Ever since I was a kid, music and film have been passions of mine. I enjoy the creativity and hardowrk that goes into both these fields. These are career fields that, on the outside looking in, seem so simple but in reality are not. I hope one day I can influence people with my own art such as other artists have done for me. I am passionate about the arts, specifically filmmaking and music, because it's an industry that can speak multiple volumes and reach out to people in such an emotional way without even having to do much. A director is able to bring their imagination and turn it into reality with the help of others. They use their skills to push a message to people and have them take something away from their art. Musicians are able to turn their feeling, whether that be happy, sad, overwhelmed, angry, and turn it into a masterpiece that multiple people can listen to and connect with on a deeper level. They turn their experiences, as well as their feelings, into a universal one that anybody can relate to. This is an experience that only true forms of art can do. They can take simple words and expressions and turn them into something way bigger than that. I haven't had the experience to work closely with others in the field of filmmaking and music, but I do record music and write mini scripts when I get flows of ideas. I hope that this scholarship will award me the oppurtunity to get to work closely in the field of filmmaking and music. When it comes to filmmaking/directing, I want to showcase the diversity of all different people and create a space where the less represented can feel more represented. I am always fascinated by films but I find it hard to connect deeply because I am watching people that don't look like me. I know that I will benefit the film industry by boosting diversity for people of color and including more representation when it comes to lgbtq+ community and the disabled community. I hope that my music will allow people to reach deep in themselves and allow the emotions they don't express to be expressed. I want my music to show people that it truly is ok not to be ok. But I also want to show people that happiness is obtainable and your life doesn't have to be sad all the time. The amazing directors and musicians whose artworks I have had the pleasure of experiencing have impacted me in tremendous ways. A director who changed my view on film is Martin Scorsese. Before I stumbled upon his work, I didn't think much of film. Films were just something I put on to fill the silence around me. But when I first watched a Scorsese film I noticed how captivating his work was. His films grabbed my attention and I didn't even know how captivated I was until they were over. True film should be able to grab your undivided attention without the knowledge that it's even doing so. Music artists like Lauryn Hill, SZA, Avril Lavigne, Beyonce, etc. have been able to define who I am as a woman. These women showed me how difficult it is to be a woman but also the immense power that comes with being a woman. They have taught me strong lessons and have helped shape my confidence just through their music alone. I only hope that one day I can impact people as deeply as these people have shaped me in multiple ways.

Growing up, my family never had enough money to support my brother and I in the way that they wanted. My mom is a single mother who has tried to raise us to the best of her ability. But not being able to afford the necessary necessities has created drawbacks. When I was younger, my mom could only afford small housing that could barely fit all three of us. When we were going through really tough times we even ended up living with my aunt. Being cramped in a small space like that with many people made studying and concentrating on homework very hard. This would affect my learning ability and caused me to be farther behind on work than the other kids. At the time I wanted to give up because I believed that this would be my life forever. But as I got older I started to have the ambition to start trying in school again. I realized that if I want overcome this adversity I have to continue to educate myself and increase my learning abilities. I have overcame this adversity by making sure I get good grades and by applying to scholarships like this to be able to afford a college education. This way I can further my learning and have a stable career. This is the only way I will be able to get passed this adversity and build a stable future for myself. It is the desire and ambition to one day be able to financially support my family that helps me overcome this adversity. In the future, I plan to use the money I make to give back to my community. I want to create community centers for children and fund schools so they can have a better environment to be able to teach students the things they need to be successful. I want to donate my time and money to my community to make it better for future generations and to give everyone the oppurtunity to overcome their own financial adveristy. Having the ambition to face and overcome this adversity has increased my desire to give back to the people who are still facing adversity. It will become my responsibility to make sure that people who were in the same spot I was in when I was younger have the same oppurtunitites and resources as everyone else so that they no longer have to face adversity.