I am a hybrid, immigrant child with a culture crafted by my own hands and eyes as I witness the world melt and freeze simultaneously around me. Given both of my parents are from out of the country--the Philippines and Nigeria--I haven't had the easiest time assimilating to the Black culture in America due to their disconnection with it. Raised by my Filipina mother, she never knew anything but survival so the stride towards the stars wasn't common in our household, at first. It was more a reach for better than yesterday, not for the best life imaginable. This wasn't all that set me apart from my dreams and peers: it was African-American culture. My skin is Black, a mix of my Mom and Dad, but still distinct in the simple idealogy that my Dad is Nigerian and I wasn't raised by him. With separate parents, I not only was torn between who they were and why I wasn't just like either of my parents but I was very detached from a lot of the kids in my childhood and adolescence who didn't experience the world around us the same as I do. On top of the difference that my American suffix gives me, I also consider myself an artist and growing up I was always very creative and artistic. My parents allowed me to choose my extracurriculars but still didn't ever consider this would be my life, my career. From a young age, this instilled a sort of insecurity in my life. I oftentimes thought that building a life and career in any of my passions was impossible so I couldn't do so. I avoided who I was, which in turn made me not even want to go to college because there was nothing else I'd like to study. This simplified my way of living, goal orienting, and possibility for higher. It wasn't until I got out of my hometown and motivated myself to attend a community college did I realized that setting goals and being the highest version of myself was possible. I have had many adversaries in my life; I am not like my parents at all and it took me and them a while to accept that. There are more struggles after the motivation. The financial strain higher education has on any household is evident because unfortunately, a good college costs more than imaginable. So far, am in my junior year of college. I started this journey at Long Beach City College as a film major and after receiving my Associate's degree, I got accepted into New York University as a film student. I now live in New York and am in my junior year but unfortunately, NYU doesn't offer any in-school scholarships to transfer students so to attend this year, I received student loans. Given my situation, I do not wish to continue taking this financial burden for myself or my future self. I have never allowed money to be a thing that prevented me from going further and striving for exemplary. Any ounce of assistance and scholarship will help as this school will catapult me into reaching those goals that I finally allow myself to have. I still maintain good grades and go above and beyond to represent myself and cultivate my brand as an artist, individual, and woman who comes from a rich immigrant background. There are no limitations to my possibility.