Knowing what I want for myself in the future has been one of the biggest parts in developing my skills. Since a little child I always knew I wanted a cool car a nice house and a nice family. To achieve those dreams, I knew I needed to have a career that could afford them, and education was the key to doing that. Knowing this along with finding what I like to do has kept me laser focused on achieving my goals. Since elementary school I always knew I wanted to do something in STEM. I used to want to be a mechanical engineer but that switched going into high school as I focused on becoming a computer network engineer. Both of these passions stemmed and grew from my exposure to different STEM camps and opportunities I was exposed to. I always loved math and it is still my favorite subject. I also am always interested in learning how things work so engineering was the perfect path for me. The problem is, not everyone has the opportunity to get exposed to the same experiences and programs. Whether that be because they don’t know they exist, or don’t have the resources. Throughout my learning I have noticed that a lot if not most of my peers didn’t and still don’t know what they want to do as a career. Not knowing their futures lots of kids are unmotivated to go to school, asking themselves, “Why am I here, what am I even learning for”. This causes them to lose focus and not take school seriously because they see it as a waste of time. It’s even scarier going into college, when your spending thousands of dollars for this education and you still have no clue what you want to do. I have used my passion and experience to help solve this issue. In 2022 I was selected as one of the five Bank of America Student leaders in the North Carolina Triangle area. We partnered with the YMCA were tasked with creating a service project for the local community. I brought up the idea of creating a STEM curriculum for elementary school students. Its purpose was to help spark their interest early in potential careers in STEM by creating fun and engaging lessons for them. One of their favorites was learning about boats and getting to build their own and see how many marbles it could hold. These lesson plans were designed to be inexpensive and easy for staff to follow so that they could be implemented in places with limited resources to give kids opportunities that they may not otherwise have been able to experience. I enjoyed being able to use my past experiences and pass it on to others so that they could find their purpose and them why for coming to school. I hope as I continue my journey in life I am able to have more opportunities to lead people in the right direction towards their own success.

My mother has impacted my life in more ways than I can fit into one essay. She has always made sure that everything in my life is in order. Even when she had to sacrifice her own time, enjoyment, and resources. She always made sure I got exposed to different things, valued my education, was ready for the real world and so much more. This all has been important in my success thus far and will continue to help me succeed in my future. When growing up my mom ensured that I always was active. Whether it be in clubs, camps, sports, or in the community. She made sure I always had something to do. This was very important in my development in being a well-rounded individual able to strive in various environments. She taught me how to talk to friends, enjoy family time, and even talk to teachers. One important thing the way she raised me taught me is to be a continuous learner. When school ended, she always made sure I had something to do to continue to grow. She put me in all kinds of summer camps which allowed me to learn who I was as a person. Early on I knew what I was good at and not so good at, what I enjoyed and what I didn’t really like to do. She also took the time to look at these things so she knew what my interest were and could keep steering me towards things I liked. She always gave me something to look forward to and I appreciate that even more looking back. One of the most important things my mother instilled into me, with her being a second-generation teacher, was the value of education. Even before I knew the reason I was learning I knew it was important, because that’s what she taught me. This mixed with her exposing me to so many things allowed me to know the power of education. It is the key to allowing me to be able to do what I enjoy for a career. So, when I said I wanted to be an engineer in elementary school she made sure she put me in STEM camps so I could have that experience and knowledge. In middle school she was always on top of my registration, making sure I got all the engineering classes I needed. And when I was applying for colleges, she helped a lot in going through the rigorous process of going through each of my potential colleges’ curriculum, helping me figure out what school would be the best fit for my goals. After completing my first year of college her impact on my life has become more evident. Everything she taught me allowed me to seamlessly transition into college life, academics, and independence. I was able to easily make new friends that could enhance my experience and not be a bad influence. I was able to effectively network at different events so that I could get exposed to beneficial opportunities. The way she advocated for me taught me how to resolve issues with professors in an effective, professional, and respectful manner. I was able to stay focused and finish my first year with a 4.0 GPA because of the values she created for me. I never had to call home for negative reasons. Whenever I called it was to give her some positive updates on my life. With this Mother’s Day coming up, I want to show her my appreciation for how she shaped me into who I am today.

I plan to pursue a career in computer network engineering. I have been preparing for this since I started high school as my school has an Academy of IT and Cybersecurity. Being in this academy has been very influential in helping me decide my career path. After being exposed to the many aspects of computer networking and cybersecurity I am excited to pursue this as my major in college to sharpen my skills and be prepared for my career. I also took classes at a community college to earn a certificate in IT and I also took a few CCP classes to get a few college transfer classes completed before starting college as well. I am looking forward to learning even more as I move to my next level of education at a four-year university. My desire to be in the top of my class and to excel has been the driving force of my life. I always keep myself busy with sports, clubs, and volunteering. I've played basketball since I was little at various levels. I've played recreational, AAU, middle and high school. Last school year I joined the golf team and it was pretty fun, I plan to play again this year. I also decided to be a volleyball manager this year and found that I am naturally good at it and may want to play some level of it in college. I am very active in clubs such as the National Honor Society, Student Government, and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. I have held some officer positions and participated in the various activities of each organization. I also am part of Young Black Leaders of America, TRIO, and Aiming High. These organizations have helped me prepare for selecting a college, exposed me to testing tips for SAT and ACT tests, shown me various STEM activities in the local area, and allowed me afterschool tutoring and study time. One of my greatest accomplishments was being selected as a 2022 Bank of America Scholar and with that program, I was exposed to many avenues of community volunteering. In the future, I plan to become a Computer Network Architect. I also want to be able to use what I learned from my Bank of America Student Leader internship to use my knowledge and experiences to be able to create change in my communities. I have been exposed to HBCUs my entire life as my mom went to one and brought me to various events like homecoming and other activities on campus. I also attended a STEM camp during middle school and got to live on an HBCU campus. Many of my other family members also attended HBCUs and I have been able to see the impact it has had on their lives. It gave them many networking opportunities while also allowing them to grow culturally and academically. Whenever I step into an HBCU I always feel more accepted and more valued, and know that I belong.