One of my favorite books is What Color Is Your Parachute? for College: Pave Your Path from Major to Meaningful Work by Katharine Brooks. In one of the exercises, the book asks readers to reflect on their purpose in life. Through this reflection, I realized that my purpose is closely tied to what I hope to see more of in the world: faith, love, compassion, care for the vulnerable, and the importance of taking time for self-care and relaxation. These values guide me in everything I do, from my personal life to my career aspirations. These desires sparked my decision to study abroad in the Dominican Republic, where I had the opportunity to put my values of love, compassion, and care for the vulnerable into action. While there, I partnered with Samaritan’s Feet, an organization dedicated to providing shoes to those in need. Our team distributed over 975 pairs of shoes to impoverished communities, and I saw firsthand how a simple act of kindness could bring immense joy and hope. This experience not only deepened my understanding of service but also reinforced my commitment to spreading love and compassion in tangible ways. It also opened my eyes to the global nature of hardship and the importance of working toward solutions that offer hope and support to those in difficult situations. This experience was a turning point for me, inspiring me to study finance and pursue a career in financial planning. I realized that, just as I had helped the communities in the Dominican Republic meet a basic need, I could help individuals in similar situations by equipping them with the tools to build and manage their wealth. My goal is to provide financial guidance to those who have faced hardship, empowering them to secure stable futures so they never have to return to those difficult circumstances. This scholarship will provide me with the financial support necessary to complete my education, giving me the knowledge and skills to turn this vision into reality. By alleviating the financial burden of my studies, I can focus on gaining the expertise I need to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.

Growing up, my late grandpa always told me and my cousin “to stay away from those mashed nose boys,” which always made us laugh. This was his way of saying to focus on your education and not to get distracted by boys. While I brushed this off then, as I have grown up, I am grateful my grandpa instilled in me at a young age the importance of education because, being a Black man in rural South Carolina with all the racial disparities, one of the few things that could help negate that is education. Having this knowledge has caused me to view education as something to empower myself and others, but this has not negated the fact that I had a few bumps in the road. One is choosing to major in computer science after a positive experience in my “Fundamentals of Web Design and Web Development” during high school because not only by the time I arrived at college, I had lost enjoyment in the degree plan, and my overall mental, emotional and academic health suffered as a result of it. I was putting lots of time and effort into something that didn’t play to my strengths and didn’t enjoy it. In addition to thinking I was the spawn of Superwoman, taking 18 credit hours, working a part-time job and being in leadership with a student organization. This resulted in being stretched too thin and caused the same effects I mentioned earlier, but I have realized that I am very resilient and hard-working. Yet, these bumps in the log did not deter me; they taught me the importance of pivoting, such as changing my major from computer science to finance. Doing this allowed me to play to my strengths, such as public speaking and working with diverse populations. Pivoting has presented me with so many new opportunities, such as studying abroad in the Dominican Republic during Spring Break 2024, where I partnered with Samaritan’s Feet to give out over 975 pairs of shoes to underrepresented communities and developed a bond with those within them. Seeing how many live in poverty caused hunger and thirst to see their lives changed, and what makes me sad is that when one too many of them get out of these situations, they still have a poverty mindset. As a result, they don’t think about how they can invest this 5,000 dollars into a stock, bond or ETF, but instead think about buying a gold chain that will most likely decrease in value. I want to see these children be the generational curse-breakers of their families, and they might not be able to do so if they have a mindset that will cause them to return to the same place they grew up in. My goal is to pursue a career in wealth management to empower the next generation of leaders with financial literacy and tools to create a domino effect of blessings in those communities and the lives they touch. Yet, my ambitions continue beyond there. As a first-generation college student, I want to inspire not only my family but also individuals who like me to pursue higher education, so it has been an extra push to pursue an MBA so I can ignite change in the wealth management sector so that I can be in an executive position where I able to make decisions and voice my opinion to that leadership about having programs for minorities and intentionally developing relationships with those communities as clients. Your support will help me be the changemaker I already know I am.

The question, “What do you want to do when you grow up?” is something that brought many of my peers uncertainty and nervousness. Yet, for me, it was an opportunity to express my joy regarding my future; I would joyfully respond, “A lawyer.” A career choice sparked from a desire to advocate for the marginalized communities I would see being discriminated against on the news.  However, where there was once confidence, doubt began to seep in. When I enrolled in “Fundamentals of Web Design and Web Development,”  which initially began to check off a graduation requirement, but I soon began to enjoy it as whatever I envisioned I could create. So, I decided to scratch the law career to pursue a tech career and major in computer science. But this vision soon vanished into thin air, as once I began to take computer science courses in college, my desire was no more. This left me at a crossroads: Do I stick with something I don’t love or pursue another field, and what would that even be? Soon, I began to have thoughts of “Am I a failure?”, “What will everyone think of me?” amongst others, began to flood my mind because I began to contemplate switching my major to finance, and I had so much support from those around me once they found out I was pursuing a tech-related career. But after much prayer and wise counsel, I decided to change my major to finance, and it was one of the best decisions I made in my young adult years. I soon realized that no matter my career path, I always wanted to help people; one of my greatest passions is seeing people reach their fullest potential.  Changing my major opened up many new opportunities, one being a transformative study abroad experience in the Dominican Republic, where I partnered with Samaritan’s Feet to give out over 975 pairs of shoes to underrepresented communities. Seeing how many live in poverty caused hunger and thirst to see their lives changed, and what makes me sad is that when one too many of them get out of these situations, they still have a poverty mindset. As a result, they don’t think about how they can invest this 5,000 dollars into a stock, bond or ETF, but instead think about buying a gold chain that will most likely decrease in value. I want to see these children be the generational curse-breakers of their families, and they might not be able to do so if they have a mindset that will cause them to return to the same place they grew up in. My goal is to pursue a career in wealth management to empower the next generation of leaders with financial literacy and tools to create a domino effect of blessings in those communities and the lives they touch.

For a long time, while struggling with depression from late September 2020 to early June 2021, happiness and joy seemed so far from me and something I could only long for. But now, I can testify of the joy I currently have after being free from depression. As a Christian, building my relationship with GOD is the foundation of joy. Being able to worship GOD, read the Bible, pray, and find a community of other believers has helped me to have joy and peace. This makes me feel as if I have a place to run when I feel sad, lonely, or have been hurt by someone I love. I also love being able to talk to GOD like a friend and being honest with HIM about my emotions. As an individual who loves to focus on the future, I love the mass of potential my future has. Whether it is growing spiritually in my knowledge of CHRIST and how I conduct myself as a Christian. Or achieving my goal of being a computer science teacher in Dubai to inspire the next generation of technological leaders. As well as my career goal of applying my fascination with coding to become a software engineer help improve our current technology. My joy comes from GOD as a Christian after struggling with depression. I felt as if I did not have a future and only what I was dealing with was next. But now, after being set free, I am excited to grow spiritually and see what the future holds for me, which is what brings me joy.

"By this everyone will know that you are MY Disciples, if you love one another." John 13:35 NIV. As an individual who has just become a Christian in April 2020 after leaving witchcraft as my primary belief system, the Bible has transformed how I view people, my character, and forgiveness. I was taught by the people around me the famous saying, "forgive but don't forget," which is valid to a certain extent. But having this mindset left me in a worst predicament. I always swore that I would never forgive my parents for all the mental, emotional, and spiritual turmoil they put me through. So when I decided to forgive them, I was still bitter because I always brought it back every time a disagreement erupted. It wasn't until I looked to the Bible that I learned how to put unforgiveness behind me and mend my relationship with my parents. After I became a Christian and rooted in my faith, I began to despise the negative reputation Christians held in the world. Whether it's being hypocrites or not being loving, this made me want to be a better representation of a Christian for GOD and the reputation of Christians. So when I am greeting people at work or around the classroom. I want people to see that I am Christian through how I conduct myself and by loving and being patient with others. The Bible has transformed the way I live and how I interact, which is something I plan to take with me as I enter the next chapter of my life.

"Please tell us about yourself." The question I dreaded most in job interviews because like many other teenagers. I did not know who I was, and since I didn't have many friends or play sports, I didn't have the chance to make these things my identity. But I praise GOD for that. So over the past two years, I have been on this journey of forming my identity. I learned my likes and dislikes, developed my belief system, and developed my chosen career path. I learned that I am a young black Christian who happens to be graduating high school early with the class of 2022. I have a passion for seeing people grow in their faith and coding. Along with that, I am a first-generation college student who wants the STEM field, particularly in the area of technology, to be more inclusive and diverse in the areas of representation and creation. My Christian faith is the most important thing to me and is what my identity is rooted in. My faith inspires me to be a better individual so that I may honor JESUS CHRIST with my life. My goal is to demonstrate the Fruits of THE HOLY SPIRIT which are love, joy, peace, patience, and kindness, wherever I go. I believe that by me displaying these fruits, I will be able to create an atmosphere of inclusion wherever I go. That will eventually bleed into the culture of my future workplace and community by making others feel safe and loved to be themselves no matter their differences. Since I yearn to see the area of technology be more inclusive because of my faith. I want to create an app that will help immigrants in their transition to America and eventually to countries worldwide. This app will help immigrants find living arrangements and jobs and obtain their social security numbers. In addition, understanding personal finance in the United States, from filing taxes to opening their first bank account. As well as how to enroll their children into school, where they can learn and develop their English skills, and how childcare works in America. This app will also connect new immigrants to churches, Bible groups, and other religious activities. I believe this technology will positively impact our world by making new immigrants feel welcomed and know that they have a community once they arrive in America. That has created resources to make them and their families transition as easy as possible. I believe to positively impact the world through the lens of technology, we have to make technology a more inclusive and diverse place regarding the creation of new technology and its representation.

My name is Jordan Jamison. I'm a current high school senior at Westwood High School in Blythewood, South Carolina. I am on track to graduate early with the class of 2022, with the anticipation to commit to the college as a prospective computer science major. I am proud to say that I have been accepted into seven accredited colleges/universities. I aspire to become a computer science teacher and software engineer. Achieving this goal is important to me because I will be the first person in my immediate family to graduate college. As an African American female, I find a void, due to the lack of representation in the STEM field. I believe if there was more women, especially, of minority then my interest in the STEM field would be taken seriously for the depth it holds by other. This fuels my passion to teach computer science and to be the representation that young girls should see growing up on a global scale. In connection to becoming a software engineer and following a computer science teacher, I will expand my teachings to students globally. Starting with the first location being Dubai. I’ve noticed that on a global scale teaching has become strictly curriculum-based, that there’s a lack of personal connection. As a teacher I would want to the individual who uplifts young boys and girls, facilitating a safe space for them. Growing up I never had someone to look up to. Often, I felt I had to go through things alone. What I longed for was an example to observe from afar, of what to expect as I grew from a young girl to young lady, and on. Having an outlet, an older sister in particular, to help grow into my femininity, finding myself as a young woman, and succeding career wise would have eased my transition. Although I am getting older, I’ve now learned how to facilitate those relationships of sisterhood and bonding. I know I’ll be the symbolism of a big sister through in the computer science engineering field. My symbolism, as Jordan Jamison, will stand as an encouragement to other young minorities looking to join the STEM field, which is why this is my why. I see my vision impacting the world on a macro-level, because spreading love and kindness by teaching others acts like a virus. It’s hard when one may want to learn but doesn’t have the resources. By taking my approach of teaching on a global perspective while establishing the representation other minorities should see, leaves the results of my impact endless. I believe that my representation will help in the birthing of the next generation of software engineers, who are seen as unprecedented.

For most of my life, I had a great life, both of my parents in the hope. I had never experienced an event that left me traumatically scared, nor did I have a traumatically filled childhood growing up. This all changed in May 2016 when my parents bought a home in Columbia, SC. I was still attending the same elementary school. However, I would be attending a different middle school that none of my friends were attending. In August 2016, I started middle school, and from the start, I was getting bullied by a group of kids in my social studies honors every day based on my looks. There was even a time in sixth grade; I was in science class doing schoolwork in class with a classmate. When a few kids began to say harsh comments about my hair, and it caused me to cry in front of my whole class. This harsh reality continued throughout middle school. With my bullies changing, but the pain and turmoil staying the same. Being constantly called ugly by both males and females, even those I found attractive. From being told, I looked like "The Predator" and that I need to do something with my hair. I left middle school traumatized, insecure, depressed, and with social anxiety. So much to the point every time I heard someone laughing, and it wasn't with me, that they were laughing at me. When I went to high school, the effects of what happened in middle school showed up. I picked a "best friend" who did not value me or support me and even called me ugly to my face. I had gotten into two relationships with loving, nice, and supportive people. Yet, I couldn't even receive their love because I had walls up emotionally; due to fear of being rejected which stemmed from my middle school trauma. Along with this, throughout middle school and high school, I dealt with depression and suicidal ideation. At times I even searched up "how to kill myself", "how to create poison", and " the suicide method with the highest success rate"; as well as self-harming through self-mutilating by cutting myself. Then in March 2020, COVID-19 hit, and I began to lose all of my "friends", and my anxiety began to accelerate about the pandemic. During this time, I had begun to see a lot of Christian Tiktok videos on my timeline. Which caused me to make an active decision to get closer to God. This led to me watching a church service, where the pastor spoke about everything I had been going through. They even gave me a simple prayer to pray, and I once prayed that simple prayer. I had never felt so much peace in my life that I cried tears of joy because of it. This experience gave me the courage to actively seek Jesus out for myself and dedicate my life to Him. He has given me the courage to go to therapy, which I still actively go to, and work on my trauma.

For most of my life, I had a great life, both of my parents in the hope. I had never experienced an event that left me traumatically scared, nor did I have a traumatically filled childhood growing up. This all changed in May 2016 when my parents bought a home in Columbia, SC. I was still attending the same elementary school. However, I would be attending a different middle school that none of my friends were attending. In August 2016, I started middle school, and from the start, I was getting bullied by a group of kids in my social studies honors every day based on my looks. There was even a time in sixth grade; I was in science class doing schoolwork in class with a classmate. When a few kids began to say harsh comments about my hair, and it caused me to cry in front of my whole class. This harsh reality continued throughout middle school. With my bullies changing, but the pain and turmoil staying the same. Being constantly called ugly by both males and females, even those I found attractive. From being told, I looked like "The Predator" and that I need to do something with my hair. I left middle school traumatized, insecure, depressed, and with social anxiety. So much to the point every time I heard someone laughing, and it wasn't with me, that they were laughing at me. When I went to high school, the effects of what happened in middle school showed up. I picked a "best friend" who did not value me or support me and even called me ugly to my face. I had gotten into two relationships with loving, nice, and supportive people. Yet, I couldn't even receive their love because I had walls up emotionally; due to fear of being rejected which stemmed from my middle school trauma. Along with this, throughout middle school and high school, I dealt with depression and suicidal ideation. At times I even searched up "how to kill myself", "how to create poison", and " the suicide method with the highest success rate"; as well as self-harming through self-mutilating by cutting myself. Then in March 2020, COVID-19 hit, and I began to lose all of my "friends", and my anxiety began to accelerate about the pandemic. During this time, I had begun to see a lot of Christian Tiktok videos on my timeline. Which caused me to make an active decision to get closer to God. This led to me watching a church service, where the pastor spoke about everything I had been going through. They even gave me a simple prayer to pray, and I once prayed that simple prayer. I had never felt so much peace in my life that I cried tears of joy because of it. This experience gave me the courage to actively seek Jesus out for myself and dedicate my life to Him. He has given me the courage to go to therapy, which I still actively go to, and work on my trauma.

My name is Jordan Jamison, and I am a sophomore at Westwood High School. I will be graduating as a junior with the class of 2022. My career goal is to become a software developer because of my passion for various reasons. From it being an area where those within the field are constantly learning to, if I can think of it, I can make it my reality. I am from the suburbs of Columbia, SC. Where I have been blessed with countless opportunities, it is here I have found my passion for coding. In my sophomore year of high school, I signed up for the web design/development course. There I fell in love with coding, especially the website and web development part. Since then, I have dove deeper into software engineering. Signing up for the 2021 Girls In Code summer program and Girls In Tech Hackathon. Along with joining a mentorship called Built By Girls, an organization where young women get mentored by women professionals in tech. In addition to this, I hold various roles that impact my life. I am a Front House Team Member at Chick-fil-A and a part of the Upkey Virtual Internship Program Spring. My hobbies include painting, fashion, and entrepreneurship. I love watching YouTube videos on marketing, making, and buying products for cosmetics. Or brands targeted towards women. I have an extreme love for fashion because you can express yourself and your beliefs through it. In addition, to showing the culture you are from and what inspires you. Painting is a passion of mine because I can create abstract art, a scene from nature, or a motivational quote. One of my biggest aspirations in life is to graduate college with a bachelor’s degree in computer science. I am preparing myself for this goal by taking available AP courses at my school. In addition to this, I am taking courses such as Web Design and Web Development to gain more experience in the field. I also want to be a Christian mentor for Christian teenage girls on Christian principles, biblical feminity, business, and more. I want to provide young girls with the community I have always wanted. I am preparing myself to be that mentor by participating in a group Christian mentorship in the first quarter of 2021 and having my own personal Christian mentor. Lastly, I want to be an evangelist for the Christian faith in areas of the world where there is a low Christian percentage. After graduating, I will apply to work as a software engineer at a Fortune 500 company. Later on, during my career as a software engineer, I will start an agency for app development and web design/development. During this time of my life, I will create a Christian non-profit organization that helps the homeless get jobs and safe homes. In addition to helping those who drug-addicted get off of drugs and rehabilitated. As well as helping low-income people or families get educated on finances, leave poverty and provide a fund for bills. Not to mention, this organization will provide a food bank and housing for those being serviced. In conclusion, I would like you to know that you will not just be supporting me further my dreams. By awarding me this scholarship, but into lives who will forever be impacted.