My mother has always had a saying: "People show kindness, but how thorough is your kindness?" Her sayings had a strong impact on me. I do my best to live by those words, taking the time to understand and think of a way to really aid others. This is regardless whether it be something simple or big. Being able to embody these words as my own, is my big goal. Also, this ties into a bigger goal which I will discuss. I will be providing two examples of helping those in need. The first is during my middle and high school years. Thanks to the efforts of my mother I am able to speak French fluently. This skill was extremely helpful, when it came to immigrant students. There are many immigrant students who come to America every year. Feeling stressed and anxious they have a hard time transferring and understanding English. However, they are able to speak a language of which they are more comfortable. This is true especially with students from Africa. I was able to be their translator. I thought most beneficial was becoming a friend who could relate to them, understand them, and just listen to their worries. It is an amazing feeling being able to contribute to someone's success, and seeing them grow and start their own story. I am friends with many of them to this day, and we communicate. They are well on their way to succeeding whether it be attending college, working, or starting their own business. Besides all the good that came from these situations, I have gained lifelong friends! Now I will relate the biggest way I have helped someone in need. Sadly in 2022 my grandfather passed away. My grandfather was a "big deal" so to speak. He had his own church, was big in the community, aiding neighbors, and welcoming refugees from other countries in his church (providing clothes, food, beds and shelters). After his passing he had no funding to rebuild the church, so it was going to be torn down. Conversely my father, uncles, and I had different plans. We came together to donate funds to rebuild the church. Obviously this was amazing, but I wanted to do even more. So after convincing my father and uncles, we made a plan to turn his church into a hybrid building, with a church and school. Then the plan went into action, and nine months later we received news that the building had been completed. With great pride I can say my cousins and nephews are attending the school. The feeling I got when I heard that news was amazing, I felt accomplished, and a fire had been lit inside me to do more. When I get more personal funds, I'm going to create a program which will allow Togolese high school and college students an all paid internship with me or a sponsor. Allowing them to continue their education at an American college or university is the ultimate chance to grow. These experiences, accomplishments, and goals motivate me every day to continue to work to make my dreams a reality. This way I continue to work at achieving my goal of embodying my mother's words!

I come from a low middle class family. My single mother raised me and my brother by herself. We moved around quite a bit. I can say with confidence I am one the most well traveled along the east coast. Even through the many years of struggling in the beginning, my mother managed to get an education despite being an immigrant. This improved our life somewhat allowing me to get an education. Because of her efforts I was able to attend a language school learning French fluently. I graduated high school in 2023 and have been able to attend community college. Currently, the most significant way I use my skills to help others is by showing my brother that you can do anything you set your mind to. Growing up, my brother was my mini-me, so to speak, but over time he has found his own passions, hobbies and interests. I want him to use those to make a difference in the world to continue the process of motivating others. Even though we come from a lower class family with a single mother, I want to show him that with consistency, drive and passion, you can accomplish your goals. Even though people have told me I would not succeed in this field, I have received an apprenticeship at one of the best dealerships in the country, I have been able to maintain top grades in my classes, and I've been able to operate on our family's vehicles (I am now the family's technician/mechanic). I have done all of this while being the only black technician in the dealership. I hope to show my brother, through my actions and accomplishments now and in the future, that he can do the same. He can use his motivation and skills to make a difference in the world, just as I am trying to do, and in this way we will show everyone around us that we can do what we set our minds to. A recent survey shows that there are around 7% of black men in the automotive industry. I hope to aid in the increase of this number. Although I know many young black men who have a passion in the field, they feel held back because of fear of being a minority in yet another field due to not having a support system in the industry who you can relate to on a personal level, etc. However, I want to establish a system of communicating and encouraging one another, not just us as young back men but also experienced black Master Technicians. As black Master Technicians, we can offer a wide variety of aid, not just to become better technicians, but better people.

I come from a low middle class family. My single mother raised me and my brother by herself. We moved around quite a bit. I can say with confidence I am one the most well traveled along the east coast. Even through the many years of struggling in the beginning, my mother managed to get an education despite being an immigrant. This improved our life somewhat allowing me to get an education. Because of her efforts I was able to attend a language school learning French fluently. I graduated high school in 2023 and have been able to attend community college. I hate how people say community college is not real college. That is so false and with the help of this scholarship, it will allow me to prove others wrong and complete my goals. Since I come from a low income single-mother household, community college has been perfect for me, even if the money has been tight and that's where this scholarship comes into play. I hope with the scholarship I can give school my 100% undivided attention. I can focus on getting as much knowledge with more intimate classes as opposed to big universities. It will allow me to save money so my family can help save money for my younger brother to also go to college. Also, I can save money to transfer to a university or college. This scholarship will be one of my stepping stones to pursue further education to become a Master Technician. Especially with the explosion of Hybrid and Full Electric vehicles and with so many being on the road, there is a need for qualified tradesmen in the field. This is more so true with most technicians increasing in age and not being able to easily understand the new complex system and technology. I will be able to fund my internship with one of the best dealerships in central North Carolina-Ilderton. I can achieve my true goals in life no matter what anyone may tell me about community college or anything in life, I will accomplish it. My goals of having my own dependent shop and mobile services will tie into my bigger goal. A recent survey shows that there are around 7% of black men in the automotive industry. I hope to aid in the increase of this number. Although I know many young black men who have a passion in the field, they feel held back because of fear of being a minority in yet another field due to not having a support system in the industry who you can relate to on a personal level, etc. However, I want to establish a system of communicating and encouraging one another, not just us as young black men but also experienced black Master Technicians. As black Master Technicians, we can offer a wide variety of aid, not just to become better technicians, but better people.

Travel is the way we learn about the world and our ourselves. I've met so many people who were changed by their experience traveling. They came changed, they were appreciative of what they had, often times they would be more patient, kind, humble and appreciative. This is what happened when I went to Togo, the country where my mother and father are from. It changed my life. First I realized not everyone had what I had (warm water, healthy food, a bed to sleep on, air conditioning). Seeing how my relatives lived and others lived, extremely simple methods of living, the markets where everyone is trying to sell something, the amount of poverty in these countries. I was shocked to see how they lived. This made me so grateful to the opportunity I have in America even applying to this scholarship is something I can do in my situation. But with seeing the struggle and poverty with Togo and also came the good and beautiful. I visited Labadie Beach, in Accra. It has the most clear and fresh ocean water, and the sunsets was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. And my favorite part the food. Everything was so delicious (you just had to make sure to buy from the right vendors so you wouldn't get food poisoning or your wallet stolen). The flavor was just right and all the foods worked together so well. West Africa is known for their delicious mangoes, so fresh and juicy. I can go on for days with the how many dishes I enjoyed. But what had the most impact on me was the people, granted not everyone was nice as it is with anywhere. When you got past the shell of people, they were so hospitable, kind and willing to share their life stories. I found out from one of vendors at marketplace that his family were vigilantes during the shipping of West Africans to America, they would rescue people and send them east. Another taxi driver told me about a secret beach along the coast of Togo where young people would go cliff diving. Overall I had a great time and came away with experiences, stories, networks and souvenirs (cant forget those). This is just one example of places I have been, but in this trip I literally opened a third eye to the world. I learned to never take anything for granted, realizing the personal blessings I can enjoy in my life. I learned kindness like no other especially helping those less fortunate. These trips give me unparalleled motivation to continue to make myself better and achieve goals, as well as join Cultural clubs at my college to network and meet people. To learn about their experiences, cultures and what makes them who they are today. It moved me help those in my community both here and in Togo and Ghana, to travel the world and experience every culture possible!

In recent times much has been done to spread awareness, for example electric vehicles, organic materials for building, and many groups that promote environmental change. But in my opinion based on the way I was raised and the experiences I have seen, the biggest environmental issue is pollution. Pollution affects everything, the water we drink, the roads we drive on, our lands, etc. We are using products at a faster rate than we are recycling them. As mentioned before as to how I was raised. My parents are from Togo and Ghana, countries in West Africa rich with history. They taught me to appreciate everything I have in the states. The reason for this is because when they grew up they were heavily exposed to pollution whether in the water they drank, the food they ate, etc. Many times they would recount to me the times they got food poisoning or diarrhea, having to go to the doctor and get medical treatment. One time my father was bedridden by how sick he had gotten by drinking dirty water. Sadly even some of their friends passed away from unclean food. They would tell me these things and I would be appalled by what they had to go through. Not only are humans being affected but our earth, the land and OCEANS(with its wildlife) are being harmed by other human pollution. Consider some citations: "It is estimated that approximately 8 million metric tons of plastic waste enter the oceans annually." (Source: World Economic Forum) "Oil spills from accidents and offshore drilling operations contribute to marine pollution, with devastating impacts on marine ecosystems and coastal communities." (Source: International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation) Now onto some ways I will contribute to the issue. 1. When my grandfather passed away in 2022 his church in Ghana was going to be torn down. So my uncles, father and I donated funds to rebuild the church. In the near future I will set up a non-profit clean sanitation and food stations for those who come from where I come from. 2. Even here in the states I continue to volunteer for cleanups and environmental protection(planting trees, fertilizing plant-life) 2. Since I am in the automotive field, I really want to focus more on hybrid and electric vehicles. Once I have my own independent automotive shop, we will focus on Green Practices and working/operating on electric vehicles to promote clean energy and less pollution(gas vehicles) in the community. 3. I believe in educating the future generation so they can make better decisions, and one of the things I can teach them is the importance of RRR(reduce, reuse, and recycle) in that way they limit pollution. I try to instill these good values into my brother and 2 sisters. 4. Of course I do things like donate to non-profit organizations and support companies that support African communities through cleaning and removing pollution like Smallflower lotion. These are all ways I have and will continue to aid the fight of pollution. These are just the beginning!

I come from a low middle class family. My single mother raised me and my brother by herself. We moved around quite a bit. I can say with confidence I am one the most well traveled along the east coast. Even through the many years of struggling in the beginning, my mother managed to get an education despite being an immigrant. This improved our life somewhat allowing me to get an education. Because of her efforts I was able to attend a language school learning French fluently. I graduated high school in 2023 and have been able to attend community college. I hate how people say community college is not real college. That is so false and with the help of this scholarship, it will allow me to prove others wrong and complete my goals. Since I come from a low income single-mother household, community college has been perfect for me, even if the money has been tight and that's where this scholarship comes into play. I hope with the scholarship I can give school my 100% undivided attention. I can focus on getting as much knowledge with more intimate classes as opposed to big universities. It will allow me to save money so my family can help save money for my younger brother to also go to college. Also, I can save money to transfer to a university or college. This scholarship will be one of my stepping stones to pursue further education to become a Master Technician. Especially with the explosion of Hybrid and Full Electric vehicles and with so many being on the road, there is a need for qualified tradesmen in the field. This is more so true with most technicians increasing in age and not being able to easily understand the new complex system and technology. I will be able to fund my internship with one of the best dealerships in central North Carolina-Ilderton. I can achieve my true goals in life no matter what anyone may tell me about community college or anything in life, I will accomplish it. My goals of having my own dependent shop and mobile services will tie into my bigger goal. A recent survey shows that there are around 7% of black men in the automotive industry. I hope to aid in the increase of this number. Although I know many young black men who have a passion in the field, they feel held back because of fear of being a minority in yet another field due to not having a support system in the industry who you can relate to on a personal level, etc. However, I want to establish a system of communicating and encouraging one another, not just us as young back men but also experienced black Master Technicians. As black Master Technicians, we can offer a wide variety of aid, not just to become better technicians, but better people.

My mother has a serial history of vehicles breaking down on her. We have been stranded our fair share growing up. This led me to eventually take an interest in learning about vehicles, how they function, how to diagnose them, and finally how to get them to run properly again. I had a lot of failures with my mother's cars before I had success with them. I soon learned that my abilities can be of use to others. Being able to hone my skills to help others in such a promising field, especially with the explosion of hybrid and electric vehicles being used and driven at such a great rate, can provide me with a real opportunity to give back, especially to my mother. My goal is to ensure that she can retire before she reaches the legal age of retirement. Additionally, I aim to have my own independent automotive shop operating on all vehicles- gas, diesel, hybrid and electric, as well as a mobile service. A recent survey shows that black men make up around 7% of the automotive industry. I hope to aid in the increase of this number. I know many young black men who have a passion in the field feel held back because of the fear of being a minority in yet another industry, or because they have no support system in the field who they can relate to on a personal level. I want to establish a system of communicating and encouraging one another, not just us as young black men but also as experienced black Master Technicians who can offer a wide variety of aid. This will help us become both better technicians and better people. Beginning with my college, I aim to expand this system of support throughout my county and eventually all along the east coast. Currently, the most significant way I use my skills to help others is by showing my brother that you can do anything you set your mind to. Growing up, my brother was my mini-me, so to speak, but over time he has found his own passions, hobbies and interests. I want him to use those to make a difference in the world to continue the process of motivating others. Even though we come from a lower class family with a single mother, I want to show him that with consistency, drive and passion, you can accomplish your goals. Even though people have told me I would not succeed in this field, I have received an apprenticeship at one of the best dealerships in the country, I have been able to maintain top grades in my classes, and I've been able to operate on our family's vehicles (I am now the family's technician/mechanic). I have done all of this while being the only black technician in the dealership. I hope to show my brother, through my actions and accomplishments now and in the future, that he can do the same. He can use his motivation and skills to make a difference in the world, just as I am trying to do, and in this way we will show everyone around us that we can do what we set our minds to.

I come from a low middle class family. My single mother raised me and my brother by herself. We moved around quite a bit. I can say with confidence I am one the most well traveled along the east coast. Even through the many years of struggling in the beginning, my mother managed to get an education despite being an immigrant. This improved our life somewhat allowing me to get an education. Because of her efforts I was able to attend a language school learning French fluently. I graduated high school in 2023 and have been able to attend community college. I hate how people say community college is not real college. That is so false and with the help of this scholarship, it will allow me to prove others wrong and complete my goals. Since I come from a low income single-mother household, community college has been perfect for me, even if the money has been tight and that's where this scholarship comes into play. I hope with the scholarship I can give school my 100% undivided attention. I can focus on getting as much knowledge with more intimate classes as opposed to big universities. It will allow me to save money so my family can help save money for my younger brother to also go to college. Also, I can save money to transfer to a university or college. This scholarship will be one of my stepping stones to pursue further education to become a Master Technician. Especially with the explosion of Hybrid and Full Electric vehicles and with so many being on the road, there is a need for qualified tradesmen in the field. This is more so true with most technicians increasing in age and not being able to easily understand the new complex system and technology. I will be able to fund my internship with one of the best dealerships in central North Carolina-Ilderton. I can achieve my true goals in life no matter what anyone may tell me about community college or anything in life, I will accomplish it. My goals of having my own dependent shop and mobile services will tie into my bigger goal. A recent survey shows that there are around 7% of black men in the automotive industry. I hope to aid in the increase of this number. Although I know many young black men who have a passion in the field, they feel held back because of fear of being a minority in yet another field due to not having a support system in the industry who you can relate to on a personal level, etc. However, I want to establish a system of communicating and encouraging one another, not just us as young back men but also experienced black Master Technicians. As black Master Technicians, we can offer a wide variety of aid, not just to become better technicians, but better people.

My experience being the child of immigrant parents: eye opening. My parents come from Togo and Ghana, neighboring countries of West Africa rich with history of West Africans, slavery and so much more. They came to America in the early 2000's and had me and my younger brother shortly thereafter. We moved around quite a bit all along the east coast of the U.S. Every time we would go to a new school, I would constantly compare myself to other kids who seemed more fortunate than me, who had the newest phone, clothes, shoes etc. Up until I was about 14 years old I would ask myself: "Why can't we have the nice things they have? Why is my mom so strict? Why does she insist we save every piece of food we can when others around me don't? Why do I study extra with my mom after school?" I just couldn't understand why things were the way they were, but as I'm older now I wouldn't ask for a different situation. Growing up in a single mother African household taught me so many things. FIRST and foremost, I learned how to cook. I learned the principle of saving and eating all the food you buy because wasting food is not showing consideration to those less fortunate. We were taught not to take what we have for granted and not just food. I learned that hard-work in life is an absolute must if you want to achieve anything. My mother is a perfect example of this, she raised two children on her own while working and going to college and getting her degree in Accounting. I saw her discipline and consistency and that left a mark on me. She also taught me the values of showing kindness. She always says: "People show kindness, but how thorough is your kindness?" She showed me the value of community and family, finding your own tribe of likeminded individuals who can push you and to never isolate yourself. She taught me about my history and how my ancestors used to be kings and princes of their tribes and I even learned that my great-great-great-great grandfather was the first judge of Togo. I learned to be proud of my heritage, who I am and where I come from. If I could walk in someone's shoes for one day it would be: Muhammad Ali("Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee"). I love his blend of athletic prowess and great sense of knowledge, wit and charisma. He, in my eyes, is what a man should be and someone I strive to be like. Not only his ability to defend himself and those he loves, be really good at it so much so he is able to provide for his family. Then, on the other hand, being able to defend himself in a knowledgeable way using beautiful sayings to defend his point. I want to see how he got to be such a well-rounded individual. Of course I couldn't forget his sense of justice, standing up for what was right and what he believed in, no matter the backlash he received he stayed true to himself in a rightful and composed manner. If I could I would want to see a glimpse of what he does, what drives him to be the person we all now know him to be and what I can take away to be my own form of Muhammad Ali.

ATTACK ON TITAN!! I could watch this show over and over and over again. This show is unlike another show. It shows the power of family and friendship, how far Armin, Eren and Mikasa are able to go for each other. It also shows how nothing in in the world is truly black and white. Everything has a gray spot, and our decisions, even though it won't affect the whole world as it did for Eren (killing 80% of humanity for his friends and family), our decisions affect everyone around us big or small. If we take time to develop the relationships with our family and friends, they will be there to support our decisions and guide us even if isn't the right or best choice (just like Mikasa and Armin fought to stop Eren and not kill him even though he killed 80% of humanity). Another powerful message it taught me is how much our thinking is skewed when we are kept within walls whether that be mentally, physically or even where we live. For example, those who lived inside the walls of Maria had no idea where titans came from, what the ocean looked like or if there were other people in the world. However, when Eren and company went to Marely and saw how advanced civilization was, what the ocean looked like and the history of Titans, their whole perception of life changed. In the same way, it taught me to never keep myself in a box. I do this by continuing to learn about different cultures, traveling, networking and diversifying every part of myself. In this way I continue to push myself whether it be my schooling, work, clubs even watching anime. I make myself better everyday.

For 16 years of my life I didn't like the topic of mental health, it made me uncomfortable to think about, let alone talk about it. Coming from a immigrant African household mental health wasn't a very important issue for our family. My father used to tell me that crying was never to be done in his household. It was shunned upon for a man to talk about or to even show his emotions. Experiencing this from a young age had a deep effect on me. Whenever I felt a strong emotion like sadness, anger, jealousy or anything, I would shove those emotions as deep as possible in my heart and mind. This in hindsight isn't a very good thing for a growing boy to do. Over time in my teenage years I would have random emotional outbursts from anger to sadness. At first I was so confused with what was happening to me, scared even. When lockdown happened because of COVID it became even worse, being cooped up with family seeing them all the time everyday impacted my mental health in a very negative way. It affected my grades, my body composition, and relationships with my family becoming a cold mean person around them. This may sound very cliche but my mother made a rule that every week over the summer we would go see the sunset at our nearest lake. At first I hated having to go out, but over time seeing the sunset would reset me so to speak. I became addicted to sunset seeing. It was like the sunset was literally comforting me in a weird but enjoyable experience. Summer ended leading to winter and the first weeks of online school were brutal for me. Talking to my counselor which required a great amount of humility and effort gave me the advice of meditating and at first I thought 'what does a 16 year old boy have to do with mediating' and on and on. Nonetheless, I decided to give it a chance remembering what a simple sunset did for me. I remember the first time I tried meditating, I gave up the first 52 seconds (yes I remember the exact time). Over time with consistency it started having a positive impact on me allowing to envision my future and plan for school and getting back in shape. That was only half of the solution. I needed to come to terms with my past. This is where journaling came into play. Once a week I would write a time I felt a strong emotion growing up and what caused how I felt and how it changed me. This and meditation has allowed me to give me 100% focus for school: getting honor roll throughout high school, joining clubs, losing 20lbs of weight, developing a healthy relationship with my mother, father and especially my brother.

My mother has a serial history of vehicles breaking down on her. We have been stranded of our fair share growing up. This led me to eventually taking an interest to learning about vehicles, how they function, how to diagnose them and and finally getting them to run properly again. I had a lot of failures on my mothers cars before I had success of them. Starting high school I learned that my skills can be of use and to others and be a real opportunity to give back especially my mother. Every time I have worked on a vehicle I always learn something new from a better way to access a component to a minute detail about a vehicle works, I strive to learn something new. These experiences ties in with my educational goals to gain my associates degree in Automotive technology and return a an accredited technical school and seek a bachelors degree in Automotive technology mainly on the electric vehicle side of the field. Being able to use my abilities to help others in such a promising filed especially with the explosion of hybrid and electric vehicles being used and driving and such a great rate. This scholarship will be one of my stepping stones to pursue further education to become a Master Technician. Especially with the explosion of Hybrid and Full Electric vehicles and with so many being on the road there is a need for qualified tradesmen in the field, all the more so with most technicians increasing in age and not being able to easily understand the new complex system and technology. Then use those same skills to provide for my mother, having the goal of letting her retire before she gets to the legal age of retirement is something I will accomplish along with my personal career goal's- having my own independent automotive shop operating on all vehicles- gas, diesel, hybrid and electric, as well as a mobile service. This is when the William A. Stuart Dream scholarship comes into play. It will allow me to give 100% focus to the college experience; classes, studying, clubs, networking and learning as much as I can about myself and my career path. I also plan on moving out for the nest semester for the search of true freedom and added responsibility. The scholarship will allow me to push myself to be the best version of myself. I will be able to fund my internship with one of the best dealership in central North Carolina- Ilderton, where I continue to learn the ins and outs of vehicles. I also plan on moving out of my mother house and pursue the path of true freedom and responsibility, it will be stepping stone and aid to allow me to enjoy the moving out process and transition from childhood to adulthood not just in moving out but in life in general whether that be school, personal relationships etc.

My parents who are from Togo and Ghana along the west coast of Africa always told me I take things for granted when it came to living in a first world country, and I never understood what they meant until I went there for the first time. That experience changed my life. They were absolutely right when it comes to what I took for granted, ie. warm water, healthy food, a bed to sleep on, air conditioning. Seeing how my relatives lived and those who lived their-there extremely simple methods of living, the markets where everyone is trying to sell you something, the amount of poverty in these countries. I was shocked as to how they lived like this. This made me so grateful to the opportunity I have in America even applying to this scholarship is something I can do in my situation. But with seeing the downside and poverty with Togo and Ghana also came the good and beautiful. I visited Labadi Beach, Accra, Ghana. I will tell you it has the most clear and fresh ocean water, you can literally feel how the water is better and the sunsets was one of the most beautiful things I have seen in my life. And my favorite part the food. It was all so delicious( you just had to make sure to buy from the right vendors so you wouldn't get food poisoning and not get your wallet stolen). The flavor was just so right and all the foods worked together so well. I felt like the rat from ratatouille feeling and imagining the color, taste and smell of the food. West Africa is known for their delicious mangoes, so fresh and juicy. I can go on for days with the how many dishes I enjoyed. But what had the most impact on me was the people, granted not everyone was nice and perfect as it is with anywhere. When you got past the shell of people, they were so hospitable, kind and willing to share their life stories. I found out from one of vendors at the marketplace that his family were mercenaries/vigilantes during the shipping of West Africans to America, they would rescue people and send them east. Another taxi driver told me about a secret beach along the coast of Togo where young people would go cliff diving. Overall I had a great time and came away with experiences, stories, networks and souvenirs( cant forget those). This is just one example of places I have been, but in this trip I literally opened a third eye to the world. I learned to never take anything for granted, realizing the personal blessings I can enjoy in my life. I learned kindness like no other especially helping those less fortunate. These trips give me unparalleled motivation to continue to make myself better and achieve goals, as well as join Cultural clubs at my college to network and meet people. To learn about their experiences, cultures and what makes them who they are today. It makes me want to better myself everyday and help those in my community both here and in Togo and Ghana, to travel the world and experience every culture possible!

Making a positive impact on the world starts with what I can do as a person. What I can do is work hard to support others through my career and knowledge while doing what I love: operating on vehicles. But especially as a black man in the field we are a minority. A recent survey shows that there is around 7% of black men the the automotive industry. I hope to aid in the increase of this number, although I know many young black men who have a passion in the field they feel held back because of fear of being a minority in yet another filed, not having a support system in the field who you can relate to on a personal level, etc. But I want to establish a system of communicating and encouraging one another, not just us as young back men but also experienced black Master Technicians who can offer a wide variety of aid not just to become better technicians but better people. I want to start in my college and county and eventually all along the east coast. The biggest way I feel in my personal opinion is helping my brother in showing him you can do anything you set your mind too. Growing up my brother was my mini-me so to speak, but over time he has found his own passions, hobbies and interest and I want him to take those to make a difference in the world to continue the process of motivating others. Even though we come a lower class family with a single mother, I want to show him with consistency, drive and passion you can accomplish what you want. Even though people have told me I would not succeed in this field i have received and apprenticeship at one of the best dealerships in the country, I have been able to be and stay at the top of my class in terms of grades, as well as being able to operate on our families vehicles( I am now the families technician/mechanic.) All while being the only black technician in the dealership. I hope to how him through the actions and accomplishments now and in the future that he can do the same, and take that motivation and skills to make a difference in the world just as I am trying to do in this way showing everyone around us that we can do what we set our mind too

Living in a single parent household definitely presents is challenges, especially being a first-generation black man. But thankfully to my mother who does more than I can put into this essay, equipped me with the skills and toughness to be successful. As a child she managed to balance school, my soccer games, work, court dates with my father, and my little brother for over a decade. Seeing her work so hard everyday showed me the value of hard work, dedication and consistency instilled in me from a young age the value of hard work. But above that was her kindness, she was always willing to give a hand to anyone, even though she would drag me along with her. I'll never forget the first time I remember she helped a homeless person- instead of giving him money she went 5 miles down the road to get him a fast-food dish. She told me "People can be kind, but how thorough is your kindness?" That struck a cord and I try to live by that to this day. Because of these experiences I naturally followed in those steps by volunteering for a host of companies and reason from BLM to Planting trees to providing aid for others who experienced natural disasters for 2 years. These experiences taught me the true meaning of kindness and although I hope to be at my mothers level of kindness one day, I continue to show kindness regardless of social status, race, religion of domination. My mother has a serial history of vehicles breaking down on her. We have been stranded of our fair share growing up. This led me to eventually taking an interest to learning about vehicles, how they function, how to diagnose them and and finally getting them to run properly again. I had a lot of failures on my mothers cars before I had success of them. Starting high school I learned that my skills can be of use and to others and be a real opportunity to give back especially my mother. Being able to use my abilities to help others in such a promising filed especially with the explosion of hybrid and electric vehicles being used and driving at such a great rate. Then use those same skills to provide for my mother, having the goal of letting her retire before she gets to the legal age of retirement is something I will accomplish along with having my own independent automotive shop operating on all vehicles- gas, diesel, hybrid and electric, as well as a mobile service.

Living in a single parent household definitely presents is challenges, especially being a first-generation black man. But thankfully to my mother who does more than I can put into this essay, equipped me with the skills and toughness to be successful. As a child she managed to balance school, my soccer games, work, court dates with my father, and my little brother for over a decade. Seeing her work so hard everyday showed me the value of hard work, dedication and consistency instilled in me from a young age the value of hard work. But above that was her kindness, she was always willing to give a hand to anyone, even though she would drag me along with her. I'll never forget the first time I remember she helped a homeless person- instead of giving him money she went 5 miles down the road to get him a fast-food dish. She told me "People can be kind, but how thorough is your kindness." That struck a cord and I try to live by that to this day. Because of these experiences I naturally followed in those steps by volunteering for a host of companies and reason from BLM to Planting trees to providing aid for others who experienced natural disasters for 2 years. These experiences taught me the true meaning of kindness and although I hope to be at my mothers level of kindness one day, I continue to show kindness regardless of social status, race, religion of domination. My mother has a serial history of vehicles breaking down on her. We have been stranded of our fair share growing up. This led me to eventually taking an interest to learning about vehicles, how they function, how to diagnose them and and finally getting them to run properly again. I had a lot of failures on my mothers cars before I had success of them. Starting high school I learned that my skills can be of use and to others and be a real opportunity to give back especially my mother. Being able to use my abilities to help others in such a promising filed especially with the explosion of hybrid and electric vehicles being used and driving and such a great rate. Then use those same skills to provide for my mother, having the goal of letting her retire before she gets to the legal age of retirement is something I will accomplish along with having my own independent automotive shop operating on all vehicles- gas, diesel, hybrid and electric, as well as a mobile service.

1. Tell us about a problem you have overcome in your life? One problem: COVID. When quarantine happened, it was a shock for my whole family(me, my brother and single mother). There were so many questions: How to pay for school with limited income. How to stay safe? etc. I decided to do my part to do all I could to help myself and the family. One quote i like from Wayne Gretzky: "You miss 100% percent of the shots you don't take", so i decided to take every shot in my life from exercising losing 20 lbs. of fat, developing studying habits to have near perfect grades, taking up hobbies and skills like cooking, coding, philately, working on cars, helping my brother get on his school and helping shoulder some of the burdens my mother dealing with me and my brother. Even after this incident I take this discipline and skills to be the best version of myself. 2. How will this scholarship help you give back to the community? This scholarship will be huge in increasing my community impact. By alleviating financial concerns, it gives me the time and resources to deepen my commitment to volunteering. Having been actively involved with BLM, libraries, and environmental initiatives, I envision dedicating more hours to serve and uplift my community. Whether it's supporting social justice causes, fostering literacy, or contributing to environmental care, this scholarship will allow me to extend my reach and make a meaningful difference. With gratitude, I plan to utilize this opportunity to give back even more passionately, contributing to positive change and enriching the lives of those around me. 3. Philately is a hobby that promotes the study of postage stamps. How would you encourage young people to pursue this hobby? I couldn't tell you in only this essay how many times philately proved to be useful in my life. But I feel the best way for me to encourage other young people to pursue this is to tell my own story of philately. To be honest I wan never interested in post stamps, i would just use them to send letters to relatives and pen pals when I was younger. But during COVID, since I had free time i decided one random day to try to learn about the hobby. Well to say the least, I thoroughly enjoyed. I always had a passion for learning about different cultures and regions history. Even though it was difficult to take tie and sit and do research about post stamps, I learned a lot especially about my favorite continent Africa, some of my favorite stamps: Independence Anniversary Stamps from Ghana- issued to mark significant milestones in its journey to independence, capturing key moments in the country's history. This is my favorite one because my family is from Ghana. Nelson Mandela Commemoratives Stamps from South Africa- stamps featuring iconic legend Nelson Mandela celebrate his legacy and contributions to the struggle against apartheid. These stamps along with so many other, give me a new way of seeing the world and being able to relate more with people of different cultures. Also the skills of research patience, searching for stamps gives me an advantage of using this skills in my day-to-day life. Overall all will say that philately is a very beneficial hobby and skill you can use. Thank you, Elkan Lawson