I'm Jaila Benson, I'm a high school senior from Irvington, New Jersey. I plan on continuing my education at a post-secondary institution (i haven't decided on which yet but my top contenders are: The University of Pennsylvania, Rutgers University, Lehigh University, and Bucknell University). I'm very interested in math and history and aim to major in finance or business with a minor in international relations. For my career, I want to do financial analysis at the corporate level, philanthropic and charity work and start my own business as well as work in real estate as an investor or broker. I plan to make a positive impact on the world with my future career by giving lesser-advantage communities the resources and opportunities to make money, helping them handle and spend their money wisely. Along with helping disadvantaged communities, I will also help underprivileged entrepreneurs all over the world with the necessities and platforms to start their businesses and lead successful careers. With my knowledge of real estate and business, I want to build shelters for homeless rehabilitation across the United States and eventually expand across the globe. At these shelters, there will be. program. The program will last six weeks and include clothes, food, medical care, shelter and rehabilitation for the homeless people. The rehabilitation will ease them back into society and prepare them for success in a work environment. With my degree in either finance or business, I will be able to guide my peers when using and saving money and help them make the right choices with their funds. I will also be able to properly work globally and help others with my minor in international relations. With this minor, I can also be able to make a positive impact in politics as well by discussing solutions with political leaders for environmental, civil and social issues. I also plan on using my profits for different organizations such as UNICEF, St.Jude, Cancer Research Institute, Operation USA, National Alliance to End Homelessness, Foundation for AIDS Research and other charities that are reliable and help important causes. While doing all of this I plan on getting my master's and ultimately a doctorate in finance or business. This will only help my cause and give me more knowledge to do good. As I further my degree I would like to speak and teach middle school and high school kids about financial literacy and the importance of school.

Volunteering made me realize how fortunate I am. Seeing the people who were in need made me grateful for everything that I have even if it's not much. I became more positive after volunteering. This newfound positivity not only impacted me but others as well. My volunteering activities include packaging food boxes, handing out food and coaching little league lacrosse players. Volunteering has helped my community out extremely. It's made me perform better in school, spread more positivity and be more active. Hearing some of the stories of the people I help have made me value my education even more. My grades and overall performance have been better since I started volunteering. I've been able to recruit more people to volunteer and help out our community and I have been able to be more active and get better at lacrosse which is a sport I play for my school. I need this scholarship financially because it would help me further my education. The last two years have been tough financially for me and my family. My mom picked up two extra jobs and I took over the homemaking duties. The money my mom made was just enough to get by. I need this scholarship because it would take off some of the weight when paying for my post-secondary education. I have many plans that I want to accomplish in my future and the scholarship will definitely play a part in them. With this scholarship, I can attain a degree in finance and become a successful valuable member of society. I will use this scholarship to become a skilled, innovative and resourceful business professional. I will be engaged in my community as a leader and role model that sets a good example for other people. This scholarship will be reflected in my accomplishments through my hard work, resilience, and highly engaged learning path. I will be committed to growth, learning, and positively leading others. My achievements will be dedicated to contributing to our changing world by putting my ideas and work out there. Along with that, I will respect everyone including their beliefs, rights, freedoms and identity. I will do this by creating a safe space for people of all different backgrounds, identities and beliefs. I will be able to achieve these goals with the scholarship. I will use this money to change myself, my family and the world for the better.

A time when an idea of mine had been challenged was when I was looking for majors and careers that interested me. I have always been interested in business, finance, and money since I was in middle school. I also have a fond interest in medicine as well. But business has always outshined my enjoyment of the medical field. While I was looking for majors that suited me I settled on finance, it is something I enjoy and all the schools I was applying to offered it. My mom however had her doubts and stated that should go into medicine even though I knew I would dread it. Her reasoning was the money I would make but I continuously resented the thought of going into the medical field. I know when I graduate I'll be able to leave a lasting mark in the finance and business industry that would be more beneficial and enjoyable for me. But I did have second thoughts; would I be able to find a job, will I be successful? In the end, I still chose my passion. I did this because finance is extremely important in today’s society. After all, it influences people’s lives in every aspect of what they do. When talking about finance people think about bills, how they are going to pay for the next outing, gift, trip, or other expense. They also think about banks, debt, leverage, credits, investing or stocks. In our, society Finance represents money and economic exchange. It represents how we are going to get money, and how we are going to manage our money. Money makes our economy, society, and world go round. My mom didn't and probably still doesn't understand why finance is so important to me but that won't change my effort or ambition to reach my goals. In the coming years when I'm well into my career, I hope to see more people with access to money. When I'm in my career I hope to change the way people can make money in certain circumstances. We are in the age of technology, where someone can start a business from their bedroom. I hope to give more people the opportunity to do something like this. I hope to see more people using money wisely. I hope to teach others smart ways to spend, save and invest their money. When I reach these goals I will remember the doubts and challenges that came with my ideas and I will use those memories to create more positive change in the world of finance.

I embody commitment, and teamwork on and off the field in my everyday task, whether it's doing homework, helping a peer, going to practice, or doing something at home. I embody commitment by being passionate in all the activities I take part in including lacrosse. I couldn't be involved in my pre-season this year due to me being sick but I still check up on my teammates to see how they're doing and how their games are going. I'm committed to my schoolwork and setting a positive example for my classmates. I lead many clubs and interact with many underclassmen acquaintances while doing so. I need to make sure I'm on top of all my school work so I can influence them to do well in their education. I practice and use teamwork on and off the field by communicating with everyone I'm working with whether it's on or off the field. Lacrosse has taught me that almost everything can be done with a team. We all know that communication is key to playing lacrosse, this important step in the game has stuck with me off the field and has contributed so much to my success. Discipline has been a major factor in my accomplishments on and off the field. I use discipline when completing schoolwork, projects, my house chores, getting to and from school and practice, etc. Lacrosse instilled discipline and responsibility in me because you need discipline to get better. I have used discipline when working at my summer job, going to club meetings, and maintaining my responsibilities. Keeping myself disciplined has paid off very well in my grades, my playing and my work. When I started playing lacrosse I picked up a stick for fun not knowing how much I would gain from it. Playing lacrosse has shown me how much courage, discipline, and strength I had. Every day I would encounter many different personalities, some of which I didn't like but they all taught me teamwork, communication, commitment and dedication. Being on such a close-knit team with my friends and new faces helped build my character and forced me to open up and be courageous. Like Mr.McLam I used lacrosse to support other students like me, be independent, gain respect, and show more love for the game. I will use this scholarship to continue to use the skills I learn on the field to show and instill respect in others, be disciplined, and support any teams I'm a part of.

Over my high school career, I earned an overall 3.6 GPA. I have over 12 honors and AP classes on my transcript along with comments from teachers praising me about my work, but all of this did not come easily. During my freshmen year, I accumulated a 3.0 GPA. Which has affected my grade point average negatively. During my sophomore and junior year, I worked diligently and hard to not only raise my grades but also my worth as well. I was defeated that I didn't try my best and didn't give school my full attention when I should have during my freshmen year. During the transitional summer from my freshman to sophomore year, I reflected on my work ethic and made the necessary change. With prioritization and effort, I was able to gain a 3.9 in my sophomore year and a 4.1 in my junior year with honors classes in Math, History, Science and English. Getting over that hump of not doing well in school and being sad because of it was one of the hardest obstacles I've had to face and dealing with the aftermath of my parent's divorce, the covid-19 pandemic and not really having a high school experience only made it harder. From this experience, I learned that obstacles and challenges are put in our lives to make us stronger. It teaches us lessons that can't be taught in a classroom or by a person. I also learned that self-discipline is one of the biggest components of being successful in school. When I was changing my work ethic and seeing what did and didn't help me in the process I made goals for myself. I promised myself to never let my grades get that low ever again. I promised to not hinder myself from succeeding, which is what I was doing when I was letting assignments pile up and not getting help. Along with self-discipline, I learned that being self-motivated also went hand in hand with doing well in school. Self-motivation and the amount a student has will drastically affect their grades and performance in school and I learned that personally during my ninth-grade year. My future educational goals are a Doctorate in business administration. I want to study at a university that aligns with my morals and goals and will give me the tools and opportunities necessary to achieve them. With my degree I'll become a business executive, leading and taking companies to limitless success.