Online learning has not been a backup plan for me; it has been the bridge that allows me to keep moving forward. As a Marine Corps veteran, father, and online undergraduate student at Indiana University Kokomo, I have had to build my education around real life: family responsibilities, appointments, financial pressure, and the discipline it takes to stay consistent when no one is physically sitting beside you in a classroom. Technology has allowed me to continue my degree while still being present for my children and responsible for my household. The main platform I use for my coursework is IU’s online learning system, where I access assignments, lectures, discussions, grades, and course materials. That structure helps me stay organized and accountable. I also rely on online library resources, digital textbooks, academic databases, Microsoft 365 tools, video lectures, virtual meetings, and online tutorials to strengthen my understanding of Informatics, technology, cybersecurity, privacy, and legal informatics. When I do not fully understand a concept the first time, online tools give me the ability to pause, review, research, and approach the material from another angle. One of the biggest lessons online learning has taught me is how to become an independent problem-solver. In technology, answers are not always handed to you. You have to read documentation, test ideas, troubleshoot errors, compare sources, and keep working until the solution makes sense. That process has helped me grow academically and professionally. Whether I am studying cybersecurity concepts, privacy issues, systems, data, or technology policy, I use online resources to connect what I learn in class to real-world problems. These tools have also helped me apply knowledge beyond assignments. I think more carefully about digital safety, protecting personal information, organizing records, and using technology to solve problems for my family and community. My interest in cybersecurity and privacy is personal because so much of modern life depends on digital systems that people may not fully understand. Online learning has helped me see technology not only as a career path, but as a way to protect people, create access, and build stability. As a veteran, I value adaptability. Military life teaches you to adjust, learn quickly, and complete the mission even when conditions are difficult. Online education requires that same mindset. I have completed more than 100 credit hours, earned senior status, maintained strong academic progress, and continued working toward my degree because online tools give me the flexibility to keep going. They allow me to study late at night, review material when my schedule changes, and continue progressing even when life is demanding. This scholarship would help me continue using online education to reach my goals. My plan is to graduate in May 2027 and enter a technology-related career where I can use my experience, discipline, and education to support my family and serve others. Online learning has helped me turn obstacles into structure, curiosity into skill, and determination into progress. It has given me a way to keep learning, keep applying knowledge, and keep building the future I want for my children.

Returning to school as a parent has challenged me in ways that a younger version of me would not have understood. When I first started college, I thought the hardest part would be the assignments, the deadlines, or learning subjects like programming, statistics, and cybersecurity. Those things are difficult, but the hardest part has been trying to become a better student while still being the father my daughters need every day. I am a Marine Corps veteran, a first-generation college student, and a father of two daughters. I did not take the traditional path to college. My life has included military service, work, family responsibilities, financial pressure, and the reality of having to rebuild while still showing up for the people who depend on me. Returning to school later in life means I do not have the same freedom as a traditional student. I cannot simply focus on myself. I have to think about groceries, bills, my children’s needs, appointments, transportation, and how every decision affects my household. One of the biggest challenges has been learning how to balance fatherhood with academic discipline. There have been nights when I was tired, overwhelmed, or behind, but I still had to open my laptop after my responsibilities at home were handled. I have had to learn how to study in small blocks of time, keep written task lists, ask for help when I need it, and keep going even when life does not slow down. I have had to become more organized, more patient, and more honest with myself about what it takes to finish what I started. Another challenge has been returning to school while carrying the weight of being an example. My daughters are watching me. They see when I am tired. They see when I keep trying anyway. I want them to understand that setbacks do not have to be the end of the story. I want them to see that education is not just about earning a degree; it is about changing the direction of a family. When they see me complete assignments, attend classes, and stay committed, I hope they learn that discipline and faith can carry you through hard seasons. Financial pressure has also been a major challenge. As a parent and student, every expense matters. School is not just tuition. It is technology, books, transportation, time away from work opportunities, and the daily cost of keeping a home stable. A scholarship would help relieve some of that pressure and allow me to stay focused on completing my degree instead of constantly worrying about how to keep everything moving at once. I am pursuing Computer Science/Informatics because I want to build a career in cybersecurity, privacy, and legal informatics. My goal is to use technology to help protect families, veterans, students, and underserved communities from scams, privacy risks, identity theft, and digital harm. I also serve through my church, and I believe leadership starts with being dependable in small things before being trusted with bigger responsibilities. Returning to school has not been easy, but it has made me stronger. It has taught me resilience, humility, time management, and purpose. I am not chasing a degree just for myself. I am working to create stability for my daughters, break generational barriers, and prove that it is never too late to build a better future with faith, discipline, and commitment.

I became interested in Computer Science when I realized technology is not just about machines, code, or apps. It is about people, safety, access, and who gets protected in a world that keeps moving online. My name is DeLorean Wiggins, and I am an undergraduate student pursuing Computer Science at Indiana University Kokomo. I am also a father, a veteran, a first-generation college student, and a Christian. My path has not been perfect or traditional, but that is part of why this degree matters so much to me. I am not just trying to earn a diploma. I am trying to build a future that allows me to protect my family, serve my community, and keep a promise I made to my grandmother before she passed away: that I would earn my bachelor’s degree. My interest in Computer Science grew from my background in Security Science and Technology and my desire to understand how digital systems affect everyday people. So much of life now depends on technology: banking, school portals, healthcare systems, benefits, email, phones, apps, and personal records. But many people do not know how to protect themselves from scams, hacked accounts, identity theft, unsafe links, or privacy risks. I want to use Computer Science to help close that gap. After earning my degree, my dream is to work in cybersecurity, privacy, and legal informatics. I want a career where I can help make technology safer and easier to understand, especially for families, veterans, students, older adults, and underserved communities. Long term, I would like to create community-focused digital safety resources, workshops, or guides that teach people how to protect their information in simple, practical ways. I believe I am a strong candidate for this scholarship because I am serious about using my education for more than personal success. I currently hold a 3.5 GPA while balancing school, family responsibilities, financial pressure, service, and life as a nontraditional student. I also volunteer through Zion Church’s Offscript Ministry, where I help support a space for children and youth to speak openly, feel heard, and be encouraged in their faith and life journey. Reading about Chris Jackson stood out to me because he used his education to build a meaningful career in technology, but he also made people feel seen and important. That is the kind of impact I want to have. I want to be skilled in my field, but also present, helpful, and service-minded. This scholarship would help reduce the financial burden of continuing my education and allow me to stay focused on finishing my degree. My goal is to become the kind of Computer Science professional who protects people, uplifts others, and uses technology with purpose.

The impact I want to make is simple: I want to use my education to help people feel safer, more supported, and more prepared for the future. My name is DeLorean Wiggins, and I am an undergraduate student pursuing Computer Science at Indiana University Kokomo. I am also a father, a veteran, a first-generation college student, and a Christian. My path has not been perfect or traditional, but it has taught me that education is not just about personal success. It is about what you are able to do for your family, your community, and the people who may come after you. One of the people who inspires me most is my grandmother. Before she passed away, I made her a promise that I would earn my bachelor’s degree. That promise still pushes me. When school gets difficult, finances get stressful, or life feels heavy, I remember that I am not only doing this for myself. I am doing it for my daughters, my family, my grandmother’s memory, and the people who may one day see my story and believe they can keep going too. I want to use my education to give back through cybersecurity, privacy, and legal informatics. Technology affects almost every part of life now. People use online banking, school systems, healthcare portals, government websites, email, phones, apps, and digital records every day. But many families, veterans, students, older adults, and underserved communities do not always know how to protect themselves from scams, identity theft, hacked accounts, unsafe links, or privacy risks. I want to help close that gap. My vision is to create community-focused digital safety resources that everyday people can understand. I want to offer workshops, simple guides, church sessions, or community support that teaches people how to protect their accounts, recognize online threats, use two-factor authentication, understand privacy settings, and feel more confident with technology. To me, cybersecurity is not only about systems. It is about protecting real people and reducing fear. I also want to continue giving back through service. I volunteer with Zion Church’s Offscript Ministry, where I help support a space for children and youth to speak openly, feel heard, and be encouraged in their faith and life journey. That work reminds me that young people need safe spaces, encouragement, and examples they can see. They need to know their dreams matter, even when their path is difficult. My daughters also inspire the change I am determined to create. I want them to see that their father did not quit. I want them to grow up knowing that faith, education, service, and perseverance can change the direction of a family. I also want other first-generation students, Black students, veterans, and nontraditional students to know they belong in college and in STEM. This scholarship would help me continue my education with less financial pressure, but more importantly, it would support the mission I am building toward. My goal is to use my degree to protect people, uplift young people, honor my grandmother’s legacy, and help shape a future where more families have the knowledge and confidence to move forward safely.

Being a first-generation student means I am walking a path that no one in my immediate family already mapped out for me. It means I have had to learn college while living it. My name is DeLorean Wiggins, and I am a first-generation undergraduate student pursuing Computer Science at Indiana University Kokomo. I am also a father, a veteran, and a Christian. My journey has not been perfect or traditional, but that is part of what makes this degree so important to me. I am not just trying to earn a diploma. I am trying to change the direction of my family and keep a promise I made to my grandmother before she passed away: that I would earn my bachelor’s degree. Being first-generation comes with challenges people do not always see. College is not only about studying and passing classes. It is financial aid, deadlines, course planning, student loans, scholarships, technology requirements, and learning how to advocate for yourself. When you do not have someone at home who has already gone through that process, even simple things can feel confusing. I have had to ask questions, make mistakes, start again, and keep moving forward. I have also had to balance school with fatherhood, financial pressure, health challenges, and the responsibilities of everyday life. There are days when it feels heavy, but I remind myself that my daughters are watching. I want them to see that their father did not quit. I want them to understand that faith, education, discipline, and perseverance can change a family’s future. My dream is to work in cybersecurity, privacy, and legal informatics. I chose Computer Science because technology affects almost every part of life now, from banking and healthcare to school, benefits, communication, and personal records. Many families, veterans, students, older adults, and underserved communities do not always know how to protect themselves from scams, identity theft, hacked accounts, unsafe links, or privacy risks. I want to use my education to help close that gap. My long-term goal is to create community-focused digital safety resources, workshops, or guides that explain cybersecurity in a way everyday people can understand. I also want to encourage other first-generation students, especially Black students and nontraditional students, to believe they belong in college and in STEM. This scholarship would help me continue my journey with less financial pressure. I rely on financial aid and federal student loans, and every scholarship helps reduce that burden. It would help with school costs like tuition, books, technology, and transportation while allowing me to stay focused on completing my degree. Being first-generation means I may be the first, but I do not want to be the last. My goal is to graduate, honor my grandmother’s memory, provide a stronger example for my daughters, and use my education to serve others.

My faith has helped me keep going when life did not give me an easy road. My name is DeLorean Wiggins, and I am an undergraduate student pursuing Computer Science at Indiana University Kokomo. I am also a father, a veteran, a first-generation college student, and a Christian. My path has not been perfect or traditional, but God has used every part of it to teach me discipline, humility, responsibility, and perseverance. Faith has helped me by giving me a foundation when things around me felt uncertain. There have been times when school, finances, family responsibilities, health, and life pressure all felt heavy at the same time. In those moments, my faith reminded me that I was not carrying everything by myself. Prayer, Bible study, and being connected to church have helped me stay grounded and keep moving forward instead of giving up. One of the biggest ways God has helped me is by teaching me that my life is not only about me. As a father, I want my daughters to see that faith is not just something I talk about. I want them to see it in how I live, how I work, how I treat people, and how I respond when things are difficult. I want them to know that a man can be strong and still be humble, focused and still be compassionate, ambitious and still be led by integrity. My faith also shows up through service. I volunteer through Zion Church’s Offscript Ministry, where I help support a space for children and youth to speak openly, feel heard, and be encouraged in their faith and life journey. Serving there reminds me that leadership starts with listening. Sometimes people do not need someone to impress them. They need someone to show up, care, and help create an environment where they feel safe and valued. In my career, I believe my faith will help me stay honest, disciplined, and people-centered. I am pursuing Computer Science because I want to work in cybersecurity, privacy, and legal informatics. Technology affects almost every part of life now, including banking, healthcare, school, benefits, communication, and personal records. But many families, veterans, students, older adults, and underserved communities do not always know how to protect themselves from scams, identity theft, hacked accounts, unsafe links, or privacy risks. My goal is to use my education to protect people, not just build a career for myself. I want to create community-focused digital safety resources, workshops, or guides that help everyday people understand cybersecurity in a simple and practical way. I also have an entrepreneurial spirit because I want to build something useful: something that connects technology, service, education, and community protection. Faith will help me in that career because it reminds me to work with integrity. In technology, trust matters. People’s information, privacy, and safety can be affected by the decisions professionals make. I want to be the kind of person who does the right thing even when no one is watching. This scholarship would help me continue my education with less financial pressure, but more than that, it would support the purpose I am working toward. I want to honor God, keep the promise I made to my grandmother to earn my bachelor’s degree, provide a better example for my daughters, and use my career to serve others with honesty, compassion, and integrity.

Leadership through service matters because people do not always need someone with a title. Sometimes they need someone willing to show up, listen, help carry the work, and make others feel seen. My name is DeLorean Wiggins, and I am an undergraduate student, father, veteran, first-generation college student, and Christian. One of the main ways I give back is through Zion Church’s Offscript Ministry. Through this ministry, I help support gatherings and spaces where children and youth can speak openly, feel heard, and be encouraged in their faith and life journey. This service is meaningful to me because young people need safe places where they can be honest, ask questions, and feel supported without being judged. One volunteering effort I have helped support and organize is the work connected to Offscript Ministry at Zion Church. My role has included helping create a welcoming environment, supporting planning and problem-solving, showing up consistently, and helping make sure the space feels encouraging and respectful. Even when the work is not always seen, it matters. Sometimes service means helping prepare the room, supporting the flow of a conversation, encouraging someone who is quiet, or being present enough that young people know they are not alone. I volunteer because I believe community is built through consistent action. It is easy to talk about helping people, but real service requires time, patience, humility, and follow-through. Through Offscript, I have learned that leadership starts with listening. Before you can guide someone, you have to care enough to understand what they are carrying. That lesson has shaped the way I approach fatherhood, school, faith, and my future career. As a father of two daughters, I also understand that young people are always watching. They watch how adults respond to pressure, responsibility, setbacks, and conflict. I want my daughters and the youth I serve to see someone who keeps showing up, keeps learning, and keeps serving even when life is not easy. I want them to know that leadership is not about being perfect. It is about being dependable. My education also connects to my service. I am pursuing Computer Science with interests in cybersecurity, privacy, and legal informatics. My goal is to use technology to protect people, especially families, veterans, students, and underserved communities who may not always know how to protect themselves online. I want to create simple digital safety resources, workshops, or community sessions that help people understand scams, hacked accounts, privacy settings, two-factor authentication, and identity protection. To me, that is also a form of paying it forward. Someone helped make space for me to grow, and I want to create spaces where others can grow too. Whether I am serving through church, helping youth feel heard, or using technology to protect people, my goal is the same: to leave people better than I found them. This scholarship would help me continue my education with less financial pressure while I keep serving. I rely on financial aid and federal student loans, and every scholarship helps me stay focused on completing my degree. I believe leadership through service is important because service turns care into action. It teaches us to stop waiting for someone else to make a difference and start using what we have to help the people around us.

My service did not end when I took off the uniform. It changed the way I carry responsibility, the way I lead my family, and the way I see education as another form of service. My name is DeLorean Wiggins, and I am a United States Marine Corps veteran, father, first-generation college student, and undergraduate student pursuing Computer Science at Indiana University Kokomo. I served in the Marine Corps, and that experience shaped my discipline, resilience, accountability, and commitment to others. The Marine Corps taught me that leadership is not about talking the loudest. It is about being dependable, staying focused under pressure, and doing what needs to be done even when no one is watching. My current educational goal is to complete my bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and continue building a future in cybersecurity, privacy, and legal informatics. I want to use technology to protect people, especially families, veterans, students, and underserved communities who may not always have the resources or knowledge to protect themselves online. Today, so much of life happens through digital systems: banking, healthcare, school, benefits, employment, and personal records. When those systems are confusing or unsafe, people can be harmed by scams, identity theft, hacked accounts, privacy violations, and misinformation. My goal is to become someone who can help close that gap. My military service helped shape this goal because it taught me the importance of protection. In the Marines, I learned that preparation matters, small details matter, and the people beside you matter. Cybersecurity requires that same mindset. It is about seeing risk before it becomes damage, staying alert, protecting information, and serving people who may never know how much work went into keeping them safe. As a veteran, one of the biggest challenges in reaching my goals has been learning how to transition into a new mission while still carrying real-life responsibilities. I am a father, a student, and someone working to manage financial pressure, school demands, family needs, and the personal adjustments that come after military service. There are times when the road feels heavy, but my service taught me not to quit just because something is difficult. It taught me to adapt, ask for help when needed, and keep moving forward with purpose. Community service is also important to me. I volunteer through Zion Church’s Offscript Ministry, where I help support a space for children and youth to speak openly, feel heard, and be encouraged in their faith and life journey. That service reminds me that giving back starts with listening. Young people are always watching how adults handle pressure, responsibility, faith, and setbacks. I want to be someone who shows them that education, service, and perseverance matter. I also hope to give back to the veteran community through my future work. Many veterans depend on digital systems for healthcare, benefits, records, education, and financial support. I want to use my education to help veterans and their families better understand digital safety and protect their information. This scholarship would help reduce the financial pressure of continuing my education. I rely on financial aid and federal student loans, and every scholarship helps me stay focused on finishing my degree. More than anything, it would support a veteran who is still serving, just in a different way. My goal is to use my education to protect people, strengthen my family, serve my community, and continue honoring the values I learned through military service.

I want to pursue STEM because I have seen how much technology controls people’s lives, and I want to be someone who helps protect people who are usually left to figure it out alone. My name is DeLorean Wiggins, and I am an African American undergraduate student pursuing Computer Science at Indiana University Kokomo. I am also a father, a veteran, a first-generation student, and someone who understands what it means to keep going when the path is not easy. My interest in STEM is not just about computers or getting a better job. It is about using knowledge to solve real problems for real people. Technology is connected to almost everything now. Families use online banking, school portals, healthcare systems, government benefit websites, email, phones, and apps every day. But many people in my community do not always know how to protect themselves online. Scams, identity theft, hacked accounts, unsafe links, privacy issues, and confusing digital systems can hurt people financially and emotionally. Sometimes the people most at risk are the people with the least access to help. That is what drives my passion for Computer Science, cybersecurity, privacy, and legal informatics. I want to understand how digital systems work so I can help make them safer and more fair. I want to help families, veterans, students, older adults, and underserved communities learn how to protect their information and navigate technology with more confidence. To me, STEM is not only about innovation. It is also about protection, access, and service. Being a Black man in STEM also matters to me. Representation is important because young people need to see that they belong in spaces where decisions are being made. If Black students rarely see people who look like them in technology, cybersecurity, engineering, or research, it can make those fields feel far away. I want my journey to show others that even if your path starts later, looks different, or comes with obstacles, you can still enter STEM and make an impact. Service is already part of my life. I volunteer with Zion Church’s Offscript Ministry, where I help support a space for children and youth to speak openly, feel heard, and be encouraged in their faith and life journey. That experience reminds me that uplifting the community starts with listening. Before you can help people, you have to care about what they are actually facing. With my degree, I hope to build community-focused digital safety resources. I want to create simple workshops, guides, or sessions that teach people about passwords, phishing scams, two-factor authentication, privacy settings, identity protection, and digital rights. I also want to mentor young Black students who are curious about technology but may not know where to begin. This scholarship would help me continue my education with less financial pressure as I work toward that goal. I rely on financial aid and federal student loans, and every scholarship helps me stay focused on finishing strong. My goal is to lift as I climb. I do not want to earn a STEM degree just to change my own life. I want to use it to protect my family, serve my community, and help open doors for the people coming behind me.