Growing up in Belle Rose, a small town with little to no opportunities, I’ve always known that education would be my way out, and my way forward. I come from a low-income background, and I will be the first person in my family to graduate from college. That fact motivates me every day to push through challenges and stay focused on my goals. My life changed dramatically when my mom had a stroke. Her health declined suddenly, and our family was thrown into emotional and financial instability. We had to move in with my grandmother, I took on the role of caregiver for both my grandmother and my mom. It was a difficult time and still is. Not only did I have to adjust to a new living situation, but I also had to take on more responsibility at home while trying to keep up with school. Despite everything, I remained committed to my education, because I knew that was the only way to build a better life for us. These experiences have shaped my decision to attend community college. It was the most realistic and responsible option for me. It wasn’t that I couldn’t go to a university, but I was scared to leave my mom in that type of condition, so this is close to my mom, keep costs down, and still get a quality education. Community college is giving me the foundation I need to succeed in life. I'm learning how to manage my time, give myself grace, and stay focused when things get tough. My goal is to transfer to a four-year university after completing my associate degree. I plan on finishing my degree in Mechanical Engineering, because I want a career that allows me to make a difference and provide stability for my family. Long-term, I want to work in a field where I can help others who have faced similar struggles especially in underrepresented or underserved communities. Being a first-generation college student means everything to me. It’s about breaking generational cycles and opening the door for those who come after me giving them hope whether that’s my younger cousins, siblings, or future children. My education is not just about me, but it’s about getting me, my mom, and sister out the hood. Receiving this scholarship would ease the financial burden. It would allow me to focus more on my studies and less on how I’m going to afford textbooks or tuition. It be a shift in confidence in my journey. Thank you for considering my application and for investing in students like me who are determined to turn challenges into change.

Pursuing a career in STEM has been both a rewarding and demanding journey. I am up late hours of the night studying, and the next thing I know, I am being told by my advisor that it is okay to start filling out applications in my career field. As I look forward to graduating from school, I am excited, anxious, and nervous. The excitement comes in when I can visually see my life coming together, me getting my dream job, breaking generational curses, and doing everything I said I was. I am anxious about what's next to come financially. My mom is disabled. I don't have financial support because she is on a fixed income. Financially, things are always a struggle, but I make the best out of it, and I do not complain. I am determined to be the first person in my family to graduate. Even though I am determined to graduate, the financial burden tied to tuition, study material, and school books is more numbers on a piece of paper. These financial burdens slow down my progress. I learned and managed to use free online materials, making friends to borrow textbooks, and working a full-time job in the plant while studying. Receiving this scholarship will allow me to worry less about my financial situation and more about school, passing, and graduating. This scholarship will give me peace of mind while taking my engineering courses and other major courses. It would allow me to focus on studying more, applying for jobs in my field, and refining my skills. In the future, I hope to work in Mechanical Engineering, robotics to be exact. This field of study can help me help people improve in their everyday lives. I want to give back to my community. I was always taught to never forget where I have come from and what I have been through. Giving back would be like a thank you for the motivation, and hopefully, I can inspire someone to go just as hard as me. One day, I hope I can help students, family members, and friends find scholarships for college because it is always a way. This scholarship will be more than financial support; it will be a huge investment in my future, an investment in my purpose, and an investment in STEM. Even if I do not get picked, I am beyond thankful that you considered my application and read it.

Growing up Black in Louisiana has shaped every part of who I am my mindset, my resilience, my drive, and my determination to succeed in a world that doesn’t feel built for me. Since I was young, I’ve experienced racism in ways both loud and quiet. That is from being overlooked in school for opportunities I deserved, to being judged in job interviews before I even said a word. Being Black isn’t something I ever chose, I never asked to be this color, but I love being Black. I’ve had to learn to walk around with my head up chest out. Racism isn't just about words or stares. Certain doors are harder to open and step foot in. I have to over prove and over work myself ten times harder for not even half as much recognition. It’s being in a classroom and feeling like I don’t belong, even when my grades say something different and I didn’t have to cheat my way through nor did I have people to just give it to me because they know me. It’s applying to scholarships and feeling like the odds are against me. Not because I am unqualified or feel unqualified, but because in Louisiana I know how systems are built. After all of this, I don’t let these challenges define my limits. I used them as motivation. I go harder when the odds are against me, I look at being able to even do, is an opportunity. I graduated high school with a 3.4 GPA, made the honor roll, and earned the TOPS Tech award because my ACT score was a 17. I worked hard academically, emotionally, and mentally. I worked harder because I know I have no choice to keep going, to show up, and to push through. Most people might not think a 3.4 is impressive. For me and where I come from, it means pushing through days where I felt invisible, overlooked, or underestimated. It means staying up late after working while my mom was on her dying bed and still making time to study. It means never giving up on my goals, even when the system seemed like it was trying to make me quit. One of the hardest moments was not receiving my academic jacket after I over studied and over worked. I had put in the work and met the qualifications, but I didn’t get the recognition I had earned. It felt like a slap in the face, felt like a reminder that sometimes, even when you do everything right, the system still finds a way to leave you out. That experience hurt and I was so angry, it lit a fire in me. I realized I’d have to be my own biggest advocate because the world won’t just hand me things. I would have to go get it myself. Financially, things were always tight in my family. Opportunities weren’t handed to us. I remember having to scrap for quarters to put gas in our car so we can make it to school and my mom could get to work. I remember sitting in our home with no lights, getting ready for school in the dark, and having to go to school around my friends acting like we aren’t going through it at home. We definitely went without for plenty of days. My mom was a single parent, typical right? She did what she could, but college has always felt like a mountain I’d have to climb largely on my own. I’ve applied for scholarships just never won one. I’ve taken on jobs to help out. I’ve done everything possible to make education a reality. The financial stress is real, and it weighs heavily, but I refuse to let it stop me from reaching my goals. What keeps me going, even through all of this, is my passion for STEM. I’ve always been curious about how things work. STEM gives me a sense of control and possibility. It’s one of the few spaces where logic, curiosity, and effort can lead to breakthroughs, regardless of where you come from. I love that because it describes me. The idea that I can build something from nothing really gets my motor running! I can create solutions, not just talk about problems. It’s multiple things I can do, I’m not limited. STEM is a place where I’m free. I want to be part of something bigger. I want to show that Black students from low-income families that’s it is possible. Not just Black students, but white students I’ve talked to who were low-income. I want to use STEM to change lives and give hope. In the future, I hope to start a my own business where I can help low-income families who can’t afford to get their car fixed. I want to experience designing and building. I want to offer free coding and robotics classes for students interested in STEM. I want young people to know that they don’t have to choose between survival and success. They can have both and to never limit their abilities based off someone else. I want to give them access, belief, and belonging. I know the path ahead won’t be easy. I know I’ll face more barriers, more doubts, and more unfair treatment. But I’m ready because I can do all things. I’ve been climbing the hardest parts of this mountain since a kid. I’ve got a lot to prove to myself, the little girl in me who wasn’t treated fairly. Education is more than just a degree to me. It’s a tool, freedom, a way out, and a golden ticket to move forward. And with support from scholarships like this, I’ll change my future and the hope to change others.