One of the most defining challenges I faced during my first year of college was learning how to persevere when progress felt slow and discouraging. As a first-generation college student, navigating this environment was a completely new experience for both me and my family. I did not have relatives who could guide me through the expectations, norms, or opportunities that many of my peers had taken for granted. I quickly realized that I would have to figure out much of the path on my own, which made every setback feel heavier. Early in my freshman year, I set a goal of securing an internship. Attending a highly competitive, finance-focused school, I knew the odds were not in my favor, but I wanted to challenge myself. I joined business organizations, refined my resume, and actively sought opportunities to build experience. While I achieved some success through club acceptances, I quickly realized that these accomplishments were not translating into meaningful progress toward my larger goal. Comparing myself to peers who already had internships and leadership roles made me feel behind and unsure of my own abilities. One of the most difficult moments came after connecting with a recruiter through my school’s career management center. Although I felt hopeful going into the conversation, I left feeling discouraged after being told I should already have a clearly defined career plan. At the time, I did not yet have the knowledge or experience to confidently articulate one. This experience significantly impacted my confidence and left me questioning whether I belonged in such competitive spaces. Despite this setback, I chose not to give up. Instead, I returned to the career center to reflect on what went wrong and seek guidance. Through honest conversations and feedback, I reframed the experience as an opportunity for growth rather than failure. I learned how to better prepare, communicate my interests, and advocate for myself. With a renewed mindset, I attended a professional networking event through a student organization, even though stepping into that environment felt uncomfortable. By preparing ahead of time and focusing on what I could control, I made connections that ultimately led to an internship offer. Throughout this process, I demonstrated leadership in multiple areas of my life. Leadership, to me, is not limited to holding formal positions; it is reflected in the ability to adapt, grow, and encourage others through shared experiences. I have practiced this for over seven years through teaching children at my church and helping lead fundraising events, guiding students through lessons while fostering their confidence and patience. In college, my leadership continued through my role in Sigma Lambda Gamma, where I also organized fundraising events, supported members, and helped ensure the group ran smoothly. These experiences taught me that leadership often involves stepping forward quietly and consistently to support others. Overcoming obstacles during my first year reinforced these lessons. Rather than allowing setbacks to define me, I used them as motivation to improve and persist. These experiences strengthened my confidence, clarified my values, and reaffirmed my commitment to growth. As I continue my academic and professional journey, I carry forward the understanding that leadership is rooted in perseverance, self-awareness, and a willingness to uplift others, even in moments of uncertainty.

Teaching has been a consistent presence in my life, long before I considered it as a career path. For over seven years, I taught children through my church, working with students of different ages and learning styles. In those classrooms, I learned that effective teaching is built on patience, clarity, and trust. It was never just about delivering a lesson, but about helping students feel confident in their ability to learn. These early experiences shaped my understanding of education as a relationship rather than a transaction. As I grew older, this appreciation for teaching extended beyond the classroom and into my involvement in band. What began as a personal commitment to improving my own skills gradually became an opportunity to support younger students. I regularly helped them learn music, develop discipline, and gain confidence in an environment that could feel intimidating at first. Teaching in band showed me the power of peer mentorship and reinforced how meaningful guidance can be when it comes from someone who has recently walked the same path. When I entered college, I initially believed that pursuing a traditional business-focused path would provide the most stability and opportunity. I explored accounting and finance, joined competitive student organizations, and worked toward securing an internship. While these experiences strengthened my discipline and professional confidence, they also highlighted a growing disconnect between what I was doing and what truly motivated me. I valued the structure and analytical thinking the field required, but I found myself missing the direct, human connection that teaching had always given me. Throughout my first year, I experienced moments of self-doubt as I compared myself to peers who seemed more certain in their career paths. Instead of discouraging me, these challenges prompted deeper reflection and growth. Over time, it became clear that my strongest sense of purpose came from helping others develop academically and personally, particularly in educational spaces. This realization led me to refocus my goals toward education and equity. Through my years of teaching at church and mentoring in band, I had already seen how access to guidance and instruction can shape confidence and long-term outcomes. In college, I became increasingly aware of how educational inequities affect students long before they reach higher education, reinforcing my desire to contribute to systemic change. My acceptance into the McNair Scholars Program marked a pivotal step in this journey. Through McNair, I will conduct research in education equity, examining how systemic barriers impact underrepresented students and how research can inform institutional reform. This opportunity has strengthened my commitment to pursuing graduate education and engaging in work that connects research to practice. Looking ahead, I plan to build a career in education that blends teaching, research, and leadership. I want to advocate for students who may feel overlooked and help create learning environments where all students are supported and challenged. The foundation for these goals was built through years of teaching in my church and mentoring in band, where I learned that education is rooted in consistency, empathy, and belief in students’ potential. Through my career, I hope to extend these values to the communities I serve and contribute to a more equitable education system.

Without a clear line in sight, it’s easy to wander off and lose direction, especially when encountering a new and overwhelming environment like college. This is why setting goals, and more importantly following through with them, became essential to my freshman year. Goals provided structure and a sense of control in this uncertain territory. Throughout my freshman year, a huge goal of mine was to secure an internship. Going to an extremely competitive finance-focused school, I knew that it was very unlikely for me to get one, but I wanted to push myself to try anyway. I began by refining my resume through multiple versions, then applying to numerous student organizations and business clubs. I got a few rejections, but I was motivated by the acceptances and used them as encouragement to keep going. For a while, I relied on these acceptances for reassurance until I realized that constant comparison was holding me back. Many of them had internships, often from familial connections, and were already beginning to have leadership experience. This coupled with comparing myself to other students on LinkedIn felt like a huge setback, intensifying my self-doubt. It felt like I was doing a lot, but in actuality, I was not taking the most effective steps toward my goal of securing a summer internship. From this point, I knew I had to do more and went to the career management center at my school to see what I could do. Here, I met with a familiar face from one of the business clubs I joined, and she recommended a firm I should apply to and introduced me to a recruiter from there. This felt like a giant step in the right direction. However, the day of the call, my confidence quickly diminished. The recruiter told me that I should already know exactly what my plan is, but I did not yet know enough about the different branches in accounting to make a confident decision. This roadblock was the most discouraging part of my journey. I lost all hope and briefly accepted the idea that I might not be getting an internship, but I didn’t want to completely give up. I went back to the career center, reflected on the call, and received valuable feedback that helped me regain some confidence and get back on track. With a renewed mindset, I went to a mix and mingle held by a club I joined, where I networked with firms from all over the DFW metroplex. Although I was out of my comfort zone, I knew I was well-prepared from research and practice I did prior to attending with the career center and individually. Here, I met the company that I ended interviewing and ultimately received an offer from. I’m so thankful for the challenges and setbacks of my first year of college because they taught me how to persevere and adapt, showing me that even unlikely goals are achievable. The lessons I learned continue shaping how I approach and conquer my campus. Following the internship, I realized accounting was not the right long-term path for me. I wanted a place that was focused on community impact, which led to the McNair Scholars Program, which I was accepted into in December of 2025. Now, I will be conducting my own research in education equity to hopefully contribute to a more just and accessible education system.