A college degree is worth the world to me. I did not grow up with my parents’ degrees in their offices. However, I come from a long line of hard-working women who did not let societal standards impede their path. I am a first-generation college student, a descendent of enslaved Africans. I am making a legacy by attending and graduating from college. College has always been scary to me. When I thought about it I imagined this big building ready to eat me up and spit me out. Now that I am older I know that college can be a home. A place where you nurture your mind and learn how to excel in your chosen path. Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University is my new home. The excitement of being on campus and experiencing the rich history. I intend to earn my Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science there. Fall semester, I took US History: 1865-PRES. It was my favorite class and my professor was wonderful. His dedication to teaching Black History astounded me. It is because of him that I am in the process of changing my major from Sociology to Political Science with a minor in Pre-Law. I recognize my passion for history. My whole life I always wanted to know the history of something. My ultimate goal is to be an educator. I would love to be a professor one day at my alma mater. Giving back like my professors have done for me. But first, I want to be a historian or a curator. I would love to work in a museum, specifically the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). To be surrounded by black art and history all day would be a dream for me. Unfortunately, there are obstacles in my way. One day, I hope to be Dr. Cameron Williams. To sum it up, this process is very costly. I have not earned as many scholarships as I wanted. It is very competitive these days. I do know that I will make something of myself. When I think of a legacy I think of greatness. I know that there are great things ahead in my future! A scholarship for me is everything. It’s the difference between having to take out a loan. It’s the difference in the future. Choosing between paying a bill or paying off student loan debt. That is a decision millions of people have to make every day. I am hopeful that I will not have to make that decision once I graduate. I am grateful for even being considered!

Growing up with a veteran father is a unique experience. All jobs and careers can be seen as noble, however, service to this wonderful country is a special career. My father was not in the service for long. He served fresh out of high school and was sent to Cambodia during the Cambodian genocide. It impacted his life forever and made him the man he is today. He has done everything so that I can have options in life. I am thankful every day for having such a brave father. He supports me in every decision and influenced my career goals. My dream career is to be a historian and curator. I love history and studying how our history impacts our present and future. I believe to not repeat past mistakes we have to look at our history on what not to do. I would love to work for the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). Eventually, I also want to be a professor at my future alma mater, Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University (FAMU). I have always loved history. Once I could read, I was always asking my parents the meaning and history behind things. My father encouraged me. He loved to see my inquisitive nature. Growing up and hearing about his time in the army changed me. Parents try to do their best to shield their children from danger. Hearing how my father endured this terrible, traumatic experience hurt my heart. My ultimate goal is to teach black history. Many people do not understand how black history is American history. It is all intertwined. I plan on attending grad school after I finish undergraduate. I am thinking of doing my dissertation on veterans and how this country has treated them. Specifically, black veterans and how they were denied all the benefits of serving this country and how that has affected generations of black families. Veterans to this day still disproportionately experience substance abuse issues, mental health disorders, etc. They need to be advocated for. Fortunately, my father was one of the lucky ones. His time in Cambodia traumatized him and he left the military shortly afterward. I know if he spent another tour of duty he could have walked away with a number of issues. My experience as the daughter of a veteran is unique and I would not change a thing. It makes me happy to know that my father loved his country enough to serve it!

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A college degree is worth the world to me. I did not grow up with my parents’ degrees in their offices. However, I come from a long line of hard-working women who did not let societal standards impede their path. I am a first-generation college student, a descendent of enslaved Africans. I am making a legacy by attending and graduating from college. College has always been scary to me. When I thought about it I imagined this big building ready to eat me up and spit me out. Now that I am older I know that college can be a home. A place where you nurture your mind and learn how to excel in your chosen path. Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University is my new home. The excitement of being on campus and experiencing the rich history. I intend to earn my Bachelor’s Degree in History there. Fall semester, I took US History: 1865-PRES. It was my favorite class and my professor was wonderful. His dedication to teaching Black History astounded me. It is because of him that I am in the process of changing my major from Sociology to History with a minor in African-American studies. I recognize my passion for history. My whole life I always wanted to know the history of something. My ultimate goal is to be an educator. I would love to be a professor one day at my alma mater. Giving back like my professors have done for me. But first, I want to be a historian or a curator. I would love to work in a museum, specifically the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). To be surrounded by black art and history all day would be a dream for me. Unfortunately, there are obstacles in my way. I would give back to my community by being an educator but also I want to start an afterschool program where I teach students about black history. The history curriculum is not centered on black people. I want to show students that there are historical figures who stood for their community and they are the reason that black people are no longer enslaved today. There is so much history out there that people do not know and the best way is to start people on the right course while they are young. Giving back is the way people keep themselves humble. Having success can go to your head and people need to come back down to earth sometimes. Also, it feels good and it is something I strive to do in everyday life! One day, I hope to be Dr. Cameron Williams. Having a Ph.D. in History. By then, hopefully, I will have my Master in African-American Studies and my Bachelors in History. To sum it up, this process is very costly. I have not earned as many scholarships as I wanted. It is very competitive these days. I do know that I will make something of myself. When I think of a legacy I think of greatness. I know that there are great things ahead in my future!

A college degree is worth the world to me. I did not grow up with my parents’ degrees in their offices. However, I come from a long line of hard-working women who did not let societal standards impede their path. I am a first-generation college student, a descendent of enslaved Africans. I am making a legacy by attending and graduating from college. The road to college has not been easy. My mother has always drilled the importance of college to me. Yet, it was not until middle school that I decided to attend. Back then, I thought I would go to Harvard and be a neurosurgeon. I realize how cliche that was of me. Freshman and sophomore years of high school were okay. However, junior year was the best and worst time of my life so far… I had an amazing friend group full of people who understood the IB struggles. The community IB brought me was excellent. I am still grateful for it to this very day. But unfortunately, I was drowning. Being a perpetual procrastinator my whole life I thought being in IB would help me, yet I only learned how to work smarter and not harder. I took shortcuts and did not put my all into the program. I am not a doctor of any sort, but I can confidently say I was depressed. The work never stopped and I could never catch up. I was insecure in my intelligence thinking I did not belong. I was just barely getting by. The whole school year I wanted to drop out of IB. I was scared and the thought of failure made me wanna barf. At the beginning of 2020, my father was in the hospital. It was rough and I did not discuss how it made me feel. Life felt so hard and hopeless. Luckily, he got better and my mother supported me every step of the way. Unlike a lot of my former classmates, I was intrinsically self-motivated. My mom did not force me to do IB. Sometimes, I can be considered an over-achiever. I dreamed of getting my IB Diploma and having 100% of my tuition paid for. I knew I could do it. So, I kept going until the pandemic hit. The time of isolation helped me see things clearly. I realized IB was not for me. I could not handle the stress any longer. By the start of senior year, I had dropped out of IB. One great thing I learned was that I wanted to attend an HBCU, Historically Black Colleges or Universities. The summer of 2020 changed my life for the better. It was scary at first, but eventually, it inspired and motivated me to be a part of the change. Throughout high school, I thought I would major in psychology. It was my favorite subject and had my favorite teacher. She uplifted me through hard times and I am thankful for her! However, although I love psychology I realized I did not want to major in it. I changed my major to sociology. I had researched endless careers and public policy came up in my search. It seemed fitting for me. Helping to make change through the government. I wanted to make things better. I entered college in the summer semester. That semester I took Intro to Sociology. It was the most boring and interesting class I have ever taken. The topic was fascinating but it did not garner my attention. My favorite class that summer was Intro to African-American History. Black history was not well-taught in the school systems of my hometown. It blew my mind! I loved it and going to class was delightful. My professor was amazing. She was an intelligent, confident black woman dedicated to teaching her pupils about the history of our ancestors. I was simply inspired. I forgot to mention. I attend the Illustrious Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University! The #1 Public HBCU and the BEST!! Attending this university has changed me in ways I would have never imagined. I am more confident and being around students that look like me for the first time in my life is refreshing. Not having to shrink me or be the only black person in the room. It is one of the best decisions I have ever made to attend! I love my university and my heart bleeds orange and green. Fall semester, I took US History: 1865-PRES. It was my favorite class and my professor was wonderful. His dedication to teaching Black History astounded me. It is because of him that I am in the process of changing my major from Sociology to History with a minor in African-American studies. I recognize my passion for history. My whole life I always wanted to know the history of something. My ultimate goal is to be an educator. I would love to be a professor one day at my alma mater. Giving back like my professors have done for me. But first, I want to be a historian or a curator. I would love to work in a museum, specifically the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). To be surrounded by black art and history all day would be a dream for me. Unfortunately, there are obstacles in my way. One day, I hope to be Dr. Cameron Williams. Having a Ph.D. in History. By then, hopefully, I will have my Master in African-American Studies and my Bachelors in History. To sum it up, this process is very costly. I have not earned as many scholarships as I wanted. It is very competitive these days. I do know that I will make something of myself. When I think of a legacy I think of greatness. I know that there are great things ahead in my future!

A college degree is worth the world to me. I did not grow up with my parents’ degrees in their offices. However, I come from a long line of hard-working women who did not let societal standards impede their path. I am a first-generation college student, a descendent of enslaved Africans. I am making a legacy by attending and graduating from college. College has always been scary to me. When I thought about it I imagined this big building ready to eat me up and spit me out. Now that I am older I know that college can be a home. A place where you nurture your mind and learn how to excel in your chosen path. Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University is my new home. The excitement of being on campus and experiencing the rich history. I intend to earn my Bachelor’s Degree in History there. Fall semester, I took US History: 1865-PRES. It was my favorite class and my professor was wonderful. His dedication to teaching Black History astounded me. It is because of him that I am in the process of changing my major from Sociology to History with a minor in African-American studies. I recognize my passion for history. My whole life I always wanted to know the history of something. My ultimate goal is to be an educator. I would love to be a professor one day at my alma mater. Giving back like my professors have done for me. But first, I want to be a historian or a curator. I would love to work in a museum, specifically the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). To be surrounded by black art and history all day would be a dream for me. Unfortunately, there are obstacles in my way. One day, I hope to be Dr. Cameron Williams. Having a Ph.D. in History. By then, hopefully, I will have my Master in African-American Studies and my Bachelors in History. To sum it up, this process is very costly. I have not earned as many scholarships as I wanted. It is very competitive these days. I do know that I will make something of myself. When I think of a legacy I think of greatness. I know that there are great things ahead in my future! A scholarship for me is everything. It’s the difference between having to take out a loan. It’s the difference in the future. Choosing between paying a bill or paying off student loan debt. That is a decision millions of people have to make every day. I am hopeful that I will not have to make that decision once I graduate. I am grateful for even being considered!