For me, being first-generation has never simply meant being the first person in my family to attend college. It has meant carrying responsibility bigger than myself. It means understanding that every class I pass, every internship I earn, and every opportunity I create represents something larger than personal success. It represents breaking a cycle and proving that where you come from does not have to determine where you are capable of going. I came to the United States from Jamaica with the understanding that education was one of the few things powerful enough to permanently change the future of an entire family. Pursuing a degree in Computer Science has been both exciting and difficult because, unlike many students around me, I had to navigate college, career development, and professional opportunities without the advantage of having people around me who had experienced those paths before. I had to learn everything independently while figuring out how to compete in spaces that often felt unfamiliar. Then, in the fall of 2024, everything stopped. I was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis that caused internal brain bleeding and a stroke. I spent months hospitalized, underwent six surgeries, temporarily lost movement on the right side of my body, and had to relearn how to walk, speak, and rebuild the academic abilities I had spent years developing. I went from being a college student focused on my future to fighting simply to regain control over basic functions I once took for granted. Returning to school after that experience changed me completely. I realized perseverance is not about avoiding hardship. It is about deciding that your goals still matter even when life gives you every reason to quit. Today, what drives me is the desire to create impact beyond myself. I want to become a software engineer and eventually build technology that improves education, healthcare, and accessibility for communities that are too often overlooked. Through organizations like NSBE, I already work to help students gain confidence, career readiness, and access to opportunities they may otherwise miss. This scholarship would allow me to continue pursuing those goals while easing financial pressure and giving me greater freedom to focus on building the future I have fought so hard to reach. I want my story to prove something simple. Being first-generation does not mean starting behind. It means learning how to turn struggle into strength, and using that strength to open doors for everyone who comes after you.

As a first generation college student from Jamaica pursuing a degree in Computer Science, higher education was never something that felt guaranteed to me. Growing up, I understood early that opportunities are not distributed equally. Some students grow up surrounded by professional networks, financial security, and people who understand exactly how to navigate college and career paths. Others, like me, have to learn everything from scratch while carrying the pressure of building a future not just for ourselves, but for our families as well. That reality shaped the person I am today. Being first generation has taught me resilience long before I understood what that word truly meant. But the greatest test of that resilience came during the fall of 2024, when my life changed overnight. I was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis that caused internal brain bleeding and led to a stroke. I spent months hospitalized, underwent six surgeries, temporarily lost movement on the right side of my body, and had to relearn how to walk, speak, think clearly, and rebuild academically from the foundation upward. There were moments when returning to school felt impossible. But I came back. Not because the journey became easier, but because I realized my story had become bigger than me. Surviving something that nearly took my life forced me to understand the responsibility that comes with being given another chance. I stopped viewing education as simply a path toward personal success and began seeing it as a tool powerful enough to change lives when used with purpose. Today, I serve in leadership through organizations like NSBE, where I help students prepare for internships, strengthen resumes, build confidence, and gain exposure to opportunities they may have never believed were within reach. I have seen incredibly talented students get overlooked simply because they lacked guidance or access. I know what it feels like to come from environments where success feels distant, and because of that, I have made it my mission to help others close that gap. In the future, I want to become a software engineer and build technology that solves real world problems in education, healthcare, and accessibility, especially for underserved communities. But beyond the technical work, I want to be living proof that circumstances do not define potential. I want other first generation students to see someone who faced obstacles that should have ended his journey, yet kept going anyway. If I can inspire even one student to believe that their background is not a limitation but a source of strength, then everything I have been through will have meant something far greater than personal achievement. Because sometimes the most powerful way to lead is simply refusing to give up where others expected you to stop.

I learned what purpose meant when I came close to losing everything that made me feel like myself. In the fall of 2024, I was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis that led to internal brain bleeding and a stroke. I spent months in the hospital, underwent six surgeries, temporarily numbness on my left, temporarily paralysis on the right side of my body, and had to relearn how to walk, speak, think clearly, and rebuild academically from the ground up. At one point, simply standing on my own became a victory. That experience changed the way I view life forever. Surviving taught me something I will carry with me permanently: we are not defined by what happens to us, but by what we choose to do after. I returned to college determined not only to rebuild my own future, but to help others build theirs. As a first generation computer science student, I found purpose in using technology to solve real problems that improve people’s lives. Through leadership roles in NSBE and mentoring students pursuing careers in STEM, I work to create opportunities for those who often lack access, guidance, or confidence. My purpose is bigger than personal success. I want to build technology that expands access to education, healthcare, and opportunity, while proving that the greatest impact comes when we use our struggles not to stop, but to serve others.