As a Business Management major at Georgia State University's J. Mack Robinson College of Business, I view my education as a long-term investment that must be managed with strict financial discipline to avoid graduating under an overwhelming burden of debt. My approach begins with exhaustively exhausting all non-repayable funding sources before relying on student loans. For the current academic year, my total cost of attendance comes to $31,428.52, which includes $10,590.00 for tuition and fees, $13,323.00 for housing and meals, $2,066.00 for books and supplies, and $5,431.52 for transportation and daily personal expenses. To meet these costs without taking on excessive debt, I have secured $16,575.00 in total gift aid, consisting of a $7,395.00 Federal Pell Grant and $9,180.00 from the HOPE Scholarship. By maintaining strong academic standing, I ensure the continuous renewal of my merit-based awards, keeping my core tuition costs covered throughout my time in college. To bridge the remaining net cost gap and eliminate the need for high-interest private or unsubsidized debt, I treat pursuing external funding with the same dedication as a full-time job. I have filled out and submitted over 50 independent scholarship applications, completing more than 20 applications through Bold.org alone. Spending hours writing essays and applying for private aid allows me to take control of my financial future directly. Beyond searching for scholarships, I am taking active steps to earn my own income on campus. I have submitted applications for 12 different student employment positions at Georgia State via Handshake. Securing an on-campus role provides a steady income stream to cover my personal bills, transportation, and supplies while fitting around my class schedule and building core administrative skills in human resources and operations. For necessary borrowing, I strictly limit my usage to low-cost options. I accepted $3,500.00 in Federal Direct Subsidized Loans because the federal government pays the interest while I am actively enrolled in school. I hold a small $1,127.00 Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan only as a pending emergency back-up, opting instead to enroll in official university payment plans if temporary balance gaps arise. This keeps my overall principal balance low and prevents interest from compounding while I complete my degree. Looking toward the future, my post-graduation plan centers on rapid, aggressive repayment. By pairing my Business Management degree with practical office experience, I aim to transition immediately into a professional human resources role after finishing my studies. Earning an industry-competitive salary will allow me to allocate a significant portion of my early income directly toward my loan principal, clearing all subsidized balances during the post-graduation grace period before any interest begins to accumulate. Ultimately, tackling student loan debt is not something I leave to chance. It is an active daily effort driven by continuous scholarship searching, earnings through campus work, precise expense tracking, and disciplined borrowing choices. By executing this comprehensive plan every semester, I am ensuring my financial independence and laying a secure foundation for both my career and my future community initiatives.

Growing up in a single-parent household after my father abandoned our family showed me the true weight of sudden hardship, shaping my deep commitment to higher education and personal resilience. When overwhelming financial strain pushed our family to the absolute brink, I watched my mother carry the heavy burden of keeping us afloat entirely on her own. In those quiet, difficult moments together, sitting in an almost empty room with just a mattress and a fan, I witnessed her unbelievable strength, quiet grace, and complete selflessness. She eventually returned to college herself while working exhausting hours at a medical cleaning facility, proving to me every day that perseverance is an active choice. Watching her sacrifice taught me that earning a college degree is the most reliable path toward true security, stability, and independence. Inspired by my mother’s resilience, I vowed never to take my educational opportunities for granted and to actively give back to those around me. I began volunteering at the medical facility where my mother worked, dedicating over twenty hours to executing strict facility maintenance and sanitation standards across testing and patient care areas. That unseen labor taught me that genuine community impact does not require grand gestures; it comes from consistent, humble acts of service that protect and support others. Moving forward, I plan to use my business training to give back on a much larger scale. My goal is to establish a social enterprise that redesigns public infrastructure into welcoming, human-centered spaces and builds anonymous mentorship networks for young people navigating isolation and family hardship. I want to offer others the exact same encouragement, safety, and hope that my mother provided for me. Today, I am actively turning these long-term goals into reality through steady, focused discipline. As a Business Management major at Georgia State University's J. Mack Robinson College of Business, I am developing strong operational skills while drawing on the Georgia CTAE Industry Credential in Marketing and Management I earned in high school. To ensure I finish my degree without placing additional financial burden on my mother or falling into crippling debt, I treat funding my education with the urgency of a full-time job. I have filled out and submitted over 50 individual scholarship applications, including more than 20 through Bold.org, spending hours writing essays and demonstrating my drive to succeed. Additionally, I have applied for 12 different on-campus positions through Handshake to cover my daily expenses while gaining professional office experience. My background as the daughter of a strong, resilient single mother is not a limitation; it is the exact foundation that fuels my work ethic, sharpens my ambition, and powers my desire to uplift my community.

Growing up in a low-income household, money was a daily balancing act. Watching every dollar get stretched taught me early on that working hard isn't optional, it is a necessary part of life. When resources are tight, sudden roadblocks can easily feel like the end of the road. Instead of letting financial stress hold me back, living through it forced me to become resourceful, independent, and determined to find a way forward. That mindset directly shapes how I plan to make a positive impact. Having experienced what it feels like to navigate spaces that are not built to support you, I want to use my life experience and business training to build more welcoming communities. My goal is to create a business that redesigns public spaces, replacing unwelcoming structures with practical designs built for real human needs. I also want to start supportive, anonymous networks for young people who feel isolated by their background or identity, giving them the encouragement I once needed. Right now, I am turning these goals into real progress every day. As a Business Management major at Georgia State University, I am building a strong foundation in practical business operations, expanding on the official Marketing and Management certification I earned in high school. To finish my degree without piling on massive debt, I treat paying for school like a job. I have filled out over 50 individual scholarship applications, including more than 20 on Bold.org, and applied for 12 on-campus jobs through Handshake to cover my daily living costs while gaining real office experience. Coming from a low-income household does not limit me. It is the exact experience that built my work ethic and drives my purpose to help others.

It is difficult to overstate the profound impact that community can have on the way we grow up, learn, and see the world around us. Compassionate service builds some of the strongest communities in the nation, a truth that deeply resonates with me because my own life journey has been shaped by the unique neighborhoods, cultures, and traditions that raised me. As a mixed woman of Black and Samoan heritage, I grew up navigating a complex identity that was rich with culture yet often misunderstood by the world around me. My home life was an incredible tapestry of dual heritages. I grew up surrounded by vibrant Samoan traditions, watching my family wear ‘ie’s to the beach, listening to my grandmother scold us in Samoan for being mischievous, enjoying traditional sasa dances, and eating meals centered around rice and panikekes. At the same time, my upbringing was rooted in Black culture, filled with soul-stirring R&B music, late-night summer cookouts with extended family, and the constant care needed to manage my thick 4C curls. Because my physical appearance did not fit what others expected a Samoan or mixed person to look like, I often felt isolated and abnormal. Overcoming that internal struggle taught me a vital lesson: a strong community is one where every individual feels seen, valued, and genuinely embraced. Driven by a desire to ensure no one in my neighborhood feels left out, I turned my personal experiences into active, compassionate community service. Throughout high school, I sought out every opportunity to build bridges among my peers. I was competitively selected as a student leader in the Student Leadership Club, where I took the initiative to plan and execute over ten campus-wide projects aimed at fostering an inclusive environment and driving meaningful student engagement. I expanded these efforts by joining Key Club, Spanish Club, and Art Club, organizing various community service initiatives and group events that brought diverse groups of students together. Outside of school, I dedicated over twenty hours as a volunteer with Advanced Urology, maintaining facility cleanliness to ensure local patients received care in a safe, welcoming, and high-standard medical environment. My family has a long history of thriving in business, which inspired me to earn an Industry Credential Certificate in Marketing and Management from the Georgia Department of Education's CTAE Division and enroll as a Business Management student at Georgia State University. I view business tools as a powerful engine for social good. My ultimate goal is to build an anonymous support network and mentorship initiative to help young people navigate complex identity struggles, offering them the encouragement I once needed. College brings significant financial hardship for low-income families, making the Books for Good Scholarship a transformative opportunity. Receiving this award would relieve my educational expenses, allowing me to focus on my degree and continue serving my neighborhood. This scholarship is an investment in a future where compassionate service creates truly supportive, inclusive communities for everyone.

Entrepreneurship is a powerful vehicle for social change, communal growth, and intentional sustainability. Growing up in Atlanta, Georgia, I have observed how urban environments frequently use design choices to alienate vulnerable populations rather than welcome them. Known as hostile architecture, this practice is visible in segmented public benches, leaning bars, and deliberate structural barriers engineered to deter individuals from resting or gathering. I am determined to build a social enterprise called InclusiveUrban Solutions to replace these exclusionary structures with human-centered alternatives. InclusiveUrban Solutions will focus on redesigning public assets and consulting with municipalities and private developers. The enterprise relies on a dual-revenue model. First, it will offer advisory services to urban planners, property managers, and local governments on universal design principles that prioritize community wellness while managing public space effectively. Second, it will manufacture adaptable, eco-friendly public furniture. These physical products include modular benches that convert into shelter covers, integrated charging stations, and public seating surrounding native green spaces. By using recycled, weather-resistant materials, these designs remain affordable for municipal budgets while offering comfort and utility to every resident. As a Business Management major at Georgia State University, my academic coursework provides the analytical framework needed to balance social impact with financial sustainability. Having earned an Industry Credential Certificate in Marketing and Management from the Georgia Department of Education’s CTAE Division, I bring practical expertise in market positioning, strategic planning, and operational execution to ensure inclusive design is both scalable and viable. Building this enterprise will make a transformative impact on both my future and my community. For me, it bridges the gap between academic theory and practical implementation, allowing me to apply my business training to address a pressing civil rights issue. For my community, hostile architecture sends a visual signal of division. By providing durable, aesthetically modern alternatives, InclusiveUrban Solutions helps cities foster inclusive public areas without compromising structural integrity or maintenance needs. Beyond physical products, the enterprise will offer workshops to educate urban design teams on the social impacts of defensive architecture. Transforming public space into a welcoming environment encourages community engagement, supports local businesses, and promotes genuine safety through shared presence rather than forced isolation. By taking these tangible steps to build my enterprise, I am working toward a future where urban spaces bring communities together rather than push them apart, demonstrating how profitable enterprise and social equity can successfully coexist.

Achieving long-term financial stability and career success requires treating my educational goals not as distant dreams, but as an active, daily effort. My primary goal is to complete my Bachelor of Business Administration in Business Management with a concentration in Human Resources at Georgia State University, maintain complete financial balance, and smoothly launch my career as a human resource professional. Earning a college degree takes serious planning, hard choices, and aggressive expense tracking. For the upcoming school year, my total cost of attendance comes to $31,428.52. This overall total covers $10,590.00 for tuition and fees, $13,323.00 for my campus housing and meal plan, $2,066.00 for required books and supplies, and $5,431.52 for essential transportation and personal expenses. Seeing numbers this high can easily feel overwhelming for any student, but I am entirely focused on making sure I do not graduate under a suffocating mountain of debt. Fighting off unnecessary student loans takes constant work, persistence, and relentless personal effort. I have built a multi-layered funding plan to keep my long-term costs as low as humanly possible. Through hard work in high school, I secured $16,575.00 in total financial aid, consisting of a Federal Pell Grant for $7,395.00 and a HOPE Scholarship for $9,180.00. I also made the calculated decision to accept $3,500.00 in subsidized federal loans because they do not grow interest while I am actively enrolled in school. Beyond those basic awards, I am putting in continuous work to fill the remaining financial gap completely. I have filled out and submitted over 50 individual scholarship applications, including more than 20 through Bold.org, spending countless hours writing essays and proving my drive to earn every single dollar myself. Staying financially healthy during college also means taking direct action to earn my own consistent income. To help cover my personal bills and gain real corporate office experience, I submitted applications for 12 different on-campus jobs at Georgia State through Handshake. Securing an on-campus role gives me a reliable income stream that fits around my daily class schedule, helping me learn practical skills in office operations, employee communication, and workforce management. A realistic plan must always be flexible and prepared for unexpected financial challenges. My main path combines my grants, my student job income, and potential private awards to pay my full balance without relying on high-interest loans. If any outside awards or job callbacks are delayed, I have a small $1,127.00 pending unsubsidized loan saved as an emergency back-up safety net. I can also set up an official university payment plan to break any remaining balance into manageable monthly costs. By keeping my grades high enough to hold onto my academic scholarship, tracking every dollar I spend, and putting in the hard work every single day, I am making sure my educational and financial goals stay clear, balanced, and fully reachable.

Women’s empowerment is not just a concept to me. It is the central pillar of my academic path and my vision as a future leader. As an African American and Pacific Islander woman pursuing a degree in Business Management with a concentration in Human Resources at Georgia State University’s J. Mack Robinson College of Business, I view my education as a transformative force. Higher education broadens our minds and opens doors, and I am driven to use my college journey to create meaningful career opportunities for underrepresented women. My ultimate ambition is to enter corporate leadership to advocate for women, ensuring they have equal access, fair representation, and the resources needed to succeed in environments where they have historically been excluded. My effort to make a lasting impact on women's empowerment begins with leadership and advocacy in my immediate community. During my time as a student, I became an advocate after being nominated into the Student Leadership Club, focusing on making sure every student had a voice by gathering feedback and presenting solutions directly to leadership. Through my work with the National Honor Society, I engaged in service projects that directly uplifted vulnerable groups. This included spending time with foster children during holidays and implementing hygiene product packs inside school bathrooms for girls without access to essential supplies. Taking on male dominated technical pathways like CTEC construction alongside intensive AP coursework proved to young women around me that female leadership belongs in every field. Beyond community service, my commitment to women's empowerment stems from observing the persistent inequality women face in professional settings. Throughout history and even in modern workplaces, qualified women are routinely overlooked for executive roles, paid less than their male peers, and silenced in decision making spaces. Watching capable women hit artificial glass ceilings simply because of their gender sparked a deep drive within me to challenge these systems. Instead of accepting these barriers as standard practice, I became determined to gain the business knowledge and organizational authority needed to break them down. Looking ahead, my plan to pursue a Master’s degree directly after graduating from GSU reflects my relentless drive to make a structural difference. As a future HR manager, I intend to build inclusive corporate environments, fight for equal opportunity, and open doors for women from diverse backgrounds to step into high level decision making roles. By connecting with people, fostering genuine connections, and leading with empathy, I aim to transform corporate spaces into places where women are not just present, but actively empowered to lead.

When it comes to stories, I believe the most impactful ones don’t come from famous history books or public figures. The story that truly changed the trajectory of my life belongs to my father. My father grew up surrounded by heavy adversity. Born prematurely due to his mother’s abuse of alcohol and drugs, he nearly lost his life at birth. Shortly after, his mother was arrested, and with his father absent, he became a ward of the state. Growing up as a young Black man in Forest Park, Georgia, without guidance, he faced the harsh realities of living in low-income, high-risk areas. He spent years bouncing between foster homes before his great-aunt finally took him in and raised him. Despite the lack of support and constant instability, he held onto one unwavering goal: to make something of himself. He worked relentlessly, originally wanting to becoming a lawyer and spending his free time visiting local courthouses and even meeting with Georgia’s House of Representatives back in 2006. Then, at nineteen, he had me. Having a child only amplified his drive. He was determined to ensure my life looked nothing like his past. He joined the military to provide for us, serving ten years as an active-duty service member, including a deployment in the Iraq War. While serving, he pursued higher education, eventually earning two master’s degrees in business administration and management. Against how his life originally had seemed, father pulled himself up from the bottom and built a stable family. He made it, and his resilience showed me what real leadership looks like. His journey taught me to look closely at the world around me and notice the people who feel unseen. Recently, while at a gas station in Jacksonville, Florida, I noticed a heavily bent metal bar across a public table. It was an example of hostile architecture. From slanted benches to divided seating, hostile architecture is intentionally embedded across cities to prevent homeless people from resting. Most people walk past these designs without a second thought because they blend into everyday infrastructure. But having experienced financial hardship and the looming threat of housing instability myself, these barriers are painfully obvious. Hostile architecture doesn't solve homelessness. It communicates to vulnerable people that they are unwanted. If I had the resources to act, I would lobby to ban anti-homeless infrastructure and redirect those funds toward building accessible shelters and supportive community programs. My father showed me that overcoming hardship isn't just about surviving for yourself. It’s about using your stability to lift others up. By addressing the subtle ways our communities exclude people, I hope to lead with that same empathy, transforming overlooked spaces into sources of genuine support and hope.

For my piece, I wanted to capture the wild, chaotic energy of a true “Mad Genius” while incorporating the core identity of the brand itself: food! My concept centers on a classic mad scientist mid-experiment, completely astonished and taken-aback by his newest culinary breakthrough, delicious golden quesadillas. To visually demonstrate the sheer intensity of this achievement, I photo-bashed quesadilla slices so they appear to be bursting and floating around the scientist like particles. This chaotic, explosive motion highlights the exact moment where scientific discovery and culinary flavor collide. When considering my creative choices, I selected a vibrant, glowing green background framed by bold concentric circles. This design technique creates a hypnotic, retro laboratory aesthetic that immediately directs the viewer’s focus straight toward the character's exaggerated, completely shocked expression. His spiky silver hair, oversized round glasses, and classic lab coat lean heavily into the timeless wild-inventor aesthetic, while the dramatic contrast lighting and dark soot marks reveal a creator who is entirely unafraid to push boundaries in pursuit of artistic innovation. Every element within this illustration was intentionally crafted by me to balance surprise, high energy, and technical artistic execution. My goal was to elevate a staple of Mad Genius’s brand into an epic visual experience that instantly captures attention and leaves a lasting and memorable impression. Ultimately, this artwork represents genuine passion for the work, ambitious imagination, and the creative freedom of experimenting with food without any fear of making a mess! This idea also reflects the expression of creativity, and how creativity should know absolutely no boundaries, even if it gets messy. Below, I have ensured to not only provide the final illustration, but also the complete creative process it took to bring it to life. The full illustration took five hours to finish, leading the video recording process to be sped up by 60% to condense it into an engaging, highly digestible form of content.

“The bravest thing I ever did was continuing my life when I wanted to die.” This quote by Juliette Lewis resonates with me deeply. For a long time, I believed I was weak for struggling. I felt that barely forcing myself to live every day was not only meaningless, but pathetic. Summoning the strength to persevere when everything seems murky, as if looking through a clouded window with no clear image felt hopeless. It’s more than just hard. It’s exhausting. It’s exhausting to keep looking, straining your eyes and hoping that you’ll finally be able to see what’s on the other side. It’s exhausting. Since I was eleven, I have struggled with suicidal tendencies. My childhood was defined by constant conflict between my parents, which often leaned into domestic violence. Because of their struggles, I grew up believing their pain was my fault. Their anger was projected onto me, and I was frequently pulled into the middle of their quarrels, forced to choose sides while being verbally berated for simply existing. Outside of the home, I found no refuge. I faced constant ridicule and bullying for being a young Black woman with niche interests and a quiet personality. These stressors led me down a dark path on social media where, seeking support in the wrong places, I became a victim of sexual harassment and abuse. These experiences pushed me into a darkness where I believed I could never escape. I hated who I was and felt I was an "unfit" or "repulsive" misfit who deserved this treatment. I retreated into my room, becoming a hermit. Without support, I felt entirely alone. Mental health became vital to me not just as a concept, but as a truth I had to fight for every single day. As I began to heal, I realized that surviving wasn't enough. I needed to turn my pain into a light. I started actively making changes by opening up and advocating to those closest to me. Sharing my experiences with mental problems allowed me to teach them that reaching out for help is a sign of strength, and that it is completely okay not to be okay. I took that personal advocacy a step further in high school through student leadership. Recognizing that so many students carry silent struggles, I advocated for visible, practical support systems within our school walls. I suggested procedures to ensure help was always in sight, specifically proposing ideas for posters displaying suicide prevention hotlines to be placed throughout the hallways. Looking back now, those moments stay with me. Not as a painful memory, but as a reminder that things do get better. To anyone struggling, "it gets better" can feel like an empty phrase, but I am living proof of its truth. My life still holds intense adversities, including displacement, financial hardship, and ongoing family mistreatment. However, these hardships no longer define how my life should end. They define how I persevere. As a senior graduating from high school, I am standing in a place I once couldn't even imagine. Without the bravery of continuing when all hope seemed lost, I would have never experienced the beauty and blessings of being alive today. Suicide is a real and devastating issue for teenagers, but it can be beaten through self-love, growth, advocacy, and the courage to keep looking through the window until the view finally clears.

Business has always been a significant part of my family, a field where we have thrived and built legacies. My father, a marketing and business management expert with two master’s degrees, has set a high standard for success, although he maintains a distance from my household. My cousins run their own small businesses, and my uncle on my Samoan side owns Six Eleven clothing, which creates Christian Samoan apparel using “Ofutau,” meaning armor. This name is inspired by Ephesians 6:11, which speaks of putting on the full armor of God, a lesson I hold dear: “‘Ia ‘o‘ofu ‘outou i ‘ofutau ‘ato‘atoa mai le Atua, ‘ina ‘ia ‘outou mafaia ‘ona tete‘e atu i togafiti a le tiapolo.” Being surrounded by such innovative business leaders has fueled my desire to pursue a career in this field, and obtaining a degree would be a crucial step in achieving my goals. I am determined to live up to my family’s legacy and overcome the hardships we have faced, particularly the struggle to maintain stable housing due to our low income. My mother, who raised me single-handedly after my father was absent, has been my the only person keeping our family stable. She works multiple jobs, attends school, and found us housing when we were on the brink of homelessness. Her resilience and determination have motivated me to succeed and repay her sacrifices. I want to ensure that she can live comfortably and that my siblings have the opportunities I have been given. Success in business would not only reflect my dedication to my heritage but also provide me with the means to give back to my family, which is deeply rooted in my love for business. Pursuing a business degree with a focus in Human Resources could completely change my life financially and professionally. Human Resources specialists earn a median salary of about $64,000 per year according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and HR managers can make over $130,000 annually. For someone like me, coming from a family that has struggled to afford stable housing, that kind of income would mean the difference between just getting by and truly building a secure future. HR also offers steady growth, with the field projected to grow 6% over the next decade, which gives me confidence that the hard work I put into my degree will pay off. Knowing that I could help people in the workplace while also creating financial stability for my family motivates me even more to follow this path. A degree in business will empower me to secure a stable job and contribute financially to my family. It will also allow me to explore entrepreneurial ventures, perhaps even expanding my uncle’s business or starting my own, inspired by the values and lessons my family has instilled in me. Business is my key to unlocking a brighter future, and this scholarship will play a vital role in helping me achieve my dreams. I am committed to pursuing a career in business with determination and a family-focused attitude. This scholarship will not only support my education but also enable me to continue the legacy of success and resilience that my family has built.

My heritage is not reflected on my face. I grew up being told I’m not what I am. I am a mixed woman, Black and Samoan, and I grew up in a household that embraced these traditions. My grandmother would often scold me in Samoan, threatening to spank my muli for my mischievousness. We would go to the beach in ‘ie’s, watching other kids in regular swim trunks and bathing suits. I participated in traditional dances like the sasa and enjoyed dishes that always featured rice as a staple. On the other hand, I had 4c hair, thick curls that no gel could tame, and R&B songs that I can recall by heart. Cookouts would last late into the night, with older folks talking loudly outside while the kids ran up and down the streets. I vividly remember having Vaseline lathered all over my face on Sunday mornings. I was different. But my features never seemed to reflect that to many, so I was treated as abnormal, and I kept my heritage hidden from everyone. I wouldn’t mention going home to fresh panikeke’s, and I refused to explain why my hair was suddenly so straight. Business was always something my family thrived on. My father is a businessman with a major in marketing and business management, holding two master’s degrees. My cousins have their own small businesses, and my uncle on my Samoan side owns Six Eleven clothing, which creates Christian Samoan apparel, specifically using “Ofutau,” meaning armor. The name references Ephesians 6:11 (“Put on the full armor of God”), or as I was taught: “‘Ia ‘o‘ofu ‘outou i ‘ofutau ‘ato‘atoa mai le Atua, ‘ina ‘ia ‘outou mafaia ‘ona tete‘e atu i togafiti a le tiapolo.” My family thrives on business success. I want to live up to my family’s legacy, the standard set by my heritage that shows even though I come from a complex background, I still represent both sides of who I am, even when others believe I am abnormal or not Samoan. I plan to not only pursue my degree in business management but also be a beacon in my small community for others who are mixed with unique heritage that depicts such rich experiences and cultures that should not be something they are ashamed of but valued deeply. I want to create a nonprofit that provides support to people unsure of how to feel about their identity, through a hotline or some kind of email connection, completely anonymous. I understand what it feels like to feel split between two races, not enough of one thing but not quite the other, living in a household your friends don’t quite understand, and being abnormal. Having someone to reach out to is incredibly important, and I want to be that person to light a flame that will hopefully spread and ignite the passion in other people’s hearts to be proud of who they are. This scholarship could help me continue my goal towards success, and college is definitely expensive for a low-income family. With the help of this money, not only would it be a financial payout but an investment into a future where I can envision less judgment for underrepresented races. Not only would it help me, but it would also be helping a community.

"The bravest thing I ever did was continuing my life when I wanted to die." This quote by Juliette Lewis resonates with me deeply. For a long time, I believed I was weak for struggling. I felt that barely forcing myself to live every day was not only meaningless, but pathetic. Summoning the strength to persevere when everything seems murky, as if looking through a clouded window with no clear image felt hopeless. It's more than just hard. It's exhausting. It's exhausting to keep looking, straining your eyes and hoping that you'll finally be able to see what's on the other side. It's exhausting. Since I was eleven, I have struggled with suicidal tendencies. My childhood was defined by constant conflict between my parents, which often leaned into domestic violence. Because of their struggles, I grew up believing their pain was my fault. Their anger was projected onto me, and I was frequently pulled into the middle of their quarrels, forced to choose sides while being verbally berated for simply existing. Living in an environment dictated by hostility destroyed my early understanding of relationships. Instead of learning to express myself through the typical blissful innocence of a child, I learned to connect through fear and walking on eggshells. Outside of the home, I found no refuge. I faced constant ridicule and bullying for being a young Black woman with niche interests and a quiet personality. These stressors led me down a dark path on social media where, seeking support in the wrong places, I became a victim of sexual harassment and abuse. These experiences pushed me into a darkness where I believed I could never escape. I hated who I was and felt I was an "unfit" or "repulsive" misfit who deserved this treatment. I retreated into my room, becoming a hermit. Without support, I felt entirely alone. This isolation altered my understanding of the world. I began to view society as an inherently hostile place where vulnerability was a liability. Looking back now, those moments stay with me. Not as a painful memory, but as a reminder that things do get better. To anyone struggling, "it gets better" can feel like an empty phrase, but I am living proof of its truth. My life still holds intense adversities, including displacement, financial hardship, and ongoing family mistreatment. However, these hardships no longer define how my life should end. They define how I persevere. This perseverance has completely transformed my approach to relationships. Instead of tolerating mistreatment out of guilt, I now seek out and nurture connections rooted in empathy, accountability, and emotional safety. Surviving this darkness has also rewritten my understanding of the world. I no longer see it merely through the lens of the trauma inflicted upon me, but as a complex space where pain and joy can coexist. As a senior graduating from high school, I am standing in a place I once couldn't even imagine. The obstacles I overcame have highlighted my future goals. Moving forward, I am determined to use my academic journey to empower youth who feel as invisible and unprotected as I once did, turning my lived experience into actionable advocacy. Without the bravery of continuing when all hope seemed lost, I would have never experienced the beauty and blessings of being alive today. Suicide is a real and devastating issue for teenagers, but it can be beaten through self-love, growth, and the courage to keep looking through the window until the view finally clears.

"The bravest thing I ever did was continuing my life when I wanted to die." This quote by Juliette Lewis resonates with me deeply. For a long time, I believed I was weak for struggling. I felt that barely forcing myself to live every day was not only meaningless, but pathetic. Summoning the strength to persevere when everything seems murky, as if looking through a clouded window with no clear image felt hopeless. It's more than just hard. It's exhausting. It's exhausting to keep looking, straining your eyes and hoping that you'll finally be able to see what's on the other side. It's exhausting. Since I was eleven, I have struggled with suicidal tendencies. My childhood was defined by constant conflict between my parents, which often leaned into domestic violence. Because of their struggles, I grew up believing their pain was my fault. Their anger was projected onto me, and I was frequently pulled into the middle of their quarrels, forced to choose sides while being verbally berated for simply existing. Living in an environment dictated by hostility destroyed my early understanding of relationships. Instead of learning to express myself through the typical blissful innocence of a child, I learned to connect through fear and walking on eggshells. Outside of the home, I found no refuge. I faced constant ridicule and bullying for being a young Black woman with niche interests and a quiet personality. These stressors led me down a dark path on social media where, seeking support in the wrong places, I became a victim of sexual harassment and abuse. These experiences pushed me into a darkness where I believed I could never escape. I hated who I was and felt I was an "unfit" or "repulsive" misfit who deserved this treatment. I retreated into my room, becoming a hermit. Without support, I felt entirely alone. This isolation altered my understanding of the world. I began to view society as an inherently hostile place where vulnerability was a liability. Looking back now, those moments stay with me. Not as a painful memory, but as a reminder that things do get better. To anyone struggling, "it gets better" can feel like an empty phrase, but I am living proof of its truth. My life still holds intense adversities, including displacement, financial hardship, and ongoing family mistreatment. However, these hardships no longer define how my life should end. They define how I persevere. This perseverance has completely transformed my approach to relationships. Instead of tolerating mistreatment out of guilt, I now seek out and nurture connections rooted in empathy, accountability, and emotional safety. Surviving this darkness has also rewritten my understanding of the world. I no longer see it merely through the lens of the trauma inflicted upon me, but as a complex space where pain and joy can coexist. As a senior graduating from high school, I am standing in a place I once couldn't even imagine. The obstacles I overcame have highlighted my future goals. Moving forward, I am determined to use my academic journey to empower youth who feel as invisible and unprotected as I once did, turning my lived experience into actionable advocacy. Without the bravery of continuing when all hope seemed lost, I would have never experienced the beauty and blessings of being alive today. Suicide is a real and devastating issue for teenagers, but it can be beaten through self-love, growth, and the courage to keep looking through the window until the view finally clears.

Having nothing has been the most empowering part of my life. Usually, I’m aware that having tangible items reflects one’s accomplishments. Luxury vehicles, a nice house, impossibly extensive levels of wealth that only could be achieved by a successful person. I have none of that. I’ve lived in poverty for a while now, relocating constantly due to a lack of a home and displacement. After losing my home back in 2022 due to financial hardships, I have jumped between Georgia, Alabama, and Florida, a continuous cycle of uncertainty. I live out of plastic bins, and I sleep on a hardwood floor with a bundle of blankets and a Clefairy plushie I kept with me after I had to make the hard decision of what items I can keep with me and what items must stay in storage during 2022. Is this life the most attractive? No. Nobody wants to live without knowing if they will be able to get groceries, if they are burdening their family by having to stay in a guest room, if they are going to be homeless in the next month. But, this kind of livelihood has molded me into a person I am proud to be. Reasoning one: I am grateful. The newest iPhone is not always the option, but having a phone is still a valuable necessity in our society. I’ve learned to take what I can get and to take care of it, which is something a lot of people cannot do. Since things are so easily given and replaced due to impatience and the lowering attention span of young people being happy with what you have is essential in life. You’re not always going to have what you want, but being humble is a way to realize that no matter what, you still have things. For example, groceries. It is hard sometimes to wait on groceries, yet I always find something I can eat to hold me over. Even if it is something such as a box of Kraft Mac n cheese (definitely a lifesaver), it is essential to be grateful for these opportunities. I recently opened the pantry to a lackluster selection of food, which I found one of these boxes of gold behind some seasonings. I ended up making it, and I really appreciated the fact there was something to eat, even if it wasn’t the best or what I wanted. Reason two: I make do with these scarce resources. I may not have had the best living conditions, but I made do with what I had. Internet out? Go to the library and study for my schoolwork. Tired? Power naps and push through. Even in my harsh conditions, I was not only able to gather experience for my decided major: business management through connecting with the school’s business teacher and working for him for some time, giving me customer service skills which only developed over the time of my volunteering endeavors through the National Honors Society and the community work of cleaning medical facilities, but also grades that I was proud of. I have challenged myself with classes which could be considered “impossible” during periods of hardship, yet preserved. Reason three: simply attitude. I have always remained positive. Nothing has ever been able to make me falter. Even knowing I come from nothing. Conclusion: Through the trials of living without material possessions, I have discovered a strength and resilience within myself that I never knew existed. This journey has taught me the value of gratitude, resourcefulness, and maintaining a positive attitude in the face of adversity.

I believe wholeheartedly that the eyes are the window to the soul. When I look into my mother’s eyes during a difficult period in her life, I did not see the warmth I once expected from her. Instead, I saw exhaustion, loss, and a quiet kind of despair. This was during the final stretch of her marriage with my father, when financial strain had become overwhelming. He had made choices that left us roughly $20,000 behind on the mortgage, and the pressure of it all destroyed our home life. My father expressed a lot of regret over decisions he made early in his life, including marrying too young, leading to his eventual break, ultimately resulting in the divorce. My mother has always been the person I am closest to in the world. She is my guardian and my first experience of unconditional love. Even now, when I am much older and much more independent, she remains a constant presence in my life. But during that period, the maternal softness in her eyes seemed to fade. She became a hollowed, worn-down version of herself, carrying burdens far too heavy for one person. Soon after we lost stability, she worked tirelessly to keep us from homelessness, never once asking for anything in return. From her, I learned what true selflessness looks like. In my senior year, I began speaking with her more openly and maturely. I allowed her space to talk about her frustrations, her exhaustion, and the weight she carried. Outside of work, she leaned heavily on her faith, but I also realized she needed emotional support from the people closest to her. We would sit together in a nearly empty room with only a mattress and a fan, and in those quiet moments, I began to understand her as a person rather than just a parent. She shared her fears, hopes, and struggles, and slowly, she seemed to feel a little lighter each day we talked. Through her work at a medical cleaning facility, I also learned about the importance of cleanliness in healthcare and the unseen labor that keeps medical environments safe. After years away from school, she returned to college while continuing to work, carrying an intense workload almost entirely on her own. Watching her persistence, I began to respect medical professionals who serve behind the scenes. I saw firsthand how vital their care can be. Inspired by my mother’s resilience, I chose to volunteer in a similar environment, helping clean the facility where she worked. I assisted with maintaining waiting areas, disposing of waste, and organizing spaces used for medical testing and care. The work mattered to me because it supported nurses and doctors who dedicate their lives to helping others. Through this experience, I learned that selflessness is not defined by grand gestures, but by consistent acts of service, even when no recognition is given. My mother showed me that strength can look like quiet sacrifice, and I have tried to reflect that same mindset in how I support others in need.

My awkward “quirk” ever since I began to speak up for myself has been my ability to debate. I grew up with selective mutism, which already made me incredibly awkward as it was. It was severe enough that during roll call, I would refuse to say “here” out of pure anxiety. There was one time when I lived in New York where I had left my snow boots in the wrong place outside my cubby. The substitute teacher was already fed up with the class. We all had candy that day, and I was clutching mine as she began demanding to know whose shoes they were and raising her voice. I didn’t speak up, but I started crying. I think I made her feel bad with my silent reaction, because I had actually been one of the only students who continuously was very good all day, and some students even tried to comfort me and give me their candy. I was known as quiet my entire life, and I received a lot of praise for a condition I could not control nor understand. I never really spoke at home either, only with my mother, but I was always listening. I was paying attention to everything, even when I didn’t say much. And over time, that turned into something else entirely. I became very opinionated. Once I began to talk, it was like something flipped. If I had something to say, I REALLY had something to say. I can talk about almost anything as long as there’s some kind of argument behind it. In school, I think this made people see me as competitive and a little weird, but I honestly didn’t care. I genuinely debated a kid about why his favorite color was wrong and why mine was superior. My reasoning was that green has too many hues and shades that can look sickly or dull, and it can also be associated with germs or sickness. I fully stood by that argument at the time. But in a strange way, this ability has helped me a lot. I’ve been told more than once that I should join a debate team, which I’m seriously considering, but it also helps me with in-the-moment problem solving. I can build an argument almost instantly based on someone’s standpoint, and I can see both sides of things pretty quickly, even when I disagree. It’s a unique, slightly awkward ability, but it’s one I’m proud of. I used to be someone who couldn’t even say “here” in class, and now I can confidently speak, argue, and express myself in a way that actually gets people to listen. It definitely makes me stand out but in a way I’ve learned to appreciate.

My dad is a businessman, yet it’s never always been that way. My dad served in the military. He was in the Army and deployed in Iraq. He began serving when I was born, back in 2008, and continued his service for 10 years after that to maintain a livable wage for our growing family. My dad is a businessman, but it’s never always been that way. I remember FaceTiming him as he was far away in another country. It was odd as a child seeing my father, a man I barely knew, talking to me through a screen, and I barely understood the weight of stress and fear behind his eyes as he waved, smiled, wished me a happy birthday, and told me how much he loved me. But I didn’t understand why, because he was so far away and I barely knew him. My father is a businessman, but it’s never always been that way. I heard stories from my mother about him, how his PTSD bothers him and how it has affected his ability to be a father. He has a fear of crowds, never knowing what to expect, so he often refrains from entering large spaces with many people like the mall. He drives abnormally. He believes he has to drive in the middle of the road because he imagines mines and relives the same exact day he watched his friend explode and die while driving. Sometimes he would bark orders at people, and sometimes he would seem to think so deeply about something that I never knew could be a thought that he would silently ponder for hours. He began going to the doctor more. It turned out he was disabled. His back wasn’t right because of the military. He became less active, simply taking his outdoor time as a chance to smoke a cigar or grill while listening to music. He prefers his alone time now. Even though he was never there before, always so far away because of his deployment. Who knows where he went? All we did was follow his tracks even when he was absent, moving all over the United States to maintain our semblance of family. So along with no dad, I had no long-term friendships, and no permanent home. In the end, he became distant. Very distant. My dad is a businessman, and I follow in his footsteps. After all of this, I still look up to him. We are very different, and I do not understand him at times, and I barely know him, but I do know he is a man who has risked his life for me and his country. I want to be fearless, motivated, and driven like him. After all of it, he still has two master’s degrees. After all of it, he works two jobs. After all of it, he is a businessman, but it’s never always been that way. I want to be a businesswoman. My father’s journey through the years he served showed me that success is not linear, and that discipline often comes from sacrifice. Even though I have had to grow up with distance and uncertainty, it has made me more observant, resilient, and motivated to create stability in my own future. Because of this, I want to pursue business not only as a career, but as a way to understand people, lead effectively, and build environments where others can succeed even through challenges.

I am known for being incredibly passionate. You could ask anybody who knows me, my mother, my siblings, my best friends, or even my acquaintances. I am known for passion. This passion has shaped many of the decisions I have made throughout my life, including my decision to begin volunteer work at a medical facility during my senior year of high school. At that time in my life, I lived in a household full of older family members, including my great-grandfather, my great-aunt, my great-uncle, and my great-aunt’s husband. Watching how essential medical services became as they continued getting older made me realize just how important healthcare facilities are and how much work goes into keeping them running smoothly. After witnessing my great-grandfather suffer a stroke and become hospitalized, I spent more time visiting medical facilities and seeing healthcare workers in action. Those experiences opened my eyes. I was amazed by how quickly and professionally the staff worked, how efficient they were, and how clean and organized the environment remained despite the constant action. I would also visit my great-aunt, who struggled with Parkinson’s disease, and hear about how helpful and dedicated the staff was in caring for her. These experiences made me realize that the quality of care my family received depended on more than just doctors and nurses. Healthcare professionals perform best when they have a clean, safe, and maintained environment to work in. An unclean workspace can affect both staff and patients, creating unnecessary risks and making it harder to provide the level of care people deserve. Realizing this inspired me to contribute in any way I could, which ultimately led me to volunteer. My mother worked at a facility at the time that provided medical care which needed deep cleaning to maintain quality care. Using her as a way to connect with the right people, I began volunteering at Advanced Urology Conyers. Stepping into that environment felt meaningful to me. I was already aware of how important clean medical spaces are for both patients and staff, and it gave me a chance to support both the healthcare team and the patients they served. So began a tradition rooted in my passion for helping others as a volunteer. I started volunteering on a regular schedule, eventually committing to cleaning the facility for 2–3 hours each shift. This included a small laboratory, multiple patient rooms, the general waiting area, and nurse workspaces every Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Over time, this schedule became second nature to me. What began as volunteering at a small medical facility grew into a discipline I carry with me today. If not for my passion, I likely would never have considered volunteering, but my family helped open my eyes to the importance of helping others after I witnessed how much healthcare workers supported them. As I begin my studies in Business Management at Georgia State University, I hope to apply these same values where I can lead, organize, and create meaningful impact at my school. One of my goals is to become a human resources manager. In that role, I hope to foster positive work environments, support employees, and ensure organizations operate smoothly and fairly. This scholarship would help make that possible by reducing financial stress and allowing me to dedicate myself more fully to my academic and career development. Overall, I’m looking forward to continuing to grow, personally and professionally. I want to stay passionate and maintain my desire to help others. No matter where Business Management takes me, my goal is to create positive environments where people feel supported and valued.

“The bravest thing I ever did was continuing my life when I wanted to die.” This quote by Juliette Lewis resonates with me deeply. For a long time, I believed I was weak for struggling. I felt that barely forcing myself to live every day was not only meaningless, but pathetic. Summoning the strength to persevere when everything seems murky, as if looking through a clouded window with no clear image felt hopeless. It’s more than just hard. It’s exhausting. It’s exhausting to keep looking, straining your eyes and hoping that you’ll finally be able to see what’s on the other side. It’s exhausting. Since I was eleven, I have struggled with suicidal tendencies. My childhood was defined by constant conflict between my parents, which often leaned into domestic violence. Because of their struggles, I grew up believing their pain was my fault. Their anger was projected onto me, and I was frequently pulled into the middle of their quarrels, forced to choose sides while being verbally berated for simply existing. Living in an environment dictated by hostility destroyed my early understanding of relationships. Instead of learning to express myself through the typical blissful innocence of a child, I learned to connect through fear and walking on eggshells. Outside of the home, I found no refuge. I faced constant ridicule and bullying for being a young Black woman with niche interests and a quiet personality. These stressors led me down a dark path on social media where, seeking support in the wrong places, I became a victim of sexual harassment and abuse. These experiences pushed me into a darkness where I believed I could never escape. I hated who I was and felt I was an "unfit" or "repulsive" misfit who deserved this treatment. I retreated into my room, becoming a hermit. Without support, I felt entirely alone. This isolation altered my understanding of the world. I began to view society as a inherently hostile place where vulnerability was a liability. Looking back now, those moments stay with me. Not as a painful memory, but as a reminder that things do get better. To anyone struggling, "it gets better" can feel like an empty phrase, but I am living proof of its truth. My life still holds intense adversities, including displacement, financial hardship, and ongoing family mistreatment. However, these hardships no longer define how my life should end. They define how I persevere. This perseverance has completely transformed my approach to relationships. Instead of tolerating mistreatment out of guilt, I now seek out and nurture connections rooted in empathy, accountability, and emotional safety. Surviving this darkness has also rewritten my understanding of the world. I no longer see it merely through the lens of the trauma inflicted upon me, but as a complex space where pain and joy can coexist. As a senior graduating from high school, I am standing in a place I once couldn't even imagine. The obstacles I overcame have highlighted my future goals. Moving forward, I am determined to use my academic journey to empower youth who feel as invisible and unprotected as I once did, turning my lived experience into actionable advocacy. Without the bravery of continuing when all hope seemed lost, I would have never experienced the beauty and blessings of being alive today. Suicide is a real and devastating issue for teenagers, but it can be beaten through self-love, growth, and the courage to keep looking through the window until the view finally clears.

I see myself as a leader, however… I never wanted to be a leader. As a kid, I was a hermit, someone who suffered from selective mutism and always wanted to cower behind the next person ready to take control of a situation. However, as I grew up as a young Black woman, moving consistently across a multitude of states, all I want to be now is a leader. If I make a positive impact, I want it to be known and recognized. I do not want recognition for myself, but for the act itself. Actions hold more importance to me than self-recognition. Being Black is central to my identity, and as someone who identifies as such, I want to do everything I can to uplift and empower young Black women in my community. Too often, young Black women are looked down upon or held to assumptions based on harmful stereotypes. Wearing wigs and having weave is considered ghetto and lazy, naturally curly hair is deemed unprofessional, unique and flashy styles are viewed as unflattering, and simply being different is shunned. Yet, Black women are diverse and incredibly versatile in the ways they move and make things work. Our hair, style, and self-expression are not symbols of our capability or intellect, yet society routinely uses them as tools for exclusion. This narrow-minded scrutiny forces many young women to suppress their authenticity. This constant policing of our identity ignores the rich history of resilience and creativity deeply embedded in Black womanhood. Our adaptability is a PROFOUND ABILITY. We transform limitations into INNOVATION, turning personal expression into a celebration of CULTURE and STRENGTH. True inclusion means dismantling these restrictive, outdated standards so that our sisters do not have to compromise who they are to achieve success. By embracing expression, we redefine leadership on our own terms. That is why I strive to launch a personal initiative to promote economic and social inclusion by collaborating with local leaders to create mentorship programs for minority youth. By fostering professional excellence, I believe I can effectively counter the narratives that suppress Black women and other groups. I want to change the narrative about Black people, and particularly, my sisters. I may not have wanted to be a leader originally, but as I have grown and experienced life, I have realized that being a leader is now all I want to do. I want to leave an impact, and a positive one.

The majority of my childhood was spent in silence. While other children took this crucial opportunity to learn how to build relationships with their peers, I remained completely silent for the first eight years of my life. In this silence, I was praised for my ability to remain quiet in a learning environment, while deep down, I was being tortured by the severity of my anxiety. Roll call meant meekly raising my hand in hopes of another student speaking up for me, and my time on the playground was spent silently engaging in playtime, unable to make a peep. I never knew anything was wrong with me, and that remained the case until I moved to New York. I was assigned a speech therapist at my school who realized I had a speaking issue. This unresolved issue led to me struggling with basic pronunciation, resulting in me spending hours out of class, being taught how to create the correct sounds for letters; sounds like 'j', 's', 't', and 'p' all seemed foreign to me. However, this led to me receiving positive incentives to speak, such as showing off my new skills in saying words like “snake” and “seconds.” I received stickers for each day of the week I made progress, leading up to an end-of-the-week treat for my learning. This didn't mean all was okay, however. I succumbed to my silence often, leading to moments where my chest would tighten and I’d have heavy breathing at the prospect of simply having to speak on my own. I relied on friends and family, and since I was so young, nobody ever pushed me to try for myself, to speak up. So, I’d crumble and let everyone take over for me. Now that I’m older, I don’t have an issue with anxiety holding me back from speaking. At times I can be relatively shy, but I am proud of the progress I have made regarding my time living in silence. Using my newfound voice, I make sure to be much more extroverted, living the life that I wished I did all those years ago when childhood made connection much easier. Before, I’d be considered quiet, shy, meek, and kept to myself; now I am loud, extroverted, fun-loving, adventurous, and a leader. Pursuing a higher education, in my eyes, means taking a step that the me before, and even the me now, needs. I will be forced to make more connections and speak for myself. I won't have to rely on anybody, and I believe this will heal a part of me that was completely shut off. I want to use my voice for what I believe in. Whether that is advocacy for Black women empowerment or the dismantling of unfair stereotypes present today, I am able to use the voice I never had as a child.

Investing, investing, investing. It’s all about investing in my eyes. It doesn’t have to be just money. Investing in yourself, your skills, and your mindset is what ultimately builds the foundation for financial literacy. In my life, I have experienced the extreme highs of wealth and the jarring lows of poverty. My father was a true entrepreneur, a businessman with multiple master’s degrees who knew how to navigate management fields. His success allowed him to accumulate enough wealth to position our family in the wealthiest county in Alabama. Then, there is me now. Due to a series of poor financial decisions, my family is currently displaced. We live in a house crowded with family members who make it clear they want us gone. My father’s credit is in ruins, and he works two grueling jobs just to keep us afloat, all while becoming increasingly disconnected from the family he’s trying to support. While he invested heavily in his formal education, he fell into a dangerous trap. He felt so secure in his wealth that he stopped diversifying. He neglected to invest in other avenues and instead splurged on materialistic things like cars and shoes that look like wealth but lose value the moment you buy them. He was focused on the appearance of success rather than the sustainability of it. I finally found my own footing in financial education when I took a course in economics and personal finance. It didn’t just open my eyes, it simplified a world that always felt too "adult" for me to handle. I realized that managing money isn't a secret code… it's just a set of tools. My favorite area to explore was investing. I learned about things like Roth IRAs, which are essentially tax-free growth buckets. You put in money that’s already been taxed, and it grows quietly until retirement, at which point every penny of profit is yours to keep, untouched by the IRS. I also delved into Mutual Funds, which allow you to pool your money with other investors to buy a ton of various stocks or bonds. It’s a way to grow your wealth through diversification, ensuring that your future isn't tied to the success or failure of just one company. Why is this so important? Why does financial literacy matter so much? It’s important because it provides a shield. It teaches you the difference between an asset that feeds you and a liability that eats you. It gives you the power to make your money work for you through compound interest, rather than spending your life working for every dollar. I plan to use this literacy to ensure me now never becomes me forever. I will better my future by prioritizing long-term stability over short-term status. By understanding how to manage credit, build emergency funds, and consistently contribute to diversified investments, I am building a life that can withstand a storm. My father showed me how to earn money, but my financial education is teaching me how to make it last.

“The bravest thing I ever did was continuing my life when I wanted to die.” This quote by Juliette Lewis resonates with me deeply. For a long time, I believed I was weak for struggling. I felt that barely forcing myself to live every day was not only meaningless, but pathetic. Summoning the strength to persevere when everything seems murky, as if looking through a clouded window with no clear image felt hopeless. It’s more than just hard. It’s exhausting. It’s exhausting to keep looking, straining your eyes and hoping that you’ll finally be able to see what’s on the other side. It’s exhausting. Since I was eleven, I have struggled with suicidal tendencies. My childhood was defined by constant conflict between my parents, which often leaned into domestic violence. Because of their struggles, I grew up believing their pain was my fault. Their anger was projected onto me, and I was frequently pulled into the middle of their quarrels, forced to choose sides while being verbally berated for simply existing. Outside of the home, I found no refuge. I faced constant ridicule and bullying for being a young Black woman with niche interests and a quiet personality. These stressors led me down a dark path on social media where, seeking support in the wrong places, I became a victim of sexual harassment and abuse. These experiences pushed me into a darkness where I believed I could never escape. I hated who I was and felt I was an "unfit" or "repulsive" misfit who deserved this treatment. I retreated into my room, becoming a hermit. Without support, I felt entirely alone. Looking back now, those moments stay with me. Not as a painful memory, but as a reminder that things do get better. To anyone struggling, "it gets better" can feel like an empty phrase, but I am living proof of its truth. My life still holds intense adversities, including displacement, financial hardship, and ongoing family mistreatment. However, these hardships no longer define how my life should end. They define how I persevere. As a senior graduating from high school, I am standing in a place I once couldn't even imagine. Without the bravery of continuing when all hope seemed lost, I would have never experienced the beauty and blessings of being alive today. Suicide is a real and devastating issue for teenagers, but it can be beaten through self-love, growth, and the courage to keep looking through the window until the view finally clears.

Attending Georgia State University (GSU) is the catalyst that will transform my personal resilience into a professional career dedicated to systemic change. My decision to join the J. Mack Robinson College of Business is rooted in its unique history as an institution born from commerce and its deep integration with Atlanta’s growth. This environment provides the perfect intersection of people and profit, facilitating my goal to become a Human Resource Manager who champions equity. My interest in business is not merely academic; it is a legacy passed down through countless hours discussing the corporate world with my father, whose own education inspired my pursuit of this field. Higher education at Georgia State University facilitates my future by offering the stability and specialized resources I once lacked. After navigating housing instability and social isolation, I see Georgia State University’s unwavering support as the foundation for my professional evolution. I plan to fully utilize Robinson’s Career Advancement Center and its robust "recruitment pipeline" to bridge the gap between academic theory and real-world application. By joining the student chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)—one of the largest in the nation—I will gain the leadership training and mentorship necessary to navigate complex corporate environments. This involvement will allow me to transition from a student into a professional advocate who understands the mechanics of organizational culture. My plan for creating a positive impact begins with using these interpersonal and business skills to dismantle the harmful stereotypes that plague my community in Covington, GA. While Covington is often celebrated as the “Hollywood of the South,” it remains an enclosed bubble where minority voices are frequently marginalized. In the workplace, I intend to implement transparent "open-door" communication frameworks that allow employees to engage with leadership without fear of discrimination. By acting as a mediator who understands the nuances of systemic bias, I will ensure that minority excellence is celebrated rather than downplayed. Furthermore, I intend to launch a personal initiative to promote economic and social inclusion by collaborating with local leaders to create mentorship programs for minority youth. By fostering professional excellence, I believe I can effectively counter the narratives that suppress black women and other marginalized groups. Ultimately, Georgia State University provides the proper backing to turn my academic dedication into an impactful career. I will graduate not just with a degree, but with a platform to foster economic and social inclusion, ensuring that the workplaces of the future are as diverse and supportive as the community I strive to build.

I personally decided to attend Georgia State University due to the deep-rooted educational connections to my preferred major: business, and the astonishing amounts of opportunities provided by the college. My decision to attend Georgia State is rooted in its unique history. After extensive research, I learned that Georgia State University was originally an institution of commerce, attended mainly during the evening. As the university continued to grow as its own entity, the college soon became known for Business Administration in 1955. Considering Georgia State College of Business Administration at the time, the growth documented alongside Atlanta’s own growth, gives me confidence that there is no better place to study the intersection of people and profit. My interest in business is not just academic; it is personal. Business has always been a passion for me. I'd spend countless hours talking to my father about his ties to the business world from his own education, and purposely sought out business related classes in high school just to satisfy my endless interest in the subject. Georgia State University also provides business majors with multitudinous opportunities, including a recruitment pipeline, academic specializations, and even mentorship, showing an overall dedication to their students that other colleges do not reciprocate. At the J. Mack Robinson College of Business, I plan to join the student chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), which is one of the largest in the nation, to further develop my leadership skills. In conclusion, I believe attending Georgia State University was the best decision I could have made for myself. In my future, I intend to fully utilize Robinson's Career Advancement Center and its "recruitment pipeline" to prepare for a career in HR Management. I am confident Georgia State University is the place to receive this education for my chosen path. Attending Georgia State University is essential for me to prove my resilient past will manifest into my future as a Human Resource Manager. After navigating housing instability and social isolation, Georgia State University's unwavering support offers the stability I have been deprived of. By joining the Robinson College of Business, I will gain access to a vital recruitment pipeline and mentorship through organizations like SHRM. This education allows me to evolve from a "new coming panther" into a professional leader dedicated to building supportive workplaces. For me, Georgia State is the proper backing required to turn my academic dedication into a stable, impactful career.

Having moved consistently throughout my life, from Hawaii to New York, and Alabama, I have never found a closer-knit community than Covington, GA. Yet, behind its "Hollywood of the South" charm, this place is stuck in a bubble plagued by harmful stereotypes that unfairly target minorities. As a Black woman, I am committed to dismantling these biases and fostering true inclusion through business advocacy. By empowering minority voices, I plan to bridge the gap between Covington’s tourist-driven image and the need for modern, equitable social progress. While attending a diverse high school, I saw firsthand how stereotypes (specifically that Black women are "loud," "obnoxious," or "ratchet") are systematically used to undermine Black excellence. I realized these unfair treatments weren't just relics of the past, they are ingrained in the community's daily culture. Instead of accepting this, I chose to use my voice and my passion for business to advocate for change. Currently, I am actively challenging these stereotypes within my school environment. I use my leadership roles to ensure diverse perspectives are heard and to foster a more supportive atmosphere for minority students. I have learned to turn difficult conversations into opportunities for learning and growth. After college, I plan to elevate this advocacy by starting a personal initiative to promote economic and social inclusion in communities like Covington. My goal is to collaborate with local business leaders to create mentorship programs and internship opportunities that empower minority youth. By fostering economic independence and professional excellence, I believe I can effectively counter the harmful stereotypes that affect my community, while continuing on my personal journey to work in human resources. I also want to expand from my personal endeavors into my professional career, allowing a place for employees to contact and engage with higher-ups about a certain issue they are facing without worry of discrimination or fear of being unheard. Utilizing my interpersonal expertise, I strive to extend these skills not only into my workplace but personal endeavors. Specifically, in my future HR role, I aim to bridge the gap between entry-level staff and leadership by implementing transparent communication. These initiatives will ensure that every individual, regardless of their background, feels safe to voice concerns. By acting as a mediator who understands the nuances of systemic bias, I will transform corporate culture from the inside out, making the workplace an inclusive community, just like the one I am building in Covington. Ultimately, I want to bridge the divide within my community, transforming it into a place that welcomes tourists and is genuinely equitable and inclusive for all residents. I am dedicated to pushing back against discrimination and supporting my community's growth, ensuring that diversity is celebrated rather than prejudiced.

Having moved consistently throughout my life, from Hawaii to New York, and Alabama, I have never found a closer-knit community than Covington, GA. Yet, behind its "Hollywood of the South" charm, this place is stuck in a bubble plagued by harmful stereotypes that unfairly target minorities. As a Black woman, I am committed to dismantling these biases and fostering true inclusion through business advocacy. By empowering minority voices, I plan to bridge the gap between Covington’s tourist-driven image and the need for modern, equitable social progress. While attending a diverse high school, I saw firsthand how stereotypes (specifically that Black women are "loud," "obnoxious," or "ratchet") are systematically used to undermine Black excellence. I realized these unfair treatments weren't just relics of the past, they are ingrained in the community's daily culture. Instead of accepting this, I chose to use my voice and my passion for business to advocate for change. Currently, I am actively challenging these stereotypes within my school environment. I use my leadership roles to ensure diverse perspectives are heard and to foster a more supportive atmosphere for minority students. I have learned to turn difficult conversations into opportunities for learning and growth. After college, I plan to elevate this advocacy by starting a personal initiative to promote economic and social inclusion in communities like Covington. My goal is to collaborate with local business leaders to create mentorship programs and internship opportunities that empower minority youth. By fostering economic independence and professional excellence, I believe I can effectively counter the harmful stereotypes that affect my community, while continuing on my personal journey to work in human resources. I also want to expand from my personal endeavors into my professional career, allowing a place for employees to contact and engage with higher-ups about a certain issue they are facing without worry of discrimination or fear of being unheard. Utilizing my interpersonal expertise, I strive to extend these skills not only into my workplace but personal endeavors. Specifically, in my future HR role, I aim to bridge the gap between entry-level staff and leadership by implementing transparent communication. These initiatives will ensure that every individual, regardless of their background, feels safe to voice concerns. By acting as a mediator who understands the nuances of systemic bias, I will transform corporate culture from the inside out, making the workplace an inclusive community, just like the one I am building in Covington. Ultimately, I want to bridge the divide within my community, transforming it into a place that welcomes tourists and is genuinely equitable and inclusive for all residents. I am dedicated to pushing back against discrimination and supporting my community's growth, ensuring that diversity is celebrated rather than prejudiced.

Having moved consistently throughout my life, from Hawaii to New York, and Alabama, I have never found a closer-knit community than Covington, GA. Yet, behind its "Hollywood of the South" charm, this place is stuck in a bubble plagued by harmful stereotypes that unfairly target minorities. As a Black woman, I am committed to dismantling these biases and fostering true inclusion through business advocacy. By empowering minority voices, I plan to bridge the gap between Covington’s tourist-driven image and the need for modern, equitable social progress. While attending a diverse high school, I saw firsthand how stereotypes (specifically that Black women are "loud," "obnoxious," or "ratchet") are systematically used to undermine Black excellence. I realized these unfair treatments weren't just relics of the past, they are ingrained in the community's daily culture. Instead of accepting this, I chose to use my voice and my passion for business to advocate for change. Currently, I am actively challenging these stereotypes within my school environment. I use my leadership roles to ensure diverse perspectives are heard and to foster a more supportive atmosphere for minority students. I have learned to turn difficult conversations into opportunities for learning and growth. After college, I plan to elevate this advocacy by starting a personal initiative to promote economic and social inclusion in communities like Covington. My goal is to collaborate with local business leaders to create mentorship programs and internship opportunities that empower minority youth. By fostering economic independence and professional excellence, I believe I can effectively counter the harmful stereotypes that affect my community, while continuing on my personal journey to work in human resources. I also want to expand from my personal endeavors into my professional career, allowing a place for employees to contact and engage with higher-ups about a certain issue they are facing without worry of discrimination or fear of being unheard. Utilizing my interpersonal expertise, I strive to extend these skills not only into my workplace but personal endeavors. Specifically, in my future HR role, I aim to bridge the gap between entry-level staff and leadership by implementing transparent communication. These initiatives will ensure that every individual, regardless of their background, feels safe to voice concerns. By acting as a mediator who understands the nuances of systemic bias, I will transform corporate culture from the inside out, making the workplace an inclusive community, just like the one I am building in Covington. Ultimately, I want to bridge the divide within my community, transforming it into a place that welcomes tourists and is genuinely equitable and inclusive for all residents. I am dedicated to pushing back against discrimination and supporting my community's growth, ensuring that diversity is celebrated rather than prejudiced.