I currently have one son (dog) named Kolten! He has played a vital role in my life and has gone through big life changes with me. Unfortunately, I have anxiety, and Kolten is always there to make me feel better and remind me that I'm not alone. He is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. When I was in undergrad, I was always sad to leave Kolten during the week so that I could attend class. It was always so exciting to come home on the weekend, and there he was, waiting for me, standing on his two back legs. Kolten is so important to me and we all love him!

Maya Angelou once said, "You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them." This quote resonates with me because I've gone through so much in life, and it was my choice not to let those things negatively affect me. I was raised by strong black women who taught me to keep pushing through the storm, which has significantly shaped my life. Three of those women in my life sadly were affected by breast cancer, but they did not let that stop them. I have a passion for sports, cooking, and, most of all, equality. It's so important in life to push past barriers that were put in place to impede African Americans' growth. Ever since high school, I can say that I have been very passionate about diversity and equality. I attended an all-girls private catholic school in a wealthy neighborhood in St.Louis. I had attended public school my whole life, so I wasn't aware of private schools and their environment. When I attended high school, I faced the big challenge of being in an environment where very few people looked like me. I witnessed microaggressions and blatant racism in some cases. This opened my eyes to the injustices happening in the world and in my community. I became the President of our Diversity club in high school. My goal as President was to bring to light these injustices and make them right. That year I was able to get a mandatory training session added to professional development and a new African American literature class added to the curriculum. Since then, I was accepted into the Multicultural Scholars program at Maryville University. This program is a scholarship that is awarded to minorities on campus. As one of the Multicultural Scholars program's selected members, I attended monthly meetings with my cohort and often discussed issues of social justice and diversity. This program has allowed me to continue to be a voice on my campus for social justice and equality. I want to be the strong voice of an African American woman to others, just as my family is. Minorities are underrepresented in the top business positions; I am trying to change that by pushing past the stereotypes and rewriting the narrative. In the next five to ten years, I would have hoped to secure a job within the sports industry, a white and male-dominated industry. I want to use my platform to encourage other young African American women to push past barriers and be who they want to be. I want to become a mentor for youth pursuing a career within the business or sports business.

Living the life of my dreams includes be me being in a singinificant role within the Sports Industry, being debt free and having all of my family members in good health. Sports is something I've always loved and ever since I got to college I could see myself making an impact to this industry. My overall goal is to break down the glass cieling and pave a way for future African American women who want to work in sports. I've always wanted to mentor and open the the door for the others. This would maek me very happy and help me to be fulfilled in life. Being debt free is also important to me because as my mother always says, " the borrower is slave to the lender". I am tired of having to pay monthly on my school loans and worrying about how much money I have taken out already. I am currently working on my MBA and I haven't had any scholarships to aid with it. I luckily was able to get a graduate position which does alleviate some of the burden but there are still more loans to take out. Me being debt free will allow me to feel free and begin saving up for my future kids and building wealth. Family is also so important to me. My Mom and sister have been by my side no matter what and have supported me through my biggest challenges. If my family is happy and in good health, there is not much more I can ask for. They make me happy and have molded me into the person I am today. The life of my dreams is not an untainable goal. With hardwork and preservation I believe I will be able to check off all of these boxes.

Michael Jordan once said, "Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it." My goal for myself has always been to keep pushing and breaking the barriers down. Career success looks like me being the best person I can be and advocating for those who are not in the room. Every time I step into a room I want to open the door for others who want to be in the same position as me. Minorities are underrepresented in the top business positions; I am trying to change that by pushing past the stereotypes and rewriting the narrative. I want to use my platform to encourage other young African American women to push past barriers and be who they want to be. I want to become a mentor for youth pursuing a career within the business or sports business. It's essential to be a model for the youth so they feel inspired and will keep pushing on. To get to this success, I have been working on my professional skills, and I am always looking to increase my knowledge. With the help of my close friends and mentors, I have learned what it will take for me to be successful and achieve my goals.

Ever since high school, I can say that I have been very passionate about diversity and equality. I attended an all-girls private, catholic school, located in a wealthy neighborhood in St.Louis. When I attended high school, I was immediately faced with the big challenge of being in an environment where very few people looked like me. I witnessed microaggressions and blatant racism in some cases. This opened my eyes to the injustices happening not only in the world but in my community. I became the President of our Diversity club in high school. That year I was able to get a mandatory training session added to professional development and a new African American literature class added to the curriculum. Since then, I was accepted into the Multicultural Scholars program at Maryville University. This program is a scholarship that is awarded to minorities on campus. As one of the Multicultural Scholars program's selected members, I attend monthly meetings with my cohort and discuss issues of social justice. This program has allowed me to continue to be a voice on my campus for minorities. Minorities are underrepresented in the top business positions; I am trying to change that by pushing past the stereotypes and rewriting the narrative. I want to use my platform to encourage other young African American women to push past barriers and be who they want to be. I want to become a mentor for youth pursuing a career within the business or sports business. With the recent events happening in the world, I've had the opportunity to march with my community to protest the violence against our black brothers and sisters. It's essential to be a model for the youth so they feel inspired and will keep pushing on.

Maya Angelou once said, "You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them." This quote resonates with me because I've gone through so much in life, and it was my choice not to let those things negatively affect me. I was raised by strong black women who taught me to keep pushing through the storm, which has significantly shaped my life. Three of those women in my life sadly were affected by breast cancer, but they did not let that stop them. I have a passion for sports, cooking, and, most of all, equality. It's so important in life to push past barriers that were put in place to impede African Americans' growth. Ever since high school, I can say that I have been very passionate about diversity and equality. I attended an all-girls private, catholic school, located in a wealthy neighborhood. I had attended public school my whole life, so I wasn't aware of private schools and their environment. When I attended high school, I was immediately faced with the big challenge of being in an environment where very few people looked like me. I witnessed microaggressions and blatant racism in some cases. This opened my eyes to the injustices happening not only in the world but in my community. Freshman year of college, I was accepted into the Multicultural Scholars program at Maryville University. This program is a scholarship that is awarded to minorities on campus. As one of the Multicultural Scholars program's selected members, I attend monthly meetings with my cohort and often discuss issues of social justice and diversity. This program has allowed me to continue to be a voice on my campus for social justice and equality. I want to be the strong voice of an African American woman to others just as my family is. Minorities are underrepresented in the top business positions; I am trying to change that by pushing past the stereotypes and rewriting the narrative. In the next five to ten years, I would have hoped to secure a job within the sports industry, a white and male-dominated industry. I want to use my platform to encourage other young African American women to push past barriers and be who they want to be. I want to become a mentor for youth pursuing a career within the business or sports business. With the recent events happening in the world, I've had the opportunity to march with my community to protest the violence against our black brothers and sisters. I want to encourage others to vote and to push for change. It's essential to be a model for the youth so they feel inspired and will keep pushing on.

My goal in life has always been to make my family proud by attending college, graduating, and on top of that, receiving a masters degree. Not only will obtaining this degree make them proud, but it will also make me feel good about myself. I am not a first-generation college student; other family members have come before me and obtained a degree higher than a bachelor's, and I would like to be in the rankings with them. While a masters degree is not necessary to obtain a job, I believe it is necessary for me as a black woman trying to enter a white male-dominated field. There is already a significant glass ceiling over my head, and I believe I have already pushed past that by studying sports business management through the Rawlings Sports Business program. I know I can go even further by adding an MBA to my resume. My life experiences have shaped me into the person I am today and with the skills I have gained, I will be able to succeed in my field. It's a personal goal of mine to leave a lasting impression on every person I meet. As Mahatma Gandhi said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world." This quote means so much to me and guides me in how I live my life. Throughout my short but long 20 years on this earth, I have been involved in white-dominated activities and organizations, but that didn't stop me. I played golf for six years for The First Tee of St.Louis. My experience within this sport led me to be a guest speaker for two years for their annual golf tournament. During my speeches, I hoped to resonate with other African American kids playing in the golf program and encourage them to continue in the program. I am currently a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. This sorority has put me on a platform where I can be a role model for black women worldwide. I joined this sorority because of what they stood for: being of service to all mankind. I have the opportunity to do a lot of volunteer work within the sorority and touch others' lives. I want to make a change in this world and be a light to those who need a little guidance. Minorities are underrepresented in the top business positions; I am trying to change that by pushing past the stereotypes and rewriting the narrative. In the next five to ten years, I would have hoped to secure a job within the sports industry, a white and male-dominated industry. I want to use my platform to encourage other young African American women to push past barriers and be who they want to be. I want to become a mentor for youth pursuing a career within the business or sports business. With the recent events happening in the world, I've had the opportunity to march with my community to protest the violence against our black brothers and sisters. I want to encourage others to vote and to push for change. It's essential to be a model for the youth so they feel inspired and will keep pushing on.

It's a personal goal of mine to leave a lasting impression on every person I meet. As Mahatma Gandhi said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world." This quote means so much to me and guides me in how I live my life. Throughout my short but long 20 years on this earth, I have been involved in white-dominated activities and organizations, but that didn't stop me. I played golf for six years for The First Tee of St.Louis. My experience within this sport led me to be a guest speaker for two years for their annual golf tournament. During my speeches, I hoped to resonate with other African American kids playing in the golf program and encourage them to continue in the program. I am currently a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. This sorority has put me on a platform where I can be a role model for black women worldwide. I joined this sorority because of what they stood for: being of service to all mankind. I have the opportunity to do a lot of volunteer work within the sorority and touch others' lives. I want to make a change in this world and be a light to those who need a little guidance. Minorities are underrepresented in the top business positions; I am trying to change that by pushing past the stereotypes and rewriting the narrative. In the next five to ten years, I would have hoped to secure a job within the sports industry, a white and male-dominated industry. I want to use my platform to encourage other young African American women to push past barriers and be who they want to be. I want to become a mentor for youth pursuing a career within the business or sports business. With the recent events happening in the world, I've had the opportunity to march with my community to protest the violence against our black brothers and sisters. I want to encourage others to vote and to push for change. It's essential to be a model for the youth so they feel inspired and will keep pushing on.

This is Kolten! Kolten is my little surprise. We adopted his mother after she was rescued only to find out she was pregnant! The night she began giving birth we all sat and watched with anticipation. After giving birth to 6 puppies we all went to bed with 6 healthy pups downstairs. The next morning we woke to find another one! If you haven't guessed by now that surprise puppy is my Kolten. I think these pictures that I submitted show Kolten very interesting behavior and how he does not know the definition of personal space!

It's a personal goal of mine to leave a lasting impression on every person I meet. As Mahatma Gandhi said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world." I know this is a quote that a lot of people use but this quote means so much to me and guides me in how I live my life. Throughout my short but long 20 years on this earth, I have been involved in white-dominated activities and organizations, but that didn't stop me. I played golf for six years for The First Tee of St.Louis. My experience within this sport led me to be a guest speaker for two years for their annual golf tournament. During my speeches, I hoped to resonate with other African American kids playing in the golf program and encourage them to continue in the program. I am currently a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. This sorority has put me on a platform where I can be a role model for black women worldwide. I joined this sorority because of what they stood for: being of service to all mankind. I have the opportunity to do a lot of volunteer work within the sorority and touch others' lives. I want to make a change in this world and be a light to those who need a little guidance. Minorities are underrepresented in the top business positions; I am trying to change that by pushing past the stereotypes and rewriting the narrative. In the next five to ten years, I would have hoped to secure a job within the sports industry, a white and male-dominated industry. I want to use my platform to encourage other young African American women to push past barriers and be who they want to be. I want to become a mentor for youth pursuing a career within the business or sports business. With the recent events happening in the world, I've had the opportunity to march with my community to protest the violence against our black brothers and sisters. I want to encourage others to vote and to push for change. It's essential to be a model for the youth so they feel inspired and will keep pushing on.

My family and values were built on the backs on the strong women in my life that I call Mom,Nana and Aunt(s). These women have inspired me to be the person I am today. My Aunts and Nana love to tell me stories about the past and how they lived when they were growing up. From these stories, I learned they didn't have much and didn't have many women to look up to in their lives because their mother died when they were young. My mom has taught me to be strong when it seems like the world is crashing around you. My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer a few years ago, my senior year in high school. My sister had just left for college, and I was so excited to start school. On top of my mom being diagnosed with breast cancer, she was also laid off from her job unexpectedly. Of course, this whole situation took a hit to her confidence, but she didn't let that slow her down. My mom was able to fight off cancer with the help of my Nana and Aunt, who are also breast cancer survivors. Seeing this whole situation takes place, it really taught me to be strong and be willing to accept help. These strong women in my life have taught me important values and what it means to be an African American woman. I appreciate all they do for me and hopefully pass those traits and values on to my kids one day. I hope to use the strength that they gave me to push past barriers put in place to stop me from winning in this male-dominated world. I'm not going to let anything stop me, and I know I have an army behind me to help me push through the storm.

Maya Angelou once said, "You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them." This quote resonates with me because I've gone through so much in life, and it was my choice not to let those things negatively affect me. I was raised by strong black women who taught me to keep pushing through the storm, which has significantly shaped my life. Three of those women in my life sadly were affected by breast cancer, but they did not let that stop them. I have a passion for sports, cooking, and, most of all, equality. It's so important in life to push past barriers that were put in place to impede African Americans' growth. Ever since high school, I can say that I have been very passionate about diversity and equality. I attended an all-girls private, catholic school, located in a wealthy neighborhood in St.Louis. I had attended public school my whole life, so I wasn't aware of private schools and their environment. When I attended high school, I was immediately faced with the big challenge of being in an environment where very few people looked like me. I witnessed microaggressions and blatant racism in some cases. This opened my eyes to the injustices happening not only in the world but in my community. I became the President of our Diversity club in highschool. My goal as President was to bring to light these injustices and make them right. That year I was able to get a mandatory training session added to professional development and a new African American literature class added to the curriculum. Since then, I was accepted into the Multicultural Scholars program at Maryville University. This program is a scholarship that is awarded to minorities on campus. As one of the Multicultural Scholars program's selected members, I attend monthly meetings with my cohort and often discuss issues of social justice and diversity. This program has allowed me to continue to be a voice on my campus for social justice and equality. I want to be the strong voice of an African American woman to others just as my family is. Minorities are underrepresented in the top business positions; I am trying to change that by pushing past the stereotypes and rewriting the narrative. In the next five to ten years, I would have hoped to secure a job within the sports industry, a white and male-dominated industry. I want to use my platform to encourage other young African American women to push past barriers and be who they want to be. I want to become a mentor for youth pursuing a career within the business or sports business. With the recent events happening in the world, I've had the opportunity to march with my community to protest the violence against our black brothers and sisters. I want to encourage others to vote and to push for change. It's essential to be a model for the youth so they feel inspired and will keep pushing on.

Essay 2 Maya Angelou once said, "You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them." This quote resonates with me because I've gone through so much in life, and it was my choice not to let those things negatively affect me. I was raised by strong black women who taught me to keep pushing through the storm, which has significantly shaped my life. Three of those women in my life sadly were affected by breast cancer, but they did not let that stop them. I have a passion for sports, cooking, and, most of all, equality. It's so important in life to push past barriers that were put in place to impede African Americans' growth. Ever since high school, I can say that I have been very passionate about diversity and equality. I attended an all-girls private, catholic school, located in a wealthy neighborhood in St.Louis. I had attended public school my whole life, so I wasn't aware of private schools and their environment. When I attended high school, I was immediately faced with the big challenge of being in an environment where very few people looked like me. I witnessed microaggressions and blatant racism in some cases. This opened my eyes to the injustices happening not only in the world but in my community. I became the President of our Diversity club in highschool. My goal as President was to bring to light these injustices and make them right. That year I was able to get a mandatory training session added to professional development and a new African American literature class added to the curriculum. Since then, I was accepted into the Multicultural Scholars program at Maryville University. This program is a scholarship that is awarded to minorities on campus. As one of the Multicultural Scholars program's selected members, I attend monthly meetings with my cohort and often discuss issues of social justice and diversity. This program has allowed me to continue to be a voice on my campus for social justice and equality. I want to be the strong voice of an African American woman to others just as my family is. Minorities are underrepresented in the top business positions; I am trying to change that by pushing past the stereotypes and rewriting the narrative. In the next five to ten years, I would have hoped to secure a job within the sports industry, a white and male-dominated industry. I want to use my platform to encourage other young African American women to push past barriers and be who they want to be. I want to become a mentor for youth pursuing a career within the business or sports business. With the recent events happening in the world, I've had the opportunity to march with my community to protest the violence against our black brothers and sisters. I want to encourage others to vote and to push for change. It's essential to be a model for the youth so they feel inspired and will keep pushing on.