Community service has always been a part of my life. My mom encouraged my sister and me to volunteer from a young age, instilling in us the value of giving back to our community. Interesting fact I wanted to serve my community, but often times a caught grief from my friends when I couldn’t do things with them. This early exposure laid a solid foundation for commitment, leadership, and personal growth, shaping me into the person I am today. Now my friends see the value in serving and look for opportunities to join me. As a member of the Southfield Esquires Mentoring Program, I participated in several community initiatives, including the Adopt-A-Road Project, World Medical Relief drive, Christmas Project for the Homeless, and the Thanksgiving Holiday Project. My passion for service also extends internationally through my church Kensington Community Church. I participated in two separate 8-day high school student mission trips to the Dominican Republic to assist local communities in need. During the eight day mission trips I assisted with building and service projects. I worked with the children’s camp. Finally, I assisted with various sports clinics activities and events. Each volunteer was responsible to bring something on the mission trip. Since I was in charge of the children’s activities I purchased crayons, coloring books, and chalk. I remember the look on the children’s faces when I shared the items I purchased. The children were so thankful and appreciative things that we in the United States take for granted. It warmed my heart to know I made a difference. I walked away from the mission trips with a deep appreciation of life, unconditional love, and opportunity of meeting new people. I discovered a higher confidence in how I present myself, and the desire to continue to give back to my community. This humbling path fuels my drive to study accounting at an HBCU, where I can blend forensic skills with community impact, much like the real-world lessons from my volunteering. It’s not just service; it’s the personal growth that makes me ready for what’s next. I helped bring people together and create a sense of belonging by serving in roles where I connect, supports, and uplifts others through consistent community engagement and leadership. My actions in service, sports, and faith-based activities show a pattern of making spaces more welcoming, especially for those who often feel overlooked. Through programs like the Southfield Esquires Mentoring Program, I participated in projects that directly support families, children, and individuals in need, helping them feel seen, valued, and not forgotten by their community. Serving at a local homeless shelter and helping provide food to families with my church also created moments where people in difficult situations felt cared for, respected, and included rather than isolated. Creating belonging on mission trips On his mission trips to the Dominican Republic, I worked side by side with local residents on building projects, children’s camps, and sports activities, helping bridge cultural and language gaps through service and kindness. By intentionally bringing items like crayons, coloring books, and chalk for children, he helped create joyful, shared experiences that made young people feel important and included, despite limited resources.

My name is Elijah Robinson and I am a Senior at Cass Technical High School in Detroit, Michigan. Right now I’m just a Cass Tech kid juggling homework, sprint practice, and this dream I carry: becoming a forensic accountant. Most people hear that and think "spreadsheets and taxes." But to me? It’s detective work. The evidence just hides in financial records. I want to follow money trails, find fraud, and hold people accountable when things go wrong. I initially wanted to be an engineer, but after attending camp last summer, we did an internship with the FBI. This internship opened up my eyes to other opportunities such as forensic account. Generally people think accounting is just Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or Auditors, but forensic accounting was very interesting and would tap into multiple skills sets that I posse, but also explore new ones as well. Math always felt right to me. Solving problems? That’s satisfying. What pulled me toward forensic accounting was learning about cases like Enron. Those weren’t accidents. They were deliberate schemes that hurt real people. That’s when I knew numbers could tell the truth even when people tried to bury it. To really do this, though, I need more than being okay at math. I need to understand tax law. I need to know digital forensics. I need to see how money moves in complicated ways. That’s why Morehouse is the only place for me. Morehouse isn’t just another school. It’s where Black excellence is normal. Expected. As an HBCU, it gets the extra weight I’ll carry as a Black man in finance. When I visited campus, I didn’t just see buildings. I saw future leaders. Professors who actually look at you—not past you. Their motto about "bringing light"? It lands different here. Education isn’t just about degrees. It’s about becoming someone who lifts others up when they walk in a room. Their alumni? Everywhere. Doing big things in business, government, you name it. Those connections aren’t just for landing a first job. They’re for building a whole career. I plan to join the accounting club the minute I get there. Hunt for internships, even if it means my summers are spent staring at financial records instead of hanging out. If I’m lucky, I’ll study how money moves across borders too—since fraud doesn’t stop at some line on a map. This isn’t only about me. My family worked too hard to get me here. Mom’s double shifts. Dad’s quiet sacrifices. And it’s for my community too. Forensic accountants help protect small businesses, nonprofits, regular people. Maybe later I can show other kids like me that puzzles aren’t solved by being the smartest. They’re solved by not giving up.

My name is Elijah Robinson and I am a student athlete at Cass Technical High School. As a young Black African American, resources are already limited or not available which makes it difficult to but not impossible to succeed. Even though I’m in my last year at Cass Tech, I understand the importance of seeking scholarships early. Receiving this scholarship would assist me with the resources I need to attend college. Although I’m not a first generation college student, I understand that I am my own self and that it is up to me to prepare for my future. Last spring, I had the chance to take part in my first Black college tour, visiting eight Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), among them Morehouse College. Morehouse isn’t just another college, it’s a place where Black excellence isn’t the exception; it’s the expectation. When I stepped onto campus, I didn’t just see classrooms or dorms. I saw future leaders. I met professors who look directly at you, not past you, and a community where their motto about “bringing light” feels like more than words. At Morehouse, education isn’t just about chasing a degree, it’s about growing into the kind of man who lifts others the moment he enters the room. The Morehouse legacy travels far beyond Atlanta. Alumni are leading in business, government, and countless other fields across the nation and around the globe. Those connections aren’t just stepping stones to a first job, they’re blueprints for an entire career. I initially wanted to be an engineer, but after attending camp last summer, we did an internship with the FBI. This internship opened up my eyes to other opportunities such as forensic account. Generally people think accounting is just CPA or Auditors, but forensic accounting was very interesting and would tap into multiple skills sets that I posse but also explore new ones as well. To me forensic accounting is about detective work. evidence just hides in financial records. I want to follow money trails, find fraud, and hold people accountable when things go wrong. I plan on joining Morehouse’s accounting club my freshman year. The accounting club will provide access to resources such internships, mentoring, and career opportunities. If given the chance, I’d like to study how money moves across borders, because financial crimes don’t stop at state lines or shorelines. And while I know studying out of state will come with moments of homesickness, I’m just as ready to embrace the independence and responsibility that come with stepping fully into adulthood. “No two people share the same college experience. Just like a fingerprint each college experience is distinct, unrepeatable, and entirely your own. Receiving this scholarship would assist me with my career aspirations as a forensic accountant.