Few words have such an elementary initial meaning as the word success, while also carrying the stated word’s richness of a multi-faceted, nuanced, and relative weight and definition once it is taken beyond its surface-level definition and is applied to each individual’s reality. In my experience, the longer I live, the more the meaning of the coveted word has changed. As of now, to me, the word success simply means the accumulated result from the purposeful stride towards one’s goals. When applying this definition, I determine that my version of a successful life is the material progress I make toward achieving my two life goals: the creation of a revolutionary digital art software and the publication of the next best-selling comic series of all time. As a man who has freshly turned 19, I’m working to improve my skills and find opportunities toward said endeavors while the rest of my life is still ahead of me. This scholarship is another opportunity that will support my trajectory toward my endeavors by funding the education I’m seeking at Grinnell College. I believe my initial description of the meaning of the word success is an excellent start to defining the word, but further exploration of the definition is needed to sufficiently explain everything that “success” entails for me. As previously mentioned, my definition of success is the accumulated result from the purposeful work towards one’s goal. Through this description, I do not necessarily have the actual achievement of the goal be the judgement if one is successful; rather, a person’s success is determined by any substantial production of anything new that was only made possible via pursuing one’s goal. This definition still requires the individual to take disciplined measures and be focused on the ideal achievement. However, the emphasis lies in me being focused on making consistent deliberate efforts to achieve my dream. I can be satisfied by any success I may have from gaining something new as a result of progressing towards my endeavors. Delving deeper into the exact details of my pursuits, I intend to create and manage my own business. This business will be a digital publisher of comics and miscellaneous arts. Additionally, I want to use my publication business to distribute my original work; in particular, I’m working to publish the next best-selling comic series, named “StarTrail.” I’ve currently launched my beta chapter on the digital comic publisher site WebToon. In addition to this endeavor, I also desire to produce and launch an art software that can act as a hybrid medium that allows the printmaking techniques of the traditional and digital art disciplines to work in tandem. The launch of this software will be managed in the same business that handles the publication of comics and other arts. To meet these ends, I practice and study the exercise of drawing, the art of storytelling, and the application of computer science and coding. My ambition is the exact reason why I’m studying at Grinnell College, an institution that holds top rankings in both its computer science and art programs and an institution that uniquely supports students, such as myself, with their business launches. With my two goals in mind, I’m determined to pursue the trajectory that will lead me to achieving these endeavors to create my own success. When I look internally, my vision of success is having launched a project or product that’s evident in the effort and opportunities I took to achieve my goals. By continuing to attend Grinnell College, my dreams for my comic book series and art software business are the most prospect to occur. Through the opportunity of this scholarship, I can continue to have the most effective campaign to make my vision of success into my reality.

“Give life from your pen; or rather, tablet, stone, or even bare body. Become a portal into a unique thought, emotion, or even a whole new reality.” This is my self-made approach to the purpose of art, and what draws me create. I'm the youngest child of a first-generation Nigerian-American immigrant family, yet I happened to be one of the siblings born in Maryland as a second-generation immigrant. As a person who had to wield two cultures while growing into my adolescence, I've become adjusted to learning multiple ideals, practices, and, most intriguing to me, mythos. I use Foster's definition of mythos in his book How to Read Like a Professor: being the stories integral to a culture such as common myths or religion. This granted me an open mind because I realized an open mind allowed my brain to become a sponge that absorbs wide arrays of cultures and information that would boost my creativity to a greater realm. This open-mindedness also supported my ability to process the inequalities I was surrounded at a young age: inequality of circumstance in Nigeria, the unfairness of my parents' education not transferring to America, and even my home culture's patriarchal views that my sister constantly fights. Through my life experience teaching me the value of carrying an open mind, I've learned that I should always open the chance to listen to others as a chance to improve myself in the case I'm proven wrong. However, more impactfully, I had to understand that there's no such thing as purely just authority: in respects to religion, idols, or even my parents. In this ever expansive world, no-universe, there's an incalculable number of cultures, discoveries, ideas, and arts. Which makes living a brilliant experience, and is why why everyone's right to contribute and experience must be protected. A world that radiates the virtues of self-expression, champions the ideals of equality, and spreads the brilliance of freedom: that is a world that my art intends to capture. From my relatively short life I've lived so far, I've resolved my will to create a world where every person's expression in art and life are celebrated, in this ever so complex universe. Inorder to have such a world to not be restricted to my mere fantasy, but manifest in reality, there's no more powerful way than in art. Via speeches, story-telling, or captivating illustrations, art has the ability to preach, empower, and inspire societies to achieve otherworldly achievements. Specifically, I'm working for my art to reach the peak in literary and visual arts, I'm working to create my own narrative in the form of a published comic series. Even though, people with my skin-color are not well known in the comic industry, that will not stop me from creating my own business to publish the world's next most sold comic series of all time. Through my comic series, my art, my expression, I will light the world with the ideals to champion a world for everyone made by everyone.

The essence of art is to capture an idea to depict in any creative whims a master so chooses; atleast, that's is how I came to view art. As Einstien once stated, "Creativity is intelligence having fun." As a follower of this discipline, I take all that I learn about people, experiences, or observed facts or discoveries to use as fuel for my creativity. In my journey as an artist, I've came across various mythologies that I couldn't help but to source as inspiration for my art. I've heard of scienfic phenomena in our non-fiction reality that've sounded even more unrealistic than fiction. Simply through conversation, exploring people's past, and coming to learn of other's and my own emotions, I've been but forced to record in my journal, knowing how priceless said interaction were for an artist to capture. In this universe, there are infinite colors, shapes, and perspectives that a finite artist can not hope to capture it all; however, that's the beauty of love art. From what I've gathered in the short time I've been i this universe, is the perspective of how everyone lives in their own flavor of a reality, which is the idea I everso deeply wish to capture and develop in every instance I pick up a pen, pencil, or a brush. To learn all that I can, to gain a piece of other's reality into my own, to project my own universe onto any page, that is what guides my art.

I reminisce about an age blurry to me. I strolled my way through the labyrinth that is my house, and it was then a sparkle caught my eye. This cartoony bible radiated from the sunlight poking from the window behind it. Little did I know that for me to unlock the seal of that book, to chase that sparkle was to unlock a seal to my heart, was to have that sparkle that once caught my eye spark into a passionate blaze that fills my soul. The warm touch of the waxy plastic cover felt all too natural in my soft hands, and for the first time in my life, I just read. This was not like the other times I’d read; I wasn’t compelled by my church or family during bible studies, nor was forcefully assigned reading by my teacher. Through my own calling to the page, I grasped the child’s picture Bible, made my way to the dark brown leather couch near it, and sat to read the legendary tales of Noah, Moses, and Samson. I read that fateful book cover to cover more times than I can remember. Before I knew it, I needed more, I siezed a child’s book of cartoonishly depicted Romans, and read fables scattered around my house. However, my hunger only grew, which had led me to draw my own stories. Unbeknownst to me, this was my origin in my passion to be a comic book writer and artist.

“Star Light, Star Bright,” by Dorothy Parker is not the most sophisticated piece of work and is far from the most impactful piece of literature. It might not even be my favorite poem; despite it all, it contains the four first and foremost lines attached to my soul. To others, it may be a simple nursery rhyme, yet I find myself entranced by the mere allusion of the first four phrases. To me, it captures the childish wonder that wavers as people mature, it captures the deep desperation derived from the dare to dream, it captures me: the desire, the need, to be the star that shines so bright at night. For me, the desire goes beyond the realm of dreaming; rather, I want it to be a vision of my future, my destiny. Despite what the world claims to be “a waste of time,” “A waste of talent,” “A waste for a valedictorian.” Can a Valedictorian not dream? Lawyer, politician, scientist, engineer, doctor, those are all beautiful dreams, yet dreams that become nightmares for too many who had their light dimmed out by the imposition of such occupations. Such worldly pressures only serve to clip peoples wings: turn their dreams into dirt. However, through my visit to Grinnell College, for the very first time, I’ve felt a universe that excelled in propelling people to their own unique heights. In my visit, it started with a simple conversation with 2 of my potential football coaches, in which I revealed my grand dream, my sparkling wish, my burning desire: creating a comic book. More specifically, I’m working towards creating the new best-selling comic series in the world. I champion the idea that stories carry a profound power to impact people just in it’s own unique manner a politician or surgeon can’t achieve. My single greatest desire, the star that I’m reaching out for, is to demonstrate the potential the combination of both the visual and literary arts can have. In the current state of the comic industry of Western society starting to stagnate under the dominant reign of Marvel and DC, I seek to create my own comic book business that emphasizes each talented stars’ creativity outside the bounds of the current Western comic industry. This had led me to Grinnell college, an institution with an open curriculum offering the peak adversary for the arts, business, and computer science. Even though I’ve remained cynical of higher institutions for all my high school years, at Grinnell I’ve felt a spark, I’ve made lifelong associates in a short time, and I’ve witness a realm in which the people don't, just believe in their own, but the whole communities’ potential to be as vast as the night sky. At Grinnell, I have a family, full of brilliant stars ready to light the world with their dreams, which is the canvas my comic series will capture. Although I am accepted, this scholarship will grant the financial aid I need for my star to shine.