Growing up, STEM was a major focus within my school. I attended a technology elementary, where students were encouraged to participate in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. During this time, I started with a very high interest in technology. I took up hobbies such as film production, broadcasting and media. While my love for STEM grew, I knew very few women made up the STEM workforce. Let alone women of color. This encouraged me to go against the odds and continue to pursue STEM. Representation is vital for the young children of color in the world. It is important that young girls see someone similar to them, pursuing something they too have an interest in. I want to aim to be that representation for young black girls. Throughout my middle school and high school years, my interest shifted to mathematics. It came quite easily to me. Although I was not the absolute best, I knew it was something I had a talent for. Not everyone has the ability to deal with numbers and I knew it was something I could not waste. I came to the conclusion, what better numbers to deal with than money! During childhood, my family struggled financially. Every month we found ourselves simply getting by. My senior year of high school, my interest in financial stability had grown. I wanted to become money savvy, not only for myself but for the people around me. By combining my natural talent for mathematics with my hunger for financial knowledge, I chose to pursue a career in STEM. While pursuing my degree in Finance, there will be many challenges or obstacles I will be faced with. There are not many women pursuing jobs within STEM, due to this I will have to work harder in order to be respected and seen. College is a very new environment. It will take time and patience for me to adjust. While being away from home can be an obstacle within itself, it is vital for me to stay focused and think about the goal in hand. Other obstacles I can encounter are those after graduating college. It is a competitive and fast paced world. Finding a job after college can be difficult. I plan to do internships and reach out to companies while still in school, to make my transition out of school easier. Even with the obstacles I may face, I am determined to continue in STEM to show young girls it is possible.

Growing up, STEM was a major focus within my school. I attended a technology elementary, where students were encouraged to participate in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. During this time, I started with a very high interest in technology. I took up hobbies such as film production, broadcasting, and media. While my love for STEM grew, I knew very few women made up the STEM workforce. Let alone women of color. This encouraged me to go against the odds and continue to pursue STEM. Representation is vital for the young children of color in the world. It is important that young girls see someone similar to them, pursuing something they too have an interest in. I want to aim to be that representation for young black girls. Throughout my middle school and high school years, my interest shifted to mathematics. It came quite easily to me. Although I was not the absolute best, I knew it was something I had a talent for. Not everyone has the ability to deal with numbers and I knew it was something I could not waste. I came to the conclusion, what better numbers to deal with than money! During childhood, my family struggled financially. Every month we found ourselves simply getting by. In my senior year of high school, my interest in financial stability had grown. I wanted to become money savvy, not only for myself but for the people around me. By combining my natural talent for mathematics with my hunger for financial knowledge, I chose to pursue a career in STEM. With my degree in finance, I would love to become a financial advisor. My major focus would be to assist my family around me who have monetary goals that they would like to achieve but do not quite know-how. Secondly, as a member of the African American community, I want to see my people grow. Once achieving my degree in finance, I would love to educate children within the black community. I plan to start a free financial program to teach young children the importance of managing money and the appropriate steps to get there. I am confident that I can make a difference within my community, and ensure that people can live a more financially stable life. My degree will not only help kick start my career, but also help uplift and educate so many others in the future.

Throughout my life, I have always wanted to be the best leader that I could be. I want to set an example for others and help them grow and succeed as well. To be named the leader of my middle school had always been my dream. Every year the entire school participated in a series of rounds until only five students in the school were left. The last person standing would then be crowned the Viking Leader of the year. This opportunity of being the leader in my first year in middle school gave me great excitement. Through hard work and determination, I, a first-year middle schooler, made it all the way to the fifth round. It was my opportunity to win it all. Surrounded by upperclassmen, I was terrified, but I hid it all behind a smile. In this last round, we all were asked to prepare for a presidential press conference. At this time in my life politics was not something I was very familiar with. Although I knew little about the subject, I continued to answer the questions to the best of my ability. I was filled with excitement. Waiting for the judges to call out the winner of the entire challenge. At this point, I knew all my hard work would pay off. I could be the first-ever Viking Leader. Unfortunately, in the end, I was not selected as the Viking Leader of the year. Even though the pain and disappointment, the opportunity taught me so much about who I could become and who I already was. I realized that the results of hard work are not always seen right away, but my hard work and dedication would soon pay off. I learned the importance of not giving up. Even with that disappointing loss in my 6th-grade year, I continued every other year in hopes of finally winning. I failed again in my 7th-grade year, coming in second place. My 8th-grade year was my last opportunity. It was now or never. Ultimately, after two years of disappointment, I was now known as the Viking Leader of the year. This taught me the importance of perseverance. No matter how many times I fail, I always try again, because failing just allows me to be one step closer to success. This experience did not only allow me to grow through middle school, but I was able to take all I learned and apply it to all aspects of my life.

Life can be a long and wild rollercoaster. It comes with various ups and downs. While times can get very difficult, it is vital that I stayed motivated in order to reach success. My mom is someone who keeps me motivated on a daily basis. She came from a family that had to work extra hard for things in life. While living on her own at 16, she obtained 3 jobs just to get by. Although she faced many challenges throughout her childhood, she continues to motivate me to succeed in areas of my life that were not easy for her to achieve. Throughout her single motherhood, she has displayed strength and perseverance. She takes pride in raising me to be better and to reach my goals. Without her, I can not say I would be the student that I am today. I can not say I would have accomplished things that I thought were not possible. My mother has sacrificed so many things for me to be who I am today. I hope to become the successful young lady she dreams for me to be, so I can repay her for all she has done. That is what motivates me to keep going, even in the most difficult times.

Once obtaining my associate's degree after graduating high school, I will be attending Prairie View A&M University. I plan to major in finance in hopes of becoming a CFO for a major company. This career path will not only assist me in my financial path but also allow me to assist others. While there were many schools I could have attended within the state of Texas, going to an HBCU was very important to me. I toured many schools, but none felt at home like Prairie View. As a young black woman, I believe in the importance of representation. It was an honor to see other women of color reaching their goals. An HBCU is not just a college for African American students, but it is a vital reminder that no matter our history bettering ourselves together is possible. Due to this, it would be my dream to further my education in STEM at an HBCU.