Living in a single parent household my whole life I've always felt as though I had a chip on my shoulder. This has given me the drive to want more and do the absolute most regarding my future. Born Kennedy Greene, I am a Baltimore native. I am currently 18 years old and I am in my senior year of high school. It has been a long road, especially with just me and my mom. The lack of a father figure has impacted my entire life. My father has been incarcerated for fourteen years. This being said I still have a strong relationship with my father although we don’t have a physical past. I have been running my own business as a graphic designer for quite some time now, slowly but surely critiquing my craft. When I'm not in school, I am helping others bring their dreams to reality. With my creativity and exceptional understanding of business, I am able to help entrepreneurs market their business efficiently. I specialize in web designs, logos,and flyers. I plan to obtain my PhD in Aerospace Engineering. My academic goal is to make the Dean's list each semester and study abroad. During my youth, STEM courses always captured my attention the most. I thoroughly enjoy solving problems and conducting experiments. Becoming an African American woman in STEM is very important to me. I want to set an example for other aspiring female engineers. My ultimate goal is to teach others that anything is possible with hardwork and dedication! After graduating, I plan to work at NASA as an Aerospace Engineer. Once I am in my career, I want to start multiple non- profit organizations for underrepresented students that are interested in STEM. I envision this facility to be a safe haven where students can receive tutoring and enhance their knowledge in STEM. My organization will reflect everything that my childhood didn’t consist of. Due to my father being incarcerated, my mother was always busy trying to provide for the family.. In my organization, students will be provided with educational mentors to keep them on track, along with resources to ensure their academic success. Receiving this award would allow me to attend my dream university which is the illustrious University of Alabama. My mother currently works three jobs to provide me with the basic needs of life. Without assistance, I’m afraid that I will not be able to be a part of the accredited aerospace engineering program at my dream university. I deserve this award because underrepresented students like myself deserve a chance to fulfill their goals. Although I have experienced an abundance of adversities, I have never let it defeat me. I always persevere and figure out a way to keep going. I will not be a statistic and I will become the first in my family to graduate from college. I am eager to break more barriers for black female girls in STEM. This scholarship would not only help me on my collegiate journey, but it will help me inspire so many others.

When I was 5 years old, my dad made a choice that would impact our lives for the next 15 years. At the time, I really did not have a relationship with my dad. He supported me financially, but not emotionally. We did not have the relationship that most 5 year olds would have with their dads. For me, although he was physically alive, our relationship was dead. As a kindergartener I had to learn to deal with the absence of a parent. Four years passed and we did not speak to each other until I was nine. I felt neglected and fatherless. It would be different if he was dead, but he is alive. When it came time for Father-Daughter dances I never was able to go, because I needed a male escort. I had to ask my grandfather to step in. When I attended the events, I cried for most of the dance. The tears represented sadness and my feeling of abandonment. To see everybody else with their dads really broke my heart. It is nice to have your grandfather, but it’s nothing like your real dad. On my birthdays and holidays I would get really sad because I felt like my dad was the only dad that could not be there. This led to depression, I never could really understand why my dad left me, The feeling of neglect continued. One day I asked my dad why he was absent for so long and he responded, “Ken, that is a conversation we need to have in person.” I did not like the response, so I took it upon myself to figure it out. I went online and searched for his name. When I read the things in the article I could not stop crying. I never saw my dad in the way the media was portraying him. I had so many questions and nobody to answer them. My mom felt that my dad should tell me, and my dad said it was not the right time to talk about it. I think I was missing that love from a male figure and I began to look for it in the wrong places. At the time I felt like I needed a boyfriend. I lost focus in school and my priorities were all over the place. I just wanted attention and to be noticed which was the wrong way to receive love. The truth is a parent and child love is one of a kind. It can not be replaced by anyone else to fill the void. I learned to not use my dad as a crutch, but as motivation to be better. I plan to obtain my PhD in Aerospace Engineering. My academic goal is to make the Dean's list each semester and study abroad. During my youth, STEM courses always captured my attention the most. I thoroughly enjoy solving problems and conducting experiments. Becoming an African American woman in STEM is very important to me. I want to set an example for other aspiring female engineers. My ultimate goal is to teach others that anything is possible with hardwork and dedication! After graduating, I plan to work at NASA as an Aerospace Engineer. Once I am in my career, I want to start multiple non- profit organizations for underrepresented students that are interested in STEM. I envision this facility to be a safe haven where students can receive tutoring and enhance their knowledge in STEM. My organization will reflect everything that my childhood didn’t consist of. Due to my father being incarcerated, my mother was always busy trying to provide for the family.. In my organization, students will be provided with educational mentors to keep them on track, along with resources to ensure their academic success. Receiving this award would allow me to attend my dream university which is the illustrious University of Alabama. My mother currently works three jobs to provide me with the basic needs of life. Without assistance, I’m afraid that I will not be able to be a part of the accredited aerospace engineering program at my dream university. I deserve this award because underrepresented students like myself deserve a chance to fulfill their goals. Although I have experienced an abundance of adversities, I have never let it defeat me. I always persevere and figure out a way to keep going. I will not be a statistic and I will become the first in my family to graduate from college. I am eager to break more barriers for black female girls in STEM. This scholarship would not only help me on my collegiate journey, but it will help me inspire so many others.