The black girl who did it all. That pretty much sums up who I am as a person. I am a 21-year-old, hardworking, Capricorn (if you know, you know) who was given nothing she needed but has gotten everything she wanted. I am a first-generation college kid about to graduate with my bachelor's in business (I plan on getting my master's as well), working 2 on-campus jobs while handling multiple internships. I am a family-oriented woman (even if my family doesn't see eye to eye with me all the time) and I love being a part of my community whether it's helping out at a charity event or simply just being around to embrace the neighborhood and the culture that lies within it. I never had all the resources or support systems that most people have to get by, but I never let that stop me from doing great things. I have always been the type to not think about what I don't have but about what I want and how to obtain that. Never been the one for words either, I am more of a take-action type of girl. Words can only take you so far in life, actions are what make life moves forward. For my career aspiration, I would love to travel. I want to be a production coordinator for huge artists, helping out with tours or events. Just to be able to get out of the dense bubble of New Jersey and be able to see the world for what it is. With the money I will save by paying down my student loans, I will finally be able to invest into myself. I know that sounds backwards but what I mean is that I get to finally be able to start doing things for myself just because. I do all these great things for an ulterior motive, whether its for my community, for school, or just my reputation. With this money, I will finally be able to do things for myself. Being a low-income student, the one thing that is always on my mind is money. Growing up always struggling, barely making ends meet, your biggest motivation to make it in life is to finally not have to worry about if you have money or not. To finally have that financial freedom, it would make all the struggles seem worth it. I shouldn't have to be in so much debt just trying to be a good student. Not having enough money shouldn't be a reason that I can't persue an education. My knowledge shouldn't be hindered because I don't make enough in the multiple jobs I work. I want to do a million things without owing a million dollars and I truly believe this scholarship will help me succeed.

The black girl who did it all. That pretty much sums up who I am as a person. I am a 21-year-old, hardworking, Capricorn (if you know, you know) who was given nothing she needed but has gotten everything she wanted. I am a first-generation college kid about to graduate with my bachelor's in business (I plan on getting my master's as well), working 2 on-campus jobs while handling multiple internships. I am a family-oriented woman (even if my family doesn't see eye to eye with me all the time) and I love being a part of my community whether it's helping out at a charity event or simply just being around to embrace the neighborhood and the culture that lies within it. I never had all the resources or support systems that most people have to get by, but I never let that stop me from doing great things. I have always been the type to not think about what I don't have but about what I want and how to obtain that. Never been the one for words either, I am more of a take-action type of girl. Words can only take you so far in life, actions are what make life moves forward. I plan to make a positive impact on the world and my community by being a role model and an influence for others to be inspired by. I want people to see through my accomplishments that you are your biggest supporter, and you can do whatever you put your mind to. My favorite saying is "Reach for the stars, you just might become one". This saying just radiates optimism and it just gives me so much motivation to keep going. You don't need a million people to stand by you, as long as you have your own back, that is the best support you could ever ask for. Be the person that makes it out, be the person whose name rings success in people's ears, be that person everyone could be proud of. I know I make my family and friends proud, and best of all, I know I make myself proud. I do all I can and then some more because I make my own limits and realistically, I choose to have none. All I crave is success, I thrive on it. I want my aspiration for great things to be the positive impact I leave behind.

If you think that you have no one, you will always have yourself. You can always just depend on you when no one else is around. However, if you are not in the best position mentally, who can you depend on? This is why I believe mental health is important. I truly believe in the phrase " Mind over body" because you can be the most physically fit person but if your mindset isn't right, then you won't get anywhere in life. Having a good mental health is vital because you really depends on your brain for a lot of things. If you are having a bad day mentally, it will show throughout your whole body whether physically or emotionally. Having bad mental health can just really take a toll on you and the environment that surrounds you. Mental health decides whether you clean up today, if you shower, if you eat and even if you get up out of bed. For something that takes up such a small space in your body, it creates such an impact on you . I maintain my mental health by prioritizing it when it comes to decisions. I ask myself how will it affect my mental health and I. In what way will it affect it, positively or negatively? I make my mental health my number one priority because without it, I would not be able to handle things or do things the way that I do. In todays times, you will see a lot of people started to take mental health seriously. With all the new research and information coming about about mental health/issues, it really has influenced people to start caring for their own mental health. I would be limited to the opportunities that are given to me because I wouldn't be able to handle them mentally. I also like to give myself a mental health day. A lot of people take advantage of this because they just don't want to do anything that day but I make the most out of this day. I make this day all about bettering my mental health so I can take on whatever the next day might bring. I will read, I will write my thoughts in my journal, I will organize everything that I have, I will clean up etc. There are so many things to do that will help create a better mental space for you and I take advantage of all of those methods. Mental health is extremely important because it helps me get through the everyday trial of life.

My favorite Disney character has to be Rapunzel. I just relate to her story and I aspire to inherit her character traits. She is such an optimistic, positive, and strong woman who just sees the good in everyone. She made friends with even the meanest of people and she brought smiles to everyone she came across. I would love to see the world how she does. In these modern times, it gets harder and harder to try to find the positive things. Rapunzel takes the worst situations and try to make the best of it. Her whole character just reminds me of a ball of sunshine, lighting up everyone. For her story, I relate to it so much. My parents are not the kindest. They boss me around, they make me do everything, and they try to keep me secluded from the world because they didn't want me leaving them. I had to beg and plead for them to send me to a public school but even when I went, they heavily monitored over me and watched my every move. I wasn't allowed to have friends over, I wasn't allowed to go out, I was just kept at home away from the whole world. It wasn't until high school when I finally decided that I had enough of it. I put my foot down and told them that I am old enough to do what I want to do and I shouldn't have to slave away for them when they are plenty of grown enough to do it on their own. I finally stood up for myself and it felt amazing. Dealing with years of trauma, gaslighting, and manipulation really has turned me into a stronger person. I finally realize what life is really about and now I get to live it to the fullest. I find a lot of myself in Rapunzel because of the things we went through so she isn't just my favorite character because of her movie, it is because of who she is as a person and what she has survived.

My little fur baby has changed my life because he has shown me how it feels to be in love and be loved. I have a black and white tuxedo cat named Momo, the name was created when I was three. I got him from my mom's friend and I am always so grateful that she gave us him. Momo wasn't the nicest kitten but that is because he didn't have the chance to be one. He was born into a trailer with five other dogs who were also very mean. My mom's friend couldn't afford to break up animals fights anymore so she gave him to us. I just remember him the car literally crying so loud and when we brought him inside, he instantly ran and hid. Even though he would literally attack us for no reason, I would always hug him so tight and kiss him all the time. He is much older now so he is more relaxed and more loving than ever. Momo has taught what it feels like to take care of someone that you love. I would go to hell and back for him. Momo has shown me a love that I never thought that I would get. My family isn't very affectionate or the greatest when it comes to emotions. They would always shut me down or push me away whenever I needed someone. Momo was always there when I was distressed. He would be right beside me when I needed to lean on someone (even though I am five times his size). I love my cat more than myself. He is really the light of life. I love pets because they bring out another side of you. They can make the meanest person turn into the biggest baby. They bring out the love and care everyone has within themselves. Pets better us as humans and we truly don't deserve them.

Charming, loving and caring are all words that can be used to describe me. However, those words only describe the surface of me. Inside, I am well articulated, organized, hardworking, and unique. The way I set myself up is definitely one of a kind. I am hungry to achieve all good things in life and I want people to really see how much good I could bring back into the world. My dream future is me getting ready in my own place to go to the job that I absolutely love doing to discuss how everyone that is there can be successful. My dream job is to be a talent scout or music manager for the biggest music companies. My dream place is a little modern apartment or condo, everything pink and girly! My dream future is to have everything that I planned for to become true. The only thing that really stands in the way of me building my dream future is me. I may come across as very confident and very extroverted but in reality, I am always riddled with fear and anxiety. I really tend to get in my own head a lot and overthink everything. I need to think and plan everything out or else I won't do it. Being very dependent on myself doesn't allow me to branch out and do anything else. I like to think that I have a phobia of failure. I will do anything and everything to make sure that I don't disappoint whether it be myself or others. I can't afford fail, it is never an option. With this mindset, it really handicaps but benefits me. It's beneficial to me because since I always thrive for greatness, I will have it. However, this doesn't allow me to take any risks and what is life without risk? Life doesn't have a game plan. No one can sit you down and tell you exactly how your life is going to go. The world is changing every second of every day and I need to learn how to change with it. Removing this block is going to be hard because I have been like this for all my life. I need to start looking at the positive of things instead of always trying to find the slightest negative. I need to start living life with more oh wells instead of what ifs. I am going to start saying yes to things I would normally pass on. I am going to start living life glass half full. I am going to start really seeing life how it is, a blessing and not a Microsoft excel sheet. We live in a crazy world right now and tomorrow is never promised so with all the charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent that I have, in order to have my dream future I need to overcome myself.

I was born into this world destined to fail. I was born into a fatherless, low class, uneducated minority family who had to fight and beg just to survive. My mother, who tried her best everyday to make life painless, had two other kids she had to deal with at such a young age too. Everyday was a battle, there were no breaks to just relax and live life. I like to think of my childhood as the trailer to the hardships of life, like it was the prequel of just how bad my life is going to be when I am older. And trust me, it did. I've dealt with homelessness, poverty, hunger all before the age of 10. I've encountered every disease a child could get and at times I have had to "deal with it". There was either having a birthday or Christmas and even then you would be lucky to end up with one. In total, my childhood sucked. Now that I am older, life still sucks but I have become so used to this "lifestyle", nothing phases me anymore. The only good thing to come from this was the person it turned me into, a courageous, driven women who won't stand to let anyone tell her she can't do it. College is important to me because I would finally break free from this life of endless struggle and pursue my dreams of making myself someone in this world. College gives me a purpose and drive to be someone worth mentioning. I know the life I want and deserve won't be handed to me so this is why I push myself to work hard and earn such a lavish lifestyle. I want to look back at my college days and be proud of myself for not giving up and receiving the life I have. I know I am capable of doing whatever I put my mind to, clearly if I am still here writing this essay! With my degree, I can finally give my family the break they deserve. No one has worked harder than my family and it is about time we get a chance to breathe. Everyone else around us has a chance to just live life, when will it be our turn? This is why I am going to college, to finally start living life and see what it is all about. I have never wanted anything more than to get a degree and be the first person in my family to graduate college. I want this more for them then I do for me because at the end of the day, this degree will save all of us.

No one can predict the future. No one can sit down and tell you exactly how your life is going to go until you die, not even the witch lady with crystal ball you go to. However, you can determine what it can consists of. With a healthy lifestyle, you won't have to worry about any minimal health risks. You can enjoy life without a second thought. Living a healthy lifestyle improved my way of life drastically. I used to be even bigger than I am now but since I changed my lifestyle, I am now thriving. I feel more confident, braver, and lighter (physically and mentally). It also helped ease the fear of the future a little knowing that what I am doing can help me live a little longer. I don't want to live 100 years but I don't want to go to soon so having a healthy lifestyle is important to me because I am in control of a better future for me, physically.

The arts is what made me. I don't know where I would be right now if it wasn't for music. It helps define me, it is almost a personality trait. I love being involved in music. It is the one thing that makes sense in this crazy world. To have a career in the arts would mean everything and more for me. I would be doing the one thing I know I can excel in and it would be an honor and life time achievement to be working with music. I would want to have a job in the music industry, more specifically a talent scout. This is important to me because being noticed for your creativity and work is one of the best things you can give a person. I want to be that person that gives someone the chance to be better than themselves and show the world why they deserve to be recognized. I thrive giving things so what is better than giving someone the opportunity to have a different life. It would be amazing and life fulfilling to be that person that just helps others with their path into music. I always believe that if you indulge yourself in music, it seems like the world problems melt away. I want more people to be interested in music because that what makes the world go around. Having a career in the arts is important to me because it means change for others and gives me the thrills of living life.