When is the last time you have seen a video about Native Americans in Detroit? If chosen for this scholarship, I hope to shed more light on the native voices in our growing metropolis. My ambition to become a researcher and artist in the cross-section of media arts and anthropology is driven by the work that I have done in the non-profit sector. When I first wanted to delve deeper into understanding my own ancestry, Indigenous Cherokee, I went to my local tribal center in Southwest Detroit to see how I could participate and contribute to the community's efforts. I became a youth leader and was able to connect to the next generation of indigenous voices, creating space for healing, growth, and cultural revival and learning so much about myself in the process. It was enlightening to gain a deeper understanding of the Seven Grandfather Teachings: Love, Respect, Bravery, Honesty, Truth, Humility, and Wisdom. I found creative ways to integrate these into group activities with the youth. After my time at the organization, I went on to serve my community at the International Institute of Metro Detroit, where I still work full-time, in order to help offset the cost of my tuition and afford basic needs while still being enrolled full-time at university. Here at this organization, I help immigrants and refugees get access to cultural programs, housing, and food assistance, find jobs, and improve their English so that they may better integrate into a new life in the States. In these positions, I have strengthened my ability to understand humanity and contribute to my research efforts as an aspiring anthropologist. Despite barely covering costs for tuition, I try my hardest to maintain work and full-time school and contribute to my community on a daily basis. My goal is to complete my senior year with little debt so I can move forward to a master’s degree program and hone in on the studies of culture, humanity, and art. I am working on completing a website and video channel, using my academic research skills, real-life experiences from my community, and media skills from film and photography. I'll be releasing short documentaries to capture the nuances of humanity and culture, and provide a voice for underrepresented and underserved communities. I want to show the beauty of communities hidden in the margins of our American society, and the contributions to society these groups of individuals perform. Similar to Mark, I have not been born with the resources to afford higher education. I have been working since I was thirteen years old, and throughout my twenties I focused my energy on taking care of my mother as she struggled to re-establish herself after an emotionally tumultuous event. As I recently returned to college, my goal and drive is stronger than ever, yet it does not lessen the difficulties I face with affording basic living costs. As I approach my senior year at Wayne State University in Detroit, I am encouraged to not give up and keep pursuing my education and refine my academic skills, concurrently uplifting others in my community. I am determined to maintain a heavy schedule of work and class, family obligations, and community service in hopes that through this financial adversity my career will prosper.

Hello Team at Bold! America is changing, and sometimes, it seems like there is a price tag associated with each dream we aim to fulfill. Sometimes it is monetary, other times it is energy and time. Should this stop us from pursuing our dream? Never! However, once in a while opportunities come our way and allow us to be liberated from the challenges we face. I have always maintained full-time employment throughout my education, which comes at the cost of energy and time. I have no choice but to cover the many bills related to achieving higher education. This makes aceing an exam quite difficult, with limited hours to study, but it has never stopped me. I recently completed my junior year with no less than an A in every class. I maintained a full-time job while studying full time, but I have not yet earned enough to cover the cost of another year at university. My final year is approaching, and as it stands, the price to achieve my dreams is much above what I can afford. As I move towards summer, I am hoping two jobs will allow me to save what is necessary to cover my final year of my bachelor's degree. I hope that I can show my dedication through my excellent grades and prove that this scholarship would make an immense impact on me. This scholarship would allow me to continue forward to my senior year at Wayne State University. With the help of this scholarship, I could continue pursuing my dream and graduate in 2026. I will be pursuing a master's degree following my bachelor's degree in Visual Anthropology. This degree has allowed me to hone in on the topics I care most about researching: native and indigenous culture and society. I would like to research and capture a community that deserves more recognition through ethnographic documentaries. If I were to receive this scholarship, not only would I be relieved of the cloud of debt that so many of us face, but I could sign up for additional classes and broaden my abilities during this educational period. I would like to mention that we may all face a variety of difficulties in our lives, but it is with the help of others that we can persevere and achieve our goals. If chosen to receive this reward, it would make an immense difference in my life and allow me to continue forward with my dream, highlighting just how powerful helping others can truly be.

Caregiving comes in the form of love, time, and energy. Shortly after the divorce of my parents, my mother’s life became increasingly difficult to manage both emotionally and economically. This affected my ability to pursue my studies while working full time, as I had to divert much of my finances and energy towards my mother to aid her during a difficult chapter in life. Whether it was me travelling to see her constantly, helping her move from place to place, or emotionally supporting her through the devastation of spousal infidelity, my energy was devoted to her instead of my own goals. Additionally, with the apparent sudden disappearance of my father, she was left with enormous gaps in knowledge of how to maintain so many of life’s intricacies. Caregiving was an honor, but also a full-time job, and a financial and emotional commitment. I took on the role of leading and protecting my mother as she needed help creating a new foundation for her life. This caregiving experience shaped me into becoming more disciplined, knowledgeable, and respectful. Financially, I had to work twice as hard to afford my life as well as hers. This choice affected my social experience as well. I sacrificed many activities and social norms for my age, including the development of a network and advancement of my career, as I placed her goals first. I returned to university much later than other students, which has put some of my career aspirations at risk of being developed later than others. However, in all of these efforts, I learned the power of the caregiver and the nature of reciprocal love. Many of the aspects one would consider setbacks transformed me into a responsible, dedicated, and focused young adult. I handled my finances more keenly, I was aware of house management responsibilities, mortgage and loan maintenance, and health-related subjects. I put an immense effort into understanding mental and emotional health. After the storm had passed, I realized that this chapter of my life had shaped me into what is necessary to be a future leader: dedicated, focused, loving, and responsible. This scholarship matters to me not only for the impact it could have on relieving me of debt from student loans and allowing me to continue to pursue my senior year of undergraduate studies, but also for the fact that it brings awareness to the reality that so many students and young adults face during these years. The health of our family is the health of ourselves at times. If we can build a strong community to support one another through difficult times, whether physical, mental, or emotional setbacks, then we are more easily able to prevail and persevere. There is hope, and working together, we can get past some of the darkest times. If awarded this scholarship, I could sign up for more classes, reduce my hours at work, graduate with less debt, and continue to pursue my master’s degree. I would also make my mother proud, who is my biggest supporter throughout my university journey today.

Returning to college at the age of thirty did not seem so successful to me at first. I thought I was behind the rest of my generation, and perhaps all the years I spent working to maintain the wellness of my mother, after my father left, had put me behind the crowd. When a household falls apart, it is difficult to put yourself first, and your dreams seem to fall to the wayside for common necessities like shelter and food. After a break in my education, I began taking one class at a time at a community college while working full time to save the funds necessary for university. Now, as a current junior at Wayne State University, I have achieved a 3.9 GPA and will be nominated for honors. I have spent years wishing for this opportunity to study the material I am so passionate about and pursue my dream career. I am now taking the steps necessary to bring this dream to fruition. Success is not determined by your age, sex, ethnicity, or gender. I believe success is tied to the belief you have in yourself, the dedication you have to yourself and others, and perseverance. I have dedicated my days to working full time and going to school full time, to returning home and helping maintain what I once thought was a broken household. My success will be achieving my dreams, which also will uplift my community and family. If I can fund my senior year of undergraduate school, I will be pursuing my master's degree in Visual Anthropology. Success can often look like a series of unrelated events, a nonlinear jumble of life and its chaos. But through each event, we have the option to view it as a lesson and persevere, or let it take us down. I chose to view the years I spent working in non-profits as a blessing. I developed a level of compassion and fury to fight for people and to let the voices of underserved communities be heard. If I had not been through this experience, I may not have understood why gaining this education is so important. Learning how to discipline oneself, to have confidence that the silver lining of each situation exists, is a matter of personal success. We all can be set back from destiny's cold hand: fail an exam, come from a broken family, or barely have enough to survive. But what does this teach us? If we can persevere, our voices will be heard with great passion and strength. We can open the door for those who follow and be the light of hope they may need. Success is defined in the relationship we develop within ourselves and towards ourselves, and must be fostered with love and care throughout our lives. It is something that is transferred from one person to the next, and one generation to the next, in the way we look at our struggles and share just how it is we can get past them. If elected to receive this scholarship, I will continue pursuing my dreams knowing that it is not a matter of personal success, but the success of my family, community, and future generation who may face the same trials and tribulations.

Sitting atop a weathered yet imposing ancient Mayan pyramid at Palenque, Mexico, I looked down upon the land our ancestors have cared for. Every stone is carefully stacked on another, amounting to a magnificent and powerful monument of indigenous power. The corn grew wild and free, supporting hundreds of years of nutrition for warriors, artisans, and laborers. This trip I had worked two full-time jobs to save up for had amounted to a moment where I realized my career path. Anthropology is allowing me to give a voice to Indigenous people and stories. A history that is either glamourized, like the Incas, or marginalized, like the Cherokee of North America. As someone who is part Cherokee, my role is to understand the history and present culture of my people and to share it through research and visual anthropology. After years of working to support my family after my father left, I came to a place where I could re-enter university studies. I am now at Wayne State University of Detroit, Michigan, and am approaching my senior year. I will be nominated for Honors after this current semester, holding a 3.9 GPA. My goal is to research and share the sociocultural reality of indigenous people today through documentaries, photography and articles. What are the current issues we face? What are the things that make us love or suffer? A scholarship would help me afford tuition and basic necessities during my senior year, as I prepare for a masters degree. My goal is to pursue a career where I work with teams of researchers and most importantly, the native people of our continents who we owe our heritage to. In addition to my studies, I volunteer at the Native American Health and Family Services of Southeast Michigan. I was previously a youth group aide where I designed cultural lessons for inner-city urban native youth that incorporated the Anishnabe and Ojibwe history. This experience allowed me to connect to my own heritage, and understand the many issues our people face today. Being forgotten or not honored is a cold reality of indigenous people, and sharing their stories can make a long-lasting emotional and psychological impact. I also volunteer at Hamtramck United Social Services, contributing to the health of the diverse group of youth that make up Hamtramck, a neighborhood of Detroit, Michigan. We share health, wellness and community services in hopes to connect and provide a loving and safe area for everyone. I enjoy traveling when possible, to archeological sites of the Maya throughout Mexico and Guatemala, practicing photojournalism and gathering accounts of the young generation of Maya youth who are maintaining their rich culture in the face of today's ever changing globalization and technology. Understanding these concepts and issues through the lens of science has allowed me to properly document and understand the impact the role of a researcher can make. If selected for this scholarship, I would be able to pursue higher studies and continue to reach out to underserved communities and share the beauty and cultural richness of my ancestors.

Sitting in the jungle of Southern Yucatan with members of a local Mayan tribe, I realized that ethnography would be my future career. Throughout some short travels, I engaged with local indigenous populations throughout South and Central America to understand more deeply the history and functions of their tribes and people. I felt a deep connection, as I am myself part Cherokee. Uplifting these sometimes forgotten stories is my duty and honor. The tools I have learned on how to conduct proper research through cultural anthropological studies have been imperative to this journey of mine. After some years off college, working and saving up money to pay off loans, I re-entered Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, this January of 2025. I have been studying full-time and maintaining a 3.8+ GPA. Studying the methods of cultural anthropology has enriched my understanding of others and the world we create together, through sustainability, environmental awareness, and overall understanding of one another. I believe anthropology is an incredible field in which future researchers can shape the way we create policy and advocate for underserved communities and minority populations. I supplement my research with photography and will be pursuing some documentary/film courses this summer to further my ability to document time spent in the field. My goals are to research tribal and indigenous communities who do not have a voice in mainstream media. I hope to share the beauty and complexity of people and stories from around the world, and through this create a more peaceful and kind exchange of energy as we inevitably engage in globalization. Through studying the many aspects of archaeology, biology, linguistics, and cultural anthropology, I have become equipped with the scientific methods of researching and documenting life. A deep understanding of the development of complex societies allows for a more astute understanding of our current way of life and how we can adjust policies to protect the planet, people, art, and heritage. Through understanding the past, we can build a better future, and protect invaluable artifacts and stories of lives past as we do so. I hope to research, inspire, and transmit the stories of our past and present, as I prepare for my future career in anthropology. I am looking forward to becoming a future scholar and academic, but most importantly, a steward for this planet and our shared cultural history. I hope this committee can see my dedication to this field, how much it has positively impacted my life, and what I can do if chosen for the scholarship. Assistance in financial aid will make a deep and lasting impact, allowing me to move forward in my education with fewer burdens.