My plans for the future are to finish my bachelor's degree, start my master's, and eventually make it into a Ph.D program. I'm an African American first generation college student and I'm also a returning student. I initially started college in the fall of 2019, but like others I had difficulty working through the covid-19 pandemic. Since I was supporting myself through college, I had to leave during the pandemic. I work as an undergraduate research assistant, a position I first received in 2019. I've fallen in love with academic research. Currently, I study eviction in my hometown of Richmond, Virginia. I studied Political Science before switching to Liberal Arts; my main focus is in the social sciences. I'm on track to apply for the sequential master's-bachelor's program at university. Applying requires that you have 60 credits already completed. At the end of this semester I'll have 52 credits. But, I have the opportunity to do a 'prior learning portfolio'. The prior learning portfolio is an opportunity to obtain transfer credits for prior work experience. Students write 15 - 20 page portfolio essays per skill with additional supporting documentation to be considered. Each portfolio is worth a maximum of 6 credits and a total of 30 credits can be obtained through this portfolio review. It costs $600 per portfolio to have them reviewed for credit. This semester I attended the 'prior learning workshop' course, in this class I'll complete writing my first portfolio. I have plans to write another portfolio over winter break to submit in the spring semester. This scholarship would cover the cost of my portfolio review. I'm submitting my portfolio for 12 credits. This would put me at the number of credits needed to apply for the sequential master's program. The reason I want to do a sequential master's is because it will save me money in the long term. I'm supporting myself through university and will be supporting myself through a master's. At my university, doing the sequential program can save you thousands of dollars. It's essentially a '4+1' program for getting your master's degree. I'm very interested in getting my master's because it's part of my plan to continue doing social science research as a career. Outside of academia, most research positions require at minimum a master's in your respective field. My years of experience isn't enough. I'm partially undecided on what I want my master's to be in. I'm in between sociology and political science. I still have time to make a final decision but I'm leaning closer and closer to political science. Ultimately, even if I don't receive all 12 credits, I'll still be much closer to my goal of obtaining my degree and moving forward on this path.

During my youth, I was a victim of childhood sexual assault. The experience has had a lasting impact on my development and mental health. I spent much of high school in a state of depression with suicidal ideation becoming common background noise in my day to day. I found it hard to maintain friendships. My mother had become overprotective, refusing to let me out of the house and I was too dejected during the school hours. My sophomore year of high school I decided to 'turn things around' by simply pretending to be happy. For all hours of the day I would go out of my way to keep a smile on face. I became a quasi-class clown, I was far too quiet to be a class nuisance. For the most part it worked, I rekindled lost friendships and made new ones. But, a new exhaustion would begin to overtake me everyday when I returned home. At home there was no one to perform for. For a very long time I didn't have any goals. My abuse started so young that the thought of living to adulthood seemed both infeasible and horrible. Abuse in the home seems never ending, it was simply easier to not think about the future. I grew up in the Black church in southern Virginia, raised to believe that suicide was a one-way ticket to hell. It was a traumatizing thought in of itself. I felt punished for something that I could barely control. After the death of my grandmother, my suicide attempts stopped if only for the thought of meeting her in heaven one day. I can't say that I've maintained a connection with organized religion but I hold onto that reason to this day to keep pushing forward. Near the middle of my sophomore year of high school, my biology teacher shifted my worldview. He asked me how did I plan on leaving my mother's house if I didn't make it college. I realized then that moping and letting my grades slip was doing nothing but guaranteeing a future of more sadness and hardship. While it did nothing for my overall mood, it gave me the motivation to focus in on my school work. I was an International Baccalaureate student, simply graduating with high marks would get me college credits. 'Get to college' was the first time I had a goal. Wrapped in it was the desire to start over in life with the ability to get myself the help I needed. I knew something was wrong with me. But living in a low-income and Black household, help wasn't an option that was coming soon. Eventually I would graduate 18 out of over 200 students in my class. A labor of grit, sleepless nights, and pretending that everything was finally ok. I was at university for less than two months before I went to a psychiatrist for the first time. I was eventually diagnosed with PTSD and Bipolar Disorder. Despite being aware with my struggles with mental health, I still found it hard to reckon with having a diagnosis. It was both terrifying and freeing. I finally understood why my mind worked the way it did but also, I had a condition that would follow me for the rest of my life. Ultimately, I was happy to have a path forward. I've been consistently attending therapy and psychiatric appointments since 2019 because I recognized that managing my symptoms was paramount. Over the years, my symptoms have lessened. Every winter I brace myself against the looming threat of seasonal depression but recently, they've simply been cold. (Thank you vitamin D supplements). My experiences in life have made me a bit of a loaner. But I have some fantastic friends who meet where I am and have been incredibly supportive of me and my journey. They've cooked me meals, cleaned my apartment, and held me while I've cried. I couldn't be more thankful for them. One semester I had to withdraw due to complications with my bipolar disorder. It was heartbreaking and felt like a setback. During this time, I realized how much I enjoyed doing academic research. It was my job on campus and missing it while I was out of school was devastating. Since returning to school, I've been exploring it as my future career goal. I enjoy the social sciences and learning about how communities form and function. Currently, I study eviction in Richmond, Virginia. Previously, I was on a team researching the school-to-prison pipeline in Virginia. What I enjoy about research is that academia is a bit more flexible than other work environments. As someone with a mental health disorder, I can't say with 100% certainty what my future will look like. I'm working hard to support myself through college so I can move forward and get my master's degree. Ultimately, my goal is to obtain a Ph.D so I can I can do post-doc research at a university.

Coming from a low-income and single parent household taught me to prioritize the important things in life. When I was very young, I was always distraught about not having the newest toy because I was unaware of how much my mother was struggling to make ends meet. I was about 10 when my mom finally admitted to me about how difficult things were, it was one of the first times the power would go out in our home. I stopped asking for toys. While I didn't have the vocabulary to articulate it, I realized early that consumerism was a losing game. I didn't need a bunch of new toys every birthday and every christmas. While gifts were sparse they were always heartfelt. Nonetheless, it was hard sitting next to my peers aware of the things I lacked in an era where friendship compatibility was being measured by owning the same things. In middle school and high school I would still make friends, primarily with other low-income students, that would last to this day. My goal in life is to get my Ph.D. in either Political Science or Sociology. I'm interested in doing research in the social sciences. Currently, I study eviction in the city of Richmond, Virgina. I want to have a positive impact on my community by creating research backed solutions to the social problems we face. I've worked in academic research since 2019 as an undergraduate. I'm very dedicated to this path and work hard to maintain it. I want to help create a world where poverty is a thing of the past and those affected by it are lifted out of it. I like to envision a future where people's basic needs are met and a living wage is in reach for all people.

Being a first-generation college student and my career goals are tied closely together. My first attempt at attending college was interrupted by the covid-19 pandemic. When I fell ill, I felt resigned to giving up on my dreams. Going to university was as a first generation student is difficult enough; being from a low income background added to that. While my mother couldn't support me financially, she was essential in helping me map out how I would return to school and what I would do after. Originally, I was studying Political Science and have now switched to Liberal Arts. This switch was so I could participate in a program designed for adult learners and nontraditional students at the New School. I felt that it was very important that I was in a supportive academic environment. I'm heavily involved in academic research and have been since 2019. I'm positive that this is is the career course I want to stay on. I've picked my major to align with having to go to Grad school in the future; at my university Liberal Arts has the most program pairings for the Sequential Bachelor's-Master's Program. As a first-gen student, I feel the need to maximize the opportunity that I have in front of me. Since arriving in the fall, I've been on the lookout for events, clubs, and talks to participate in. Anything to foster connections within my university that could be useful. When I think about doing Social Science research in the future, I see myself wanting to stay within academia. Because of this, it's important that I foster connections at my university since I plan on staying here for the long haul. As a first-gen student, I'm building a lot of these connections from scratch and without much guidance on where to focus my attention. Nonetheless I've made great friends and associates. Networking has become a big part of the job market in recent years and I'm doing my best to utilize my time on campus to strengthen my network. Ultimately, without attending university, I would've never realized that academic research would be a career option for me. As I study Eviction, I think about the hardships I've faced both now and in my youth. I'm excited about completing my undergraduate degree and going to a master's program. I'm also hopeful about a future studying how people exist in community together.

My experience within the LGBTQ+ has had highs and lows over the years. I'm a Black Transman originally from Virginia. I've unfortunately experienced racism online and in person from other members of the LGBTQ+ community. And as political tensions has risen, I've also began to experience transphobia from within the community. Even from other transgender people. Living within the intersectional of two marginalized identities has always been difficult for me. Being Black is not simply a racial marker, but has a culture of it's own. Subsequently, experiences of sexuality and gender are effected by our culture and racialized by those outside of it. Black people have created flourishing LGBTQ+ communities across the country. Like many others, I moved to NYC to connect with other Black members of my community. I've finally began to experience the form of community that had been lacking in my life. While growing up in Virginia, I was a student advocate and later policy researcher that assisted in having bills passed in the VA legislature to protect Transgender students and people within the state. I see myself as someone who has given to my community but also as someone with much more to give. Connecting with people in New York has only fueled by desire to create a community that feels like home for everyone. I am returning to university and attending The New School. I currently study political science, once my transfer is completed I will working on a self-designed liberal arts major. Since 2019, I've worked as an academic research assistant and I want to complete my studies to advance in my career. I have a vested interest in utilizing data analysis and digital storytelling within the humanities. While the humanities are considered 'soft science', as technology is integrated into everyday life the average person is creating 'data'. These trackable bits of information allows us to track and showcase information that previously would've been qualitative. For example, there is historical evidence of LGBTQ+ facing housing discrimination but it was incredibly difficult to do statistical analysis on a marginalized group. Over the years, as metrics for tracking housing inequality has expanded, we're able to look at the community on a national scale. Information like this is extremely important because it's used to support pushes for legislation, it's used to determine grant funding for programs, but also it supports the anecdotal evidence given by members of the community over the years. Receiving a scholarship is necessary for my education to be financially feasible. As the costs associated with attending college rises, the gaps left by federal financial aid widens. This scholarship fulfill a large portion of my gap. Thank you for your consideration.