I’ve had a single mother since I was born, since my parents were never married. My dad has been in my life, but he’s never really been a consistent father figure. For most of my life, it was just me and my mom. Because it was only the two of us, our relationship didn’t feel distant or structured in a traditional parent-child way. It was very close, almost like we were always in each other’s world. I saw a lot more than most kids probably do. I saw the stress behind the scenes, the quiet moments when things were hard, and the way she would still show up every day like nothing could slow her down. Even when things weren’t going well, she never really made it feel like I had to carry that weight too, but I still noticed it. I also grew up with a very real sense that it was just us figuring life out together. There wasn’t really anyone else consistently in that picture. My dad was more like someone I could talk to, but my mom was the one handling everything that actually shaped my life day to day. That made our bond really strong, but it also meant there wasn’t much separation between “kid” and “adult” in the way I experienced life at home. As I got older, especially in my teenage years, that closeness turned into a lot of conflict. We clashed a lot, mostly because we knew each other so well. When you only have one parent, there’s nowhere for frustration to really go, so it all comes out in that one relationship. We argued, we misunderstood each other, and sometimes it felt like we were just too similar to get along. But even in those moments, I never doubted that she was on my side. There were also moments growing up where I felt what I didn’t have. Holidays stood out the most. Thanksgiving, in particular, could feel quiet in a way that’s hard to explain. Our family is small, and most of our relatives live out of state, so it was often just the two of us. I would sometimes notice what other families had and wonder what that would feel like, especially when I was younger and didn’t really understand why things were the way they were. When I left for college, something shifted in how I saw everything. Being away made me realize how much she carried without ever asking for recognition. It also made me realize how much of my personality, habits, and way of thinking came from her, even the parts I used to argue with her about. Distance made me understand her more clearly than I ever did when I was right in front of her every day. Now, I see our relationship differently. We still argue sometimes, but it doesn’t feel the same as it used to. It feels like I’m starting to understand the intention behind everything she did, even when I didn’t agree with it in the moment. I don’t think I fully understood her until I had to start figuring life out on my own. More than anything, growing up with her taught me how to be aware of what people carry even when they don’t say it out loud. It shaped how I see responsibility, sacrifice, and love. And now, everything I’m working toward in my life is tied back to wanting to make her proud in a way that actually reflects everything she gave up and everything she handled without ever making it my burden.

Going to college, for me, has been a mix of gratitude, adjustment, and figuring things out as I go. I chose to go out of state to LSU, and that alone has made this experience feel different from what I was used to. It’s not just about classes or academics — it’s been about learning how to live in a new place, meet new people, and understand myself outside of everything familiar. At first, it felt like a big shift. Being away from home naturally forces you to become more independent, even in small ways you don’t really think about until you’re in it. Over time though, that distance has been a good thing. It’s given me space to grow into my own person and figure out what I actually care about without so much outside influence. One of the biggest parts of college for me has been the people. I didn’t realize how much I would learn just from conversations outside of class. I’ve met people who want to go into law, finance, medicine, entrepreneurship all these different paths, but with a similar drive behind them. Being around that has pushed me to think more seriously about my own goals and how I fit into the bigger picture. Even something as simple as making friends has turned into learning how different people think and what motivates them. I also try to stay grounded in the fact that I’m fortunate to be here. I’m able to attend college without the same financial pressure that a lot of students deal with, and I don’t take that lightly. Because of that, I’ve been trying to be more intentional about what I’m getting out of this experience instead of just going through the motions. I want to actually use this time in a way that builds something long-term for myself. Right now, what I’m trying to accomplish is building a future in finance where I can do more than just work in the field. I want to understand how money really affects people’s lives and eventually be in a position where I can help others make better financial decisions. That interest didn’t come out of nowhere it comes from seeing how different people’s relationships with money can be, and how much of that is tied to education and access. College is also teaching me how to navigate life in a more real sense. Things like discipline, communication, and learning how to connect with people are becoming just as important as what I’m learning in class. I can already see how the relationships I’m building now could matter later on, even if I don’t fully know what that looks like yet. Overall, college to me is a transition period. It’s not just about becoming “career ready,” but about becoming more aware, more independent, and more intentional about the direction I want my life to go in. I’m still figuring a lot of it out, but I know I’m in a place where I can build something meaningful for myself and hopefully use it to create impact beyond just my own path.

I want to make a positive impact on the world by helping people understand money in a way that actually feels useful in real life. I’m a finance student at LSU, and my interest in this didn’t start in a classroom. It started at home with my grandfather. He recently passed away from cancer, but before that, he was the one who first introduced me to investing and financial thinking. He opened my first custodial brokerage account, showed me how investing apps worked, and explained things in a way that made it feel simple instead of intimidating. Looking back, those conversations shaped a lot of how I think about money now. Over time, I started noticing that a lot of people don’t get those same kinds of early lessons. Even people close to me didn’t really understand basic things like investing, inflation, or how to build wealth over time. It made me realize how random financial knowledge can be. Some people grow up around it, and others don’t hear about it at all unless they actively seek it out later. That gap sticks with me because it affects real decisions and real futures. Because of that, I’ve become really interested in financial literacy, not just finance as a career. I want to help make money feel less confusing and less out of reach, especially for people who weren’t raised around it. I also think about this a lot in the context of the Black community, where access to financial education and long-term planning hasn’t always been strong or consistent. To me, that doesn’t feel like something fixed — it feels like something that can improve with the right education and resources being more widely shared. Another thing I think about is young athletes and NIL money. A lot of them get access to more money than they’ve ever had all at once, but not always the tools to manage it. Without guidance, it’s easy for that money to disappear fast instead of turning into something long-term. I’d like to be part of changing that, whether that’s through education, advising, or building programs that help people make smarter decisions early on. Overall, I don’t just want to work in finance for a career title. I want to actually help people feel more confident with their money and give them information that helps them build stability over time. If I can be part of making financial knowledge more normal and less intimidating, especially for people who didn’t grow up with it, that would feel like real impact to me.

I’m a finance student at LSU with a strong interest in how money shapes people’s lives and opportunities. I grew up in a financially aware household, but the biggest influence on my interest in this field came from my grandfather. He recently passed away from cancer, but before that, he was the person who first introduced me to investing and financial thinking. He opened my first custodial brokerage account for me, showed me how platforms like Robinhood work, and spent time teaching me the basics of investing. Those moments didn’t feel like formal lessons, but they stayed with me and shaped how I see money today. I want to continue what he started and build on the foundation he gave me. What has always stood out to me is how differently people experience money depending on whether they’ve been taught about it. I’ve been in situations where I understood basic financial concepts, like investing or inflation, and realized that many people around me had never been exposed to those ideas in a real way. That made me think a lot about how unfair that gap can be. Financial literacy shouldn’t be something people only learn if they’re lucky enough to grow up around it. That’s why I’m passionate about finance beyond just personal success. I’m interested in how financial education can be made more accessible, especially in communities where wealth building has historically been limited. I also want to focus on the Black community specifically, where there is often less access to long-term financial planning tools and guidance. I’ve read and learned about projections related to declining net worth, and while statistics like that can sound discouraging, they also motivate me to be part of changing that trajectory through education and awareness. One area I think a lot about is how money is handled by young athletes, especially through NIL deals. Many of them come from backgrounds where they haven’t been taught how to manage large amounts of money, and suddenly they’re expected to make major financial decisions overnight. Without guidance, it’s easy for that money to be spent quickly instead of built into long-term security. I would love to be part of creating systems, education programs, or advisory support that helps athletes and other young earners learn how to invest, budget, and protect their wealth early. Overall, my goal in finance is not just to work in the field, but to contribute to changing how people think about money from a young age. I want to help make financial knowledge something that is normal, practical, and accessible, not something intimidating or exclusive. This scholarship would support me as I continue developing the skills and education I need to turn those ideas into real impact.