Since I graduated from high school, one of my favorite high school teachers has inspired me to want to teach in a high school setting, but not because she made it look easy. It is how she was able to help students through their development as scholars and as people going through different stages of their lives. The teachers I had growing up until now in college are the reason I want to make a difference in students' lives, because they show how much they care to see the students' potential beyond the classroom. I want to inspire, mentor, and even help each student in their development as future leaders of tomorrow with a community-oriented class environment while teaching students the disciplinary subject that many would deem as demanding and challenging. I want to show students their capabilities and stamina through subjects like math so that even though it may be hard, they can prove to themselves that they can achieve anything they put their minds and energy into. Once they can see that they can get through challenging subjects like this, they can be able to take that motivation and apply it to the everyday challenges they face in their own lives and in this world. I really believe in all students’ potential, and I want to help instill core values into students’ minds. I want to instill in students the motivation that education can take one so far in life, beyond just going into higher education. Education helps expand the mind of history of the past and helps everyone understand how society and communities are built based on past influencers such as political leaders and those who have gained knowledge from their own experiences in life. Education can especially encourage the aspiration of pursuing fields that can help this world be a better place and help others figure out who they want to be in this world and how they want to make a difference in their communities. Students in education are resilient and given a positive head start, and I believe each will excel and be successful in life. Now, as an undergraduate senior at CSU Stanislaus, it has been a significant journey for me on my path to earning my bachelor's degree in mathematics. Every upper-division class that I have ever taken for my major at Stanislaus has brought challenges to me due to the nature of the math level that I had to endure. Regardless of how tough the material may be, with my resilience, I made sure to study tirelessly and consistently on a day-to-day basis until I felt accomplished in understanding the lessons that were being taught by my professors. Throughout my courses, I have always made sure to observe the way the professor teaches math material, in which they encourage group work and have group discussions with other peers, which has contributed to my teaching philosophy that I have made sure to build over the years of my college career. From the start of my college career, I had always wanted to teach math in high school. I want to be able to show my future students through group work and classroom discussions when teaching the material to the class, along with showing them how impactful math can be in many fields. I want to be able to instill confidence and resilience in each student. I want to be able to spark their interests so they can see their potential beyond just taking a required math course that has always been deemed a strict and complex subject. I want to educate students to see beyond high school, where they can see themselves attaining knowledge of mathematics in their education journey in various fields: computer science, financial analysis, engineering, math education, astronomy, operations research, cybersecurity, and many more. Math is not an easy subject for many. However, as a future mathematics educator, I am determined to teach proactively and effectively to students who intend to pursue future roles in the STEM field. So, to be able to get this scholarship would not only help me to continue to push forward toward my current endeavors in my career path, but it would encourage me to know that I am being supported along my career path until I reach my career goal. When I accomplish this goal, I yearn to put my aspirations into action and pay it forward to help the youth of my community through my teachings as a future math high school teacher.

Growing up all of my life as the only black daughter to my single mother in a low-income household has never been easy. All of my life, my mother has worked relentlessly to make sure that both of us continue to have a roof over our heads, clothes on our backs, and food on the table, along with paying the bills on time. Looking back, my mother has always made sure to invest in my potential from preschool to high school. Now as a young adult who is still living with my mother, I make sure to compromise with her with errands and pay bills with my schedule of many responsibilities: From waking up at 5:00 am to pick up my mother from her job to driving to my university to attend my university courses, assisting my mother with errands around town, to working at my part-time job as a TEACH Tutor Lead, to working from 2-6 pm to taking my mother to work so she can work her night shift and taking care of my dog, this is how my day typically is filled with. Even though this is a bustling schedule, I have always made sure to take it day by day with my priorities. Being that my mother works full time at her job, where she works diligently, along with me being a part-time student while working part-time, has not been an easy road. Though financial aid has supported me from the start of my college career, financial aid is no longer able to assist me with my college expenses. As I assist my mother with her day-to-day errands, my earnings from working part-time have contributed primarily towards paying off our household expenses, car expenses, and basic necessities, which has made it hard for me to save money for my college courses. Aside from my schedule being exhausting and my financial hardships, I have been determined to always compromise with my mother so she can always rely on me to assist her as I continue to pursue my degree. As an undergraduate senior at CSU Stanislaus, it has been a significant journey for me on my path to earning my bachelor's degree in mathematics. Every upper-division class I have taken for my major at Stanislaus has presented challenges due to the level of math involved. Despite the difficulty, I consistently studied tirelessly each day until I understood the material and felt accomplished. Throughout my courses, I paid close attention to how my professors teach math, often encouraging group work and discussions with peers. This approach has influenced my teaching philosophy, which I have developed over my college years. Being a math major is not for everyone. To have the courage to take on these challenging courses, as I'm three semesters away from achieving my Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics with a single-subject focus, drives me to always put 110% focus and effort into each math course I face and intend to accomplish. Since I graduated from high school, one of my favorite high school teachers has inspired me to want to teach in a high school setting, but not because she made it look easy. It is how she was able to be there to help students through their development as scholars and as people going through different stages of their lives. The teachers I had growing up until now in college are the reason I want to make a difference in students' lives, because they show how much they care to see the students' potential beyond the classroom. I want to inspire, mentor, and even help each student in their development as future leaders of tomorrow with a community-oriented class environment while teaching students the disciplinary subject that many would deem as demanding and challenging. I want to show students their capabilities and stamina through subjects like math so that even though it may be hard, they can prove to themselves that they can achieve anything they put their minds and energy into. Once they can see that they can get through challenging subjects like this, they can be able to take that motivation and apply it to the everyday challenges they face in their own lives and in this world. I really believe in all the students' potential, and I want to help instill core values into students’ minds. I want to instill in students the motivation to students that education can take one so far in life beyond just going into higher education. Education helps expand the mind of history of the past and helps everyone understand how society and communities are built based on past influencers such as political leaders and those who have gained knowledge from their own experiences in life. Education can especially encourage the aspiration of pursuing fields that can help this world be a better place and help others figure out who they want to be in this world and how they want to make a difference in their communities. Students in education are resilient and given a positive head start, and I believe each will excel and be successful in life. I am a few semesters away from earning my bachelor's degree in my desired field of mathematics. Earning this scholarship will allow me to successfully attain my degree, particularly my challenging mathematics coursework, which is crucial for my future career as a mathematician in education. Additionally, it will be able to bring financial relief as I continue to finish my degree, which can be her testament to my vigorous mother who has tirelessly done her best to invest in my very potential.