"I'm not only here to change lives. I'm here to save them." Three years ago, I developed this mantra for myself while sitting at the back of a hotel ballroom waiting for advice from my mentor. I had always feared choosing the wrong career pathway, but hearing them speak about finding my "why" had finally lit a fire inside of my soul. The more I'd pressed into my hopes, dreams, and passions, the more I realized that helping people was one of the primary sources of joy in my life. I currently work in higher education as a means of helping to support others in reaching their goals in education and figure out their career pathways. However, my long-term vision is to open a career counseling center in the future in my hometown of Yonkers, NY. To achieve this goal, I am currently searching for programs to sharpen my skills in student development, coaching, and counseling. To make my dreams more of a reality, I recently applied to seven different schools for student affairs and higher education. Ideally, I would like my course load to include courses on law, policy, equity, student development, and career counseling to best help students achieve their version of success. At the same time, I've been researching different online programs for life coaching & counseling as a means to supplement the education I'd receive from a master's degree. Overall, I hope that I can synthesize my resulting knowledge from these programs to become more effective in aiding students with developing action steps to succeed in their lives. This grant would not just change my life, but to change the lives of any others I would help.

If I told you who my role model was...would you believe me? Would it grab your attention and make your heart swell? Would you scoff out of disgust or assume a cliche? Or would it simply pique your curiosity? I ask this question because I have seen all reactions first-hand: Bursts of excitement and friendship from strangers As well as explosions of vitriol and condescension from friends. My role model is Jesus Christ. I was raised in a household where knowing God was a family affair. Contrary to what members of my church might think, I wasn’t the most committed Christian child. While I believed that Jesus was real as a child, I mostly treated my faith as an extra responsibility - not really something I was blessed to have. The moments that would tip the scales were miracles others would deem as luck. From my mother cheating death in a car accident with a snowplow in 2005 to my father survived cancer for 11 years untreated until he passed away in 2009, those events stick out as acts of God. I ultimately decided to follow and model my life after Jesus during my first year at college amidst an epiphany on who Jesus really was. The more time I spent reading the Bible, to more I saw Jesus as the perfect role model for humanity. While that statement in itself is controversial, just about every scripture I studied regarding Jesus showed him as a prime example in leadership, love, morals, and values. In John 13:13-17 for example, Jesus demonstrates servant leadership by washing the feet of his disciples and telling them - even as Lord and Teacher - “no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.” Scriptures like this have motivated me to dedicate my life to serving others in a way that highlights their own strengths, talents, and significance. These examples have also motivated me to pursue a career in student affairs, as each conversation and program allows me to help support student growth and recognition of their own potential. Jesus also inspires me to be like him in the way he deals with temptation and challenges to his power. Matthew 4:1-11 of the Bible recounts the story of Jesus being tempted by the Devil for 40 days and nights. What sticks out to me the most from this passage is the importance of self-discipline to not be swayed by distractions, including material things, activities, and people. In my own life, this has led me to commit to improving my health. This has also helped me stay focused on balancing my work, family, friendships, music, and other important commitments. What I also see as important throughout this passage is that each temptation is fully within Jesus’s ability as both Lord and the son of God - ranging from providing himself food and saving himself from a fall if he were to throw himself off a cliff. However, Jesus's rejection of the Devil also provides a lesson of not abusing power. In my life, this lesson has translated to not lashing out in anger, violence, or acting in pettiness in response to others attempting to provoke me in both my personal and professional life. In other words, just because one has the power to do something, it does not make it right. It is this exact principle that is taken to the extreme upon Jesus's death. The most admirable aspect of Jesus’s life was the way that he died - true sacrificial love. The story of Jesus's crucifixion to cleanse the sins of the world serves as the pinnacle of selflessness. Once again, it also shows the importance of how one uses power at their disposal. The fact that each account of Jesus’ last moments in the garden of Gethsemane and dying on the cross include Jesus accepting his fate while also in fear and pain shows extreme discipline, compassion, and altruism. As a leader, this moment serves as a reminder of the importance of self-sacrifice and love. Throughout my life, I’ve tried to embody this lesson through intentional acts of compassion. This has ranged from donating my paycheck to help a family struggling to pay for their child’s education to risking failing my finals to support a friend experiencing suicidal ideations. While neither of these situations was glamorous, I would make the same choices again if it meant helping another person. If you were to ask me how I identify myself, I would first name Jesus as the definer of my identity before my masculinity, race, or class. To paraphrase the words of my former mentor: "If everything about Jesus turns out false, then worst-case scenario one would still live a good life." However, if everything Jesus ever said was true, it changes everything. While some may disagree, I know that holding Jesus as a role model was the most significant decision of my life. Not only has following his example led me to pursue servant leadership through student affairs, but it has also made me a more compassionate and disciplined person.

During my first year singing with Shades, I sang backup for international artist Angelique Kidjo and went on tour to Hong Kong, Macau, and Zhu Hai. The next year, we sang at the 2015 March of Resilience following student activism regarding race and gender on campus, and later that year sang for the National Security Council. However, the most “bold” moment was performing at the Helping Up Mission in Baltimore. They support men and women recovering from drugs, alcohol, poverty, and homelessness. By the time we finished singing, I was in tears from how grateful I was to be there.

To me, education has always been a gateway to changing the world. Through K-12, colleges, and trade school environments alike, educators put their best foot forward at engaging with students to develop the leaders of the next generation. Working as a Student Affairs professional, I have been fortunate enough to witness the transformation of students into passionate, compassionate, and confident leaders. I’ve found that in educational settings, experiences outside the classroom can be just as formative as ones inside. Above all else though, I believe that getting the most out of one’s education requires intentionality and investment to actively choose to grow. As a lifelong learner, I understand that dedication is necessary to truly grow from education. Despite the pressure from family and friends to go directly into graduate school after receiving my Bachelor’s degree, I ultimately chose to forgo that pathway to make sure I had certainty on my next career goal to not waste time or money. Since working in education allows me to help others discover their full potential, I chose to start work in student affairs. Receiving hands-on experience in advising students and developing programming as a program coordinator provided the confirmation I needed that higher education was the right field for me. With that knowledge in mind, I hope to start a graduate program in higher education or student affairs in Fall 2021 to continue pursuing my goals. In the interim between now and starting my master’s program, educational resources have still had a major impact on my personal development. Professionally, I have attended workshops from organizations such as Academic Impressions and attended Student Affairs conferences to help develop my experience with making data-driven decisions, learn about how to create food insecurity resources for the New York Institute of Technology, and foster meaningful community amidst the pandemic. Additionally, this past year I’ve volunteered to take part in our institution’s LinkedIn Learning subscription for professional development. While this has helped in my professionalism and organization mostly, I’ve also used my downtime to explore resources for marketing and entrepreneurship to get started on my future goals of starting a nonprofit focused on career development. Within my personal life, this year has also afforded me the time to take courses and subscribe to memberships online for improving my singing abilities and my understanding of worship according to the Christian faith. Even amidst a year of so much unknowing, I find truth in the phrase “20/20 Vision” with regards to the clarity it has brought on what’s important. The additional time to myself provided by the pandemic has confirmed not only my passion to help others to become the best version of themselves, but also the skills I need to get there. To me, education is and always will be a necessity to improve the way I serve others every day.

Song: Mystery by Taytro This song and the subsequent playlist is inspiring because it details the relationship between me and my identity: an ongoing conversation between my Christian faith, my Blackness, and music. Within that dynamic, there is love, there is a passion to succeed, and there is a need for healing from my own faults and the judgment of the world. However, staying focused on God's love, grace and mercy have transformed me again and again. I will continue to shine my own light with authenticity and compassion to help make the world a better place.