When I moved from Nigeria to the United States for college, my parents stayed behind, but the cost of the move became theirs. Our household earns less than $30,000 a year. Tuition is charged in dollars while their income is earned in naira, so a change in the exchange rate can raise the real cost of the same bill before the next semester begins. My parents still chose to support me because they believed a computer science degree could give our family more stability. I arrived with an international scholarship that reduced my tuition, then had a difficult first semester and earned a 2.0 GPA. I needed at least a 2.75 cumulative GPA to keep that support. As an international student, I could not replace it with federal financial aid, so I had to recover quickly. I raised my cumulative GPA above the requirement and have since brought it to approximately 3.3. That semester changed how I understood a grade. A low grade could turn into another loan in my parents' names. Those loans are now part of how my family pays my tuition. I work on campus to cover living expenses where I can, but every semester still begins with an uncomfortable calculation about the exchange rate, the balance due, and how much my parents can borrow. College no longer feels like four years that simply belong to me. It is time my family purchased through debt, and I try to use it with that in mind. That pressure is one reason I spend so much time helping other students find opportunities. As Vice President of Lion Tech Society, I develop company partnerships and plan events where students can build projects, enter hackathons, and learn about research. As Chair of the Student Government Association's Academic Affairs Committee, I arrange meetings with deans, administrators, and professors about research fairs and ways to increase tutoring participation. Outside campus, I read the Gospel at St. Joseph Catholic Church every Sunday and Wednesday and help with book and clothing donation drives through the Catholic Students Association. The move has made me less casual about other people's sacrifices. When I sit in class or plan an event, I know my parents paid for that time before I ever used it. This scholarship would lower the next amount they need to borrow and help me finish my degree without placing as much of the cost on them. That is the most direct way it could change my family's situation.

By May 2027, I plan to graduate from East Texas A&M University with a bachelor's degree in computer science and begin working as a software engineer. I want to build software and AI systems that people can depend on, especially when a system's output affects security or a major financial decision. Later, I intend to pursue graduate study in AI, software security, or system reliability. The question I keep returning to is straightforward: how can we tell whether an AI system solved a problem safely instead of merely producing an answer that looks right? My current research has given me a concrete version of that question. I study AI-generated security repairs and test whether a model that fixes one identified software problem creates a different weakness in the process. I also helped build BeforeYouSign, a tool that helps renters identify and understand important provisions in leases. It became a Top 10 finalist in the OpenAI and Handshake Codex Challenge and was featured by East Texas A&M University. One project examines failure; the other focuses on making difficult information usable. Both have pushed me toward work where reliability has to be demonstrated, not assumed. I do not want that work to stop at my own projects. As Vice President of Lion Tech Society, an organization with more than 80 members, I develop company partnerships and lead event planning. We create practical opportunities for students to build, enter hackathons, learn about research, and meet people in industry. I also chair the Student Government Association's Academic Affairs Committee, where I arrange meetings with deans, administrators, and professors about research fairs and ways to increase tutoring participation. I serve on the Student Center Art & Design Committee at the Rayburn Student Center as well, advising its leadership on student-facing art, design, and the experience of the space. That committee is less technical, but it is another place where I can help shape whether students feel considered on campus. The financial part of this plan is much less secure. My family earns less than $30,000 a year, and my parents take loans in their own names to pay my tuition. Because I am an international student, I am not eligible for federal financial aid. A private scholarship is not an abstract honor for us. It reduces the next amount my parents have to borrow. The Bright Lights Scholarship would help cover tuition, books, or required academic expenses and let me protect more time for research and campus work. My next step is to finish the degree, continue the research, and enter a role where I can test my ideas against real systems. Over time, I want to become an engineer and researcher who does not accept a successful-looking result without asking what it may have broken. I also want to help other students gain the first project or research opportunity that makes a technical career feel possible. This scholarship would help me reach that next step without asking my parents to absorb as much of the cost.

I want to make technical knowledge less dependent on what a person can afford or who they already know. Important decisions now run through software and documents that many people do not fully understand. A lease or an online application can shape someone's finances and future, yet the help needed to interpret it may be expensive or inaccessible. I am studying computer science because I want to build reliable tools that make those decisions easier to navigate. I also want more students to see themselves as people who can build technology, not just use it. My parents are the reason that goal feels personal rather than abstract. My family earns less than $30,000 a year, but they have taken loans in their own names to keep me in school in the United States. Their decision changed how I think about success. Getting a well-paid job would help my family, but it would not be enough by itself. I want the education they are financing to produce work that is useful to people who do not have much room for an expensive mistake. BeforeYouSign is my clearest attempt so far. I helped build it to help renters find and understand important provisions in complicated lease documents. People often sign because they need housing, even when the fees, obligations, or risks are not clear and legal review is out of reach. The project was selected as a Top 10 finalist in the OpenAI and Handshake Codex Challenge and featured by East Texas A&M University. I was proud of the recognition, but the more important result was learning how much care it takes to turn technical capability into information someone can actually use. On campus, I work on the other side of access: helping students get experience and connections. As Vice President of Lion Tech Society, an 80-member organization, I develop company partnerships and lead event planning. Our programs give students a place to build projects, try hackathons, learn about research, and connect with industry without assuming they already know how any of it works. I also chair the Student Government Association's Academic Affairs Committee. I arrange conversations with deans, administrators, and professors about research fairs and practical ways to increase tutoring participation. That work has made me pay attention to the first step. A program can exist and still be inaccessible if students do not know where to enter it. I plan to use my education to build dependable software and AI systems, study where those systems fail, and mentor students who are still trying to find their place in technology. This scholarship would reduce the debt my parents are taking on and give me more time for that work. I want fewer people to be shut out of important decisions because information is confusing or professional help is unaffordable. I also want students with little technical experience to have a clear way to begin. That is how I want my parents' sacrifice to matter beyond our family.

Every time tuition is due, my parents have to decide how much more debt they can carry. Our household earns less than $30,000 a year, and they take loans in their own names so I can study computer science in the United States. I do not see that as routine support. It is a serious risk they are accepting for me. In the Nigerian family I grew up in, education was never treated as a private achievement. If one person receives an opportunity, that person is expected to use it well and help others. Studying in the United States has made that expectation more real because I know exactly what my education is costing my family. At St. Joseph Catholic Church, I read the Gospel at Mass every Sunday and Wednesday. The congregation expects me to be prepared and present each week. Through the Catholic Students Association, I also help coordinate book and clothing donation drives twice a month. These are not dramatic acts, but they have changed how I think about service. A good intention only becomes a useful donation when someone shows up, handles the details, and makes sure it reaches the people who need it. On campus, I try to create opportunities students can actually use. As Vice President of Lion Tech Society, an organization with more than 80 members, I develop company partnerships and lead the planning of events. We give students chances to build projects, join hackathons, learn about research, and meet people in industry. As Chair of the Student Government Association's Academic Affairs Committee, I arrange meetings with college deans, administrators, and professors. We have worked on research fairs and discussed ways professors might encourage tutoring participation, including extra credit. The useful part of both roles is being able to get the right people in the same room and move an idea past the discussion stage. I helped build BeforeYouSign so renters could identify important provisions in leases that are often difficult to understand. Someone who cannot afford professional review still has to make sense of fees, obligations, and risks before signing. The project became a Top 10 finalist in the OpenAI and Handshake Codex Challenge and was featured by East Texas A&M University. Working on it showed me that software can be technically serious while still addressing an ordinary problem with real consequences. The Dr. Soronnadi Nnaji Legacy Scholarship would have an immediate effect: my parents would need to borrow less. It would also protect more of my time for research, responsible software projects, and the campus programs I help organize. I want my STEM education to improve my family's position and make useful opportunities easier for other people to reach. That is the standard I have for the degree my parents are financing.

For me, opportunity has never been something to simply receive. It is something to multiply. I learned that in Abuja, Nigeria, where my interest in technology grew in a home where curiosity was strong, but resources were limited. When I was about 12 years old, my father took me to a coding boot camp, and my teammate and I built a quiz app about Nigerian history and general knowledge using MIT App Inventor. We won first place, but what stayed with me was not the prize. It was hearing someone say I had built something genuinely useful. That moment shaped me. It made me see programming as a way to help people understand, learn, and move through problems more easily. My path has not always been easy. Internet access was expensive and sometimes unreliable, so my family had to budget wi-fi access carefully. I could not always watch tutorials, practice freely, or explore programming as deeply as I wanted. Sometimes I relied on school labs during breaks just to keep learning. Those limitations frustrated me, but they also built something important in me: persistence, gratitude for access, and a desire to help people with whatever tools I have. Since coming to the United States, I have tried to make sure that opportunity is not wasted on me. At East Texas A&M University, I am a Computer Science student with a 3.3 GPA, and I have used my education to build tools, support students, and create community. My advantage is not just that I have goals. It is that my struggles have made me someone who notices when people need help, and then tries to do something about it. That is why I built BeforeYouSign, an AI-powered lease review tool that helps renters understand lease documents before signing. Leases can affect someone’s housing, money, and responsibilities, yet many people sign them without fully understanding what they contain. BeforeYouSign helps identify key terms, fees, deadlines, and possible risks so renters can ask better questions. The project was recognized as an OpenAI x Handshake Codex Creator Challenge finalist, but what matters most to me is was not only recognized as useful, but that it reflects the kind of engineer I want to become: someone who builds useful tools for real problems. That same purpose shapes my leadership. As a Resident Assistant, I supported more than 30 residents and learned that sometimes helping people means connecting them to resources they did not know existed. I also started a Computer Science club because students in my department needed a stronger community. Nearly 100 students attended the first meeting. Now, through Replit’s student leader program, I will help students get acquainted with technology and building relevant skills so that they won't get left behind in today's day and age. As an international student, I am not eligible for FAFSA-based federal aid, and my family carries the complete responsibility of paying my tuition. This scholarship would reduce that burden and help me continue building, leading, and serving. I deserve this scholarship because I have already shown what I do with opportunity. I turn hardship into motivation, access into action, and education into impact. A scholarship awarded to me would not benefit just me. It would support someone who is already using every chance he gets to help others move forward.

Every semester, I am reminded that opportunity is valuable, but it is also expensive. I came to the United States from Nigeria to study Computer Science at East Texas A&M University. That opportunity has changed the direction of my life, but it has also come with serious financial pressure. As an international student, I am not eligible for many of the same financial aid options available to domestic students, and my family has had to make sacrifices to support my education. Tuition, housing, books, transportation, and the exchange rate all make college something I cannot afford to take lightly. For me, higher education is not just a path forward. It is a responsibility. My interest in technology started before I fully understood what computer science was. Growing up, I was often the person people came to when something went wrong with a phone, computer, or website. I liked figuring things out, searching for answers, and staying with a problem until it made sense. At 12, my father took me to a coding boot camp in Abuja, Nigeria, where my teammate and I built a Nigerian history quiz app using MIT App Inventor. We won first place, but the part that stayed with me most was someone saying I had built something genuinely useful. That moment helped me see technology as a way to solve real problems, not just something impressive to learn. Higher education is helping me turn that instinct into skill. Through my computer science coursework, projects, and research, I am learning how to build systems that are reliable, useful, and connected to real needs. One project that reflects this is BeforeYouSign, an AI lease review tool I built for the OpenAI x Handshake Codex Creator Challenge, where I became a Top 10 finalist. The project helps renters understand lease risks, plain-English summaries, and follow-up guidance before signing. I built it because many people do not have the money, confidence, or background knowledge to easily understand legal documents, yet those documents can affect their housing, finances, and responsibilities. That is the kind of work I want my education to prepare me for. I want to become a software engineer who builds tools that reduce confusion and help people manage systems that affect their lives. My projects keep returning to that same purpose. Claros supports students with typing difficulties while preserving the learning process. Event Hub helps users manage calendars across platforms. These are not just technical exercises to me. They are examples of how software can remove unnecessary friction without removing learning, judgment, or responsibility. My education is also shaping how I serve outside of code. As a Resident Assistant, I supported students through check-ins, concerns, and community responsibilities. That role taught me that impact often begins by noticing what someone needs and helping them find the right resource. I have also served through church activities, outreach, cleanup efforts, and campus involvement. These experiences have shown me that positive impact is not always dramatic. Sometimes it means showing up consistently and making life easier for people in small but meaningful ways. In the future, I plan to use my education to build stronger technology systems in areas like education, health care, finance, housing, and public services. Coming from Nigeria, I have seen how gaps in digital infrastructure can make everyday systems harder to access and trust. Long term, I want to contribute to tools that help communities work around fewer barriers and access more opportunities. The WCEJ Thornton Foundation Low-Income Scholarship would help reduce the financial burden of continuing my education. More importantly, it would support a student who is already trying to turn limited resources into useful work. Higher education is helping me build a stable future for myself and my family, but my goal does not end there. I want to use what I learn to create tools, systems, and opportunities that help other people move forward too.

I learned early that a dream without a plan stays vague. My goal is to become a software engineer who builds practical tools that reduce unnecessary workload and help people manage systems that are confusing, repetitive, or difficult to navigate. The challenge I am working from is access. Growing up in Abuja, Nigeria, I was interested in technology, but internet access was expensive and sometimes unreliable. My family had to budget data carefully, so learning online was not always simple. At 12, my father took me to a coding boot camp where my teammate and I built a Nigerian history quiz app using MIT App Inventor. We won first place, but what stayed with me most was someone saying I had built something genuinely useful. That moment shaped my goal: I do not want to build technology just because it is impressive. I want to build tools people can actually use. My plan has three parts: finish strong academically, gain real engineering experience, and keep building useful projects. First, I plan to complete my Computer Science degree at East Texas A&M University while focusing on software engineering, data structures, backend development, databases, cloud tools, and AI-assisted development. My academic plan is to use each semester intentionally: complete required courses, strengthen weak technical areas, and build projects that prove what I am learning. My main resources are professors, documentation, online technical communities, GitHub, campus labs, and peer groups. Second, I plan to use internship experience to learn how professional engineering teams work. Personal projects teach initiative, but internships teach standards: debugging, testing, code review, production systems, communication, and maintaining software other people depend on. I want to bring that knowledge back into my projects and into student communities I support. Third, I plan to keep building tools connected to real problems. BeforeYouSign, my AI lease review tool, helps renters understand lease documents before signing. Claros supports students with typing difficulties while preserving the learning process. Event Hub helps users manage calendars across platforms. These projects are different, but the plan behind them is the same: notice a real friction point, build a simple version, test whether it helps, then improve it. My budget is focused on staying enrolled and technically prepared. Tuition is the largest cost, and scholarship support would go directly toward reducing that burden. As an international student, I am not eligible for FAFSA-based federal aid, and my ability to work is limited. Beyond tuition, my necessary costs include textbooks or course materials, transportation, laptop maintenance, software hosting, cloud credits when free tiers are not enough, and professional development resources such as certification exams or technical interview preparation. A $1,315 scholarship would help cover part of tuition or directly support these education-related costs, allowing me to focus more time on learning, projects, and internship preparation instead of only managing financial pressure. My timeline is clear. In the short term, I will finish my senior year strong, complete my internship experience, and continue improving my strongest projects. In the medium term, I will apply for software engineering roles and graduate programs that align with my goals. In the long term, I want to build software that improves access to education, housing information, administrative systems, and technology infrastructure, especially for communities where resources are limited. Joe Gilroy’s motto, “Plan Your Work, Work Your Plan,” fits how I am trying to build my future. My dream is not just to become a software engineer. My plan is to become one who builds useful tools, supports others, and turns access into impact.

The story that changed mine came from students who told me they did not know how they were going to feed themselves for the week. At the time, I was serving as a Resident Assistant at East Texas A&M University, supporting more than 30 residents. I had been trained to connect students to resources, but that moment made the responsibility feel real. When they told me they were struggling with food, I told them about the campus food pantry and explained that it was free for students. They were surprised because no one had told them before. That changed how I understood service. I used to think helping people always meant doing something big or visible. That moment taught me that sometimes service means noticing a need that others miss, then helping someone reach the support already around them. A single piece of information can change someone’s week. The problem in my community that most people walk past is hidden need. On a college campus and in a small town like Commerce, people often assume that if someone looks fine, they are fine. But many people are quietly dealing with food insecurity, loneliness, lack of transportation, lack of family support, or not knowing where to ask for help. Students may walk past offices, churches, libraries, and support programs every day without realizing those places can help them. Elderly residents may be close to community spaces but still feel forgotten. Children may need encouragement, attention, or someone willing to spend time reading with them. I have seen this problem in different places, not just one role. Through the Catholic Student Association at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Commerce, I volunteer with elderly adults by helping organize and participate in entertainment events, fundraisers, and community activities. These events may look simple from the outside, but they matter because they remind people that they are still seen and valued. I have also volunteered on campus in the library by reading to middle school students during weekends, and I have joined other students in helping people in the Commerce neighborhood clean their yards. Each activity showed me the same thing: people do not always need someone to rescue them. Often, they need consistency, attention, and a community willing to show up. If I had the resources to act, I would build a stronger bridge between students, local churches, campus offices, libraries, and neighborhood groups. I would create a simple community resource and volunteer network where people could easily find help, request support, and join service projects. Students could sign up to read with children, help elderly residents, assist with yard cleanups, support food pantry outreach, or volunteer at community events. Local residents and organizations could post needs in one place instead of depending on word of mouth. This connects to my larger goal as a Computer Science student. I want to build tools that reduce unnecessary friction and help people manage systems that are important but confusing. But this scholarship prompt reminds me that the technology is not the main point. The main point is people. The best tool, event, or program is the one that helps someone feel less alone and more able to move forward. The story that changed mine was not dramatic. It was a student saying they did not know how they would eat that week. But it taught me to pay attention. Many problems are not invisible because they are small. They are invisible because people have learned to walk past them.

Faith has taught me that education is not only a way to improve my own life, but also a responsibility to serve others with the opportunities I have been given. As an international student from Nigeria studying computer science at East Texas A&M University, my journey has required sacrifice, discipline, and trust in God. Moving to another country for college was not simple. I had to adjust to a new culture, a new academic system, financial pressure, and the responsibility of building a future far from home. In difficult moments, my Catholic faith has helped me stay grounded. It reminds me that my life has purpose, that hard work should be guided by humility, and that success should not come at the cost of integrity. My faith has also given me a community. I attend St. Joseph Catholic Church in Commerce and am a member of the Catholic Student Organization. Being part of that community has helped me grow spiritually while also reminding me that faith should be active. It should show in how I treat people, how I serve, how I lead, and how I respond to challenges. Through church, fellowship, service, and campus involvement, I have learned that faith is not only something I believe privately. It is something I must practice through my actions. Faith has influenced my academic goals by helping me see my education as a calling. I chose computer science because I want to build solutions that make systems more accessible, efficient, and helpful. Growing up in Nigeria, I saw how limited access to reliable technology can affect education, healthcare, banking, and public services. Those experiences pushed me to pursue higher education because I want to gain the skills to solve real problems. My goal is to become a software engineer who builds with purpose, especially for communities where better technology can create better opportunities. My family has also pushed me to pursue higher education. Their sacrifices and belief in education have shaped the way I approach school. I understand that my degree is not just a personal achievement. It represents the hopes, sacrifices, and support of people who want to see me become more than my circumstances. That motivates me to keep going, even when the path is difficult. Faith will continue to guide my career because technology requires more than intelligence. It requires ethics. Software can affect people’s privacy, opportunities, access to information, and quality of life. My faith teaches me to value honesty, service, and human dignity. As I enter the technology field, I want to remember that behind every system are real people who deserve fairness and respect. I want my future to reflect both ambition and stewardship. I hope to build a career that allows me to support my family, serve my community, and contribute to systems that improve lives. Faith has helped me understand that success is not only about how far I go, but about whether I use my gifts responsibly along the way.

Faith has helped me understand that success is not only about what I achieve, but about the kind of person I become while pursuing it. As an international student from Nigeria studying computer science at East Texas A&M University, I have faced moments where I had to depend on more than my own strength. Moving to a new country, adjusting to a different academic system, managing financial pressure, and trying to build a future far from home has not always been easy. There have been times when I felt uncertain, overwhelmed, or unsure if I was doing enough. In those moments, my Catholic faith has helped me stay grounded. It reminds me that my life has purpose, that hard work matters, and that I should keep moving forward with humility and trust. My faith has also shaped my relationship with service. At St. Joseph Catholic Church and through the Catholic Student Organization, I have found a community that helps me grow spiritually and personally. Being involved in church activities such as choir, service cleanup, outreach, and fellowship has taught me that faith should be lived through action. It is not enough to believe in doing good. I have to practice it through how I treat people, how I serve my community, and how I respond when others need support. This has influenced the way I lead on campus. As a Resident Assistant, I work with students who come from different backgrounds and may be dealing with challenges they do not always show. My faith helps me approach that role with patience, compassion, and responsibility. It reminds me to see people as more than problems to solve. Whether I am helping a resident, participating in student leadership, or supporting my peers, I try to act with integrity and care. My faith will also assist me in my career because I want to become a software engineer who builds with purpose. I am studying computer science because I believe technology can improve lives, especially in communities where access to reliable systems is limited. Growing up in Nigeria showed me how better technology can strengthen education, healthcare, banking, and public services. My goal is not only to be successful, but to use my skills in a way that helps others. In a field like technology, faith matters because ability without integrity can be dangerous. Software affects people’s information, opportunities, privacy, and decisions. My faith teaches me to value honesty, responsibility, and human dignity. It will help me remember that behind every system are real people who deserve fairness, clarity, and respect. I believe God has used my experiences to teach me resilience, service, and discipline. My faith does not remove every challenge, but it gives me direction through them. As I continue my education and prepare for my career, I want to build a future where ambition and integrity work together, and where my success becomes a way to serve others.

“Men are disturbed, not by things, but by the principles and notions which they form concerning things. Death, for instance, is not terrible, else it would have appeared so to Socrates. But the terror consists in our notion of death that it is terrible. When therefore we are hindered, or disturbed, or grieved, let us never attribute it to others, but to ourselves; that is, to our own principles. An uninstructed person will lay the fault of his own bad condition upon others. Someone just starting instruction will lay the fault on himself. Some who is perfectly instructed will place blame neither on others nor on himself.” Epictetus’s underlying argument is that human freedom begins when a person learns to separate events from the judgments placed upon them. In this paragraph, he is not saying that hardship is imaginary or that pain does not matter. Instead, he argues that the deepest source of human disturbance is often not the event itself, but the meaning the mind attaches to it. His point is not passive acceptance. It is disciplined interpretation. The first sentence gives the central claim: “Men are disturbed, not by things, but by the principles and notions which they form concerning things.” The key contrast is between “things” and “notions.” By “things,” Epictetus refers to external events: failure, loss, obstacles, criticism, uncertainty, or disappointment. By “notions,” he refers to the internal beliefs people attach to those events. This distinction matters because it changes where responsibility begins. If the event itself fully controls the person, then the person has no freedom. But if the interpretation of the event plays a role, then the person has room to practice judgment, discipline, and self-command. Epictetus uses death as his strongest example because it is one of the most feared human realities. He says that if death were naturally terrible in itself, it would have appeared terrible to Socrates. This reference is important. Socrates is not used as a random historical figure. He represents philosophical courage, rational conviction, and moral steadiness. By pointing to Socrates, Epictetus suggests that the same event can appear differently depending on the condition of a person’s mind. The event has not changed, but the judgment has. The sentence “the terror consists in our notion of death that it is terrible” reveals the deeper Stoic idea beneath the paragraph. Epictetus is not denying that people feel fear. He is explaining where fear gains its power. Fear becomes dominant when the mind treats its own interpretation as unquestionable fact. A person may say, “This situation will destroy me,” when the more accurate statement may be, “I believe this situation will destroy me.” That difference is small in wording but large in meaning. The first statement makes the person helpless before the event. The second gives the person a chance to examine the belief. The next part of the paragraph shifts from theory to moral practice. Epictetus writes that when we are “hindered, or disturbed, or grieved,” we should not immediately attribute the condition to others, but to our own principles. This is not an invitation to blame oneself harshly. In fact, the final lines make that clear. He describes three levels of understanding. The uninstructed person blames others. The beginner blames himself. The fully instructed person blames neither others nor himself. That progression is the most important part of the paragraph. At first, a person thinks every problem is caused by someone else. This is the lowest level because it gives away control. Then, as the person begins to mature, he may turn blame inward. This is progress because he has stopped making the outside world responsible for his entire inner life. But it is still incomplete because self-blame can become another form of disturbance. The highest level is not blaming others or oneself. It is understanding. This final stage shows that Epictetus is not teaching guilt. He is teaching clarity. The disciplined person does not waste energy asking who deserves blame. Instead, he asks what judgment is operating, whether that judgment is true, and what response is within his control. This is why the paragraph is more subtle than a simple message about “positive thinking.” Positive thinking often asks people to replace negative thoughts with pleasant ones. Epictetus asks for something harder: accurate thinking. He wants the reader to examine whether the mind has mistaken an interpretation for reality. The underlying meaning of the paragraph is that a person becomes free not by controlling every event, but by training the mind not to surrender itself to every event. Obstacles will still exist. Loss, pressure, disappointment, and fear will still appear in human life. But Epictetus argues that the educated person learns to meet those experiences with judgment rather than reflex. This kind of education is not only academic. It is moral and practical. It teaches a person how to live. This paragraph remains powerful because it speaks to a problem that still exists today. Many people believe peace will come only when life becomes easier, when others behave better, or when every uncertainty disappears. Epictetus challenges that belief. He suggests that a person’s inner life cannot depend entirely on the external world, because the external world will always be unstable. The real work is learning how to interpret events with wisdom. In the end, Epictetus is arguing that the mind must become a careful reader of life. Just as close reading requires looking beneath the surface of a text, Stoic wisdom requires looking beneath the first emotional reaction to an event. The surface says, “This thing has harmed me.” The deeper reading asks, “What belief made me experience it this way?” That question is where freedom begins.

I believe positive impact is built through consistent service, not one dramatic moment. I learned this most clearly while participating in The Big Event at East Texas A&M University, where students volunteered in the local community to help residents with tasks such as lawn care, cleanup, and beautification. The work was simple, but it mattered. Helping someone tidy their yard reminded me that service does not always have to be large to be meaningful. Sometimes impact looks like showing up, giving your time, and making someone’s life a little easier. That experience reflects the kind of person I am trying to become. I want to make a positive impact by using education, leadership, and technology to serve people in practical ways. As a computer science student, my long-term goal is to become a software engineer and build tools that make important systems easier to understand and access. Growing up in Nigeria, I saw how limited access to reliable technology and clear information could affect education, healthcare, banking, and opportunity. Because of that, I want my career to be about more than personal success. I want to use my skills to help people navigate systems that are often confusing or difficult. My service on campus has helped shape that goal. As a Resident Assistant, I support students, help resolve problems, and contribute to a safer and stronger residential community. This role has taught me that leadership often starts with paying attention to people’s needs. Sometimes that means answering questions, helping someone adjust to college life, or simply being a dependable presence when students need support. I also serve through student leadership and peer support. As part of student government, I want to contribute to conversations that improve the student experience. As a peer mentor, I try to help other students find direction, confidence, and resources. I have also participated in service activities like helping in the school library, reading stories to visiting middle school students, and tutoring students who need academic support. These experiences have shown me that giving back can happen in many forms: physical service, academic support, leadership, mentorship, and encouragement. The impact I hope to make in the world begins with this pattern. I want to keep serving where I am, while preparing myself to serve on a larger scale through technology. In the future, I hope to build software that improves access to education, simplifies important information, and helps communities solve real problems more efficiently. To me, making a positive impact means using what I have been given to make life better for others. Whether I am cleaning a yard, mentoring a student, representing my peers, or building technology, my goal is the same: to leave people and communities better than I found them.

I want to build technology that helps people understand and navigate systems that were not designed with them in mind. Growing up in Nigeria, I saw how much a person’s future could be shaped by access. Access to reliable education, digital tools, clear information, and efficient systems was not always guaranteed. That experience shaped why I chose to study computer science. I do not see technology only as a career path. I see it as a way to create clarity, opportunity, and practical solutions for people who often have to work harder just to reach the same starting line. At East Texas A&M University, I am building the foundation for that future through my computer science education, technical projects, research, and leadership as a Resident Assistant. Each experience has taught me something different. Computer science has taught me how to solve problems logically. Research has taught me how to test ideas carefully instead of assuming they work. My RA role has taught me that real impact starts with understanding people’s needs, not just creating something that looks impressive. The kind of future I want to build is one where my technical skills help reduce barriers. I want to become a software engineer and create tools that make important information easier to understand, especially in areas like education, healthcare, public services, and personal decision-making. Many people lose opportunities not because they lack ability, but because systems are confusing, outdated, or difficult to access. I want to help build software that gives people more confidence and control when making important choices. This goal will impact me by giving my education a purpose beyond personal success. Earning a degree is important, but I want my degree to become useful in the lives of others. I want to prove that someone from a background with limited access can gain the skills to improve access for others. It will also impact my community because I hope to use what I learn to contribute to better systems in Nigeria and beyond. Whether I am building educational tools, improving digital services, or helping organizations use technology more effectively, my goal is the same: to make opportunity easier to reach. I am not only trying to build a career. I am trying to build a life where my skills, background, and ambition work together to create change that lasts.

I learned from chess that one careless move can change the entire game, but one thoughtful move can open a future that did not seem possible before. That lesson has shaped how I think about my education, my career, and the kind of life I am working to build. My career goal is to become a software engineer and use computer science to solve real problems, especially problems connected to access, efficiency, and opportunity. I grew up in Nigeria, where I saw how unreliable systems and limited access to technology can affect education, banking, healthcare, and daily life. Those experiences helped me understand that technology is not just about convenience. When used well, it can expand opportunity for people who might otherwise be left behind. As a computer science student at East Texas A&M University, I am building the technical foundation to contribute to that kind of impact. Chess has taught me several lessons that connect directly to this goal. The first is patience. In chess, rushing usually leads to mistakes. A player has to study the board, understand the position, and think beyond the most obvious move. In my own life, I have had to use that same patience while adjusting to college in the United States, managing financial pressure, working as a Resident Assistant, and continuing to grow academically. I have learned that success is not always about moving fast. Sometimes it is about staying disciplined long enough to make the right move. Chess has also taught me pattern recognition. Strong players do not only look at one piece. They look at the whole board. They notice threats, opportunities, weaknesses, and possible outcomes. In computer science, this way of thinking matters. Whether I am writing code, debugging a problem, building a project, or studying systems, I have to understand how different parts connect. A small mistake in one area can affect the entire program, just like a weak square can affect an entire chess position. Another lesson chess has taught me is resilience. Every chess player loses. Sometimes the loss comes from a mistake that could have been avoided. Sometimes it comes from facing someone stronger. But losing does not mean the game was pointless. It gives you information. It shows what you missed and where you need to improve. That mindset has helped me handle difficult moments in school and life. Instead of seeing setbacks as proof that I cannot succeed, I try to treat them as feedback. The most important lesson I have learned from chess is that long-term goals require sacrifice and strategy. In chess, you sometimes give up a piece to gain a better position later. In life, I have had to make sacrifices too. Studying abroad, working while in school, and choosing a demanding major all require discipline. But I believe those sacrifices are part of a larger plan: to become someone who can create meaningful change through technology. Chess has taught me to think carefully, adapt under pressure, and keep my eyes on the bigger picture. Those same skills will help me reach my career goals and use my education to create opportunities, not only for myself, but for the communities I hope to serve.

The project that made me feel most like a software engineer was not the one with the most code. It was the one that forced me to think carefully about what happens when someone is confused, overwhelmed, and still expected to make an important decision. That project was BeforeYouSign, an AI lease reviewer I built for the OpenAI x Handshake Codex Creator Challenge, where I became a Top 10 finalist. The idea came from a simple problem: many renters sign leases without fully understanding the risks, obligations, or language inside them. Legal documents can be intimidating, especially for students, first-time renters, immigrants, or anyone without easy access to legal guidance. I wanted to build something that made that process less confusing. BeforeYouSign allows a user to upload a lease and receive plain-English summaries, risk alerts, and follow-up guidance. What made me passionate about the project was not the AI itself. It was the possibility of helping someone feel more prepared before signing something that could affect their housing, money, and peace of mind. I had to think beyond whether the system worked technically. I had to think about trust, clarity, and how to present information without adding to the user’s stress. Working on the project pushed me to grow quickly. I had to build the product, shape the user experience, test the flow, prepare a clear demo, and explain why the tool mattered. I learned that good technology is not only about clever engineering. It is about noticing where people struggle and building something that makes the next step easier. Becoming a finalist in the challenge mattered to me because it showed that the project had value beyond my own laptop. Other people could see the problem and the usefulness of the solution. That experience connects directly to why technology inspires me. I grew up in Nigeria as someone people often came to when a phone, computer, or website stopped working. At first, I did not always know the answer, but I liked staying with the problem until it made sense. Over time, I realized that technology gave me a way to turn that habit into broader impact. Instead of only helping one person fix one issue, I could build systems that help many people navigate difficult situations more easily. That same motivation has shaped my other work. I built Claros, a voice-first AI learning assistant for students, and ShelfEngine, a local-first bookmark search tool that won the Think Award at The Merge Hackathon. I have also contributed to open-source projects like Apache Pulsar and OpenBB, which taught me the importance of reliability, collaboration, and building software that other people can depend on. Working in technology inspires me because it combines creativity, discipline, and service. A good engineer does not just write code. A good engineer pays attention to friction, understands what people are trying to do, and builds tools that make hard things more manageable. As I continue studying Computer Science at East Texas A&M University, my goal is to work in applied AI, backend systems, and infrastructure. I want to build practical systems in areas like education, health care, finance, and public services. BeforeYouSign reminded me why that goal matters: technology is most powerful when it gives people more clarity, confidence, and control over decisions that affect their lives.

Selflessness is not always one dramatic moment. Sometimes it is choosing to stop, listen, and help when it would be easier to keep walking. I have learned that through my role as a Resident Assistant at East Texas A&M University. A lot of people see the RA position as a campus job, but for me it has been one of the clearest lessons in service. I check in with residents, respond to concerns, help with community responsibilities, and try to be someone students can approach when they are unsure what to do. Sometimes the need is practical, like helping someone understand a housing process or find the right campus resource. Other times, it is more personal, like listening to a resident who feels overwhelmed, frustrated, or alone. Those moments have taught me that helping people starts with being present. I cannot solve every problem for someone, but I can take their concern seriously, help them think through their next step, and make sure they do not feel ignored. That matters to me because I know what it feels like to adjust to a new environment. I came to the United States from Nigeria for college, and that transition required patience, resilience, and support from people who made me feel like I belonged. Because of that, I try to offer that same kind of steadiness to others. My desire to help people did not start in college. In high school, I helped coordinate an orphanage outreach where we gathered donations and planned activities for children. Through church, I have participated in cleanup efforts, service activities, and outreach. Those experiences taught me that service is not only about giving money or having a title. Sometimes it is about giving your time, your attention, and your willingness to do work that may not be noticed. I also see selflessness in the way I approach technology. Growing up, people often came to me when a phone, laptop, or website stopped working. I did not always know the answer immediately, but I stayed with the problem until I could help. That habit is part of why I chose computer science. I do not want to build technology only because it is interesting or impressive. I want to build tools that make people feel less stuck. That belief has shaped my projects. I built BeforeYouSign, an AI lease reviewer that helps renters understand risk alerts and plain-English summaries before signing a lease. I built Claros, a voice-first AI learning assistant designed to make schoolwork more accessible for students who may struggle with typing. These projects reflect the same belief I try to live out in service: people should not be left alone with confusing systems if there is a way to help them navigate them. Perseverance has also been part of my journey. As an international student, I have had to balance academics, financial pressure, leadership responsibilities, and career preparation. It has not always been easy, but I keep going because my education is connected to something bigger than myself. I want to build a stable future for my family and use my skills to serve communities that need better access to reliable technology. To me, selflessness means using whatever position I am in to help someone else move forward. Whether I am supporting residents, serving through outreach, or building software, my goal is the same: to make people feel seen, supported, and more capable than they felt before.

When I came to the United States from Nigeria for college, I was not just carrying luggage. I was carrying my family’s sacrifices and the pressure of knowing that this opportunity had to count. To me, going to college means building a future that was not guaranteed. It means taking the hopes my family placed in me and turning them into something real. As an international student and a minority student, I understand that higher education is not just about attending classes and earning credits. It is about access. It is about opening doors that may not have been open before, and using those doors to create a better path for myself, my family, and the communities I hope to serve. Growing up in Nigeria, I saw how much difference access can make. Access to reliable technology, good education, strong infrastructure, and mentorship can change the direction of a person’s life. I became interested in technology because people around me often came to me when something stopped working, whether it was a phone, computer, or website. At first, I was just curious. I liked testing things, searching for answers, and staying with a problem until it made sense. Over time, that curiosity became a goal: I wanted to build tools that help people solve real problems. That is what I am trying to accomplish through my education at East Texas A&M University. I am studying Computer Science because I want to become a software engineer who builds reliable systems in areas like education, health care, finance, and public services. I am especially interested in technology that helps people understand complicated systems and access opportunities. Coming from Nigeria, I know how much stronger digital systems could improve everyday life, especially in places where people are often forced to work around limited or unreliable infrastructure. I have tried to make my college experience reflect that purpose. One of my proudest accomplishments was becoming a Top 10 finalist in the OpenAI x Handshake Codex Creator Challenge. For that competition, I built BeforeYouSign, an AI lease reviewer that helps renters understand risk alerts, plain-English summaries, and follow-up guidance before signing a lease. That project mattered to me because it was built for people who may not have the money, confidence, or legal knowledge to easily understand what they are agreeing to. I have also built Claros, a voice-first AI learning assistant for students, and ShelfEngine, a local-first bookmark search tool that won the Think Award at The Merge Hackathon. These projects are important to me because they show the kind of impact I want my education to have. I do not want to build technology only because it is impressive. I want to build technology that makes people feel less stuck, less confused, and more capable. College has also taught me that impact does not only happen through code. As a Resident Assistant, I support students through check-ins, concerns, and everyday responsibilities. As a Student Government Association Senator, I have the opportunity to contribute to student advocacy. These roles have helped me understand leadership as service: listening, showing up, and helping people feel supported. What I am trying to accomplish is bigger than personal success. I want to build stability for myself and my family, but I also want to use my education to create value beyond myself. College is the bridge between where I came from and the kind of impact I hope to make. The Hines Scholarship would help reduce the financial pressure of that journey and support a student who is determined to turn opportunity into lasting change.

By the time Nia reached the engineering building, the only thing missing from her group’s poster was a green marker. Not the data. Not the diagram. Not the three-minute explanation they had practiced until every sentence sounded less like panic and more like a plan. Just a green marker. “We can use blue,” Mateo said, already uncapping one. Nia looked at the poster spread across the table. Their project was simple: a sensor system that reminded residents to turn off unused lights in the dorm. The poster showed a tiny building, tiny windows, and tiny arrows moving from a power meter to a dashboard. The green line was supposed to show the “energy saved” path. Without it, the whole thing looked like a weather map drawn by someone who had never seen weather. “Blue means data,” Nia said. “Then use red.” “Red means warning.” Mateo stared at her. “Nia. It is a marker.” That was true, which made it worse. If the conflict had been serious, she could have defended herself. If the circuit failed or the code crashed, everyone would understand why she cared. But caring this much about one color made her look impossible. She checked the supply box again. Black, red, blue, orange, purple, two dry yellows, and a pencil with bite marks. No green. Their presentation began in twenty minutes. Nia walked into the hallway and looked through the glass walls of nearby classrooms. One room had a professor writing equations. Another had students building towers out of spaghetti. At the end of the hall, a janitor pushed a cart slowly, humming to himself. “Excuse me,” Nia said, catching up to him. “Do you know where I can find a green marker?” He looked at her badge, then at the poster under her arm. “Green specifically?” “Yes.” He smiled like this was the most normal emergency in the world. “Try the student lounge.” The student lounge had three people, two vending machines, and zero green markers. What it did have was a stack of sticky notes shaped like leaves from some old environmental club event. Nia froze. A line did not have to be a line. She grabbed the leaves and ran back. Mateo opened his mouth, probably to ask whether she had lost her mind, but she was already working. She placed the paper leaves along the path where the green line should have been. On each one, she wrote a number: 5%, 9%, 14%, 21%. Then she added tiny names to the windows of the drawn dorm: Room 214, Kitchen B, Study Lounge. The path no longer showed energy saved as a plain result. It showed energy saved as people changing one small habit at a time. When the judges arrived, Nia explained the dashboard, the sensor, and the code. Then she pointed to the leaves. “Our project is technical,” she said, “but the hard part is not just measuring waste. It is making people notice that small choices add up.” One judge leaned closer. “I like the leaves.” Mateo coughed, hiding a laugh. They did not win first place. They won a smaller award for community impact, which came with a certificate, a photo, and enough attention that the residence hall director asked if they could pilot the idea in one building. Later, as they packed up, Mateo held up the blue marker. “Still think this wouldn’t have worked?” Nia peeled one paper leaf from the poster and stuck it to his sleeve. “It worked,” she said. “But it would not have told the same story.”

“Can you fix this for me?” I have heard that question more times than almost any question I can remember. When I was younger, I was the person willing to spend hours fidgeting with a remote that would not work, helping a relative set up an app on their phone, or showing someone how to navigate the settings app so they could make some obscure change they needed. Back home in Nigeria, I was introduced to technology and programming by my dad. He encouraged me to attend coding bootcamps, which I went to often throughout middle school and high school. What started as a simple suggestion quickly became something much bigger for me. I became fascinated by the idea that technology could improve people’s lives by solving problems efficiently without requiring a lot of resources. Over time, I realized that the area that interested me most was software engineering. I ran with it and did not look back. My coding journey did not stop after those bootcamps. During my later high school years, I became deeply interested in websites and web applications. At that point, I did not really have a mentor, and I often struggled to figure out what I needed to learn in order to build what I had in mind. Then I found Stack Overflow. To me, it felt like finding a treasure chest in the middle of the desert. That platform played a huge role in helping me continue learning, especially during the years when I was building my foundation and trying to answer questions on my own. I started with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and once I felt comfortable enough building websites, I created a project called StudyDigest, which was a sign-up page for a weekly newsletter meant to help readers improve academically. Later on, I expanded my skill set by learning PHP. That turned out to be invaluable because it allowed me to contribute to my dad’s company and collaborate with other employees to improve the company website. That experience taught me much more than I could have anticipate at the time. It showed me that technology is not just about building what seems impressive to you. It is also about understanding what people actually want, how they want it, and how real-world needs expose your blind spots. I then understood that although I enjoyed building things on my own, it was also important to be surrounded by people I could build with, and people that I could build for. At East Texas A&M University, where I major in Computer Science, I have gained the mentorship and opportunities to develop those skills further. Through hackathons, I have worked on projects with genuine use cases, including an AI tutoring agent called Claros, built for students with typing difficulties so they could get help with assignments more easily. I also built ShelfEngine, a bookmark search engine that lets me search browser bookmarks using natural language. That project won the Think Award at The Merge Hackathon, which gave me external validation that I had built something people saw as genuinely useful. Beyond that, I joined the robotics club and became involved in tournament victories across Texas, which led to our qualification for the VEX Robotics World Championship. I am also part of ColorStack and CodePath communities. Being involved in such communities matters to me because I believe technology is strongest when people with different experiences and perspectives utilize it. As an underrepresented student in tech, I'd love to keep growing in this field so I can build tools that are even more accessible, and meaningful to others.

“Can you check this for me?” That was something I heard a lot growing up in Nigeria. A phone would stop charging. A laptop would freeze. Something small would go wrong, and somehow it would end up in my hands. At first, I usually did not know exactly what I was doing. I did not have special tools or formal training. What I had was curiosity. I would press buttons, test different ideas, search for patterns, and stay with the problem until something started to make sense. I liked that feeling. I liked that technology could look confusing one moment and become understandable the next. That was where my interest in STEM began. What pulled me into computer science was not just the machines themselves. It was what problem-solving could do for people. Fixing a device might seem minor, but to the person using it, it mattered. It saved time, removed stress, and gave them something back. That idea stayed with me. I began to see STEM not just as a school subject, but as a way to make life work better for people. That belief became even stronger when I moved from Nigeria to the United States to study Computer Science at East Texas A&M University. Coming here was an opportunity, but it was also a challenge. I had to adjust to a new country, a new school system, and a completely different environment. I was far from home, carrying the pressure that comes with being an international student and knowing that my education had to count. There was not much room for wasted time, wasted effort, or excuses. The pressure changed me. It made me more disciplined. It made me more serious about what I wanted from my education. It also made me think more carefully about the kind of impact I want to have. I do not want to study computer science just to say I can code. I want to build things that solve real problems and make access easier for people who are often overlooked. That is what led me to build Claros, an AI tutoring agent designed to help students, especially those who struggle with typing, complete worksheets through voice interaction. I did not want it to be just another project that looked impressive on paper. I wanted it to be useful. I wanted it to reduce frustration and make learning feel more accessible. Working on Claros made something clearer to me: the kind of technology I care about most is the kind that removes barriers. Outside the classroom, I have also grown through serving as a Resident Assistant. That role taught me a different side of leadership. It showed me that helping people is not always about big solutions. Sometimes it is about consistency, trust, and being dependable. Doing one-on-one check-ins, handling concerns, and helping residents feel supported taught me how to work with people, not just systems. That matters to me because the best technology should understand both. In the future, I want to use STEM to improve systems that people rely on every day, especially in places where access and infrastructure are limited. Coming from Nigeria, I have seen how gaps in technology can affect education, communication, and opportunity. I want to help build tools and systems that are useful, accessible, and grounded in real needs. STEM gave me a field I could grow in, but more importantly, it gave me a direction. It showed me that problem-solving can be human, and meaningful. That's why I am in this field, and that is the kind of impact I intend to make.

When people talk about technology and human connection, they usually talk like one has to beat the other. Either technology is bringing people together or it is making everybody lonely and detached. I do not think it is that simple. I think technology can help people connect, but only if it is built and used in ways that still respect what people actually need from each other, which is attention, trust, patience, and understanding. I have thought about this a lot because of my own life. I moved from Nigeria to the United States to study Computer Science at East Texas A&M University. That kind of change makes you notice human connection more. Back home, a lot of things felt familiar by default. Here, I had to adjust to a different environment, different people, and a different academic system. In that kind of situation, connection stops being something you take for granted. It becomes one of the things that helps you keep going. Some of the most meaningful support I have received in college did not come from anything dramatic. It came from small things. Someone checking in. Someone taking time to explain something. Someone making space for me to feel like I belonged. That changed the way I think about communication. It made me realize that connection is not only about being around people. It is also about whether people feel seen and taken seriously. That is part of why being a Resident Assistant has mattered to me. A lot of people think the job is mostly about enforcing rules or doing inspections, and those things are part of it, but that is not the whole job. A big part of being an RA is noticing people, talking to them, helping them feel comfortable, and building trust over time. I do one-on-one check-ins with residents, handle concerns when they come up, and try to be someone people can approach without feeling judged. That experience taught me that connection is often built through consistency. It is rarely one big speech or one perfect moment. It is usually smaller than that. Because I study computer science, I naturally connect these experiences to the kind of technology we build. I do not think technology automatically weakens relationships. I think poorly designed technology does. There is a difference between a tool that helps people communicate better and one that just keeps them clicking, scrolling, or feeling ignored. If we want authentic human connection to survive in a world shaped by technology, then we have to care more about what technology is doing to the actual experience of being a person. One project that pushed me to think this way was Claros, an AI tutoring agent I built for students who may struggle with typing and need a more accessible way to complete schoolwork. What mattered to me about that project was not just whether it worked technically. I cared about whether it made a student feel more capable instead of more frustrated. I wanted it to help someone participate in learning without feeling blocked by the format of the task. To me, that is one example of technology supporting connection. It is not pretending to be human. It is helping a person stay engaged with learning in a way that feels less isolating. I have also done research related to misinformation and AI, and that has made me think about connection in another way. Human connection depends on trust. If people cannot trust what they read, hear, or share, then communication becomes weaker. So when I think about the future of human connection, I also think about whether the systems we build make honesty and understanding easier or not. I want to work in technology, but not want to build things that only chase efficiency or attention. I want to build tools that actually help people. My experiences as an international student, an RA, and a computer science student have pushed me toward that way of thinking. I see how much a person can grow when they feel supported & understood. Technology is going to keep changing how people interact. That part is unavoidable. What's not unavoidable is the kind of choices we make while building it. I think authentic human connection can be preserved and strengthened if we stay focused on people first. The goal should not be to replace human relationships. It should be to make it easier for people to learn, communicate, and care for each other in real ways.

When I was younger in Nigeria, people around me would bring me phones that would not charge or laptops that had frozen and ask me to look at them. A lot of the time, I did not really know what I was doing at first. I would just keep testing things, paying attention, and trying to figure out what was wrong. I liked that process. I liked staying with a problem until it started to make sense. That is a big part of why I became interested in technology, and it is also part of why I care so much about my education now. I am currently an undergraduate Computer Science student at East Texas A&M University. Coming to the United States for college was a major opportunity for me, but it also came with real pressure. As an international student, I have had to adapt to a different academic system while also thinking seriously about money, work, and long-term stability. My family has made sacrifices to support my education, and I do not take that lightly. College is expensive in ways people do not always think about at first. It is not just tuition. It is housing, food, textbooks, transportation, and all the other costs that keep adding up throughout the year. That is a big reason I am applying for this scholarship. Financial support would make a real difference for me. One reason I believe I should be considered is that I have stayed serious about my education and tried to make the most of the opportunities I have had. I chose computer science because I enjoy solving problems, but also because I have seen how useful technology can be when it is applied well. I do not want to just learn concepts and leave them in the classroom. I want to build things that are actually useful. One project I am especially proud of is Claros, an AI tutoring agent I built to help students work through educational materials in a more accessible and supportive way. Building it pushed me beyond just writing code. I had to think carefully about the student experience, how the system should respond, and whether it would actually be helpful in practice. That project meant a lot to me because it connected my technical skills to something real. It was not just about making something impressive. It was about building something that could support learning in a practical way. Outside the classroom, I have also taken on responsibilities that have helped me grow as a person. I serve as a Resident Assistant, and that role has taught me a lot about leadership, patience, and consistency. My responsibilities include weekly health and safety inspections, one-on-one check-ins with residents, and helping maintain a shared digital calendar with my team. The role requires me to be dependable and organized, even when I have schoolwork and other responsibilities of my own. It has also taught me how to communicate with different kinds of people and how to handle situations calmly. Being an RA taught me that a lot of leadership is just showing up, staying calm, and doing what needs to be done. I have also stayed involved in other ways. In high school, I served as captain of my soccer team, which taught me how to lead by example and keep people motivated. I have participated in service activities through church, including cleanup and outreach efforts, and in high school I was involved in an orphanage outreach where I helped coordinate donations and activities. In college, intramural sports have also helped me stay connected to teamwork and discipline. These experiences may seem different from computer science on the surface, but they have all helped shape how I work with people, how I handle responsibility, and how I think about contributing to a community. Another reason I believe I am a strong candidate for this scholarship is that I have kept going even when things have been difficult. Being a student already comes with pressure. Being an international student adds another layer to that. There is always the need to stay focused, manage expenses carefully, and make sure the opportunities you have are not wasted. I have had to balance academics, leadership responsibilities, and personal adjustment while still thinking ahead about the future I want to build. That has forced me to become more disciplined with my time and more intentional about my goals. What keeps me going is that, for me, education is a way to build a better future. It is a way to build real skills and create options that did not always feel available before. It is also tied to what I hope to do long term. I come from Nigeria, where there are still many areas in which better technology and stronger systems could improve everyday life. I want to keep developing the skills that will allow me to contribute in meaningful ways, whether that is through building useful software, improving systems, or helping make technology more accessible and effective for others. This scholarship would help lighten the financial burden of college and allow me to stay focused on continuing that work. It would support a student who is serious about his education, committed to growth, and willing to take on responsibility both inside and outside the classroom. I know there are many students who work hard, and I do not believe I deserve support simply for wanting success. I believe I should be considered because I have shown that I am willing to put in the work, make use of the opportunities in front of me, and keep moving forward even when things are not easy. I am proud of what I have accomplished so far, but I also know I still have a lot more to do. This scholarship would help me continue my education with less financial strain and with more room to focus on building the future I have been working toward.

When I was much younger, people around me would bring me phones that would not charge or laptops that had frozen and ask me to look at them. I usually did not have the right tools, and sometimes all I could do at first was sit there, test things, and learn by trial and error. That is where a lot of my interest in technology started. I liked the feeling of staying with a problem until it made sense. Over time, that curiosity turned into something more serious. It became one of the reasons I value education so much. I am now an undergraduate Computer Science student at East Texas A&M University. I came to the United States from Nigeria for school, and that experience has made me take education very seriously. Moving here meant more than just changing schools. It meant adjusting to a new system, living far from home, and handling the pressure that comes with being an international student who has to think carefully about money, work, and long-term stability. Because of that, I do not see education as something abstract. I see it as the main path I have to build a better future through skill, discipline, and consistency. My interest in education comes from how directly I have seen it change what a person can do. The more I learned, the more I realized that technology is not just about writing code. It is about solving problems that affect real people. That is why I chose computer science. I want to build things that are practical and actually useful, especially for people who run into barriers that others do not think about. I am not interested in technology just for the title of working in tech. I care about building tools that make difficult things easier. One project that reflects that is Claros, a voice-first AI worksheet assistant I built for students with typing difficulties. What mattered to me about that project was not just the technical side. It was the idea behind it. I kept thinking about how frustrating it must be for a student to know what they want to say but struggle to get it onto the page. Claros was my attempt to reduce that friction by letting a student speak, get guided help, and leave with a completed worksheet. Building it made me think more carefully about accessibility, usability, and the human side of software. Outside academics, I serve as a Resident Assistant. That role has taught me a different kind of responsibility. I do health and safety inspections, check in with residents, and help handle everyday issues that students bring up. It has pushed me to be dependable, organized, and calm under pressure. Balancing that with school has made me better at managing my time and showing up for people even when I am stressed myself. That matters to me because education is not only about what I learn in class. It is also shaping the kind of person I am becoming. My goal is to become a software engineer and build systems that solve real problems in a reliable way. Long term, I want to use my skills to contribute to stronger digital infrastructure and better access to technology, especially in places like Nigeria where those improvements can have a wide effect. This scholarship would help reduce some of the financial pressure I carry as an international student and give me more room to focus on school, projects, and growth. It would help me keep moving toward the future I came here to build.

The internet would cut out, the page would fail to load, and something that should have taken two minutes would turn into twenty. Some of the most frustrating problems I noticed growing up were not dramatic ones. They were the everyday inefficiencies people were forced to work around. When systems are weak, even simple tasks become exhausting. Seeing that shaped the way I think about impact and is a big part of why I chose to study computer science. I am planning to study computer science because I want to build practical systems that make life easier for people. What draws me to the field is not just technology itself, but the ability to turn ideas into tools that solve real problems. I have always been interested in improving the way things work, especially when a process feels confusing, inefficient, or harder than it should be. Computer science gives me the foundation to respond to those problems with solutions that are useful, scalable, and grounded in everyday life. I am already working toward that goal through the projects I build. One example is ShelfEngine, a bookmark search engine I created after realizing how difficult it could be to retrieve useful resources from a large collection of saved links. I wanted to build something that made information easier to access instead of harder to find. That project reflects the kind of technology I care about most: practical, intuitive tools that reduce friction and help people use information more effectively. Winning the Think Award at The Merge 2026 Hackathon for ShelfEngine was meaningful because it validated that what I built was not only technically sound, but genuinely useful. As I continue my education, I want to deepen my understanding of software development, systems design, and the kind of problem-solving that leads to better tools and better experiences for users. I am especially interested in building systems that improve access to information and reduce unnecessary friction. To me, access is not just about whether something exists. It is also about whether people can actually reach it, understand it, and use it without being overwhelmed by poor design or unreliable processes. I also see computer science as a field where science and creativity naturally come together. The scientific side gives me the technical knowledge to build reliable systems, while creativity helps me imagine solutions that fit real human needs. I do not want to create technology that is only impressive in theory. I want to create technology that is clear, useful, and built with people in mind. I want to use what I learn to benefit my community by helping create better digital tools, stronger systems, and more accessible technology. As someone from a low-income background, I understand how important it is for solutions to be practical and reachable, not just innovative in name. Ultimately, I want to build technology that reduces friction, expands access, and makes everyday systems easier for people to use.

“I do not know how I am going to eat this week.” That was what one of my residents told me after losing his job, and it is one of the moments that most changed the way I think about compassion. As a Resident Assistant at East Texas A&M University, I have learned that helping people is not always dramatic. Sometimes it means noticing when someone is quietly struggling, responding with dignity, and helping them take the next step. In that moment, I showed him how to access the campus food pantry, but I also walked away with a deeper understanding of the kind of person I want to be. My name is Chimdumebi Mitchell Nebolisa, and I am a computer science student, an international student from Nigeria, and someone who has learned to be resourceful because I have had to be. Coming from a low-income background has shaped the way I think about education, opportunity, and responsibility. I do not take any opportunity for granted. It has made me more intentional about how I use my time, how I support others, and what kind of future I want to build. I have learned that hardship can either make you more closed off or more aware of what other people are carrying. I try to choose the second. That same mindset shapes the way I approach computer science. What drew me to the field was not just an interest in technology, but the fact that it gives me the ability to create meaningful impact with limited resources. With skill, persistence, and a laptop, I can build tools that solve real problems. I am especially interested in creating practical systems that reduce friction and make life easier for people. One of my projects, ShelfEngine, came from my own frustration with trying to retrieve useful information from a huge collection of saved bookmarks. Instead of accepting that inefficiency as normal, I built a tool to make finding and using information easier. That project reflected a value that continues to guide me: useful work matters more than flashy work. I have also learned that meaningful impact is rarely created alone. Some of the most important things I have done have involved supporting others, working with others, and helping people navigate challenges they could not solve by themselves. Through volunteering and my work as an RA, I have seen how much can change when people are met with consistency, humility, and care. Those experiences have taught me that authenticity matters. People can tell when you are helping just to look good, and they can also tell when you genuinely care. I want my actions to reflect the second. Through my education and future career in computer science, I plan to make a positive impact by building practical tools that improve access, reduce unnecessary complexity, and help people move through life with less friction. I want to create technology that is not only functional, but genuinely helpful, especially for people who are often overlooked or working with limited support. To me, success is not just about personal achievement. It is about using what I have learned to create a positive ripple that reaches beyond me.

The first time I realized how much I value useful problem-solving was when I sat staring at hundreds of saved bookmarks on my Google Chrome Browser, knowing I had already found the resource I needed, but having no practical way to find it again. I remember thinking that it made no sense to save information if I still had to waste time searching for it all over again. That moment captures a lot of what makes me unique. I am someone who notices friction in everyday life and feels compelled to build something better. My name is Chimdumebi Mitchell Nebolisa, and I am a computer science student at East Texas A&M University. I grew up in Nigeria and now study in the United States as an international student from a low-income background. Those experiences have shaped the way I see the world. I have learned to be resourceful, adaptable, and intentional with every opportunity I receive. Because I know what it feels like to work with limited resources, I am naturally drawn to paths where a small amount of input can still create meaningful impact. That is one of the reasons I chose computer science. I was drawn to it because it allows me to turn ideas into practical tools that can help people. I enjoy building solutions that reduce unnecessary friction and make life easier. The bookmark problem I faced eventually pushed me to create ShelfEngine, a tool that helps users search for saved resources based on meaning rather than exact wording. I did not build it just to make something technical. I built it because I wanted to solve a real problem in a way that was intuitive and genuinely useful. That mindset, focusing on practical impact rather than complexity for its own sake, is central to who I am. Outside the classroom, I try to carry those same values into the way I serve others. As a Resident Assistant, I have learned that leadership is often about responding to people’s needs in practical and compassionate ways. Whether that means helping students find campus resources, supporting residents through difficult situations, or simply being someone people can rely on, I have come to value consistency, humility, and service. Those experiences have shown me that impact is not always loud. Sometimes it comes from small actions that make life more manageable for someone else. What makes me unique is the combination of perspective and purpose I bring to my work. I am shaped by my background, but I am also driven by the belief that technology should make life more accessible, not more complicated. I want to keep building tools that solve real problems and help people move through life with less friction. If selected, I would use this scholarship to help cover tuition, books, and other educational expenses. Financial support would make a real difference for me as an international student because it would reduce some of the pressure that comes with funding my education and allow me to focus more fully on my growth in computer science. More importantly, it would help me continue building toward a future where I can use technology to create practical solutions that benefit others.

One goal I worked hard to reach was becoming the kind of person who does not just notice problems, but builds practical solutions for them. That goal became real one night when I was trying to find a resource I knew I had saved somewhere in my bookmarks. I had hundreds, and eventually over a thousand, links saved, but when I actually needed one, I could not find it. I remember thinking that it made no sense to spend so much time saving useful information and still not be able to use it when it mattered. That moment pushed me to stop being someone who only had ideas and become someone who could build something useful from scratch. As an underrepresented minority student from Nigeria and a low-income background, I have learned to think carefully about impact. I have always been drawn to paths where a small amount of resources can still create meaningful results. That is one reason computer science means so much to me. With discipline, curiosity, and a laptop, I can create tools that solve real problems. My goal was not just to learn how to code for the sake of coding. My goal was to become capable of turning frustration into something functional, practical, and helpful. To reach that goal, I built ShelfEngine, a local bookmark search tool designed to help users find saved resources based on meaning rather than exact wording. The process was much harder than I expected. I started with simple keyword search, but it felt too shallow. I considered tagging, but it added too much manual work. Eventually, I moved toward a smarter search approach that could return results based on what the user meant, not just what they typed. I broke the project many times. Some versions were too slow, and others returned poor results. Still, I kept refining it because I believed the problem was worth solving. I spent long hours testing, rebuilding, and improving the logic until it became a live tool I was genuinely proud of. That experience taught me a lot about what it takes to accomplish a goal. Hard work is not only about effort. It is also about patience, adaptability, and the willingness to keep going when the first version fails. I also learned that meaningful work does not have to be flashy. It can begin with an ordinary frustration and grow into something that makes daily life easier. Winning the Think Award at The Merge 2026 Hackathon for ShelfEngine was a meaningful moment for me because it showed that others also saw value in building something practical, intuitive, and useful. What I am working toward next is bigger than one project. I am pursuing a computer science degree because I want to keep building technology that reduces friction, improves access, and helps people navigate life more easily. I also want to continue serving others through leadership and community involvement, whether that is through my role as a Resident Assistant, helping students find resources, or using technology to solve everyday problems. My long-term goal is to build tools and systems that leave a lasting impact, especially for people and communities that are often overlooked. For me, success is not just about reaching one milestone. It is about continuing to plant small seeds of effort, service, and innovation that can grow into something greater over time.

When I was younger, I did not always have the language to explain why I was drawn to solving problems. I just knew I was constantly looking for ways to make things work better. Growing up in Nigeria, I saw how easily opportunity could be limited by a lack of resources, access, or infrastructure. That shaped the way I think. I became interested in finding solutions that were practical, scalable, and not dependent on having a lot to begin with. That is a big part of why I chose computer science. It showed me that with curiosity, persistence, and a laptop, I could build something that might genuinely help people. To me, it offered one of the clearest ways to create meaningful impact with limited resources. What drives my passion for computer science is not just the technical side of it, but the leverage it provides. In many fields, making a large impact requires significant money, equipment, or institutional support before you can even get started. Computer science felt different. It gave me a way to turn ideas into real tools that could solve everyday problems for many people at once. That possibility motivated me. I became especially interested in building practical systems that reduce friction and make information more usable. One of my projects, ShelfEngine, came from my own frustration with trying to manage and retrieve hundreds of saved bookmarks. Instead of accepting that inefficiency as normal, I built a tool to make searching and recovering useful resources easier. Experiences like that confirmed that I am most fulfilled when I am creating things that are not just technically interesting, but genuinely useful. My experiences as an international student in the United States have strengthened that mindset. Coming from a low-income background has made me resourceful and intentional about every opportunity I receive. I do not take education, time, or support for granted because I understand how much each one matters. Those experiences have also shaped the way I lead and serve. As a Resident Assistant at East Texas A&M University, I have learned that leadership is not just about holding responsibility, but about showing up for people in practical ways. One moment that stayed with me was helping a resident who had lost his job and did not know how he was going to feed himself. I showed him how to access the campus food pantry, and that experience reminded me that impact is often quiet. Sometimes it is not about doing something dramatic. It is about noticing a need, responding with compassion, and helping someone take the next step. The computer science degree I am pursuing will help me grow both personally and professionally by giving me the technical foundation to build better systems and the credibility to pursue larger opportunities in technology. It will sharpen my problem-solving skills, deepen my understanding of software and systems, and prepare me to create tools that can serve people at scale. In the future, I want to use my education to build practical technology that improves access, reduces unnecessary complexity, and helps underserved communities navigate the world more effectively. I want my work to reflect both innovation and service. More than anything, I want to show that someone can come from limited resources, pursue STEM with purpose, and use that education not only to change their own life, but to make life better for others as well.

One of the most meaningful lessons I have learned about service came through my role as a Resident Assistant at East Texas A&M University. Before becoming an RA, I often thought of service in broad terms: helping others, being responsible, and trying to support my community where I could. But one experience with a resident changed the way I understood what meaningful impact really looks like. It taught me that service is not always something large or visible. Sometimes it is simply noticing when someone is struggling and making sure they do not have to face that struggle alone. The experience began with a conversation I had with a resident who seemed unusually stressed and withdrawn. As we talked, he told me that he had recently lost his job. What stayed with me was not just the fact that he was worried about money, but that he was unsure how he was going to feed himself. Hearing that shifted the situation from an ordinary conversation into something much more serious. It reminded me that many students carry very real burdens quietly, and that from the outside, you often cannot tell how much someone is dealing with. I felt compelled to help because food insecurity is not a small issue. When someone is worried about meeting a basic need like eating, everything else becomes harder. It becomes harder to focus in class, harder to stay hopeful, and harder to feel stable. I knew I could not solve every part of his situation, but I also knew I should not let the conversation end with sympathy alone. I told him about the campus food pantry and showed him how he could access it. In that moment, what mattered most was giving him a real, immediate option instead of leaving him alone with uncertainty. What made the situation challenging was the sensitivity of it. Losing a job and not knowing how to afford food can make someone feel embarrassed, exposed, or ashamed. I had to be careful not to make him feel judged or pitied. I wanted him to feel respected. That meant listening first, staying calm, and responding in a way that was practical but also compassionate. I learned that helping someone is not just about knowing what resource to offer. It is also about how you offer it. People are more likely to accept support when they feel seen with dignity. That experience changed how I think about service and community. It showed me that meaningful impact does not always come from leading a major initiative or organizing a large event. Sometimes it comes from paying attention, acting quickly, and helping one person take the next step when they are in a vulnerable position. It also deepened my belief that community improvement starts with making support accessible. Resources only help people if they know those resources exist and feel comfortable using them. As an international student from Nigeria and someone from a low-income background, I understand how important it is to have access to support during difficult times. That experience made me reflect even more deeply on the kind of person I want to be. I want to be someone who responds to need with humility, compassion, and action. Helping that resident may have seemed like a small act, but it reminded me that service is often most powerful in moments that do not look impressive from the outside. To me, making a meaningful impact means showing up for people in practical ways when they need it most, and carrying that mindset into every community I am part of.

My name is Chimdumebi Mitchell Nebolisa, and I am an international student from Nigeria studying Computer Science and Information Systems at East Texas A&M University. Education has never been something I took for granted. It has been the one constant that has shaped my direction, my ambition, and my belief that I can rise above the challenges placed in front of me. My journey has not been smooth, but every obstacle has helped me grow into someone who understands the value of perseverance and the responsibility of using education to create a better future. I grew up in a place where talent was present but opportunity was scarce. In my neighborhood, electricity cut out without warning, internet access was inconsistent, and schools rarely had up to date resources. Yet even in those conditions, I found myself drawn to computers. I enjoyed fixing small issues for classmates and neighbors, not because I was told to, but because I loved the feeling of solving problems. It made me feel capable. It made me feel like my mind could take me further than my environment ever could. That realization shaped my direction. I wanted to become someone who built solutions that would make life easier for people who were facing the kinds of challenges I saw every day. However, wanting to rise is different from being able to rise. When I moved to the United States for college, I arrived with hope, but also with fear. I was leaving behind my family and the familiar comfort of home. When I stepped into the Dallas airport for the first time, I remember standing there with my suitcase, aware of how alone I was. That moment taught me that independence is not glamorous. It is heavy. It is demanding. It forces you to grow whether you are ready or not. Finances became one of my biggest challenges. As an international student, I cannot apply for FAFSA. Every semester requires careful planning and sacrifice. Tuition increases, unexpected fees, and a rising currency exchange rate all affect me more than most people realize. There have been nights when I sat at my desk with my calculator open, trying to see if I could afford another semester. There were times when I questioned whether I would be forced to return home before finishing my degree. Those moments made me feel uncertain, but they also made me stronger. I learned how to work harder, how to save carefully, and how to fight for my education even when the path felt unstable. To help with expenses, I became a Resident Assistant. This role pushed me to grow in ways I did not expect. I manage health and safety checks, assist residents through conflicts, and create a supportive community for students who, in many cases, are also adjusting to college life. Balancing the responsibilities of being an RA with a demanding major is not easy. There are nights when I get back to my room exhausted, still needing to study for a calculus exam or finish a programming assignment. Yet I remind myself that growth often happens in moments of discomfort. Being an RA has taught me leadership, communication, patience, and the ability to stay calm in stressful situations. These skills have become part of who I am. Education has also shaped my confidence. Courses that once intimidated me eventually became subjects I handled with discipline and curiosity. I learned how to break down complex problems, how to pay attention to detail, and how to stay consistent even when material felt overwhelming. My GPA reflects not only intelligence but persistence. I study at odd hours, attend tutoring, and push myself to understand concepts deeply. Every improvement in my grades reminds me that progress is built through repetition and resilience. The challenges I have faced have not discouraged me. Instead, they have clarified my purpose. My dream is to use my degree to help improve technology infrastructure in Nigeria. I want to bring modern, reliable systems to the areas where they are needed most. The education sector needs platforms that give students access to learning materials. The banking sector needs more secure and efficient systems. Hospitals need digital tools that reduce delays and improve record keeping. I want to help build these solutions. I want to contribute to a Nigeria where young people do not have to leave the country to find opportunities, and where communities can grow because the tools they need are within reach. I also hope to mentor students in Nigeria who are interested in technology. Many young people have potential but lack guidance. I want to create outreach programs that teach coding, digital literacy, and problem solving. I want to show students that their circumstances do not determine their future, and that education can be the bridge between where they are and where they want to be. My journey has been filled with uncertainty, responsibility, and sacrifice, but it has also been filled with growth. Education has given me confidence, direction, and purpose. It has shown me that I can rise higher than the challenges I face, and that who I am becoming matters just as much as what I am achieving. I am proud of how far I have come, but I also know that I still have more growing to do. Receiving this scholarship would reduce a significant financial burden and allow me to stay focused on my academic goals. It would represent belief in my potential and support for the future I am working toward. I hope to continue rising, learning, and building a life where I can give back more than I received. My story is one of perseverance and purpose, and I am committed to using my education to create a better future for myself, for my community, and for the next generation of students who dream of something greater.