Growing up, my parents’ sacrifices to provide for our family were always made abundantly clear. Go to college. Earn a degree. Take care of their family. Those were priorities when it came to my parents and their willingness to give. They didn’t come from wealthy families and often faced financial hardships. So, when I started high school, I knew it was vital to take advantage of the opportunity to gain an education, involve myself in my community, and strive to set a standard. And so, I continue to do just that. Connecting with my teachers to enhance my academics and collaborate with my peers and community members to foster relationships with those who share my passion for education. More specifically, though, those who meet my eagerness to make an impact on the field of education. Throughout my primary educational years, I attended different schools (public and charter). I began noticing the inequities between the quality of education and enrichment opportunities presented to students based on race, socioeconomic status, and school funding. These challenges included racism from teachers and peers, followed by misogyny and classism. Opposed to surrendering to the idea that I should “stay in my box” as a young Black woman, I sought to challenge myself academically, socially, and emotionally. I fell in love with math and the sciences at a young age, thus fostering my plan to pursue a career in chemical engineering. My parents, wanting my siblings and me to receive advanced education, were overcome with stress, trying to decide where to send us to school. However, my overwhelming passion for learning gave me the adaptability to thrive in any environment, and this set the foundation for continued learning in high school. As I matriculated through high school, I noticed the need for support for students and teachers in underserved neighborhoods. Educators being the pillars of my success and beacons of light in my pathway to success, I knew I wanted to leave a legacy that honors the vitality of education. For me, attending a university provides an opportunity to serve as a beacon of inspiration for future generations of scholars. Not only am I working toward building a life for myself, but inspiring youth to take pride in being involved academically and within their own communities. As an African American woman, I constantly push back against a status quo that depicts me as lazy and subordinate. So, it’s with sincere passion that I take strides in the direction of higher education as a form of advocacy. My commitment to education is unwavering. Despite the challenges, I have worked tirelessly to maintain and improve my GPA, stay active in clubs and extracurriculars, and serve my community. Always seeking to take an impactful stance on my education, I never shy away from chances to embark on new journeys and broaden my knowledge. This dedication is a testament to my belief that education is invaluable. As I look towards the future, I am filled with ambition and determination to pursue higher education. This drive propels me to strengthen my abilities and pave a pathway for students like myself. I am eager to feed my passion for teaching as I transition into post-secondary education, as it is a testament to the things we can achieve when we set our minds to it.

My entire life, I’ve been blessed with almost anything I ever wanted. Though, I’ve always been conscious about the needs of others throughout my community. Commitment to service is something we should all aspire to. I’m so grateful for each opportunity I receive that allows me to better the community. A large component of service is global impact and encouraging members of your community to get involved in something that will positively impact the spaces we share. I’ve been fortunate enough to garner meaningful relationships with educators who have shown what it means to be resilient in the face of adversity. Thinking about how fortunate I am to have access to everything I need to succeed, I reflected on the impact that the lack of resources has on schools in low-income areas. This past year, I started an initiative to gather school supplies and necessities for students and teachers living and working in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods in Charlotte, North Carolina. Throughout my life, I’ve garnered close relationships with advisors, family friends, and mentors within the public school system. Looking closely at the dedication and determination these individuals put towards improving their students’ learning environments, I knew there was something I could do to gather community support and contribute to the continuation of a positive learning experience for students. This birthed ‘Pack Give Back’, a service initiative within the Merancas Middle College High School community dedicated to collecting and transporting school supplies and necessities to students and teachers at underserved public schools. Working closely with school administration, I’ve successfully hosted and gained support for school supplies donated to two Charlotte-Mecklenburg elementary schools. Education is the core of social, emotional, and mental development that lays a strong foundation for youth success. For the past two years, I’ve had the opportunity to serve as an officer and member of Delta Zeta Archonettes, a youth auxiliary group on a mission to empower high school aged girls in their educational pursuits while fostering a culture of community oriented service. Being a part of this organization has propelled me forward to my goals in pursuing higher education and working towards opening doors for myself. Coming from a middle-class background, I’ve watched my parents work tirelessly to provide a better life for their children, all while tending to and caring for the needs of extended family. This display of community is what drives me to support the educational endeavors of bright, young minds on their missions to making their dreams a reality. Being awarded this scholarship would not only aid me on my journey through post-secondary education. It would celebrate the legacy of servitude and determination that’s been nurtured throughout my childhood by my family and their unwavering aptitude for bettering the community.

When I think of outstanding qualities of inspirational women, I begin to observe the ways in which they grapple with adversity. These women are intelligent, determined, disciplined, hardworking, and they seek to amplify the voices and accomplishments of others. For me, my sister embodies each of these characteristics in a unique way. Throughout her journey to success, I watched her venture out into unfamiliar fields with strife and a sense of fearlessness that many cannot attest to. Being the first born, she adamantly displayed what it meant to be a role model to myself and my brother. When it was time to apply to colleges and scholarships, she had a vision for what she wanted to achieve and triumphantly completed a B.S. in Chemical Engineering on a full-ride academic scholarship. Watching her achieve her dreams filled my spirit with joy and pride, but it also taught me that no goal is unattainable. I recently finished my junior year of high school and was weighed with the pressures of applying for scholarships, challenging myself with a rigorous curriculum, staying consistent with dance, and garnering relationships with teachers, advisors, and coaches. “When will you be applying for scholarships?” “What did you get on your ACT/SAT?” “What is your GPA looking like this year?”. All questions I’ve received throughout this past school year that trickled into self-doubt. Reflecting on what I wanted to pursue continued to be one of my greatest challenges; I constantly found myself in a state of self-doubt and apprehension. Since my sister moved to Indianapolis to start her career, it was hard being so far away from one of my greatest beacons of hope. However, that never stopped her from encouraging me to explore my interests and navigate my strengths. I sat with myself for a moment. Thinking “What am I passionate about?” as I stared at the voicemail my sister had left to check in on me during one of the toughest years of high school. I knew I wanted to contribute my passions to the well-being of others, but also to pursue a STEM-based career that would nurture my love for math, science, and environmental awareness. Without my sister’s guidance, I probably wouldn’t have batted an eye at a career in chemical engineering. However, I’ve come to the realization that it’s the perfect fit. In an effort to break barriers and advocate for the bright minds of black women, I plan to pursue a career in chemical engineering with the ultimate goal of working in cosmetic chemistry to innovate the future of clean beauty. My sister’s unwavering support is a testament to the impact that a sense of familiarity has on the mission to increase equitable opportunities for black women in STEM fields. I will continue to embrace my intelligence, determination, discipline, and hard work to cultivate a place where women like myself and my sister are valued.

Reading is the core of education, and I like to think that immersing oneself in a book is such a liberating experience. For me, my love of literature began when I gained a significant connection to my kindergarten teacher; she would read to the class each day and I found myself mesmerized by the power of messages sent through storytelling. One novel whose content makes itself consistently relevant to me is all about love by bell hooks (the title and novelist's name are not capitalized out of respect for her wishes). This novel brings forth themes of romantic/platonic relationships and the core components of love; respect, trust, commitment, care, recognition, and affection. hooks' writing explores the realms of love, lovelessness, and conjunction of human beings and their personalized experiences as they embark on new connections. As I was reading the novel, I began applying the themes of love and care to my own circumstances. I thought “Am I happy in this relationship?” “Do these things present themselves to me and I just haven’t taken notice?” “How can I begin to change the ways that I communicate with my friends and family?” I’m a strong believer in the Socratic learning method, and I found that once I began to question my character more frequently, the more I found myself unfolding new aspects of my relationship with myself. Through her work, Bell Hooks has influenced a wide audience of young readers to reflect on their cynical mindset and counteract it by incorporating love into each thing they adhere themselves to. all about love has been such a center of light when I find myself falling into old patterns of selfishness and overindulgence. I feel so strongly about the impact of literature because it gives us the tools to approach life’s hardships with triumph and resilience. In a society so heavily based on technology and synthetic forms of human interaction, it’s imperative that we nurture significant relationships- with self, and with others- to garner a secure sense of community and belonging . Embracing my newfound capacity to identify with the actions of others has given me the freedom to be present and show appreciation for the nature that brings all together. This novel continues to act as a guiding light for me and I hope to see the results of its importance maintain steady in the lives of others.