Being a leader of the youth group in my local church for the past four years has done a lot for me in terms of contributing to the community. Unfortunately, my church isn’t known for community involvement, and because of that, the youth group wanted to make a change. We realized that a big part of our faith involves the community, so we started to brainstorm ways in which we could contribute to our local community. After many discussions, we settled on homeless giveaways. As Christians, we are called not only to spread the word between ourselves but especially to those who haven’t heard it before. By doing that, we are allowed to grow the kingdom and we can do that in many ways. Spreading the gospel is not limited to just speaking. You can spread the gospel by the way you act, how you treat others, and even your day-to-day attitude. We understood that as youth, and decided to spread the Good News by our actions. We wanted to center our homeless giveaway around God’s love and kindness. To do that we decided to prepare care packages with daily essentials that we thought those without housing would need. Those things included: toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, feminine products, etc.. We invited our church and others in the community to donate supplies to help us organize it. We thought about the areas around us that had an overflow of those without housing and based on our resources we also thought about how many people could we bless. Our whole goal was not the quantity of the people we blessed but the quantity of items in the care packages. By that I mean, when we made our care packages, we made sure that they were full instead of putting one or two items in the packages to have enough resources to help out a lot of people. We wanted to make sure that the people we helped, were given a good amount of items in the packages, that they could use for months to come. Partaking in this giveaway not only helped those without housing but also helped us as the church. It allowed us to come together and fellowship with each other. It also opened our eyes to be grateful for what we have. Talking to those living on the streets gave us a more positive perspective on life and gave us the push to do more for the community.

Growing up as a Haitian American Black Christian woman, I saw and continue to see a lot. Coming up after the generation before mine, I witnessed many of their mistakes, which impacted how I carry myself today. I realize that the majority of them did not make it a priority to hold themselves accountable. Many of them put up a facade instead of being transparent, which affected them negatively in the future. I grew up in church, so a lot of my experiences originate from there, but what I talk about can relate to all walks of life; professional, family, relationships, etc. I was raised with the pattern of going to church every Sunday, and because of that, I became accustomed to the church's people, community, and format. The older I got, the more I realized that everything; more importantly, everyone is not who they seem. I quickly realized that people were faking it. They would put on a face for church, but outside of that, they would be someone different. Witnessing this impacted me greatly. Seeing this showed me what not to do because when the person’s true colors came to light, it would be heartbreaking, especially if it was someone big in the community. We are wired to gossip and spread rumors, but when this information came out, it wasn’t gossipworthy to me, it was simply disappointing. I keep myself accountable by remembering the past mistakes of the ones before me and how they made me feel. For example, I had this dance teacher I admired in church when I was younger. She impacted the way I carried myself and I loved her confidence. She made me fall in love with dance and was a huge role model in my life. She’s the reason I am a dance teacher today. As years went on the pressues of life got to her and holding it all inside became unbearable. Her imperfections started to come to light and then one day she left the church and didn’t come back. It was truly heartbreaking for me because she just got up and left; with no warning, no talking to the girls; it was just one day I saw her and one day I didn’t. The dance group that she was in charge of broke and it left a huge hole in the community. Months later a scandal came out about her and my heart broke even more. This is not me judging her or expecting people to be perfect. I want to highlight the fact that people need to be honest with themselves and their struggles. Remembering moments like this keeps me accountable. To hold myself accountable, I stay honest. I never present myself as perfect and with no faults. I remember that there are little girls today who are looking up to me and because of that I am transparent with them. Of course to an extent, but to keep myself accountable, I make sure that they know me; the true, flawed, imperfect me. I believe that if the ones before me used the same strategy, there would be less hurt in the community. I am not calling for people to be perfect, I am calling for them to be honest with themselves and with the ones that they are leading. Having this mindset allows me to be successful because I am not living with the weight of dishonesty. I am who I am wholeheartedly and because of that, I can flourish.

Growing up as a Haitian-American Christian black woman, I have always been driven by a strong sense of purpose and a desire to make a difference. Attending and actively participating in church greatly impacted me and my character. Having that revelation changed my life. It made me better; it made me want to do and be more in this life. Since having that personal encounter with God, life has been the same (constantly going up and down), but my reaction to life’s difficulties hasn’t. On my 16th birthday, I got a pack of bracelets with affirmations on them. I mention the bracelets because one of them has an affirmation on it that states, “Life isn’t about surviving the storm, it’s about learning how to dance in the rain,” and that’s exactly how my mindset started working ever since my encounter with God. I found the light and because of that, I want to share it with others. When I say I want to share the light with others, I don’t mean I want to push Christianity on others, as that is not how we are supposed to spread the word, but instead, I want to be good to others; I want to be an example. Currently, most of my community contribution happens at my church. I am the leader of the praise dance groups, a part of the youth worship team, and a member of the youth committee. As for my family, the biggest way in which I contribute is by being there. I am the youngest of four and my and siblings and I are super close and we are that way because we are always there for each other. Your presence is the biggest present you could ever give someone and we practice that a lot in my family. Currently, I am a Junior in college; just about to enter my Senior year and my major is business management. After graduation, I plan on launching my company. God has been putting this business idea in my head for a while now, but I kept pushing it back because of time, resources, etc, but after seeing how I am when it comes to working for others, I know now that I was meant to be my own boss. I say that because I realized that I will never reach my full potential at these jobs because I am not passionate about them. What I am passionate about is kingdom work and as I said previously, just being an example and spreading God’s love. To contribute to the community, I plan on growing my business and giving back. God gave me a gift, so who I am to not use it.

When I first graduated from high school, working was not a priority of mine; succeeding in higher education was. If I could work here and there I would do it, but balancing work and school was not something I thought I would have to do, but then college got real, real fast. During my freshman year in college, life was good for me. I had a work-study job on campus, financial aid was flowing, I was managing my classes, and excelling in my school work. I had a job that prioritized my schooling; and as you can imagine, this is a dream come true in a college student’s eyes. Finding a job that is willing to work with your school schedule is a rare find, so I felt really lucky and I did my best to keep the job, but I quickly learned that work-study is not all what it seems. I didn’t know that work study could be temporary for some. I saw it and believed it to be a long-term position, but with what I know now, I wouldn’t consider it the same way. Those around me informed me that this role wasn’t stable, but I didn’t let it get to me because I was just grateful that I had a job in the first place, and to me it was real. I had the idea in mind that this was going to carry me to graduation, but I was mistaken. I learned that work-study is temporary because it is tied to your and your family's financial capabilities. Once you no longer qualify for the program, they can remove you, and that is exactly what happened to me. As I stated previously, work was flowing, I was managing my school work and life was good, but by the fall semester of 2022, I was informed that this would be my last semester partaking in work-study. My world was crushed. I immediately started to panic, I didn’t know how I was going to pay for school and didn’t know what I was going to do next. I didn’t even want to share with my parents my demise because I knew they couldn’t assist me in paying for my education. Luckily my panic didn’t set in fully because of my faith in Christ and the help of my siblings. I prayed about my problem and started to do my part by applying for real-world jobs. Thankfully, I was able to find a new job which is my current job in February of 2023, but it’s not the same. This job understands that I am in college, but the job pushed me to fully balance work and school. I have to constantly go back and forth and at times I am exhausted, but all in all, it made me stronger. With each job, I gain the passion to want more and better for myself. With these two experiences, I realized that nothing is forever and that you need finances to complete your college career. There were times when I was so full of distress that I considered dropping out and just working to make enough money to finish my college career. It is only because of my siblings who talked me out of this idea that I am still pushing through with my schooling. I am applying for this scholarship with the hopes that it can assist me with this financial burden that I am carrying. With the hopes that it will remove the panic from my heart, even if it is only for a little while.

There are a lot of iconic Netflix shows and movies and there are more being created as you read this now. This is the reason why Netflix is one of the top streaming services today. Some people prefer shows and some prefer movies, but I am a show buff, and over the years I have watched tons of shows on Netflix so picking one to write about was a difficult choice, but ultimately I decided to write about the show, Queen of the South. Queen of the South made its debut on Netflix in 2016, but I didn’t discover it until later on. It consists of five seasons and each season showcases in depth the character development of the cast. Queen of the South is about a woman who had to fight to survive; something that many of us do today. Teresa Mendoza the main character is forced to stand on her own when she is abandoned by her drug cartel boyfriend. Hopelessly in love, she put her all in this relationship and when it came crashing down, she was forced to flee to America to stay alive. While in America, Teresa had a rough start. She was taken advantage of, trafficked, and treated terribly, but all of this that she went through changed her and made her stronger…some may say, made her dangerous. She ends up teaming up with someone from her past and eventually becomes the leader of one of the biggest drug rings in America. While being this leader, she was underestimated, had attempted assassinations against her, and was forced to flee many times, but because of the few loyal ones she had around her, she was able to triumph and in the end, found refuge and carefree life that we all long for in life and that she wanted from the very beginning. You should stop what you are watching now and tune into Queen of the South because although we are not living the cartel life, we all understand fighting to survive. You will become one of Teresa’s biggest supporters as you will be introduced to her as a weak frail woman and see her overtime become someone great and unstoppable. Of course, she takes some really big losses as we all do in real life, but this show is relatable in a great way and I promise you will be glued to the television.

It is said that college is more than just attending classes. The learning experience happens in the class, but it also happens; sometimes even more, outside of the class. Online platforms, tools, and educational resources are essential when it comes to furthering your education, and depending on the person, there are many reasons why someone would implement these tools in their learning experience. I use tools, platforms, and resources because extra help can’t hurt, but they especially come into play for me when my professor isn’t enough. When I say this, I mean when I attend/watch the lectures, take notes, and unfortunately, am still not grasping the concepts. The two online tools that I mainly use to further my education are Quizlet and YouTube. I lean more towards YouTube, but it all depends on what I am studying, for me to choose which resource to fully rely on. Quizlet helps me better apply my knowledge when it comes to memorization and YouTube helps me when it comes to visual learning. As we know, there are many types of learners, and over time, I learned that I can learn in many ways, but I learn and grasp things quicker and easier when they are visually taught to me, so that led me to the conclusion that I am a visual learner, so when I see the concepts, I tend to retain what I learned easier. Memorization is also essential especially when there are a lot of concepts being thrown at you at once. Quizlet is a great tool that helps me memorize concepts as it lets me create a study guide and has a flashcard element. These tools, platforms, and resources help me better apply my knowledge because first, they help me fully understand what I am learning. Once I have fully understood the material, I can now apply it by completing assignments and using the knowledge not only in the classroom but also during real-world situations. Many critics frown upon these tools, resources, and platforms for many reasons, but the main one is due to deception, better known as cheating. As these concerns are understandable, educational resources are put into place to benefit students rather than harm them and unfortunately some take advantage and use the tools for harm rather than good. I think it’s safe to say that educational tools, resources, and platforms help students like me better understand our class materials which then puts us in a position to excel and use our skills in our future careers.

This semester makes it three years since I started college. Looking back, I now see some things as bitter and others as sweet. I wish that when I was in high school, I had someone in my ear motivating me and informing me accurately on the roads ahead. There is a lot I could’ve done to prepare myself better for college but I didn’t and can’t get those days back. What I can do is set myself up for the future. Back in high school, I didn’t work hard because, to be honest, I didn’t need to, but these past three years have taught me a lot. I walked into college having no idea what I was in store for. I foolishly thought that I had everything under control. I felt I had an advantage because I had a sister who went to the same university and she was showing me the ropes as she was in her last semester and I was in my first. Once my sister graduated, I felt she taught me enough so I could properly take on my next three years. I think it’s safe to say that I was totally wrong about that. I had no idea of the financial burden that was waiting for me on the other side. Being the youngest of four, financial aid did not help as much as it helped my sister who is the oldest of four. On paper, it looks like my parents can afford to pay tuition, but the issue regarding financial aid is that it does not consider the other bills that caretakers are still obligated to pay. Having this heavy weight on my shoulder really deterred me from my educational goals, which was to work hard, get good grades, understand what was being taught to me, work towards my future career, and have fun while doing it. Tuition wasn’t the only factor that affected my educational goals. My home life was toxic and because of that, I struggled to focus on my school work which resulted in me failing one class. At that point, it felt as though I hit rock bottom and you know what they say, “Once you hit the bottom, the only way is up.” With that being my new mindset, I started this semester strong. I started this semester with the idea that I had to fight for my education and my future. I have big dreams for myself. I don’t know the details, but I see my name on a door, billboard, building, etc. and even though I don’t know the details, I still get up every day and work hard to be great and make an impact in this world. I deserve this scholarship because I won’t waste it. This scholarship is another step closer to my dreams and I won’t take it for granted. I’m grateful whether I am awarded this scholarship or not. I will be satisfied because I know I tried; at least I used this opportunity to be productive and to work towards my goals and for me, that is enough. When it comes to my contribution to the business community, I plan on using my education to make a huge impact. I want to do something that will disrupt the community. Not in a negative aspect, but a positive change that will transform the business world forever. I’m not sure what that is exactly, but this is what I plan to do with my education in business.

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Nothing made me a leader, I am a leader because I was born that way. Leaders can be born and taught, but I am one of those who came out of the womb leading the pack. It’s funny I should say that because I am the youngest in my family and somehow my older siblings look to me for advice and planning. Sometimes it is a burden, as I would like to stop the leader within myself from coming out, but whenever there is a situation where I know that I can help, I always feel the need to get involved and help others, even though I may be already overwhelmed. Overall I know that my abilities are not a burden and I have to live with the fact that I can’t stop. I was chosen to lead and so that is what I will do. For as long as I can remember, I have been leading. The majority of my experience comes from directing at my church. Growing up as a Christian and watching my parents and older siblings participate in church activities made me want to do the same and it wasn’t only me wanting to do the same, but also me knowing that I have the capabilities to do the same. The first group I officially led was a dance group and I can definitely look back and say that I have grown a lot. We know that there are a couple of leadership styles and back then, I think it is safe to say that I was touching dictatorship. I know I have a great mind as a leader, but a great leader needs to be open to ideas and advice because we don’t know everything and we make mistakes. With me running everything with a blind eye to how others felt, those following me didn’t like me. They weren’t having fun and I know when you are a leader you will not always be liked and not everyone will agree with the choices you make, but it is also essential to remember that a leader is only as great as their followers, and if your followers would be quick to jump ship then it’s time to question yourself as a leader and that’s precisely what I did. After that group ended, I took a break and stepped back, but then eventually the time came up again where I would need to step into a leadership role again, but this time I definitely wanted to do better. Now I lead two dance groups. One consists of little girls and another one with girls that are older; starting from high school and going to college and I can definitely say that I have grown a lot when it comes to leadership. I am the type of leader that listens, but also knows when to put her foot down. I am the type to fight for the people that I lead and also I am the type to discipline them when needed. My followers respect me and I’ve heard them say this themselves. They are happy and so am I. I don’t know why I was made to be a leader, but I don’t take the responsibility lightly. I understand the fact that little girls look up to me now and it is a lot of pressure, but instead of looking at it like that, I look at it as an opportunity to become a better me.

When I first started college, I didn’t consider my personal wellness. It’s not something that many prospective college students think about. At around senior/junior year in high school, we usually focus solely on preparing ourselves academically for college. For me personally, I just had the goal to come in and come out within a four-year span which I believe most students have, but more recently I have learned the importance of personal wellness, overall, but more specifically, while in college. While a senior or even in junior high school, I remember being pushed to do well academically, but I don’t remember counselors/advisors pushing me when it came to personal wellness. As a society, we have resources in overflow when it comes to succeeding academically, but little to nothing when it comes to our mental health. I wish someone would’ve expressed the importance of a strong mindset before entering college and the mental damage college can do if you are not mentally ready. I wish they not only expressed it but also gave us the tools to put it into practice. The reason why I started taking personal wellness seriously is because the last two semesters in college have been the hardest of my life. It took a huge toll on my mental and I realized that I had to slow down and re-evaluate everything I had first planned. I started to put together that not only will your academics bring you stress, but what’s going on around you and outside of your studies contributes also. My grades and happiness started to drop and I knew I had to take action. Now, ways that I manage my personal wellness are by pacing myself. I have this image in my head that time is chasing me and that I am running out of time, but I now realize that this is feeding my need to rush through which is putting unnecessary weight on my shoulders. Now I am trying to take my time and relax. When I am overwhelmed by schoolwork, I now give myself room to take a break. Yes, this is a critical time in my life, but it’s okay to relax and enjoy life outside of school. Taking my personal wellness into consideration helps me succeed as a student because it takes some of the stress off my shoulders. With less stress, I am able to think clearly and truly focus on my studies. It also helps me learn how to balance out school, work, and life which prepares me for the adult world.

At the beginning of last year, a musical artist named Dear Silas made this song called “I Ain’t Stressin’ Today.” I didn’t discover this song until the end of 2022, but when I did, it changed my world. I first heard the song on Instagram and felt it had a good vibe and beat to it, but once I really listened to the words, it made the song even better. The song's title gives away its meaning, but I believe that this song has the most essential message because as time goes on, the more stressful life becomes. The news is filled with negativity and almost every day, there are reports of us losing another life due to depression. Life becomes something that we do on autopilot that we forget to actually live our lives. We forget to take care of ourselves and do what makes us happy. This song is a reminder to love yourself and not let the worries of this life get the best of us. Ever since discovering this song, I now listen to it when I need to lift my spirits, or when I need a stress-free day.

As a child, I used to read more books than I do now. When I got older I started using the same excuse as everyone else… ”I don’t have any time.” Now I realize that the older you get, you won’t have time for anything, instead, you now have to make time for things that are important to you. Since falling back in love with reading, the most inspiring book I've read is “Relationship Goals,” by Pastor Micheal Todd. Growing up in the church, they used to teach us a lot of things, but something they didn’t really touch on was relationships. When “Relationship Goals” came out it became a big thing because this is something that is new to Christianity. There has never been a pastor to talk about Christian relationships and actually dig deep within the topic, but Pastor Todd was different. Not only did he dissect the topic piece by piece, but he also made it okay for the topic to be talked about, and he made it easy for the youth in the churches to understand the real meaning of marriage, relationships, and sexual intercourse. I learned a lot because of this book and it inspired me to do a lot of things differently. The book did not only touch on romantic relationships, but it also touched on friendships and the relationships you have with family. It even references being single and what to do during your time of singleness. All of these things are important and because of this book I now see things in a different light and it also piqued my interest when it comes to Christian books.

Being born and raised in Florida and being a person who suffers from mental health issues, a simple pleasure in my life is the sun. The sun that comes up during the day and sets for the night is one of my simple pleasures. We Floridians may complain about the sun, but we would be nothing without it. I love basking in the sun and just feeling its presence. The sensation of the sun lets me know that everything will be alright. I know it will be a good day when I see the sun shining bright. I’m not saying that when it's cold or when it's raining that it will be a bad day, but seeing the sun puts me into a more positive mindset. Another simple pleasure of mine is being around friends and family. We don’t even need to be doing anything in particular. Just being each other’s company and having a good time is something that I love to do. We could be in a parking lot talking, and that would make my day. I’m the type of person who doesn’t need too much to be happy and when I’m going through bad times, these simple pleasures help me bounce back.

I have always been a leader. Even when I didn’t want to, I was also drawn to or picked for the role. Over time, I ended up embracing the trait and now the goal is to make a career out of it. I plan to enter the business world and use my talents as a leader to bring new things to the table. When it comes to school, the most I’ve ever shown leadership is through groups. Usually, I am or am picked to be the leader, and every time, I take on the role with no issues. There is no perfect group, so I do my best; but every time I lead a group, we do great. I do my best to practice patience and show empathy in everyone’s situation. I make it so that everyone can participate and contribute to the collective. Most of my leadership experience comes from my community. When I say community, I mean my church community. I am and grew up as a Christian, so the church was and is my life. I was raised to participate in anything I enjoyed and was good at and that is what I did, but as I said in the beginning, I always found myself in a leadership position. In total, I’ve led six groups, but currently, I am only directing two groups. I’ve done many things from creating my own organizations, leading dances, to coordinating events. Because of my community, I learned to love myself as a leader and I’ve also got the opportunity to learn from my mistakes also. In my family, since I’m the youngest, I don’t usually lead, but when it comes to organizing and keeping everyone on track, I’m usually the person they turn to. To me, a great leader has to be able to learn from their own faults. A great leader has to know when they are wrong and they also need to be able to take constructive criticism. A director needs to know when to delegate tasks and give others the chance to grow also. No one is perfect, so a boss shouldn’t be big-headed and prideful. Leadership is important to me because without it I am no one. Not only am I no one, but the world is also. Everyone and everything needs a leader. Without it, we would be in turmoil. People would do whatever they want and there would be no order. Leadership brings calm and organization. Although some leaders are better than others; we wouldn’t be able to continue living without them.

As an African American Haitian woman, independence means everything to me. Independence means strength, courage, and freedom. I watched my mother and those before me be dependent women and I saw the strain it put on them. Being dependent to me is like a chain that you can’t get rid of. Some people compare dependency to submission, but there is nothing wrong with being submissive when you do it to an extent. A woman is supposed to have her own life. She also has a right to be in control, to be a leader, and to be knowledgeable. I strive to be independent because I don’t want to depend on anyone. I also want to be an example for the little girls watching me and for my future daughter(s). Being independent gives me strength. Knowing that I worked hard for my accomplishments makes me happy and makes me want to keep going.

To me, confidence means embracing yourself inside and out; even with your flaws and imperfections. I have always been a confident person, but along the way, I lost myself due to listening to the world and letting other people’s opinions get the best of me. I managed to pick myself up, and now I work on being confident by blocking out the negativity and not looking toward society for what’s right and wrong. I now understand that what society says is not always accurate, and forcing yourself to follow their standards can tear you down. Being confident is being yourself, no matter if the world agrees with you or not. Being happy within my own skin is my main priority. As long as I am comfortable; that is all that matters. I also learned that every day you will not feel your best. Somedays you will wake up and will not want to do anything; sometimes you will have to force yourself and that’s okay. I take one day at a time and work at my own pace. Society puts time limits on everything, from how many years you should spend in college, to what age you should get married. Trying to follow these times will drive you insane, so I do things on my own time. Keeping this type of mindset is what keeps me confident.

Speaking your mind is a part of self-care. Keeping your emotions and thoughts buried inside is not healthy. It turns you into a ticking time-bomb and one day you will detonate and it may not be on the right person or at the right time. That is why it is important that you express yourself in the moment, but in a healthy way. Some people speak their minds, but it is unhealthy. For example, they may do it by using profanity or by belittling a person and that is not the way to do it. The way to do it is by saying how you feel calmly. Keep the focus on yourself and how you feel. Belittling the person is not necessary. The way I stay committed to speaking my mind is by keeping in mind that not expressing myself will only hurt me. Whether it is over time or at that moment, staying to myself emotionally will only affect me negatively. Something else that I like to keep in mind is that it is okay to step back and think about what you want to say first before you actually say it because I know from experience that speaking your mind when you are not emotionally ready will probably make the situation worse. If I need to, I usually take time to reflect on the problem and why I feel the way I feel, and then once I’m calm, I go back and express myself respectfully.

Giving is important to me because you never know what a person is going through. The act of giving is something special because it makes the person who is offering and the person who is receiving feel good inside. One thing that I feel that many people don’t know about giving is that you don’t have to be rich in order to participate in it; it is not all about money. Giving your time, space, and even just listening is all that you may need to satisfy someone else. Providing a car ride to someone when they are in need or even giving medicine to someone who you know is sick is also a part of it. It doesn’t matter if it is something big or small, you never know how you may make someone’s day just by doing the smallest thing. Recently, I participated in an act of giving with my church’s youth. We asked the people of the church to donate whatever they may have big or small and we would use it to create a homeless essential care package and give it away. People were giving us $10 and $20 and thought it was too small, but with everyone’s contribution, we ended up collecting a total of $1,040 and were able to bless more than 100 homeless individuals. Me personally, whenever I know someone is in need and I know I have something that can help, I am always willing to give it up. “God blesses us so that we can bless others” (Brother. Melchi).

The best way to live a long, healthy life is to do exactly what it says; live a healthy life. We have something in our genes called telomerase and these strands basically tell us about our lifespan. If we live an unhealthy life then our telomerase will be shorter, but just as we can shorten them, we can also elongate them by living healthfully. I know living a nutritious is easier said than done, but the best thing to do is to take it one day at a time. Living a healthy life not only means eating the right things; it also falls on your environment, stress levels, and even trauma. If you are a person who thinks negatively firsthand, then try being positive and having a growth mindset. If you are battling addiction, seek help and be committed to your recovery. Taking the first step to living healthy emotionally, mentally, and physically is all you need and the rest will fall along.

I practice self-care by taking time out every day to meditate and/ or read my bible. I am a follower of Christ and one of the duties that I have to fulfill is reading the Word of God (the bible). I see this as a win-win situation, because not only do I feed my spirit when I do this, I also give myself a motivational boost for the day. I believe that self-care is extremely important because, without it, you will most likely not have a good day or something small will be able to take away your joy fairly quickly because you didn’t start off with a solid foundation. My daily meditation impacts my life because it helps me start my day off with peace and positivity. Once I start my day with positive energy, nothing can bring me down. Another way I meditate is by listening to music. I listen to all kinds of music, but when things get really bad, I refer to my gospel playlist. Sometimes I even start my days with music, by playing it while in the shower or while brushing my teeth. I think it is really important to start your day on a good note because once you feel good, you will do good.

In my opinion, having patience separates the strong from the weak. Having patience requires a certain type of strength that not everyone has. Patience is important to me because this trait can open many doors for me. When I practice patience I give myself the chance the grow in the current place that I am in. Many people like to rush their lives and put a time limit on everything, but I believe that things will come when it is their time. Everyone’s path is different, no two people have the same journey. That’s why it is best to not compare yourselves to others. When you compare your life to others’ it is easy to get jealous and become impatient. You might be a person who does everything right, but it seems like all the opportunities and blessings pass you by. This can easily affect a person’s self-esteem and result in them stepping on other’s in order to get where they want to be, but with patience, although it may take some time to get to your destination when you get there, you will have clean hands and you will feel better about yourself as a person. All in all, having patience can do many positive things for you. By being patient, you can open doors for yourself that you may not even know have been there. It also molds you to become a better person and develops your character. Although the waiting may seem nerve-wracking, while you wait, you should use that time to help others and grow yourself because whatever you may want may require a different you.

My dream life would be filled with God, peace, family, and success; in that order. God is my everything and my dream life will never come to reality without him. The first thing I want to take a closer look into when it comes to my dream life is peace. I go through a lot on a daily, but these struggles make me strive to have peace in my dream life. I want to have no worries and I want to have the skills to deal with problems accordingly. I have no doubt that I will have this in my future because I manifest positivity on a daily basis. Even though I go through a lot, I still see the light at the end of the tunnel and that’s what I focus on. The next thing on my list would be a family. In my dream life, I see myself getting married to a God-fearing man and having 5 kids max. I dream of going on family vacations, helping my kids with their homework, and also going on date nights with my husband. Having this will be a huge contribution to my dream life. The last thing that will make my dream life complete is being successful. Being successful to me means accomplishing my long-term goal of being an entrepreneur. That’s why it’s so important to me that I finish school and get a great job to start me off. These are the things that I require for me to have my dream life. I know my dream may not seem that big, but when I think of it, this is what I come up with and this is what brings me joy. God starts off everything and with him, I know that the others will properly fall into place.

The removal of standardized tests would really help future generations when it comes to education. These tests are honestly a waste of time and they shouldn’t have the power of saying what level of intelligence a child is. Teachers should have the power of promoting or keeping students in the same grade. How a student does in their classes should be the only way to determine a child’s intelligence and how much they are retaining in class. These tests hold a lot of students back, not to mention the amount of stress it puts on a student. Being a student who took these tests in order to get into college, these tests put a lot of weight on my shoulders. They lessened my confidence and I no longer believed in myself. These tests are long and purposely made to trip you up. There are better ways to see whether a student is college-ready. Look at their transcripts, volunteer hours, and clubs that they’ve joined. This should be enough for you to make that decision. Without these tests, students will do better in their classes and feel more confident. Many pupils are not test-takers and no matter how many strategies you give them, they will not do well on these tests, so their scores should not be held against them. A lot of factors come in when it comes to test-taking and not all students have that skill. In conclusion, we should really dismantle the use of standardized tests in schools. We should just have teachers administer a final test and based on that score and how they have done during the school year should be how a student progresses to the next grade. Let’s take that weight off of students’ shoulders and make them feel more comfortable when learning new things in school.

Contrary to popular belief, the pandemic was actually something I need in my life. It gave me a chance to sit down and mold my spiritual life. I grew up going to church every Sunday, watching my parents and siblings participate in church, and myself participate in church, but I never had a personal relationship with God, which led me to do things that I am not proud of. A goal of mine was to take time out and open my bible to really learn and understand who God is, but I never made time; until the pandemic. The pandemic was a huge eye-opener for me. When we started to quarantine, I took advantage of that moment and I started to read my bible. The more chapters I read, the more I wanted to keep going. I gained so much knowledge about my lord and savior and I could feel the fire lighting up within my spirit. I finally created a relationship with Christ that I so longed for! I began to understand my true purpose of being on earth and the decisions I would make in the past would no longer be the case. I learned so much about myself in the process also; what I wanted and what I didn’t want. I realized what it meant to be a Christian and the sacrifices I have to make daily in order to stay on the right path. I love the new me and I have to thank the pandemic for that. Although some of my family members lost their jobs and we weren’t doing so good financially, God always had our back and came through when we needed him to. With my newfound relationship, I now use that to help others come to Christ and to do my part in the church.

The best way to empower women in this day and age is to be fair. The reason why women feel belittled in this society is because we aren’t treated with fairness. We, women, carry the world on our backs, by carrying babies for 9 months, birthing children, raising them, cooking and taking care of the house, and for some women their significant other. A house is incomplete without a woman, so we should be recognized for all our work. Men somehow always seem to get the better option when it comes to everything because they are the provider, but some women are the breadwinners of their home and still take time out to manage that home, so the best way to empower women is to be just and give credit when credit is due. To ensure that these demands are met, there needs to be penalties if women aren’t treated with value. For instance, if a woman meets all the criteria and more for a promotion and is passed by because she is a female, then she has the right to report this and if this is reported and the evidence shows that this accusation is true, then there should be consequences put in place for bypassing that woman just because of her gender. I believe there are some laws put in place just for this matter of discrimination, but it needs to be taken more seriously and the repercussions need to be harsher in order for people to follow the laws. When people are high in power, some believe that they can get away with anything and most of the time it is true. Money can make a person overlook unlawful actions, or even receive threats of their own life being harmed or their family life being harmed. Those people who are a part of these acts need to be investigated and removed from their position, no matter how high in power they are. Everyone is human and no person is better than the other. Another thing that plays a part when it comes to empowering women is women themselves. There are many things that drive women to battle each other, but this is not right. Our main focus should be to lift each other up, not tear each other down. Even if you don’t like or believe in the same things as another woman, the best thing to do is to provide positive counsel or don’t say anything at all. If it isn’t positive then it shouldn’t be said. Lastly, I want to say that if you are one of those people who don’t respect or treat women well, then you should start thinking of those women as your daughter, mother, grandmother, or some significant woman in your life. Hopefully, this changes your ways.

I attended Coconut Creek High School in Florida, and if you know about Coconut Creek, you know that the school doesn’t have the best track record. I honestly didn’t want to attend that school, but I went there because my older siblings were students there before me and because they started a magnet program there and my parents thought it would be a good idea to enter the program. As I said before, my older siblings attended Coconut Creek and because of that, before my first day of Freshman year, my sister referred me to someone that made my high school career. She told me to make an effort to make a connection with Coconut Creek’s brace advisor, Mrs. Garfield. My sister pressed me on this and told me that getting to know her would be a great asset and she was right. Although her official role is being a Brace Advisor, I also saw her as a counselor and confided in her more than my actual counselor. Mrs. Garfield is an amazing person. I would not have been able to start my college applications if it wasn’t for her. She takes her job very seriously and she is passionate about it. Mrs. Garfield is extremely helpful and polite and I consider her to be a superhero. People like her are rare to find, especially in the field of education, so I was blessed to have her work at my school and be a part of my life. As soon as my senior year started, seeing her emails were an everyday thing. She made sure we started applying for scholarships immediately. She would take the time out of her day to come to our classes and make sure we applied to big scholarships like the bright future scholarship. Mrs. Garfield also made sure we took the SAT and ACT. She supplied us with all the waivers that were needed if we qualified for them. When FAFSA came out in October 2020, she created many workshops and partnered up with people like the Scholarship Plug, to help us complete our FAFSA step by step. She did all this, while in the midst of Covid-19. If I had to describe Mrs. Garfield in one word, it would be caring. I have never had or experienced a teacher or administrator that has Mrs. Garfield’s heart and that is why she is so good at her job. Mrs. Garfield honestly deserves a raise even if she has gotten one before because Mrs. Garfield doesn’t make an impact on only one graduating class. She continues her amazing work year after year and I know this because of the impact she made on my sister which impacted me. You can ask anyone from my class or school about Mrs. Garfield and they will tell you exactly what I have written today plus more. She is my superhero and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Poverty is the thing that drives me. When I wake up every day, I picture myself running away from poverty and the things that are trying to bring me down, but I am not running aimlessly; I am running towards peace and happiness. Most people would have been running towards riches or wealth, but that is not my main priority. People say that money can buy happiness, but that is not true. Money can rent happiness and the rest is up to you. Being wealthy is a goal of mine, but it is not my #1 goal. My #1 goal is to find peace and happiness within myself. The life that I am living now is not the best. I am struggling with a lot. I feel like everything in my life right now is upside down. From my church, family, and career life. I honestly don’t know what the next step is for me, but I keep my trust in God and I’m taking everything day by day. I graduated from high school this month and I am extremely proud of myself, but graduation also means that things have to change. I am entering a whole new part of my life and I am scared, I am starting to think about jobs, cars, bills, tuition, etc. All those things involve money that I don’t have. If you could see me face to face right now, you would never know the pain and suffering I go through and that is all because of God. I know that there is light at the end of the tunnel and that God is making me and my family go through the things we are going through for a reason. I may not know what that reason is now, but in the future when I’m successful, I’ll look back and thank God for these struggles. My struggle pushes me to want a better life. I don’t want my kids to go through what I went through. I want better for them and their children also. This is what pushes me to get out of bed every day and hustle to win.

“Day one, or one day; you choose.” I don’t know who is the original creator of this quote, but from the very first moment I read this quote, it changed my life for the better. I am a person who lives on quotes. Quotes can be very inspirational and I have a couple that I use when I am down, but this one is my #1. I remember the very first time I saw this quote. I don’t remember where I saw it, but when I did, it confused me. At first, I thought it was saying the same thing twice, but as I read it over and over again, I realized that it was really asking a question. Are you going to be that person who says one day or day one? This quote shows the difference between a hard worker and a procrastinator. A day one person doesn’t waste time. They do what they need to do to achieve their goals and they do it immediately. A one-day person wastes time. They push off everything and uses the term, “one day,” to justify or make themselves feel better about not starting their take right away. You can compare this to a person who wants to start eating better, but because they are a one-day person they will most likely never get to it and this will only set them back. When I realized the point of this quote, I loved it, and from that day on I made sure to be a day one person. In anything I want to do, I make sure to start as soon as possible because if you don’t make the first step, you will never where you want to be.

With a grateful heart, I have to say that my 2020 wasn’t like the majority. Yes, my family and I went through our struggles, but compared to other families, we were blessed in 2020. The only people who lost their job was my older sister and older brother, but both my parents were still employed and no one in my family caught Covid-19, till this day. In 2020, I got a true sense of who God is and my relationship with him. All my life I have attended church and heard about God because my family and I are believers of Christ, but I never knew who he was for myself and I didn’t have my own personal relationship with him. I have always wanted a relation with him and to do this, my first step was to start reading my bible, but I never made time. When Covid came around and we went into lockdown, it forced me to open my bible and read because I had nothing else to do. I learned that God will do anything to get your attention when he wants you to be his child. I started reading and the more I read, the more I fell in love with him, which formed my connection with Christ. Another thing I grasped is that, there is no specific time to form a bond with God. Some people form this bond when they are very young or very old. If you want a relationship with God, don’t force it. Pace yourself and it will all come with time, but you have to be willing to put in the effort. I will never forget feeling this fire inside to work for God. When I say work for God, I’m talking about worshipping, spreading the gospel, etc. After I gained a personal relationship with my savior, the next step was to go out into the world and be a light. My passion was to help others (especially youth) create their own association with God. Over time, I got the idea that many people in my generation want to know more about God, but they are not in the right headspace or the right environment to do so, so they fall back into their old ways. I was blessed enough to grow up in a Christian household, but not everyone has that opportunity, so they have to work harder to reach out and touch God’s hand. This experience in 2020 set me up to continue to work for the Lord for the rest of my life. Some days are harder than others, but I will never depart from the Lord, just like he wouldn’t leave me. I know my 2020 experience was probably nowhere near like other peoples’ experience, but I still learned a lot. My relationship with Christ made me smarter, stronger, and more open-minded.

Just like the funder of this scholarship, “Hailey Julia,” I was raised in church. I went to church every Sunday morning and every Sunday night. My parents and siblings participated in the organization by joining groups and committees, and even I was active in my church, but something was missing. I went to service and knew of God, but I didn’t actually know who God was. I didn’t have my own relationship with God. That’s why when situations in my life would turn on the negative side, I didn’t know how to handle them. Just like everybody else, I had issues that I was dealing with, preferably my anger and because I didn’t truly have God in my life, my anger took over me. I have a knack for leadership and ever since I was little, I was leading. I was directing groups and other kids and I didn’t even know it, but because I was battling my anger issues, I turned into a dictator instead of a director. I wanted things to go my way or no way and I didn’t realize that I was hurting people. I lost myself many times because I didn’t have a relationship with Christ, but one day I read this verse, “Matthew 6:33,” “Seek first the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” After reading this verse, I didn’t fully understand what it meant, but it changed something inside of me. It turned on this switch in my head and I soon had this yearning for Jesus and I wanted to get to know him. Even after that experience, I didn’t take the time out to open my bible and learn about God myself, so I was still struggling. I was making decisions that I shouldn’t and now when I look back, I realize that if I took the time out earlier, I would have made better choices. The pandemic was what finally forced me to search for God. When Covid-19 hit and we had to go into quarantine, everyone was at a standstill. No one knew what to do, people were worried about what the future held, and many people lost themselves mentally, but for me, this pandemic hit differently. It gave me time; more than enough time and I finally decided to open my bible and read to understand my creator. My youth group at my church is what really got me started. One of the girls in the group gave us a chapter in the bible to read every day and I felt like this was a great start for me; nothing too extravagant, but also, nothing too small. One of the chapters we were assigned to read was Genesis chapter 1, and I thought this was going to be an easy read because everyone knows about this chapter, but as I read, questions arose in my head and a fire was created. I wanted to know more and more. Ever since that day, I have been on a mission to seek the kingdom of God first, so that everything else will be added on to me. That verse is a true statement of my life. As soon as I created a relationship with God, everything was clear. I started making better decisions and I got control of my anger. I am no longer a slave to sin because I put my trust in Jesus and I try every day to help others get to the place I am today.

I am a dual-enrolled student at Atlantic Technical College and the program that I am in is the Administrative Office Specialist Program (AOS) and in this tech, we learn skills that will help us get a job in the Executive Assistance field. I plan on becoming an entrepreneur and everyone has to start somewhere; preferably at the bottom. With these skills, I have a greater advantage of getting a good-paying job straight out of high school, which would boost my resume and get me started in the business world. The skills that we learn in this tech are organizational skills, typing skills, communication skills, etc. One of the requirements of this program is to get 3 out of 5 Microsoft Certifications. In order to do this, we use programs like Gmetrix and Sam Cengage to teach and train us about the softwares and then we take a final Microsoft certification test on Gmetrix. Some of the Microsoft software we are required to get certified in are Microsoft PowerPoint, Word, Excel, and Access. This is one of the skills that will give us a boost in the workplace. Another requirement of the program is to type at least 55wpm with a 98% accuracy. Most employers look for these type of skills when hiring their administrative assistants, that’s why I am currently certified in Microsoft Powerpoint, Word, Access, and Excel, and I type at 70 wpm with a 97% accuracy. After this, is college. I plan on getting my master’s degree in business administration and that’s where the Amplify scholarship, comes in. This grant will help me pay for my higher education. I have big dreams for myself, but when I step back and look at how much money it would cost my parents, it always scares me. This scholarship would help remove that fear. It would give me confidence in my plan of becoming an entrepreneur and bring some excitement to college.

If I had to describe my mother with one word, I would use “strong.” I know it seems like a basic word to describe your mother, but my mom takes that term to a whole other level. I’ve watched my mom go through so many hardships and the only 2 reasons she is still here today is because of God and the strength he gave her. My mother went through many things like abuse, loss of a son, and health issues, but she didn’t let them define her, she overcame every single one of them and she is still doing that today. Observing her made those traits rub off on me. It gave me a stronger mindset and made me realize that bad times do not last forever. My mom also taught me how to be a woman. She is a great role model when it comes to womanhood and motherhood. Without her, I would be lost. My mom is such an essential part of my life because like I said previously without her I wouldn’t know who I am. She molded me and I work hard every day not only for myself but also for her. To give her an opportunity to be truly happy and to make her dreams come true. She is always there for me even when I don’t ask for it. I know that once you lose your mother, you can’t get them back, so I am grateful and thankful that I still have mine even though I take her for granted sometimes.

Growing up, I didn’t have a role model or think I even needed one. I didn’t fully comprehend what it meant to look up to someone or be inspired by someone because I just couldn’t see myself following in anyone’s footsteps. As a young child, and even now as a young adult, I was always a leader. In anything that I did, I either led it or was a part of the behind the scenes helping plan. It was something about leadership roles that I gravitated towards. As I got older, when people would ask me what careers I wanted to pursue in the future, I didn’t have an answer or I would just say something that I knew they wanted to hear: to be a doctor or lawyer. With more experience through schooling and being an active member in my community, I learned more about my interests. I realized I needed someone to help guide me in making choices that aligned with where I wanted to be in the future. To further develop my leadership skills, I knew my role model needed to be knowledgeable about the business world and how I could use my skills to succeed. Unlike my peers, I had chosen a nontraditional career route. In my Caribbean culture and community, “acceptable” careers are science-related like medicine and engineering. Accepting that business was my passion scared me because I knew in the Haitian community, business is not a field that is seen as an ideal career. So even though I knew what I wanted to pursue; when people asked me about it, I would lie because I wasn’t comfortable sharing it with anyone else. I didn’t want the community to look down on me. I was desperate to find someone who had similar interests and a similar background as myself. The desperation vanished when I realized that my aunt was pursuing a career in business. From that moment on, I knew that she was the person I wanted to be my role model. My role model is my Aunt Genita. My aunt is my dad’s youngest sister and I’ve known her my whole life. I didn’t always think of her as a role model, but there were signs that would later show me she was the perfect role model. Ever since I could talk, my family used to call us twins because we both liked the same things. I started to drift towards her when I realized how alike we were, but what solidified her as my role model was when she graduated from college with her MBA. To see my Aunt succeed in what she was passionate about despite having many people around her express doubt, gave me the push that I needed to go for what I loved. It gave me the green light to be confident and to not be ashamed of what others would think about me. When I heard how she was flourishing, it motivated me. I was excited to learn more about the business field and how it connected to me. My aunt is my role model not only because we have the same interests, but because of who she is as an individual. I could’ve found any black woman who is in the business field that I felt a connection to if it was only about career for me. A role model is someone who sets an example based on their behavior, success, and many other qualities that can inspire others to follow in their footsteps. My Aunt took me under her wing, showing me how to carry myself, how to love myself, how to block all negativity, and fight for what I believe in. From the very first day, I told my Aunt that I wanted to pursue business, she was excited for me. She told me stories about her own experiences and what she went through and how she made it to where she was now. To me, she is living proof that with a role model, I too can thrive and be successful.