A few months ago i lost my grandmother to Covid. My grandma was the sweetest woman ever who never hesitated to listen if you needed to talk or give advice whenever you needed. Even though i lived with my mom, we butt heads a lot so my grandma was more of a mother to me. I lost my grandfather the year before and my grandma died on his birthday. My grandma inspired me to chase all my goals and dreams no matter how unconventional or big they may be. My grandma didn’t go to college and got married at a young age so she was so proud of me when i started attending university my freshman year. She always knew i could do big things and was excited to see what the future would hold for me and support me every step of the way. That’s why i’m fighting to achieve everything she didn’t. This is my senior year of college and I am fighting to graduate with honors. I’m fighting to walk across that stage and make her proud. I’m fighting to land a top job in Marketing after i graduate. I want to give her all the things she didn’t have at my age and make her proud.

I’m a junior at High Point University and i have always loved volunteering and giving back to my community. Every year i volunteer with my local police department in wrapping and delivering presents to families who would otherwise have no Christmas. I also make sure my clubs that i am on the executive board for on campus, help out our community by doing canned food drives, clothing drives, school supply drives and more. In 3-5 years i hope to be able to start a tradition by adopting a family every year for christmas as well as do a turkey drive every thanksgiving. I also hope to start my own nonprofit with helping young girls transform into their teenage years with giving them tips on hygiene, puberty and transitioning into adolescence.

My grandpa once told me that "A good leader must also learn to be a good follower" and that stuck with me and began to apply this in my everyday life. In all my positions as a leader in any clubs or groups, I am in, I use my position to help others step up to the spotlight. With my leadership roles, it is important to also know how to lead from the back. To encourage others to speak up and share their ideas and help them come to their own conclusions. To facilitate a conversation but not control it. Good leaders can also learn from following and taking note of other good leaders. You can pick up on their leading style and even tweak your own. It is also important because good leaders are good team players. They know that they are only as good as the team and will act towards the team effort. When others see that you care for the group dynamic they are more likely to see you as trustworthy and this, in turn, strengthens the cohesiveness of the group. Good leaders take all of these scenarios into account and adjust each one to each group situation they may be in. They adapt to their environment and do what will benefit the most amount of people.

The Undergrad Ups and Downs (by unalome) -Fair Trade by Drake -Pure Souls by Kanye West -After Party by Don Toliver -Heart on Ice by Rod Wave -Faking it by Calvin Harris -Party Party Party by DJ Carisma -Life is Good by Future

As a black woman who goes to a PWI, it has been a rollercoaster experience. It has enlightened me to different cultures and their experiences as well as the similarities and differences between them. That is why I decided to become Vice President of Diversity Club, Social Media Chair for Black Cultural Awareness, and a Campus Connector. My goal with joining these organizations was to unite the small population of black people on campus, more specifically black women, and give them a safe space as well as someone to talk to. I understand as a black woman how hard it can be on a campus that undervalues them and wanted to be someone they can share their experience with so that they will not be alone. These organizations have allowed me to connect with a large percent of the black woman on campus and invite them to events that are curated for them by them. Because of my own personal experiences on campus as well as the other black female upperclassmen's experiences, I see it as my role for the underclassmen to not have to go through what we did. I see it as my job to make them feel comfortable on a campus where they are a minority and help connect them to other clubs and organizations that can further their connections on campus. I want to be a leader and show them that just because they are the minority on campus that we do not settle for less and that we will still speak up for any injustices we may witness.

" Happiness is an inside job" This quote has many different meanings to me. At a basic level, it means that you are in control of your reality. It serves as a reminder to not let small things ruin your day. That when you're feeling down you can always do something else to take your mind off of it. It goes to show that it's just a bad day, not a bad life. It is encouraging, to remind you of the future you have in front of you and that if the situation won't matter in 5 years to not dwell on it. This quote is special to me because on the days that I want to give up it reminds me to go back to the things that make me happy and motivate me. It reminds me not to let the words or actions of others get to you and to continue shining bright in this world.

The pandemic has helped me grow in many ways and showed me how important it is to be alone. There is a stigma in society for being by yourself but the pandemic helped me embrace that. Being alone with your thoughts allows you to discover yourself even more. It helps you help yourself. You can sit there and work through your own problems without help from anyone else. Being alone helps you understand your interests and even find new interests. With all my free time I began to try different hobbies to pass the time and discover what I like and don't like. The pandemic allowed me to dig deeper within myself and face my fears, the main fear of being alone. Because of the pandemic, I have found solace in sitting with myself and treating myself just as well as I treat others. I learned it is important to take time for yourself and the importance of setting boundaries. Because of this, I go into the new school year with new hobbies, new tactics to cope with stress, and a new love for being alone.

My name is Morgan Smith and I am a Sophomore at High Point University. I strive to become a lead person in public relations, marketing, or the advertising field. I plan to use the resources provided by my school, such as internships, in order to excel in the workforce. I have a strong analytical mind when I'm working. I am a go-getter who enjoys persuading and leading people. I thrive in decision-maker roles as well as roles that directly help people. I like to promote people’s learning and personal development and really enjoy communicating, counseling, teaching, advising, and being of service to people. I'm an enterpriser, captivated with new ideas and alert to all possibilities, and enjoy helping move new ideas forward by sometimes challenging rules, assumptions, and customs. My three main values include independence, recognition, and working conditions. My main goals for the upcoming school year include becoming more involved in on-campus activities and organizations, maintaining my scholarship by making sure I fall in the grade point average requirement and having the chance to study abroad. In order to obtain my goals, I will need to be focused, determined, and be able to manage my time and money. My main values are important as they will put me ahead in the Marketing field. Before I graduate I plank to participate in many internship opportunities to help gain useful knowledge of the Marketing field. I plan to use theses internships to help my resume look more prominent and ultimately be a more qualified candidate in my job search after graduation. After I graduate with a Bachelors's degree in Marketing, my plan is to start out as a Social Media Marketing Manager. As a Social Media Manager, I would be responsible for planning, implementing, managing, and monitoring a company's Social Media strategy in order to increase brand awareness, improve marketing efforts, and increase sales. This job would serve as the first stepping stone towards actually putting all my hard work into fruition. After much time of gaining vital skills and experience in the Marketing field, I plan to move up to becoming a Public Relations Specialist where I will, create and maintain a favorable public image for the organization they represent while also using my social media marketing experience to craft media releases and develop social media programs to shape public perception of their organization and increase awareness of its work and goals. Ultimately I want to become a Marketing Manager for a Fortune 500 company such as American Express, Cisco, Edward Jones, and Stryker. I will manage all marketing for the company and activities within the marketing department while also developing the marketing strategy for the company in line with company objectives. My tenacity, ability to collaborate with others as well as work alone and ambition, make me a great candidate for this opportunity. I believe this scholarship will take some of the financial stress of my family and I's shoulders so I can focus more on maintaining a 3.5-grade point average and have the ability to participate in more internships.