All of my life I have been dedicated to getting the most out of my education. I know many kids complain about having to do homework and attend classes and there are times where I do the same, but then I think about not only how I have to do these things but how I am ABLE to do these things. I think about how I'm able to get up in the morning and go to a place where I will be taught about things I need to know in order to navigate the world... how I'm able to read and write... how I'm able to graduate... how I'm able to go to college and get a degree. Not many kids are able to have the same opportunities as me, and when I complain about being able to have an education, it's not cherishing all that I have available to me. With this ability of learning, I am able to pursue my goals and find a career that speaks to me, while allowing me to make a positive impact in this world. I've always taken my academics seriously, always staying on top of my schoolwork, participating in extracurricular activities, reading up on interesting topics, etc. I have developed a love for learning which has allowed me to develop a love for life. I plan to continue my education through my major of biological science at the University of Delaware, and hopefully earn my bachelors' degree, and later my PhD for biomedical research. With this career, I plan to develop treatments and cures for the many diseases and disorders that continue to affect the innocent people around the world. I want to be able to give others hope by giving them second chances at life, at being able to hug their loved ones, at fulfilling their purposes on this Earth. I want to be the positive change that is definitely needed in this time of uncertainty, especially in healthcare and science. That's why I deserve this scholarship. Even though I am only one person, I believe that my contributions in society can help make a difference, even if it's minimal. I also want to be able to be a role model to the other little black girls who may want to be a scientist or a doctor someday and may be discouraged due to lack of representation within the fields, I want them to see me and see that their voices are heard, that they are capable of doing anything that they put their minds to. I mean, how else are we going grow and move forward?

When I was younger, I've honestly never been that good at my science and math courses in school. I often struggled to understand the different concepts and equations that was being taught and I would feel discouraged and frustrated because of this. Instead of just giving up and not figuring out what I wasn't grasping about the content, I decided to push myself, get help from my teachers, and learn from my mistakes. This has allowed me to not only be able to complete my assignments, but also be able to fully understand what it was that I was being taught. Through this perseverance, I ended up gaining a love for science that I didn't think I would be able to do. Studying science became not only interesting but fun as I had to complete labs in high school. That's when I decided that I wanted to major in something science-related, specifically biological sciences. So far, this has been a great choice as it allows me to challenge myself and figure out areas where I can grow. Having a degree in biological sciences also fosters many different career opportunities which will provide me with the necessary experiences in order to make sure I am both successful and knowledgeable in the future. Although, I didn't decide to major in biological sciences until I transferred to my current university. I was a Nursing major prior to transferring but at my university, the nursing program didn't accept transfer students, so I had to change my interest of study. This turned out to be for the best as with biological sciences, I am able to not only pursue careers in science, but also healthcare, which is important to me. I've decided that I want to pursue a career in medical research, as I have family members who have suffered from diseases like breast cancer and mental illnesses. I want to be able to find solutions to the world's most unsolved mysteries by changing the future of science and healthcare. Not to mention, people like me (black women) tend to be underrepresented within in the science and healthcare fields, due to stigmatization and discrimination, and I want to be able to help navigate away from that. I want to be a part of making the world both safer and more inclusive as they are things that the world need more of, especially in the state it is now. By awarding me this scholarship, I will be many steps closing to making a difference in this world and I will not disappoint.

I have struggled with my mental health for a while now, the earliest I can remember these struggles emerging is during middle school. I have always been a shy kid, not talking to people as much as the other kids, always having a difficult time making friends, too busy getting good grades, etc. Due to not having friends and not doing "normal" kid things, I was often bullied growing up, whether it was peers or my older step-brother. As I have progressed in school over the years, the bullying got worse, going from being bullied for being a nerd in elementary school, to being bullied for being "weird" and antisocial in middle school, to having rumors spread around school about me due to rejecting the popular guys in high school. With not having any friends, no therapists, or family to support me and share my feelings with, I was forced to hold my pain in, causing more harm than good. I often felt alone and ignored, and this caused me to isolate even more as I often felt like a burden if I spoke to people about how I felt, especially since I thought they wouldn't care. This lead me to struggle heavily with depression and anxiety, which went untreated for years until I finally got diagnosed during my freshman year of college by my family physician. My physician prescribed me antidepressants in order to help with my depression and anxiety, by increasing my serotonin levels and providing mood stability, etc. Since then, I have been taking different medications to find what is right for me and I think that I found a healthy balance. When I was at my lowest with my mental health, I had no motivation to do anything, as I always felt as though I wouldn't amount to anything and that my life was falling apart as each day passed. After getting the help that I needed, I feel more motivated to take care of myself and ask for help from others before it's too late. I have started seeing a therapist as well as a psychiatrist, who have helped me discover what I want out of my mental health recovery and plans for the future. I realize that things may be shaky for the moment, but anything can happen and I may not feel this way forever. I still have my bad days, but I am hopeful that everything will be okay as long as I keep my faith. I am currently in college, studying biological sciences, which is something that I am passionate about and pursuing an education is very important to me. College allows me to gain experience, learn from mistakes, meet people like me, and helps me to maintain my mental health as I have to keep a clear mind in order to pass my classes.

Growing up, I started out as a happy kid...I was social, nosy, curious, and I didn't have a care in the world, and the only thing I had to worry about was if my mom would give me money for the Scholastic book fair at school. But then at some point, I was no longer happy. It wasn't a sudden change, I would say it was more so gradual than anything. I want to say that the transition from elementary school to middle school is where the seed was planted, the seed of doubt. In elementary school, everything was easy which it should've been as I was enjoying being a kid, but once I hit middle school, I instantly became self-aware about myself as I would look at all of the "popular" kids and envy them with their cool clothes, amazing stories, and functional families. I would constantly try to fit in with everyone by befriending the cool people in my grade and talking to the cute guys in class, which only caused problems for me because everyone could sense that I was pretending to be something I wasn't. I had no sense of who I was let alone who I wanted to be, I also didn't have anyone to talk to as I had no real friends and my parents were always fighting. This caused me to go from being a social butterfly to being reserved, depressed, and anxious to talk people around me. Things got so bad to where I would start having panic attacks at school dances and field trips because I was alone and felt as though everyone was staring at me, judging me. This carried on to high school, and things pretty much went further downhill from there. I still tried to fit in by becoming friends with the popular girls in my grade and even dating one of the football players, and expectedly that didn't go well as when things ended with him, his friends started spreading rumors about me, calling me names in class, picking at my appearance, etc. No matter what I did or said, no one would believed my side of the story and I became an outcast. No one wanted to talk to me, I stopped getting invited places, and I didn't have anyone to talk to about it. I would often skip lunch due to not having anyone to sit with or I would go to my teachers' classrooms and listen to them talk about their problems. My mental health was getting worse by the second and I went from being depressed to suicidal. I would break down in tears in the middle of class from all of the pain I was experiencing and I would have to go to the guidance counselor and express to her that I no longer wanted to be here because I felt like a burden to everyone and no one liked me. This happened a lot throughout high school, and I never told my family because they weren't very open to talking about feelings and thought that mental illness was taboo. So, I continued to suffer in silence, waking up hating myself everyday and wishing that something bad would happen to me. Things stayed the same for a while and eventually my mom realized that there was something deeply wrong with me and she took me to our family physician where I got diagnosed with depression and anxiety during freshman year of college. I had been struggling with these conditions for years, but never received the help that I needed. After the diagnoses, I started seeing a therapist and taking medication, which has since then helped a lot, not so much with my anxiety, but with my depression and suicidal ideation. I still struggle with my anxiety and I still don't have any friends because of it, which has been hard, but I'm taking things one step at a time and working on my outlook on life while keeping up with my medications and talking to my therapist. I think that I've grown a lot since high school, as I didn't even think I would make it this far and just having turned 21 recently, it is a milestone and I'm relieved that I'm here now as things were very much touch and go. What has also helped my mental health besides what I've mentioned before, is thinking about the future. I like to think of what my life could be if I continue on and grow, what career I will have, my future family, my goals and aspirations coming true, etc. I can't see any of that if I stop my life short, even if things seem shaky right now, there is a possibility that life will get better.

Growing up, I watched the movie "Wizard of Oz" repeatedly, whether it was for class or for enjoyment, and it easily became one of my favorite childhood movies. I recently became aware of "Wicked" within the last few years, mainly with the broadway shows and when it was announced that a live-action movie version of it was coming out starring Ariana Grande (one of my favorite artists) and after looking at the trailer, I just knew I had to see it. Notably, I don't typically enjoy musicals, but this particular one was very touching and all of the songs had deeper meanings that resonated with me. I also loved the plot and the connection to "Wizard of Oz" with Glinda and Elphaba's relationship and how their rivalry resulted in Dorothy and the others going to Oz. Not to mention, the message of "Wicked" is one that everyone can learn from and carry with them as it shows that there is always two sides of every story and how we should always stay true to ourselves and be authentic, no matter how others may see us, and how we shouldn't judge a book by its cover. I really loved the first part of Wicked and can't wait for "Wicked For Good" to come out next month.

Some of my passions include leisure, personal growth, relationships, and creation. In my free time, I love to cook, bake, write, read (I have a huge book collection), play the piano, and do things by myself such as shopping, going on night drives, and exploring the city. Most recently, I've found that doing these things helps improve my mental health when it is in its best state. I deal a lot with anxiety and depression and I have for years due to those factors, it's been really difficult to find joy in things that I like anymore and get motivated to try new things. However, I started utilizing therapy and it has helped immensely. Before therapy, I had a hard time communicating with people and being motivated to better myself, which lead to many challenges in the development of relationships and personal growth. However, since I started seeing my therapist, I've been able to learn more about myself and identify the negative patterns in my life that have affected my ability to grow over the years I've started my journey to self-improvement and it's going pretty well. I feel as though I am in a better place than I was during the previous years and am beginning to find peace in things that I cannot change while taking each day one step at a time. I am proud of myself for breaking the patterns that have dragged me down for so long and now I can focus on what I want to do in the future. I'm still figuring out what I want to do in life, but I am working towards declaring a major in Business with a concentration in Marketing as well as a minor in Communications or Journalism. I also have a strong passion for writing and I plan to write a book at some point in my life about the journies I've been on (both good and bad) throughout my life, in hopes of helping other young girls like me not feel alone in such a big world and show them how I got to where I will be in the future because I know my future will be bright. I love helping people in any way that I can and I wish that I had a good support system growing up when it came to mental health. Especially being a black woman, mental health isn't taken as seriously in my community, it's almost taboo. Reasonably, I want to change the narrative and be a motivator to people who may not be able to help themselves or have someone in their life there to push as well assupport them.