As a Queer, Transgender Man, who is also a variety of ethnicities, my place in the world has not ever been truly accepted. From my ancestors who died in the Holocaust, to my Hispanic routes being colonized and overthrown, all the way to my Trans brothers and sisters being slaughtered back then, and especially, now. The world has never been fair to people like me, from such a diverse background and identifying in ways that majority of the American population, let alone the world, does not understand. Because of the way I identify, I experienced severe bullying from kindergarten all the way up to my senior year of High-School. Being taunted, threatened, harassed, and nearly beaten for who I am, gave me a lot of self-hatred issues that I still experience to this day. I have cut myself trying to scrape away the disgust that people saw on me. I have tried hanging myself to escape from the reality of going to school everyday only to be taunted for my fluffy curly hair. The scars are still there, however they are healing just like my brain is. From my background ethnically and my experiences, I want to use the knowledge I have from how bullying affected me, to spread a message on how to recover. Bullied children around Earth suffer, and they could use someone to guide them to a healthy mindset. Words cut deeper than knives. Knowing that, I would love to make at least one person smile, hopefully.

Fashion Design and Merchandising is not the typical major you hear people have nowadays. Everyone that I know of is in Business, Nursing, or Law. To me, Fashion is just as important as any of those, as it ties back to environmentalism, and certain mental health struggles such as body image issues that Models struggle with in the industry. From all the waste that is produced from fast-fashion companies, it is one of the biggest contributor's to landfills throughout the world. This is because entire deserts are being fully covered in wasted clothes, which, when set on fire, especially polyester, spew poison into the air we breathe. That causes all sorts of respiratory issues. Fashion waste is a major issue that needs to be solved. Fashion does also have roots in psychology, as people tend to dress how they are feeling in that moment. You aren't going to dress all fancy when you are depressed; you will probably end up wearing sweatpants and an oversized hoodie. With the knowledge that I am currently acquiring from my degree, I plan to double major eventually in Psychology, and specialize in treating those with eating disorders, OCD ( Which I am diagnosed with), and much more. Fashion has its handprint engraved into society more than anyone could ever know. You can tell a lot about a person just from the way they are dressed. Struggles are not often only visible from brain scans, but from overall appearance. I want to help those who feel like they are trapped in their own head, and maybe even those who struggle to express the real them. People deserve help, and while I know to the naked eye that Fashion & Psychology may be on vastly different ends of the spectrum, they are more connected then people will ever know. My plans are not just to become a therapist as I explained before, no. I also want to run my own clothing brand to uplift those that feel as if they are unable to use their voice. I want to run an LGBTQ centered brand, that stands for all things society may seem different, weird, or religiously wrong. I have many plans to make this world better, and I know that being a Therapist and running my own brand will help people feel represented, heard, and valued. Throughout this year, which is my first year in college, I have been working. With my current major, art materials are not cheap, and neither are books, housing, tuition, and basic necessities. I work for Bonner Leader, which is a community service organization. I may not make much from it, but I save as much as i physically can to be able to fund myself through college. I am in New Jersey's Educational Opportunity Fund Program, which provides extra money for low-income households. Even that does not give me enough. So, that is why I am working. I plan to get a second job for the spring semester, too. Balancing work and my studies may not be an easy feat, however I am succeeding quite well at it. I currently hold a 4.0 GPA, and have almost all A-'s. By the end of this semester I am on track to hold at least a 3.6 GPA. Being poor and going to college is a difficult task, but with the right amount of strength and perseverance to take the world by storm, anything is possible. This scholarship will make it a lot easier for me to save money, and fund my education. I appreciate your consideration. Thank you.

Walking throughout the walls of Central Regional High School made me feel like I was suffocating from the inside out. I felt like everyone was always watching me; the way I walked, talked, dressed, acted, etc. I felt like the center of attention, but not in the narcissistic way, in the terrified of people way. When people walked by it just sent shivers down my spine, almost like I was bracing for blunt force impact. All the threats and physical/psychological harm I had experienced simply did not help my case at all. I used to be very afraid to socialize with anyone in my school. Especially because of the severe bullying that I experienced, I always kept my head down in the hallways, afraid of each and every move any soul made but me, practically jumping out of my own skin at the slightest of movements. I may have been tall and scary-looking to some, but inside my head I was more terrified of others more than anyone ever was of me. When I was first diagnosed with OCD, a severe form of anxiety, I wasn't even shocked, as I knew the way I acted around others was abnormal. However, with the right amount of therapy, and eventually graduating high school, I began to enjoy socializing again, and not be so afraid of someone simply trying to get to class and moving suddenly to grab keys out of their pocket. College really did open me up to a whole new world of things. I met my best friend, who just so happens to be my roommate, and such amazing people that I never would have if I never decided to crack open the hard shell that I had built around me for so long. College is so important to me, as it has truly impacted my life in ways I never thought were possible. I can actually walk around people without turning my shoulder around constantly. I can walk up to strangers and say hi. Most importantly, I am no longer afraid the way I was in my high school. I am free for the first time in my life to do whatever I want, without that nagging little voice in the back of my head screaming at me to stay inside, never to see daylight again. College has allowed me to breathe in a and out without choking on my own air. I am alive and happy, socializing and all. Thank you.

I have lived my life the way younger me would have wanted me to: as *me*. I am a Transgender Queer Man, who no matter what other people have said/done to me, has continued to be myself. I have been hate-crimed, nearly beaten, and have been threatened violence against me simply for who I am. Multiple police reports have had to be filed, because simply the children in my town were horrendous, and saw me as the laughing stock who had no emotions behind the makeup. I went to a High-School that did not give me the support I needed to flourish. I dressed in an alternative way, wearing whatever I pleased on the daily, with constant harassment because of said outfits too. I wore large platform shoes, chokers, large amounts of makeup, tons of jewelry, and so much more components that made others think I was a target. What I went through there made me want to escape, and in turn find somewhere that I can help others through my designs. My major is Fashion Design & Merchandising at Montclair State University in New Jersey. However, I also plan to double major in Psychology if financially possible. A P.H.D is something I have wanted to get since a young child, and I would absolutely be honored to get mine in Clinical Psychology. My goals are to eventually run a clothing brand in which anything and everything is possible to be made, for the vast majority of people in the world, and especially those like me. After I complete my undergraduate degree, I plan to begin my career off as a manager, donating what I can to organizations, and helping stand up for the LGBT community in whatever area I am in by then. I am very outspoken, and will never let anyone stop me from using my voice. If I am able to double major in Psychology, I plan to be a Therapist for young adults who never had someone to help them in life, and who may have been shut out by there peers for being authentically them. I want to make my presence known on this earth throughout the little time I may have. Queerness may be looked down upon in some places in todays society, but I hope with the work I plan to do in the future, I can maybe close the gap between us, and them. At the end of the day, we are all human, and there is absolutely no place for hate in such a short lifetime. The money from this scholarship would help me achieve the goals I have always wanted to, which would be to double major and then pursue a P.H.D. Thank you.