When I first stepped onto Prairie View A&M University's campus, I wasn't just carrying a backpack filled with books—I was carrying a vision that many people didn't understand. I remember unpacking my dorm room knowing I wasn't just moving away from home; I was betting on myself. I had no investors waiting for me, no guarantee that NextPlay would succeed, and no blueprint for what I wanted to build. All I had was a camera, an idea, and the belief that if I could help enough other people win, success would eventually find me too. As a freshman from the Dallas area, more specifically Collin County, I knew I wanted to build something bigger than myself. While many students were focused on finding their place, my co-founder and I were creating ours. We launched NextPlay with one mission: use storytelling to create opportunities for athletes, creators, and entrepreneurs who are too often overlooked. The beginning wasn't glamorous. There were nights when I finished homework after midnight only to spend hours editing videos, planning productions, or sending emails that never received responses. We pitched ideas that went nowhere and questioned whether two freshmen could actually build something people would believe in. Every setback forced me to choose between comfort and conviction. That became my adversity: learning how to keep believing in a vision before anyone else could see it. Instead of allowing doubt to stop me, I leaned into the values that had shaped me long before college. Earning my Eagle Scout rank taught me that leadership means serving others even when no one is watching. It taught me to solve problems instead of waiting for someone else to fix them, and those lessons became the foundation of NextPlay. While building the company, I also refused to let my academics suffer. Maintaining a 3.8 GPA earned me Honors recognition at Prairie View A&M and reinforced that discipline creates opportunity. That same commitment to balancing school and entrepreneurship eventually led to my story being featured in a published article highlighting the impact we were creating at such a young age. To me, that recognition wasn't about publicity—it was proof that persistence and purpose can open doors that once seemed impossible. What started as two freshmen with cameras and an idea has now expanded into three teams working together toward one mission. Watching that growth taught me that resources matter, but relationships matter even more. People invest in people before they invest in ideas. Every partnership we've built has reinforced my belief that genuine collaboration multiplies opportunity. The experience also changed the way I define success. Success isn't about personal recognition or financial gain. It's about creating opportunities for someone else because you refused to give up on your own dream. Choosing to attend Prairie View A&M University was one of the most intentional decisions I've ever made. I didn't want to simply earn a business degree—I wanted to be surrounded by people who understood the importance of legacy, culture, and community. Prairie View didn't just teach me business. It showed me what happens when Black excellence is the expectation instead of the exception. I stopped focusing on proving I belonged and started focusing on creating opportunities for others to belong too. Being at an HBCU has reinforced my belief that representation matters, but ownership matters even more. I want underrepresented students to know they don't have to wait for opportunities to come to them—they can build businesses, create platforms, and become the opportunities they once searched for. Graduating from Prairie View will give me more than a diploma. It will give me a network rooted in resilience, leadership, and collaboration that I will carry into every stage of my career. Those relationships will strengthen my ability to grow NextPlay into a national ecosystem where athletes, creators, entrepreneurs, and filmmakers create economic opportunity together instead of competing for it. Looking back, the adversity I faced wasn't simply the fear of failure. It was learning to keep believing in a vision before there was evidence that it would succeed. That lesson changed me forever. It taught me that perseverance creates momentum, community creates impact, and leadership begins the moment you decide to build a door instead of waiting for someone else to open one. When people look at my story years from now, I don't want them to remember the awards I've earned or the company I built. I want them to remember that I used business to make sure someone else never had to wonder if they belonged in the room. If I can leave behind a generation of athletes, creators, and entrepreneurs who believe opportunity is something they can create instead of something they have to wait for, then I will know I've succeeded.

When asked why I started NextPlay, most expect a business story. The truth is, it started with frustration. Growing up in the Dallas, Texas area, more specifically in Collin County. I constantly met talented people whose potential never matched their opportunities. Athletes who deserved recognition couldn't get in front of the right people. Creators with incredible ideas lacked the equipment or platform to share them. Small businesses struggled to compete simply because no one knew they existed. I realized that talent was everywhere—but access wasn't. I couldn't stop thinking about that. So when I arrived at Prairie View A&M University to study Business Management, I didn't want to spend four years learning how to build companies someday. I wanted to build one now. During my freshman year, my co-founder and I launched NextPlay from the ground up. What began as two students with cameras and a vision has grown into an ecosystem supported by three teams working alongside us. That growth didn't happen because we had endless resources—it happened because people believed in one another and proved that relationships can turn an idea into something far greater than anyone imagined. NextPlay uses storytelling to create opportunity. Every video we produce, every athlete we work with, and every partnership we pursue is built around the idea that visibility can change someone's life. When an athlete lands a brand deal, a local business reaches a new audience, or a young creator gains confidence because their work is finally being seen, that's economic empowerment in action. Business, to me, isn't about maximizing profit. It's about maximizing possibilities. Earning my Eagle Scout rank taught me that leadership isn't measured by the number of people following you but by the number of people you choose to serve. That philosophy has become the foundation of everything I build. I don't want success that ends with me. I want success that creates momentum for everyone around me. Recently, I reflected on how quickly communities can become divided when trust is lost, and people stop investing in one another. It reminded me that real change depends on people choosing to build relationships, create opportunities, and lift each other up rather than tear each other down. That's why this scholarship means more to me than financial assistance. As I explored the stories of previous scholars and finalists, I realized this program isn't just funding students—it's connecting people who believe business can be a force for justice. I don't see this community as a list of names but as a network of future collaborators. I hope to exchange ideas with filmmakers, entrepreneurs, and innovators because I believe the intersection of sports, media, and storytelling has the power to redefine how underrepresented communities are seen and valued. My long-term vision is to grow NextPlay into an ecosystem where athletes, creators, filmmakers, and entrepreneurs don't compete for one seat at the table—they build a bigger table together. I want to create internships, mentorship programs, production opportunities, and business partnerships that allow young people to earn, create, and lead without leaving their communities behind. I don't measure success by revenue alone. I measure it by how many doors stay open after I walk through them. If I receive the Social Change Fund United Scholarship, I won't simply use it to earn a degree. I'll use it to keep building something that proves my central thesis: economic empowerment begins with connection, innovation begins with service, and lasting change happens when we stop asking for opportunities and start creating them for each other.