My mother is the person who has supported me the most in reaching my educational goals. In 2005, my dad passed away from cancer. He was 31 years old. I was barely two, my sister was five, and my mom was also 31. She had to learn to raise two young girls at a young age by herself. Not only did she have to raise us, but she also had to learn how to finance without a second source of income. Trying to figure out the finance world was the most complex challenge for my mom. She didn’t know what specific terms meant, which made it hard for her to make the payments she needed to make. She had to learn how to pay for things, where to pay for things, and how she would get the money. She had to do all of this while raising children. I can’t imagine how stressful that was for her at the time. My mom had to play a mother and father role simultaneously. She had to be the one to take the initiative for everything. For example, she would have to figure out how to fix something herself instead of asking someone like our dad. She would also have to make time to help my sister and me whenever we needed it. Instead of my mom asking our dad to do something for us because she was busy doing something else, she would have to be in “two places at once” and make time to help us as well as make sure she had time to do what she needed to do. When it comes to school, my mom is the ultimate hero–especially when I was younger. In elementary and middle school, she was able to help me with my homework, get the school materials I needed, and more importantly, get me to and from school on time. I went to charter schools from third to twelfth grade, so there weren’t any buses to take us to school. I had to rely on my mom for a lot of things when it came to school, and I still do. When I was entering high school, I needed help understanding how the school system worked and what I needed to do to pass my classes. I didn't realize I needed to take the initiative when it came to picking my classes or joining electives, for example. My mom was no longer able to help me with homework because the materials I was learning were more complex than what my mom knew. Also, schools teach materials differently now. However, I still needed help because once my senior year came, I needed help and advice on college. My mom was there for me every step of the way. Not only has my mom supported me with school, but she’s also supporting me with my dream career. I hope to be a professional singer and/or musician one day. My immediate family sings and plays instruments as a hobby, which is why my mom has been supportive of my dream career. She enjoys music just as much as I do and has provided me with many opportunities to sing or play my saxophone in front of people. I am extremely grateful for all of the things my mom has done for me, and for all of the things she continues to do for me.

Imagining a world where money is not a necessity is almost unimaginable; it’s a fever dream. I can guarantee that if there was no money to stress about, there will be a reduction of stress and people will be living their best lives and pursuing their biggest dreams. My biggest dream is to become a professional singer and musician. If I were to live in this world with no money issues, I would be doing all I could to be in a studio either singing my heart out or playing with all my soul. I would also be improving my singing and playing abilities so I can later be at the position I envision myself being in. I have high standards when it comes to performing, so I expect myself to perform the best every time. Of course, there will be mistakes as I practice, but all of the mistakes I make will only push myself toward my dream. When I’m at the standard I expect myself to be in, then I would find time to potentially start writing my own music in hopes of attracting a plethora of record labels and agencies. I will admit, this is a major dream, but this will only be easier to make come true if money was not a complication in life. Money is found everywhere and is in everywhere—it cannot be ignored. Not having enough money will cost us our lives in some cases. Having to stress about being able to afford something is a substantial boundary when wanting to pursue a career. I believe that if I were to live in a world where money was not an issue, I would be using my time better myself as a performer to become someone big.

Being an African-American in America is, to put it shortly, hard. To be a woman as well as being an African-American is an additional difficulty when living in America. In general, being an African-American in any shape or form is difficult. What I mean by this is that living in the body of a black male or female takes so much effort; more than one could ever think. We constantly have to check ourselves to make sure we are not being "too loud," “too ghetto,” or looking too suspicious around other people. The ongoing stereotypes and feelings towards African-Americans have not stopped, and because of them, it is difficult for us to become successful or even to think of us as normal people. My name is Jalani Weaver, and I am an African-American woman who has experienced more opportunities and have more talents than some will ever believe. Do you know how you are applying for a job or are at a job interview, and the person interviewing you asks, “So, tell me about yourself,” so you tell him or her the “All About Me” speech that you prepared beforehand? It is mind-boggling that we even have to prepare a mini-speech simply about who we are. We are in our mind and body 24/7, so we should know how to answer the simple question, “Who are you?” The black stereotypes that society has made would answer that question by saying that African-Americans are nobody’s; they are not able to achieve goals and succeed in life because they are weak, poor, and unsuccessful. Well, I am here to inform you that I am indeed a talented and young African-American woman. I can describe myself and describe the opportunities I have been given and the successes that I will reach in the future. My name is Jalani Weaver. I am an 11th grader in high school and am in college as well. I am a part of a program called Early Middle College (EMC). EMC is a program where high school students enroll in a college in their district and are assigned two college classes to take per semester to take for five years, along with their high school classes. Taking this program ensures that after the fifth year of “college,” the student will graduate from high school with their high school diploma and an associate's degree in college. These classes are not classes that are going to take it easy on students just because they are in high school. They are real, college-level classes that can increase a student’s grade to higher than a 4.0. I signed up for this program in my freshman year of high school but did not start taking any college classes until my sophomore year. I do strive to get straight A’s, so my GPA in my freshman year was pretty high; it was a 3.98. I had all A’s, but in one of my classes, I got an A- which dropped my GPA from a 4.0 to a 3.98. Ever since I started taking college classes in my sophomore year, my GPA has been increasing: from a 3.98 my freshman year, to a 4.11 my sophomore year, and now to a 4.15 currently. I am working so hard in my academic life, which is shocking to some people. Whenever my mom tells my family about how my sister and I are doing good in school, they are always surprised and very proud of us since my family has either not been in school, dropped out, or got expelled. We are representing a small percentage of African-Americans who can do well in school and can succeed. Blacks are seen as “lazy” or not trying hard enough when it comes to school, so it is common for people to believe that black people’s scores on tests will not be high and that their GPA is no higher than a 3.0. Not me though. I am someone who can prove that African-Americans can have ambition and can work hard and succeed in life. If someone were to ask me to tell them one word of how my friends would describe me, I would easily say, “Talented.” Why is that? Because I am one who strives for uniqueness and talent. Along with being a high school student and a college student, I am involved in music and the arts. I play the violin, alto saxophone, am a singer, and am involved in praise dancing at my church. I learned to play the violin when I was about six years old in 2010 and was a part of a program at a large Catholic Church. Even though the program ended, I have been trying to stay involved in music for as long as I can. In sixth grade, I continued my musical journey and took a concert band in sixth grade in 2015, where I learned how to play the alto saxophone. My peers and teachers in my middle school and high school band would tell me that I was very good and even that I was one of the best players in the band. I was inspired by my sister because she has been involved in music and has had many opportunities presented to her regarding music practically her whole life, so I was trying to do the same. Music has my heart, and being one of the biggest stages is my dream. Staying positive and striving for excellence is crucial, especially during these difficult times. Even if things became more difficult because of a virus, I am still doing the best I can so that I can get into a college with a good music program and work diligently so then I will be able to be on the stage and perform my heart out and prove to anyone who thinks that African-Americans are unsuccessful and nothing.