A myth commonly told to incoming high school students is that the only years that count are your last two years of school. However, when I was a freshman, I remember talking to the current senior at my school, and they told me something that has stuck with me throughout my entire high school experience: “When you look back as a senior, are you gonna feel proud of what you’ve done with your time?” Now that I have graduated, I can fully understand her words. I chose to make the most out of every year of high school, and that is what I am choosing to do in college. Graduating high school is not something everyone will be able to experience, and college is an opportunity that not everyone will be able to have, so being able to have a higher education after high school is not something I take lightly. This fall, I will be attending the Xavier University of Louisiana. Attending an HBCU is an honor, considering they have a history of opening doors for so many black students; gaining a higher education from Xavier will open the door to many educational and occupational opportunities and allow me to develop crucial skills beyond graduation. Many people have sacrificed to get me to events, programs, and college applications, so I must make the most of the opportunities I have worked hard for. By going to college, I will sharpen skills such as academic discipline, professionalism, global thinking, and teamwork, all crucial within the working world, and allow me to continue to serve people through my work. I aspire to be a quality journalist who can tell stories that those silenced cannot. I love to write, research, and connect with people from different walks of life. Ethical research and writing are essential skills, especially in today’s digital world. While AI is an emerging technological advancement, it has yet to be perfect. I believe that researchers and journalists are as important in society as a doctor; while doctors are here to help maintain the health of our bodies, credible journalists and researchers are here to help nourish the health of our society. With widespread misinformation in the media and irresponsible online “journalism,” many people have positions on topics that are not as thoroughly researched. With Xavier being a top college for journalism, learning at Xavier will allow me to grow to become a credible journalist. My parents have saved for my college education, but with two siblings, and the cost of living in the Bay Area, it isn’t enough to cover an out-of-state education. I believe Xavier is the learning environment that will help my path to success. I have worked hard and prayed hard for this opportunity, and I know that this scholarship is a resource that will help me succeed.

One of my earliest birthday memories was seeing The Princess and the Frog. It came out around my fourth birthday, so my mother took me to watch the movie. In The Princess and the Frog, a spoiled frog prince meets a hardworking woman and promises her a restaurant in return for a favor-kiss him. However, because she was not an actual princess, the magic backfired and caused her to become a frog too! During their adventure to become human again, they fall in love and live happily ever after. While I loved the movie then because of the songs and characters, I love it now because of its breakthrough in the representation of young black girls. Many movies oversexualize or portray young black girls as aggressive, but The Princess and the Frog contradicted that narrative. Princess Tiana was kind, hardworking, and humble, a character that had yet to have brown skin be the vessel. While several movies and cartoons included black girls as the main characters, there were still several hidden stereotypes. In cartoons such as The Proud Family, the girls with darker skin tones were way more aggressive, masculinized, or sexualized in some way--while lighter complexions were respected and treated gentler. Not only was this narrative portrayed in TV shows, but believed in real life. Princesses were kind, intelligent, honorable, and beautiful. Black girls could not be princesses. I have always been told that I am beautiful by family and friends, but when I got into more diverse schools, I realized that not everyone agreed. So many times, I have been told I looked like a boy, my hair was ugly, and asked why I was so “aggressive.” I had things thrown into my afro and told that I didn't "fit the look” for a part in the school play. I never realized the effect these instances had on me because I was sure that I was tough enough to handle it, but I learned that while it never affected how I treated other people, it greatly impacted how I treated myself. I started to describe myself as “feisty,” stopped wearing my afro, and never joined another school play again. By the time I was 14 years old, I had learned to unlove myself. In 2019, it was announced that Halle Bailey was to play Ariel in the live-action Little Mermaid. All over my social media feed, I kept seeing the horrible trend of “#Notmyariel.” A beautiful and talented woman-and people could not get past her skin color. I was angry. I was upset because of how they treated Halle, but mainly because I realized I had treated myself the same way. I destroyed the positive image I used to have of myself and allowed others' negative views to take their place. However, in 2020, a beautiful amount of love came from this movie announcement too. I saw so many videos of little black girls whose eyes lit up when they saw Halle’s face on their TV screens. Those little black girls did not care about her talent: they just saw someone who looked like them-a princess that looked like them. Despite all the hatred I have received from myself and others, what Halle has done for those little black girls, is what The Princess and the Frog did for me; it made me believe that I was a princess.