My name is Malik Sherrod Myles. I am a sophomore at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and my major is Psychology with a focus on Mental Health and Education. My utopian vision for my community is to promote healing and peace. I grew up in a broken home and violent community. I did not have a safe space. One of my goals is to start a non-profit organization that targets children like myself. Children who may be without both parents. Children who are in poverty and are troubled. I want the youth in my community to have a safe space. A safe space to learn, grow, and be loved. As I walk through life as a young adult, I realize how damaged I am. Due to harsh life experiences and eventually, poor choices. I also began to see how many people had lost before their lives began. I want the parents in my community to have a safe space to ask for help when they need resources and opportunities. I want the adults in my community to have a safe space to express themselves and better their lives. A space in which they can help youth in need as well as find it for themselves. My community needs a safe space for all people. When I was younger, I heard a quote. The quote said, “Be who you needed when you were younger.” I was separated from my mother and family at the age of fourteen. I had many questions about life that no one could answer. I started my adulthood journey off blindly. As I moved forward in life, I kept running into obstacles. Eventually, I realized that my troubles were internal. My internal compass was damaged. I was a broken child in an adult body. It was then that I began to heal and see real results in my life. I was able to remove the mental blocks. My perception on life had changed. I was able to see that many of our life problems are a result of the pain that our parents and ancestors carried. We live a in never-ending cycle that has no beginning, nor end. I believe that we as the Black community are capable of wonderful things. I also believe that we have issues we need to address. We have to ask ourselves the hard questions of life and be prepared to accept the answers. We all have a chance to establish social justice, but we have to do the work it takes to get there. We as a community can not thrive if we as individuals are not our best selves. My utopian vision is to encourage all individuals to better themselves through internal healing by providing mental health services. I remember what I felt like as I healed my internal self. I was alone, afraid, confused, angry, depressed, and lost. If I can help impact one life, then I can be deemed successful.

My prologue is filled with many battles. At times I find shame in sharing my story, but then I realize they contribute to who I am. As a child I realized how much pain I had and that I wanted to live a better life. I had no dreams or aspirations. I just prayed to see you tomorrow. As I got older, I began to see the world was full of pain and that it just was not my family and I who were hurting. Hurting from generational problems and the poor choices of those before us. My biggest passions are music and traveling, but my heart loves to help people. Helping other people in the same ways I needed help as kid, helps me heal the wounds of my past. I chose to attend college and dedicate a portion of my life to helping people overcome both psychological issues and improve their way of life. I do not need or want money to help my community. I want my college degrees to be an act of service. That is why my major is Psychology with a Mental Health focus. My educational goals are to eventually finish with a Master’s or Doctorate in Educational Psychology. I am passionate about learning, and I want to fight to keep the importance of education in all aspects of life alive in individuals of all ages and ethnic backgrounds. I also want to help teach how education is not only limited to schools and academic institutions. I believe that healing our minds and opening them to innovative ideas, concepts, and philosophies can help end the war on poverty, homelessness, and mental health. I also want to be an advocate for those who have endured and are enduring homelessness. I have personally been dealing with homelessness since I was in sixth grade. I saw firsthand how it affects people in many ways. Especially in academia. I want to create a program that specifically targets at-risk students and takes a deeper look into their lives at home. If we can help the family in terms of career, mental health, self-improvement, and other resources based on each family’s needs, it will better the students individually. I want to be someone who turns my dying community into one that is a safe space and village for every resident. I want to also be a beacon of hope to the younger generations. I want them to know that although we do not come from the brightest circumstances, it does not mean that we are not destined for remarkable things. I want to help people dream again and realize that there are people who care about them. I want people to feel like they matter and are part of the world and even the smallest of contributions matter. I want to be a friend to all. Simply because that is what the world needs, more friends and leaders that love. This scholarship will help me in my journey to becoming a change-maker and will help end my homeless journey and will change the trajectory of my family’s life. As a young man who was born into a poor, single-parent household, with no financial support, college is sometimes a challenge and in rare cases, not a possibility. This scholarship will cease all doubts I have about finances and instill hope. Reassuring me that the path I have chosen to venture on alone is worth it. It is worth it because it could help me change lives.

I remember not having any help growing up. There were a lot of people who knew my family was struggling but did not help. There were times when we had a home, but no water, food, electricity, or other resources. The effects of poverty changed me and almost consumed me just as it does many other people. It was then that I realized that both my family and my community needed leaders. They needed someone who loved them and cared enough to step in and make a difference. Someone to instill hope back into the life of all individuals who feel numb to life itself. My biggest passions are music and traveling, but my heart loves to help people. Helping other people in the same ways I needed help as a kid, helps me heal the wounds of my past. I chose to attend college and dedicate a portion of my life to helping people overcome both psychological issues and improve their way of life. I do not need or want money to help my community. I want my college degree to be an act of service. That is why my major is Psychology with a Mental Health focus. My educational goals are to eventually finish with a Master’s or Doctorate in Educational Psychology. I am passionate about learning, and I want to fight to keep the importance of education in all aspects of life alive in individuals of all ages and ethnic backgrounds. I also want to help teach how education is not only limited to schools and academic institutions. I believe that healing our minds and opening them to innovative ideas, concepts, and philosophies can help end the war on poverty, homelessness, and mental health. I also want to be an advocate for those who have endured and are enduring homelessness. I have personally been dealing with homelessness since I was in sixth grade. I saw firsthand how it affects people in many ways. Especially in academia. I want to create a program that specifically targets at-risk students and takes a deeper look into their lives at home. If we can help the family in terms of career, mental health, self-improvement, and other resources based on each family’s needs, it will better the students individually. I want to be someone who turns my dying community into one that is a safe space and village for every resident. I want to also be a beacon of hope to the younger generations. I want them to know that although we do not come from the brightest circumstances, it does not mean that we are not destined for remarkable things. I want to help people dream again and realize that there are people who care about them. I want people to feel like they matter and are part of the world and even the smallest of contributions matter. I want to be a friend to all. Simply because that is what the world needs, is more friends and leaders that love. This scholarship will help me in my journey to becoming a change-maker. A scholarship of this magnitude will end my homeless journey and will change the trajectory of my family’s life. As a young man who was born into a poor, single-parent household, with no financial support, college is sometimes a challenge and in rare cases, not a possibility. This scholarship will cease all doubts I have about finances and instill hope. Reassuring me that the path I have chosen to venture on alone is worth it. It is worth it because it could help me change lives.

I have always believed that life was like a book. Everyone is given a prologue and a pen. Our "prologue" is our story before we gained awareness, accountability, and independence. Our "pen" is our free will and life in general. At some point in our lives, everyone will have to start writing their life story. You can decide what you want in your story. Some of the challenges that are recorded in my prologue always make me very emotional. From being a fatherless child to being homeless at fourteen years old. From being bullied to being separated from my family at fifteen years old. From being dead inside from pain to not wanting to live anymore. I remember feeling invisible to everyone around me. I am at the moment in my life in which I have accepted my prologue. I have accepted how sad, dark, and depressing it is. I have always lived my life without intent. I have always gone with the flow. Almost two years ago, I hit rock bottom. I lost my apartment and all my belongings. I lost everything I had because of a mental health battle. I was consumed with sadness and miserableness. I was forced to drop out of college due to the severity of my life’s circumstances. I felt defeated. Looking back, I can honestly say it was the best thing that could have happened. I did not have the strength or courage to put my life on hold and find true healing for my past. Although I lost it all, I also gained more than I had ever had before. I found myself reunited with my family after twelve years of our separation. For a year I slept on my mother’s living room floor. It was on that pallet that I found peace. I looked over my life and had to remind myself that I was still successful and had accomplished many things despite the odds. I had to remind myself that my past was not my fault, but this circumstance was. As I look back over the years in which I was homeless, I see how many wonderful experiences I had. My biggest achievement to this day would be finding my self-esteem and learning how to love myself. I found a way to dream again. The light inside of me had been relit. My perspective was aligned with my spirituality. I was not just some broken kid who was angry with the world. I was a young man who won “Man of The Year.” I was one who was awarded eight scholarships in spite of failing most of high school. I was one who represented my city on National levels. I then realized... It is time for me to pick up my pen and keep authoring my own story. Some of my goals are to graduate with a Doctorate in Educational Psychology. I want to help those of all ages. Whether it be learning a skill or finding a part of themselves. I want to instill hope back into the hearts of all individuals I encounter within my community. I want to become the person I needed while I was younger. I also want to be on the city council's board and be a bridge between the poorer and underrepresented parts of my community and the local officials. I want to help end poverty, homelessness, hunger, and other issues that make life nothing more than a battle. I want to bring good change to the world. I live by this motto, "If we all shared, we'd all have."

My name is Malik Myles and my life has been a roller coaster experience. I am the middle child and the only boy of three. I was born into a single-parent household. I never had or met my father which brewed up a lot of anger, confusion, and guilt when I was younger. I spent the majority of my life trying to find out if I belonged anywhere. I've been battling homelessness for the past ten years or so. Ever since I was fourteen I've had to live with other people. Never really had a home. Although I've been through many hardships I've also experienced many successes. It took me many years to accept the things I couldn't change and how to live life to the fullest without my hardships holding me back. Even today, I struggle with staying in college because of finances. I chose college because it was something different and if I tried my best, success would come eventually. My family struggles with finances and food more than most people, so choosing school sometimes feels like a bad decision at times. I have to keep the bigger picture in the forefront of my mind. Education is one of the greatest investments I can get to help change my family's lives. We need an escape from our reality now, but I have to trust the process. We live in the roughest and most dangerous part of my city. A month ago I saw a man get shot and die in my backyard. We live in fear and it's tiring. But it keeps me going. Throughout my life, I didn't have anyone to look up to and follow. I found myself creating a path for myself. I knew deep down that there had to be more children who were just like me. Especially in my school. How many students grow up in a single-parent household and struggle to get by every day? I wanted to be a change-maker throughout my community. My career goal is to become an Educational Psychologist and School Counselor. Growing up I wish I had someone in my school that could see that my performance was mostly affected by my lifestyle at home. There should be more resources available that target troubled students. That is one thing I want to accomplish. I want to be not only a school counselor but also to be a resourceful community leader. I want to be the person that ensures that families have everything they need for students to reach their full potential. Whether it be helping parents find suitable jobs and careers, helping families find food and shelter, or even helping families learn financial literacy. Another avenue I would love to pursue would be to study law and government so that I can one day be on the city council board and be a bridge between the poorer parts of my community from where I live and the city officials who have power. There are not enough people from my community who represent the city. There are not many people who can relate to the citizens on a personal level. The current board members don't take enough time to evaluate and build relationships with the people. They make life-changing decisions without gaining insight. To me, that needs to change, effective immediately! I want to be remembered as someone who inspired and achieved. I want to be remembered as someone who loved and cared for everyone he encountered. I want to be remembered as me.

My name is Malik Myles and my life has been a roller coaster experience. I am the middle child and the only boy of three. I was born into a single-parent household. I never had or met my father which brewed up a lot of anger, confusion, and guilt when I was younger. I spent the majority of my life trying to find out if I belonged anywhere. It took me many years to accept the things I couldn't change and how to live life to the fullest without my hardships holding me back. Throughout my life, I didn't have anyone to look up to and follow. I found myself creating a path for myself. I want to be not only a school counselor but also to be a resourceful community leader. I want to be the person that ensures that families have everything they need for students to reach their full potential. Whether it be helping parents find suitable jobs and careers, helping families find food and shelter, or even helping families learn financial literacy. Another avenue I would love to pursue would be to study law and government so that I can one day be on the city council board and be a bridge between the poorer parts of my community from where I live and the city officials who have power. There are not enough people from my community who represent the city. There are not many people who can relate to the citizens on a personal level. The current board members don't take enough time to evaluate and build relationships with the people. They make life-changing decisions without gaining insight. To me, that needs to change, effective immediately! This is why I try so hard to be a good person. I'm at the point in which I have to start writing my own story. When I apply for scholarships I wish my story was beautiful and compelling to the readers, but then I'd be lying to myself and the donors. My story is sad and I have to accept that. It's not what I endured that should hold me back, but that pain should push me further. All of these experiences led me to choose Educational Psychology and School Counseling as my majors. I think if I had one person to ask me what was wrong when I was failing classes and skipping classes my life would've been different. I was homeless battling depression, anger, confusion, and sadness and no one stepped in. No one comforted me in my time of need. I realized that there were hundreds of children who were just like me. Children are born into broken homes and raised in poor/harsh communities. They were set back before they were even born. They were drowned in problems before they were conceived. Then as they grow older feeling as if they are more of a burden than a blessing to their families. They grow up in a family with no one who dreams bit and doesn't encourage them to chase their dreams. That life then leads to depression, drugs, alcohol, violence, suicide, and other harmful activities. My community needs me. It needs more people who care about those who are forgotten about. It needs people who've lived the struggle, endured the pain, and are ready to become the solution. I want to be remembered as someone who inspired and achieved. I want to be remembered as someone who loved and cared for everyone he encountered. I want to be remembered as me.

I've had many challenges in life. Many of my problems and harsh circumstances tend to always spew over into my academic life. I could write a book based on the struggles I've endured in life, but for the sake of time, I'd like to focus on three, specifically. The worst hardship is poverty. Poverty has a way of warping your reality to sometimes unbearable circumstances. I know poverty is really the lack of financial resources, but beyond that, it is also the lack of financial literacy. I have been battling homelessness since I was 12 years old. Many times when I did have shelter there was almost always something missing. Sometimes no food, no running water, no heat, no electricity, no bed, no air conditioning, and it may sound irrelevant, but no electronics/internet. After facing those hardships for over half of my life, I was then separated from my mother at 14 years old. I was already a fatherless child, so not having my mother hurt me in many ways. Not only were we homeless but my mother was in an abusive relationship and became a drug addict. These incidents lead me to my second point. Which would be the lack of self-esteem due to childhood trauma and neglect. As a child, my brain had no comprehension of what was happening. That led me to believe that I was the problem and cause of the hardships and challenges my family and I endured. I was the common denominator. I began to despise my existence. Living in poverty already put a threshold on how much I could achieve, but the trauma and neglect made me stop dreaming altogether. I was never suicidal, but I had no desires. I felt like there was something inside of me that made me undeserving of good things in life. Believe me, I was as good as dead. It wasn't until I was 23 years that I sat down and told myself that I was an amazing person who had just endured unfortunate events. Over 98% of which were out of my control. The next challenge that I had to overcome was the lack of planning. I started college blind. I had no idea who I was and what I wanted to become. In all honesty, I shouldn't have begun college right away. I should've taken time alone and addressed the underlying traumas I had. That way I could have more focus while studying and excelling. I wasted so much time and money battling and suppressing my emotions. I came to realize that I wasn't the only one in the world, let alone my community that experienced poverty, homelessness, neglect, and other harsh circumstances. I wasn't the only one whose light was killed by that darkness. I wasn't the only one who was going to have to work ten times harder than other people because of the holes we have to climb out of. These challenges that I've had to overcome led me to choose Educational Psychology as my major. I want to help educate people that education is the only escape route to a better life. I also realized that education itself isn't limited to academics. Education is just a method of learning, sharing, and applying knowledge in our everyday lives. Education is most valuable when we remove the limits of how much and what we can learn. I want to help revive my community by not only working to eliminate poverty but also bringing up the next generation of dreamers. "If we can change our thoughts, we can change our lives."

I am pursuing Psychology, specifically Educational Psychology. I understand that Psychology isn't a high ranking STEM major, but it is my passion and dream. I was never good at physical science, math, geometry, physics, engineering, or anything that has a lot of formulas and equations. But what I have always been good at is understanding and connecting to other people. I used to be shy until I started college. I do well with people one on one more than I do with a group. I love hearing people out and trying to understand their thought processes. I've always called that being a 'people person'. I grew to learn that it was also a science itself, hence the term Psychology. I chose Educational Psychology for numerous reasons. I've always wanted to be a counselor and friend to those who feel lost and alone. I've always wanted to be more selfless and open to other people. Originally, I wanted to be a School Counselor, but I realized that my gift of understanding people could be used throughout my entire community. Not just in public schools. I understood that education goes beyond the traditional school and academic umbrella. To me, education is just a method of learning and sharing knowledge. As people, we naturally keep learning. We learn from life experiences, moments, hardships, trials, and many other varieties. I believe if more people understood the value of educating themselves on different aspects of life, the world would be better. We have to think beyond the school grounds and our homes. We have to educate ourselves about how individual people feel and think. In my community, we don't see people caring for other people. I want to get an education so I can level the playing field. As a kid, I had no one to help me or guide me. I had no one who cared. I want to become a person who was actually for the betterment of other people. I've lost a lot of close family and friends to the evils of this world. I feel like it's time for my best to shine in my community, no matter how circumstances try to knock me down. My community needs someone from my community to lead it. As a young black man trying to create my path, it's already because no one expects people who look like me to stand up and take lead. People are always shocked that I am pursuing psychology because of the stigma of men being emotionally unavailable and unable to connect. I want to help get rid of that stereotype. We are all the same but we are all different at the same time. We all feel the same things but we all have different beliefs, experiences, personalities, and traits. I love the diversity in terms of ethnicity, race, and culture but the real beauty is the diversity of our minds and spirits. When people can be themselves and all feel valued the world is beautiful.

I am pursuing Psychology, specifically Educational Psychology. I understand that Psychology isn't a high ranking STEM major, but it is my passion and dream. I was never good at physical science, math, geometry, physics, engineering, or anything that has a lot of formulas and equations. But what I have always been good at is understanding and connecting to other people. I used to be shy until I started college. I do well with people one on one more than I do with a group. I love hearing people out and trying to understand their thought processes. I've always called that being a 'people person'. I grew to learn that it was also a science itself, hence the term Psychology. I chose Educational Psychology for numerous reasons. I've always wanted to be a counselor and friend to those who feel lost and alone. I've always wanted to be more selfless and open to other people. Originally, I wanted to be a School Counselor, but I realized that my gift of understanding people could be used throughout my entire community. Not just in public schools. I understood that education goes beyond the traditional school and academic umbrella. To me, education is just a method of learning and sharing knowledge. As people, we naturally keep learning. We learn from life experiences, moments, hardships, trials, and many other varieties. I believe if more people understood the value of educating themselves on different aspects of life, the world would be better. We have to think beyond the school grounds and our homes. We have to educate ourselves about how individual people feel and think. In my community, we don't see people caring for other people. People with power only help those who can afford it and with that logic, it does not help anymore. I want to get an education so I can level the playing field. As a kid, I had no one to help me or guide me. I had no one who cared. I knew I wanted and needed to be a person who was actually for the betterment of other people. I've lost a lot of close family and friends to the evils of this world. I feel like it's time for my best to shine in my community, no matter how circumstances try to knock me down. My community needs someone from my community to lead it. As a young black man trying to create my path, it's already because no one expects people who look like me to stand up and take lead. People are always shocked that I am pursuing psychology because of the stigma of men being emotionally unavailable and unable to connect. I want to help get rid of that stereotype. I've always been the type of person to meet people with an open mind. Unfortunately, there are many times in which people assumed me to be one way without asking me about myself or my background. I'm very open-minded compared to a lot of those in my family and community. This is one reason why I loved the diversity. We are all the same but we are all different at the same time. We all feel the same things but we all have different beliefs, experiences, personalities, and traits. I love the diversity in terms of ethnicity, race, and culture but the real beauty is the diversity of our minds and spirits. When people can be themselves and all feel valued the world is beautiful. All of these values, beliefs, and thoughts are what pushed and guided me to choose Educational Psychology as my major.

I chose Educational Psychology for numerous reasons. I've always wanted to be a counselor and friend to those who feel lost and alone. I've always wanted to be more selfless and open to other people. Originally, I wanted to be a School Counselor, but I realized that my gift of understanding people could be used throughout my entire community. Not just in public schools. I understood that education goes beyond the traditional school and academic umbrella. To me, education is just a method of learning and sharing knowledge. As people, we naturally keep learning. We learn from life experiences, moments, hardships, trials, and many other varieties. I believe if more people understood the value of educating themselves on different aspects of life, the world would be better. We have to think beyond the school grounds and our homes. We have to educate ourselves about how individual people feel and think. In my community, we don't see people caring for other people. People with power only help those who can afford it and with that logic, it does not help anymore. I want to get an education so I can level the playing field. As a kid, I had no one to help me or guide me. I had no one who cared. I knew I wanted and needed to be a person who was actually for the betterment of other people. I've lost a lot of close family and friends to the evils of this world. I feel like it's time for my best to shine in my community, no matter how circumstances try to knock me down. My community needs someone from my community to lead it. As a young black man trying to create my path, it's already because no one expects people who look like me to stand up and take lead. People are always shocked that I am pursuing psychology because of the stigma of men being emotionally unavailable and unable to connect. I want to help get rid of that stereotype. I've always been the type of person to meet people with an open mind. Unfortunately, there are many times in which people assumed me to be one way without asking me about myself or my background. I'm very open-minded compared to a lot of those in my family and community. This is one reason why I loved the diversity. We are all the same but we are all different at the same time. We all feel the same things but we all have different beliefs, experiences, personalities, and traits. I love the diversity in terms of ethnicity, race, and culture but the real beauty is the diversity of our minds and spirits. When people can be themselves and all feel valued the world is beautiful. Diversity in the workplace gives us a real chance to experience the world. The world isn't just black and white or this or that. The world is made up of a little of everything and that's what makes it so beautiful. One day I hope to live in my truth, so I can add to the aspects of diversity instead of following others blindly. It's time for me to live. The world needs more light like mine. I feel like I'd feel more whole when I'm able to make the differences I need to make to better my community. So until then, I'll keep fighting and working towards a good education. Even if that means applying for hundreds of scholarships.

I was going to write a deep profound essay, but sometimes simple is better. Sometimes less is more. The best tip I can give is to always remember the end goal. Remember the end goal in the beginning. Remember the end goal throughout the journey. Remember the end goal in times of hardship. Always remember the end goal. Sometimes as college students we face different obstacles than everyone else. Although college is a choice, it's still a responsibility. There will be times in which time stands still and what we're doing doesn't feel valued. It will feel as if our contribution doesn't make a difference in our personal lives and the well being of our families. We have to remain steadfast and always remember the end goal! (IG- @_imjustmalik)

My name is Malik Myles and my life has been a roller coaster experience. I am the middle child and the only boy of three. I was born into a single-parent household. I never had or met my father which brewed up a lot of anger, confusion, and guilt when I was younger. I spent the majority of my life trying to find out if I belonged anywhere. It took me many years to accept the things I couldn't change and how to live life to the fullest without my hardships holding me back. Throughout my life, I didn't have anyone to look up to and follow. I found myself creating a path for myself. I want to be not only a school counselor but also to be a resourceful community leader. I want to be the person that ensures that families have everything they need for students to reach their full potential. Whether it be helping parents find suitable jobs and careers, helping families find food and shelter, or even helping families learn financial literacy. Another avenue I would love to pursue would be to study law and government so that I can one day be on the city council board and be a bridge between the poorer parts of my community from where I live and the city officials who have power. There are not enough people from my community who represent the city. There are not many people who can relate to the citizens on a personal level. The current board members don't take enough time to evaluate and build relationships with the people. They make life-changing decisions without gaining insight. To me, that needs to change, effective immediately! This is why I try so hard to be a good person. I'm at the point in which I have to start writing my own story. When I apply for scholarships I wish my story was beautiful and compelling to the readers, but then I'd be lying to myself and the donors. My story is sad and I have to accept that. It's not what I endured that should hold me back, but that pain should push me further. All of these experiences led me to choose Educational Psychology and School Counseling as my majors. I think if I had one person to ask me what was wrong when I was failing classes and skipping classes my life would've been different. I was homeless battling depression, anger, confusion, and sadness and no one stepped in. No one comforted me in my time of need. I realized that there were hundreds of children who were just like me. Children are born into broken homes and raised in poor/harsh communities. They were set back before they were even born. They were drowned in problems before they were conceived. Then as they grow older feeling as if they are more of a burden than a blessing to their families. They grow up in a family with no one who dreams bit and doesn't encourage them to chase their dreams. That life then leads to depression, drugs, alcohol, violence, suicide, and other harmful activities. My community needs me. It needs more people who care about those who are forgotten about. It needs people who've lived the struggle, endured the pain, and are ready to become the solution. I want to be remembered as someone who inspired and achieved. I want to be remembered as someone who loved and cared for everyone he encountered. I want to be remembered as me.

Hello, my name is Malik Myles and I'm just a kid from Omaha, Nebraska. If I was to apply for this scholarship a few years ago I would've said that I was undeserving. Not because of my humbleness, but because I misconceived what it means to be deserving. I don't have the perfect g.p.a. or flawless transcript. I don't have the brightest personality or character traits. I don't even have my life figured out. Sometimes I wonder what makes a person deserving. In all honesty, I don't have the slightest idea. I believe if I had to choose one thing that made me deserving of an award of this magnitude, it would have to be my heart. I was born in poverty. I grew up in the most dangerous parts of my city. I grew up in a very harsh environment and I just want a way out. I am a fatherless child, so I always looked for love and support elsewhere. I didn't have any grandparents growing up to guide me. For a long time, my mother was also inactive. My family and I became homeless when I was thirteen years old. I have been battling homelessness since then, I am twenty-three now. I don't have anything to my name. Everything I have including clothes and belongings can fit into two plastic Walmart grocery bags. It was those hard moments that made me realize I wanted a better life. That's what encouraged me to get an education and learn as much as I could. I got tired of being a product and a victim of my environment. Life was so tough at times my mother and old sister attempted suicide. My younger sister also thought about it. I hated that for them. I vowed to myself that I would do everything in my power to help them find happiness even if that meant sacrificing my own. As I grew up separated from my family due to homelessness, I often reflected on how it even happened. I barely graduated high school due to my harsh living environment. I grew up in a single-parent household with two sisters. Life was hard and depressing, but it all got worse when we lost our home. My mother turned to drugs and became an inactive parent. My sisters went to their father's house and I was left alone and fourteen years old trying to make it. This is why I try so hard to be a good person. I'm at the point in which I have to start writing my own story. When I apply for scholarships I wish my story was beautiful and compelling to the readers, but then I'd be lying to myself and the donors. My story is sad and I have to accept that. It's not what I endured that should hold me back, but that pain should push me further. All of these experiences led me to choose Educational Psychology and School Counseling as my majors. I think if I had one person to ask me what was wrong when I was failing classes and skipping classes my life would've been different. I was homeless battling depression, anger, confusion, and sadness and no one stepped in. No one comforted me in my time of need. I realized that there were hundreds of children who were just like me. Children are born into broken homes and raised in poor/harsh communities. They were set back before they were even born. They were drowned in problems before they were conceived. Then as they grow older feeling as if they are more of a burden than a blessing to their families. They grow up in a family with no one who dreams bit and doesn't encourage them to chase their dreams. That life then leads to depression, drugs, alcohol, violence, suicide, and other harmful activities. My community needs me. It needs more people who care about those who are forgotten about. It needs people who've lived the struggle, endured the pain, and are ready to become the solution. I believe education is one of the keys we all need to escape our hardships. I want to be the person who makes sure families have all the resources available to ensure all children can live as children. I don't want them to keep struggling as they do. I want people running to gangs as a way out to realize the world is bigger and there are better ways to live. I want to make sure people have good jobs, housing, food, security, and natural resources/essentials they need to live a decent life. Most of the problems we face today are internal and psychologically more than anything. This is another reason I chose the field of psychology as my major. I'm ready to make a change, but I need help. So here I applying for hundreds of scholarships. If I had to choose one reason above all else that made me deserving I would again say my heart. I have the desire to help on a bigger scale, but I need something to stand on and I'd love for that to be my education. Thanks for reading my essay.

My whole life I have loved giving to the less fortunate and helping those who genuinely need help. Growing up the way I did, I used to pray to God to send someone our way. Unfortunately, it didn't happen that often. I always told myself when I get rich I'm going to help the poor people and those who are forgotten about. Giving a helping hand doesn't always have to be money. Sometimes what we need the most is love, kindness, patience, and someone who sees us. Someone to walk by our side in this journey called life. All of my life I've lived in poverty. I've never had enough money or resources to give to other people. My family and I barely had enough money to survive. I stopped looking at what I didn't have, but I focused on what was internal. As a kid, I was bullied for many things I couldn't even control. I ate lunch alone every day. I was always last to be chosen for activities. I was never seen or heard unless someone needed to use me as a joke. Those experiences hurt me in many ways. I was always a kind and loving person, but I was quiet and reserved. I started just being a friend to those who were like me. I reached out to people who were afraid and overlooked. I treated them with respect, love, kindness, and graciousness. I didn't judge them based on their outward appearance or lifestyle/circumstances. I looked at their heart and let them know they were special. I had to become the person my community needed. I was always an outcast, but I just embraced it. I invited the lonely people to my table. I learned different phrases in foreign languages to make the international students feel more comfortable. I hosted dinner parties so people can enjoy good food and warm energy. I just started being the friend and person I always prayed for. I feel like it's easy to go with the crowd and complain about everything going on in the world. But the real challenge is choosing to be alone and becoming the change our communities need. It's hard because you'll be judged and abandoned before you're noticed and appreciated. I don't do grand gestures to change or give back to my community, but I do many small significant things that I hope add up or mean something when it comes to the bigger picture. In my community, bad things are very popular. Most children and teenagers feel like they have to do drugs, use alcohol, use foul language, and join gangs to be valued. Me being a college kid and a person who doesn't partake in crazy activities isn't valued by the majority but a few people told me personally that I inspired them to be better. I inspired them to dream bigger. I inspired them to chase a better life, a happier one. When I hear things like this it makes me cry because I'm making a difference. One of my dreams is to be a spokesman and representative for my community on a bigger level. I also want to study law and government. One day I want to be on the city council board and be a bridge between the poorer and underrepresented parts of my community and the local officials. I want to help end poverty, homelessness, hunger, and other issues that make life nothing more than a battle. I want to change my community for the better.

Although I am not a nursing student, I still felt the urge to apply. My major is Educational Psychology and many people question my decisions when they hear my choice of study. I chose this major because I saw a need that needed to be met in not only my life, but for the sake of my community as well. The pain of my past keeps me going. The hope I have for a better future keeps me going. I am the middle child and the only boy of three. I was born into a single-parent household. I never had or met my father which brewed up a lot of anger, confusion, and guilt when I was younger. I spent the majority of my life trying to find out if I belonged anywhere. It took me many years to accept the things I couldn't change and how to live life to the fullest without my hardships holding me back. Throughout my life, I didn't have anyone to look up to and follow. I found myself creating a path for myself. I knew deep down that there had to be more children who were just like me. Especially in my school. How many students grow up in a single-parent household and struggle to get by every day? I wanted to be a change-maker throughout my community. My career goal is to become an Educational Psychologist and School Counselor. Growing up I wish I had someone in my school that could see that my performance was mostly affected by my lifestyle at home. There should be more resources available that target troubled students. That is one thing I want to accomplish. I want to be not only a school counselor but also to be a resourceful community leader. I want to be the person that ensures that families have everything they need for students to reach their full potential. Whether it be helping parents find suitable jobs and careers, helping families find food and shelter, or even helping families learn financial literacy. Another avenue I would love to pursue would be to study law and government so that I can one day be on the city council board and be a bridge between the poorer parts of my community from where I live and the city officials who have power. There are not enough people from my community who represent the city. There are not many people who can relate to the citizens on a personal level. The current board members don't take enough time to evaluate and build relationships with the people. They make life-changing decisions without gaining insight. To me, that needs to change, effective immediately! I want to be remembered as someone who inspired and achieved. I want to be remembered as someone who loved and cared for everyone he encountered. I want to be remembered as me.

Being a first-generation student is all about bravery. There's always a constant fear and feeling of misplacement. I always feel like since I'm choosing a different and longer route than the rest of my family I'm wrong. When you grow up like me, you have to create your own path. I didn't have a father, grandparents, or a strong family presence in general. It took me a few years to realize how dark and dim my life was. Battling homelessness, hunger, and bullying for the majority of my life taught me how to be strong. My whole life has been a life of bravery because I was always one who liked to question the "norms" and explore different things. Most of my family and other people in my community don't go and try new things because they fear the unknown. Some people say my free spirit inspires them. The main way I practice bravery is by doing things despite my fears. I want to break generational curses, so I have to think differently. I have to live differently. I have to keep moving and eliminate comfort. Also, I am the "first" in my family to do many things. Throughout the past four generations, I'll be the first college graduate, the first to travel overseas, the first to own a home, the first to start a business, the first to participate in a national competition, the first musician, and the first to live boldly in my own way.

I'm not some special guy. I'm not the perfect student. I'm still a kid who fell in love with music in times of hardship. I remember being homeless at 14 years old. Being bullied in school for wearing the same clothes and shoes. I also remember being 14 when I took my first piano lesson. I remember how it made me feel. It made me feel alive. Made me feel free. Music was the only thing that I understood and was the only thing that understood me. When I heard about this scholarship website I fell in love. This is an opportunity I've been dreaming to find. No one in my city shares information for free. One day I'd like to own my own music studio and produce good quality music for the less fortunate artists like myself. I want struggling artists to know there are people that care and will invest in them. I believe too many natural born artists are scared to emerge. I want to help them find their voice and learn how to use it bodly!

My name is Malik Myles and my life has been a roller coaster experience. I am the middle child and the only boy of three. I was born into a single-parent household. I never had or met my father which brewed up a lot of anger, confusion, and guilt when I was younger. I spent the majority of my life trying to find out if I belonged anywhere. I've been battling homelessness for the past ten years or so. Ever since I was fourteen I've had to live with other people. Never really had a home. Although I've been through many hardships I've also experienced many successes. It took me many years to accept the things I couldn't change and how to live life to the fullest without my hardships holding me back. Even today, I struggle with staying in college because of finances. I chose college because it was something different and if I tried my best, success would come eventually. My family struggles with finances and food more than most people, so choosing school sometimes feels like a bad decision at times. I have to keep the bigger picture in the forefront of my mind. Education is one of the greatest investments I can get to help change my family's lives. We need an escape from our reality now, but I have to trust the process. We live in the roughest and most dangerous part of my city. A month ago I saw a man get shot and die in my backyard. We live in fear and it's tiring. But it keeps me going. Throughout my life, I didn't have anyone to look up to and follow. I found myself creating a path for myself. I knew deep down that there had to be more children who were just like me. Especially in my school. How many students grow up in a single-parent household and struggle to get by every day? I wanted to be a change-maker throughout my community. My career goal is to become an Educational Psychologist and School Counselor. Growing up I wish I had someone in my school that could see that my performance was mostly affected by my lifestyle at home. There should be more resources available that target troubled students. That is one thing I want to accomplish. I want to be not only a school counselor but also to be a resourceful community leader. I want to be the person that ensures that families have everything they need for students to reach their full potential. Whether it be helping parents find suitable jobs and careers, helping families find food and shelter, or even helping families learn financial literacy. Another avenue I would love to pursue would be to study law and government so that I can one day be on the city council board and be a bridge between the poorer parts of my community from where I live and the city officials who have power. There are not enough people from my community who represent the city. There are not many people who can relate to the citizens on a personal level. The current board members don't take enough time to evaluate and build relationships with the people. They make life-changing decisions without gaining insight. To me, that needs to change, effective immediately! I want to be remembered as someone who inspired and achieved. I want to be remembered as someone who loved and cared for everyone he encountered. I want to be remembered as me.

My name is Malik Myles and my life has been a roller coaster experience. I am the middle child and the only boy of three. I was born into a single-parent household. I never had or met my father which brewed up a lot of anger, confusion, and guilt when I was younger. I spent the majority of my life trying to find out if I belonged anywhere. It took me many years to accept the things I couldn't change and how to live life to the fullest without my hardships holding me back. Throughout my life, I didn't have anyone to look up to and follow. I found myself creating a path for myself. I knew deep down that there had to be more children who were just like me. Especially in my school. How many students grow up in a single-parent household and struggle to get by every day? I wanted to be a change-maker throughout my community. My career goal is to become an Educational Psychologist and School Counselor. Growing up I wish I had someone in my school that could see that my performance was mostly affected by my lifestyle at home. There should be more resources available that target troubled students. That is one thing I want to accomplish. I want to be not only a school counselor but also to be a resourceful community leader. I want to be the person that ensures that families have everything they need for students to reach their full potential. Whether it be helping parents find suitable jobs and careers, helping families find food and shelter, or even helping families learn financial literacy. Another avenue I would love to pursue would be to study law and government so that I can one day be on the city council board and be a bridge between the poorer parts of my community from where I live and the city officials who have power. There are not enough people from my community who represent the city. There are not many people who can relate to the citizens on a personal level. The current board members don't take enough time to evaluate and build relationships with the people. They make life-changing decisions without gaining insight. To me, that needs to change, effective immediately! I want to be remembered as someone who inspired and achieved. I want to be remembered as someone who loved and cared for everyone he encountered. I want to be remembered as me.

My name is Malik Myles and my life has been a roller coaster experience. I am the middle child and the only boy of three. I was born into a single-parent household. Being fatherless brewed up a lot of anger, confusion, and guilt when I was younger. When I was in sixth grade my family and I lost our home. Eventually, we all had to split up to survive. I was 13 years old not knowing where I'd sleep or eat. I began to struggle in school. I began to fail many classes. I was becoming another statistic. Life then changed when I moved in with my aunt and got help from a special counselor. I graduated high school on time and was enrolled in college. I was finally in a safe and happy place that I'd thought would last forever. One day I received a text from a lady saying she was my sister on my father's side which was a shocker. I have never met my father. To him I was just a mistake, I was a product of his affair with my mother. I tried to ignore my emotions towards him as a kid. I thought if I forget what he did, it would make everything ok. When I read the message from my long-lost sister I lost my mind. All the rage-filled my heart and clouded my mind. Months later, my cousin was murdered during a protest. I was grieving hard and caved in. I dropped out of college then got evicted from my first apartment and was homeless again until my mom took me in. I spent the majority of my life trying to find out if I belonged anywhere. It took me many years to accept the things I couldn't change and how to live life to the fullest without my hardships holding me back. Throughout my life, I didn't have anyone to look up to and follow. I found myself creating a path for myself. I knew deep down that there had to be more children who were just like me. Especially in my school. How many students grow up in a single-parent household and struggle to get by every day? I wanted to be a change-maker throughout my community. My career goal is to become an Educational Psychologist and School Counselor. Growing up I wish I had someone in my school that could see that my performance was mostly affected by my lifestyle at home. There should be more resources available that target troubled students. That is one thing I want to accomplish. I want to be not only a school counselor but also to be a resourceful community leader. I want to be the person that ensures that families have everything they need for students to reach their full potential. Whether it be helping parents find suitable jobs and careers, helping families find food and shelter, or even helping families learn financial literacy. Another avenue I would love to pursue would be to study law and government so that I can one day be on the city council board and be a bridge between the poorer parts of my community from where I live and the city officials who have power. There are not enough people from my community who represent the city. There are not many people who can relate to the citizens on a personal level. The current board members don't take enough time to evaluate and build relationships with the people. They make life-changing decisions without gaining insight. To me, that needs to change, effective immediately!

My name is Malik Myles and my life has been a roller coaster experience. I am the middle child and the only boy of three. I was born into a single-parent household. Being fatherless brewed up a lot of anger, confusion, and guilt when I was younger. When I was in sixth grade my family and I lost our home. Eventually, we all had to split up to survive. I was 13 years old not knowing where I'd sleep or eat. I began to struggle in school. I began to fail many classes. I was becoming another statistic. Life then changed when I moved in with my aunt and got help from a special counselor. I graduated high school on time and was enrolled in college. I was finally in a safe and happy place that I'd thought would last forever. One day I received a text from a lady saying she was my sister on my father's side which was a shocker. I have never met my father. To him I was just a mistake, I was a product of his affair with my mother. I tried to ignore my emotions towards him as a kid. I thought if I forget what he did, it would make everything ok. When I read the message from my long-lost sister I lost my mind. All the rage-filled my heart and clouded my mind. Months later, my cousin was murdered during a protest. I was grieving hard and caved in. I dropped out of college then got evicted from my first apartment and was homeless again until my mom took me in. I spent the majority of my life trying to find out if I belonged anywhere. It took me many years to accept the things I couldn't change and how to live life to the fullest without my hardships holding me back. Throughout my life, I didn't have anyone to look up to and follow. I found myself creating a path for myself. I knew deep down that there had to be more children who were just like me. Especially in my school. How many students grow up in a single-parent household and struggle to get by every day? I wanted to be a change-maker throughout my community. My career goal is to become an Educational Psychologist and School Counselor. Growing up I wish I had someone in my school that could see that my performance was mostly affected by my lifestyle at home. There should be more resources available that target troubled students. That is one thing I want to accomplish. I want to be not only a school counselor but also to be a resourceful community leader. I want to be the person that ensures that families have everything they need for students to reach their full potential. Whether it be helping parents find suitable jobs and careers, helping families find food and shelter, or even helping families learn financial literacy. Another avenue I would love to pursue would be to study law and government so that I can one day be on the city council board and be a bridge between the poorer parts of my community from where I live and the city officials who have power. There are not enough people from my community who represent the city. There are not many people who can relate to the citizens on a personal level. The current board members don't take enough time to evaluate and build relationships with the people. They make life-changing decisions without gaining insight. To me, that needs to change, effective immediately!

A few years ago my life was amazing! I had decent money, I had a 4.0 college GPA, I was traveling, and the overall trajectory of my life was headed for success. I was recognized for my personality, hard work, and impact on those around me both locally and nationally. Coming from nothing, my life felt like a dream come true. It felt like the good days were making the pain of my childhood go away. Little did I know, they weren't. They were just a distraction. I still needed to heal and acknowledge that I was broken. Life became very difficult. I received a text from a lady saying she was my sister on my father's side. I never met my father. To him I was just a mistake, I was a product of his affair with my mother. I tried to ignore my emotions towards him as a kid. I thought if I forget what he did, it would make everything ok. When I read the message from my long-lost sister I lost my mind. All the rage-filled my heart and clouded my mind. A few months later my cousin who was like my brother was murdered during a protest for George Floyd. I lost track of everything and my life fell apart. I was evicted from my apartment because of my wrongdoings. I was facing, depression, grief, and loneliness, all while being in a crisis. I lost all the belongings I ever had. I lost my clothes, shoes, electronics, furniture, awards, accolades, and letters from family and friends. Everything. I was heartbroken in many ways. I was separated from family and friends Although it was hard and painful to accept and move on, I had to realize that this was not the end of my life. But it was a test of strength and faith. My mother allowed me to live with her and simply allow me to reconnect with life and spirituality. Every morning I would sit outside and watch the sunrise. Every evening I'd watch the sunset. I found beauty and serenity in simply having life in my body. I found beauty in having a life free from everything. I don't have many belongings. I have one pair of shoes, a pair of jeans, and six undershirts and underwear. To many, it won't seem like much, but to me I am grateful. I've always been grateful deep down inside, but have never really been able to express my gratitude. I think right now at this moment I appreciate the smaller things more than anything. It never took much to make me satisfied or happy. I also realized that to be grateful doesn't mean you have to always be happy. It's a small area of just appreciating what you have and knowing that it could always be worse. The last two year taught me the importance of healing, family, and the power of gratitude! Now I am a new person. I'm stronger. I'm more loving. I'm more patient. I'm more aware. I'm more creative. I'm more open. I'm more grateful. I'm calmer. I am able to see the beauty I'm the smallest if things. Growing up in a violent neighborhood and in poverty is very difficult to see all that you have. Our biggest dream is to escape it and live a better life. I just wake up everyday more grateful for the life and opportunities I have, while striving to create the life that I dream of and deserve.

I've always been grateful deep down inside, but have never really been able to express my gratitude. I think right now at this moment I appreciate the smaller things more than anything. It never took much to make me satisfied or happy. I also realized that to be grateful doesn't mean you have to always be happy. It's a small area of just appreciating what you have and knowing that it could always be worse. Last year, I was evicted from my apartment because of my wrongdoings. I was facing, depression, grief, and loneliness, all while being in a crisis. I lost all the belongings I ever had. I lost my clothes, shoes, electronics, furniture, awards, accolades, and letters from family and friends. Everything. I was heartbroken in many ways. I was separated from family and friends Although it was hard and painful to accept and move on, I had to realize that this was not the end of my life. But it was a test of strength and faith. My mother allowed me to live with her and simply allow me to reconnect with life and spirituality. Every morning I would sit outside and watch the sunrise. Every evening I'd watch the sunset. I found beauty and serenity in simply having life in my body. I found beauty in having a life free from everything. I don't have many belongings. I have one pair of shoes, a pair of jeans, and six under shirts and underwear. To many, it won't seem like much, but to me I am grateful. Living a life of gratitude can be difficult sometimes in a world and society that puts so much value on the tangible. The best things in life aren't what we can touch, it's in what we feel on the inside.

I believe the biggest problem the world faces is the lack of love for one another. Somewhere in history humanity turned cold. People became selfish and self-centered. People went from defensive to overly aggressive. The value and meaning of love seem to be forgotten and forbidden. The only way we can overcome this problem is by loving one another as we love ourselves. I live by this quote, "If we all shared, we'd all have." We can love each other by giving what we have to the people around us. Everyone has a different way to love and everyone has a love language that tends to them. How do we show love to one another? We can show love by being kind, compassionate, caring, respecting, and simply valuing each other. Mother Teresa once told us, "People who love each other fully and truly are the happiest in the world. They may have little, they may have nothing, but they are happy people. Everything depends on how we love one another." I feel like love is the one thing, everyone deserves and is the one thing we can all give. Most people are scared to love because they fear it will be abused. We all face our challenges, we all fall sometimes, and we all struggle in life. Life can be rough sometimes and most of the time the circumstances are out of our control. One thing we will always have the ability to do is love one another. Love has exponential power.

My name is Malik Myles and my life has been a roller coaster experience. I am the middle child and the only boy of three. I was born into a single-parent household. I never had or met my father which brewed up a lot of anger, confusion, and guilt when I was younger. I spent the majority of my life trying to find out if I belonged anywhere. It took me many years to accept the things I couldn't change and how to live life to the fullest without my hardships holding me back. Throughout my life, I didn't have anyone to look up to and follow. I found myself creating a path for myself. I knew deep down that there had to be more children who were just like me. Especially in my school. How many students grow up in a single-parent household and struggle to get by every day? I wanted to be a change-maker throughout my community. My career goal is to become an Educational Psychologist and School Counselor. Growing up I wish I had someone in my school that could see that my performance was mostly affected by my lifestyle at home. There should be more resources available that target troubled students. That is one thing I want to accomplish. I want to be not only a school counselor but also to be a resourceful community leader. I want to be the person that ensures that families have everything they need for students to reach their full potential. Whether it be helping parents find suitable jobs and careers, helping families find food and shelter, or even helping families learn financial literacy. Another avenue I would love to pursue would be to study law and government so that I can one day be on the city council board and be a bridge between the poorer parts of my community from where I live and the city officials who have power. There are not enough people from my community who represent the city. There are not many people who can relate to the citizens on a personal level. The current board members don't take enough time to evaluate and build relationships with the people. They make life-changing decisions without gaining insight. To me, that needs to change, effective immediately! I want to be remembered as someone who inspired and achieved. I want to be remembered as someone who loved and cared for everyone he encountered. I want to be remembered as me.

In 2020 my cousin was murdered by a racist during a protest for the late George Floyd. I fell into a dark depression. I locked myself in the room and cried for months. I tried hard to accept it but couldn't. I ended up failing classes and dropping out of school, I lost my job, and eventually got evicted from my apartment. Currently, I have no money, no clothes, no shoes, and I lost my belongings. I lost all my awards and accolades. I lost my computer and piano. I lost everything that mattered. I've been wearing the same three outfits for a year and a half. For a whole year, I have been sleeping on my mother's living room floor. I was dead on the inside. I was hopeless. One day I got tired of being stuck in a trance. I decided to give myself another chance. I am slowly getting back on my feet. In a few months, I'll be a full-time student again and I have been awarded two scholarships from bold.org. I found a new career that pays well and will allow me to follow my dreams. I found hope again in a hopeless situation. I overcame depression. I found myself again. Hopefully, I can keep elevating.

One thing that I learned about myself along my journey is that I am worthy enough of good things. As a fatherless child, I always felt abandoned and unworthy of love, success, and happiness. I used to wonder how my father could abandon me before I was conceived. At a young age, somehow I always felt like I was to blame. When I turned 15 deep down I knew I wanted to live a beautiful life and came to realize that I was the only one who could make it happen. The only way I could do that was by releasing the pain of my past. My whole life people told me I was special, but a part of me never believed it. I then began to look at my character and spirits and all I could feel was good. I was in pain, but I was naturally good. I had many awards and achievements given to me based on my accomplishments and academics. Since I learned to believe in myself, my life has been nothing short of amazing. The most valuable thing I've learned about myself is that I am worthy of good and great things. I have the power to choose who I want to be and I don't have control over how others treat me. All I can do is keep being me. Keep loving. Keep moving forward. Keep forgiving. One of the best things we can do for ourselves is to believe in ourselves.

My biggest passion is creating and writing music. My dream is to be a full-time songwriter, singer, musician, and music producer. I have been playing piano and songwriting for almost ten years and now I'm ready to be heard by the world. I want to create music that inspires and motivates everyone to live beautifully. I also wnat to create music for film and television. Although that is my biggest passion, I also have a strong will and heart for helping others. Especially youth and families who are underrepresented and at risk. Throughout my life, I didn't have anyone to look up to and follow. I found myself creating a path for myself. I knew deep down that there had to be more children who were just like me. Especially in my school. How many students grow up in a single-parent household and struggle to get by every day? I wanted to be a change-maker throughout my community. My career goal is to become an Educational Psychologist and School Counselor. I want to get a master's or doctorate degree in Educational Psychology and School Counseling. Growing up I wish I had someone in my school that could see that my performance was mostly affected by my lifestyle at home. There should be more resources available that target troubled students. That is one thing I want to accomplish. I want to be not only a school counselor but also to be a resourceful community leader. I want to be the person that ensures that families have everything they need for students to reach their full potential. Whether it be helping parents find suitable jobs and careers, helping families find food and shelter, or even helping families learn financial literacy. Another avenue I would love to pursue would be to study law and government so that I can one day be on the city council board and be a bridge between the poorer parts of my community from where I live and the city officials who have power. There are not enough people from my community who represent the city. There are not many people who can relate to the citizens on a personal level. The current board members don't take enough time to evaluate and build relationships with the people. They make life-changing decisions without gaining insight. To me, that needs to change, effective immediately! I want to make a positive on the world, especially the community in which I live.

My name is Malik Myles and my life has been a roller coaster experience. I am the middle child and the only boy of three. I was born into a single-parent household. I never had or met my father which brewed up a lot of anger, confusion, and guilt when I was younger. I spent the majority of my life trying to find out if I belonged anywhere. It took me many years to accept the things I couldn't change and how to live life to the fullest without my hardships holding me back. Throughout my life, I didn't have anyone to look up to and follow. I found myself creating a path for myself. I knew deep down that there had to be more children who were just like me. Especially in my school. How many students grow up in a single-parent household and struggle to get by every day? I wanted to be a change-maker throughout my community. My career goal is to become an Educational Psychologist and School Counselor. Growing up I wish I had someone in my school that could see that my performance was mostly affected by my lifestyle at home. There should be more resources available that target troubled students. That is one thing I want to accomplish. I want to be not only a school counselor but also to be a resourceful community leader. I want to be the person that ensures that families have everything they need for students to reach their full potential. Whether it be helping parents find suitable jobs and careers, helping families find food and shelter, or even helping families learn financial literacy. Another avenue I would love to pursue would be to study law and government so that I can one day be on the city council board and be a bridge between the poorer parts of my community from where I live and the city officials who have power. There are not enough people from my community who represent the city. There are not many people who can relate to the citizens on a personal level. The current board members don't take enough time to evaluate and build relationships with the people. They make life-changing decisions without gaining insight. To me, that needs to change, effective immediately! I want to be remembered as someone who inspired and achieved. I want to be remembered as someone who loved and cared for everyone he encountered. I want to be remembered as me.

Growing up in single-parent household changes you. Growing up in a single-parent household while not ever meeting the other parent does something to you. You go through many struggles and feel abandoned or like a mistake. The worst part of it all is your brain automatically makes you think as if you're the problem. I struggled a lot with my identity and courage. I've always felt lost and as if I wasn't enough for anything. While I was younger I didn't have dreams or aspirations that pushed me to do better. Instead, there was a voice in my head telling me I couldn't do things. As a kid, I always wondered what I did to be abandoned by my father. I thought he could sense how much of a disappointment and failure I was, so he saved himself the trouble of staying around. Throughout my life, I didn't have anyone to look up to and follow. I found myself creating a path for myself. I knew deep down that there had to be more children who were just like me. Especially in my school. How many students grow up in a single-parent household and struggle to get by every day? I wanted to be a change-maker throughout my community. My career goal is to become an Educational Psychologist and School Counselor. Growing up I wish I had someone in my school that could see that my performance was mostly affected by my lifestyle at home. There should be more resources available that target troubled students. That is one thing I want to accomplish. I want to be not only a school counselor but also to be a resourceful community leader. I want to be the person that ensures that families have everything they need for students to reach their full potential. Whether it be helping parents find suitable jobs and careers, helping families find food and shelter, or even helping families learn financial literacy. Another avenue I would love to pursue would be to study law and government so that I can one day be on the city council board and be a bridge between the poorer parts of my community from where I live and the city officials who have power. There are not enough people from my community who represent the city. There are not many people who can relate to the citizens on a personal level. The current board members don't take enough time to evaluate and build relationships with the people. They make life-changing decisions without gaining insight. To me, that needs to change, effective immediately!

If I had to choose a hobby, honestly I'd say going for walks is one of my favorites. Throughout my life, I would have never thought of walking as a hobby. I've always been under the impression that a hobby had to be an extremely fun activity. When in reality is just something one enjoys from time to time. And walking is something I enjoy. When I was a kid I didn't have many friends and my family didn't have much money. I couldn't hang out with the other kids in my neighborhood. I found myself often going for walks to get out of the house. Sometimes it was walking to the store, walking up and down the street, or even walking in the local parks. Walking with no absolute destination was also very therapeutic. I'd put on my headphones and walk for hours. It soothed my mind from my daily battles and anxiety. It's something about walking and enjoying nature that excites me. I love the scenery, the sounds, and the experience. I love seeing people interact with friends and family. I love seeing squirrels run rampant with curiosity and seeing the pigeons peck the ground for scraps. I love how walking reconnects me to the world. Walking also helps me appreciate the opportunity of life. Sometimes we as people can get so focused on achieving goals and overcoming problems that we forget to enjoy. When I walk I'm able to ponder upon ideas and thoughts that are difficult to in settings that are too still. One of the most important lessons that I've learned as I walk is that life will always be a journey. No matter how dark it may get, no matter how lost we may seem. No matter how purposeless we feel and no matter how dim the light may seem. We can always walk. We can walk towards a better life. We have control over our destinies and destinations.

Growing up fatherless, all I've ever had was my mother. To my father, I was just a mistake he wanted to forget. He was having an affair and that's how I came to be. Despite all of the hardships, my mother took on the responsibility of raising me all alone. I turned out pretty damn amazing! Then things suddenly changed. For many years my mother and I were separated and our relationship was dim. I began to accept the fact that we were never going to be close again. I began to plan a life without her in it, which was too hard. The separation came from homelessness and overall poor life choices. So to say our relationship has always been flawless and beautiful would be a lie. So as I'm writing this essay I'm also in a period of closure of our old relationship and rebuilding a better one. For many years I was trying to move forward and elevate while being held back by pain and confusion of the past. My mom helped me find clarity. My mom came back around and revived me in indescribable ways. I thought my mom had forgotten about me, but the truth was she was hurt and damaged from how life played out and was just consumed by guilt. My mom is instrumental to me because she helps me realize and see the simple things I can't. Naturally, I am an over-thinker. I think of thousands of scenarios in all situations, I'm rarely ever relaxed or calm. My mom has a way of getting me into that calm space or pure serenity. Without that calmness, my life is a total mess. For the most part, I have been emotionally and mentally stable and in control. Just like everyone else sometimes I need to release all of the bad emotions that compress my character. Whether it be through talking or simply crying it all out my mom is the only person I can do that with. So without my mom, I'd be mentally unstable. My mother helped me accept myself. Without her I would be lost and forever confused. With her I have accomplished so much. She makes me feel safe, empowered, loved, unique, worthy, and comfortable. Oh what a joy it is to feel the authentic love from my mother. Oh what a joy it is to experience life with my mother. Oh what a joy it is to simply have a mother.

I love nature because it's amazing! There are so many fascinating things we can learn and find when observing nature. Although nature is astonishing and exotic at times, most importantly it's essential to the lives we live. To me the best way I appreciate nature is by taking care of it and simply enjoying it. I always get angry when people toss trash on the grounds. I always stop them if I can and hold the trash until I get near a trash can. I sometimes walk around my neighborhood picking up small pieces and scraps of garbage. A few months ago, I stopped throwing away fruit and vegetable seeds. I throw the cores and seeds outside in the grass and bushes. I just feel like it's wasteful of something beautiful. Even if the seeds don't grow at least I gave them back to the earth. Every morning and evening I sit and watch the sunrise and sunset. It reminds me that every day is beautiful, different, and unique in it's own way. I also like to walk for a few hours either listening to the sounds of nature or music through my headphones. One day I'd love to start and create a community garden and distribute free fruits and vegetables throughout my community. A garden whre people can come volunteer and find community. A garden where the needy can find nourishment. No man, woman, or child should go hungry!

In my freshman year of high school, I was homeless. I missed lots of classes and eventually failed almost one and a half semesters. Honestly, I didn't care too much about it because I kind of despised school. I used to get bullied a lot and I couldn't take it so I skipped more class time on top of the classes I was already missing. The summer after my freshman year something inside of my mind clicked. I knew that if I didn't change or ask for help that I wouldn't graduate on time or even worst, never. From then on forward I attended all classes and completed all the assignments. I had to put my emotions on hold because the bullying never stopped, it just got worst. I didn't have active parents at the time, so I had to discipline myself. I had the opportunity to travel with groups throughout my community during the summer but I chose not to. I chose to attend summer school. For two consecutive summers, I attended summer school for both six-week periods. At the end of my junior year, I had more than enough credits. I thought about my future and who I wanted to become. I knew I wanted more in life. I knew I deserved more in life. At a young age, I couldn't control my housing situation, but I could control myself. It was my hard work and persistence that allowed me to graduate high school.

If I had to choose one quality or characteristic that I value in myself, I would say my integrity. Integrity is very personal and important to me because of where I came from. My family was built on lies and secrets. The generations before me didn't value honesty and they didn't care if they had to hurt family to get what they wanted. So many of my family are broken. They distance themselves from everyone and their hearts have turned cold. I've seen them tear themselves apart since I was a young child. So early on in my life, I swore to live an honest life and value truth. Every day I find myself running trying to escape that low lifestyle. I knew early on that I wanted to live a beautiful life. I understand the natural balance of life. I also understand that sometimes we outgrow certain situations and relationships. When we allow things to end naturally, it doesn't hurt as much. Pain and guilt will follow and hurt our hearts if it was us that sabotaged what was good. Upholding my integrity ensures me and lets me know that things and people that are good to me didn't die off because of me not being honest. I believe that my choice to live in honesty will help me in many ways. I am a people person. I love making new friends and starting new relationships. I can honestly say from experience that relationships built on love and integrity are healthier and last longer. I want to be a person that people can be comfortable around and trust wholeheartedly. I don't want to be the person everyone looks at with a side-eye. I also believe that the truth will always have power. I say this very often, "The truth may not always be good, but it will always be good because it is the truth". My main career goal is to become an Educational Psychologist and a School Counselor. To help students on a deeper level will require me to earn their trust. No one will open up to those they don't trust. My favorite hobby is writing and producing music. I want to create music that people get inspired by and can relate to. The lyrics I write are honest and touching. I want those who listen to my music to know who I am with. I don't want them to have a false image of me or my morals. Many artists paint their image to be someone they're not. That's where integrity comes in. Shannon Alder once said, "One of the greatest regrets in life is being what others would want you to be, rather than being yourself." This saying means so much to me as I continue to live with integrity. It may not be popular or recognized, but I found joy in being myself. If I live denying myself and acting as someone I'm not for the sake of others, I am living as a liar. We owe it to ourselves to be ourselves. One day I'd love to inspire people to live their best lives. I want them to look at my life and find the motivation to keep moving forward. One way I can ensure that is by living in honesty and truth.

Being kind can go a long way. Being genuinely and authentically kind can go a very long way. Sometimes that's all it takes to impact someone's life. In 2019, I was living in the dormitories on campus. It was the first time I ever lived distant from my family, so everything was very new and exciting for me. During my stay, I was assigned two roommates, who were both from the country, of Oman. Oman is a Middle Eastern country that is next to Saudi Arabia and Yemen. I was excited to meet them because I'd never heard of the country. The first couple of weeks they were very quiet and reserved until they realized I was genuinely friendly. They kept questioning why I was so nice. I didn't know how to answer that, I'd just say, "It's just in me." I'm kind to everyone. I always have been. That's how I was taught to treat people at home and as a Christian. They began to invite me to dinner and events hosted by the Omani community living on campus. They all treated me like family and became the best friends I've ever had. Recently some of them have written me letters, expressing how I was the first friend they made in America. They adopted me into their culture. Coming to America as a Muslim was extremely difficult for them. I didn't know the severity of racism and discrimination against Middle Eastern people until I met one. I almost cried when they told me of their harsh experiences. I apologized for all those insults, by loving harder and being a little kinder. This experience taught me the beauty of friendship and love amongst one another. A few years ago there was a devastating storm here in Nebraska. The storm caused massive floods throughout the state. Although my city, Omaha, was not affected. Many of the surrounding areas were wiped away and torn apart. Hundreds of families lost their homes, their belongings, and some even lost other family members. I signed up to volunteer with the Red Cross with my college, but I was late, so I stayed behind as they left. I signed up to volunteer for four hours. As the day moved forward many of the other volunteers including the employed staff had gone home. Eight people stayed because thousands of donations were still coming in. In a matter of moments, those four hours turned into eight. Those eight eventually turned into twelve. We kept working and striving to do as much as we could. We stacked and move hundreds of pallets of bottled water, separated clothing items, and food items, and also directed traffic. We eight people were never recognized for doing more than what we signed up for and honesty I felt ok with that. We helped thousands of lives. We helped kids find their smiles. We helped parents feed their children. We helped individuals who lost everything find hope again. That's the beauty of humanity. I have never felt so whole in my life. It taught me the beauty of sacrifice.

My career goal is to become an Educational Psychologist, School Counselor, and Teacher. Growing up I wish I had more people in my school that could see that my performance was mostly affected by my lifestyle at home. There should be more resources available that target troubled students. That is one thing I want to accomplish. I want to be not only a school counselor but also to be a resourceful community leader. I want to be the person that ensures that families have everything they need for students to reach their full potential. Whether it be helping parents find suitable jobs and careers, helping families find food and shelter, or even helping families learn financial literacy. I know from personal experience that verbally explaining your hardships to academic faculty can be extremely difficult. I believe it's difficult because rarely does anything change or get better. I want to be the person that makes things happen. I want to help create and maintain healthy families, so they can find peace and happiness. I want to see future generations thrive! Another avenue I would love to pursue would be to study law and government so that I can one day be on the city council board and be a bridge between the poorer parts of my community from where I live and the city officials who have power. There are not enough people from my community who represent the city. There are not many people who can relate to the citizens on a personal level. The current board members don't take enough time to evaluate and build relationships with the people. They make life-changing decisions without gaining insight. To me, that needs to change, effective immediately!

If I was given $1,000 at this moment I'd fall to my knees and say a prayer of thanks and gratitude. The last few years have been emotionally detrimental and exhausting. I find myself hopeless at times, receiving a generous gift would reassure me of the power that hope has. If I was given $1,000 I would do things I need to live easier, happier, and better myself. My receipt of the $1,000 would be: Air Mattress- $45.79 Food/Grocery - $200 Public Transit Bus Fare - $35 Jeans/Pants - $65 Medicine - $29.85 Cremo Citrus Mint Leaf Cologne Spray - $16.99 Hanes socks - $11.98 Yearly Spotify Subscription - $65 Life Insurance Exam Practice Materials - $89 Haircut - $45 Carhartt Men's Bartlett Jacket - $117 Philips Sonicare 4100 Power Toothbrush - $44.99 Rechargeable batteries - $49.98 Bedsure Leather Journal - $18.69 DISTROKID/ASCAP (Platforms and licenses to release music) - $35.99 & $50 Take my mother out for Mother's day - $70 This scholarship prompt was very different from most. I am grateful for the opportunity to apply. Thanks for viewing my application. As I typed my response I kept thinking of this quote from Simone Weil which says, "Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity." It reminds me that when applying for scholarships and assistance that winning is amazing, but there is also beauty within the opportunity itself.

My story may differ from most. I haven't always made the best decisions in life. I know I'm not the most deserving, but I do know that I am unique. I know that I am amazing, brilliant, and capable. One of my dreams is to finish my academic journey with a Doctorate in Psychology. My academic journey has been a roller coaster experience. If I was awarded this scholarship not only would it help me financially, but it would change my life. It would raise my spirits and give me a say in how my journey will end. It would allow me to escape poverty, end my homelessness, and impact lives. My name is Malik Sherrod Myles, I am the middle child of three and I'm the only boy. My family is the smallest amongst my two sisters because I never met my father or his side. Being fatherless made me envious of my sisters when I was a child and brought lots of depression. I've been battling homelessness for the past ten years or so. Ever since I was fourteen I've had to live with other people. Never really had a home. Although I've been through many hardships I've also experienced many successes. I am passionate about helping others become the best versions of themselves. I love to produce music. I enjoy photography, fashion, cooking, telling jokes, acting, singing, and playing the piano. I'm quite addicted to superheroes and science fiction. I also love watching sunsets and sunrises. My career goal is to become an Educational Psychologist, School Counselor, and Teacher. Growing up I wish I had more people in my school that could see that my performance was mostly affected by my lifestyle at home. There should be more resources available that target troubled students. That is one thing I want to accomplish. I want to be not only a school counselor but also to be a resourceful community leader. I want to be the person that ensures that families have everything they need for students to reach their full potential. Whether it be helping parents find suitable jobs and careers, helping families find food and shelter, or even helping families learn financial literacy. I know from personal experience that verbally explaining your hardships to academic faculty can be extremely difficult. I believe it's difficult because rarely does anything change or get better. I want to be the person that makes things happen. I want to help create and maintain healthy families, so they can find peace and happiness. I want to see future generations thrive! Another avenue I would love to pursue would be to study law and government so that I can one day be on the city council board and be a bridge between the poorer parts of my community from where I live and the city officials who have power. There are not enough people from my community who represent the city. There are not many people who can relate to the citizens on a personal level. The current board members don't take enough time to evaluate and build relationships with the people. They make life-changing decisions without gaining insight. To me, that needs to change, effective immediately!

I can remember being a young poor kid not being able to help anyone. My family was always the ones who needed help. Help just seemed so scarce. Those painful moments built the foundation of who I am today. Every time I help someone or volunteer, a silent tear I cried in private is wiped away. Most of the time we say community we tend to focus on where we live or reside. I tend to look at the community as to where we feel like we belong. The community could be a place, a group, a club, or even specific categories of individuals. As I faced homelessness as a kid I became part of many communities. I give back to my community by volunteering and doing good small deeds. I volunteer at food banks, homeless shelters, local churches, nursing homes, and schools. I just love to show kindness to those I encounter daily. That's the best way anyone can help uplift and give back to their community. I am passionate about helping others become the best versions of themselves. I love to produce music. I enjoy photography, fashion, cooking, telling jokes, acting, singing, and playing the piano. I'm quite addicted to superheroes and science fiction. I also love watching sunsets and sunrises. My career goal is to become an Educational Psychologist, School Counselor, and Teacher. Growing up I wish I had more people in my school that could see that my performance was mostly affected by my lifestyle at home. There should be more resources available that target troubled students. That is one thing I want to accomplish. I want to be not only a school counselor but also to be a resourceful community leader. I want to be the person that ensures that families have everything they need for students to reach their full potential. Whether it be helping parents find suitable jobs and careers, helping families find food and shelter, or even helping families learn financial literacy. I know from personal experience that verbally explaining your hardships to academic faculty can be extremely difficult. I believe it's difficult because rarely does anything change or get better. I want to be the person that makes things happen. I want to help create and maintain healthy families, so they can find peace and happiness. I want to see future generations thrive! Another avenue I would love to pursue would be to study law and government so that I can one day be on the city council board and be a bridge between the poorer parts of my community from where I live and the city officials who have power. There are not enough people from my community who represent the city. There are not many people who can relate to the citizens on a personal level. The current board members don't take enough time to evaluate and build relationships with the people. They make life-changing decisions without gaining insight. To me, that needs to change, effective immediately!

At the age of thirteen, my family and I became homeless. I lost so many things and became very angry and depressed. I couldn't understand why so many bad things were happening to us. Due to my harsh life at home, I failed and struggled academically. I was bullied for numerous reasons and I began to skip classes which made my life spiral out of control. None of my teachers or counselors cared enough to help. There was only one counselor who cared enough and took me under his wing. He taught me so much and made me realize that I am more than what I've been through. This is how I knew I was called to be a counselor. The counselor that helped me and guided me was not my assigned counselor, he was just the one who cared. His name was Mr. Christopher Wiley. Mr. Wiley saw me struggling a bit and became a friend first, then became my mentor. Sometimes going to the house I was sleeping at was mentally damaging. Mr. Wiley would often allow me to stay in his office during after-hours and chat about life currently and life after high school. He would invite me and take me on school trips, conferences, and galas/banquets. He introduced me to many important, respectable, and resourceful community leaders. He also helped me fill out college applications. Mr. Wiley became an uncle I never had. He changed my life for the better. Early on in my life, I knew I had to escape the lifestyle I was born into. I wanted to live a beautiful and happy life. I deserved good things. I had to realize that the hardships I endure were not punishments, they were tests meant to strengthen me. I couldn't take any more cold nights. I couldn't take any more hungry days. I could take any more day in which I didn't have running water or electricity. I couldn't take living a life I didn't deserve. That's why I chose to elevate and go to college. I chose college because it was the opportunity that presented itself. An opportunity to change the trajectory of my life and the rest of my family's lives. My career goal is to become an Educational Psychologist, School Counselor, and Teacher. Growing up I wish I had more people in my school that could see that my performance was mostly affected by my lifestyle at home. There should be more resources available that target troubled students. That is one thing I want to accomplish. I want to be not only a school counselor but also to be a resourceful community leader. I want to be the person that ensures that families have everything they need for students to reach their full potential. Whether it be helping parents find suitable jobs and careers, helping families find food and shelter, or even helping families learn financial literacy. I know from personal experience that verbally explaining your hardships to academic faculty can be extremely difficult. I believe it's difficult because rarely does anything change or get better. I want to be the person that makes things happen. I want to help create and maintain healthy families, so they can find peace and happiness. I want to see future generations thrive!

My name is Malik Sherrod Myles, I am the middle child of three and I'm the only boy. I am a first-generation student. My family is the smallest amongst my two sisters because I never met my father or his side. Being fatherless made me envious of my sisters when I was a child and brought lots of depression. I've been battling homelessness for the past ten years or so. Ever since I was fourteen I've had to live with other people. Never really had a home. Although I've been through many hardships I've also experienced many successes. I am passionate about helping others become the best versions of themselves. I love to produce music. I enjoy photography, fashion, cooking, telling jokes, acting, singing, and playing the piano. I'm quite addicted to superheroes and science fiction. I also love watching sunsets and sunrises. When I graduate, It will be the grandest thing I've ever done for myself. All the sleepless nights and lonely hours of depression will have been worth it in the end. I admit I have failed numerous classes so far, but I kept persevering. My transcript doesn't define me, it just shows how many battles I fought internally. Growing up fatherless I had a rough time feeling like I was enough. I felt like I was good enough to deserve good things. As I get older I try to escape that mentality. Earning a college degree is something I didn't think I'd have when I was seven or eight years old. I want to continue to be proud of who I am and never forget where I came from. When I walk the stage I want to feel pure joy and empowerment. My career goal is to become an Educational Psychologist and School Counselor. Growing up I wish I had someone in my school that could see that my performance was mostly affected by my lifestyle at home. There should be more resources available that target troubled students. That is one thing I want to accomplish. I want to be not only a school counselor but also to be a resourceful community leader. I want to be the person that ensures that families have everything they need for students to reach their full potential. Whether it be helping parents find suitable jobs and careers, helping families find food and shelter, or even helping families learn financial literacy. I know from personal experience that verbally explaining your hardships to academic faculty can be extremely difficult. I believe it's difficult because rarely does anything change or get better. I want to be the person that makes things happen. I want to help create and maintain healthy families, so they can find peace and happiness. I want to see future generations thrive!

My name is Malik Myles. I am a first-generation student. Graduating from college means everything to me right now. When I first decided to enroll in college I was terrified. I was terrified because I didn't feel like I was capable. I didn't know what to expect. Most of all I felt out of place. All I knew was that I couldn't bear to live my life in poverty, homelessness, or fear. College became my escaping place. It was everything I never dreamed of or knew I needed. When I graduate, It will be the grandest thing I've ever done for myself. All the sleepless nights and lonely hours of depression will have been worth it in the end. I admit I have failed numerous classes so far, but I kept persevering. My transcript doesn't define me, it just shows how many battles I fought internally. Growing up fatherless I had a rough time feeling like I was enough. I felt like I was good enough to deserve good things. As I get older I try to escape that mentality. Earning a college degree is something I didn't think I'd have when I was seven or eight years old. I want to continue to be proud of who I am and never forget where I came from. When I walk the stage I want to feel pure joy and empowerment. My career goal is to become an Educational Psychologist and School Counselor. Growing up I wish I had someone in my school that could see that my performance was mostly affected by my lifestyle at home. There should be more resources available that target troubled students. That is one thing I want to accomplish. I want to be not only a school counselor but also to be a resourceful community leader. I want to be the person that ensures that families have everything they need for students to reach their full potential. Whether it be helping parents find suitable jobs and careers, helping families find food and shelter, or even helping families learn financial literacy. I know from personal experience that verbally explaining your hardships to academic faculty can be extremely difficult. I believe it's difficult because rarely does anything change or get better. I want to be the person that makes things happen. I want to help create and maintain healthy families, so they can find peace and happiness. I want to see future generations thrive!

My name is Malik Sherrod Myles, I am the middle child of three and I'm the only boy. My family is the smallest amongst my two sisters because I never met my father or his side. Being fatherless made me envious of my sisters when I was a child and brought lots of depression. I've been battling homelessness for the past ten years or so. Ever since I was fourteen I've had to live with other people. Never really had a home. Although I've been through many hardships I've also experienced many successes. I am passionate about helping others become the best versions of themselves. I love to produce music. I enjoy photography, fashion, cooking, telling jokes, acting, singing, and playing the piano. I'm quite addicted to superheroes and science fiction. I also love watching sunsets and sunrises. While I was younger due to my harsh life at home I failed and struggled academically. I was bullied for numerous reasons and I began to skip classes which made my life spiral out of control. None of my teachers or counselors cared enough to help. There was only one counselor who cared enough and took me under his wing. He taught me so much and made me realize that I am more than what I've been through. This is how I knew I was called to be a counselor. My career goal is to become an Educational Psychologist and School Counselor. Growing up I wish I had someone in my school that could see that my performance was mostly affected by my lifestyle at home. There should be more resources available that target troubled students. That is one thing I want to accomplish. I want to be not only a school counselor but also to be a resourceful community leader. I want to be the person that ensures that families have everything they need for students to reach their full potential. Whether it be helping parents find suitable jobs and careers, helping families find food and shelter, or even helping families learn financial literacy. I know from personal experience that verbally explaining your hardships to academic faculty can be extremely difficult. I believe it's difficult because rarely does anything change or get better. I want to be the person that makes things happen. I want to help create and maintain healthy families, so they can find peace and happiness. I want to see future generations thrive!

As I continue to grow up and evolve into the best version of me, I find clarity in so many things I found confusing or missed as a kid. I've always been the artistic type. I have always been an observant and people person. As a kid, my hobbies changed depending on my environment. Growing up homeless and unstable allowed me to be exposed to many different places and things. I became obsessed with being quiet and simply analyzing and observing. I always thought I was a bit awkward, but it turned out I had a knack for science and simply being myself. My passion for entrepreneurship outweighs my passion for science. Science helps me make things make sense, while entrepreneurship helps me be myself and enforce change. Growing up I was always told or taught that we are to finish grade school, attend college or learn a trade, find a career, and start a family. All of those sound good, but I like to call it the "unrealistic blueprint". Some people believe that everyone can follow a similar path in life, but I believe we are creatures of the heart, not of logic. Entrepreneurship is one way we can follow our hearts. The opportunities are endless. There is a quote that I live by and it says, " If we all shared, we'd all have." I believe that we are all born with gifts and are blessed with ideas that will help bring peace to those around us. We all have something to offer. Some people avoid entrepreneurship because they fear it's unsustainable or has too many hardships. I have always enjoyed challenges because it makes me stronger. Also, I've never been the type of person to always follow orders from others. I like to do my own thing most of the time. I love having control and not having to move in fear of messing up. One of the best things I love about this way of life is the freedom of creating a schedule just for me. There is just freedom that entrepreneurship offers that other professions don't. I believe deep down everyone can become an entrepreneur, but only a small amount of people take the risk. Steve Jobs once said, "Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your inner voice. And most important, dare to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

My name is Malik Myles and I am me. I am original, imaginative, and extremely humorous. I am awkwardly fascinated by the smallest of things. I am emotionally intelligent and my soul is warm and accepting. I am outgoing with notes of shyness. I am a quiet conversant. At times, I find myself hollow and hopeless. I am connected, yet detached. I am loving, caring, honest, reliable, and humble. I am striving every day to become the me I want to be. I want to be the me that everyone loves and enjoys and the me that makes a difference.

I come from a community that is ruled by gangs and violence. Rarely are the most influential people not gang members. I live trying to change that false narrative. I show younger children and adults that we can live a happy, resourceful, and abundant life without committing crimes and harming others. I've shown many children in my community the upside of choosing education as an exit route. They can look at me as a source of inspiration and motivation that no matter how bad or rough their past is, they have the power and freedom to create a bright future. This may sound generic or overall ineffective to some, but when you come from a community like mine, you're seen as either a hero or an outcast. I've lost many cousins and family members due to gangs and violence, so the lifestyle I chose means the world to me. I allow my positive lifestyle to affect positive change for my community.

If I had to choose one quality or characteristic that I value in myself, I would say my integrity. Integrity is very personal and important to me because of where I came from. My family was built on lies and secrets. The generations before me didn't value honesty and they didn't care if they had to hurt family to get what they wanted. So many of my family are broken. They distance themselves off from everyone and their hearts have turned cold. I've seen them tear themselves apart since I was a young child. So early on in my life, I swore to live an honest life and value truth. Every day I find myself running trying to escape that low lifestyle. I knew early on that I wanted to live a beautiful life. I understand the natural balance of life. I also understand that sometimes we outgrow certain situations and relationships. When we allow things to end naturally, it doesn't hurt as much. Pain and guilt will follow and hurt our hearts if it was us that sabotaged what was good. Upholding my integrity ensures me and lets me know that things and people that are good to me didn't die off because of me not being honest. I believe that my choice to live in honesty will help me in many ways. I am a people person. I love making new friends and starting new relationships. I can honestly say from experience that relationships built on love and integrity are healthier and last longer. I want to be a person that people can be comfortable around and trust wholeheartedly. I don't want to be the person everyone looks at with a side-eye. I also believe that the truth will always have power. I say this very often, "The truth may not always be good, but it will always be good because it is the truth". My main career goal is to become an Educational Psychologist and a School Counselor. To help students on a deeper level will require me to earn their trust. No one will open up to those they don't trust. My favorite hobby is writing and producing music. I want to create music that people get inspired by and can relate to. The lyrics I write are honest and touching. I want those who listen to my music to know who I am with. I don't want them to have a false image of me or my morals. Many artists paint their image to be someone they're not. That's where integrity comes in. Shannon Alder once said, "One of the greatest regrets in life is being what others would want you to be, rather than being yourself." This saying means so much to me as I continue to live with integrity. It may not be popular or recognized, but I found joy in being myself. If I live denying myself and acting as someone I'm not for the sake of others, I am living as a liar. We owe it to ourselves to be ourselves.

One person I have always admired was my favorite actor, Chadwick Boseman. He has always been inspirational and hard-working. I remember being a young teenager seeing his films in the theater and being captive by his performances. In my community, there are not many people who make it out and be successful. It felt amazing to see someone of my color play important and iconic roles. I've always had a hard time persevering while experiencing turmoil in my life. I've also had a very hard time understanding how to make my dreams come true. Watching Chadwick throughout the years brought a lot of clarity to both of those aspects of my life. He helped me believe in myself. Amid his sickness and pain, he remained persistent. It taught me and showed me the beauty of perseverance. In my family and community, people rarely give themselves a chance to follow their biggest dreams. Chadwick helped me see the beauty of following my dreams for my happiness over everyone else's. For a moment I thought Chadwick had a trouble-free life until I heard him say this, "There's nothing more stressful than your stomach growling. But interestingly enough, some of my best writing came when I was poor and hungry - living off water and oatmeal, mind clear." I've been battling homelessness for the past ten years and have eaten the same thing he mentioned. Honestly, I can say that my motivation and strength are at an all-time high amid my hardships. Seeing him so happy and successful brings me indescribable hope and joy that all the struggles I endure will just make the reward more beautiful. "The struggles along the way are only meant to shape you for your purpose." - Chadwick Boseman

I want to have a positive impact on other people's lives. I want to help people identify and enhance their artistic abilities. I want to create a safe space for people to comfortably practice and learn their crafts. One of my biggest goals in life is to help underrepresented and struggling artists better themselves. I want to help them by providing help through academics, opportunities, connections, and scholarships. There are hundreds of children and people in my community who never follow their artistic dreams because no one believes in them and they never get opportunities to shine. I am a witness that people who have people who believe in them are more successful. I believe that now and then most of us need someone to give us a push and help us begin to think on a much deeper level. "The mind is not a vessel that needs filling, but wood that needs igniting." — Plutarch

I believe the biggest problem the world faces is the lack of love for one another. Somewhere in history humanity turned cold. People became selfish and self-centered. People went from defensive to overly aggressive. The value and meaning of love seem to be forgotten and forbidden. The only way we can overcome this problem is by loving one another as we love ourselves. I live by this quote, "If we all shared, we'd all have." We can love each other by giving what we have to the people around us. Everyone has a different way to love and everyone has a love language that tends to them. How do we show love to one another? We can show love by being kind, compassionate, caring, respecting, and simply valuing each other. Mother Teresa once told us, "People who love each other fully and truly are the happiest in the world. They may have little, they may have nothing, but they are happy people. Everything depends on how we love one another." I feel like love is the one thing, everyone deserves and is the one thing we can all give. Most people are scared to love because they fear it will be abused. We all face our challenges, we all fall sometimes, and we all struggle in life. Life can be rough sometimes and most of the time the circumstances are out of our control. One thing we will always have the ability to do is love one another. Love has exponential power.

My response may be very different than the vast majority. I believe that education grade school needs more freedom. The ideals of education should be expanded to meet the need of all individuals. Education today in public schools feels so forced, there is rarely joy or excitement. I feel like many people graduate high school with a good amount of generic knowledge, but have no idea who they are or what they want to do. If there was a way to help students better understand themselves, education for future generations would be changed for the better. I think they should change some of the offered electives into personality and self-discovery classes. Classes that allow students to be themselves and try new things. Classes that feel a little more open-minded and free, rather than feeling like a responsibility. I believe courses like that would empower more students to go out in the world with confidence about who they are and have more strength to become who they want to be. These courses could also follow the students throughout grade school like an academic transcript. That way future teachers and counselors can better guide students while leading them into a successful life. I can say from personal experience along with many of my peers that we graduated high school not knowing anything about ourselves. We were taught many things that we'll never think about or use in our daily lives. In that area, most public grade schools are failing their students. They are successful in pushing out curricula to millions of students. They are successful with systematic teaching. They are successful with handling students on a grand scale, but not individually. How does an educator claim success upon teaching a student, if the educator can't help the student understand themselves? The students should become the main subject while attending public grade school.

I can honestly say striving to be more positive has proven to be effective. Trying to find small positive aspects of our everyday life can soothe our souls. In life, it's easy to be dragged down by our hardships and struggles. Most mental health issues can force us into being pessimistic people. Taking time to be more optimistic will help bring balance and peace. There's a quote I love to think about and it says, "regression to the mean". In simpler terms, it means that life will always have a natural way of balancing things out. For every good thing that happens, something bad will follow. For every bad thing that happens, something good will follow. Life will not always be all good or all bad, but it's somewhere in between. It reminds us to always be humble and hopeful in all situations. Most of the mental health issues we face in life approach us in our darkest moments. They can take control and make us numb to the beauties in life. It's so easy to sit in and soak in depression. It's so easy to never face your fears and let them live as phobias. It's so easy to continue unhealthy habits and rest in comfort. When people face issues, they rarely know what they're facing until time has passed and the damage is done. At times it's hard to see the negativity because it comes so naturally, it takes no effort. No one tries to become negative or fall into a mental health crisis, it just happens. The real battle is trying to stay positive during times of weakness. Although it is bad, we have to keep hope alive and believe things will get better. For if we let hope die, it will turn into misery.

This question has always been profound to me and there are hundreds of things I would want to be remembered for. If I had to choose one specific ideal it would be to challenge less fortunate people like myself to believe in themselves and "beat the odds". I would be honored if I could help and inspire one person to rise, achieve their goals, and be the best version of themselves. This is important to me because for most of my life I didn't think I'd be successful at anything. In my family and community, the dreams I had were seen as unobtainable or just crazy. I understood early on that we are all dealt different cards which makes our odds a bit different. I then realized how much power and control we can have over those odds when we believe in ourselves. I would always choose for my legacy to be a life lesson that is inspirational and sentimental rather than be something tangible or irrelevant for future generations. “The most beautiful people I’ve known are those who have known trials, have known struggles, have known loss, and have found their way out of the depths.” – Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

I often get skills and talents confused. Over the years I've realized that talents come from within, they are something we are born with. Skills are something we were exposed to and learned. Talent doesn't take as much effort as skills do. I can honestly say my best skill is understanding how people feel and understanding they express their emotions. This could also be known as emotional intelligence. When it comes to other people I have always been naturally sympathetic while also being an empath. There have many circumstances throughout my life which has caused me to use those skills to better my relationships with others. Although I am not a licensed counselor or psychologist, people still approach me because of these skills. People just need someone who can either understand them or is willing to listen so they can better understand them. I continuously improve this skill set by always being open and available to my friends and family. I constantly work on my patience and try to restrict my sense of judgment. I practice gentleness and kindness. I often find myself coming back and pondering upon these two profound quotes. “When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion.” - Dale Carnegie. “The only way to change someone’s mind is to connect with them from the heart.” -Rasheed Ogunlaru

One thing I am passionate about is music. Music just understands me in a way that no one or nothing ever has. I love how I can connect with the music and how music connects me to others. It's just something the notes, the frequencies, the sounds, the beats, the tempos, the harmonies, the composition of it, and the originality it can have that fascinates me beyond any outside minds can comprehend. I love singing and songwriting! I have always struggled with verbally explaining my emotions to other people. I get choked up when I try to tell them how I feel. Almost like I hit a brick wall. When I write songs and sing them my emotions flow like water. My first passion was writing. Writing was the way I expressed myself to the world around me. When I was exposed to the piano I knew somehow that would let me express myself on a deeper level!

If I could share one sentence with every single person I'd simply say, live now. "If you're always waiting to live your life, you're gonna die before it starts." - CW's The Flash - Ralph Dibny Which messages are wiser than the ones encouraging people to live their best lives. Our whole lives we are taught to follow what I call an unrealistic blueprint. Go to school, go to college, get a job, start a family and that's pretty much it. We are taught what to do, but not how to live. Life is like a book. We have to fill the pages. Fill the pages with memories of family, friends, adventures, and stories to be shared. Life is short so we should all do things we love and be around people that make us feel loved. Yes, it's important to be responsible for ourselves and the duties we have, but we are also responsible for our happiness. Live now while you have the time!

The only way I know how to express love to others is by treating them the opposite of the ways that made me feel unloved. The first way is by "inclusion". It feels good when people personally invite you to events and gatherings. Whether it be to a movie, a dinner, or even simpler things like a lunch table. Sometimes it's not up to someone to ask to be included, it's about someone caring enough to go ask them. The second way is by "being there". Being there is so broad and is probably the best thing I can do. Being there in times of hardship. By being someone they can talk to or a shoulder they can cry on when no one else is there. Also being there in the happy times like birthdays, graduations, and ceremonies. Growing up I never had these things that much besides my mom and sisters. Sometimes they weren't there and I had no one. No one to lean on and no one shouting with joy when I was presented with an award. It's up to us to help the person next us and comfort or congratulate them whenever they need it. Love is not just a feeling. Love is something you do. Love takes energy. Love takes sacrifice. Love is worth fighting for.

"Educational Excursion" by The Scholar 1. Freshman Fright 2. Who Am I? 3. Living Freely 4. Hopeless 5. On The Threshold 6. No Self-Control 7. Keepin' On 8. I Believe In Me 9. The Best Is Yet To Come 10. Caps Off

Sometimes motivators aren't always positive. Fear, pain, hope, and love motivate me daily. I didn't find motivation overnight. I found in the hardships and beautiful moments that I experienced. I don't come from a perfect place but a dejected one. I have a constant fear of reliving the past. I fear continuously living in poverty and struggling for food, shelter, and other necessities. I fear not being able to ever find comfort and happiness in my life. I fear not being a positive impact on the world and most importantly on the people around me. For the first time in my life, I have hope because of a dream I recently had. In this dream, I had everything I had ever hoped for. I was reunited with my family. I had a home that was mine. I had friends. I was a college graduate. I had pure joy in my heart. I had a beautiful life. For many years I tried to find motivation from making other people happy and proud. I then realized that people change and are sometimes unpredictable. I chose to find my motivation internally and my life forever changed.

My whole life I've felt miserable and misplaced. I’ve felt as if I didn't belong here. I've had a bad history of self-doubt. I have always felt like I wasn't good enough to receive good things or attract good people. It took me twenty-three years to break free from that mentality. It took me twenty-three years to accept and realize that I am not what I went through. Although I was a mistake of my fathers because I was born out of adultery, my existence is not and will never be a mistake. Somehow and somewhere in my childhood, I began to blame myself for being abandoned. I began to realize that the beauty of this life is that we have the freedom to be who we want to be. We can decide our destiny to a certain extent. This song made me feel good because I too felt that it was time to rise. There's a kid in me who suffered and cried throughout my entire childhood and is ready to live life to the fullest and chase his dreams. For the first time in my life, I find joy to chase my dreams. I'm not afraid to be myself and shine bright!

What makes me happy? Honestly, I had to ponder upon this question deeply. I haven't felt true happiness in over a year. I have felt rushes of enjoyment and excitement, but not happiness. The more I think about the more I realize that I began to forget the things that made me happy, so writing this essay reminded me of the simple things that bring me happiness. Hanging out and laughing with my friends and family makes me happy. Discovering new music makes me happy. Playing the piano makes me happy. Looking at the sunset makes me happy. Passing my classes and receiving recognition makes me happy. Trying new foods makes me happy. Traveling and staying in nice hotels and property rentals makes me happy. Sleeping in the middle of thunderstorms makes me happy. Seeing people enjoy each other without cultural barriers makes me happy. Learning new languages and practicing conversation make me happy. Singing and dancing while cleaning make me happy. When I play board games and it gets quite intense I get happy. Waking up with life in my body makes me happy. I am constantly reminded that happiness is found in the smallest of moments and things. Although happiness doesn't last forever it feels amazing and lifts my spirit and that alone makes me happy.

What is community? I used to think that community was just the people who lived near you. As I got older and deeply examined the term I realized that was only a skim of the term. Community is any place in which you belong and feel accepted. Things that connect us to others could be our ethnicities, religions, race, hobbies, sexualities, and many more. Connecting with your community is important because it makes everything worth it. You begin to see the beauty and honor in the things you do. I have always believed, "If we all shared, we'd all have." I've always been active throughout the communities in which I am a part. Whether it be through school, church, giving a helping hand, or moral support. I can remember being a young poor kid not being able to help anyone. My family was always the ones who needed help. Help just seemed so scarce. Those painful moments built the foundation of who I am today. Every time I help someone or volunteer, a silent tear I cried in private is wiped away. I have spent hundreds of hours helping my community through leadership and volunteering, but these experiences are the most impactful to me. A few years ago there was a devastating storm here in Nebraska. The storm caused massive floods throughout the state. Although my city, Omaha, was not affected. Many of the surrounding areas were wiped away and torn apart. Hundreds of families lost their homes, their belongings, and some even lost other family members. I signed up to volunteer with the Red Cross with my college, but I was late, so I stayed behind as they left. I signed up to volunteer for four hours. As the day moved forward many of the other volunteers including the employed staff had gone home. Eight people stayed because thousands of donations were still coming in. In a matter of moments, those four hours turned into eight. Those eight eventually turned into twelve. We kept working and striving to do as much as we could. We stacked and move hundreds of pallets of bottled water, separated clothing items, and food items, and also directed traffic. We eight people were never recognized for doing more than what we signed up for and honesty I felt ok with that. We helped thousands of lives. We helped kids find their smiles. We helped parents feed their children. We helped individuals who lost everything find hope again. That's the beauty of humanity. I have never felt so whole in my life. It taught me the beauty of sacrifice. The other opportunity to serve that I partook in was an Educational Excursion and Volunteering trip to Puerto Rico. A group of students in TRiO SSS (Student Support Services that target low-income and first generational students) at Metropolitan Community College was granted the opportunity to visit the country of Puerto Rico and learn about the culture and help with building back of the previous hurricane. We were there for eight days and volunteered for a total of 20 hours throughout local communities. Seeing hundreds of people living on the street was heartbreaking. The native people could tell we were from America and would beg for cash, they were so desperate they almost began to get violent. All I could do was pray for them, shake a few hands, and wish them well. Later on, we volunteered in a local church for a few hours. We learned about their beliefs. We helped clean and organize multiple rooms that were packed with food donations and clothing items specifically for the local college students who lived ten minutes away. The best part of the trip was the visit to El Yunque National Rainforest. We spent seven hours cleaning up debris and trash from the hurricane. The goal was to clean up the streets, sidewalks, and check-in areas so they could reopen the parks back up for locals and tourists They were so grateful. That trip taught me the beauty of the earth. Growing up the community in which I lived was very violent and we bounced around homes many times due to homelessness. I was never able to connect to those in my community. I was able to persevere because I had lots of mentors and community leaders who believed in me and helped me. Three of those people were my counselors and academic advisors. In the homes, I grew up in college was never talked about. I had no idea where my life was headed. So my second home became my church and the offices of my mentors and counselors. It was in those hard times that I realized I wanted to and needed to become a counselor. That's how I chose my major of Educational Psychology. My biggest passion is both music production and entertaining, but counseling was the calling I received that will help change lives. I knew deep down that there had to be more students that live in my neighborhood that want to be better, but have no to look up to. I knew that I wasn't the only fatherless child who punished themselves by default and always felt less than the people around them. I knew I wasn't the only black kid who wanted to become a positive statistic. Yes, I have dreams of living on a beach or in a fancy loft creating music, but I have to give back first. I want to be a counselor and advisor. I want to study law and government so that I can one day be on the city council board and be a bridge between the poorer parts of my community from where I live and the city officials who have power. The biggest communities I identify with are the minorities and the underrepresented. I want to help those who are a part of these two categories live more comfortably. I want to help them find different opportunities and ways to better their families.

Sometimes I find myself on a tight rope. I find myself struggling to make simple decisions. I try to stay away from loans as much as I can, but sometimes it's just a necessity. It's especially hard when you have been battling homelessness for ten years as I have. If I was to save money or receive assistance I would rent a home or find someplace else where I can find comfortability. I'd use the money to buy books, pay for career certificates, and simply do things that make me and others happy. Every time I tell my story from the heart I shed a few tears. Growing up I never realized what I was going through nor did I understand the severity of the circumstances. As I get older and step into the future I try not to let my past define me but motivate me and help me understand that I'm better than what I had to endure. My name is Malik Sherrod Myles, I am the middle child of three and I'm the only boy. My family is the smallest amongst my two sisters because I never met my father or his side. Being fatherless made me envious of my sisters when I was a child and brought lots of depression. I've been battling homelessness for the past ten years or so. Ever since I was fourteen I've had to live with other people. Never really had a home. Although I've been through many hardships I've also experienced many successes. In elementary school, I won a huge academic and personality award. I had the highest grades throughout my school and my principal chose me to represent the school and receive an award called "ACE". The award was given to acknowledge students that excelled academically and showed respect and courtesy to both faculty and students. In high school, I was on the honor roll for four semesters. I then received the Young Man of the year award at my church. In my senior year, I participated in a local speech/oratorical competition amongst the Baptist churches in my city. I won on all levels and was honored to make it to the Nationals competition. I did all of this while bouncing around homes. I couldn't let my circumstances decide who I was. I was able to persevere because I had lots of mentors and community leaders who believed in me and helped me. Three of those people were my counselors and academic advisors. In the homes, I grew up in college was never talked about. I had no idea where my life was headed. So my second home became my church and the offices of my mentors and counselors. I used to spend numerous hours volunteering and job shadowing because it allowed me to escape the reality I lived in. It was in those hard times that I realized I wanted to and needed to become a counselor. That's how I chose my major of Educational Psychology. My biggest passion is both music production and entertaining, but counseling was the calling I received that will help change lives. Yes, I have dreams of living on a beach or in a fancy loft creating music, but I have to give back first. I want to be a counselor and advisor. I'd also love to study law and government so that I can one day be on the city council board and be a bridge between the poorer parts of my community from where I live and the city officials who have power. Thanks for the opportunity to apply.

I'm going to be completely honest. I have applied for hundreds of scholarships over the years and have only received two. I never knew if I got them because of me being lucky or because someone on the committee thought I was deserving. I admit I need lots of help to escape the life I currently live and to keep pressing on, but I don't know if I am deserving or not. Yes, I have dreams of living on a beach or in a fancy loft creating music, but I have to give back first. I want to be a counselor and advisor. I have had thoughts of studying law and government so that I can one day be on the city council board and be a bridge between the poorer parts of my community from where I live and the city officials who have power. The biggest obstacle I've faced is persevering through homelessness. I've been homeless for 10 years or so. Lots of depression and anxiety come with living in different places every few months. No one in my family has made enough money to afford a house. In other words in currently overcoming my biggest obstacle.

Every time I tell my story from the heart I shed a few tears. Growing up I never realized what I was going through nor did I understand the severity of the circumstances. As I get older and step into the future I try not to let my past define me but motivate me and help me understand that I'm better than what I had to endure. My name is Malik Sherrod Myles, I am the middle child of three and I'm the only boy. My family is the smallest amongst my two sisters because I never met my father or his side. Being fatherless made me envious of my sisters when I was a child and brought lots of depression. I've been battling homelessness for the past ten years or so. Ever since I was fourteen I've had to live with other people. Never really had a home. Although I've been through many hardships I've also experienced many successes. In elementary school, I won a huge academic and personality award. I had the highest grades throughout my school and my principal chose me to represent the school and receive an award called "ACE". The award was given to acknowledge students that excelled academically and showed respect and courtesy to both faculty and students. In high school, I was on the honor roll for four semesters. I then received the Young Man of the year award at my church. In my senior year, I participated in a local speech/oratorical competition amongst the Baptist churches in my city. I won on all levels and was honored to make it to the Nationals competition. I did all of this while bouncing around homes. I couldn't let my circumstances decide who I was. I was able to persevere because I had lots of mentors and community leaders who believed in me and helped me. Three of those people were my counselors and academic advisors. In the homes, I grew up in college was never talked about. I had no idea where my life was headed. So my second home became my church and the offices of my mentors and counselors. It was in those hard times that I realized I wanted to and needed to become a counselor. That's how I chose my major of Educational Psychology. My biggest passion is both music production and entertaining, but counseling was the calling I received that will help change lives. I knew deep down that there had to be more students that live in my neighborhood that want to be better, but have no to look up to. I knew that I wasn't the only fatherless child who punished themselves by default and always felt less than the people around them. I knew I wasn't the only black kid who wanted to become a positive statistic. Yes, I have dreams of living on a beach or in a fancy loft creating music, but I have to give back first. I want to be a counselor and advisor. I have had thoughts of studying law and government so that I can one day be on the city council board and be a bridge between the poorer parts of my community from where I live and the city officials who have power.

I would say, "Take the leap, my friend, just take the leap". Given the fact that they're my peer would suggest that we have things in common. Those mutual characteristics could be age, gender, hobbies, and many more. In all honesty young people such as myself have never lived before. Most of us have never enjoyed, experienced, or undergone most that our lives will have to offer. After we graduate high school we enter the world lost, probably having no idea who we are or what we want to do for the next sixty years or so. I'd tell my peers that college is not always what it sounds like. It's an experience that can't be properly described in words, it's something that has to be experienced firsthand. We decide to attend college or reject the idea simply based on what others have told us throughout the years. The college journey is unique to each individual in its extraordinary ways. I read a post on Instagram a few weeks ago that something along the lines of, "If something brings you fear and excitement simultaneously, you should do it!" That describes my current college journey. I was told that professors and teachers don't care about their students. I was told that they won't remember my name. It turns out that both of those accusations were false. My professors were the only teachers that made me feel like I mattered. I was never a good test taker and I never had an outstanding transcript, but in college, I exceeded numerously. I never had friends until I went to college. The world is a scary place and it's easy to get lost. When you decide to go to college you get a better chance of both finding out who you are and deciding who you want to become. College will give you family, friends, and overall a solid community that you won't find anywhere else. To my peers who don't want to attend college, I ask you this, "Why don't you want to attend college?" If you can't answer from a personal standpoint and not from what you've heard, I can almost guarantee you that you're just a little scared of trying something new, pushing yourself to higher levels, and leaving your comfort zone. I say to you, "Take the leap, my friend, just take the leap."

As I read the topic question I had to ask myself if I had an idea of what my dream life would look like. In all honesty, growing up in the community I did there are a lot of instances in which innocent people are slain. Which forced me into some type of survival mode. Always on alert. My dream life for most of my life was simply to be fortunate enough to see tomorrow. So given my medical history and the amount of violence in my community I never planned for the future. I just hoped to see it. I didn't think of my "dream life" until I turned twenty-one. I want a life of happiness and peace. I want a life that I could be proud of. I want a life that people can look at and feel inspired to follow and achieve their goals. I want a life in which financial freedom is my reality. I want to experience life outside of the "hood". I want to walk across the stage a few more times. I want to find a good wife and have children. I want a life so good that it feels like a dream.

I find myself gasping for air on the verge of blacking out sometimes. Some nights I wake up struggling to breathe. I find myself crying and screaming for someone to help me. I find myself in the hospital bed begging God that I don't die this way. I have all my limbs and organs. I even have a sound mind, but living with severe asthma I feel indescribable feelings. I can remember there have been six times in which I felt that I was looking death in its eyes. Imagine suffocating on absolutely nothing. Imagine the fear. Imagine the panic that comes along with other people telling you to calm down. Imagine the fear of sometimes being alone. You can't live comfortably if you can't breathe. My whole life I have wondered why most people don't see extremely severe asthma as a physical disability. I was diagnosed with asthma at two months old. I can tell you that asthma limits my physical mobility. Sometimes my spirits are high and my energy is at a substantial level, but when the asthma attacks come over me I rapidly get drained. Early on in life around the age of five, I had to teach myself and harshly accept the possibility of my dying from an asthma attack. I had to realize that no matter how good of a person I was or grew up to be that my life wouldn't be any easier or prolonged. When I was thirteen years I remember going down to the altar on Sunday mornings praying the same prayer. I kept praying to God that I will be freed from asthma. I wanted to experience life without that fear. Sometimes I even prayed that he ends my life before an asthma attack does. It took me many years to escape the depression that snuck into my life when I was born. I then began to love life because, despite all the sleepless nights and painful days, life is still a gift. There's a world full of people who are born with conditions and born into conditions that they have no control over. It taught me to appreciate everything I have. Every massive thing down to the lesser of things such as deep breaths. I promised myself to live and love beautifully. The hardships I experienced made me who I am. They made my life great in a way. It could always be worst. I haven't always made the best decisions in life. I know I'm not the most deserving, but I do know that I am unique. I know that I am amazing, brilliant, and capable. One of my dreams is to finish my academic journey with a Doctorate in Psychology. My academic journey has been a roller coaster experience. If I was awarded this scholarship not only would it help me financially, but it would change my life. It would raise my spirits and give me a say in how my journey will end. It would allow me to escape poverty, end my homelessness, and help me impact lives.

I found myself crying as I walked down the hallway of the mental health hospital. My heart was torn into pieces. My gut was twisted up and my mind was just dead. I was on my way to see my mother. After seven years of separation, I couldn't face the reality of this being the last time I saw my mother's face. In 2016 my mother attempted suicide. Although it wasn't me trying to commit I still felt just as bad. I found myself drowning in anger and depression. It was so bad that I couldn't focus on myself or handle my daily responsibilities. Life was already hard growing up with one parent, I was a mistake of my father's and couldn't bear the weight of being a mistake of my mother's also. I found myself falling semester after semester until I just stopped going altogether. I thought since I was physically okay I should've still been able to perform everything I did to the best of my ability. It was then that I realized our connections and relationships with others are more important than education and careers. Now entering 2022 I feel amazing. My mom is healthy and our relationship is the strongest it's ever been. My mother was absent from my life for almost seven years and I told myself I should just get used to her not being around. There was a void inside of me that nothing else could fill. Nothing besides my mother's love. This was the biggest turnaround of my life.

Can we as people be entirely selfless? I have to admit that I'm not entirely selfless. I do things that put others before me or benefit them and not me. I am a work in progress, but if making someone feel happy about something means sacrificing my happiness I'd do it willingly. I would say I have committed to learning how to become selfless, rather than already being committed. On numerous occasions, I have given my last money to assist people and have given my time when I was busy or simply tired. I always make sure that my heart is in the right condition when partaking in self-less acts. I help because people have helped me. I help because one day I may be the one requesting it. I help because it's the right thing to do. It pains me too much to stand by and watch other people struggle when I can step in and make a difference.

When I was twelve years old I almost died from a severe asthma attack. My doctor at the time told me he didn't expect me to see the age of fourteen. So at an early age, I taught myself the importance of gratitude. I've never been a beggar or someone who asks for many things because I hate feeling as if my request was a burden. I believe God has me in the palm of his hands. For many years I kept suppressing the urge to ask for assistance in my life because I thought it was a sign of not being satisfied or grateful for what I had. Later in life, I realized that life isn't that black and white. Amid hardships and me asking for help nowadays I still remind myself of what I have and express gratitude. I walk with gratefulness of my legs. I speak with gratefulness of having a voice and a sound mind. I smile with gratefulness of having something to smile about. I eat with the gratefulness of having access to food and water. I look and admire the sunrises and sunset with gratefulness of having a good vision and freedom. I don't have much belonging or accolades to admire, but I have life in my body. To me, that's enough!

Three of my biggest goals are to obtain stability, graduate from college, and travel the world. All of my goals in life are either motivated by my dark past or the simple optimism of my heart. I haven't been in a stable environment since I was twelve years old. For almost ten whole years I have been living with someone or staying the night. I want to have my own home that can't be taken away and a place where I feel comfortable without feeling like I'm intruding on someone else's space. I would love a luxurious type of loft or apartment for now. In the future, I want to design and build a home. Being a first-generation student, I have had an incredibly difficult time on my academic journey. Most of the time it's self-doubt. Then there are times in which being poor just takes me down. I have been in college on and off for five years, but a total of 2 1/2 academic years. I have seven classes left until I finish my first degree, but finances are hard right now. I still have hope that help will come sooner or later. The only thing stopping me from being successful is finances. I don't have the money. I'm hoping to be fortunate enough to win a scholarship to give me the momentum I need. I don't have the patience to sit and plan anymore, I just have to do.

Three of my biggest goals are to obtain stability, graduate from college, and travel the world. All of my goals in life are either motivated by my dark past or the simple optimism of my heart. I haven't been in a stable environment since I was twelve years old. For almost ten whole years I have been living with someone or staying the night. I want to have my own home that can't be taken away and a place where I feel comfortable without feeling like I'm intruding on someone else's space. I would love a luxurious type of loft or apartment for now. In the future, I want to design and build a home. Being a first-generation student, I have had an incredibly difficult time on my academic journey. Most of the time it's self-doubt. Then there are times in which being poor just takes me down. I have been in college on and off for five years, but a total of 2 1/2 academic years. I have seven classes left until I finish my first degree, but finances are hard right now. I still have hope that help will come sooner or later.

My friends fuel my life because they keep me alive. We hang out, go to dinner, go bowling, go to the theater, and much more. Before I met them I was a nobody. I was lifeless. They taught me how to live. They taught me how to express love to other people. They make me feel loved. My future fuels my life. I see a future of hope. I see a future in which I am completely happy. Not a struggle-free life but a life that's brighter than my past. My hope for the future gives me my daily momentum to keep going. My mom also fuels my life. I have always only had one parent. Sometimes I feel worthless and she holds me like a baby and tells me it'll be ok. She lets me know life is both good and bad. Let me know to always remain hopeful.

Where can't find the brightest sides of life or humanity? I believe the answer is everywhere and inside everyone. The first thing I do is look around and see that we are all human! When I was growing up I saw people of many nations throughout my community, but I was ignorant of their cultures, beliefs, traditions, and lifestyle. I just saw people being people. When I was 17 starting my freshman year of college I was exposed to the world. I became good friends with the International students and refugees I met throughout my college campus. Now we are close like brothers and sisters. The best way I support diversity and equality is by sharing the stories I've heard and learned to others that may be culturally ignorant. In America, we tend to grow up thinking we are the "correct" culture. I tell people we are all correct and we are all wrong. It all comes down to perspective. I love being one of the most culturally diverse in my family. I share the beauty of the world with everyone around me.

I have many careers I'd love to try in the future. One of the most important is in the educational field. I want to become an Educational Psychologist because many kids in my community have no guidance or people who care. I believe it all starts at home, and sometimes in the hood home is the roughest place to be. I think the challenges we face at an early age change our brains in a way. I want to make sure households and classrooms are healthy, so children can strive. I also want to be a musician and producer. My biggest dream is to one day create and own a music studio that assists underprivileged individuals of all ages to pursue their artistic dreams. I want to be the person who helps mold them into people who aren't ashamed or afraid to express themselves through art. Some of us are natural-born artists. Yet, some people go their entire lives in the shadows. I'd love to see "I Am Unique" Studios in action one day helping create the next generation of artists through academics, opportunities, connections, and scholarship.

I find myself bleeding through my eyes sometimes. Tears of pain. Streams of rage in my head. I find myself begging for another chance and a better life. If I told you the full story of my life you'd think it was a living nightmare. Somehow I still have hope. I can of the hard times for an eternity, but I can count the best times of my life on both of my hands. The hard times make me strong, and the good ones give me hope and clarity of what life should be. Failures and trials aside I've learned to enjoy my life. In the past three years my life has been like living hell, so writing this essay while being honest is very tough. I have never been as hopeful as I am not, but at the same time, I have never been this low. I just strive to be a better young man and human being overall. I'm trying to turn my life into something I'm proud about.

I find myself being the silver lining of many situations. I have always been a huge encouragement amongst my family and friends. There's just something about my character that people tell me encourages them. I believe part of it is me being able to simply remain hopeful. They see me smiling and laughing all the time despite the daily turmoil and hardships. I've been that way my whole life. People know if they want a laugh or a break from their pain I am the one to go to. One way I intentionally encourage others is by letting them know they are amazing, brilliant, and capable. I believe people need positive words from others on a weekly if not daily basis. I say things such as, "I'm so proud of you!" I also love to let people know that they're never alone by being there or sending quick texts. I try to be the encouragement that I never had.

What is life without adventure? What is life without feeling a rush when you do certain things? What is life if you always follow rules or some type of list? I'm going to be completely transparent and honest. I have never created a bucket list. I never understood the idea or qualifications a bucket list should have. When I was younger I thought it was a list that had to be typed out or written down like a Christmas list. Growing up how I did I stopped writing lists and making wishes when I blew out my candles. I stopped because to me they were just things that never happened or came true. As I wrote this essay I pondered on things I just dreamt about doing when I was younger. I've always wanted to be in an airplane and I have been on a plane 6 times so far. I dreamt about going out of the country and I have been once. I dreamt about writing songs and I've started writing about 35 songs so far. I don't have a solid list, I just do whatever I feel like.

What if I told you music was my greatest study strategy? Well yeah, music helps me a lot. You may wonder what I mean by music. When I took college algebra I would go home and turn the algebraic equations into mini songs. The steps would be my lyrics and it worked! Another strategy I love to use is visualizing. I have to see things written down or on paper before I can begin to remember. There were times my professors would email me PowerPoint presentations of the notes and lectures. I had to write them all out by hand because when I write something it's just easier to remember. I don't know what the method is called, but I also like to associate terms with different words and images. Almost like playing a matching game. Also while testing I like to break all tests up into different sections because large tests are a bit intimidating.

I can remember being a young poor kid not being able to help anyone. My family was always the ones who needed help. Help just seemed so scarce. Those painful moments built the foundation of who I am today. Every time I help someone or volunteer, a silent tear I cried in private is wiped away. I have volunteered numerous times over the years, but there were two that changed my life. One was in my community and the other was overseas. A few years ago there was a devastating storm here in Nebraska. The storm caused massive floods throughout the state. Although my city, Omaha, was not affected. Many of the surrounding areas were wiped away and torn apart. Hundreds of families lost their homes, their belongings, and some even lost other family members. I signed up to volunteer with the Red Cross with my college, but I was late, so I stayed behind as they left. I signed up to volunteer for four hours. As the day moved forward many of the other volunteers including the employed staff had gone home. Eight people stayed because thousands of donations were still coming in. In a matter of moments, those four hours turned into eight. Those eight eventually turned into twelve. We kept working and striving to do as much as we could. We stacked and move hundreds of pallets of bottled water, separated clothing items, and food items, and also directed traffic. We eight people were never recognized for doing more than what we signed up for and honesty I felt ok with that. We helped thousands of lives. We helped kids find their smiles. We helped parents feed their children. We helped individuals who lost everything find hope again. That's the beauty of humanity. I have never felt so whole in my life. It taught me the beauty of sacrifice. The other opportunity to serve that I partook in was an Educational Excursion and Volunteering trip to Puerto Rico. A group of students in TRiO SSS (Student Support Services that target low-income and first generational students) at Metropolitan Community College was granted the opportunity to visit the country of Puerto Rico and learn about the culture and help with building back of the previous hurricane. We were there for eight days and volunteered for a total of 20 hours throughout local communities. Seeing hundreds of people living on the street was heartbreaking. The native people could tell we were from America and would beg for cash, they were so desperate they almost began to get violent. All I could do was pray for them, shake a few hands, and wish them well. Later on, we volunteered in a local church for a few hours. We learned about their beliefs. We helped clean and organize multiple rooms that were packed with food donations and clothing items specifically for the local college students who lived ten minutes away. The best part of the trip was the visit to El Yunque National Rainforest. We spent seven hours cleaning up debris and trash from the hurricane. The goal was to clean up the streets, sidewalks, and check-in areas so they could reopen the parks back up for locals and tourists They were so grateful. That trip taught me the beauty of the earth.

First of all, I'd love to pay tribute to Jae'Sean Tate. May his family and his works always be remembered by those she has impacted throughout the years. I'd also like to admit I battle with the thought of me being deserving of good things quite often. Ever since I was a small child. This is me breaking from that mentality. So the question about what makes me deserving of the scholarship is a question I can't answer yet. I never had the best test scores or outstanding transcripts, but I have always been grateful for everything I've received. For a few years, I have been praying and almost begging for a new opportunity to redeem myself. This scholarship could do way more than that. This scholarship would change the trajectory of my life. I have always believed people deserve second chances, recently I realized that included me too. The worst thing I've done in my life is that I have failed classes from time to time. The only solid reasons why I believe I deserve this scholarship is because I am an amazing person, I will help other people, and simply because I too deserve good things. My two biggest goals are to become a successful artist and an Educational Psychologist. I have been taking music lessons and songwriting for almost 9 years now. I wish I could release my first song in 2023, but I got evicted two months ago and lost everything I had. So I have to get everything back out of the mud again. For now, I just make tracks on this app I use on my phone. I want to become an Educational Psychologist because many kids in my community have no guidance or people who care. I believe it all starts at home, and sometimes in the hood home is the roughest place to be. I think the challenges we face at an early age change our brains in a way. I want to make sure households and classrooms are healthy, so children can strive.

I've learned that I am deserving of good things. I grew up in a rough situation. I've almost always lived in poverty and grew up fatherless. All the hardships of my life sort of shaped me to believe that that was the life I was destined to live. As if I deserved those things. Although I had no control over certain situations my mindset as a child had to find some way to make it all make sense. The only thing that I felt would make it make sense is that I needed to be punished for something. I recently watched a film titled, "Good Will Hunting". There was a scene where Robin Williams hugged Matt Damon and let him know none of the darkness and troubles he experienced as a young child was his fault. He let him know how amazing he was and that it was time to stop punishing himself and to find his true happiness while striving to reach his full potential. That scene touched my heart. I sometimes find myself self-sabotaging because I feel like some things are just too good for me. Not to brag, but I realized that I too am an amazing person. I too deserve happiness. I too deserve love. I too will be successful. I too will heal from the pain and walk down a brighter path.

The only legacy I want is for people to understand the value of their happiness, the importance of loving one another, and simply enjoying the moment. I'd say understanding the value of their happiness because so many people don't think their happiness matters. It seems as if some people don't even think real happiness is obtainable. I'd love to encourage others to live a life that makes them happy and do things that bring them joy. I believe loving others is so important. We are all human, so we all have moments when we feel alone or moments of weakness in general. Society has a way of pushing the most humane emotions to the side. Mental health amongst us should be a more sensitive focus. We see hundreds of people daily and never know what's going on inside their minds, so why not love first. Be kind first. Be patient first. Be nice first. Be gentle first. Love from other people can work like magic!

One thing that I learned early on is that we are all human. This means when everything is said and done, we are all the same. We all live and we all will eventually pass away. No one person is better or worse than the next. When I finally understood that it made me feel ok to be me. I stopped trying impress people and fit in. I decided to embrace myself and stand out. I learned that normal amongst humans doesn't make sense. This also made me realize the importance of loving others and making sure I'm a gentle soul. I never know what the person next to me is going through. People are just as sensitive as me if not more. My perspective on the phrase, "Do unto others, as you'd want to be done to yourself" completely changed. No one likes to be treated badly, so we should never treat others badly.

Hello beautiful people, I am Malik Sherrod Myles, but I'd like to use Malik Sherrod as my stage name. I want to be a singer, songwriter, and producer. I can remember being a teenager in my church's choir who focused on the pianist's fingers while he/she was playing. I remember tapping my fingers on the back of the pew mimicking the motions as if I was playing the piano myself. One day, an elder saw me zoned out and was fascinated. He offered to pay for my piano lessons and I accepted graciously. I was bouncing around homes at the time due to homelessness. I couldn't afford a piano or a keyboard so I went to the piano after church to memorize the sounds of the keys and notes. I'd then go home and draw a picture of the piano keys on a piece of white paper and that's how I studied for the first three months. Although I had many hardships my piano teacher said that I was the fastest learning student she had in years. It was at that moment I knew this is what I was born to do. My biggest dream is to one day create and own a music studio that assists underprivileged pursue their artistic dreams. I want to be the person who helps mold them into people who aren't ashamed or afraid to express themselves through art. Some of us are natural-born artists. Yet, some people go their entire lives in the shadows. I'd love to see "I Am Unique" Studios in action one day helping create the next generation of artists though academics, opportunities, connections and scholarship. I am currently struggling and homeless trying to make it. I record songs using a free app on my phone until I get a computer.

One of the happiest memories I have ever had was getting my apartment, sleeping in my bed, and simply having a place to call home. It only lasted for a little over a year until the hardships came back, but it was worth it. It felt good having things that were mine and not feeling like I owed someone something. When you experience homelessness and instability for 10 years being able to have your own things is a different kind of joy.

I think the meaning of life is to love, cherish, and enjoy it. I believe that life has many meanings and lessons it teaches us daily but the most important things are the importance of enjoyment, love, and cherish. What is life if not enjoyable? Take enjoyment and love out of life then all we have is existence. I enjoy life by acknowledging and appreciating the simplest of things. I sit outside and enjoy the sunsets and sunrises. I enjoy taking deep breaths of fresh air. I enjoy drinking glasses of freshwater. Although my life circumstances are challenging I enjoy what I have at the moment. I believe that we are all given the breath of life from God, and what makes it more wholesome is that we have a choice in what kind of lives we live. We must make the best choices and decisions we can make to fulfill the lives we want. That is why I chose to invest in higher education, to help me get there. I will continue to enjoy, love, and cherish my life.

I was never one to have lots of money so acts of service were my thing to do. I've always had a passion for helping others whether it be a huge task or a simple helping hand. One of the acts of service that I love the most is cooking for people. Cooking for people that are too busy, lack food, or just want to eat. When I lived on campus a few years ago I would randomly go to the nearby Walmart and buy $70 worth of groceries. I'd cook a big hot meal and invite random people and close friends to come to eat. I also love to help the elderly. There are times when I'd stay after church hours and help the seniors get to their cars. I'd help clean after huge events when everyone else would leave. Most of the staff at my church are elders who work endlessly to provide a safe, secure, and resourceful environment. While in high school I'd surprise them and help them complete a few tasks. Sometimes it would be folding brochures and programs. Sometimes it would be stamping and labeling the mail. Sometimes it would be shoveling snow and pouring down ice melt. It just felt amazing to take a load from their shoulders.

Our creativity is what makes us all individually unique. The late and great poet Maya Angelou told us that, "You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” As a young child, I used to think of ways on how I can be creative while being original without using or taking ideas from others. I came to realize that no one has the power to do so. Nothing under the sun is new. This means creativity is just a form of kind and artistic thievery. It means taking bits and pieces of things you've seen, read, or heard over the years and changing them. Add your own flavor to it. The most significant way I apply creativity to my life is through my music. Taking the lessons I've learned and creating something that no one has ever heard before but yet anyone could relate to. Every day I hear new melodies and new beats that elevate my creativity.

I love nature because it's amazing! There are so many fascinating things we can learn and find when observing nature. Although nature is astonishing and exotic at times, most importantly it's essential to the lives we live. To me the best way I appreciate nature is by taking care of it and simply enjoying it. I always get angry when people toss trash on the grounds. I always stop them if I can and hold the trash until I get near a trash can. I sometimes walk around my neighborhood picking up small pieces and scraps of garbage. A few months ago, I stopped throwing away fruit and vegetable seeds. I throw the cores and seeds outside in the grass and bushes. I just feel like it's wasteful of something beautiful. Even if the seeds don't grow at least I gave them back to the earth. Every morning and evening I sit and watch the sunrise and sunset. It reminds me that every day is beautiful, different, and unique in it's own way. I also like to walk for a few hours either listening to the sounds of nature or music through my headphones. One day I'd love to start and create a community garden and distribute free fruits and vegetables throughout my community.

"If you're always waiting to live your life, you're gonna die before it starts.." - CW's The Flash - Ralph Dibny Which messages are wiser than the ones encouraging people to live their best lives. Our whole lives we are taught to follow what I call an unrealistic blueprint. Go to school, go to college, get a job, start a family and that's pretty much it. We are taught what to do, but not how to live. Life is like a book. We have to fill the pages. Fill the pages with memories of family, friends, adventures, and stories to be shared. Life is short so we should all do things we love and be around people that make us feel loved. Yes, it's important to be responsible for ourselves and the duties we have, but we are also responsible for our happiness. Live now while you have the time!

One thing I am passionate about is music. Music just understands me in a way that no one or nothing ever has. I love how I can connect with the music and how music connects me to others. It's just something the notes, the frequencies, the sounds, the beats, the tempos, the harmonies, the composition of it, and the originality it can have that fascinates me beyond any outside minds can comprehend. I love singing and songwriting! I have always struggled with verbally explaining my emotions to other people. I get choked up when I try to tell them how I feel. Almost like I hit a brick wall. When I write songs and sing them my emotions flow like water. My first passion was writing. Writing was the way I expressed myself to the world around me. When I was exposed to piano I knew somehow that would let me express myself on a deeper level!

Financial freedom has a very unique meaning to me on an extremely personal level. Financial freedom means having the luxury of options whenever you want. Having options without the burden of always having to make a sacrifice. Having enough financial resources to cover expenses and other luxurious things. When you have enough money to pay rent without sacrificing your cell phone bill. When you have enough to buy food and holiday gifts. When you have enough to live happily with stress from financial burdens. It means having enough to live comfortably and being able to help those around you. Financial freedom almost sounds scary when you come from poverty as I did. It's something foreign and new. Almost like learning a whole new lifestyle and adapting to a new culture. When I think of financial freedom I almost break down in tears thinking how something so good is possible to achieve. It makes me wonder how many beautiful things I'll be able to see during this life. It makes me realize that the hardships of my past were essential for me to be happy and appreciative. It means that one day I'll be able to be a man enough to find a wife and be able to take care of her in any way that she needs. It assures me that I'll be able to have kids one day and raise them in a home. Raise them in a stable condition while being able to help them become whoever they want to be. It will help me save them from living through the same struggles I did and help them experience some of the joys I was never able to. That's what financial freedom means to me. How do I achieve that you ask? I'll have to admit that I don't have a definite answer. I'm still young trying to figure that out. I have a hard time accepting that I'm lost trying to find my way as a man. One thing I know for sure is that I can't give up. Whatever it is that I'll have to do I'll make sure I'm consistent and hard working. I have many business ideas I want to do. That's why I am pursuing higher education. That's why I am asking for help by applying for hundreds of scholarships. Many people before me failed because they never asked for help. I can't fail if I want to experience financial freedom. While finishing this essay I asked myself the question again, "How can I achieve financial freedom?" My final answer is by remaining hopeful and full of faith.

Nowadays negativity seems to be popular. As opposed to positive seems to be overlooked. In the media drama always wins, as opposed to peace which is mediocre. I always speak against the harsh parts of social media that are viral. I believe that just because the majority of people think some things are funny doesn't mean they can't be disrespectful and hurtful. People seem to have forgotten that cyberbullying is a thing. Although we never know if people are offended or not, we should always be considerate. We should spread more love and less hate. That is how I practice bravery and live boldy. By living in truth. By loving all the individuals I encounter. By being myself loving me even when society may deem me a little wierd. You have to be brave when trying to be comfortable in an uncomfortable environment. Brave enough to look at your surroundings and not be tempted to become what you around you.

One goal of mine is to become a Content Creator. I'd love to make content focused on music, cooking, traveling, basic finance, and most importantly lifestyle/living. I love talking with others, sharing stories, and encouraging people to find happiness and live a better life. I want to focus on basic music theory and piano. I have been playing piano for about seven years. Occasionally I struggle with making everything make sense for me and I'd like to create a series of basic lessons to help other beginners. I also write and create music I'd like to release and share with the world someday. I chose cooking and culinary skills because I love cooking and creating recipes. Many people ask me for recipes and videos on the most basic dishes. I'd love to teach them what I know. I also want to build my own brand and sell merchandise, kitchen tools, and cooking essentials. I feel like basic finance is not focused on enough in my community. People rarely know about credit, loans, insurance, retirement plans, investing, or telling the difference between assets and liabilities. I'd love to create a mini-series that explains the importance of knowing these and being financially literate. Lastly, I'd like to focus on the importance of finding happiness in life. Whether that be marriage, traveling, hanging out, or simply setting aside me time for ourselves.

Listening is a skill that we all need. It might be labeled as a soft skill but in certain situations, it can be detrimental. The late novelist Ernest Hemingway spoke these words, "I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen." When I came across this quote of his a few years ago I connected to it. One of the things I've been able to realize is that we as people repeatedly change the meaning of listening. We tend to remove the emotional and physical connection out of listening. By doing that we turn active listening into a dispassionate hearing. That is the way I actively listen to those around me. I make sure I always have an open mind and a sympathetic heart. It takes an ear to hear, but it takes a compassionate heart and soul to listen. Listening to me is an elevated, but yet deeper way of hearing. Listening is connecting to. Listening is putting yourself in their shoes. Listening is becoming in tune with their spirits, souls, and energies. Clear your mind of rampant thoughts, feelings, and force yourself to become emotionally available. Listen to others as you would expect someone to listen to you.

I only intend to make one impact on the world and that is a positive one. Doesn't have to be a huge historical impact, but if I can make a situation or someone's life better for the good, I'd die happy and successful. It never took much to satisfy me. If I were to think of this question on a much deeper level I'd say the impact I'd like to leave on the world is to be known and a voice and person that inspires people. I'd like to leave my music, writing, and art behind to let people know they're not alone on this journey called life. I would want people who encounter my creations to leave feeling encouraged, loved, understood, accepted, and relieved knowing it'll all be okay. Who knows, maybe while trying to accomplish these smaller goals and tasks I'll one day change the world one day. Live life one day at a time.

The opportunity to live life makes me happy. It never took much to make me happy. Happiness to me is a state of mind that fluctuates depending in the source. I learned to not let other people or my circumstances determine my happiness becuase they are ever-changing. I came to the conclusion that I would love to stay happy for the rest of my life because the expiration date on my life is unknown. So the only way to ensure that was to put my happiness in the hands of life itself. Being able to think, speak, move, love, joke, explore, cry, grieve, travel, and all the other things life brings makes me happy on a daily basis. It sure sounds better than having no freedom, harsh limitations, or death. "The person who controls your emotions; controls you." We have to learn how to take control of our emotions if we want to live a happy and decent life.

There a song that I've been listening to recently that inspires me in many ways. The song is called "Keepin On" by the artist Jay Way. I've been going through a constant series of battles both externally and internally. Battles that knock me down and throw me off track over and over again. There are many times where I feel like I don't want to keep moving forward. In this song Jay Way says,"Gotta Keep on keeping on. Dark thoughts steady knocking on my door, But I gotta keep on keeping on. And when it rains remind myself that it pours." I think to myself that the rain he referred to can be seen as tears of pain and the pouring could be the blessings of the journey. Being so young and having experienced as much as I have it feels like there are forces out there that don't want me to make it. This song inspired me to keep on keepin on.

The only way I know how to express love to others is by treating them the opposite of the ways that made me feel unloved. The first way is by "inclusion". It feels good when people personally invite you to events and gatherings. Whether it be to a movie, a dinner, or even simpler things like a lunch table. Sometimes it's not up to someone to ask to be included, it's about someone caring enough to go ask them. The second way is by "being there". Being there is so broad and is probably the best thing I can do. Being there in times of hardship. By being someone they can talk to or a shoulder they can cry on when no one else is there. Also being there in the happy times like birthdays, graduations, and ceremonies. Growing up I never had these things that much besides my mom and sisters. Sometimes they weren't there and I had no one. No one to lean on and no one shouting with joy when I was presenting an award. It's up to us to help the person next us and comfort or congratulate them whenever they need it.

The first simple thing that makes me happy are hugs. There is nothing like a real genuine and meaningful hug. I remember being so lonely as a kid. I grew up fatherless and was the only boy in my family. Being a male you're supposed to be the toughest. Sadly that just wasn't me. I remember crying and feeling so lost waiting for someone to come hold me, but they never came. Every hug I get nowadays as a young adult replaces the hurtful memories of when I was a kid. The second simple thing that makes me happy is when someone looks me in the eye and says, "Hello." I remember being an outcast as a kid at school. I remember eating alone everyday from kindergarten to senior year in high school. Most times I felt like I just didn't exist or as if I was invisible. When people look me in the eye it reminds me that I am sombody.

Giving is so important becuase it heals. You may be asking what I mean when I say that giving heals. I remember being a hungry kid coming home to no food, no water, no electricity, no heat, and sometimes no home. Life was rough for so long and while we were in need it seemed as if help was scarce. The help never came. As I was growing up my heart fluctuated. I went from thinking I should never help people becuase no one helped us to I need to help people so they never feel as bad as I felt. There are thousands of people who are struggling and are too traumatized to ask for help becuase of constant rejection or harsh judgment. I began to give simple things. Things like hugs, food, encouraging words of hope, time, support, and most importantly love. When I began to give to those in need the kid in me found peace and healing. I will continue to give whether it be money or any of the other things listed above. I live by this motto, "If we all shared, we'd all have."

The main ways I practice self care is by making sure I participate in activities and things that make me happy. To me happiness is the best form of self care. Life is way too short to never chase happiness or do things that bring joy to our own lives. Somethings I love to do daily is talking to others, listen to music, pray and meditate, and watch the sunsets/rises. When I talk to others it helps me clear and unravel my mind. Whether it be something that stresses me out or just dreams/visions/ideas that I have running rapid throughout my mind. When I listen to music it soothes my spirit and puts me in a place of peace. I like to put my headphones on and pray/meditate while listening to music. Praying and meditation brings hope and clarity. I try to watch the sunsets and sunrises every day, even if I don't watch it completely, I to see them. It reminds me that every day is different and beautiful in it's own way. Seeing the sunrise while feeling a cool breeze while the birds sing will never get old to me. These things make me joyful.

Early in life friendship was just an illusion to me. I remember walking to school and eating lunch alone. I remember being the last kid chosen to be part of teams in gym. I remember being bullied by popular kids because I was different. I knew I was a friendly person, I just thought it was my destiny or that I was cursed to never have friends. I didn't gain a true friend until I started college. People that liked me for being me. Talked, ate, joked, studied, and spent time with me. They changed my life for the better. I have friends that come from all over the world. Many are from counties I never heard of and have traditions that are very unique. We have gotten so close over the years we became family. Friendship means everything to me. It assures us that none of us are alone and none of us are wierd but we are all unique. Real genuine friendship is essential to living a happy life. When I accepted myself and ignored the hateful people I made hundreds of friends.

In 2020 my life started to fall apart. Lost scholarships, jobs, friends, and family due to both relocation and death. I became very depressed while living alone. I was depressed and terrified of catching COVID-19 becuase of my underlying health issues. I was in such a bad shape my family had to pretty much pull me from my apartment. In 5th grade my family and I lost our home and was living with friends and family for almost 8 years. In 2014 we became homeless and we were all separated just trying to survive. I missed my mom and sisters so much, but it seemed after all these years we became strangers to each other. The pandemic gave us the time to actually reconnect and spend time with each other. Which was the best thing that has ever happened to me in the last 7 years. I am finally at peace with what happened to us. I was alone for 7 years and now I have my family back. We share meals, watch movies, share stories/jokes with each other. It's easier to focus and keep moving forward when your loved ones are close by and are believing in you.

Education brings awareness, fairness, and enlightenment. My whole life I had a misinterpretation of what education really was. I used to be under the influence that education meant traditional school. Traditional school for me became both a safe haven and living hell. A safe haven from my instability, homelessness, and unhealthy household. A living hell becuase I was always an outcast and was bullied for year becuase of my appearance. In all honesty my worldview was negative when attached to "education". Later along my journey I realized education or to be educated simply meant to learn or to be taught. I realized that every time I was learning a new skill or new information I was being educated. No matter what the subject. No matter what the source. No matter where I was. Those factors changed my perception on my life entirely. While growing up, the world around me only used the term education when school was involved. In my early years of education I had amazing grades. When I became homeless at the end of sixth-grade; my grades dropped tremendously. I thought it was because I was dumb and uneducated. When in reality I was just facing hardships. I was still being educated well, but my test scores were low becuase of lack of focus and not because of me being uneducated. I then began to think of all the people struggling in my community. Education was always a barrier becuase people couldn't afford the proper education they needed to move forward. People were blind and are blinded just as I was. We can all educate ourselves anywhere at anytime. Whether it be reading traditional hard cover books or downloading an e-book. Whether it be asking people questions or watching YouTube videos about the questions you have. Education itself is so broad and can be accessed anywhere, especially on the internet. Education is one of the only things that connects us to the world around us. It's something we all share and it's something we can never really escape from. When I personally learned the meaning of education I freed myself from a victim mentality. I freed myself from believing that I was less than others because I lacked money to use certain resources. I freed myself from believing that education was meant for certain deserving individuals. It made me look at myself in the mirror and tell myself that I deserve to be educated and to strive for myself no matter what.

The only one. There was only one. You may be wondering what I mean when I say, "The only one". I'll explain that shortly. My name is Malik Sherrod Myles. Telling others about myself has always been difficult for me becuase I don't always see the good others can see. My friends and family regularly say that I'm too humble at times and I never myself enough credit. I like to describe myself as uniquely ordinary. I've always lived in pain and peace. Yes, both of them simultaneously for what seems to have been an eternity. A few hobbies of mine include volunteering becuase I know what it feels like to have nothing, studying/creating music because in the years of my homelessness it was all I had and our connection is beyond special, and most importantly loving others and making them feel happy. I love to cook for my friends and family while making them laugh and enjoy the moments. When I was in elementary school my academics were my strongsuit. My sixth grade year my school selected me for a special award. The award was given to someone who displayed excellence in all aspects, which included treating peers and teachers with respect, maintaining good grades, and upholding decent character. My principal chose me and only me out of nearly 1,500 students which was a shocker. After my sixth grade year we lost our home. I lost the stability and became easily distracted by pain, anger, and sadness. I started failing early on in middle school. From my sixth grade year until my sophomore year of high school I lived under 6 or 7 roofs. Although we had shelter, the love and nurturing a child deserves was absent from my life. I used to think if I didn't deserve happiness as a kid then I didn't deserve anything. I went from a community respected top scholar to a failing statistic with no future. Then there was one. There was one person who saw me and believed in me more than anyone else had in years. My high school counselor took me under his wings even while I wasn't assigned to him by last name. He taught me the importance of education and taught me that it's never too late. Many other counselors overlooked me and figured I was another negative product in the community. It was at that moment I realized I had to be an Educator of some sort. I knew that I wasn't the only one who struggled not by choice but by circumstances we couldn't control ourselves. There are too many children born into broken households and are let down by the community in which they reside. It seems to normal. Children are failing only becuase they've been failed. I want to be a person that helps the underrepresented children find the light that shines within them. I'd also love to be community resource that helps make sure families have the proper resources and connections to assist in raising up a new and better generation. I have to pursue the right education so I can be that "One".