There have been many life experiences of mine that have helped shape me into the person that I am today, but the one experience that has had the greatest impact on me would have to be the fact that I was born in Congo, Brazzaville. I was born in a refugee camp and life was extremely hard. When my mother gave birth to me, we were so poor that she could not afford to get me any infant formula. My mother would just drink water and breastfeed me but since she was not eating, I was basically just drinking water because her breast milk had no formula. At a young age, I remember thinking that life is not fair. Why was it that I had to be born into poverty when I am an innocent child who has done nothing to deserve what life was throwing at me? I remember telling myself that I was privileged enough to make it out of those circumstances, and I know many people who never made it out, so I had to make something out of my life. This is part of the reason why I always took school so seriously. I am privileged enough to live in a country that sees education as a human right. As a former refugee, I was very grateful for the kind people that would help me even though they did not know me and were not obligated to do so. This sparked something in me that just had the desire to help people. From a young age, I knew that no matter what I was going to do in life I had to help people. Over the years my fascination with mental health has inclined. I witnessed domestic violence in the home growing up and it influenced me. Once I realized how traumatizing that experience was, I became committed to my healing journey and made sure that the cycle of violence that I witnessed in the home would end with me. This led me to seek professional help and I got into therapy. I would say that going to therapy was one of the best decisions that I ever made. Once I saw the positive benefits of going to therapy it made me interested in the field because it aligned with my desire to help others along with my fascination for psychology and just better understanding of people. I always saw college as my way out of poverty. By obtaining a college education, I know that it would open doors for me that I would never be able to walk into without a college education. College on its own is already hard enough and worrying about finances in college makes the experience even harder. This scholarship would help me lighten my load because it would mean rather than having to worry about how I will afford college or stretch the little money that I have, I will just have to worry about getting good grades which are half of the battle. By becoming a first-generation college graduate it means that when my children go through this process, they will have the upper hand that I never had. I plan on becoming a clinical psychologist which means that I would have a create that is rewarding and fulfilling. This would allow me to have a rich and full life while helping keep the promise I made to my younger self which was helping others when I am in a position to do so.

Last year I took a Philosophy class and my teacher shared a quote with the class that stuck with me. The quote was “this too shall pass” by king Solomon. This quote resonated with me because in life we have terrific times, awful times, and everything else in between. Amid all those times, it will tremendously help you to know that things will not always be as they are. So, when you are going through the toughest times in your life you should know that things will not always be that bad and life gets better. While you are in some of the best stages of your life you should keep in mind that those good times will not last forever, so do not take them for granted. Live in the moment and embrace those moments. Life is like a beam balance. It can go up and down but will always find a way to stay balanced. This way of thinking has helped me through some of my toughest times because even though at the moment I would feel as though I would not make it out of that situation, I would remind myself that it will not last forever and this too shall pass. On the contrary, when I am at my best and I am in a good season of my life I try my best to be present and in the moment. I want to embrace every ounce of my happiness. This is my motto in life. This too shall pass, nothing in life lasts forever.

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of Africa? Does the image of poverty-sickened, war-ravaged, and disease-ridden content come to your mind? While this is a misconception of Africa as a whole, this is not quite far from my experience on the content. I was born in Congo, Brazzaville, a country in central Africa. My family had to seek asylum there due to war. We lived in some of the most impossible conditions. When my mother was pregnant with me she would go days without eating and it is truly a miracle that I am even alive today. You may be wondering what point I am trying to make in bringing this up. This is all to say that since the day I was born the odds have been against me. When bad things happen to people they tend to do one of two things, they will either use those things as a crutch or they will use those things as a lesson and learn from it to help them move forward. When I was younger I used to be one of those people who used my circumstances as a crutch and would blame it on everything that would go wrong in my life. I used to think that I was at a disadvantage for being born into poverty but now I realize that it is one of the best things that could have ever happened to me because it made me into the person I am today. It ignited a fire in me that has been burning up. I use my circumstances as motivation to persevere. It has given my heart that I would have never had, had I not gone through those adversities. I feel tremendously grateful to be out of those circumstances and now it is my job to seize the opportunities that come my way. As a former refugee, I was very grateful for the kind people that would help me even though they did not know me and were not obligated to do so. This sparked something in me that just had the desire to help people. From a young age, I knew that no matter what I was going to do in life I had to help people. When I was in 8th grade I became interested in the medical field and it aligned with my yearning to help others. As I was going through high school I became interested in learning about inequality, which led to my discovery of the racial and ethnic disparity in the medical field. I learned that black women are two to three times more likely to die of pregnancy-related causes than white women. These statistics hold no matter if the woman is educated, has a higher income, or has good medical insurance. Learning this just reinforced my longing to become a doctor to not only help people but to also be an advocate for black women because we are the most neglected. I want to be a part of the solution. I always get the most amazing warm feeling inside whenever I help people in my day-to-day life and I want to continue that in my personal and professional life. That is what matters to me and that is how I pursue my heart. I now realize that all the adversity that I faced growing has shaped me into the person I am today and it has given me the drive and passion that I now possess.

I was born in a refugee camp in Cong, Brazzaville. I came to the U.S when I was four and I was so eager to learn English. Learning English as my second language has allowed me to be able to completely experience the American culture. America is so diverse and being able to communicate with those diverse people has helped me become more open-minded because I can meet so many people from different walks of life. My perception of reality has changed because through English I have been able to learn about other people’s reality. My ability to speak English has had an impact on my day-to-day life because I can understand English humor and humor is an amazing way to bond with people. I can listen to English music and music impacts my mood. The day-to-day interactions with people are essays. If I couldn’t speak English my experience in America would be completely different based on how people would treat me, it might be more challenging to get by, and I wouldn’t be able to fully embrace the culture because I wouldn’t completely understand it. Music is a huge part of my life. I listen to music every single day. Music can be a form of escapism for me. I have times where I am going through things and listening to particular kinds of music helps me get through the tough times. Some songs can just sum up what I am feeling when I don’t have the words to verbalize my feelings and that gives me a sense of comfort. Music is therapeutic to me and it’s one of my outlets. It allows me to feel things deeply, whether that be the sadness and the pain that is being expressed through the music or the overflowing joy that an upbeat song can have on me. As a former refugee, I was very grateful for the kind people that would help me even though they did not know me. This sparked something in me that just had the desire to help people. As I was going through high school I became interested in learning about inequality, which led to my discovery of the racial and ethnic disparity in the medical field. I learned that black women are at higher risk of complications because of racial bias. Learning this just reinforced my longing to become a doctor to not only help people but to also be an advocate for black women because we are the most neglected. I want to be a part of the solution. Financial literacy is important to me. I plan on learning it myself, then I will bring that knowledge back to my community because there are so many people who don’t know about it. I would like to hold community classes where I would teach people about it. All this is possible for me because I learned English as a second language.

There have been many life experiences of mine that have helped shape me into the person that I am today. The one experience that has had the greatest impact on me would have to be the fact that I was born in Congo, Brazzaville. I was born in a refugee camp and life was extremely hard. When my mother gave birth to me, we were so poor that she could not afford to buy me any infant formula. My mother would just drink water while breastfeed me, but since she was not eating I was just drinking water because her breast milk had no formula. At the refugee camp, we would be given a sack of rice and oil and that is what we had to survive off of for the month. We lived in impossible conditions and I am choking up as I am writing this. My family and I eventually came to the U.S. when I was four years old. Those four years of my life have had the most impact on me. At a young age, I remember thinking that life is not fair. Why was it that I had to be born into poverty when I am an innocent child who has done nothing to deserve what life was throwing at me? I would also ask myself why do other people get to be born into wealth and an easy upbringing? This changed my perspective on life at such a young age. As children we can sometimes take things for granted, but since I came from nothing it made me appreciate the things in my life that many people would take for granted. The odds were against me since the day I was born, but I found a way to prevail and because of that, I refuse to sell myself short and I owe it myself to live up to my fullest potential. As a former refugee, I was very grateful for the kind people that would help me even though they did not know me and were not obligated to do so. This sparked something in me that just had the desire to help people. From a young age, I knew that no matter what I was going to do in life I had to help people. When I was in 8th grade I became interested in the medical field and it aligned with my yearning to help others. As I was going through high school I became interested in learning about inequality, which led to my discovery of the racial and ethnic disparity in the medical field. I learned that black women are two to three times more likely to die of pregnancy-related causes than white women. These statistics hold no matter if the woman is educated, has a higher income, or has good medical insurance. Learning this just reinforced my longing to become a doctor to not only help people but to also be an advocate for black women because we are the most neglected. I want to be a part of the solution. I am already taking the first step to achieve my goal by going to college and applying for this scholarship that would make my journey of furthering my education accessible by getting rid of the financial barrier that comes with higher education. I now realize that all the adversity that I faced growing has shaped me into the person I am today and it has given me the drive and passion that I now possess.

There have been many life experiences of mine that have helped shape me into the person that I am today, but the one experience that has had the greatest impact on me would have to be the fact that I was born in Congo, Brazzaville. I was born in a refugee camp and life was extremely hard. When my mother gave birth to me, we were so poor that she could not afford to get me any infant formula. My mother would just drink water and breast feed me but since she was not eating I was basically just drinking water because her breast milk had no formula. At the refugee camp we would be given a sack of rice and oil and that is what we had to survive off of for the month. It is only by the grace of God that my family and I are alive. We lived in impossible conditions and I am choking up as I am writing this, just thinking about the things that we had to endure. I remember my father telling me a story of the time he got malaria when we were in the refugee camp. My father was extremely ill and he could not go to the hospital because we could barely afford to eat. My father had malaria for two weeks then he started to get better and my mother had some money which she used to get my father some medication and a cup of yogurt. At the time my father had not eaten in two weeks. My mother gave my father the cup of yogurt and at the sight I became hysterical because I wanted to eat the yogurt. My father wanted to split it with me, but my mother said no because my father had not eaten and she wanted him to gain his strength back. I could not have been older than three years old at the time. My mother had to make the hard decision of giving the yogurt to my father who was recovering from malaria and sacrificed her child. That is the kind of decision that no one should have to make. My family and I eventually came to the U.S. when I was four years old. Those four years of my life have had the most impact on me. From a young age I remember thinking that life is not fair. Why was it that I had to be born into poverty when I am an innocent child who has done nothing to deserve what life was throwing at me. I would also ask myself why do other people get to be born into wealth and an easy upbringing? This had changed my perspective on life and in a way it stole some of my innocence because most children my age had the luxury of not knowing how hard life can be, their only concern was eating ice cream after dinner. As children we can sometimes take things for granted because we think that those things will always be there, but since I came from nothing it made me appreciate the things in my life that many people would take for granted. I remember telling myself that I was privileged enough to make it out of those circumstances and I know many people who never made it out, so I had to make something out of my life. This is part of the reason why I always took school so seriously. I am privileged enough to live in a country that sees education as a human right. Back in Africa people need to pay money to go to school which means that if your family can not afford it you can not go to school even if you are among the brightest. This made me work hard in school even when my peers just want to goof around. At the start of my freshman year I told myself that I would not accept a grade lower than an A. Some people may say that I am too hard on myself which could be true at times, but I knew that I do not come from a wealthy family and I am not into sport, so my best bet into going to college would be through my grades. I believe that God does not let anything happen to us that we can not handle. I went through those tough times to build my character and they made me the person that I am today. From a young age I knew that no matter what I was going to do in life, I had to help people. When I was in 8th grade I became really interested in the medical field and it aligned with my yearning to help others. As I was going through high school I became really interested in learning about inequality, which led to my discovery of the racial and ethnic disparity in the medical field. I learned that a black women are two to three times likely to die of pregnancy related causes than white women. These distinct hold true no matter if the woman is educated, has higher income, and good medical insurance. Learning this just reinforced my longing to become a doctor, to not only help people, but to also be an advocate to black women because they are the most neglected. I just want to lend a helping hand to those who can not help themselves.

There have been many life experiences of mine that have helped shape me into the person that I am today, but the one experience that has had the greatest impact on me would have to be the fact that I was born in Congo, Brazzaville. I was born in a refugee camp and life was extremely hard. When my mother gave birth to me, we were so poor that she could not afford to get me any infant formula. My mother would just drink water and breast feed me but since she was not eating I was basically just drinking water because her breast milk had no formula. At the refugee camp we would be given a sack of rice and oil and that is what we had to survive off of for the month. It is only by the grace of God that my family and I are alive. We lived in impossible conditions and I am choking up as I am writing this, just thinking about the things that we had to endure. I remember my father telling me a story of the time he got malaria when we were in the refugee camp. My father was extremely ill and he could not go to the hospital because we could barely afford to eat. My father had malaria for two weeks then he started to get better and my mother had some money which she used to get my father some medication and a cup of yogurt. At the time my father had not eaten in two weeks. My mother gave my father the cup of yogurt and at the sight I became hysterical because I wanted to eat the yogurt. My father wanted to split it with me, but my mother said no because my father had not eaten and she wanted him to gain his strength back. I could not have been older than three years old at the time. My mother had to make the hard decision of giving the yogurt to my father who was recovering from malaria and sacrificed her child. That is the kind of decision that no one should have to make. My family and I eventually came to the U.S. when I was four years old. Those four years of my life have had the most impact on me. At a young age I remember thinking that life is not fair. Why was it that I had to be born into poverty when I am an innocent child who has done nothing to deserve what life was throwing at me. I would also ask myself why do other people get to be born into wealth and an easy upbringing? This had changed my perspective on life and in a way it stole some of my innocence because most children my age had the luxury of not knowing how hard life can be, their only concern was eating ice cream after dinner. As children we can sometimes take things for granted because we think that those things will always be there, but since I came from nothing it made me appreciate the things in my life that many people would take for granted. I remember telling myself that I was privileged enough to make it out of those circumstances and I know many people who never made it out, so I had to make something out of my life. This is part of the reason why I always took school so seriously. I am privileged enough to live in a country that sees education as a human right. Back in Africa people need to pay money to go to school which means that if your family can not afford it you can not go to school even if you are among the brightest. This made me work hard in school even when my peers just want to goof around. At the start of my freshman year I told myself that I would not accept a grade lower than an A. Some people may say that I am too hard on myself which could be true at times, but I knew that I do not come from a wealthy family and I am not into sport, so my best bet into going to college would be through my grades. I believe that God does not let anything happen to us that we can not handle. I went through those tough times to build my character and they made me the person that I am today.

The most significant challenge that I have faced is poverty. When I was born my family was living as refugees in Congo, Brazzaville. They were refugees, which meant that they could not work, so my family did not have a source of income. My family could barely make ends meet. We were just trying to survive. After living in Brazzaville for six years my family and I entered the U.S. Once we entered the U.S. Things significantly changed for my family and we were no longer struggling. I thought that everything was fine because our circumstances had significantly changed, but my bubble burst when I found that my family was on the poverty line. My perception of poverty was not having food to eat on the table due to my life experiences, which led me to think that my family was doing well. In actuality, even though my family had food to eat, an income, and cars, we were still living in poverty. My family was living paycheck to paycheck. I have always been told that education was the key to success and I do know that statistically speaking education is the number one way to get out of poverty. This has caused me to take my education seriously from a young age. This caused me to almost never miss school. I would always complete all my work on time. When I would see that my classmates were just talking during independent work time I would tell myself not to lose focus and get carried away with talking. I would, always finish my work first, then when I was done I would engage in the conversation. I managed to be disciples at such a young age. I haven’t quite overcome this obstacle, but I am on my way to getting there. I will continue to do what I do best and that is working hard for everything that I have. I know that I will go to college and I am currently applying to scholarships that will help cover my tuition.