I remember back in 2012 when my dad brought home Michelangelo, a turtle that lived in a makeshift pond in our backyard. His shell hard and tough but the creases seemingly precise and delicately crafted. At 5-years-old, I then exploded in fascination with animals. With an admiration for life and the environment, I decided to join my schools recycling club my sophomore year. As a recycler I experienced, first-hand, the alarming amount of waste we produce daily without understanding or fear of repercussions. We sort through trash and recyclables by hand which can be demanding work, but through this experience I learned how neglectful we’ve been to the world. Through recycling I’ve gained a new appreciation for the fruit of life and all that surrounds us, leading me to discover a great passion in the conservation of our planet and its inhabitants. Looking back, I realized Michaelango wasn’t just a sweet turtle we found and took in. He was a victim of human occupancy and negligence. As a now Pre-Veterinary major, thanks to Michaelangelo, I want to offer affordable and effective animal care and ensure that wildlife is being cared for as delicately and efficiently as it is necessary. I plan to work in systemically and economically rural communities like where I’m from, East Nashville, where true and effective animal care can be alarmingly expensive and without coordination to the pockets of the people, causing many animals to be abandoned. In a system where certain demographics are already disproportionately disadvantaged, one which I've experienced, it's crucial to provide relief in the areas that we can. We are in world where betterment can only sprout from change, and I want to be that for my people, regardless of the scale. I believe young and marginalized people should not only be allowed the privilege of affordable services, but also seeing themselves succeed in other people. With this, they too can contribute to the betterment of the hindered environment that our predecessors and older generations ignored and are still ignoring. Whether it be scientists, senators, doctors, or even presidents, our youth needs to see the importance of creating change and progression. We can succeed in spite of our finances. We can succeed in spite of our struggles, and in fact, we can succeed because of our struggles. Our hardships, if anything, should be the spring and call to action. I will fully immerse myself in the Veterinary field for the sake of my ambitions and the world we inhabit.

“Smile for the camera!” An imperative phrase that will only leave one’s lips if a photo’s subject cannot replicate the joy they are expected to exude. I am told to smile, but this photo will constrain me in the same place, the same time, and the same emotions. I am not allowed to speak, think, or move, so I refuse to smile. I have refused to submit to the flash of the camera that solidified my bondage to its shiny chains. I have refused to allow a photo that will not capture my beauty, paint me as submissive to its ulterior motives. To encourage my insecurities, magnify my flaws, but at its most malicious, to trap me. Not only in a single photo, but in my thoughts. Reminding me that I'm no longer as young as I was. Telling me l'm no longer allowed to wear sparkly tutus or try on my mother's once seemingly humongous Jimmy Choo heels that I've now outgrown. The camera will only capture me, yet not the person behind it. I cannot see them in my eyes, forcing me to acknowledge that some memories are only temporary. I won't remember who the person behind the camera was the same as I will not remember who l was that day. What I do recall, is the inability to mimic the smile of the pretty and polite little girls on my TV. They took photos and videos with their dolls and fake kitchen sets smiling as if tears were on the verge of draining their bodies of all of its water, conveying genuine joy through the static of 6-year-old me's TV screen. I have made it all the way to my senior year of high school without ever smiling at a camera from my heart, knowing that it would never beat the same as it did when the finger clicked that button. As my life had begun picking up at such a rapid speed providing me with new experiences in love, spirituality, and exploring passions, I was forced into a space of understanding that I had been ignorant to before: taking my own pictures. I'd quickly learned that with my finger on the camera's trigger, I was now in control of how the shots of the flash highlighted my face and I could decide how I wanted future me to see me. I've decided that I want her to be proud and content with not only how l'm developing as an individual, but also with my accomplishments. I've taken photos with my first paid off car, my Waffle House uniform that signifies my first job, and of most noteworthiness photos of my face. I no longer refuse to smile. I no longer refuse to accept that the camera does not imprison you, but rather reminds you of your journey. Lastly, I now refuse to give a single photo the power to bewitch my mind into thinking that I am not allowed the human right of self-worth. I am older, but there is an even older me watching to see how I use the cards I've been dealt. So now, as the camera flashes, so does my smile.

For the past 20 years, Bashville Stampede, hosted by Construct, has taken place in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. Construct is a local dance company in East Nashville that teaches various hip-hop styles like Breaking, B-Boy, and House. Bashville is essentially the one time a year dancers from all over the country, and some from other countries, visit Nashville to compete in battles for cash prizes or simply dance with others. Nashville’s local dance scene has been dwindling down slowly since the peak of club culture in the 90s, so events like Bashville Stampede are the hidden gems within the community. I saw people do things I’d grew up watching in the “Step Up” movies and “You Got Served”. I remember watching the iconic water scene in Step Up 3 where the House of Pirates went against the House of Gwai. The House of Gwai was winning the crowd over with their synchronized flares before Robert Alexander III (Moose) came in and accidentally broke a pipe. This pipe busted and submerged the dance floor in water. However, Moose and the Pirates utilized this opportunity to emphasize movement and musicality, winning them the battle. Though no water was spilt, the tension of the crowd was all the same. A game of who’d better or who has more swag. I remember seeing little boys in awe of the advanced battles stepping to the side and trying their best to imitate the skills of the veterans. I saw people that couldn’t find the beat if it slapped them in the face. There was a room where all the different dance styles from around the world free-styled with and battled against each other. I spent most of my time here just observing. I’d never seen any of these people in my life yet I felt connected to them. According to Luke, the lead character in Step Up 3, every dancer is “Born From a BoomBox (BFAB)”. BFAB provides an explanation for the invisible string connecting dancers as we all came from the bass of our parent’s favorite songs. We are the rhythm in every room we walk into. So, at Bashville, I couldn’t help but admire the passion and love for the art that we all shared. We laughed, cheered, and cried over triumph with each other as if the only thing connecting us wasn’t a beat. The sense of community I felt went beyond merely being a part of the event. I felt a confidence in myself that I’d never had before. There was a sense of newfound freedom I’d gained in being in a room with people that were also BFAB. Bashville created an opportunity and community for people like me to discover new sides of themselves and even showing younger generations that there are spaces for them. Seeing ourselves in other people can be crucial to development as we are often given a blueprint before we can even hold a pen to create one for ourselves. We are entitled to the right of freedom. Freedom to pursue happiness, success, and self-development. So why not exercise it?

I was three when my parents divorced, so I have no memories of them together. I never experienced the feeling of my family seemingly shredding, or the grief of losing my two-parent household. A big misconception about my childhood is that I was numb to the existing pain that my older siblings felt. That I didn’t grieve or hurt. Though, I did. I grieved the look on my father’s face while he starved himself just so he could afford to feed my brother and I in our one bedroom apartment. I grieve the absence of the memories my siblings have of my parents ever being together. I grieve my mother’s presence because, after the divorce she spent all of her time in her room, behind a locked door. Thus, my mother and I never built the cliché mother-daughter bond. I remember watching “Freaky Friday”, directed by Mark Waters, starring Jamie Lee Curtis as Tess and Lindsay Lohan as Anna. I particularly loved the dynamic between them, where they portrayed the stereotypical problem child and mother doing her best. The movie showcased the importance in valuing your loved ones and taking the time to understand the other. However, I, at the time, took nothing from the film but envy. I envied Tess and Anna’s relationship as it stood. Toxic, argumentative, in constant conflict, and the prominent refusal to resolve differences. I envied it all because I’d never experienced any of it. They spoke to each other every day despite their disagreements, yet I only recall the quiet car rides to and from school before my mother disappeared to her room. They bickered back and forth about meaningless things, yet my mother and I never interacted enough to bicker or conflict. Despite my mother’s lack of presence in my childhood, she fought hard in court to be my brother and I’s primary guardian and parent, so I wasn’t able to spend but eight days with my dad every month. However, as I grew older, my dad and I’s relationship has grown much stronger and he is essentially my best friend. I remember despite his inability to spend a lot of time with us due to the court’s ruling, he would carve out what time he could by picking us up from school and taking us to Wendy’s to eat, talk, and establish bonds with us before dropping us off at my mother’s. My first memories are of my dad bathing me while I played with a toy Dora the Explorer that he bought from the Family Dollar a couple blocks down the street. Like the nerd he is, he immersed my brother and I into his movie interests being the Marvel, DC, and Star Wars universes. Thus, we too became movie nerds, and it didn’t help that we all wore glasses. Nonetheless, the little time I spent with my father made up a plethora of core memories I reminisce about to this day. Both of my parents remarried less than 5 years after their divorce so, any chance I could’ve had of thinking they could reconcile would merely be a fantasy. I went through various trials and tribulations with my step parents, and more specifically my stepfather who treated my siblings and I with little to no respect. However, we took the hardships he burdened us with and used them as motivation to want more for ourselves. More being success and independence so as to prove to ourselves that whatever perception of us he tried to create would be denounced. I value the experiences my childhood gifted me and refute the weight on my shoulders that I very well could’ve let restrict me. Choosing to view my parent’s separation and separate lives as blessings in disguise granted me the ambition and confidence in myself that I now know I couldn’t get anywhere else.

I think it was somewhere in the timeframe of me working on my uncle’s farm in the summer heat, seeing the goats communicate in a language or maybe a mere sound that only they could decipher that I began to shift. It could’ve been hearing of the coyotes breaking in at night to prey on those same goats and no longer hearing them communicate with each other, almost as a silent agreement in response to the trauma of the night before. It may have been back in 2012 when my dad brought home Michelangelo, a turtle that lived in a makeshift pond in our backyard. It is these experiences that made me the strong animal lover I am today. As a Vet-Med major, I want to offer affordable animal care and ensure that wildlife is being cared for as delicately and efficiently as necessary. I would love to work in systemically and economically rural communities like where I’m from, East Nashville, where true and effective animal care can be alarmingly expensive and without coordination to the pockets of the people. Thus, most owners in these scenarios find the best solution is abandonment or neglect. I’ve seen firsthand, stray animals that don’t have the strength to eat lying in alleyways, and rescued animals at Nashville Humane Association (NHA), where I volunteer, that endured so much suffering that they fear humans. My time spent at NHA consisted of socializing animals who were once abandoned, lost, and brought into the world without companionship. Thanks to NHA, I’ve gained a better understanding of the significance in affordable care. Due to these economic conditions, it's crucial to provide relief in the areas that we can. We are in a world where betterment can only sprout from change, and I want to be that for my people, regardless of the scale. I believe the youth should be allowed the privilege of seeing themselves succeed in other people. Whether that be scientists, senators, doctors, or even presidents, our youth needs to see that we can succeed in spite of the system. We can succeed in spite of our finances. We can succeed in spite of our struggles, and in fact, we can succeed because of our struggles. Our hardships, if anything, should be the spring and call to action. They should be the reason we wake up and want better for ourselves and for our people. I want to exemplify myself for the sake of the youth and older generations who never got to see themselves for who they really were.

“Smile for the camera!” An imperative phrase that will only leave one’s lips if a photo’s subject cannot replicate the joy they are expected to exude. I am told to smile, but this photo will constrain me in the same place, the same time, and the same emotions. I am not allowed to speak, think, or move, so I refuse to smile. I have refused to submit to the flash of the camera that solidified my bondage to its shiny chains. I have refused to allow a photo that will not capture my beauty, paint me as submissive to its ulterior motives. To encourage my insecurities, magnify my flaws, but at its most malicious, to trap me. Not only in a single photo, but in my thoughts. Reminding me that I'm no longer as young as I was. Telling me l'm no longer allowed to wear sparkly tutus or try on my mother's once seemingly humongous Jimmy Choo heels that I've now outgrown. The camera will only capture me, yet not the person behind it. I cannot see them in my eyes, forcing me to acknowledge that some memories are only temporary. I won't remember who the person behind the camera was the same as I will not remember who l was that day. What I do recall, is the inability to mimic the smile of the pretty and polite little girls on my TV. They took photos and videos with their dolls and fake kitchen sets smiling as if tears were on the verge of draining their bodies of all of its water, conveying genuine joy through the static of 6-year-old me's TV screen. I have made it all the way to my senior year of high school without ever smiling at a camera from my heart, knowing that it would never beat the same as it did when the finger clicked that button. As my life had begun picking up at such a rapid speed providing me with new experiences in love, spirituality, and exploring passions, I was forced into a space of understanding that I had been ignorant to before: taking my own pictures. I'd quickly learned that with my finger on the camera's trigger, I was now in control of how the shots of the flash highlighted my face and I could decide how I wanted future me to see me. I've decided that I want her to be proud and content with not only how l'm developing as an individual, but also with my accomplishments. I've taken photos with my first paid off car, my Waffle House uniform that signifies my first job, and of most noteworthiness photos of my face. So, I no longer refuse to smile. I no longer refuse to accept that the camera does not imprison you, but rather reminds you of your journey. Lastly, I now refuse to give a single photo the power to bewitch my mind into thinking that I am not allowed the human right of self-worth. I am older, but there is an even older me watching to see how I use the cards I've been dealt. So now, as the camera flashes, so does my smile.

Hi, my name is C’yanni Storey and I am crazy. My closet is organized in rainbow order and quality of fabric. My first, middle, and last name are all six letters and the symmetry soothes me, but my favorite number is four. I only wear black and white shoes because anything else feels tacky to me. I love organization but I love the chaos and unpredictability of animal print. I love the patterns, creases, and the way they feel on your skin. I remember back in 2012 when my dad brought home Michelangelo, a turtle that lived in a makeshift pond in our backyard. His shell hard and tough but the creases seemingly precise and delicately crafted. At 5-years-old, I then exploded in fascination with animals. With an admiration for life and the environment, I decided to join my schools recycling club my sophomore year. As a recycler I experienced, first-hand, the alarming amount of waste we produce daily without understanding or fear of repercussions. We sort through trash and recyclables by hand which can be demanding work, but through this experience I learned how neglectful we’ve been to the world. Through recycling I’ve gained a new appreciation for the fruit of life and all that surrounds us, leading me to discover a great passion in the conservation of our planet and its inhabitants. Looking back, I realized Michaelango wasn’t just a sweet turtle we found and took in. He was a victim of human occupancy and negligence. As a now Pre-Veterinary major, thanks to Michaelangelo, I want to offer affordable and effective animal care and ensure that wildlife is being cared for as delicately and efficiently as it is necessary. I plan to work in systemically and economically rural communities like where I’m from, East Nashville, where true and effective animal care can be alarmingly expensive and without coordination to the pockets of the people, causing many animals to be abandoned. In a system where certain demographics are already disproportionately disadvantaged, one which I've experienced, it's crucial to provide relief in the areas that we can. We are in world where betterment can only sprout from change, and I want to be that for my people, regardless of the scale. I believe young and disadvantaged people should not only be allowed the privilege of affordable services, but also seeing themselves succeed in other people. With this, they too can contribute to the betterment of the hindered environment that our predecessors and older generations ignored and are still ignoring. Whether it be scientists, senators, doctors, or even presidents, our youth needs to see the importance of creating change and progression. We can succeed in spite of our finances. We can succeed in spite of our struggles, and in fact, we can succeed because of our struggles. Our hardships, if anything, should be the spring and call to action. Many have told me that my aspirations are irrational or unrealistic. Since no one person can move a mountain, the change I seek is essentially unthinkable. In my ignorance, I believed this. However through self-determination and furthering my education through my volunteer work, I realized that no mountain can be moved without one aspiring pioneer taking the initiative. I will never know the extent of my potential until I pursue it. So I’ll continue organizing my closet, wearing black and white shoes, and seeking symmetry. I’ll continue my crazy because I believe you have to be crazy enough to step outside the norm. To truly make a difference.

I hated life. I hated the harsh seasons of summer and winter, both complete opposites yet sharing commonality in their inability to see how miserable they made me. The hot too hot and the cold too cold, and the in between seasons a chaotic and unpredictable mix of the two. I feared organisms, even the thought of tardigrades wandering the world on a scale too small to see terrified me. I think it was somewhere in the timeframe of me working on my uncle’s farm in the summer heat, seeing the goats communicate in a language or maybe a mere sound that only they could decipher that I began to shift. It could’ve been hearing of the coyotes breaking in at night to prey on those same goats and no longer hearing them communicate with each other, almost as a silent agreement in response to the trauma of the night before. It may have been back in 2012 when my dad brought home Michelangelo, a turtle that lived in a makeshift pond in our backyard. It is these experiences that helped sparked my curiosity and passion for animals. Without them, we would’ve never came to fruition, and without them, we won’t remain. During my high school career, I volunteered in the recycling club, and at the Nashville Humane Association (NHA). My time spent at NHA consisted of socializing animals who were once abandoned, lost, mistreated, and brought into the world without companionship. Though these animals are disproportionately disadvantaged, this does not suggest their value. As a volunteer, physical extension of my morals, and animal-lover, my goals are to ensure that these animals are able to find homes and companionship despite the trauma they may carry. As a recycler I experienced, first-hand, the alarming amount of waste we produce daily without understanding or fear of repercussions. We sort through trash and recyclables by hand which can be demanding work, but through this experience I learned how neglectful we’ve been to the world. Through recycling I’ve gained a new appreciation for the fruit of life and all that surrounds us, leading me to discover a great passion in the conservation of our planet and its inhabitants. As a Pre-Veterinary major, I want to offer affordable and effective animal care and ensure that wildlife is being cared for as delicately and efficiently as it is necessary, sparked after witnessing the animals of NHA. I plan to work in systemically and economically rural communities like where I’m from, East Nashville, where true and effective animal care can be alarmingly expensive and without coordination to the pockets of the people, causing many animals to be abandoned. In a system where certain demographics are already disproportionately disadvantaged, one which I've experienced, it's crucial to provide relief in the areas that we can. We are in world where betterment can only sprout from change, and I want to be that for my people, regardless of the scale. I believe young and disadvantaged people should not only be allowed the privilege of affordable services, but also seeing themselves succeed in other people. With this, they too can contribute to the betterment of the hindered environment that our predecessors and older generations ignored and are still ignoring. Whether it be scientists, senators, doctors, or even presidents, our youth needs to see the importance of creating change and progression. We can succeed in spite of our finances. We can succeed in spite of our struggles, and in fact, we can succeed because of our struggles. Our hardships, if anything, should be the spring and call to action.

I think it was somewhere in the timeframe of me working on my uncle’s farm in the summer heat, seeing the goats communicate in a language or maybe a mere sound that only they could decipher that I began to shift. It could’ve been hearing of the coyotes breaking in at night to prey on those same goats and no longer hearing them communicate with each other, almost as a silent agreement in response to the trauma of the night before. It may have been back in 2012 when my dad brought home Michelangelo, a turtle that lived in a makeshift pond in our backyard. It is these experiences that made me the strong animal lover I am today. As a Vet-Med major, I want to offer more affordable animal care and ensure that wildlife is being cared for as delicately and efficiently as necessary. I would love to work in systemically and economically rural communities like where I’m from, East Nashville, where true and effective animal care can be alarmingly expensive and without coordination to the pockets of the people. In a system where certain demographics are already disproportionately disadvantaged, one which I've experienced, it's crucial to provide relief in the areas that we can. We are in world where betterment can only sprout from change, and I want to be that for my people, regardless of the scale. I believe young people of color should be allowed the privilege of seeing themselves succeed in other people. Whether that be scientists, senators, doctors, or even presidents, our youth needs to see that we can succeed in spite of the system. We can succeed in spite of our finances. We can succeed in spite of our struggles, and in fact, we can succeed because of our struggles. Our hardships, if anything, should be the spring and call to action. They should be the reason we wake up and want better for ourselves and for our people. I want to exemplify myself for the sake of the youth and older generations who never got to see themselves for who they really were. This scholarship would offer me the official opportunity to fully immerse myself in the Veterinary field without financial barriers to entry or hinderance of potential. I know that I can sustain and bring a good name to these scholarships, honoring those who came before me and who will come after me, I only need the opportunity to prove it.

I know that I am not entitled to anything, however, I do believe that I am deserving of a lot. In the past I didn't understand the importance in recognizing hard work. After years of standing ten toes down academically, I was no longer given more than a simple thumbs up from my peers and family. What had initially been celebrated as great achievements became unacknowledged and passed off as something they no longer felt the need to celebrate. However, I never gave up because while I knew they no longer cared, I did. I am constantly working to be the person my younger self would write letters to in elementary school, asking myself if I accomplished my past aspirations. All of this couldn't have been for nothing. I've always known who I am at my core, and that's what pushes me. I knew that one day all of my broken pencils and nights slaving behind bright screens would account for something. I have the drive, the efficiency, and integrity to achieve my dreams, but I can't do it alone. I am seeking my degree not for money, but for the opportunity in helping others. As a Vet-Med major, I want to offer more affordable animal care and ensure that wildlife is being cared for as delicately and efficiently as necessary. My love for animals runs back to 2014 on my uncle's farm when I was seven years old. I'd feed his chickens, nurse the baby goats, and aid the farm dogs in scaring off the cayotes that would make meals out of the livestock. It runs back to 2012 when my dad brought home Michaelangelo, a turtle that lived in a makeshift pond in our backyard. It is these experiences that made me the strong animal lover I am today. I would love to work in systemically and economically rural communities where animal care can be alarmingly expensive and without coordination to the pockets of the people. In a system where certain demographics are already disproportionately disadvantaged, one which I've experienced, it's crucial to provide relief in the areas that we can. We are in world where betterment can only sprout from change, and I want to be that for my people, regardless of the scale. I believe young people of color should be allowed the privilege of seeing themselves succeed in other people. Whether that be scientists, senators, doctors, or even presidents, our youth needs to see that we can succeed in spite of the system. We can succeed in spite of our finances. We can succeed in spite of our struggles, and in fact, we can succeed because of our struggles. Our hardships, if anything, should be the spring and call to action. They should be the reason we wake up and want better for ourselves and for our people. I want to exemplify myself for the sake of the youth and older generations who never got to see themselves for who they really were. These scholarships would offer me the official opportunity to fully immerse myself in the Veterinary field without financial barriers to entry or hinderance of potential. I know that I can sustain and bring a good name to these scholarships, honoring those who came before me and who will come after me, I only need the opportunity to prove it.