Coming from a low income household has shown me that not all material things matters. That family is the most important thing as well as building a community of people that are supportive and loving. Growing up I watched my mom and step dad work long hours to support six kids and it was still a struggle. Now that I am an adult, I think about the times where we had no lights or water and it makes me thankful that I can use those times as reminders to always be thankful for the life I have now. I also see how hard it is being an adult with mouths to feed and the toll of not having a degree or strong career path can take on one's livelihood. I also recognize the chance I have to use this scholarship to move forward with my career goals. My interests have only grown so much so that I cannot deny myself the chance to get an education. I plan on using my words and challenges to bring forth the struggles many other low income families face, especially today. There are many low income families and single parents who are dealing with a lot and securing an education will revert these circumstances. For me this call to action is the first step to gaining financial stability and freedom. I am currently looking to enroll back into school with a plan of studying journalism and mass communications. I am also seeking knowledge from free courses offered online. This will ensure that I am constantly learning and growing into my craft. I am looking into finding like minded individuals who will mentor me as I take this leap of faith. Continuing my education is the most important when achieving my goals.

My name is LaShawn, I am from Lorain, OH a city just minutes from Cleveland. I've spent most of my life here but when I was younger, my family and moved to Louisville, KY. I am 31 years old and I'm a pround auntie. There have been plenty of moments that have tested my soul. Many moments that I've needed to be accountable but hadnt. During the last ten years or so of my life has been a learning experience that has brought me to where I am now. I think about my past and how it has shaped my present, so much so that I wanted to go back to school. I wanted to declare that I would get back on track and realize my dreams of being my best self. I'd spent most of my time in the wrong spaces and places and energies doing harm to my mental health. I'd felt like I was living a lie and that didn't sit right with me. Recently I'd lost my brother to suicide and I'm honestly still in shock. My world got much smaller since then it's defining. This great loss taught me that life is too short to be anything other than myself. So I made a choice to turn my life around and too hold myself accountable for all of my past mistakes. I found that my life was worth more than just settling for less than what I deserve. I realized that I was gaining a victim mentality and that was not what I was meant for. I wake up everyday and and remind myself that nothing should make me so down that I choose my worst self. I hold myself accountable by being grateful for the waking up. The chance to do better is always up to me and it has changed my way of living for the better. I take time to acknowledge my emotions so that I will not project onto others. I also use my past as a way to not go down those paths again. After making these changes, I have been able to succeed in ways I never thought I could. Including pursuing a college education. Honoring myself and that little child that once had dreams to reach. This scholarship will fully ensure that my goals will be obtained because I know who I am and I continue to work towards her. Holding myself to a standard has elevated me in many ways than one and I am so excited to continue my journey.

From the age of eleven I knew I always wanted to cook. My first meal was a chicken and rice dish and as soon as I finished preparing it, i knew i'd found my calling. In that moment the passion, the creativity was flowing and it made my heart feel free. Since then I've come to love the art of cooking and the expression it provided. After high school I followed my dreams and pursued culinary training. I went to a vocational school and gained a culinary arts certification but it was only the starting point for my success. I took some time off to work, but that didn't stop my dream of cooking. This decision to continue my education is important to me because I want to achieve the highest point in my life, professionally. Being able to gain knowledge for something I love is the best way I can show my love. I love to feed people but I also love to eat. Cooking has given me a sense of creativity and joy that continues to grow within me. This scholarship can impact my future more than anything. With this scholarship I can further pursue my passions and maintain my joy. Being able to be put in a position to gain more training in my field will solidify my career moving forward. This scholarship will help me reach many others who love food just as much as I do. Being able to share my craft with others who also feel the same is one of the reasons why I do what I do. To be able to connect with fellow foodies is a community I want to be apart of and this scholarship will help me attain that goal. I have so many ideas and skills that I want to achieve through this scholarship opportunity that will set the tone for the remainder of my college career. To be constant about my goal of finishing culinary school will be a dream reached in my life and being able. After I finish my training, I plan on working towards owning my own small business. That way I can not only share my food with my others, but use food to unify my community. I have spent so much time on my culinary career and now I get to flourish in my true passion, that will take me to new heights.

The loss of a close family member is never easy. The world almost seems to get smaller and more quiet after that person passes on. For me, I didn't realize losing my brother was something I'd ever experience especially at such a young age. He had his while life ahead of him and to not see that realized was the thing that hurt the most. Now I have the memory of him but it's not the same. I think I'll just miss the moments we could've had as we got older. Since losing him, I feel like I hadn't changed but was also moving into a routine of living life without his presence. I've spent the past five years since his passing trying to focus my energy on creating a healthier mental head space for myself and its been hard. I'm human so making mistakes is inevitable but to not stop and grief my brother was the one thing that I found hard to do. I couldn't keep moving the same way that I had, being complacent, hanging onto my old self for someone else's benefit. I had to make a change. So I began thinking about where I wanted to be and not where I had been. I got into counseling and found that I didn't have to be strong all the time. I didn't have to react and allow certain narratives to continue to run my life. I also didn't have to keep busy, I could stop and cry. I could stop and think about him with understanding that he lost his battle with mental health. I had to also understand that on some level there was nothing I could do about they, except grieve. The other day I think I realized that he may have been my best friend at one time. He was my little brother and the baby of the family so losing him will always feel like I took a huge L. Now my fight is to survive and not let my mental over take me so much that I can't live anymore. I want to solidify myself as an individual by pursuing my education so that I can overcome my own struggles. I'm fighting to disprove not only my past self but to also disprove my own self harming beliefs. To be constant and aware is what I'm fighting for. To be whole so that I can help others that need it the most. My brother has widened so much within me and his legacy will continue to love in my memories and in my heart. His loss has opened this idea that I can do the very things I want to do in life and not let anything slow me down. He also helped to realize that there is nothing wrong with speaking up and acknowledging the pain I feel. It's ok to talk to someone and it's ok to not be ok.

My favorite Netflix watch would have to be The Witcher. This series is a adaptation of a popular video game about other worldly creatures. Staring Henry Cavill, the Witcher has everything I'm looking for when it comes to my watch list. Drama, fantasy, dry humor and combat, this series captures the essence of a fantasy ride. I would recommend this show to anyone that is looking for the same genre I am and I would not steer you wrong, especially when it comes to TV and pop culture. The Witcher is about a hunter named geralt who is entwined to a princess with great power. He is hers and she is his due to his involvement with her parents. After the girls grandparents die and the town is taken, geralt must protect her from many enemies that come their way. He also meets a mage named yennifer who becomes involved with gearlt and the young princess in the battle of good and evil. Now I've never played the game before, much less heard of it until I began watching this show but let me express how much this show stands on its own. You wouldn't need any background knowledge in order to enjoy the thrill that is the witcher. The writing is good and the stunt work is amazing. I love a good fight scene, so if you do as well this the show to watch. Not to mention the cast plays off of each other very well and will make you root for them. I love the world building that this shows encapsulates. This series makes you want to invest in the relationships of the characters and care deeply about their fight. Let's not forget the subtle hints of humor that keeps the show light but still funny. With so much to see on Netflix, the streaming can become over saturated with endless content, so the fact that this series stuck out to me was something I loved the most. I loved the idea of the fantasy genre taking over all platforms of TV and this one is on the tip of my list. This show will draw you in and make you want to experience all the adventure that is the Witcher. I would rate this show a 9 out of 10 for drama, fantasy, fun and good TV. I'm glad that Netflix has chosen to make this specific adaptation into a show and give streamer more options with their viewing.

overcoming adversity is an ongoing experience. I've dealt with life just as anyone else and one thing I've noticed is that it does get easier. To spend time in that space is a crime to yourself and for me, I thought I had to accept that. Then I looked up and realized that I was letting my life pass me by until I started to see myself as I truly am, that was when I started to overcome. I worked up the nerve to talk to someone about my past struggles and she helped me begin to move forward with my life. I stopped seeing myself the way others did and enrolled back in college to pursue my dreams. I found my voice again despite the hardships that life gave me. I am constantly doing the work on myself to heal and rise from the generational curse that lurks over me. I wish to help my community reach financial freedom, not just for themselves but for future families to come. I wish to supply low-income families with the necessary resources they need to thrive. Many families in my community are on government assistance but still struggle to make ends meet from the lack of high-paying jobs and now inflation. we are entering another financial crisis and my community is seeing those effects. I wish to become more involved in my community by working at various establishments that are tailored to helping those in lead in the area. I like to cook so making hot meals are a great service I want to provide as I love feeding people. During the winters, they can get pretty cold, so being able to provide bulk winter clothing for families is something I think about doing in the future too. I also wanted to start a group where we come together to network with other individuals who have the knowledge to give to others who are looking to create businesses or just looking for a listening ear in this time of hardship. I seek to bring together my community and offer my hand as a way to heal not just myself but my people. Letting them know that the community is seen and heard and will not be left behind by this everchanging world we live in. I look forward to finding numerous ways of helping not only myself overcome but the people of my community as well. I believe that reaching out is the best way to sustain my community and its future.

My dream version of my future self is a successful healthy, educated American woman living a fulfilling life.

My wildest dreams are to work in the entertainment industry. Behind the scenes I would get to see the ins and outs of how music, movies and even how the news production works. I've always loved watching pop culture and to be apart of that world even in a small way is a big dream of mine. Music and anything artistic is something that I've always gravitated towards and to be able to pursue an education along the lines of that profession is great. Attaining a degree in journalism and mass communications is the best way I can understand the totality of making my dreams come true. Not only that but this degree will encompass many interests I have in said field, so I could be in oublic relations, or even an account exec. I could be a multi faceted individual in this specific field. I can play out my life the way I would if I were in a movie. My dream career may sound crazy to some, but I've learned that I have massive potential and the heart to go for it. I have my pen to write informative stories that represent today's issues whilst also keeping journalistic integrity. I have always been a big dreamer though its taken me some time to act on them. I am understanding that I cannot miss out on them. I cannot deny that I see myself experiencing this career field for many reasons than one. I feel I have been preparing myself based of my interest in writing. Music, art, pop culture and entertainment. Getting that feeling from hearing a new song or reading a culturally moving article is something that had been ingrained in my mind for many years. It is my guilty pleasure and making it a reality is something I am going to fight hard for. So far I'm only in my first semester and I am incredibly hopeful of my future endeavors. I am closer to my dream of making someone feel the same way I did when it comes to this profession but through writing or music. I noticed that the media is a place that can influence many and to be able to reach people is important to the human experience. I get to realize my reality is in within reach and that makes me incredibly hopeful that I can live out my dreams of gaining a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communications.

Since middle school I began to enact my plans to pursue further education, but coming from a household that was less than safe left me feeling unworthy of attaining my dreams and moving forward with my life. I grew up alone with not much emotional support, so there wasnt a time where i felt that i could be a college graduate. I gave up on goals after being broken down by mental health and lack of resources. Still i remained somewhat confident that i could make it to college, so i went to a voxational whee i would gain a certification in culinary arts. But i began to lose my passion for cooking and spent the last ten years i moving through life as shell of a person, not following my gut. Now at 30 years old and back in school, I never thought that achieving the goal of a college degree could be within my reach. Those dreams unfortunately had died so much so, I remained drained by the stresses of the world and lost my way. I also began to see that as a black woman in America, we are the most unprotected creatures here, but also strong, independent and resilient. After years of have a lackluster experience, the death of my brother and me feeling silenced, I've come to an epiphany that I was smart enough to return to school and become a success. I am pursuing my dream of becoming a journalism and mass communications major and for the first time in a long time I am excited. Impatient but excited. Coming back into myself and realizing my power was the most freeing feeling that I am be proud of. I am proud to make a change within myself after recognizing that I am a real breathing person with rich spirit. I have the strength of knowledge by my side and that has been keeping me. Now coming to the end of my first semester of school, I have been awakened to the possibility of my career becoming a reality. I get to wake up everyday and make time for what's right, despite the disparities of the world. I am looking toward my future after understanding that I have all the time to live in my truth and flourish. I am a constant reminder that I can be anything I want to and that my dreams had never left me. My choice to return to school was because I wanted more for myself. I wanted to show myself what o could do if I put my mind to it. I came to the conclusion that there isn't anything I can't come back from. Going back to school has inspired me to take the power back into my life and hold myself accountable. My choice to pursue a college degree has restored my light, my spirit to bet on myself. Thank you.

There are many reasons why I am a non-traditional student. I am 29 and I just re enrolled back into college. I am a African American woman with a lack of support on her side. But also I am a statistic. I come from a broken home where there wasn't much going for myself, hence why I didn't think I could gain a college degree. I often find myself struggling mentally and needing a shoulder to lean on. I get down but somehow I continue to get back up. I've come to realize in my almost 30 years that I have power. My power of being a woman can empower others to do the same for themselves. I get to discover more about myself through having a college experience and I get to gain more knowledge about the world and to me that starts with education. My ignorance has been with me for so long, I actually believed them. Instead I let limiting stereotypes hinder my mind and I became stuck. Now I can see how smart and strong I am. I cam see the light beyond the darkness. With my degree I hope to encourage those that come after me to reach for the highest attempt at a better life. I want to do so because I know what's its like to not have a solid support system. I know how it feels to be alone. What drives me is my need for self preservation. Basic human nature to want to evolve or die. I cannot allow myself to continue the ways in which I thought and acted. I can no longer stomach limiting beliefs. What drives me is my past struggle and how I was around the wrong people, places, and things. I was being manipulated into being a lesser version of myself by everyone in my life and it was stressful. So when I got away from those spaces I began to see how amazing I was and started to resonate with that. I spoke truth to power and have been gaining the strength to continue knowing that. My resilience has also kept me going. The fact that I've sold myself out on my dreams and goals for most of my young life has been a driving force of not allowing negative things move me. Staying focused and maintaining my truth is what drives me. Gaining my degree will ensure that.

Thinking about America and what it means to be an American is an honor. The freedom and allotment to wake up everyday and pursue my dreams is something I am grateful for. I get to be myself in a country that prides itself on individuality. This country began with a fight to maintain the idea that we don't follow a monarchy, we follow ourselves. Since this began we have established our a ourselves as a place that anyone can migrate to so we can have the opportunity to grow. Starting businesses and sharing our experience with a different demographic is what it means to be American. For me I get to rise above the norm and gain the right to speak my truth and to also uplift others. The kind of change America represents is something many humans want to obtain. We are seen as a place where you can belong to a melting pot of cultural significance and share yours as well. Americans love to come together and fight for what's right and I love being apart of that. One change I want to see in this country is to allow the minority of this country truly be free. This means allowing our people to make the decisions instead of falling for government control. We Americans have a voice that can stretch beyond our shores, but we are constantly fighting our neighbors. Police brutally is at an all time high and so is lack of gun control laws. I and many other Americans have a voice that needs to be heard and I want to highlight that. We Americans need to change how we see our own so that we can fight the true enemy. So that we can save our planet. Being a black American I see alot of what my white counter part may not. The lack of equality is extremely off balance and economically we are stunted. We have come from broken homes that has been implemented into our laws since before my mother was even thought of. Given that information I see that even though America is paved in gold, we still have blood along those streets. I want to change the way America see other Americans and future ones that come. I want to fight hard by exposing the truth and shinning a light of the ones that are trying to succeed their ancestors before them.

I think my passions have never escaped me. I've always known who I was and what I wanted but never felt worthy of them. I remember falling in love at the age of 11 but upon meeting him again I came to realize that my inner child wasn't healed. So how could I love another when I couldn't even love myself enough to see my own worth. The strees of life constantly bothered me. Being around the wrong places and spaces, I didn't think that I could surpass those narratives. The hope for my future, my reputation and my spirit was at stake. Recently I started seeing a therapist and not for my childhood trauma but for the mental anguish I later struggled with. Like the suicide of my brother, my failed relationship with my childhood sweetheart and the lack of emotional support I had, I spent many years isolated and alone. I spent that time taking on someones negatively as my own and cultivated a more toxic tone. I became someone I didn't even recognize. Still I managed to stay resilient and trying to maintain. I realized that I wasn't crazy, I wasn't stupid and all the things my therapist told me was inside me all along. Now I have the right tools to cope with my mental health. Currently I struggle with ptsd and before I had no idea that I could even experience that without have being in the military. Now I can deal with my diagnosis whilst continuing to move closer to my purpose. I'm not as weighed down and it is bearable. My goals in life are still there, gaining an education, traveling, having the life I feel I am worthy of seems to be within my grasp. Even though that took time, I am confident that my why is becoming stronger. I have goals of being a writer and a voice to many marginalized individuals like me. To me that's starts with mental health. The brain is so convincing but if you train your mind, nothing will penetrate it. I've been not so lucky in that department but my mission in life has never left my soul. I plan on being free from the mental constraints. I plan on overcoming the generational curse that has plagued my being. That its my choice and I wake up everyday in hopes that if I fall down, I can get right back up.

I didn't realize that I felt so strongly about social issues until I got older. I started noticing how the economic status of black Americans was far less then their white counter parts. Even growing up, I didn't know that I was effected. That I grew up disenfranchised and poor. I watched my parents struggle to make ends meet. I spent most of my life on government assistance and since inflation, I have been regressing back to that time. I thought I was supposed to overcome? Make it out and do better than my parents but sometimes things don't go as planned. Despite all of that, I am also grateful that I have a roof over my head, food to eat and transportation. Many people don't even have clean water to drink or warm clothes but still manage to smile on their worst day. That's why I think we need to stand up in order to change the social issues, not just in America but all over the world. Spreading the wealth. Volunteering our time to lift one another up from the struggle. Creating generational wealth and establishing that if we can come together to fight a greater evil, then we can save the good. We can be very wasteful here in America, so why are we not donating food and other resources to compensate for the lack of support many others lack. From making time to spread love and a helping hand, we need a call to action in order to get others involved in just caring about someone else's misfortune. Highlighting the needs of others would create a place of empathy so much so that will start a chain reaction of kindness that stretches across world. Another way to address social issues is to appeal to young people by meeting them on their level. Social media, clothing, makeup, can influence the young minds so much so they become apart of the movement. They see how others are making content and they want to do the same. We need to use social media to further social issues. Social issues isn't just a I or you thing, its an everyone at every time issue. It is a right to express your concerns about the state of our wellbeing if we do not address social issues. Peaceful protesting and making time to show up for someone is also showing up for yourself.

My experience with mental health has greatly affected my beliefs, relationships and career aspirations. I spent most of my life being Paralyzed in fear. From childhood trauma to character defamation, the relationships that I've had with my family and "friends" has dwindled. I spent many years isolated and alone, afraid to make real connections and when I tried, nothing felt right. I even changed my beliefs and way of thinking to satisfy those around me. I thought if I were modest and agreeable that, that wasn't a big deal, but when I was by myself I realized it felt like I had just experienced more trauma. More abuse from someone who was also hurting. As of today my beliefs have changed. I can no longer stomach those energies. I can no longer handle the low vibrations I or anyone else puts out there. Then it made me think that I was not supposed to be this mentally disrupted. Now I believe that my heart is worthy of love and compassion. My body may look different but it's still worthy of being gently touched. I thought I would never succeed at college, but I've started and I love it. I love that I have a goal to reach and the belief that I can do it, has kept me going for this long. I'm amazed at the thought of what I can do. So much so my career path has also changed. For a long time I wanted to cook, that was me, but then I remembered that I only wanted to cook because of someone else giving a compliment on my cooking. Though food and the artistry of cooking is what I love, I lost my passion for it. Now I'm moving more toward entrepreneurial endeavors. Where making multiple streams of income is important for sustainability is something that I can enjoy. I also love to write and produce. I've been able to think about my place and how I fit into a career and I've always been a behind the scenes person where you see how it all operates. That is what I aspire to do. I aspire to think differently from what I had been conditioned to be. Stepping out from that labeled box and showing myself how smart and kind I am is so important to me. Especially when living in a world that can easily break you spirit and dim your light, I'm realizing that it's ok to ask for help. It's ok to say I need to speak with a professional about the mental struggles. I'm learning that taking time for yourself is much needed. I'm happy to know that I am overcoming my personal mental health struggles.

Ove the past year I have grown so much. Recently I started working on my mental health by going to therapy. I had so much to unpack and not just from the past year but from many years. From childhood trauma to defamation of character, I have experienced the worst of what the world had to offer. All of these experiences have prompted me to seek help that was sure to heal my broken spirit. I had to go through a time that was very dark for me but I became more resilient through it all. I became a stronger person mentally and emotionally to a point where I realized I had that strength in me the whole time. I think that's the one thing that hasn't changes was my heart. I was able to see clear the moment I started to understand that I am able to grow and learn from my mistakes. I was able to enjoy my company fully and not be swayed by negative thoughts and energies. What I learned in this journey of self discovery is that am worthy of the best that life has to offer. I am good enough to pursue my goals and spread love and positively in any room I entered. I was able to think before I speak and manage my time. I became more aware of myself and be mindful of what I put out into the universe. I was able to sit back and understand that not everything needs a reaction. My time is limited and I am not going to waste time on things that do not help me grow and thrive. For long I had been stagnant and the decision to change, changed me greatly. I am able to prosper in the space I possess despite the hard times. The still shines even in the darkest of times and that has kept me going. My choice to change was so important because I never I thought I could grow past a certain point in my life. That change has always been there waiting to come out and shine. Getting this scholarship would show how my life changed because I never thought I would go to college and gain further education to pursue my dreams and maybe help someone else like me to do the same. Especially in the black community we often feel unworthy of the simplest of things like going to school.

One book that transformed my life was black privilege: opportunities come to those who create it by Charlemagne the God. This book helped me to understand my place in this world not only as a woman but as a black woman. In this world and country, black people have struggled since slavery ended and even harder during the Jim crow Era. This book has shown me that my mind is important to mold and build despite these shortcomings. The impact of this book has allowed me to show what I can do in this world and how I can make a contribution to the black community and the female community. Reading black privilege was so enlightening, it showed me I have the smarts to create my own lane, my own space to grow further past my ancestors and those before me. My position to step up and answer the call to create my own opportunities starts with getting an education so I can further my chances of being successful and helping the next generation of black kids who are looking up me to show them that race and our past struggles does not stop us from pursuing an education in order to be our best self. This scholarship would greatly help me advance into that idea that opportunities do come to those that create them. This scholarship will represent the idea our fore fathers had in mind when they built this country. Not only that this book helped me put into perspective that you shouldn't worry what anyone says about you. You shouldn't let anything stop you from pursuing your dreams and elevating yourself past a point of success, whatever that may be. The knowledge in this book gave me hope that freeing yourself and make a difference in your life is so important. This book gave me the confidence to try and fail, and get back up and keep trying again. This book showed me how resilient I am and that continuing my education is the best way for me to instill the knowledge I've gained to my own kids in the near future. This book also gave the strength to be myself even in I should fall, the opportunities are endless after I read this book. The book have me an energy boost to continue to thrive and flourish and continue a higher education and thrive through adversity.