My name is Isaiah and I am many things. I am a big brother, a son, a proud African American, a future engineer, a Christian, etc. But I can be summed up in just one word. I am an outlier. I say that I am an outlier because since a kid I have always felt different than most kids. I have had a lot of friends growing up, but only a few truly understand me. Since a child I have liked mathematic and science which is not common in my family. My mother knew this about me and did all she could to allow me to be myself. Before my father moved to California when I was four years old, he would do science experiments with me and put ideas into my head. Although I did not see him a lot I still believe that he was the now that sparked my love for science which would last me all the way to college. And that's when I realized that I was an outlier. When I attended Glendale Community College in Arizona I could not help but notice that I was literally the only African American in my STEM classes. I subconsciously assumed that everyone else in the noticed as well, and further assumed that I must be taking the wrong classes. I am a proud person, but something about not seeing people from the same cultural background as me really got to me. The abscense of African Americans in my STEM classes made me question my capabilities and my faith. I questioned whether or not I would have what it takes to get my four year degree in mechanical engineering. I questioned why god put a love for science in my heart, but couldn't in the hearts of other people that look like me. And at that moment was when I became more motivated than ever to become the engineer I was meant to be. I realized that not only as an engineer would I be someone to create change, but I could also inspire change. Being able to be a part of a project would be an amazing life accomplishment for me personally, but being able to inspire another brown kid like me would be the greatest achievement I could achieve in my career as an engineer. Uncertainty at times can be quite overwhelming, especially when the statistics are not in your favor, but none the less I remain strong and dedicated to obtaining my four year degree. I am the oldest of six, so I have made it my mission to be the best I can be so that whatever they accomplish will inspire many other kids like us and so on. In order to achieve this first I have applied and been accepted into Missouri University of Science and Technology where I plan to finish out the remaining couple years to obtain my bachelors degree. Then I will go on to pursue a masters in business so I can be senior engineer of my own firm where I can ensure equal opportunity to all applicants.

My eyes open and a picture begins to focus. My vision is hazy kind of like when you are sleeping having a vivid dream. I have no words or thoughts in my mind, though this may be due to shock. I'm sitting in my car, a 2002 Ford Explorer, but not really. My windshield is completely shattered and the rocky ground is where my driver window should be. Through the shattered windshield I can see many objects that somehow have been placed outside the car. I immediately start checking my body for any bodily harm, but mysteriously couldn't find any. I look in the twisted rearview mirror to see if I hit my head, but to my surprise, there seems to be no injury. Last night, I was working till ten o'clock like I usually do despite knowing my night was far from over. Once I got home I prayed my younger siblings did not make a mess in the kitchen, but of course, they did, and one of the house rules established by my father was for the kitchen to be cleaned every night. I filled the sink with dishwater and grabbed a broom and got to work immediately. Although I am nearing an end with my chores, a long night still awaits because tomorrow is the last day of the semester and I have two finals to prepare for. I sit in my bed fighting the urge to fall asleep even though at this time of night I am expected to get four hours of sleep at most. I wake up to my morning alarm in the same position I was studying. I throw on my clothes, brush my teeth, and head out the door without breakfast. I get to my classes, take my finals, and stopped by the student union to get some snacks for the long ride back home. I give a sigh of relief as I make a right at the next light with only one more right turn to make to be on my street... and that is when it all happened. I swerved the car to the left to keep from running over any more bushes, but then the car countered and made a sharp right. I still remember the silence of the moment as the car went air born for just one second. I experienced a rollover accident due to sleep deprivation. I now realize how important it is to prioritize one's sleep. Doing this has helped me to become more organized and focused throughout my day. I thank god that no one was hurt due to my recklessness. This experience taught me to take better initiative and to not face my challenges head-on. As a future mechanical engineer, I need to evaluate all possible solutions instead of taking the first solution that comes to mind.

Saving for college prevents me personally from having the luxury of online shopping, but if I were to pick three places they would have to be Best Buy, Target, and Walmart since they tend to have great deals on electronics.

My mother and father have been huge influencers when it comes to personal finance. My mother made about $33,000 a year, so we always strived and continued to strive to live frugally. I started saving money from an early age so that when money got low I could at least have something to help my mother out. Although I did not always see my father, he gave me my first wallet when I was four. It was a spiderman wallet and I still have it to this day. He told me when I put money inside it to never take it out. The biggest influencer when it comes to personal finance, however, is none other than Dave Ramsey. I say Ramsey is the biggest influencer because if not for him I would not be on my laptop right now applying to this scholarship. Ramsey opened my eyes to the possibility of graduating from college debt-free. Bold.org's mission is to eliminate student loan debt, which I believe can make the possibility of being debt-free a reality.

My name is Isaiah, and I am a proud resident of Kansas City, Missouri. I have no shame in admitting I was raised by a single mother because she made me the way I am today. After graduating high school I moved to Arizona to live with my father and pursue higher education. It was in Phoenix, Arizona that I attended Glendale Community College with the hopes of transferring to Arizona State University mechanical engineering program. So far I have attended three years of community college and know that I have moved back to Missouri with my mother I plan on attending Missouri University of Science and Technology spring of 2021. As a black student, I could not help but notice the lack of other black students in my classes. Only in my first two semesters of classes were there other students of color (most of them being Caucasian males). This reality alone did not hinder my capabilities to learn the class material but did make me second guess if I truly should be pursuing this type of field. It made me wonder why I am always the only black person in my classes. It made me wonder if someone like me really has what it takes to pursue an engineering degree. It made me wonder if I do end up getting an engineering degree, will someone like me be able to actually work as an engineer. Uncertainty at times can be quite overwhelming, especially when the statistics are not in your favor, but none the less I remain strong and dedicated to obtaining my four-year degree. My father was the first person in my family to not only go to college but graduate with a four-year degree in chemistry and later graduate from medical school. Although I did not grow up with him, the "idea" of him resonated with me for most of my life. He was proof that someone with the same skin, hair, and background as me could achieve the impossible. I can't even begin to imagine how much different as a person I would be had it not been for me knowing my father and the man he was. In African American homes, fathers tend to be absent from the home disproportionally compared to all other races and it is because of this that I feel a lot of young people of color do not live up to their full potential. This is what drives me to become an engineer. I wish to lead by example and show other people who look like me that it is people of color who also have what it take to explore STEM fields. I wish to make something of myself so that the "idea" of me can resonate with them the way my father did with me when I was a child. To do so I am preparing myself by staying organized, focused, and structured. Studying has never been more important and I also plan to keep social distractions to a minimum by turning off all notifications to my social media. The best way to fight systemic racism and unconscious biases are to get more people of color into all aspects of the economy. Showing the younger generations of African Americans the benefits of pursuing a degree in STEM and leading by example is the solution to the racial bias against us.

The photo I have chosen is an snapshot from the first recorded video of me touching the basket ball rim on a ten foot goal. To many this may seem to be a normal accomplishment, but when you are 5'6 like myself this is a major achievement. I set it as my wallpaper on my cell phone to remind me that I can achieve any goal I set my mind too as long as I reach for it.

My eyes open and a picture begins to focus. My vision is hazy kind of like when you are sleeping having a vivid dream. I have no words or thoughts in my mind, though this may be due to shock. I'm sitting in my car, a 2002 Ford Explorer, but not really. I thought I was sitting, but its more like I am on my side. My windshield is completely shattered and the rocky ground is where my driver window should be. Through the shattered windshield I can see many objects that somehow have been placed outside the car. I usually keep a clean car, but as I look around there is Arizona dirt, thorns, and glass everywhere. I immediately start checking my body for any bodily harm, but mysteriously couldn't find any. I look in the twisted rear view mirror to see if I hit my head, but to my surprise, there seems to be no injury. Surely I must be dreaming because there is no way what just happened really happened. Last night, I was working till ten o'clock like I usually do despite knowing my night was far from over. Working as a meat clerk at Fry's Grocery had me coming home with soaked feet smelling like fish. Once I got home I prayed my younger siblings did not make a mess in the kitchen, but of course, they did, and one of the house rules established by my father was for the kitchen to be cleaned every night. I filled the sink with dishwater and grabbed a broom and got to work immediately. Although I am nearing an end with my chores, a long night still awaits because tomorrow is the last day of the semester and I have two finals to prepare for. After a hot shower, I sit in my bed fighting the urge to fall asleep even though at this time of night I am expected to get four hours of sleep at most. I wake up to my morning alarm in the same position I was studying. I throw on my clothes, brush my teeth, and head out the door without breakfast. I get to my classes, take my finals, and stopped by the student union to get some snacks for the long ride back home. The ride back home felt longer than usual. At times as I was driving, the cars around me seemed to be in slow motion, and at others, they seemed to be speeding. My vision is hazy and suddenly I am snapped out of my daze from the sound of a horn behind me. Apparently, I had dozed off at a stoplight. I shrug it off and continue on the home since I am nearly there. I give a sigh of relief as I make a right at the next light with only one more right turn to make to be on my street... and that is when it all happened. I woke up to the sound of the passenger side tire exploding as it hit the curb. I swerved the car to the left to keep from running over any more bushes, but then the car countered and made a sharp right. I still remember the silence of the moment as the car went air born for just one second. Time resumed again, and I saw the sky where the street should be and then that's when I closed my eyes. I experienced a rollover accident due to a lack of self-care. I now realize how important it is to prioritize one's sleep. Doing this has helped me to become more organized and focused throughout my day. I thank god that no one was hurt due to my recklessness and that I was able to learn to not face my challenges straight on. As a future mechanical engineer, I need to evaluate all possible solutions instead of taking the first solution that comes to mind.

My portfolio is a representation in time of the black communities stance on the justice system. My inspiration is derived from the "Lady Justice" statue that was created in ancient Rome. The illustration begs the question what if Lady Justice herself was an African American? The blind fold is to essentially is a metaphor that no one is seen above the law, no matter how much wealth, power, and status one has. The scales are to represent the evidence brought forth from a cases support and opposition. In my Portfolio she grabs the scale by the balancing arm to illustrate that she no longer has a interest in the evidence at hand. With the evidence unbalanced she raises her sword to carry out swift justice on her on terms. When unjustified killings of African Americans went unjustified, people took to the streets to protest and in some cases riot. My depiction of a Lady Justice of color, symbolizes the hurt and anger people felt when the American justice system failed them. We are living in times when racial tension are at an all new high and it almost seems as if America is taking a step backwards. Instead of coming together and solving our differences like Americans, we instead press the conflict fourth as a black versus white issue when in reality it is liberal versus conservative issue. Lastly, If you ignore the sword you will notice that in my illustration Lady Justice is making the fist inspired from Black Lives Matter. Due to recent events of police brutality and the unjust killing of innocent African Americans, the black community has taken action to the streets, social media, and in politics. The protests are fueled by the lack of justice given to men who abused their authority or took lethal action which resulted in the loss of an innocent life. Protest has been a major part of not just American history, but world history. When hierarchies in power rule against the will of the people, the people protest. America was founded on the the labor and lives of African slaves and in return the slaves were labeled a "sub-human" species. The slaves were not born with the same god given birth rights that should otherwise have been bestowed upon any man or women. After hundreds of years, the hierarchy that kept its knee on the neck of African-Americans began to let up as people of color began to march the streets, demanding civil rights for all people alike. The Civil Rights Movement in 1954 was the dawn of a new type of fight for the black community. The movement was successful in the fact it caused social and cultural change by passing laws and amendments. Now people of color are fighting for the equal justice. Although America may seem equal on paper, the nation is still compromised with systemic racism. the amount of Africans Americans on assisted living is greatly disproportional to many other races as well as the incarcerated. Justice has been plaguing the black community reminding us of a time when we were not considered people. In response Black Lives Matter was created to fight for the unjustified.

My name is Isaiah, and I am a proud African American from Kansas City, Missouri. I have no shame in admitting I was raised by a single mother because she made me the way I am today. After graduating high school I moved to Arizona to live with my father and pursue a higher education. It was in Phoenix, Arizona that I attended Glendale Community College with the hopes of transferring to Arizona State University mechanical engineering program. So far I have attended three years of community college and know that I have moved back to Missouri with my mother I plan on attending Missouri University of Science and Technology spring of 2021. As an black student, I could not help but notice the lack of other black students in my classes. Only in my first two semesters of classes were there other students of color (most of them being Caucasian males). This reality alone did not hinder my capabilities to learn the class material, but did make me second guess if I truly should be pursuing this type of field. It made me wonder why I am always the only black person in my classes. It made me wonder if someone like me really has what it takes to pursue a engineering degree. It made me wonder if I do end up getting a engineering will someone like me be able to actually work as an engineer. Uncertainty at times can be quite overwhelming, especially when the statistics are not in your favor, but none the less I remain strong and dedicated to obtaining my four year degree. My father was the first person in my family to not only go to college, but graduate with a four year degree in chemistry and later graduate from medical school. Although, I did not grow up with him, the "idea" of him resonated with me for most of my life. He was proof that someone with the same skin, hair, and background as me could achieve the impossible. I can't even begin to imagine how much different as a person I would be had it not been for me knowing my father and the man he was. In African American homes, fathers tend to be absent from the home disproportionally compared to all other races and it is because of this that I feel a lot of young people of color do not live up to their full potential. This is what drives me to become a engineer. I wish to lead by example and show other people who look like me that it is people of color also have what it take to explore STEM fields. I wish to make something of myself so that the "idea" of me can resonate with them the way my father did with me when I was a child. To do so I am preparing myself by staying organized, focused, and structured. Studying has never been more important and I also plan to keep social distractions to a minimum by turning off all notifications to my social media. The best way to fight systemic racism, and unconscious biased is to get more people of color into all aspects of the economy. Showing the younger generations of African Americans and leading by example is the solution to the racial bias against us. I would like to thank the reviewer for taking the time to read over my essay upon the consideration of the Black Students in Tech Grant.

My name is Isaiah, and I am a proud African American from Kansas City, Missouri. I have no shame in admitting I was raised by a single mother because she made me the way I am today. After graduating high school I moved to Arizona to live with my father and pursue a higher education. It was in Phoenix, Arizona that I attended Glendale Community College with the hopes of transferring to Arizona State University mechanical engineering program. So far I have attended three years of community college and know that I have moved back to Missouri with my mother I plan on attending Missouri University of Science and Technology spring of 2021. As an black student, I could not help but notice the lack of other black students in my classes. Only in my first two semesters of classes were there other students of color (most of them being Caucasian males). This reality alone did not hinder my capabilities to learn the class material, but did make me second guess if I truly should be pursuing this type of field. It made me wonder why I am always the only black person in my classes. It made me wonder if someone like me really has what it takes to pursue a engineering degree. It made me wonder if I do end up getting a engineering will someone like me be able to actually work as an engineer. Uncertainty at times can be quite overwhelming, especially when the statistics are not in your favor, but none the less I remain strong and dedicated to obtaining my four year degree. My father was the first person in my family to not only go to college, but graduate with a four year degree in chemistry and later graduate from medical school. Although, I did not grow up with him, the "idea" of him resonated with me for most of my life. He was proof that someone with the same skin, hair, and background as me could achieve the impossible. I can't even begin to imagine how much different as a person I would be had it not been for me knowing my father and the man he was. In African American homes, fathers tend to be absent from the home disproportionally compared to all other races and it is because of this that I feel a lot of young people of color do not live up to their full potential. This is what drives me to become a engineer. I wish to lead by example and show other people who look like me that it is people of color also have what it take to explore STEM fields. I wish to make something of myself so that the "idea" of me can resonate with them the way my father did with me when I was a child. The best way to fight systemic racism, and unconscious biased is to get more people of color into all aspects of the economy. Showing the younger generations of African Americans and leading by example is the solution to the racial bias against us. I would like to thank the reviewer for taking the time to read over my essay upon the consideration of the Black Student in STEM Scholarship.

My name is Isaiah and I am going to school to become a mechanical engineer/ entrepreneur. I first fell in love with entrepreneurship when I joined DECA in high school. Although I did not place in competitions, I continued to contemplate the endless possible business ventures. I Was raised by a single mother all my life. In a way I’m thankful for this because it instilled me with responsibilities and skills most kids would not otherwise have. I learned at a young age how to repair most things around the house. I fell in love with coming up with solutions to other people’s problems big or small. In sixth grade my teacher Mrs. Medlin could not figure out what was wrong with her motorized pencil sharpener. I told her that I would take it home and fix it and threes days later I brought it back to her completely fixed. My passion for fixing things led me to the automotive repair industry. I worked as an automatic technician for one year and absolutely enjoyed working on cars and sending them back to customers better than they were before. Recently, my grandfather told me that his 1994 Ford Mustang stopped running. I told him to set a date for us to get to work on it. After checking the four requirements for a car to be able to run (spark, fuel, air, timing) I determined it was bad fuel. We hooked a homemade pump to the fuel filter and sucked the bad gasoline out of the tank. Once the smell of gasoline was potent we started the car up and the car ran like brand new. Being handy is something I feel can benefit anybody especially the youth. It is my dream to start a company made up of talented individuals who can teach young people how to be good with they’re hands. This company would especially target young African Americans who have to grow up with single mothers like how I did. Statistics show that African Americans fathers tend to be absent from children’s lives disproportionately compared to all other races. I believe that offering a program such as this would help young African Americans to find interests and passions for things they may not may not have know they had. My program would mostly be sold to public educational facilities and would require a small minimal fee to join. Like DECA, children would be able to be taught skill sets that would otherwise be hard to find on ones own. After participating in the program individuals will be able to have a grasp on a passion that they have. And if a child finds no interest in pursuing any or the marketable trades we offer, they can still take home with them the skills learned from the program. I know that entrepreneurship is the risk of taking on financial risk to make profit, but profit should not be an entrepreneur’s only goal. Giving back has always been a passion of mine and I feel that this lucrative business idea not only holds the potential for monetary gain, but also the chance to give back to a community. I’d like to thank the reviewer of my application for taking the time to read it, upon the consideration of this award.