Showing up for your community can mean a variety of things. It means supporting it when it seems no one else does. To me, my community is my heritage. Heritage can help a person identify with a group of people with similar backgrounds. I am Gullah Geechee. Gullah Geechee people have ancestors from countries in West Africa. They went to the sea islands and the coast of the United States, from Jacksonville, North Carolina, to Jacksonville, Florida. My family settled along the southern coast of South Carolina, on Hilton Head Island. They brought many unique traditions along with them. I have learned to love my culture and share it with others throughout my life. But it was not always that way, it took years. I felt that my family was a little different when I was younger. My grandparents had darker skin. They spoke with accents, pronouncing certain words differently. They cooked large dinners on Sundays with okra, cornbread, and rice. We would have family reunions with hundreds of people there and know our ninth cousins. I was used to these things. I did not think my grandfather spoke 'weird.' So when other families were different or mentioned something about these aspects to me, I did not understand. My grandma would sit in the living area on Fridays in front of a sewing machine. She would sew for hours at a time, creating intricate patterns with the cloth. Each square would have a different theme, and when they all came together, something beautiful was made. I always wondered why she created these blankets when she could buy them. I learned that she did this because only a small number of Gullah women were still alive on Hilton Head know how to quilt. My family founded a business called Gullah Heritage Trail Tours to share the history of this small island they were from. In grade school, I would always accompany my grandfather on the tour. The bus would be filled with excited tourists who were fascinated by history. He took them on lengthy tours and told stories of his childhood that I had heard hundreds of times. They asked many questions about Gullah. I would sit and look out the window, not realizing how valuable the information I was hearing was. As I got older, I moved from being "the little Gullah girl" on the bus to working in the company office. And when I did take the tour, I listened to everything my granddad would say, mesmerized at how he knew his heritage. Lately, I have found it necessary to "show up" for my community. There has been a recent boom in interest in learning about my culture. With high gentrification in my Gullah Geechee community, original buildings have been torn down and replaced with modern resorts. I strive to share my culture with others whenever I am given a chance. Throughout college, I have learned the importance of being faced with adversity. My mother has been the strongest advocate for it. After school, I plan on giving back to my community through financial literacy. I want to work on closing the wealth gap on Hilton Head Island.

Showing up for your community can mean a variety of things. It means supporting it when it seems no one else does. To me, my community is my heritage. Heritage can help a person identify with people with similar backgrounds. I am Gullah Geechee. Gullah Geechee people have ancestors from countries in West Africa. They went to the sea islands and the coast of the United States, from Jacksonville, North Carolina, to Jacksonville, Florida. My family settled along the southern coast of South Carolina, on Hilton Head Island. They brought many unique traditions along with them. I have learned to love my culture and share it with others throughout my life. But it was not always that way, it took years. I felt that my family was a little different when I was younger. My grandparents had darker skin. They spoke with accents, pronouncing certain words differently. They cooked large dinners on Sundays with okra, cornbread, and rice. We would have family reunions with hundreds of people there and were forced to know our ninth cousins. I was used to these things. I did not think my grandfather spoke 'weird.' So when other families were different or mentioned something about these aspects to me, I did not understand. My grandma would sit in the living area on Fridays in front of a sewing machine. She would sew for hours at a time, creating intricate patterns with the cloth. Each square would have a different theme, and when they all came together, something beautiful was made. I always wondered why she created these blankets when she could buy them. I learned that she did this because only a small number of Gullah women were still alive on Hilton Head know how to quilt. My family founded a business called Gullah Heritage Trail Tours to share the history of this small island they were from. In grade school, I would always accompany my grandfather on the tour. The bus would be filled with excited tourists who were fascinated by history. He took them on lengthy tours and told stories of his childhood that I had heard hundreds of times. They asked many questions about Gullah. I would sit and look out the window, not realizing how valuable the information I was hearing was. As I got older, I moved from being "the little Gullah girl" on the bus to working in the company office. And when I did take the tour, I listened to everything my granddad would say, mesmerized at how he knew his heritage. Lately, I have found it necessary to "show up" for my community. There has been a recent boom in interest in learning about my culture. With high gentrification in my Gullah Geechee community, original buildings have been torn down and replaced with modern resorts. I strive to share my culture with others whenever I am given a chance. Throughout college, I have learned the importance of being faced with adversity. My mother has been the strongest advocate for it. After school I plan on giving back to my community through financial literacy. I want to work on closing the wealth gap on Hilton Head Island.

Ever since I was younger, I remember the elders in my family telling me “knowledge is power.” There is always more to learn, and the more curious you are, the more opportunities you will have. I come from a large family of educators. My great-grandmother and aunts were teachers on the small island I am from. My mother is also an educator. She explained to me that she always knew she wanted to teach. She always taught at the school I attended. I never initially had an interest in education because that is all I knew. I found myself making copies of worksheets or creating creative anchor charts for my mothers' classroom. I found joy in using bold colors to create charts that helped students retain information. It wasn't until I began working at my family business that I realized the power of education and the importance of black educators. My family founded a business called Gullah Heritage Trail Tours to share the history of this small island they were from. When I was in grade school, I would always accompany my grandfather on the tour. The bus would be filled with excited tourists who were fascinated by history. He took them on lengthy tours, and he told stories of his childhood that I had heard hundreds of times. They asked many questions about Gullah. I would sit and look out the window, not realizing how valuable the information I was hearing was. I moved from being “the little Gullah girl” on the bus to working in the company office. And when I did take the tour, I listened to everything my granddad would say, mesmerized at how he knew his heritage. I watched and learned from my older family members and can now answer almost any question someone throws at me. Wanting to expand my knowledge was the only way to become confident in answering questions and sharing with others. Through learning about my culture on Hilton Head, I understood the beauty, along with the inequalities that exist. This was when I knew that my passion was to share and fight to shrink the inequalities of education present in modern society. I began to understand that many women in my family became educators. It doesn't matter what grade or subject you teach. It matters that you are there for a kid when no one else is. It matters that you are pushing that child to want to learn more, and break stereotypes, whether that be growing up to become a doctor, an attorney, or an activist. I learned from my family to follow your passion and share your story.

My passion drives me to be great in all that I do. Heritage is a personal and cultural aspect passed down through generations. I am passionate about my culture. I am Gullah Geechee. These people have ancestors from countries in West Africa. They live on the sea islands along the coast of the United States, from Jacksonville, North Carolina, to Jacksonville, Florida. My family is from Hilton Head Island. I have learned to love my culture and share it with others throughout my life. I felt that my family was a little different when I was younger. Some of my family spoke with accents. They cooked large dinners on Sundays with rice. We would have family reunions many people. I did not think my grandfather spoke 'weird.' So when others families were different or mentioned something about these aspects to me, I did not understand. My family founded a business called Gullah Heritage Trail Tours to share the history of this small island they were from. In grade school, I would accompany my grandfather on the tour. The bus would be filled with excited tourists who were fascinated by history. He took them on the tour, and told stories of his childhood that I had heard hundreds of times. I sat and looked out the window, not realizing how valuable the information I was hearing was. As I got older, I moved from being "the Gullah girl" on the bus to working in the company office. There has been a recent boom in interest in learning about my culture. With high gentrification in my Gullah Geechee community, original buildings have been torn down and replaced with modern resorts. I am passionate about my culture, and I strive to share my culture with others whenever I am given a chance.

Showing up for your community can mean a variety of things. To me, it means supporting it when it seems no one else does. To me, my community is my heritage. Heritage can help a person identify with a group of people with similar backgrounds. I am Gullah Geechee. Gullah Geechee people have ancestors from countries in West Africa. They went to the sea islands and the coast of the United States, from Jacksonville, North Carolina, to Jacksonville, Florida. My family settled along the southern coast of South Carolina, on Hilton Head Island. They brought many unique traditions along with them. I have learned to love my culture and share it with others throughout my life. I felt that my family was a little different when I was younger. My grandparents had darker skin. They spoke with accents, pronouncing certain words differently. They cooked large dinners on Sundays with okra, cornbread, and rice. We would have family reunions with hundreds of people there and were forced to know our ninth cousins. I was used to these things. I did not think my grandfather spoke 'weird.' So when others families were different or mentioned something about these aspects to me, I did not understand. My grandma would sit in the living area on Fridays in front of a sewing machine. She would sew for hours at a time, creating intricate patterns with the cloth. Each square would have a different theme, and when they all came together, something beautiful was made. I always wondered why she created these blankets when she could buy one. I learned that she did this because only a small number of Gullah women were still alive on Hilton Head know how to quilt. My family founded a business called Gullah Heritage Trail Tours to share the history of this small island they were from. In grade school, I would always accompany my grandfather on the tour. The bus would be filled with excited tourists who were fascinated by history. He took them on lengthy tours, and he told stories of his childhood that I had heard hundreds of times. They asked many questions about Gullah. I would sit and look out the window, not realizing how valuable the information I was hearing was. As I got older, I moved from being "the little Gullah girl" on the bus to working in the company office. And when I did take the tour, I listened to everything my granddad would say, mesmerized at how he knew his heritage. Lately, I have found it necessary to "show up" for my community. There has been a recent boom in interest in learning about my culture. With high gentrification in my Gullah Geechee community, original buildings have been torn down and replaced with modern resorts. I strive to share my culture with others whenever I am given a chance.

Throughout my education, I have learned to overcome adversity and pursue what I am most interested in. I have always been interested in mathematics. I took an abundance of math classes throughout high school, whether statistics, calculus, or physics. I enjoyed learning new ways to solve mathematical equations. After my senior year in high school, I knew that I wanted to major in math. I chose to further my education here because Spelman has a strong math department for Black women. What I struggled with next was choosing a career path. I knew I would be a minority as a woman in the STEM field, and I knew I did not want to become an educator. Becoming involved in the math department at Spelman pointed me in the right direction. This summer, I had the opportunity to participate in a research program called RaMP. In this program, I got to study the mathematical modeling of infectious diseases, learn how to perform different simulation scenarios on the model using MATLAB, and learn how to write a scientific paper. This program through Spelman started my interest in epidemiology. Combining my love of math with studying a current infectious disease such as COVID-19 was interesting. I was also able to become embursed in something that I struggled with during my first semester, which was coding. I learned that the software MATLAB was coding heavy and was able to learn the basics. With this scholarship, I would further my Spelman education. I will be able to remain a math major, and in the future, participate in more research programs. Participating in these programs expose me to several job paths, learn new programs, and expand my knowledge on infectious disease modeling. When I graduate from Spelman, I would like to work in epidemiology at the CDC in Atlanta, GA. I have chosen this with the knowledge from the RaMP program. Infectious diseases will always be prevalent, whether it’s COVID-19 or HIV/AIDS. People with a strong math background are vital in epidemiology and modeling careers. This career path will not only be interesting, but I will constantly be acquiring new information in it. I come from a single-parent household, and due to covid complications by school fees are a heavy burden.I would be extremely grateful for this scholarship.

My education has always been essential to me. I have always loved learning, and when I was younger, I never wanted to miss a day of school. My family has a Gullah tour business. When I was in grade school, I would always accompany my grandfather on the tour. The bus would be filled with excited tourists who were fascinated by history. He took them on lengthy tours, and he told stories of his childhood that I had heard hundreds of times. They asked many questions about Gullah. I would sit and look out the window, not realizing how valuable the information I was hearing was. As I got older, I moved from being “the little Gullah girl” on the bus to working in the company office. I listened to everything my granddad would say, mesmerized at how he knew his heritage. When I sat on the bus, I would take in the facts and stories my grandad told me and almost began to give the tour myself. I loved learning this way because it was different from sitting at a desk at school, writing. I watched and learned from my older family members and can now answer almost any question about the Gullah Geechee culture someone throws at me. He taught me always to remember where you come from and to find pride in yourself. He also taught me that I could do anything I wanted with drive and acquiring knowledge. As I grew up, history and mathematics were my favorite subjects, and throughout my education, I learned to push through adversity. In school, I was faced with classes that I was uncomfortable with. However, when you take these classes anyway, you learn how much you can love a subject. For example, I was very nervous about taking a statistics class and an International Baccalaureate level. The first day was very overwhelming. However, I sat at the front of the room and always stayed on top of my work. I found out that statistics is my favorite area of math. I knew that I would need to go to tutoring a few times a week and ask for help whenever I needed it. I also always checked my homework in early morning tutoring sessions and during lunch. Remembering what my grandad taught me pushed me to become involved in the math department at Spelman pointed me in the right direction. This summer, I had the opportunity to participate in a research program called RaMP. In this program, I got to study the mathematical modeling of infectious diseases, learn how to perform different simulation scenarios on the model using MATLAB, and learn how to write a scientific paper. This program through Spelman started my interest in epidemiology. Combining my love of math with studying a current infectious disease such as COVID-19 was interesting. I was also able to become embursed in something that I struggled with during my first semester, coding. When I become an upperclassman, I want to tutor children in math. I know many kids give up on math because they do not understand or have a teacher who ruins it. I want to be that person that pushes them to keep going, even if they do not have someone who does that at home. I also want to push students to want to go to college.

I have always been interested in mathematics. Throughout my education, I have learned to overcome adversity. I am from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. In Hilton Head, the population has dramatically increased and changed since the 1980s. We have become a great tourist attraction, and the original culture is being hidden. I am a part of the Gullah Geechee culture. My family has a tour business where we teach and show tourists about it. I have learned a great deal about it but have struggled to be confident in it. Growing up, I was usually the only African American girl in my class. It left me feeling alone. I took an abundance of math classes throughout high school, whether statistics, calculus, or physics. I enjoyed learning new ways to solve mathematical equations. After my senior year in high school, I knew that I wanted to major in math. I chose to further my education here because Spelman has a strong math department for Black women. What I struggled with next was choosing a career path. I knew I would be a minority as a woman in the STEM field, and I knew I did not want to become an educator. Becoming involved in the math department at Spelman pointed me in the right direction. This summer, I had the opportunity to participate in a research program called RaMP. In this program, I got to study the mathematical modeling of infectious diseases, learn how to perform different simulation scenarios on the model using MATLAB, and learn how to write a scientific paper. This program through Spelman started my interest in epidemiology. Combining my love of math with studying a current infectious disease such as COVID-19 was interesting. I was also able to become embursed in something that I struggled with during my first semester, which was coding. I learned that the software MATLAB was coding heavy and was able to learn the basics. With this scholarship, I would further my Spelman education. I will be able to remain a math major, and in the future, participate in more research programs. Participating in these programs expose me to several job paths, learn new programs, and expand my knowledge on infectious disease modeling. When I graduate from Spelman, I would like to go to grad school. Following this experience, I want to get a doctorate degree in mathematical science. I would like to work in epidemiology at the CDC in Atlanta, GA. I have chosen this with the knowledge from the RaMP program. Infectious diseases will always be prevalent, whether it’s COVID-19 or HIV/AIDS. People with a strong math background are vital in epidemiology and modeling careers. This career path will be interesting, but I will constantly acquire new information in it. I would be extremely grateful for this scholarship.

Knowledge is power, and a higher education opens many doors in ones career. My family founded the business called Gullah Heritage Trail Tours to share the history of this small island they were from, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. When I was in grade school, I would always accompany my grandfather on the tour. The bus would be filled with excited tourists who were fascinated by history. He took them on lengthy tours, and he told stories of his childhood that I had heard hundreds of times. They asked many questions about Gullah. I would sit and look out the window, not realizing how valuable the information I was hearing was. As I got older, I moved from being “the little Gullah girl” on the bus, to working in the company office. And when I did take the tour, I listened to everything my granddad would say, mesmerized at how he knew his heritage. When I sat on the bus, I would take in the facts and stories my grandad told me, and almost began to be able to give the tour myself. I loved learning this way because it was a different approach than siting in a desk at school, writing. I watched and learned from my older family members, and can now answer almost any question about the Gullah Geechee culture someone throws at me. Before I was somewhat ashamed to know or tell people about my culture. Now I am proud and enjoy it. The more knowledge I learn, the more I now want to share. I'm glad I didn’t just throw this information away, and kept at it. Education has played a major role in my life. I have learned so much from my family, and did not even realize it. Through learning, I have become more confident in myself and my culture. I am now able to share with others, and learn more.

Throughout my education, I have learned to overcome adversity, and pursue what I am most interested in. I am from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. In Hilton Head the population has greatly increased and changed since the 1980's. We have become a great tourist attraction, and the original culture is being hidden. I am a part of the Gullah Geechee culture. My family has a tour business where we teach and show tourists about it. We take visitors on a two hour bus ride around the island, telling stories and pointing out businesses that remain. I have learned a great deal about it, but have struggled to be confident in it because of a few reasons. Growing up, I was usually the only African American girl in my class. It left me feeling alone, and I did not look like anyone else. I had kinky hair and would bring different things to lunch. When someone would have a birthday party I saw that my family had accents as well. My initial reaction in primary and middle school, was that I wanted to change classes. I wished that I could be around other kids that looked like myself. I was out of my comfort zone. I then realized I was in advanced classes, and didn't know why. When high school came, I became used to being the only person of color in my accelerated math and history classes. I realized that I should take advantage of these opportunities. I learned from my grandad, and his brothers that founded their own business, to be passionate and excited in learning. They pursued their dreams. I also knew that this would be a new normal, because I would be pursuing math in the future. I learned to be comfortable in my own skin. I learned to be confident in myself and my history. I began to speak my ideas, because I wanted my name to stick. In class, I was always able to present on the Gullah Geechee culture. It blew my mind, because many people had no idea of what was happening in their own town. In a few of my classes, we were able to go on the tour as a field trip. When I became more confident in myself, I began doing better in all of my classes. In my math classes I started to share my answers and became confident in explaining why I am correct. I could see a big change in freshman Deahn and senior Deahn. I was even able to give a speech at graduation. I would have never believed that I would even agree to speaking for a crowd. This scholarship would mean a lot to me. I attend Spelman College, which is a private HBCU. It would help me convince myself that all of my hard work was worth it. I want to be a mentor to those little boys and girls who don't have a strong support system. I don't want for any student in primary school to want to go cry to their guidance counselor because they feel alone. I would love for them to know that it only gets better. That they need to keep pushing. Keep excelling in classes, and to be their own support system. This scholarship will help me on my road to becoming a successful STEM major at Spelman College. When I graduate I want to work in finance. I would love to learn about investment banking and become an analyst.

Throughout my education, I have learned to face adversity, and pursue what I am most interested in. I am from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. In Hilton Head the population has greatly increased and changed since the 1980's. We have become a great tourist attraction, and the original culture is being hidden. I am a part of the Gullah Geechee culture. My family has a tour business where we teach and show tourists about it. We take visitors on a two hour bus ride around the island, telling stories and pointing out businesses that remain. I have learned a great deal about it, but have struggled to be confident in it because of a few reasons. Growing up, I was usually the only African American girl in my class. It left me feeling alone, and I did not look like anyone else. I had kinky hair and would bring different things to lunch. When someone would have a birthday party I saw that my family had accents as well. My initial reaction in primary and middle school, was that I wanted to change classes. I wished that I could be around other kids that looked like myself. I was out of my comfort zone and felt rejected. I then realized I was in advanced classes, and didn't know why. When high school came, I became used to being the only person of color in my accelerated math and history classes. I realized that I should take advantage of these opportunities. I learned from my grandad, and his brothers that founded their own business, to be passionate and excited in learning. They pursued their dreams. I also knew that this would be a new normal, because I would be pursuing math in the future. I learned to be comfortable in my own skin. I learned to be confident in myself and my history. I began to speak my ideas, because I wanted my name to stick. In class, I was always able to present on the Gullah Geechee culture. It blew my mind, because many people had no idea of what was happening in their own town. In a few of my classes, we were able to go on the tour as a field trip. When I became more confident in myself, I began doing better in all of my classes. In my math classes I started to share my answers and became confident in explaining why I am correct. I could see a big change in freshman Deahn and senior Deahn. I was even able to give a speech at graduation. I would have never believed that I would even agree to speaking for a crowd. I attend Spelman College, which is a private HBCU. Throughout school it almost seems as if I was rejected from other African Americans because I was "white washed." It I want to be a mentor to those little boys and girls who don't have a strong support system, and seen as different. I don't want for any student in primary school to want to go cry to their guidance counselor because they feel alone. I would love for them to know that it only gets better. That they need to keep pushing. Keep excelling in classes, and to be their own support system.