My name is Jay’Len Clark-Carr, and for as long as I can remember I have grown up in a low income household. I was raised alongside 2 siblings by parents who did not know how to love each other. Because of their decision, they were forced to rush into adulthood at an early age. Their struggles then became our struggles, as we were faced with financial hardships while trying to figure ourselves and each other out. The lack of love my parents displayed for one another left permanent scars on my perspective of life, but it never stopped me from pursuing the one goal I was raised with and that was to get to the top so that I can make my parents proud. As I grew older, I explored many different fields of study, but only one of them really caught my eye. This is when I discovered my love for culinary arts. With the lack of supplies it became hard for me to try to cook anything over the top or further improve my skills so instead I had to make do with what I had. This inspired me to once again, aim to be at the top so that I can make my dreams become my reality. No matter how many challenges I faced along the way, never once did my dreams of becoming a world renowned chef never changed. When people ask why I want to be a chef, I often tell them it’s simply because I love to cook. However, this isn't fully true. At a very young age I fully understood the struggle of not knowing when or where my next meal was going to come from. I watched my mother and father stretch what little money they had, sometimes leaving us with nothing but spaghetti and pizza for a few weeks on end. I didn't mind it because I knew that was all we could afford at the time. This experience forced me to mature faster than my peers. Which was one of the leading factors for me to understand the importance of a good meal and the importance of being able to afford a meal for your family. This is why I want to become a chef. Not just to create delicious and flavorsome food, But to also give back to those who are less fortunate. I want to be able to give others the opportunity to help themselves and their families while also bringing people together. This scholarship will not only help me and my family pay off my college tuition but will also give me the opportunity to get one step closer to achieving my dreams of giving to my community, giving to those that are without, and giving people the opportunity so that they can feed their family and themselves. I want to be able to help people so that they don't have to go hungry at night or so they don't have to worry about eating the same meal over and over since that is all they can afford.

My name is Jay’Len Clark-Carr, and for as long as I can remember I have grown up in a low income household. I was raised alongside 2 siblings by parents who did not know how to love each other. Because of their decision, they were forced to rush into adulthood at an early age. Their struggles then became our struggles, as we were faced with financial hardships while trying to figure ourselves and each other out. The lack of love my parents displayed for one another left permanent scars on my perspective of life, but it never stopped me from pursuing the one goal I was raised with and that was to get to the top so that I can make my parents proud. As I grew older, I explored many different fields of study, but only one of them really caught my eye. This is when I discovered my love for culinary arts. With the lack of supplies it became hard for me to try to cook anything over the top or further improve my skills so instead I had to make do with what I had. This inspired me to once again, aim to be at the top so that I can make my dreams become my reality. No matter how many challenges I faced along the way, never once did my dreams of becoming a world renowned chef never changed. When people ask why I want to be a chef, I often tell them it’s simply because I love to cook. However, this isn't fully true. At a very young age I fully understood the struggle of not knowing when or where my next meal was going to come from. I watched my mother and father stretch what little money they had, sometimes leaving us with nothing but spaghetti and pizza for a few weeks on end. I didn't mind it because I knew that was all we could afford at the time. This experience forced me to mature faster than my peers. Which was one of the leading factors for me to understand the importance of a good meal and the importance of being able to afford a meal for your family. This is why I want to become a chef. Not just to create delicious and flavorsome food, But to also give back to those who are less fortunate. I want to be able to give others the opportunity to help themselves and their families while also bringing people together. This scholarship will not only help me and my family pay off my college tuition but will also give me the opportunity to get one step closer to achieving my dreams of giving to my community, giving to those that are without, and giving people the opportunity so that they can feed their family and themselves. I want to be able to help people so that they don't have to go hungry at night or so they don't have to worry about eating the same meal over and over since that is all they can afford.