When I was in 4th grade, my school took my 2nd period science class to the Aquarium. I remember every detail of that day as if it was yesterday. I recall that I was late to school this day because as soon as my mom parked in the parking lot, the field trip bus pulled off. There was no point in me staying at school when all my classmates were gone so my mom and I had our own little field trip. She took me to the High Museum, an art museum located in Atlanta. I walked into that museum and I felt as if my eyes opened for the first time. The paintings, the sculptures, and even the architecture completely overwhelmed me. At that moment I realized what I was put on this earth for. Fast forward 10 years later, although the passion is still the same, the inspiration has definitely changed. I won't lie when I say that in the past what inspired me was being better than everybody else. It seemed so self absorbed now that I think about it. I would enter small art contest in elementary and middle school and would place 1st or 2nd place until one day I lost. I remember on that day I was ready to give up art all together until a 2nd grader by the name of Kayla came up to me and asked me if I could teach her what I knew. Knowing that we were some of the few black kids at the school, I knew how important it was for us to stick together. I sucked up my ego from losing and took her to the cafeteria and showed her a few step by steps of some basic concepts that I learned. I saw a light in her eyes that I remember feeling in mine the day I went to the art museum. From that day forward my inspiration changed completely. I draw not just for my love of art but because you never know who's watching you. I draw because I want to set an example for young black girls who think they can't get into the art industry because of lack of representation. I will use this scholarship to help continue to propel me through my higher education as I get closer and closer to earning my bachelors degree. Hopefully when I graduate and become a children's book illustrator, I can give not just black kids but all minorities a taste of what it feels to be the main character.

When I was in 4th grade, my school took my 2nd period science class to the Aquarium. I remember every detail of that day as if it was yesterday. I recall that I was late to school this day because as soon as my mom parked in the parking lot, the field trip bus pulled off. There was no point in me staying at school when all my classmates were gone so my mom and I had our own little field trip. She took me to the High Museum, an art museum located in Atlanta. I walked into that museum and I felt as if my eyes opened for the first time. The paintings, the sculptures, and even the architecture completely overwhelmed me. At that moment I realized what I was put on this earth for. Fast forward 10 years later, although the passion is still the same, the inspiration has definitely changed. I won't lie when I say that in the past what inspired me was being better than everybody else. It seemed so self absorbed now that I think about it. I would enter small art contest in elementary and middle school and would place 1st or 2nd place until one day I lost. I remember on that day I was ready to give up art all together until a 2nd grader by the name of Kayla came up to me and asked me if I could teach her what I knew. Knowing that we were some of the few black kids at the school, I knew how important it was for us to stick together. I sucked up my ego from losing and took her to the cafeteria and showed her a few step by steps of some basic concepts that I learned. I saw a light in her eyes that I remember feeling in mine the day I went to the art museum. From that day forward my inspiration changed completely. I draw not just for my love of art but because you never know who's watching you. I draw because I want to set an example for young black girls who think they can't get into the art industry because of lack of representation. I will use this scholarship to help continue to propel me through my higher education as I get closer and closer to earning my bachelors degree. Hopefully when I graduate and become a children's book illustrator, I can give not just black kids but all minorities a taste of what it feels like to be the main character.

When I was in 4th grade, my school took my 2nd period science class to the Aquarium. I remember every detail of that day as if it was yesterday. I recall that I was late to school this day because as soon as my mom parked in the parking lot, the field trip bus pulled off. There was no point in me staying at school when all my classmates were gone so my mom and I had our own little field trip. She took me to the High Museum, an art museum located in Atlanta. I walked into that museum and I felt as if my eyes opened for the first time. The paintings, the sculptures, and even the architecture completely overwhelmed me. At that moment I realized what I was put on this earth for. Fast forward 10 years later, although the passion is still the same, the inspiration has definitely changed. I won't lie when I say that in the past what inspired me was being better than everybody else. It seemed so self absorbed now that I think about it. I would enter small art contest in elementary and middle school and would place 1st or 2nd place until one day I lost. I remember on that day I was ready to give up art all together until a 2nd grader by the name of Kayla came up to me and asked me if I could teach her what I knew. Knowing that we were some of the few black kids at the school, I knew how important it was for us to stick together. I sucked up my ego from losing and took her to the cafeteria and showed her a few step by steps of some basic concepts that I learned. I saw a light in her eyes that I remember feeling in mine the day I went to the art museum. From that day forward my inspiration changed completely. I draw not just for my love of art but because you never know who's watching you. I create because I want to set an example for young black girls who think they can't get into the art industry because of lack of representation. I will use this scholarship to help continue to propel me through my higher education as I get closer and closer to earning my bachelors degree. Hopefully when I graduate and become a children's book illustrator, I can give not just black kids but all minorities a taste of what it feels to be the main character.

I am in school to major in art so it is completely obvious that my hobbies and interests revolve around that subject. One of my favorite past times is painting but not just painting on any regular surface like a canvas or paper. I like to paint on glass, furniture, stones and walls. My love for painting happened on accident. I was working on a school project and realized I was out of colored pencils and markers and all I had was paint. It was like love at first sight. It became one of the my biggest passions and one of the very few things that I am okay with getting lost in. Another one of my favorite hobbies is storytelling. It all began when I was a child and would go to the library every Saturday morning to hear the volunteers read children's books. Fast forward a few years later and I began to volunteer to do the same thing. Before Covid, I would read and tell on own stories to the children at Sunday School as well. One of my recent and most lucrative hobbies is jewelry making. As I grew to become a more spiritual person, I began to collect crystals and other stones that held a lot of powerful meanings. I always wanted to keep them with me but didn't want to just put it in my pocket so I began to make it into jewelry. I took the skills that I learned in my 3D design class and started wire wrapping until I made necklaces, bracelets and rings. It got a lot of social media attention so I made my own shop on the website Etsy called Jewels by Jewels Co. and began to sell my jewelry. I have sold over 30 necklaces and plan to do more in the future. I have grown up in a split parent household for most of my life and although both my parents love and support me, we did not always have the funds to get me into the classes to help me excel in this particular field. I plan on participating in graphic design internships over the summer and until I graduate in May 2023. Upon graduation I am hopeful I will get a job at Cartoon Network and work my way up to the desired position of a character illustrator. With your contribution to my education, I am confident I will be able to achieve every goal I set. With my degree, I would like to be a character designer for a major television studio. I also want to be an illustrator for children's books. I want to be able to create different characters and create a sense of diversity in each and every individual that I draw. I want to have more representation of minority races in cartoons and children's book so I can give all the kids that look like me an opportunity to be seen on screen and in their favorite stories.

I am in school to major in art so it is completely obvious that my hobbies and interests revolve around that subject. One of my favorite past times is painting but not just painting on any regular surface like a canvas or paper. I like to paint on glass, furniture, stones and walls. My love for painting happened on accident. I was working on a school project and realized I was out of colored pencils and markers and all I had was paint. It was like love at first sight. It became one of the my biggest passions and one of the very few things that I am okay with getting lost in. Another one of my favorite hobbies is storytelling. It all began when I was a child and would go to the library every Saturday morning to hear the volunteers read children's books. Fast forward a few years later and I began to volunteer to do the same thing. Before Covid, I would read and tell on own stories to the children at Sunday School as well. One of my recent and most lucrative hobbies is jewelry making. As I grew to become a more spiritual person, I began to collect crystals and other stones that held a lot of powerful meanings. I always wanted to keep them with me but didn't want to just put it in my pocket so I began to make it into jewelry. I took the skills that I learned in my 3D design class and started wire wrapping until I made necklaces, bracelets and rings. It got a lot of social media attention so I made my own shop on the website Etsy called Jewels by Jewels Co. and began to sell my jewelry. I have sold over 30 necklaces and plan to do more in the future. I have grown up in a split parent household for most of my life and although both my parents love and support me, we did not always have the funds to get me into the classes to help me excel in this particular field. I plan on participating in graphic design internships over the summer and until I graduate in May 2023. Upon graduation I am hopeful I will get a job at Cartoon Network and work my way up to the desired position of a character illustrator. With your contribution to my education, I am confident I will be able to achieve every goal I set. With my degree, I would like to be a character designer for a major television studio. I also want to be an illustrator for children's books. I want to be able to create different characters and create a sense of diversity in each and every individual that I draw. I want to have more representation of minority races in cartoons and children's book so I can give all the kids that look like me an opportunity to be seen on screen and in their favorite stories.

When I was in 4th grade, my school took my 2nd period science class to the Aquarium. I remember every detail of that day as if it was yesterday. I recall that I was late to school this day because as soon as my mom parked in the parking lot, the field trip bus pulled off. There was no point in me staying at school when all my classmates were gone so my mom and I had our own little field trip. She took me to the High Museum, an art museum located in Atlanta. I walked into that museum and I felt as if my eyes opened for the first time. The paintings, the sculptures, and even the architecture completely overwhelmed me. At that moment I realized what I was put on this earth for. Fast forward 10 years later, although the passion is still the same, the inspiration has definitely changed. I won't lie when I say that in the past what inspired me was being better than everybody else. It seemed so self absorbed now that I think about it. I would enter small art contest in elementary and middle school and would place 1st or 2nd place until one day I lost. I remember on that day I was ready to give up art all together until a 2nd grader by the name of Kayla came up to me and asked me if I could teach her what I knew. Knowing that we were some of the few black kids at the school, I knew how important it was for us to stick together. I sucked up my ego from losing and took her to the cafeteria and showed her a few step by steps of some basic concepts that I learned. I saw a light in her eyes that I remember feeling in mine the day I went to the art museum. From that day forward my inspiration changed completely. I draw not just for my love of art but because you never know who's watching you. I draw because I want to set an example for young black girls who think they can't get into the art industry because of lack of representation. I will use this scholarship to help continue to propel me through my higher education as I get closer and closer to earning my bachelors degree. Hopefully when I graduate and become a children's book illustrator, I can give not just black kids but all minorities a taste of what it feels to be the main character.