On May 17th, 1954, a monumental decision was made. The Supreme Court issued a momentous verdict in the case Brown v Board of Education effectively dismantling the practice of segregation in schools. In 1960, Ruby Bridges courageously became the first child to integrate into an all-white school, however, her presence was met with disdain. Despite the court’s ruling, many individuals felt that African Americans should not be given such privileges and they voiced this through harsh comments and actions fueled from racism. From a young age of merely six, these comments could have severely impacted Bridges self-confidence. I aspire to help those belonging to minority groups when navigating their feelings when dealing with injustices. This is what inspired my passion for the study of Psychology. Many individuals in a minority will have unfortunate encounters and let the substance of the conversation affect their mindset. They will let one superficial comment from an uneducated individual linger in their mind for years. I know that’s what I did. Growing up attending predominantly white institutions in the South, I received many comments with underlying racism. One I distinctly remember occurred when I came to school with my hair straight for the first time. My peers had only seen me with my naturally coily hair that I would throw up into a bun. As soon as I stepped foot into the classroom, I was flooded with comments like “Wow I love your hair” or “Cute hair”. But the ones that stuck with me the most were “Your hair looks so much better that way” and “Wow is that your real hair?” These remarks stunned me. Yes, it is my real hair. Why would they even ask that? People couldn’t fathom the idea that an African American had the ability to have silky straight hair. Some were so enthralled by it that they felt compelled to mention how much better I looked know that I had straightened it. These comments lingered with me, and I allowed them to influence my choices like how I styled my hair, dressed etc. It wasn’t until I started learning about psychology and the processes of the mind that I began to develop my confidence. While studying psychology, I was able to learn about peoples thought processes and the rationale behind certain comments. My knowledge from psychology was also instrumental in the development of my self-perception. I enrolled in Positive Psychology and was able to learn about topics like self-efficacy, self-talk, self-worth etc. Knowledge on these topics allowed me to no longer feel ashamed of myself, and I was able to develop a powerful sense of confidence. By learning about the cognitive processes in the mind when dealing with negative experiences, I was able to cultivate confident self-talk. I believe this scholarship would allow me to use my personal experiences and education to aid others in the way that I was helped. I plan to major in Psychology and receive my Masters and Doctorate, which will give me the opportunity to reach out to children in a similar situation like me. I want to facilitate the journey through adolescence for children of minorities and enable them to navigate its complexities easier. I will be able to instill a positive mindset into young individuals to limit negative self-talk. I hope to help the younger generation from being affected by the internalized racism from members of our society. I aim to promote and build powerful African American children and this scholarship will help me begin my journey.