I have always dreamed of delving into research since I was in high school. I thought it was cool! I thought it was a space for people to make guesses and prove themselves either wrong or right, a place to envision and create! I thought it would be fun! I got my first taste of research a few years ago when I attended a sixth form IB diploma program. I was told that I needed to write 20-page research papers on Biology, Chemistry, Math and Economics. At first I was ecstatic, but when it came down to formulating a research question, learning about lab equipment, and figuring out how I was going to do this all on my own...I panicked. I've written and performed poems and plays, spoken at educational and business summits, tutored students in Math, Biology, and even French! So why did just the 'thought' of writing these research papers scare me? It's because I was afraid of not producing work up to the level that my peers and teachers had expected of me. I was so afraid of failing that I didn't want to try. Yet, I knew all that was at stake. So, I had to put all those doubts at the back of my head and come back to reality. The first research paper I started with was actually a paper on a course called Theory of Knowledge, and I was doing research about how culture affected individual ethics and reasoning. To me, it was about 1600 words of pure brilliance, but to me teacher it was 1600 words of pure rubbish. I felt crushed and humiliated. Just thinking I had to erase three weeks of hard work put me in a state of shock and depression. I lost all confidence in myself. If I couldn't write a paper on ethics and culture, how was I supposed to write 20-page scientific research paper? I decided to call my mom and tell her how I was feeling, and she said just what I needed to hear, "It's okay to not know what to do, but it's not okay to not figure out how to do it." The next day, I took my laptop with its blank google docs screen, went up to my professor and said, "I can't write this paper Sir. I'm lost. I need your help." I gave him one hour of my undivided attention, and went back to the drawing board. After six days of going back and forth, seven drafts and 3 hours of sleep each day, I showed him my final submission, and he was happy with it. In that moment, I realized that it was okay to get things wrong on the first try as long as I tried again. With this knowledge, I began writing my other research papers. At the end of the program, I had written my Chemistry, Biology and Math research papers each about seven times. But it was worth it all in the end because I came into UCLA with an even better mindset than when I applied. I'm in my last quarter of freshman year, and I've done and experienced many things that I would not have if I didn't go through that experience in the IB. You think I'm joking? Well guess who had absolutely no coding experience before college, and is now a learning assistant for a Mathematical Sciences programming lab after one quarter of taking that course...THIS GIRL!

My parents are why I believe so much in myself and my dreams. They do everything possible to see that I get the opportunities they never had. However, it has been a struggle watching them sacrifice their dreams and health each day for my sake. My dad is unemployed, and my mom currently works long shifts for a job she's wanted to resign from for the past five years. She dreams to be a caterer, but due to our financial struggles, she let go of her ambitions so she could fend for my twin sister and my education. You'd think that living with such a burden and working such long shifts, my mom would barely have time to raise her kids, but not mine. Every moment she spends with me, she uses it to uplift me; she always said, "Dream big! And never look down on yourself! You can do anything you set your mind to!". I took those words and ran with them. I am a very passionate and driven young woman; everything I've wanted for myself, I've gone after and, God willing, have received. However, as great as that sounds, my life has been anything but easy. My dream is to own a Phyto-medical research institute in Nigeria that uses the abundant resources we have to create new and cost-effective medicine. I want to open new doors in the world of biomedical research and access to healthcare in Africa. For this dream to come alive, I knew I needed to further my education in a school that could give me much exposure and opportunities. For my family, the answer was the United States of America. Through hard work and persistence, I got a 50% scholarship to an IB program that allowed me to take courses equivalent to AP classes to be eligible for education abroad. I felt that a burden was lifted, but it was just the beginning of a whirlwind of problems I'd never believed I'd experience. I was depressed for a long while during that program; I went through many physical changes that made me feel less confident about myself. It may not sound serious to some people, but it was and still is to me. My face was riddled with dark marks, pimples, and acne scars, and everyone that surrounded me was 'quote on quote' gorgeous. I felt very insecure, ignored, and inferior. With each day passing, I closed off and spoke less because I didn't want people fixating on my flawed face. It was tiring waking each morning knowing the long pep talk I was about to have with myself in the bathroom as I got ready for school, and even more tiring keeping up with this facade that I was okay so no one could see how unhappy I had become. In particular, the one person I knew I could count on in school, my twin sister, dropped out. Dealing with all this on top of the grueling schoolwork, I felt like I was fighting a losing battle. When I was about to give up, I received a call from a lady in my fellowship who told me that God had put my name in her heart and prayed for me. At that moment, I felt seen, and God had been with me from the very beginning. He wasn't done with me. He wasn't done writing my story. I harbored many issues, mentally and financially, but I had someOne greater than my problems, God. I decided I wasn't going to let the negativity in my life dictate who I was to become. I chose to live boldly. I made friends, wrote and acted in school plays, performed at an Educational Summit, studied hard, organized fundraisers, and became the Student Body President! At the end of the program, I was accepted to the University of California, Los Angeles. I felt proud of who I was becoming. I felt proud because of all the obstacles I overcame. I thought to myself, 'If I can make it this far, I could do anything'. My parents were proud, I could see it in their smiles, but their eyes held fear. How could they afford my fees? They were willing to give up everything we had: our house, their cars, anything they could get their hands on to sell! So, I did something very bold. I promised my parents that they would never have to pay a dime for my tuition, and I meant it. I was so tired of seeing my mom come home with swollen ankles and back pain because she'd been working long hours or seeing my dad hunched overthinking what he would do. I was tired of seeing them under so much stress. It brought me to tears for many nights. By the grace of my living God, I bagged a scholarship that helped me pay for my entire first year at UCLA and a new laptop! When I broke the news to my parents, they were the happiest I had seen them in a long while. So here I am, writing this essay in the last term of my freshman year at UCLA, hoping that you find it in your heart to invest in my future. Why am I a great candidate? It's because I too have been BUILT! All the pain, struggles, and hurdles I have overcome were perfectly orchestrated to get me to where I am today. I am an intelligent, passionate and resourceful young woman with a desire to help others and an unrelenting faith in God and my dreams. I have been through so much in my 18 years on earth, but I wouldn't have had it any other way. Thank you so much for this opportunity. I am eternally grateful. God bless you.

"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.' - Helen Keller. Optimism, or what I usually refer to as unwavering hope, is a quality of mine that I value the most. I see it as a gift from God rather than just quality. It has been the solid rock that made my footsteps firm, the last string I held on to, and my guiding light during the times I was in dark places. You see, being optimistic never excused me from feeling down when facing the many trials I went through in which included depression, financial bumps, and watching some of my closest family members go in and out of surgery or battle cancer. However, what it did do was stop me from ever giving in to those situations and giving up my dreams. Obtaining my tertiary education in the US has always been part of the steps I knew I needed to take to achieve my dream of becoming a doctor and someday having my own research institute in my home country, Nigeria. However, this step came with two main obstacles: being as competitive as the other students I would be going up against to attain admissions and paying for college; these obstacles I took on with great 'optimism'. I was able to gain admission into an IB Diploma Program in Nigeria with a 50% scholarship allowing me to take on college courses that were equivalent to AP classes. For two years, I had constant sleepless nights writing essays, doing research projects, volunteering for community service while searching for the right college for me. At the end of that process, I finalized that UCLA was the school for me. They had an excellent academic reputation, offered a superb research program, and it was in the heart of California - a place filled with many opportunities I could not wait to feast on; yet, I was bombarded with much negativity. 'You're Out-of-state! You can't afford it' 'There's nothing special about your life that would make them want you' 'You're competing against varsity athletes, Merit Scholars, science, and math fanatics!' Getting into my dream college should have become a distant memory for me, but in the moments when arrows of rejection were shot at me, hope became my shield. Opening my UC application and seeing all those empty essay boxes, I began to write about the one character trait I knew would make me stand out, my unwavering hope. A few months later, I find myself running around my school screaming, "I GOT IN!" With this quality, I was able to conquer my first challenge, getting into UCLA. Now, with this optimism I carry, I currently face my next challenge, paying for school. It is with great hope that I apply for every scholarship. It is with great hope that the donors might find me worthy of their investment. With great hope, I see myself graduating from UCLA summa cume Laude with a Bachelor's degree in Microbiology debt-free. I know that university isn't trouble-free. I have many deadlines to meet, tests and exams to study for, projects to complete, and opportunities I have to fight for due to my gender and race, but where there is optimism, there is power - a power that will help me surmount every single mountain that comes my way. Thank you for this opportunity.

When I was in high school, I was very selfish and self-glorifying. I believed that I was better than everyone. I was smart, rich, confident, popular, respected, and had many creative talents. I took all the leadership roles my school offered: Student Representative Council leader, Student Body President, Head Mentor, Class Captain...you name it; I acted in all my school's productions as the main character and was involved in every event. I would wake up each day, look myself in the mirror and say, "Erika, you were born to be great." Yet, this desire to be great came from vain and selfish dreams of wanting fame and fortune. The worst part of it all was that I never realized how proud and egotistical I was until I was introduced to a fellowship during the pandemic. My family hit a large financial bump, my grandmother was in and out of surgery, the bills kept piling, the worry kept mounting and I was not sure that I would be able to go back to school because we could not afford it. At this moment, I had to rely on something greater than me and my problems; I started searching for God, and that's when I found the fellowship (I've been a member for two years now) There, I learned about the importance of humility, how all the gifts I had were not of my own volition but God's, what true Christianity is (forming a relationship and not following a religion), the power that comes from acknowledging that I was nothing without God, and putting my trust in Him. Now, my desire for self-fulfillment has changed to fulfilling the purpose God designed for me. Before, my greatest desire was to become a doctor, but now, I believe my greatest goal in life is to use all I have within me to help others. I love science, advocacy, and the arts; knowing that I can pursue all these passions of mine, I believe, is what excites me the most about this world. God has given me a fire for many things, and this world (though filled with evil) grants me an opportunity to delve into all and put them to good use through the educational system. By God's grace, I was able to get into my dream university, UCLA, and there I plan on pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology and getting involved in some of their numerous student-led organizations that will allow me to present my artworks which include Christian poetry, spoken word on societal issues and plays to a larger audience. By joining the fellowship of Christian students, together we can organize fundraisers and outreach programs to provide for the less privileged while spreading the message of God. As for my career in the medical field and research, I am going to take every opportunity that God hands my way as I have always done. I will keep working hard, and believing in my dreams. I want to do what many think is impossible, like finding a cure for cancer or HIV. I have seen what it has done to people close to me, but I know what God can do. He makes all things that seem impossible become a reality, and it can be done through me. In summary, I was once a little girl blinded by her love for fame and glory; however, God found me and showed me the heights He would take me if I let Him. I never believed that I could be a source of inspiration for others. I never believed that my dreams could be the answer to someone's prayers, but now I am doing things I never saw myself doing. I have raised funds with a group of my friends to help three students complete their tertiary education and provided maternal care products for less privileged mothers in my home country, Nigeria. I share the Word of God on my social platforms, started a blog about my Christian journey, and even led a bible study while completing my IB Diploma program all this through Christ. Now, I am about to begin a new journey at my dream college, and I have never felt more ready. I have never felt more confident that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.