I am a 55-year-old, finance major at Prairie View A&M University. I'm what you would call a non-traditional student. In addition, I am a mother, a sister, a daughter, and a friend. I never would have thought I would be back in college at this age, but here I am, and I'm excited about it. At age 53, I returned to college to finish my bachelor's degree, after losing my job during the pandemic. What motivated my decision? I'm glad you asked. Before the pandemic, I was looking to move to a different analyst role with my then-employer. Despite having decades of experience as an analyst and being encouraged to apply for the position by the hiring manager, I wasn't granted an interview because I didn't have a bachelor's degree. It was at that moment I decided that I would never again be denied an opportunity because I didn't have a degree. During the pandemic, I was furloughed for 14 months. After the furlough ended, I was told my position had been eliminated. I saw this as an opportunity to return to school full-time and complete my degree. I enrolled at Prairie View A&M University in the Fall of 2021. In the Spring of 2022, I was faced with a challenge. The number of online courses were limited, and I needed a fourth class so that I could maintain full-time status. Determined not to be deterred or set back, I decided to drive the three hours to Prairie View, two days a week, to take the one additional class. After class, I would drive three hours back to Dallas and work on class assignments and study. The Fall of 2022 would bring a new challenge. Prairie View A&M does not have an online undergraduate degree program. The remaining courses in my degree plan were face-to-face. I would have to transfer to a different school, and lose some credits, or relocate to Prairie View, TX. To avoid losing credits and extending my graduation date, I made the difficult decision to relocate to Prairie View to finish school. This meant leaving my home, friends, and support system. I rented an apartment near campus and continued my classes. The most challenging thing about pursuing my degree has been not being financially independent. I wasn't sure how I would be able to go to school full-time, without a full-time job, but I knew I had to try. I hope I can be an example to others; a testament that you can pursue your educational goals at any age. It's never too late.

At age 53, I returned to college to finish my bachelor's degree, after losing my job during the pandemic. What motivated my decision? I'm glad you asked. Prior to the pandemic, I was looking to move to a different analyst role with my then-employer. Despite having decades of experience as an analyst and being encouraged to apply for the position by the hiring manager, I wasn't granted an interview because I didn't have a bachelor's degree. It was at that moment I decided that I would never again be denied an opportunity because I didn't have a degree. During the pandemic, I was furloughed for 14 months. After the furlough ended, I was told my position had been eliminated. For me, this was an opportunity to return to school full-time and complete my degree. I enrolled at Prairie View A&M University in the Fall of 2021. In the Spring of 2022, I was faced with a challenge. The number of online courses were limited, and I needed an additional class to maintain full-time status. Determined not to be deterred, I decided to drive the three hours to Prairie View, two days a week, to take the one additional class. After class, I would drive three hours back to Dallas and work on class assignments. The Fall of 2022 would bring a new challenge. To avoid losing credits and extending my graduation date, I had to relocate to Prairie View to finish school. This meant leaving my home, friends, and support system. I rented an apartment near campus and continued my classes. The most challenging thing about pursuing my degree has been not being as financially independent, as I one was. Receiving the Hyacinth Malcom Memorial Scholarship will help me pursue my education goals by contributing to education-related expenses such as housing, food, and health insurance. A student health insurance plan is offered, but it is expensive. It would alleviate the stress of wondering if I'll be able to cover these expenses, while I am pursuing my Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance. The scholarship will also allow me to graduate with less student loan debt, which can be crippling to graduates. The Hyacinth Malcom Memorial Scholarship will permit me to continue to focus on my education full-time, thus creating a better future and life for myself. I hope I can be an example to others; a testament that you can pursue your educational goals at any age. It's never too late.

In late 2019, I was looking to advance my career. I applied for a different Analyst position, after speaking with the hiring manager for that department, who encouraged me to apply. Despite a recommendation from my director and decades of experience as an Analyst, I was not granted an interview because I didn't have a bachelor's degree. It was at that moment I decided that I would never again be denied an opportunity because I don't have a degree. I decided to go back to school and finish my degree. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was furloughed in July 2020. I applied to and enrolled full-time at Prairie View A&M University in January 2021. My employer ended the furlough in October 2021, and I was informed my position had been eliminated. I saw this as an opportunity instead of a setback. I could focus on finishing my degree full-time. Prairie View does not have an online Bachelor of Business Administration program, so when the University returned to in-person classes, I had a limited number of online course options. I was able to get three online courses, but I needed four classes to maintain full-time status for my scholarship. I was faced with a tough decision. As a result, I would drive three hours to Prairie View, two days a week, to attend class for eighty minutes and drive three hours back home. I would then do homework and study. I did this for the Spring semester of 2022. Out of online class options for the upcoming semesters, I applied to universities that offered online degree programs. I was accepted to all of the schools I applied to, however, they didn't accept all of my credits and I would have to repeat courses, which would extend my graduation date. I was faced with another tough decision. I decided to make the sacrifice of leaving my home and support system and temporarily relocate to Prairie View until I graduate. This was a really difficult decision because now I would have to rent an apartment. I found an apartment close to campus and began attending classes on campus in the Fall of 2022. I have been an honor student at Prairie View since I have been enrolled. I plan to use my degree to uplift others from underrepresented communities in the same way that I have been uplifted. Upon graduation and securing employment, I plan to advocate for the recruitment of talent from underrepresented communities. I will participate on the university recruitment team to ensure underrepresented communities have opportunities for intern, co-ops, and full-time positions they otherwise may not have access to. Some corporations/employers don't recruit at HBCUs at all, and I want to be a part of changing that.