I, Essence Stephens, am a high school graduated dual enrollment student at Atlanta Technical College from Maynard Jackson High School in Atlanta, Georgia. I have maintained being a student-athlete with a strong average GPA of 3.7. I also have leadership and organizational experience and skills. I've participated in the National Honor Society, National Technical Honor Society, and Student Government Association. My professional aspiration is to become an owner of multiple learning centers here in my home city of Atlanta, Georgia. I have always been interested in the development of children at early ages and the process of human development. In this upcoming fall I will be attending Clark Atlanta University as a freshman. I will be majoring in the business program offered to better develop the needed skills to run an organization. Within my studies I will be building connections with mentors and leaders all over the country that will pour into me the values of living and being socially and academically successful in my time to come. I plan to gain more resources for my community to take part in by providing quality care and reliability. I always knew I wanted to work with children. I developed the understanding that in order to change and develop things in my own way based on the challenges I have seen; I should put myself in that position to do so. Becoming the owner of my own learning centers not only opens new doors for myself but for everyone around me. I plan to go into this career with all my passion and use my personality to help everyone understand the importance of a learning center. Knowing that children are in a quality space while parents have to maintain their well-being daily is something that I want my career to aspire to. I'm excited to develop into being a part of this change for communities. Although this is my aspirational goal and plan in life, being a need-based student at a private HBCU institution is starting to project a negative financial outcome in the long run. I want to be able to experience the enriching culture of my dual Historically Black Institution (the combination of Clark College and Atlanta University). This presents itself to be a challenging opportunity for me to achieve without being in some form of student loan debt or financial burden to my mother. What inspires me to become the best version of myself is my mother. She continues to push me to reach for success and make sure I stay focused on my goal. With that push, Clark Atlanta’s school motto “Find A Way or Make One” has stuck with me in the decision of continuing my enrollment process at this expensive HBCU. The motto along with my mother's voice tell me that I must keep going. I must live up to my divine purpose in this world and put myself in positions that allow me to succeed financially in this institution. Being able to receive this scholarship would allow me to use the tools she gave to me to succeed in my future and furthermore my education. Being able to gain financial aid for my education further into the business aspect of my career would contribute to the success of our future. I plan to make sure that I use the tools given to me in college to help build a place for quality care.

I, Essence Stephens, am a high school graduated dual enrollment student at Atlanta Technical College from Maynard Jackson High School in Atlanta, Georgia. I have maintained being a student-athlete with a strong average GPA of 3.7. I also have leadership and organizational experience and skills. I've participated in the National Honor Society, National Technical Honor Society, and Student Government Association. My professional aspiration is to become an owner of multiple early childhood learning centers here in my home city of Atlanta, Georgia. I have always been interested in the development of children at early ages and the process of human development. In this upcoming fall I will be attending Clark Atlanta University as a freshman. I will be majoring in the business and education program offered to better develop the needed skills to run a center and contributing to strong development. Within my studies I will be building connections with mentors and leaders all over the country that will pour into me the values of living and being socially and academically successful in my time to come. I plan to gain more resources for my community to take part in by providing quality care and reliability. I always knew I wanted to work with children. I developed the understanding that in order to change and develop things in my own way based on the challenges I have seen I should put myself in that position to do so. Becoming the owner of my own educational learning centers not only opens new doors for myself but for everyone around me. I plan to go into this career with all my passion and use my personality to help everyone understand the importance of early development in children. Knowing that children are in a quality space while parents have to maintain their well-being daily is something that I want my career to aspire to. I'm excited to develop into being a part of this change for communities. Although this is my aspirational goal and plan in life, being a need-based student at a private HBCU institution is starting to project a negative financial outcome in the long run. I want to be able to experience the enriching culture of my dual Historically Black Institution (the combination of Clark College and Atlanta University). This presents itself to be a challenging opportunity for me to achieve without being in some form of student loan debt or financial burden to my mother. What inspires me to become the best version of myself is my mother. She continues to push me to reach for success and make sure I stay focused on my goal. With that push, Clark Atlanta’s school motto “Find A Way or Make One” has stuck with me in the decision of continuing my enrollment process at this expensive HBCU. The motto along with my mother's voice tell me that I must keep going. I must live up to my divine purpose in this world and put myself in positions that allow me to succeed financially in this institution. Being able to receive this scholarship would allow me to use the tools she gave to me to succeed in my future and furthermore my education. Being able to gain financial aid for my education further into the business aspect of my early childhood career would contribute to the success of our future. I plan to make sure that I use the tools given to me in college to help build a place for quality care.

I, Essence Stephens, am a high school graduated dual enrollment student at Atlanta Technical College from Maynard Jackson High School in Atlanta, Georgia. I have maintained being a student-athlete with a strong average GPA of 3.7. I also have leadership and organizational experience and skills. I've participated in the National Honor Society, National Technical Honor Society, and Student Government Association. My professional aspiration is to become an owner of multiple learning centers here in my home city of Atlanta, Georgia. I have always been interested in the development of children at early ages and the process of human development. In this upcoming fall I will be attending Clark Atlanta University as a freshman. I will be majoring in the business program offered to better develop the needed skills to run an organization. Within my studies I will be building connections with mentors and leaders all over the country that will pour into me the values of living and being socially and academically successful in my time to come. I plan to gain more resources for my community to take part in by providing quality care and reliability. I always knew I wanted to work with children. I developed the understanding that in order to change and develop things in my own way based on the challenges I have seen, I should put myself in that position to do so. Becoming the owner of my own learning centers not only opens new doors for myself but for everyone around me. I plan to go into this career with all my passion and use my personality to help everyone understand the importance of a learning center. Knowing that children are in a quality space while parents have to maintain their well-being daily is something that I want my career to aspire to. I'm excited to develop into being a part of this change for communities. Although this is my aspirational goal and plan in life, being a need-based student at a private HBCU institution is starting to project a negative financial outcome in the long run. I want to be able to experience the enriching culture of my dual Historically Black Institution (the combination of Clark College and Atlanta University). This presents itself to be a challenging opportunity for me to achieve without being in some form of student loan debt or financial burden to my mother. What inspires me to become the best version of myself is my mother. She continues to push me to reach for success and make sure I stay focused on my goal. With that push, Clark Atlanta’s school motto “Find A Way or Make One” has stuck with me in the decision of continuing my enrollment process at this expensive HBCU. The motto along with my mother's voice tell me that I must keep going. I must live up to my divine purpose in this world and put myself in positions that allow me to succeed financially in this institution. Being able to receive this scholarship would allow me to use the tools she gave to me to succeed in my future and furthermore my education. Being able to gain financial aid for my education further into the business aspect of my career would contribute to the success of our future. I plan to make sure that I use the tools given to me in college to help build a place for quality care.

I, Essence Stephens, am a dual enrollment student at Atlanta Technical College from Maynard Jackson High School. She has maintained being a student-athlete with a strong average GPA of 3.7. I also have leadership and organizational experience and skills. I've participated in the National Honor Society, National Technical Honor Society, and Student Government Association. What inspires me to become the best version of myself is my mother. She continues to push me to reach for success and make sure I stay focused on my goal. Being able to receive this scholarship would allow me to use the tools she gave to me to succeed in my future and furthermore my education. My professional aspiration is to become an owner of a learning center here in my home city of Atlanta, Georgia. I have always been interested in the development of children at early ages and the process of human development. I plan to gain more resources for my community to take part in by providing quality care and reliability. I always knew I wanted to work with children. I developed the understanding that in order to change and develop things in my own way based on the challenges I have seen, I should put myself in that position to do so. Becoming the owner of my own learning center not only opens new doors for myself but for everyone around me. I plan to go into this career with all my passion and use my personality to help everyone understand the importance of a learning center. Knowing that children are in a quality space while parents have to maintain their well-being daily is something that I want my career to aspire to. I'm excited to develop into being a part of this change for communities. Being able to gain financial aid for my education further into the business aspect of my career would contribute to the success of our future. I plan to make sure that I use the tools given to me in college to help build a place for quality care.

Receiving this scholarship award will not only help me financially and academically but will help me continue to grow as a student leader. Being able to use the benefits of this program will help me be sure to be the best early childhood learning center owner based on the skills provided and given to me. Not only does owning my learning center present new opportunities for me, but it also benefits those around me. I want to put all of my love into this work and use my charm to make sure that everyone knows how important learning centers are. My professional goal has an impact on everyone. I want my career to aim for the knowledge that children are in a quality space while parents must always maintain their well-being. I can't wait to contribute to this transformation of communities. Our future prosperity would be aided by my being able to secure financial help for my studies while I pursue a career in business. I would be able to use the resources provided to me to achieve in the future and to further my education if I were to be awarded this scholarship. My career goal is to open a center in my community for people ranging from lower income and high income. Early childhood development and the process of human growth have long sparked my curiosity. I have always been interested in the development of children at early ages and the process of human development. I plan to gain more resources for my community to take part in by providing quality care and reliability. I always knew I wanted to work with children. I developed the understanding that in order to change and develop things in my own way based on the challenges I have seen, I should put myself in that position to do so. Becoming the owner of my own learning center not only opens new doors for myself but for everyone around me. I plan to go into this career with all my passion and use my personality to help everyone understand the importance of a learning center. Knowing that children are in a quality space while parents have to maintain their well-being daily is something that I want my career to aspire to. I'm excited to develop into being a part of this change for communities. Being able to gain financial aid for my education further into the business aspect of my career would contribute to the success of our future. I plan to make sure that I use the tools given to me in college to help build a place for quality care.

The person who pushed me the hardest and supported me the most are my parents, especially my father. In December 2022, my father passed away of natural causes when he went into the hospital completely normal with a tummy ache. We were unaware that his body would begin to shut down over the course of one week from thanksgiving. I didn't understand his death when it happened. My father was a man who valued his way of life. A man who made sure to tell his daughter “Good morning!” every day before a long day of school. A father who lived across town but showed up to my local school football game performances. Though no parent is perfect, my parents shaped me to be the strong young lady that I am. They gave me the tools I needed to succeed in the years to come. This moment taught me that death has no way of showing signs, it comes random. It also showed me that death has a way of leaving an impact on the living world. This gave me the drive to push hard for myself and for my father. From a spiritual aspect, I was able to take in the guidance of my father's wisdom and use it for what was left to be. This changed the direction of how I viewed life and how I interpreted the way of living. I now understand the divine feeling of losing a loved one. I grieve for my father with reminders of him popping out daily. With his reminders, I am also reminded of how grateful I am to be given a guardian angel whom I am the product of. I understand that death is something that we can't control but can only push us to put our best foot forward at all times. Who continues to inspire me to become the best version of myself is my mother. My mother was diagnosed with a disability that has continued to make it hard for her to be able to work. With her hardship, we have been living monthly off of Social Security disability income for years and live in a based-on-income household. Over the years before were blessed to settle in a home, we had a struggle being able to keep a home to ourselves. This resulted in us moving around and living with family. She continues to push me to reach for success and make sure I stay focused on my goal. Being able to receive this scholarship would allow me to use the tools she gave to me to succeed in my future and furthermore my education. My professional aspiration is to become an owner of a learning center here in my home city of Atlanta, Georgia. I have always been interested in the development of children at early ages and the process of human development. I plan to gain more resources for my community to take part in by providing quality care and reliability. I always knew I wanted to work with children.

What inspires me to become the best version of myself is my mother. She continues to push me to reach for success and make sure I stay focused on my goal. Being able to receive this scholarship would allow me to use the tools she gave to me to succeed in my future and furthermore my education. My professional aspiration is to become an owner of a learning center here in my home city of Atlanta, Georgia. I have always been interested in the development of children at early ages and the process of human development. I plan to gain more resources for my community to take part in by providing quality care and reliability. I always knew I wanted to work with children. My first choice was to be a teacher but over time I developed the understanding that in order to change and develop things in my own way based on the challenges I have seen, I should put myself in that position to do so. Becoming the owner of my own learning center not only opens new doors for myself but for everyone around me. I plan to go into this career with all my passion and use my personality to help everyone understand the importance of a learning center. With my professional aspiration, everyone is affected. Knowing that children are in a quality space while parents have to maintain their well-being daily is something that I want my career to aspire to. I'm excited to develop into being a part of this change for communities. Being able to gain financial aid for my education further into the business aspect of my career would contribute to the success of our future. I plan to make sure that I use the tools given to me in college to help build a place for quality care. There were moments I felt I would spend my years never being able to fully adapt or gain a sense of community , having to say my goodbyes to peers and people i believed were meant to be in my presence for a lifetime . However as I matured into the person I am today , I began to realize that the result of a thing I once saw as a challenge made me be prepared for different types of situations and people that I would have to encounter .Im able to hold my own weight and continue to stay true to me. I find my journey unique .

I have always made sure to plan to better my community in my career choice after I attend college. For the next four years, I will be majoring in business to obtain my dream of owning a learning center here in my hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. In my learning center, I plan to provide quality learning care to my community while offering many variety of opportunities for people in my community to be able to afford it. We are in an era where we are forced to send children to convenient childcare facilities that are affordable but not nurturing the children as needed. The early stages of child development are the most crucial times in our lives and should be handled as such. My learning center will also be invested in many organizations that allow for the correct development in our communities. What inspires me to become the best version of myself is my mother. She continues to push me to reach for success and make sure I stay focused on my goal. Being able to receive this scholarship would allow me to use the tools she gave to me to succeed in my future and furthermore my education. My professional aspiration is to become an owner of a learning center here in my home city of Atlanta, Georgia. I have always been interested in the development of children at early ages and the process of human development. I plan to gain more resources for my community to take part in by providing quality care and reliability. I always knew I wanted to work with children. My first choice was to be a teacher but over time I developed the understanding that in order to change and develop things in my own way based on the challenges I have seen, I should put myself in that position to do so. Becoming the owner of my own learning center not only opens new doors for myself but for everyone around me. I plan to go into this career with all my passion and use my personality to help everyone understand the importance of a learning center. With my professional aspiration, everyone is affected. Knowing that children are in a quality space while parents have to maintain their well-being daily is something that I want my career to aspire to. I'm excited to develop into being a part of this change for communities. Being able to gain financial aid for my education further into the business aspect of my career would contribute to the success of our future. I plan to make sure that I use the tools given to me in college to help build a place for quality care.

I was born and raised in the big city of Atlanta Georgia. Growing up in this city you find yourself coming across all different types of people and cultures every day. When I was a little girl I loved to play princesses with my neighborhood friend. Her name was Sophie. Now me and Sophie were unstoppable together. We used to try and match our dresses to each other anytime we knew we were going to be around each other. We would go get our favorite Ice cream from the local corner store on our street. Our family's church was just a few blocks down. We had a strong community and everyone in the neighborhood knew just how strong it was. You see, Sophie was raised by her grandparents. Her grandparents had been living in the city for over 50 decades, long before Sophie and I were thought of. As Sophie and I began to get older and make drastic changes in our lives, so was our community. Once we reached middle school, it seemed as though our life was changing in front of our eyes drastically. Our local corner stores were shut down and turned into Publix or Trader Joe's, which everyone knows is more expensive than Walmart. Our church was torn down to build residential homes and condos. You see when we first began to notice the changes, we believed that this was brought to us to help us. It was until one afternoon I had a sit down with Sophie. She shared with me that she would be moving within the next few months. She informed me how as her grandparents got older, they had trouble affording different problems that came with the home. She talked about how over the years different people would interact with her grandparents to get them to sell. Soon my friend Sophie's house was sold and renovated. This was my very first interaction with how gentrification actually affected me. Entire communities are undergoing transformations, and not always in a positive way. The heart and spirit of the town, the people who brought it to its current state, are being driven out. They seem to be disappearing from the history of the city. Atlanta was formerly well-known for its small businesses, close-knit communities, and soul food restaurants. Many people in Atlanta are feeling left behind as this new wave of change overshadows the culture that made the city special. Families are spreading and long-term inhabitants are being forced to relocate. The city appears to have forgotten its roots, trading them in for a version that not everyone can afford. Many programs have been placed for this social economic issue to be discovered and known to the new generation as we view how cities we grew up in have grown on us instead. My message is not that we shouldn't be allowed to have change in our neighborhoods, especially when referring to a change of scenery and resources for the community. It is just harder to enjoy the growth when the idea is met with ill intent and not for the community that was already in place . Let's rewrite the story of our future by providing accessible housing, employment opportunities, and resources in the reconstruction of lower-income communities rather than stripping them down. If these task cant be done by you, you could help by informing yourself on this issue and how it just may affect you.

As a child I have always strived to be ahead and be aware of what my next journey held for me . I feared there would be points in my life where I would be the unknowing “ new girl” who didn't know a thing about the mannerism or the slang used and what exactly they meant . My mom always referred to me as her business lady , her secretary. I was always seen researching our next location and how I would need to adjust to my new surroundings . What inspires me to become the best version of myself is my mother. She continues to push me to reach for success and make sure I stay focused on my goal. Being able to receive this scholarship would allow me to use the tools she gave to me to succeed in my future and furthermore my education. My professional aspiration is to become an owner of a learning center here in my home city of Atlanta, Georgia. I have always been interested in the development of children at early ages and the process of human development. I plan to gain more resources for my community to take part in by providing quality care and reliability. I always knew I wanted to work with children. My first choice was to be a teacher but over time I developed the understanding that in order to change and develop things in my own way based on the challenges I have seen, I should put myself in that position to do so. Becoming the owner of my own learning center not only opens new doors for myself but for everyone around me. I plan to go into this career head strong with all my passion and use my personality to help everyone understand the importance of a learning center. With my professional aspiration, everyone is affected. Knowing that children are in a quality space while parents have to maintain their well-being daily is something that I want my career to aspire to. I'm excited to develop into being a part of this change for communities. Being able to gain financial aid for my education further into the business aspect of my career would contribute to the success of our future. I plan to make sure that I use the tools given to me in college to help build a place for quality care.