My mother is my favorite person in the world. I would not be even close to the person I am today without her. She has faced so many trials in general, but just in my lifetime, I have witnessed her face abuse, walk through a divorce, and navigate being a single mom. She has worked so incredibly hard to make a life for me and to provide for all of the things I wanted to take on. Through all of the hardships my mom has faced, she has clung to the Lord through all of it. Her life has brought upon many changes; however, she relied on God as her rock and her foundation. Not only did she raise me in the church, but she also lives her life for the Lord. I have seen her surrender her brokenness to the Lord and He has used her as a vessel for His love. When I think of my mom, I think of someone who radiates Jesus in everything that she does. She doesn't let the world pull her away from living out her Kingdom purpose and from loving others how Jesus loves. My mom has been my best friend through everything and she is the most thoughtful, compassionate, and loving person I know. It is so evident that my mom shares God's love with everyone she meets. Seeing her being abused broke my heart and still does; yet, that didn't even cause her to waver from resting in the Lord's presence. I admire how my mom lets God use the broken and painful parts in her life to shape her into who He made her to be. She is the strongest person I know and to know her is to love her. She probably doesn't know it, but just the opportunity to witness firsthand her walk with the Lord through all of the hard things she's faced has made me who I am today. The way she lays her burdens at the foot of the cross has shown me that the Lord has our best interest at heart and He wants us to surrender our burdens to Him. Her life has also demonstrated to me that resting in His presence and seeking HIm every day is the key to joy through every walk of life. Thanks to my mom, I have seen how God pulls people out of the darkest of places and gives life.

I see myself as a person who strives to encourage everyone I encounter. I love having the opportunity to build one another up. I know from experience that people can appear to have it all together when, in reality, everything is falling apart behind the scenes. I pride myself in my intentionality in showing love to those around me. Be it a simple wave, holding the door, asking about their day, the smallest gestures go a long way. I value my encouraging spirit most about myself because no matter how I am feeling, I always try to go the extra mile to build somebody up. I love when people invest in trying to build me up so I try to do the same for others. I know life gets tough sometimes and circumstances around us are always changing, but my God is the one thing that remains stable. I find myself straying away at times, but with my foundation in the One who created us all, I know I have hope in the tough times. I believe that God gives us the strength to love one another. Love, through Jesus' death on the cross, conquered death, and that is why I believe that it is my purpose on Earth to spread the love of Jesus. With my encouraging spirit, I can equip myself and others to share the truth of the Gospel so that others might experience freedom. I have studied the enneagram tool for a while now, and I have learned a lot more about myself and others through that. I am an enneagram two, which means that my core desire is to be loved. Since I desire that so badly, I know how I want to feel, which is how I try to treat others. It can be so hard to remain strong when life gets hectic; however, I think that being able to focus on my purpose of encouraging others will help me succeed in life. In my career, which I plan to be in accounting, I can reach others and help build them up through our encounters (even though our encounters will be mainly focused on taxes). I love to be around people and love on them, which I think will help me in the future by guiding me where I should end up so I will have the opportunity every day at work to encourage others.

Legacy is what people leave behind after their passing, which affects the next generations. Legacies are what make the world go around. When people leave their legacies behind, they pass on wisdom, truth, and life lessons. I think having a legacy has a tremendous impact on those closest to the one who passed. It inspires loved ones to carry on the legacy and pushes people to be the best versions of themselves with a positive legacy. With a negative legacy, however, loved ones can learn from them in remembrance. They can look back and reflect on life and decide to change for the better. I think it goes without saying that I strive to leave a positive legacy. I am passionate about attitude. One of the biggest lessons I have learned recently is that we can’t control the situation, but we always have control over our attitudes. I want my legacy to reflect the fact that I am joyful despite my situations. I try to remember that all of the difficult trials in life are molding me into who I am supposed to be. You never know what goes on behind closed doors, so I strive to show love and kindness to everyone, no matter the situation.

Community: something I think is so cool and a big passion of mine. Technically, a community is a group of people; however, it is so much more meaningful than that. I think community is essential to overall mental health. To me, community can be described as the people in your corner that are there for you through whatever you go through. We are not meant to struggle alone, that is why God created community. Jesus, the Son of God, came to Earth to serve, not to be served. I think that Jesus’ journey on Earth gives us purpose for our lives and gives us perspective on why it is important to be involved in the community. It is common knowledge that some people are more well off than others. I think that fact is a perfect reason for why community is so important. No, money does not mean happiness; however, those with money are able to contribute to the less-fortunate populations, whether it be financially, emotionally, or physically. I believe that serving others in any community is essential because it creates unity. Serving not only benefits the one being served, but also the ones serving. I have experienced the true high of serving several times, with the most eye-opening being in Jamaica. I, along with other high school students, traveled to the Jamaican Deaf Village twice to serve the deaf residents. I think it is so important to use your capabilities and gifts to serve others and let them know that they are loved. I have also been to Wilmington, NC, Washington, D.C., as well as Mars Hill, NC to serve those less fortunate. I also enjoy working with the food bank and reaching out to the less privileged here in Greensboro, NC. I am extremely thankful for the opportunities to serve and to have experienced the many joys of serving. I plan to help my community in the future in college, throughout my career, and anywhere I end up. As a student at UNCW, I will get involved in several outreach groups to meet people at the college as well as serve those outside of the college. As a finance major, I strive to use my career to help others. Most people would say they don’t like math; however, I fall into the small category of those who do like math. I want to combine my love for math and passion for serving in the field of finance. I want to originally be a Certified Public Accountant and eventually be a Chief Financial Officer, both which involve working with people. I want to spread joy to anyone I encounter and do my part in serving the community.

Similar to many others, I was raised in a Christian household. Sunday morning church was a weekly thing for my family and values were instilled in me at a young age. Growing up, I have always called myself a Christian, went to church, and did all the right things; however, I never truly understood what it meant to have a relationship with God until my senior year of high school. Shortly after my parents’ divorce, I was baptized. I had heard my mom talk about how her faith kept her going and gave her hope through the divorce. I wanted to experience that peace and hope, yet I thought that my life would suddenly change right after my baptism, without putting any work in. As I look back on my journey, I like to compare my faith back then to a checklist. I would go through life checking off that I was doing the right things so I would be seen as a “good Christian”. It wasn’t until the college application process that I truly experienced trusting God. I applied to three colleges, not quite sure where or what I wanted in a college. I am the firstborn and first-generation child so I am somewhat a guinea pig. Fast forward a few months, I was almost sure I wanted to go to the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. I looked to social media to find new friends and roommates. As I was thinking about what I wanted in friends, I really began to examine my values and what was important to me. I realized that it was hypocritical of me to want a true Christian roommate, when my faith was nothing more than surface level. Thanks to quarantine, I had time to set my priorities straight and dig into my faith. I wanted people to be able to see the love of Jesus through me. The more I dug into my bible and prioritized time with God, the more it became an essential part of my day. If nothing went right in my day, I could always find peace from God’s Word. The first time I felt the overwhelming peace of God was when my college acceptances began arriving. I had been pretty set on UNCW prior to receiving my acceptance letter, and I had been praying for clarity and discernment on what college was right for me. I trusted God and I knew that wherever I ended up would be where I am supposed to be. When I opened my UNCW acceptance letter, I felt a peace I had never felt before and I knew that it was God.

I never have truly realized how rare it is to be a first-generation and firstborn child until the beginning of the college admissions process. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to look back and reflect on the careers of my parents and how they have shaped my life. All throughout my childhood, I have always dreamed of having a sibling. A sister. A brother. I would’ve been ecstatic for either. My reasons have changed a little, but I have always wanted a sibling. When I was young, I wanted someone to play with every day. Looking at all of the families around me with several children, I was always envious that their children had someone to play with all the time. As I got into high school, I wished for an older sibling who could drive me to school, show me the ropes of high school, or even just to have someone to look up to. Despite all of the times I have wished for a sibling, obviously, I know that is not going to happen. As a freshman in high school, my mom remarried to a man with four boys. You heard me right, four boys. I quickly came to the realization that I didn’t really know what I had wished for. Fast forward a couple years is when this pandemic began. As much as I struggled with this new way of life, I am able to look back at the tremendous growth I have experienced since then, and especially since freshman year. Honestly, I feel like I am a different person than I was only three years ago; however, I am extremely grateful for everything that has shaped me into who I have become. Being the firstborn child, I do not have an older sibling to show me how to navigate college admissions. It has been challenging to face this time; however, through research, I have figured out my way. My parents have also supported me through this process but I definitely have felt very lost in this time. Facing the fact that I will be a college student in less than six months is absolutely daunting. I know it is not the truth; however, it is very easy to believe that I must have my entire life planned out in six short months. As I have started to explore different options for possible careers, I have realized how blessed I am to be able to attend university and further my education. My parents were not that fortunate, yet they have made the most of their circumstances. I have seen, firsthand, how hard my parents have both worked to be able to support me in every aspect of my life. I never really realized the odds against them in the professional realm of things, being that they had no college degree. This reflection has taught me that no matter what, hard work beats the odds; however, I am going to take full advantage of every opportunity possible in college.