God has, is, and will provide for me and my family, so I can say that I have been broke, but I have never been poor. Though God has always provided for me and my family, things have not always been perfect. Even though I have not always been extremely fortunate, it has shaped me into the person I am today. Throughout my life my father has always worked two to three jobs; there has never been a day in my life where my father has not worked at least two jobs. At the age of 2 years old my family was kicked out of our condominium without any reason, and we had nowhere to go, but my Dad managed to get us an apartment the same day that we were kicked out. When we got to the apartment the landlord failed to mention that the apartment was roach infested. Therefore we could not put anything in the fridge, we could not bathe, and more importantly we could barely sleep. When I was young, about 4 years old, my family did not have a car. My father would get rides to work from people at our church, and my family would get rides to church, from saints at our church. We lived in a pretty house with three bedrooms for three years straight. Out of the 3 years that we lived there my father only missed one month's rent because his job had fired him, and still they kicked out a man with three little girls and a pregnant wife. My father was then forced to get an apartment, which was fine at first, but my parents had two more girls, so there were seven people living in a two bedroom apartment for four years straight. Did I forget to mention that throughout this season my mother was a stay at home mom since she was pregnant with me, all the way up until I was 11 years old. In the year 2018 is when things looked better for my family, we moved into the house that I am currently living in right now. Both of my parents work two jobs right now and we have been able to stay afloat ever since. Watching my parents work so hard, especially my dad, just makes me want to work hard to get one job where I can take care of my future family and my parents. There are some days where I wish I was more fortunate so that I can have all of the designer things and the cool gadgets. When I think about it I am glad I did not grow up having everything that I wanted. Not having everything taught me to work hard, and to treat others better, because there are some kids who have too much, and they are extremely haughty and rude. I believe that this scholarship will help me become a help to those around me, and those who love me and could not always have what they want. It would also give me an opportunity to help people that are less fortunate than I am.

I am a 17-year-old Christian, African American girl who wants to achieve her dream and become someone who can give back to this world. Throughout my life, I have always aspired to be someone who can help others. I have always had a deep love for helping people of all ages, cultures, and races. My name is Lydia Mannah Graham, and I have been born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, and I have also been born and raised in my church, Immanuel’s Temple. I am now pressing my way to become a well-rounded Christian young adult. I believe that if I get this scholarship, I would have a pathway to achieve my goal of becoming an anesthesiologist. This would be a huge opportunity, not just for me, but for my family, considering that I would be the first person in my family to graduate from college. There are many barriers that I have to break down, as an African American young lady, and that is why I am using all of the resources that I can in order to become someone meaningful in life and in the world. I have had many opportunities to become the best version of myself. For example, I have had the opportunity and the privilege to be introduced to Jesus Christ at a young age. Knowing Christ at a young age has had a major impact on my personality, manners, and my knowledge about the world and the times that we live in. I do not have a life like most people would have had at the age of 17. I may sound a little stereotypical when I say this, but I don’t think that there are many people that can say that they have never tried drugs, never tried to drink, or never tried to have any pre-marital sex, at the age of 17, but by God’s grace and mercy, and the training of my church I have not been in any of these situations. This is not because of my own doing, but because of the training of my Pastors and my parents. God is truly my all in all and my everything, and because of his love and grace, He has shaped me to become the person that I am today. I also learned that most people do not have opportunities that I have, so if you really want a change in your life, and you want to be taught how to live for God, I recommend going to 2610 Fire Mesa in Las Vegas, NV. There is not much to know about me. I do not have a majestic story, but my story is real to me, and I believe that what is real to me will be a blessing and a witness to you. God Bless.

There is already a lasting impact that science and leadership brings to the table standing alone, due to the wisdom and charisma that both subjects bring to the world. Science takes observations and theories, and turns them into machines, apps, codes, products, medicine, etc. Leaders simply take responsibility, and launch things or ideas to the world. When science and leadership come together, it builds an empire that leads the world into the next era and transformation of the world. You would think that something like science and leadership come as a package deal, but many times it doesn’t. I believe this because leaders can be scientists, but scientists can’t be leaders. I use this statement because what you are first is what you are the most; scientists defy reality, they think unseemly, they are reckless, and they never quit on a theory that they believe in. Leaders have to think about others, they have to think about their reputation, they have to think about the next step to victory. People always remember a leader's actions, but they rely on a scientist's accomplishments. For example, people remember President Franklin Delano Roosevelt for ending the Great Depression, but people rely on Thomas Edison's creation of the light bulb. Imagine if President Roosevelt and Thomas Edison were one person, the world would be far above what it already is today. Science and History have always been seen as two subjects that have never been in the same boat. Science and History are the future of this world, in order to make greater things in the future, you have to look in the past to see how great the future can be. You can only go further from the past. Science is not just a statement of insanity, and leadership is not just a smothering of creativity. When these two things combine together it creates power that can't be duplicated.

There are many accomplishments that you can make throughout life, you can become a doctor, a lawyer, entrepreneur, a singer, or even the president of the United States. All of these wonderful accomplishments, from the smallest to the largest, they all have one thing in common, and that is a teacher. Teachers are more valuable than gold and silver, because they are literally feeding the future with knowledge. My Pastor always says, “What you write upon a child’s heart, can never be erased,’ whether it be good or bad. Having a good teacher teaches you how to grow properly, and they help you become the person that you are today. Many people forget many things, their phone, keys, relatives, groceries, but no one will ever forget a good teacher. There are many people that have lived many decades, and they don’t even really know who they are themselves, but they remember their teacher. All teachers are important, because they have a great responsibility and opportunity to leave a legacy on this earth through the next generation. Famous people have gotten up to make speeches, and one of the people that they acknowledged was their teacher, and I have also seen people get up and make a speech, and they say how terrible their teacher treated them. I attend a Christian private school, that is K-12, so I have had every single teacher in the school now. They have all been good teachers, and they are still good teachers, but there is one teacher that opened my eyes to a whole new world, and her name Mrs. Camille Motley. Mrs. Motley has been my teacher now for 6 years, she teaches the junior high, and high school students. She was and is the prescription glasses that were needed in order for me to see how much potential God gave me. I did not always see her in this way, she was like every other teacher to me, until she taught me Chemistry. In 10th grade, she taught Chemistry, and I experienced this great awakening and new love for science. I had never felt smart in my life, and it's not like I didn’t have decent grades, because my GPA has ever been below a 3.0. When she taught Chemistry, she taught so well that I truly believe that a 1st grader could understand it. There was never a subject that I just loved, even if it was a subject that I was good at, I didn’t love it. I finished both semesters with an A in Chemistry. At first, I was afraid to do Chemistry, because everyone before me, or older than me, acted as if it were the hardest subject that ever lived. When Mrs. Motley took her time and poured knowledge into me, I finally felt good enough, and smart enough. Even though I am not as smart as my other two classmates, I felt like I had value. Others had told me that I was smart before for many years, but she is the only teacher that made me believe it. When you ask me, what teacher has had a major impact in my life, my first answer will be Mrs. Motley not just because she decided to get up and her job, but because she imparted something into me. I am now 17 years old, and I have found my career choice, my major, and I found the genius in me because of her. I will forever be in debt to Mrs. Motley, because she truly did write something on my heart that could never be erased.

Why Can’t Time Tell Me Where Time can tell you what you are Time can remind you who’s been there Time can remember a scar Time can tell you why things weren’t fair Time can tell you how you were right Time can tell you how you were wrong Time can reveal what has come to light But, time can never tell you where you belong If time can tell us anything Then life should be perfect But because time truly knows nothing This world remains imperfect You may think that time has all knowledge But it is truly just a traitor Time will leave you in your own bondage Unless it be tamed by its Creator Time has power But it is limited by what has been given Time knows the seconds, the minutes, and hours And he knows who you haven’t forgiven People can tell you where you should be Circumstances can tell you where you should have been Time can tell you who to be But it can’t tell you if it will work out in the end Time can share millenniums of knowledge It can tell you, who you are, and what belongs to you How you got it, and why you need self-knowledge But he cannot tell you where all of these things are made new I have a hint of where Just think about who makes all things new And you if you know who, then you know where And if you know where, you know that time has know control over His plane for you