In my life, a lot of assumptions are made about my values, skills, and attributes before I even have the opportunity to open up my mouth. For example, while I am a devout catholic who is very involved within the church, I also happen to participate in axe throwing on the weekends as a hobby. While I may be a member of the Rutgers Women’s Soccer team, I also happen to be a musician and am capable of playing just about every wind instrument. I’ve been stereotyped as a black athlete to be below average intelligence levels, while I actually made the Dean’s List last semester with a 4.0. My grandmother is currently dying from Stage 5 Kidney Disease, and each day she wakes up is a victory. Caring for her has certainly influenced my desire to contribute to the medical field. As a psychology major, it is my intent to pursue a master's and eventually a doctorate degree in order to provide myself with the necessary tools to conduct groundbreaking research in the field. I wish to unearth a discovery that will advance psychology and society as we know it. College in this day and age is expensive (hence my application for this scholarship), and certainly will not become any cheaper in the pursuit of additional degrees. Thus, it is my belief that in paying for someone’s degree you are making an investment in someone’s future with the expectation of some type of profit to be returned at a later date. My proposal is that in return for an investment in my future, I will set forth to deliver an advancement in the industrial and organizational psychology field that will benefit the new generation of employers. As a member of this new generation myself, I have increased insight into how Generation Z and Generation Alpha function and how they will excel. Our generation has been dubbed as the ones who will have to address climate change, mental health, gun safety, social equity, and race and gender identity issues, indicating that our actions will have lasting impacts on posterity. The platforms of traditional jobs are facing change as ‘influencers’, social media personalities, and YouTubers have grown in size in recent years as we move into a digital era. Industrial and organizational psychology will be key as there is very little research in digital professions, signaling the need for improvement. Pioneering this research will lead to not only increased productivity, satisfaction, and monetization but also lead to the creation of more occupations in a time of unprecedented job insecurity. Therefore, investing in my pursuit of such efforts will help to bridge the gap between the current era and the digital revolution we are entering. I wish to be a trailblazer in this field and help to promote the success of my generation and the next; without our success, there will be unfavorable outcomes to the aforementioned problems our generation has been tasked with solving. But in order to get there, I require the tools to achieve such a generational victory, which all points to obtaining my degree in psychology, to which I humbly ask for your monetary support, yet propose a return in your contribution as I strive to ease the transition of the future workforce.

Between implicit bias, lack of access, worse patient care, and other disparities in treatment, many minorities have to face twice the challenges their white counterparts must when receiving healthcare. It’s no secret that minorities are at a disadvantage in this department, however, not enough has been done to address this issue. The issue is a systematic and deliberate act of racism, thus, undoing it will require a massive overhaul of the healthcare system by those with the zeal to eradicate this injustice. And so, this points to the new generation of healthcare professionals training now to join the medical field. Coming from a black working-class family, I am aware of the lack of mental resources that are available to families often due to cost. In my family, I was always told “therapy was for white people”, and that it was a luxury we could not afford. It was not until I attended college that I had access to these resources that I realized how crucial they would’ve been to have at my fingertips my growing up. Knowing all of this, I intend to use my degree to target youth minorities and provide them with discounted and free access to healthcare. It is also my goal to destigmatize psychological services so that children will not feel that asking for help is taboo or a “sign of weakness” the way that I did. In a world where there is constant pressure to always be at your best and not falter, it is imperative that adolescents are aware that they’re not alone and develop support systems. I intend to accomplish this by visiting schools and offering my services and speaking about the benefits that I could provide. In addition, I would work to not just promote my own practice but other services and methods that children could benefit from. For example, I would make they knew they could always access the national suicide hotline and that someone would always answer. Or that if they are unable to come into an office, virtual counseling is an option. Even publicizing information such as client confidentiality can make a difference in helping someone reach a decision to seek help. By being a health professional I aspire to make personal connections with my community in order to make children feel like they can talk to someone who looks like them as representation is especially important for approachability. I remember how immediately comfortable I felt sharing everything with a pediatrician simply because she looked like me and the connection I felt. With a degree in psychology, I will make it my everyday mission to help improve every youth minority’s mental health to the best of my ability.

A teardrop falls against the earth Miles away, the warmth of the sun floods the soil One puzzle, one puzzle piece With success there is quandary As a girl emerges, a girl absconds Declared guilty a lamb is jailed While a snake is taken for a dove Omnipresent is the one who is above. Empathy of the impecunious is not achieved by the millionaire But by the man who has the poison in hand to survey the kingdom come One puzzle, one puzzle piece Morals are simply a suggestion, and sin can be tactical Doors are unlocked by a whisper Eyes are the reflection of a mirror Beauty, confidence, and predilection wake up feeling strong While unattractive, self conscious, and insecure won’t see dawn. Misery, fear, and doubt are all an illusion of Dolos He who is happy is one of camouflage and deflection One puzzle, one puzzle piece Darkness and light create our world If Argus is our benchmark, then how will an elf fare There is no right or wrong, just perspective Weigh your words before you speak Don’t dismiss and turn the other cheek. What happened to the value of each opinion Now we’ve all become austerity’s minion Always remember; One puzzle, one puzzle piece.

From a young age, I never remember seeing anyone who shared my complexion in the doctor’s office. Whether it was for my wellness checkups, sick visits, or even the receptionists, I never saw a black female. What I also remember is feeling alone in all of my STEM classes. In a predominantly white high school, I admit that I didn’t expect the room to be the picture-perfect rainbow of diversity on my district’s website. Yet, I suppose I did expect not to be an outlier. It became clear to me that I would have to lose my “woe is me” attitude regarding underrepresentation and adopt a constructive “what can I do for my country” mindset to rectify the situation. If I wanted representation, then I would have to be the representative. The reason I chose to major in psychology had everything to do with the community that inspired me. For one, my AP Psychology teacher had been extremely passionate about the topic and ingrained the same fervor within me. However, on a much larger scale, I recognized the importance of psychology in a social context and its modern significance. When I was younger I fractured my tibia and as an aspiring national team player, this was a crucial moment in my career. How I would recover had the potential to forever impact my life. On one hand, if we consider the physical aspect, I was in a critical development stage, as if my growth plates had closed prior to my recovery one of my legs would have been permanently shorter than the other. On the other hand, if we consider the mental aspect, I would have suffered psychologically if I had not recovered properly as soccer helped comprise the majority of my identity. It was the people around me: my doctors, physical therapists, friends, family, and neighbors, who helped me form perspective and develop as a person. Those experiences stuck with me and instilled the desire to give the same support I had received in the future, which is what I plan to use my degree for. Especially for student-athletes, as having been in their shoes I will be able to provide better care. From a contemporary perspective, the global pandemic has been labeled by Scientific American as “The Biggest Psychological Experiment in History”. I would like to take advantage of the unique opportunities the pandemic has provided to contribute to cutting-edge research that will impact the field of psychology as we know it. This is my opportunity to be the representative that I always wished I had, and the opportunity to potentially help billions of people, which is all I've ever wanted when it boils down to it. Finally, in my family, no one has ever graduated from college in the “normal” four-year track. I would like to be the first. I live in a household in which we make too much on paper, but don’t take home enough to pay for a four-year degree. As a student-athlete, I was a last-minute commit and thus do not receive any athletic aid. My mother spends her entire salary to pay for my tuition, and my grandmother who is on her deathbed is contributing her life’s savings to help put me through. My mother and father always ask I focus on my work and let them handle the finances, but I know it is tougher than they let on. And so, I attempt to contribute by sharing my story in the hopes that another will understand my journey as a black woman in America trying to break through the glass ceiling.