. I’m labeled a menace for havin’ melanin. I’m tired, so tired of being tired.. I’m tired of being an outcast. I’m tired of racism putting me last. Making me feel like I’m less of a person because my hips are spread wide And calling me an angry Black girl because I refuse to lie Well, I can’t change my skin and I refuse to perm my hair just to fit in, somewhere I’m not welcome America Please tell me, what did I do so wrong? Born and raised in the U.S., but it feels like I don’t belong. Where guns are valued more than students Where books that can actually educate are banned from schools Where schools are constantly failing our children, and we wonder why America is no longer winning. Where our Black males are set up for criminal lives Where mumbling rappers are overpaid and teachers are underpaid, and we wonder why the graduation rates are so low Segregation is sugar-coated African Americans are still slaves, we just don’t know it Where PTSD, depression and anxiety are swept under the rug for people that look like me Where babies raise babies and young boys are forced into men Where police are allowed to do everything but serve and protect Where having white skin is somehow a bullet-proof vest Where we take one step forward and ten steps back Back into the past That we Refuse To talk about.

“Untitled,” by Beautiful Destiny Ford I Am a African American girl. With broad hips, thick lips and when my hair gets wet it curls. In most cases I'm the head of the house, and NO, I don’t “talk white.” I speak proper. I come from greatness, my ancestors were most likely sharecroppers. I’m educated, but not enough. I was never taught in school how African Americans can use and manipulate tools the way we do. We made: -Irons, -Dustpans, -Combs, -The first traffic light, Let me know how Thomas Edison's lightbulb would of shined if a black man didn’t create the carbon filament to go inside -from the gas furnace, to the gas mask it was created by BLACK HANDS Yet, we were called “porchmonkeys,” “ignorant”... Let me know how “ignorant porchmonkeys” contributed so much to society we know today…. I’m labeled a menace for havin’ melanin. I’m tired, so tired of being tired.. I’m tired of being an outcast. I’m tired of racism putting me last. Making me feel like I’m less of a person because my hips are spread wide And calling me an angry Black girl because I refuse to lie Well, I can’t change my skin and I refuse to perm my hair just to fit in, somewhere I’m not welcome America Please tell me, what did I do so wrong? Born and raised in the U.S., but it feels like I don’t belong. Where guns are valued more than students Where books that can actually educate are banned from schools Where schools are constantly failing our children, and we wonder why America is no longer winning. Where our Black males are set up for criminal lives Where mumbling rappers are overpaid and teachers are underpaid, and we wonder why the graduation rates are so low Segregation is sugar-coated African Americans are still slaves, we just don’t know it Where PTSD, depression and anxiety are swept under the rug for people that look like me Where babies raise babies and young boys are forced into men Where police are allowed to do everything but serve and protect Where having white skin is somehow a bullet-proof vest Where we take one step forward and ten steps back Back into the past That we Refuse To talk about.

“Untitled,” by Beautiful Destiny Ford I Am a African American girl. With broad hips, thick lips and when my hair gets wet it curls. In most cases I'm the head of the house, and NO, I don’t “talk white.” I speak proper. I come from greatness, my ancestors were most likely sharecroppers. I’m educated, but not enough. I was never taught in school how African Americans can use and manipulate tools the way we do. We made: -Irons, -Dustpans, -Combs, -The first traffic light, Let me know how Thomas Edison's lightbulb would of shined if a black man didn’t create the carbon filament to go inside -from the gas furnace, to the gas mask it was created by BLACK HANDS Yet, we were called “porchmonkeys,” “ignorant”... Let me know how “ignorant porchmonkeys” contributed so much to society we know today…. I’m labeled a menace for havin’ melanin. I’m tired, so tired of being tired.. I’m tired of being an outcast. I’m tired of racism putting me last. Making me feel like I’m less of a person because my hips are spread wide And calling me an angry Black girl because I refuse to lie Well, I can’t change my skin and I refuse to perm my hair just to fit in, somewhere I’m not welcome America Please tell me, what did I do so wrong? Born and raised in the U.S., but it feels like I don’t belong. Where guns are valued more than students Where books that can actually educate are banned from schools Where schools are constantly failing our children, and we wonder why America is no longer winning. Where our Black males are set up for criminal lives Where mumbling rappers are overpaid and teachers are underpaid, and we wonder why the graduation rates are so low Segregation is sugar-coated African Americans are still slaves, we just don’t know it Where PTSD, depression and anxiety are swept under the rug for people that look like me Where babies raise babies and young boys are forced into men Where police are allowed to do everything but serve and protect Where having white skin is somehow a bullet-proof vest Where we take one step forward and ten steps back Back into the past That we Refuse To talk about.

At 14 I was hired at TE as a youth organizer, ready to do my part both at home and in my community. TE became another part of my village. The youth and the staff all work together to make sure we are strong, healthy and reaching our fullest potential.As youth organizers we are the hands, feet, heart and voice of the work. I realized that my voice matters and I have an important role in this village through my leadership being a positive voice for change inside and out of TE’s walls. leaving school early to go to meetings, news interviews ,any many more things that I’ve stopped keeping track of, all while maintaining a 4.0 gpa. I did not come this far just to make it this far.As youth organizer it was my job to work along my peers to plan Free community-based events for teens in the area to come to. I apply for the job position as youth organizer my freshman year and was accepted. Once I was a youth organizer I worked with 12 other youth ages 14 to 21 we planned events based on issues that we saw in our community. The issues we planned events around included things such as systemic racism School climate police brutality teen pregnancy drug abuse and addiction as well as many other things. At these events they were all free of charge for the members of the community to 10 myself and other youth organizers wrote and memorized verbal Arts to express the issues we face in our community as well as giving Solutions of ways we can work forward to stopping them. The verbal Arts we wrote memorize and perform for things such as rap poetry spoken word as well as plays and skits. Among other things we have done f as youth organizers are things such as institutional works like going to Rochester city school district school board meetings to speak on behalf of our peers as well as going to Albany to lobby for more funding for our schools. Another community-based thing that we did as youth organizers where have you used police dialogues to see ways in which we can do better the relationship between law enforcement and teens in our community.

I Am a African American girl.. With broad hips, thick lips and when my hair gets wet it curls. In most cases im the head of the house, and NO , I don’t “talk white” I speak proper. I come from greatness, my ancestors were most likely sharecroppers. I’m educated, but not enough I was never taught in school how African Americans can use and manipulate tools the way we do, we made : -Irons , -Dustpans , -Combs, -The first traffic light, Let me know how Thomas Edison's light bulb would of shined if a black man didn’t create the carbon filament to go inside -from the gas furnace, to the gas mask it was created by BLACK HANDS Yet, we were called “porchmonkeys”, “ignorant”... Let me know how “ignorant porchonkeys” contributed so much to society we know today…. I’m label a menace for havin’ melanin. I’m so tired, I’m tired of being tired.. I’m tired of being a outcast. I’m tired of racism putting me last. “Make America Great Again” is the hate yah chose to sing .. and let it ripple down to the caucasian kids.. They’re taught to hate the little black kid they sit next too, They’re taught to tell that kid “I’m better than you”.. But Little tyrone is taught not to say the “wrong thing” to Billy Why not teach your kids the right things instead of spreading hate? WERE HUMANS TOO “Land of the free” that’s what we're taught in school. But the new world rule is, African Americans.. Inferior , Caucasians.. Superior ..WE PROTEST BUT NO ONE’S HEARING US . Its takes a village to raise a child, but we’re raising our black males up to get shot down… by those who swore to “serve and protect” we have no protection but yah got that bullet proof vest , and were targets because own skin is darker than the rest…. So who’s the real threat? Donald Trump… want’s to build a wall to keep the hate in, November 8th,2016 he became the president, but WHO EVEN VOTED FOR HIM? And you can’t tell me i’m livin’ in the “Land of the Free” is Hillary almost got office and “SUPER PREDATORS” is what she called black TEENS.. Yeah, we made some mistakes but yah did worse things.. Shootn’ up churches, movie theaters and everything in between….. I guess that’s America Let Racism Ring

Come in handy when the lights go off, but not the hot water.. not when there’s no food and you gotta push through but I kept a flashlight I ain’t gone lie , nights like those suicide crossed my mind every night but my dad raised a soldier and I knew I hadda fight .. fight to survive, wondering why was I still breathing but didn’t feel alive ... I kept a flashlight Mom I still love you, despite what you put me through .. I started taking care of my self when I was 14, at 15 I had to jobs and eventually I started taking care of you , even though I wanted to leave the house at 14 , even though when my dad died all I got was a ring , because insurance never crossed your mind , all that time he was laying in the hospital, 5 years .. 5 long years that I will never forget, I will never forget eating sleep for dinner every other night , I will never forget how alone I felt when you were just across the hall , I will never forget all the award ceremonies you were invited to and didn’t show , I will never forget the birthdays you missed , I will never forget being so young and not have the chance to be a kid .. but I kept a flashlight.. I tried to steer clear of my problems when Depression dragged me While my anxiety boosted ..I just wanted to slip away One day ... I'm happy , my social life is blooming my family is doing fine my nieces a are walking and my nephew is talking ... a few days later I'm breaking down with a razor to my wrist , why do I keep breaking down ? Why can I never push the razor down enough? It's like I take just enough pills to keep breathing... I don't wanna keep breathing I'm unwanted in my own home .. I wish these voices would just leave me alone I hate my life as a whole DO NOT RESUSCITATE, I want these words tattooed in bold Everything hurts , I feel numb... I don’t know how I’m going to do this. Dad you taught me everything and for that I admire you .. but you never taught me how to live without you I will keep my flashlight... for nights like these , when I’m crying so hard I lose sight of everything My mental health has been a ongoing battle,I learned it’s not a “one and done” it’s something I have to work to maintain every single day. Moving forward I hope to achieve being more vulnerable because it is not a sign of weakness but great strength.

My name is beautiful 4 and I'm a senior at Joseph C Wilson Magnet High School. I'm a former youth organizer at teen empowerment. As youth organizer I worked with 12 of my peers ages 14 to 22 to plan free events for members of our community to attend. At these events we will write, memorize and perform verbal Arts related to issues in our community. The issues in our community that we brainstormed consisted of things like systemic racism, police brutality, teen pregnancy, drug addiction and abuse, as well as school climate. I'm also a Roc Responder, as a Roc esponder I was trained to de-escalate conflict in my school.I am currently a student assistant unit-aide at Highland Hospital on the floor E7 neurology. As a student assistant I help the nurses and patient care technicians assist patients throughout their stay at the hospital. I am an auntie of eight nieces and nephews ,I aspire to be a pediatric nurse practitioner. My hobbies include but are not limited to reading, writing and binge watching Netflix.This scholarship would be assistance to me through greatly helping me being able to afford higher education ,being able to obtain a bachelor's degree then later a master's degree in order to become a pediatric nurse practitioner.I believe I should receive this award because I'm the resilient young lady who continues to push through despite the obstacles that I am faced with. For example when I was a sophomore in high school one afternoon I was headed home from work and while getting out of a car I was hit by an oncoming car. This resulted in me having my leg broken into separate places. I was in the cast in bed phone for approximately three months. Throughout this time I work with my mom and School staff to make sure I completed the rest of my sophomore year as well as taking all of my regents exams. When it was time for me to take my Regents exam I will wake up and get myself dressed in one of my siblings will carry me down the stairs and then to the car so that I can go to school. I will wait outside the handicap accessible door and wait for the school nurse to bring me a wheelchair. Once I got in the wheelchair I had it to the library and begin taking my Regents exams. This resulted in me taking and passing all of my Regents exams for that year despite being in Mobile and bound to a wheelchair. In my wildest dream I see myself empowering young girls to be courageously bold.

My name is beautiful 4 and I'm a senior at Joseph C Wilson Magnet High School. I'm a former youth organizer at teen empowerment. As youth organizer I worked with 12 of my peers ages 14 to 22 to plan free events for members of our community to attend. At these events we will write, memorize and perform verbal Arts related to issues in our community. The issues in our community that we brainstormed consisted of things like systemic racism, police brutality, teen pregnancy, drug addiction and abuse, as well as school climate. I'm also a Roc Responder, as a Roc esponder I was trained to de-escalate conflict in my school.I am currently a student assistant unit-aide at Highland Hospital on the floor E7 neurology. As a student assistant I help the nurses and patient care technicians assist patients throughout their stay at the hospital. I am an auntie of eight nieces and nephews ,I aspire to be a pediatric nurse practitioner. My hobbies include but are not limited to reading, writing and binge watching Netflix.This scholarship would be assistance to me through greatly helping me being able to afford higher education ,being able to obtain a bachelor's degree then later a master's degree in order to become a pediatric nurse practitioner.I believe I should receive this award because I'm the resilient young lady who continues to push through despite the obstacles that I am faced with. For example when I was a sophomore in high school one afternoon I was headed home from work and while getting out of a car I was hit by an oncoming car. This resulted in me having my leg broken into separate places. I was in the cast in bed phone for approximately three months. Throughout this time I work with my mom and School staff to make sure I completed the rest of my sophomore year as well as taking all of my regents exams. When it was time for me to take my Regents exam I will wake up and get myself dressed in one of my siblings will carry me down the stairs and then to the car so that I can go to school. I will wait outside the handicap accessible door and wait for the school nurse to bring me a wheelchair. Once I got in the wheelchair I had it to the library and begin taking my Regents exams. This resulted in me taking and passing all of my Regents exams for that year despite being in Mobile and bound to a wheelchair. I am my greatest inspiration and the thought of not living up to my fullest potential drives me .

My name is beautiful 4 and I'm a senior at Joseph C Wilson Magnet High School. I'm a former youth organizer at teen empowerment. As youth organizer I worked with 12 of my peers ages 14 to 22 to plan free events for members of our community to attend. At these events we will write, memorize and perform verbal Arts related to issues in our community. The issues in our community that we brainstormed consisted of things like systemic racism, police brutality, teen pregnancy, drug addiction and abuse, as well as school climate. I'm also a Roc Responder, as a Roc esponder I was trained to de-escalate conflict in my school.I am currently a student assistant unit-aide at Highland Hospital on the floor E7 neurology. As a student assistant I help the nurses and patient care technicians assist patients throughout their stay at the hospital. I am an auntie of eight nieces and nephews ,I aspire to be a pediatric nurse practitioner. My hobbies include but are not limited to reading, writing and binge watching Netflix.This scholarship would be assistance to me through greatly helping me being able to afford higher education ,being able to obtain a bachelor's degree then later a master's degree in order to become a pediatric nurse practitioner.I believe I should receive this award because I'm the resilient young lady who continues to push through despite the obstacles that I am faced with. For example when I was a sophomore in high school one afternoon I was headed home from work and while getting out of a car I was hit by an oncoming car. This resulted in me having my leg broken into separate places. I was in the cast in bed phone for approximately three months. Throughout this time I work with my mom and School staff to make sure I completed the rest of my sophomore year as well as taking all of my regents exams. When it was time for me to take my Regents exam I will wake up and get myself dressed in one of my siblings will carry me down the stairs and then to the car so that I can go to school. I will wait outside the handicap accessible door and wait for the school nurse to bring me a wheelchair. Once I got in the wheelchair I had it to the library and begin taking my Regents exams. This resulted in me taking and passing all of my Regents exams for that year despite being in Mobile and bound to a wheelchair.

At 14 I was hired at TE as a youth organizer, ready to do my part both at home and in my community. TE became another part of my village. The youth and the staff all work together to make sure we are strong, healthy and reaching our fullest potential.As youth organizers we are the hands, feet, heart and voice of the work. I realized that my voice matters and I have an important role in this village through my leadership being a positive voice for change inside and out of TE’s walls. leaving school early to go to meetings, news interviews ,any many more things that I’ve stopped keeping track of, all while maintaining a 4.0 gpa. I did not come this far just to make it this far.As youth organizer it was my job to work along my peers to plan Free community-based events for teens in the area to come to. I apply for the job position as youth organizer my freshman year and was accepted. Once I was a youth organizer I worked with 12 other youth ages 14 to 21 we planned events based on issues that we saw in our community. The issues we planned events around included things such as systemic racism School climate police brutality teen pregnancy drug abuse and addiction as well as many other things. At these events they were all free of charge for the members of the community to 10 myself and other youth organizers wrote and memorized verbal Arts to express the issues we face in our community as well as giving Solutions of ways we can work forward to stopping them. The verbal Arts we wrote memorize and perform for things such as rap poetry spoken word as well as plays and skits. Among other things we have done f as youth organizers are things such as institutional works like going to Rochester city school district school board meetings to speak on behalf of our peers as well as going to Albany to lobby for more funding for our schools. Another community-based thing that we did as youth organizers where have you used police dialogues to see ways in which we can do better the relationship between law enforcement and teens in our community.

At 14 I was hired at TE as a youth organizer, ready to do my part both at home and in my community. TE became another part of my village. The youth and the staff all work together to make sure we are strong, healthy and reaching our fullest potential.As youth organizers we are the hands, feet, heart and voice of the work. I realized that my voice matters and I have an important role in this village through my leadership being a positive voice for change inside and out of TE’s walls. leaving school early to go to meetings, news interviews ,any many more things that I’ve stopped keeping track of, all while maintaining a 4.0 gpa. I did not come this far just to make it this far.As youth organizer it was my job to work along my peers to plan Free community-based events for teens in the area to come to. I apply for the job position as youth organizer my freshman year and was accepted. Once I was a youth organizer I worked with 12 other youth ages 14 to 21 we planned events based on issues that we saw in our community. The issues we planned events around included things such as systemic racism School climate police brutality teen pregnancy drug abuse and addiction as well as many other things. At these events they were all free of charge for the members of the community to 10 myself and other youth organizers wrote and memorized verbal Arts to express the issues we face in our community as well as giving Solutions of ways we can work forward to stopping them. The verbal Arts we wrote memorize and perform for things such as rap poetry spoken word as well as plays and skits. Among other things we have done f as youth organizers are things such as institutional works like going to Rochester city school district school board meetings to speak on behalf of our peers as well as going to Albany to lobby for more funding for our schools. Another community-based thing that we did as youth organizers where have you used police dialogues to see ways in which we can do better the relationship between law enforcement and teens in our community.

At 14 I was hired at TE as a youth organizer, ready to do my part both at home and in my community. TE became another part of my village. The youth and the staff all work together to make sure we are strong, healthy and reaching our fullest potential.As youth organizers we are the hands, feet, heart and voice of the work. I realized that my voice matters and I have an important role in this village through my leadership being a positive voice for change inside and out of TE’s walls. leaving school early to go to meetings, news interviews ,any many more things that I’ve stopped keeping track of, all while maintaining a 4.0 gpa. I did not come this far just to make it this far.As youth organizer it was my job to work along my peers to plan Free community-based events for teens in the area to come to. I apply for the job position as youth organizer my freshman year and was accepted. Once I was a youth organizer I worked with 12 other youth ages 14 to 21 we planned events based on issues that we saw in our community. The issues we planned events around included things such as systemic racism School climate police brutality teen pregnancy drug abuse and addiction as well as many other things. At these events they were all free of charge for the members of the community to 10 myself and other youth organizers wrote and memorized verbal Arts to express the issues we face in our community as well as giving Solutions of ways we can work forward to stopping them. The verbal Arts we wrote memorize and perform for things such as rap poetry spoken word as well as plays and skits. Among other things we have done f as youth organizers are things such as institutional works like going to Rochester city school district school board meetings to speak on behalf of our peers as well as going to Albany to lobby for more funding for our schools. Another community-based thing that we did as youth organizers where have you used police dialogues to see ways in which we can do better the relationship between law enforcement and teens in our community.

My name is beautiful 4 and I'm a senior at Joseph C Wilson Magnet High School. I'm a former youth organizer at teen empowerment. As youth organizer I worked with 12 of my peers ages 14 to 22 to plan free events for members of our community to attend. At these events we will write, memorize and perform verbal Arts related to issues in our community. The issues in our community that we brainstormed consisted of things like systemic racism, police brutality, teen pregnancy, drug addiction and abuse, as well as school climate. I'm also a Roc Responder, as a Roc esponder I was trained to de-escalate conflict in my school.I am currently a student assistant unit-aide at Highland Hospital on the floor E7 neurology. As a student assistant I help the nurses and patient care technicians assist patients throughout their stay at the hospital. I am an auntie of eight nieces and nephews ,I aspire to be a pediatric nurse practitioner. My hobbies include but are not limited to reading, writing and binge watching Netflix.This scholarship would be assistance to me through greatly helping me being able to afford higher education ,being able to obtain a bachelor's degree then later a master's degree in order to become a pediatric nurse practitioner.I believe I should receive this award because I'm the resilient young lady who continues to push through despite the obstacles that I am faced with. For example when I was a sophomore in high school one afternoon I was headed home from work and while getting out of a car I was hit by an oncoming car. This resulted in me having my leg broken into separate places. I was in the cast in bed phone for approximately three months. Throughout this time I work with my mom and School staff to make sure I completed the rest of my sophomore year as well as taking all of my regents exams. When it was time for me to take my Regents exam I will wake up and get myself dressed in one of my siblings will carry me down the stairs and then to the car so that I can go to school. I will wait outside the handicap accessible door and wait for the school nurse to bring me a wheelchair. Once I got in the wheelchair I had it to the library and begin taking my Regents exams. This resulted in me taking and passing all of my Regents exams for that year despite being in Mobile and bound to a wheelchair. I started a business selling waist beads which is an African tradition. My goal is to empower women to feel confident in their skin and connect them to this ancestral roots.

My name is beautiful 4 and I'm a senior at Joseph C Wilson Magnet High School. I'm a former youth organizer at teen empowerment. As youth organizer I worked with 12 of my peers ages 14 to 22 to plan free events for members of our community to attend. At these events we will write, memorize and perform verbal Arts related to issues in our community. The issues in our community that we brainstormed consisted of things like systemic racism, police brutality, teen pregnancy, drug addiction and abuse, as well as school climate. I'm also a Roc Responder, as a Roc esponder I was trained to de-escalate conflict in my school.I am currently a student assistant unit-aide at Highland Hospital on the floor E7 neurology. As a student assistant I help the nurses and patient care technicians assist patients throughout their stay at the hospital. I am an auntie of eight nieces and nephews ,I aspire to be a pediatric nurse practitioner. My hobbies include but are not limited to reading, writing and binge watching Netflix.This scholarship would be assistance to me through greatly helping me being able to afford higher education ,being able to obtain a bachelor's degree then later a master's degree in order to become a pediatric nurse practitioner.I believe I should receive this award because I'm the resilient young lady who continues to push through despite the obstacles that I am faced with. For example when I was a sophomore in high school one afternoon I was headed home from work and while getting out of a car I was hit by an oncoming car. This resulted in me having my leg broken into separate places. I was in the cast in bed phone for approximately three months. Throughout this time I work with my mom and School staff to make sure I completed the rest of my sophomore year as well as taking all of my regents exams. When it was time for me to take my Regents exam I will wake up and get myself dressed in one of my siblings will carry me down the stairs and then to the car so that I can go to school. I will wait outside the handicap accessible door and wait for the school nurse to bring me a wheelchair. Once I got in the wheelchair I had it to the library and begin taking my Regents exams. This resulted in me taking and passing all of my Regents exams for that year despite being in Mobile and bound to a wheelchair. I am preparing myself for my goals by not giving up .

Flashlights Come in handy when the lights go off, but not the hot water.. not when there’s no food and you gotta push through but I kept a flashlight I ain’t gone lie , nights like those suicide crossed my mind every night but my dad raised a soldier and I knew I hadda fight .. fight to survive, wondering why was I still breathing but didn’t feel alive ... I kept a flashlight Mom I still love you, despite what you put me through .. I started taking care of my self when I was 14, at 15 I had to jobs and eventually I started taking care of you , even though I wanted to leave the house at 14 , even though when my dad died all I got was a ring , because insurance never crossed your mind , all that time he was laying in the hospital, 5 years .. 5 long years that I will never forget, I will never forget eating sleep for dinner every other night , I will never forget how alone I felt when you were just across the hall , I will never forget all the award ceremonies you were invited to and didn’t show , I will never forget the birthdays you missed , I will never forget being so young and not have the chance to be a kid .. but I kept a flashlight.. I tried to steer clear of my problems when Depression dragged me While my anxiety boosted ..I just wanted to slip away One day ... I'm happy , my social life is blooming my family is doing fine my nieces a are walking and my nephew is talking ... a few days later I'm breaking down with a razor to my wrist , why do I keep breaking down ? Why can I never push the razor down enough? It's like I take just enough pills to keep breathing... I don't wanna keep breathing I'm unwanted in my own home .. I wish these voices would just leave me alone I hate my life as a whole DO NOT RESUSCITATE, I want these words tattooed in bold Everything hurts , I feel numb... I don’t know how I’m going to do this. Dad you taught me everything and for that I admire you .. but you never taught me how to live without you I will keep my flashlight... for nights like these , when I’m crying so hard I lose sight of everything When my breaths are getting shorter … and I feel my chest tightening up , while the blood is dropping from my wrist, and I'm dizzy from all the pills I feel like I've done something right for once .. I feel like I won't be a disappointment anymore I feel like i won't feel the hurt anymore I feel like it will be all over soon I feel HAPPY ... for once , like I no longer have to fake a smile to get through the day and hide my wrist while forcing myself to be social, not make any sudden movements that will make anyone think I'm going crazy again , Sorry but I'm "going crazy" again ... I miss the feeling , I find happiness everywhere but within , I hate myself I can't keep hiding it .. I'm over everything I'm over life itself and I'm done . I just feel broken beyond repair.. and I want to die uk it's bad when you pray for God to take yah life ... I say "I'm okay " .. but I've never been this bad One day ... I'll be a thing of the past and I cannot wait to feel THAT feeling . Written by : Beautiful Destiny Ford My depression used to be crippling , it’s impacted my relationship people beacuse I lost friends and loved ones from constantly pushing them away

In this image I am preparing to perform at Teen Empowerment’s annual luncheon. At this luncheon I will be reading a speech in front of over a thousand people that I wrote that entails my journey and how I ended up as youth organizer at TE. This is by far the boldest thing I have ever done considering that I am an introvert.

My name is beautiful 4 and I'm a senior at Joseph C Wilson Magnet High School. I'm a former youth organizer at teen empowerment. As youth organizer I worked with 12 of my peers ages 14 to 22 to plan free events for members of our community to attend. At these events we will write, memorize and perform verbal Arts related to issues in our community. The issues in our community that we brainstormed consisted of things like systemic racism, police brutality, teen pregnancy, drug addiction and abuse, as well as school climate. I'm also a Roc Responder, as a Roc esponder I was trained to de-escalate conflict in my school.I am currently a student assistant unit-aide at Highland Hospital on the floor E7 neurology. As a student assistant I help the nurses and patient care technicians assist patients throughout their stay at the hospital. I am an auntie of eight nieces and nephews ,I aspire to be a pediatric nurse practitioner. My hobbies include but are not limited to reading, writing and binge watching Netflix.This scholarship would be assistance to me through greatly helping me being able to afford higher education ,being able to obtain a bachelor's degree then later a master's degree in order to become a pediatric nurse practitioner.I believe I should receive this award because I'm the resilient young lady who continues to push through despite the obstacles that I am faced with. For example when I was a sophomore in high school one afternoon I was headed home from work and while getting out of a car I was hit by an oncoming car. This resulted in me having my leg broken into separate places. I was in the cast in bed phone for approximately three months. Throughout this time I work with my mom and School staff to make sure I completed the rest of my sophomore year as well as taking all of my regents exams. Over the summer I started a business selling handmade waist beads. Wearing waist beads are an African tradition. My goal is to make women feel empowered and connected to their ancestral roots.

My name is beautiful 4 and I'm a senior at Joseph C Wilson Magnet High School. I'm a former youth organizer at teen empowerment. As youth organizer I worked with 12 of my peers ages 14 to 22 to plan free events for members of our community to attend. At these events we will write, memorize and perform verbal Arts related to issues in our community. The issues in our community that we brainstormed consisted of things like systemic racism, police brutality, teen pregnancy, drug addiction and abuse, as well as school climate. I'm also a Roc Responder, as a Roc esponder I was trained to de-escalate conflict in my school.I am currently a student assistant unit-aide at Highland Hospital on the floor E7 neurology. As a student assistant I help the nurses and patient care technicians assist patients throughout their stay at the hospital. I am an auntie of eight nieces and nephews ,I aspire to be a pediatric nurse practitioner. My hobbies include but are not limited to reading, writing and binge watching Netflix.This scholarship would be assistance to me through greatly helping me being able to afford higher education ,being able to obtain a bachelor's degree then later a master's degree in order to become a pediatric nurse practitioner.I believe I should receive this award because I'm the resilient young lady who continues to push through despite the obstacles that I am faced with. For example when I was a sophomore in high school one afternoon I was headed home from work and while getting out of a car I was hit by an oncoming car. This resulted in me having my leg broken into separate places. I was in the cast in bed phone for approximately three months. Throughout this time I work with my mom and School staff to make sure I completed the rest of my sophomore year as well as taking all of my regents exams. My dream is to be a black scholar not a static, to prove to myself that I am not defined by that worst that had been done to me but the best of what I can achieve . I am setting myself up for success to help myself and those around me like my eight nieces and nephews , I plan to forge a path for them to follow.