After college, I plan to become a social worker and an advocate for mental health within my community. This goal stems from my passion for helping others and my commitment to addressing mental health issues, which are often stigmatized and overlooked. I believe that as a social worker, I can make a significant impact by supporting individuals in need, promoting mental health awareness, and advocating for systemic changes to improve mental health services. To achieve this goal, I am currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work. My coursework has provided a strong foundation in social work principles, human behavior, and the complexities of mental health issues. I have taken specific courses focused on mental health, such as abnormal psychology and counseling techniques, to deepen my understanding and skills in this area. In addition to my academic work, I have sought practical experience to prepare for my future career. I have volunteered at local mental health organizations, where I have gained hands-on experience working with individuals facing various mental health challenges. These experiences have been invaluable in helping me develop empathy, communication skills, and practical knowledge of mental health advocacy. Furthermore, I plan to complete internships in social work settings during my final years of college. These internships will provide me with supervised, practical experience and the opportunity to apply my academic learning in real-world contexts. They will also help me build professional connections and gain insights from experienced social workers. After earning my Bachelor’s degree, I intend to pursue licensure as a social worker. This will involve passing the required exams and fulfilling any additional state-specific requirements. I also plan to continue my education by obtaining a Master’s degree in Social Work (MSW), which will open up more advanced career opportunities and enhance my ability to serve my community effectively. Ultimately, my goal is to work in a community-based organization where I can provide direct support to individuals struggling with mental health issues, advocate for better mental health services, and contribute to the overall well-being of my community. Through education, practical experience, and a deep commitment to advocacy, I am determined to make a positive difference as a social worker. I am a resident in Detroit, Michigan. Which is one of the blackest cities in America and has tons of issues in that community that need to get addressed and cleaned up. I plan on trying to help with mental health, homelessness, and substance abuse issues in the community.

After college, I plan to become a social worker and an advocate for mental health within my community. This goal stems from my passion for helping others and my commitment to addressing mental health issues, which are often stigmatized and overlooked. I believe that as a social worker, I can make a significant impact by supporting individuals in need, promoting mental health awareness, and advocating for systemic changes to improve mental health services. To achieve this goal, I am currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work. My coursework has provided a strong foundation in social work principles, human behavior, and the complexities of mental health issues. I have taken specific courses focused on mental health, such as abnormal psychology and counseling techniques, to deepen my understanding and skills in this area. In addition to my academic work, I have sought practical experience to prepare for my future career. I have volunteered at local mental health organizations, where I have gained hands-on experience working with individuals facing various mental health challenges. These experiences have been invaluable in helping me develop empathy, communication skills, and practical knowledge of mental health advocacy. Furthermore, I plan to complete internships in social work settings during my final years of college. These internships will provide me with supervised, practical experience and the opportunity to apply my academic learning in real-world contexts. They will also help me build professional connections and gain insights from experienced social workers. After earning my Bachelor’s degree, I intend to pursue licensure as a social worker. This will involve passing the required exams and fulfilling any additional state-specific requirements. I also plan to continue my education by obtaining a Master’s degree in Social Work (MSW), which will open up more advanced career opportunities and enhance my ability to serve my community effectively. Ultimately, my goal is to work in a community-based organization where I can provide direct support to individuals struggling with mental health issues, advocate for better mental health services, and contribute to the overall well-being of my community. Through education, practical experience, and a deep commitment to advocacy, I am determined to make a positive difference as a social worker.

My name is Jessica Adams and I hope to focus my social work career on kids. I would like to be a school social worker or have my concentrated population be working with the elderly. I am a current senior at the illustrious Elizabeth City State University. It is an HBCU in North Carolina. I am 23 years old, I have 2 sisters and one brother. My disability, I don't feel comfortable disclosing it, however it effects and impacts me everyday and will have an impact on my social work career. It has taken years for me to be able to cope with it and navigate around it in my day to day life. I believe my disability will impact my social work career because it just helps me to have even more empathy for our clients. I think it is important to embrace our differences and it is important to let our clients know that they are not alone and that they can navigate in this world despite their differences. I know that we can disclose certain information to our clients, although I would not disclose this, I would let them know that they also have resources that they can use to help with their normal. Life is just about navigating whatever your normal is. Also to help with healthy coping skills and to help our clients with their mental health because sometimes clients with physical disabilities can lead to mental health issues because they are upset with the situation that they are dealt with. My own experiences with my disability also makes me want to become an advocate. Understanding the systemic barriers and stigma faced by individuals with disabilities or chronic illnesses can inform more effective and targeted advocacy efforts. Using my own experiences can empower clients by sharing strategies and resources that have been effective for me, providing hope and practical support. It just gives me an increased sensitivity and helps with my cultural competence which is one of our NASW core values. It enhances the ability to provide sensitive and inclusive services to diverse populations. It also tests me and forces me to be more creative with problem solving skills and the different goals that we set aside for our clients. It helps me try and understand their needs more and overall makes me a better social worker. Societal factors, physical factors and emotional factors are all huge in assisting clients with disabilities.

My career of choice is to be a social worker whose populations I specialize in is either working with children or working with the elderly. I want to be a school social worker or a social worker who works in group homes. The reason that this is my career of choice is for multiple reasons. I want to be a social worker because that was what my mom did. I seen her do it and navigate through life and her career and it seemed like something I would be interested in as well as I wanted to follow in her footsteps. The other reason I wanted to become a social worker is because I love to help people. I think the people in this major have to have a certain type of personality or heart and I think I have the heart for this. Although we don't get to experience seeing all of our clients win it still warms my heart to see people succeed, break generational curses and overall better their lives. I am passionate about it because I think the world needs more people that look like me being a social worker and being in these positions. We need more black women in social work! I am passionate about it because I feel like at any given moment due to the nature of life that I could be in that position and I would want someone who looks out for me and helps me to get out of it. Although it is not a profession for everyone I feel like it is the right profession for me. I think if you want to be in this profession you have to have the right heart. How many times do we hear about nurses doing malpractice and mistreating their patients because they are in it for a quick payday instead of being their for the actual care of their patients? The sacrifices that I have made to accomplish my personal and educational goals is that I moved halfway across the country to make my dreams come true. I am a native of Detroit, Michigan. I attend school at Elizabeth City State University, which is located in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. I have missed things like Thanksgiving due to playing athletics to pay for my school, which I don't play anymore due to running out of ineligibility. There have been so many breaks where I couldn't go home and see my family due to not being able to pay for it. I had to decide the one time I could go home and it was Christmas for five days. There has been times where I have been down there hungry and I have been limited due to not having a car or a way to get around. Being by yourself without any financial help although FAFSA assumes your parents are helping you is exhausting.

I plan on using my degree to benefit my community by being an advocate for any marginalized community and standing up for what is right. I am from Detroit, which is in itself, Black history. There has been many famous figures, and many famous historical events that have happened on Detroit and honestly has stamped its self as a predominantly black city. I want to focus on issues that are plaguing our community and the issues in particular that nobody wants to talk about or deal with. Now in recent years we have been able to have better dialogue about mental health but we still have elders that experienced living through a time where it was taboo to talk about mental health. I think mental health and substance abuse are two major issues plaguing not only the black community but especially here in Detroit. I will use my degree as a major in social work to try and help out those effected with these issues. Whether it is on a micro level or on a macro level, I feel like there are many ways to impact lives in our community even if it isn't a macro level I can still help those individually effected within that community. I want to be a resource that clients can use to help better their lives. I want to use the money that I am earning through my job from my degree that I am pursuing to also contribute with community service options in the community to help benefit my community. I also want to host camps and things of that nature to help kids get out and choose healthier and safer options than indulging in drugs as a way to help my community. I understand that those of all age groups can be involved with substance abuse and mental health. However, I feel like attacking these problems early can help with the stigma around them and help kids get into things that are healthier for their mental health unlike drugs. I think kids get wrapped up in the things they see adults and their peers doing online but just because they are doing them doesn't mean that they are healthy and that you should follow suit. Especially in Detroit, I think we are influenced by our peers a lot when it comes to our decision making. I want to offer better outlets for children and adults.

My relationship with mental health has shaped my understanding of the world and my relationships because I have a mother who is diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Growing up it was hard to navigate that because I did not have the best understanding for what bipolar is and what it was doing to my mom. It made it especially hard on my oldest sister and the relationship she had with my mom because she got to experience my mom before her diagnosis. So it was like she was grieving the old version of her while being confused and hurt about the new version of her and why her actions became a certain way. It is hard because it is a fine line of how much do I excuse her behavior because of her diagnosis and how much am I able to hold her accountable. It is also hard because I don't want her diagnosis to define her. My mother is a completely different person than what I remember from when I was little but it is also a good thing. My mother has been able to work on herself with therapy and has been able to better regulate her emotions. My experience with mental health and the people who struggle with it with actual diagnosis is that they are human too and that everyone shouldn't be defined by that but instead be defined by the content of their character and their heart.

A black leader that has inspired me is Angel Reese. She is a current WNBA player for the Chicago Sky and has broken the glass ceiling for many black women like myself. She preaches that it is okay to not fit into a box, to not fit into the labels that people try and give you. At her time at LSU she broke records like leading the SEC in double doubles, breaking television numbers like her most watched women's college basketball game in the national championship 2023 against Iowa, and then broke her own record again in 2024 in their rematch against Iowa. She also creates a lot of conversation as a controversial figure for the trash talk she did in the game against Caitlin Clark. She has become a household name and people recognize her work not only on the court but off of it. She was the only WNBA player at the Met gala this year and takes a lot of heat for doing things that men have been doing for years in the professional sport. Most recently they decided to stream Caitlin Clark's game over hers in the preseason. This led to a fan streaming Angel Reese's debut which gathered up to 3 million views. This was so significant that it led the WNBA to televise her next game which they had no intention on doing. She brings viewership and it can not be denied although people try to overshadow Caitlin Clark with her. Angel resonates with me because it is proof as black women we have to work twice as hard to get what white women get. She also reminds me of myself because when I play basketball I have that same unapologetic attitude. I also look up to Angel because she gives back to little black girls all over the country all of the time. She recognizes her status and the platform that she has to speak out about issues and to give back to her community. In Baltimore she has created her own basketball court outdoors for little kids everywhere to play on and to perfect her craft. She is an inspiration to be because she is from Baltimore and I am from Detroit. Those are two very black cities in America and it is hard to make it out of them because of all the crime and distractions that there is in their respective cities. She gives me hope that not only I can make it out but I can better myself in the process and not forget where I came from. I want to be able to better myself and give back to those in my community who need it.

My name is Jessica Adams, I am going to be a senior at my illustrious HBCU and I was a student athlete in all of my years up until this upcoming school year. I have exhausted all of my eligibility which means I will no longer receive an athletic scholarship to fund my schooling. What motivates me is the opportunity to better my life and to better my families life. We have been through a ton of tragic events in the last few months including becoming homeless. I go to school out of state and every time I come home it seems like there are things out of my control that are happening to me and my family. I want to be able to help take off the stress financially and receiving and applying for scholarships is one way that I can help them. What excites me about STEM is the fact that not a lot of people even know that Social work falls under the category of stem majors. I think everyone in our major has a good heart and the right intentions. You often hear about how social work majors won't make that much but I think that stereotype actually causes more good than harm because then it weeds out those who are in the major for the wrong reasons. In the medical field and other fields as well you see people joining it because of how much money it can make them, not because they actually care about helping others. With social work this is not a problem that we experience. The greatest problem that I ever had to overcome is going to school out of state and having to deal with all the challenges that comes with it. I have had to miss out on a lot of my families events like birthdays, baby showers, meaningful death in the family because I am simply not there. As a college student I don't have the funds to just up and get on a plane whenever I would like because as a student and at the time, a student athlete, I am not making any money and did not have time to get a job to help fund getting on a plane. I also do not have a car because right before I came down to Elizabeth City State University my car broke as I was was pouring money into it to get it fixed. I had a 2008 grey Chevy Equinox. It was experiencing overheating problems and I poured all of my savings into it to get it fixed just for it to continue to overheat and the mechanics to not know what was wrong with it as the exhausted all options. So I do not have a car either that I can just get into a drive to go back home or to even get around on campus. I am over 12 hours away just trying to get it out the mud and trying to make ends meet. I have no been to a Thanksgiving of my families in over four years due to the nature of being a student athlete but also because I have to choose between being able to see my family for Christmas or Thanksgiving but unfortunately I can not go to both. Now with us experiencing homelessness this Summer, I just want to be able to receive scholarships to help with the pressure that my family is dealing with. I want this to education to mean something and all of my hardships to mean something. I want my family to be able to watch me walk across that stage and not have to be in immense debt after I do it. I want this scholarship and my education to be a stepping stone to getting to where I want to be in life. Whether it is as a school social worker or it is a social worker who works with the elderly. I potentially want to work in legislation in the government and to change policies and just overall create real change. I just want to be able to go to school and work on bettering myself and potentially go for my masters. I have a sister who has graduated from college but only with her associates degree. I want to be the person for my family who breaks generational curses, I want to be the one for my family that shows there is a way out. I want to be the person for my family, the very first who actually practices financial literacy. I think as a black woman and a family full of women, I want to be an example for my little sister. This scholarship will be the first real step towards doing that for my family and bettering my life and situation.

I have been personally impacted by substance abuse. I had an uncle that we took in that was at least a few years sober that had a relapse under our roof. His substance of choice was crack. It was hard for my entire family and I because this uncle is someone that we thought we could trust again as we had to endure him relapsing under my great grandmothers roof when I was a child. We thought that he had changed and that he could be around us again. It is unfortunate because although healing is not linear, I don't think my uncle realized how much it effects us when he does drugs. My uncle is also blind, so he is someone who constantly needs assistance. I plan to use my education to help raise awareness and be advocates for people trying to better themselves after using substances. I am majoring in social work and as a social work major it is our jobs to be advocates for many different populations of people. This is just one population that I plan to help and that I can advocate for. It always hits different when you have been directly impacted by these issues. My other uncle would also inflict violence on my aunt. This is something that I wish I never had to witness and as a young child feeling powerless there was not much I could do for my aunt in that situation. With the scholarship I am hoping to be awarded with, it can help further my education and help further my advocacy for these groups. Getting this degree can help me from feeling powerless to now putting more power in my hands to change how women are treated and to help change the stigmas that come with domestic violence as well as substance abuse. In black households as well, since I am someone who is a black woman and attending a HBCU I can also advocate and help raise awareness for these issues that are plaguing our community. I think a lot of the times our community experiences a lot of these things whether it is first hand or through witnessing it. It is our job to help teach that these actions are not okay and that we should not normalize it in the black community. We have to do better by black women as I feel that they are one of the most marginalized, discriminated, and disrespected groups in America.

I plan to become a school social worker or help the elderly with my scholarship. I am going through hard times and this is my last year in undergraduate school and I want to be able to finish out my senior year and be able to afford it. I am an honor roll student and I was a student athlete at my HBCU who ran out of eligibility and due to losing credits transferring in, I have to take another year of school although I don't have any academic blemishes on my transcript. This is an opportunity for me to be able to chase my dreams and bring more representation to my community as someone who was able to make it out and better my life because of it. Being black means being able to be apart of a community that has had to endure nothing but hardships but finds a way to thrive every single time. We have been set back for so many years and the way that our people persevere is second to none. I chose to go to an HBCU because I am a light skin black woman who has been around nothing but white people my entire life but I wanted to be more in touch with my culture and my people. I live in Detroit and I think this scholarship would award me with an opportunity to represent not only Detroit well but black people as a whole as Detroit is black history.