I have been a three-sport athlete my entire high school tenure, playing varsity-level football, weightlifting, and wrestling. My deepest dream has always been to obtain an athletic scholarship, earning this honor through my hard work and dedication from the football field to the wrestling mat. Speaking with several college recruiters and getting multiple accolades from all three sports hasn’t panned out enough for me to live out my dream for my future. Seeing my teammates accept the athletic scholarships, basically living out my real dream, truly took the wind out of my sails. I allowed this situation to dictate my mood at home, interactions with friends, and overall outlook. I’m beyond thankful for the amazing support system around me, who saw my unspoken sadness and continued to pour into me with positive affirmations. These small acts of kindness propelled me back to the outgoing and optimistic young man I have always been. My plan for future is to obtain my degree in Business Administration with a minor in agriculture. Being raised in as small rural town like Hastings, Florida, agriculture is an important foundational component to the everyday life of my community. Farming/agriculture is deeply rooted in my family’s history. My great grandfather, Sammie Coley worked primarily as a farmer until his untimely death. Many of my aunts, uncles and I have all followed in his footsteps and worked on the farm in some capacity. During the summers, I was able to work for a local contractor and work on a potato grater, picking out the rotten potatoes before they were loaded to be sold. This experience was so rewarding and truly opened my eyes to how impactful agriculture is to the world around me, but also defined how I can be a positive impact on the world around me. Agriculture to me means a way of life, a necessity to be able to support and feed your family. Agriculture represents the essence of hard work and resilience, all things that I allow to lead my daily life. I want to be able to come back to my hometown and be able to support and advocate for local farmers. This is a major deficit in the southern region of the United States and for some African American farmers, not having a voice in such an important workforce. Having the opportunity to get into the agricultural field as this industry is an amazing goal, as agriculture is the cornerstone of my family’s history. I know that obtaining this goal will not be a easy reach, but I have a plan to obtain appropriate internship in the summer months of college so that I can work my way up and obtain the necessary experience to secure a sufficient position out of college. I’ve always made it my mission to use the adversity I’ve faced to navigate my journey in life and will use this mantra to obtain the educational/ career goals I’ve set for myself.

Adversity is a sentiment that has been common in the threshold of my family. While many people would utilize these low experiences as a crutch or to feel sorry for themselves, I’ve made it my mission to use the adversity I’ve faced to navigate my journey of being the young man my family and community will be proud of. I have been a three-sport athlete my entire high school tenure, playing varsity-level football, weightlifting, and wrestling. My deepest dream has always been to obtain an athletic scholarship, earning this honor through my hard work and dedication from the football field to the wrestling mat. Speaking with several college recruiters and getting multiple accolades from all three sports hasn’t panned out enough for me to live out my dream for my future. Seeing my teammates accept the athletic scholarships, basically living out my real dream, truly took the wind out of my sails. I allowed this situation to dictate my mood at home, interactions with friends, and overall outlook. I’m beyond thankful for the amazing support system around me, who saw my unspoken sadness and continued to pour into me with positive affirmations. These small acts of kindness propelled me back to the outgoing and optimistic young man I have always been. Entering my sophomore year of high school, my mother lost our residence, forcing us to move back into my grandparent’s home, which was already overly crowded. I have watched my mother get up before 5 am, to ensure that my younger sister and I had all our basic and essential needs met, and still be a very present parent to all our extracurricular activities or teacher conferences. With every odd stacked against her and with little to no financial assistance from our fathers, neither my sister’s father nor mine, my mother persevered. Observing my mother represents strength in how she attacks life, coupled with a praying family and community, which has equipped me with the tools always to give my very best despite the odds. Obtaining this scholarship would be monumental to my future and being able to finance my college education. Growing up in a small rural town like Hastings, Florida, few people make it out and become successful. I plan to obtain my degree in Education with a minor in business administration from Bluefield State University. I look forward to being in an environment that will not only provide me an excellent education but will help mold me into a man. A young man that my family and my community can be proud of. I have attended predominately white schools from elementary to high school; while yes, being provided a great education, I haven’t felt that I was actually seen outside of my athletic ability, being able to be in a space where the black identity is celebrated. I want to come back to hometown and become a educator, be able to pour back into the next generation so that our community can continue to move upward.

Adversity is a sentiment that has been common in the threshold of my family. While many people would utilize these low experiences as a crutch or to feel sorry for themselves, I’ve made it my mission to use the adversity I’ve faced to navigate my journey of being the young man my family and community will be proud of. I have been a three-sport athlete my entire high school tenure, playing varsity-level football, weightlifting, and wrestling. My deepest dream has always been to obtain an athletic scholarship, earning this honor through my hard work and dedication from the football field to the wrestling mat. Speaking with several college recruiters and getting multiple accolades from all three sports hasn’t panned out enough for me to live out my dream for my future. Seeing my teammates accept the athletic scholarships, basically living out my real dream, truly took the wind out of my sails. I allowed this situation to dictate my mood at home, interactions with friends, and overall outlook. I’m beyond thankful for the amazing support system around me, who saw my unspoken sadness and continued to pour into me with positive affirmations. These small acts of kindness propelled me back to the outgoing and optimistic young man I have always been. Entering my sophomore year of high school, my mother lost our residence, forcing us to move back into my grandparent’s home, which was already overly crowded. I have watched my mother get up before 5 am, ensure that my younger sister and I had all our basic and essential needs met, and still be a very present parent to all our extracurricular activities or teacher conferences. With every odd stacked against her and with little to no financial assistance, neither my sister’s father nor mine, my mother persevered. Observing my mother represents strength in how she attacks life, coupled with a praying family and community, which has equipped me with the tools always to give my very best despite the odds. Obtaining this scholarship would be monumental to my future and being able to finance my college education. I plan to obtain my degree in Education with a minor in business administration from Bluefield State University. I look forward to being in an environment that will not only provide me an excellent education but will help mold me into a man. A young man that my family and my community can be proud of. I have attended predominately white schools from elementary to high school; while yes, being provided a great education, I haven’t felt that I was actually seen outside of my athletic ability, being able to be in a space where the black identity is celebrated. I want to come back to hometown and become a educator, be able to pour back into the next generation so that our community can continue to move upward.

Family Circumstances Entering my sophomore year of high school, my mother lost our residence, forcing us to move back into my grandparent’s home, which was already overly crowded. My grandparents has stepped in to prevent us from being homeless as my mother didn’t have the funds to secure new housing or to save our previous residence. My mom has worked as a bus attendant for the past few years, with this job it doesn’t play a substantial amount to be able to cover our rent and utilities. My mother has also struggled with medical issues, as she was recently diagnosed with Type II diabetes, causing her to be off from work to attend multiple doctor appointments. On top of her doctor appointments and missing work, my mother salary currently isn’t enough to sustain us without help from my grandparents or other family members. I have watched my mother get up before 5 am, ensure that my younger sister and I had all our basic and essential needs met, and still be a very present parent to all our extracurricular activities or teacher conferences. My mom has utilized local community programs to meet some of our needs such as food pantries and free giveaways. With every odd stacked against her and with little to no financial assistance, from neither my sister’s father nor mine, my mother has persevered. Adversity is a sentiment that has been common in the threshold of my family. While many people would utilize these low experiences as a crutch or to feel sorry for themselves, I’ve made it my mission to use the adversity I’ve faced to navigate my journey of being a great student and a young man my family and community will be proud of. I have been a three-sport athlete my entire high school tenure, playing varsity-level football, weightlifting, and wrestling. My deepest dream has always been to obtain an athletic scholarship, earning this honor through my hard work and dedication from the football field to the wrestling mat. Speaking with several college recruiters and getting multiple accolades from all three sports hasn’t panned out enough for me to live out my dream for my future. Seeing my teammates accept the athletic scholarships, basically living out my real dream, truly took the wind out of my sails. I allowed this situation to dictate my mood at home, interactions with friends, and overall outlook. I’m beyond thankful for the amazing support system around me, who saw my unspoken sadness and continued to pour into me with positive affirmations. These small acts of kindness propelled me back to the outgoing and optimistic young man I have always been. Having my childhood dream of being a college athlete altered, has helped me establish the foundation of what type of man I strive to be, but also ignited my passion to be the change for my community and world around me. With this passion, I have found a healthy balance between my athletic commitment and volunteerism. I currently volunteer with local organizations, The Hastings Quarterback Club, and the Department of Children and Families. I have dedicated between 16-30 hours monthly for the past 4 years, in various capacities that have shaped my understanding of service and leadership. Working with these organizations has had a monumental impact in my life. In addition to my volunteerism and sports, I’m as committed to my education. bolstering a 3.5 GPA, taking honor classes since a freshman in High School, as I understand that doing well in high school will be astronomical in my pursuit of college admissions. I believe with my determination to higher education, my ability to face adversity head on, I’m confident that as I embark on this next chapter as a first-generation college student, I will approach it with the same passion as I’ve had for all my goals.

Historically Black Colleges and Universities have a monumental impact on the educational systems for the black community and a pillar of higher education to the world. In the 21st Century, the world is in a state of confusion and discourse. An HBCU is essential to providing a space to ensure that African American students have an environment that fosters yet requires excellence. Through attending college fairs, having a mentor who graduated from an HBCU, and doing my own research, I know that HBCUs represent culture, perseverance, and resilience. As we, the black community, are faced with several issues, from educational inequality to lack of economic opportunities, having these institutions in the community provides an accessible education, regardless of your skin color or social class. Research and recent college fairs show that HBCUs provide stellar education at a lower cost compared to other institutions; this key factor is monumental to someone like myself, who is being raised by a single mother who doesn’t have the means to finance my education. HBCUs provide many like myself who haven’t had many positive male role models a chance to make lifelong connections with positive role models who can pour into you and help you navigate life. I plan to obtain my degree in Business Administration with a minor in agriculture from Bluefield State University. I look forward to being in an environment that will not only provide me an excellent education but will help mold me into a man. A young man that my family and my community can be proud of . Having these institutions provides an environment to authenticate you and ensures that you understand the importance of tradition. I have attended predominately white schools from elementary to high school; while yes, being provided a great education, I haven’t felt that I was actually seen outside of my athletic ability, being able to be in a space where the black identity is celebrated. History is honored as an invaluable experience. Being raised in as small rural town like Hastings, Florida, agriculture is an important foundational component to the everyday life of my community. Farming/agriculture is deeply rooted in my family’s history. Agriculture to me means a way of life, a necessity to be able to support and feed your family. Agriculture represents the essence of hard work and resilience, all things that I allow to lead my daily life. My plan for future is to obtain my degree in Business with a minor in agriculture. I want to be able to come back to my hometown and be able to support and advocate for local farmers.