For the first time in my life, I had gone out to make a difference for my people. I marched in a Black Lives Matter protest in my hometown. Our protests ultimately led to arrests and real changes within the system. At the age of 16, I wouldn’t have thought I would have to lose my voice while yelling for rights I should already have. Fighting for my people to receive basic human rights is something I will never regret.

I am a young African-American female with aspirations of becoming a doctor. I am a hardworking honors student, AP student, and varsity athlete. I currently take four AP classes, one honors class, and am on the Cross Country team. I come from a single-parent household with six children. Having no one to help with the bills and necessities, my mother works fourteen hour shifts most days to support my family. Being the second oldest while the oldest has a kid of his own, I had to step up and take a parent-like role. While my mother is at work, I take care of my siblings. When I am not with my siblings, I am in school or working. Although my mother says I do not have to, I put most of my money towards feeding my siblings. Coming from a family that struggles financially, I try to help others as much as I can. I have joined clubs and organizations to help give back to my community. Since 2017, I have been in the TOP Club. TOP Club organizes many fundraisers as well as other events. These events help raise money for our school, donate to local businesses, and give back to our community. The club also participates in Planned Parenthood events. The past three years we have volunteered to educate young minds about safe sex, contraceptives, and what to do in certain social situations. In 2019, I participated in the World Culture Club. This club taught students, including me, about different cultures and ethnicities. Educating people about certain dishes or traditions makes you feel good. The World Culture Club made me feel as though I was a part of something much bigger than myself. Knowing my background, mindset, and ambition, I know that I am meant for something exceptional. My life goal is to become a doctor. I want to help others so that one day they can possibly do the same for someone else. In addition, I want to reach this goal to show my family and other African-Americans that it is possible. Many black students decide to not go to college or pursue their dreams because there is too small of a percentage of people with their skin tone in that field. If young black children did not feel so discouraged and doubt themselves because of their background or statistics, we could have so many beautiful black minds in high level fields. In conclusion, I feel as though I am the right applicant for this scholarship because of the ambition I possess, as well as financial issues, and my involvement in my community. There are many people who would take this scholarship and not push it as far as it can go. This scholarship can help take some pressure off of my mother and help carry me to an amazing future. My mother could worry about feeding my siblings while I worry about school. I have the drive to try to get where I say I want to be and this scholarship would definitely not be a waste if given to me.