Throughout my life, I've come to recognize the profound significance of helping others, a lesson that has become integral to my values and aspirations. This understanding is intrinsically connected to my belief that while money is not the sole measure of success, it plays a pivotal role in shaping the opportunities we have to make a positive impact. The scholarship I am applying for serves as the bridge that connects these two fundamental aspects of my life. My desire to assist and support others has been a guiding principle for as long as I can remember. Whether through small gestures or more substantial efforts, the joy I derive from helping those in need is immeasurable. I am currently on a path to attain a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, with the intent to continue my education by pursuing a Master's degree in the future once I complete my undergraduate studies. However, the most significant obstacle I face in realizing my academic and career goals is the financial burden that comes with it. My family and I struggle to finance my education, and I am acutely aware of the sacrifices they make to support my ambitions. I am driven to excel academically, absorb as much knowledge as possible, and leverage my skills to make a meaningful contribution to society. Regrettably, the specter of financial constraints looms large, forcing me to consider truncating my educational aspirations and putting off my Master's degree for the time being. Winning a scholarship like the one I am applying for would alleviate the financial pressures on my family and propel me closer to achieving my dreams. It would offer me the chance to pursue my Master's degree, a critical stepping stone towards my goal of becoming a proficient computer scientist capable of addressing the pressing issues of our time. In doing so, I aim to contribute my expertise to projects and endeavors that benefit society, advancing the common good. In conclusion, I believe that true success lies in personal accomplishments and the ability to give back and help others. Money is a practical instrument that can open doors to personal and societal growth opportunities. This scholarship represents more than just financial assistance; it symbolizes a chance to continue my education and expand my capacity to serve others. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to be considered for this scholarship and if awarded, I will dedicate myself to making a meaningful and lasting impact through my education and the opportunities it will afford me

A project that I have been working on for a while now is this video game that I am making for my honors thesis. It is a small project but I have a love for video gaming and seeing what I am personally capable of doing. This video game is a 2d platforming game that has small combat elements sprinkled in it. It tells the story of a young boy growing up and training to participate in a tournament for the chance of winning a prize for their planet. They compete in the tournament against other countries that are on the planet and each country acts as a new unique challenge for each section of the tournament that the protagonist will need to go against in order to win the challenge for his homeland. The boy’s family is a royal family in the country that they are from and their entire family is conditioned and trained to participate in this tournament and that's the only life the boy ever knew. Their country has been the only one on the planet to never actually win the tournament but they never gave up and kept trying. The boy’s father made it to the finals of the tournament before this and now he is determined to win for his country and his family once and for all. I have always had an itch for using technology and seeing how things work and I have always been super interested in anything tech-related. From browsing websites to creating them, once I get my hands on them, it's hard to let go. This project brings out my passion for Computer Science and Video Games because not only do I get to experience this game that I am making first hand but I also get to be fully in charge of the production process of this game and I can create and alter different elements of its creation to however I see fit. This gives me the opportunity to test myself and my ability to create things using the knowledge that I gained from my courses in college and my own personal projects throughout the course of my degree. I take this project as a new opportunity to learn things about myself. The more I work on it the more i learn how to do different things and what challenges lie in front of me. Eventually, through learning and determination, I will be able to overcome the problems I come across and be a stronger programmer.

Computer Science has been embedded in my system from a very early stage in my development. My name is Jovan Fuller, a student at the Florida Atlantic University - Wilkes Honors College, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. I cannot begin to explain my love for computers and computer science without speaking about my parents. If my mother was to tell others about me and my love for computers, I can guarantee you that she would bring up the times when I was a baby and she brought me to her workplace and I would always try to get her laptop to do something by touching the keys with my feet while she was not paying attention. Whenever she took me to work with her, I would always sit with a laptop and try to find some games to play or spend hours going through the machine, trying to figure out what made them work. My dad was an even bigger contribution to my interest in this field. Initially, he started out working for a cement and steel company, driving forklifts and operating machinery, etc. Eventually, he developed an interest in computers and went ahead and bought a lot of books on computers. He studied hard and eventually became really familiar with the technology of his time and scored a job with a technology company that dealt with servers and server maintenance. This job required him to drive a long distance to and from work and work long hours, which had me even more suspenseful of this area as I never really got to spend any time with him and his work. On top of all of this, shortly before our family moved to the United States, he told me about the area of Cybersecurity, and ever since, I have been hooked. My goals in this field are not too complicated as they revolve around my personal interests: learning about computers and helping people. A dream job for me would be to work for an information security company, as a penetration tester to begin with. Penetration testing, from my knowledge, would be like a game of cat and mouse, and although I have no real experience with the job as a whole, I feel as though it would be fun to work my way around information and try to find my way in and out of things like a cool and complicated puzzle. And to put the cherry on top, I would be aiding people, to develop a stronger and more dependable method of protecting their assets. I personally think that I am a good candidate for this scholarship award, because of how invested I am personally in the area of computer science, and just how much my situation relates to the late Chris Jackson. The tuition that I am expected to pay for just this upcoming fall semester would leave me tens of thousands of dollars in debt and this award would do wonders to aid my situation.

My name is Jovan Fuller. I am in my freshman year at the Wilkes Honors College of Florida Atlantic University, studying for my Bachelors in Computer Science. My goal is to specialize in cybersecurity by studying for it in a graduate program. As a young boy, I spent a lot of time on the internet and everyone around me always told me that I should be very careful on what websites I visit because there are people out there who intend to harm me and my information online. My plan is to use the knowledge that I acquire through studying cybersecurity to help create or implement a program or feature that could potentially prevent these people with criminal intent on the internet from causing any harm to others and in general, try to make the internet feel just a little bit safer and friendlier to all who use it. ( And hopefully, reprimand all those who try to abuse it.)