Since I can remember, I’ve been doing everything I can to get ahead:academically, personally, and professionally. From being placed in an elementary school gifted program to joining the Young Scholars Program in middle school and now completing the International Baccalaureate program in high school, I’ve spent years pushing myself to rise above expectations and chase a dream that feels bigger than me. That dream is to earn a college degree in marketing, not just for the sake of a title, but so I can use my creativity to make a difference in the world, starting with the communities I come from. I am worth the dreams I aspire to achieve because I’ve never stopped fighting for them, even when life made it difficult. As a low income, LGBTQ+, and Black young woman, I’ve faced challenges that could have easily broken anyone’s spirit. But instead, they shaped me. They pushed me to find my voice, stand in my truth, and keep going even when I felt like the odds were stacked against me. The truth is, people who look like me, live like me, and love like me are often told, silently or directly, that our dreams aren’t realistic. But I refuse to accept that. I’ve worked too hard, overcome too much, and come too far to give up now. I know that what I want to do matters. I want to study marketing so I can help small, minority owned businesses grow, thrive, and tell their stories in ways that truly represent who they are. I want to give others the visibility and voice that I’ve had to fight for myself. I believe in using marketing as a tool for empowerment, not just profit. I want to change the way people think about branding and business by centering it around people, culture, and community. But the truth is, as much as I believe in myself and my potential, the financial side of earning a degree is something I can’t ignore. College is expensive. With the average tuition costs for my top 3 schools reaching $20,000 per semester, it’s not something I or my mom can afford on our own. That doesn’t make me less deserving. If anything, it’s exactly why I need support. Not because I want a handout but because I’ve done the work and I’m ready to show what I can do when given the opportunity. I deserve the chance to walk across a college campus, sit in those classrooms, and eventually walk across that stage, not just for myself, but for every young person who sees a part of themselves in me. I deserve to prove that someone with my background belongs in business, in leadership, and in every room I choose to enter. I’m worth these dreams because I’ve already been building them brick by brick for years.

As a high school senior preparing to enter college, I’ve thought a lot about what kind of mark I want to leave on the world. I’ve decided to pursue a degree in marketing, and I hope to earn it through the School of Business at North Carolina Central University. But my goals go beyond just getting a degree, anybody can just “get” a degree. I want to use my skills to make a real difference, especially for small businesses and entrepreneurs who don’t always have the resources or support they need to succeed. Marketing isn’t just about advertising or selling products. To me, it’s about helping people be seen, heard, and understood. That’s especially important for small businesses, many of which are built from passion, culture, family, and resilience. These are the kinds of businesses that bring life to communities, but they often get overlooked in a world dominated by big corporations. With a degree in marketing, I want to help small businesses grow, build strong brands, and connect with the people who need their products or services most. I’ve seen firsthand how hard it can be for small business owners to grow their brands, especially in underserved areas. My mother owns a small business that provides cleaning services but she doesn’t have the funds to spread the world and get her business off the ground. I know others don’t have the tools to compete, while others struggle to figure out how to connect with their audience. My dream is to become the person who helps fix that. I want to provide affordable, effective marketing services to small businesses, helping them create websites, improve social media, develop campaigns, and tell their stories in a way that attracts attention and builds trust. I want to make sure that local entrepreneurs, especially those from minority or low-income backgrounds, have the same access to growth and success as anyone else. I also hope to launch my own marketing firm one day, built around this exact mission. I want to create a space where creativity meets community, where small businesses aren’t just clients but partners in long term success. By hiring other young marketers who are passionate about service and inclusion, I want to create both career opportunities and a community impact. Beyond the businesses I plan to work with, I hope to use my future career as a way to educate others. Whether that means mentoring high school students, offering workshops for young entrepreneurs, or even creating free online content that breaks down marketing tips, I want to share what I will learn with people who might not otherwise have access to that knowledge. My path into the business world may begin with marketing, but the purpose behind it is rooted in service. I want to use my creativity, my drive, and my education to uplift others and help build something lasting…not just for myself, but for the communities around me. With the support of this scholarship, I can take that next step at NCCU and begin building a career that makes room for everyone to succeed, not just those who start with everything handed to them, but for those who need someone to believe in them.

During one of the hardest times in my life, when I felt like no one really saw me or understood what I was going through, there was one teacher who became my safe space. Mr. Seward didn’t just teach a subject, he gave me the tools to survive, to keep going, and eventually, to grow. I met him at the beginning of my Junior year as he taught my 2nd period Probability and Statistics class. As the year progressed, I opened up to him more and more, I even spent my lunch time in his classroom because it gave me peace. We talked everyday and he genuinely cared about me as a person. The most impactful thing he ever did for me was show up during a time when I was silently battling depression. Most days, I showed up to school with a smile that didn’t match how I felt inside. I didn’t talk much. I didn’t feel like I fit in. I was overwhelmed with emotions I didn’t know how to explain, and I carried a weight that made even the smallest things feel heavy. But somehow, he noticed. Mr. Seward never forced me to talk, but he always made space for me to. His classroom became a place where I didn’t feel judged or invisible. I could walk in, sit down, and for the first time that day, breathe and let my emotions out. He never made me feel weak or dramatic. He listened with patience, offered advice when I needed it, and reminded me constantly that what I felt was valid as he had gone through the same thing when he was my age. I don’t think he even realized just how much those conversations saved me. What meant the most is that I felt like I could really come to him with anything: school stress, personal issues, or just when I needed to sit quietly in someone’s presence. He supported me through breakdowns and celebrated my small wins. He believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself. While I was going through all of this he never treated me differently. He still wanted me to try in school and never made excuses for my grades. He applied pressure on me because he wanted me to succeed. That kind of consistency is rare, especially during high school when everything feels unstable. He also helped me come out of my shell socially. I used to be anxious in group settings and kept to myself because I was afraid of judgment. But Mr. Seward encouraged me, little by little, to speak up more, to trust myself, and to give people the chance to really know me. He reminded me that it’s okay to be different, that I don’t need to change who I am to fit in. That lesson alone changed the way I carry myself in the world. Because of him, I look at life differently. He helped me realize that my struggles don’t define me but how I move through them does. He helped me understand that it’s okay to ask for help, and that needing support doesn’t make me weak. It makes me human. When I look back on that now, I know I’ll remember the grades and classes but what I’ll remember most is the person who showed up for me when I didn’t even know how to ask for help. I hope that one day, I can be that person for someone else. And if I ever doubted whether teachers could change lives, I don’t anymore because one of them changed mine.

To be completely honest, in five years, I don’t know exactly where I see myself. Like everyone else, I have a rough idea, but I don’t have it all figured out and that’s exactly why I need college. I need the space, the education, and the experiences to help me explore, discover my passions more deeply, and truly find myself. But with tuition for my top three colleges averaging around $20,000 per semester, I’m scared that I won’t be able to do that without help. What I do know is this: I envision myself as a proud college graduate with a degree in marketing, stepping into a career that not only excites me but allows me to use my creativity and my ability to persuade and connect with others. I want to work in a field where creativity and strategy meet, whether that’s in digital marketing, brand development, or social media strategy. Marketing has always fascinated me because it’s about more than just selling something; it’s about understanding people, building real relationships, and telling stories that matter. In five years, I want to be using those skills to make an impact, that impact can be through a company I work for or a brand I create myself. As a high school senior from a single-parent household, my dreams don’t just belong to me, they reflect the sacrifices my mother has made every single day to provide for me. Watching her work hard to support us has made me deeply aware of the financial realities that come with pursuing higher education. I don’t want to place any more of that burden on her, and I don’t want to carry it myself in the form of overwhelming student debt. That’s why I take scholarships like this one so seriously. With financial support, I’ll be able to focus on learning and growing instead of constantly worrying about how I’ll afford tuition, housing, or books. I’ll be able to say yes to internships, leadership opportunities, and experiences that would otherwise be out of reach. In college, I hope to be part of programs that give me real-world experience and help me grow not just as a student, but as a person. I want to join student-run marketing firms, intern with local businesses, and become active in campus organizations. I’m especially excited to take classes like digital branding, consumer psychology, and marketing analytics to learn how businesses connect with people in different ways. I know the marketing world is constantly evolving, and I want to be part of that evolution, especially in making marketing more inclusive, authentic, and community driven. But my goals go beyond just getting a degree and a job. In five years, I want to start giving back to others who are experiencing the same thing I am right now. I know what it feels like to dream big but wonder if your financial circumstances might hold you back. That’s why I want to mentor students from single-parent homes or underserved communities and hopefully one day even create scholarships of my own. I want those students to see someone who didn’t let fear or finances stop them from building a successful life. Whether it’s helping them with college prep, offering advice, or just reminding them that they can do it, I want to be a support system for others. I also hope to build something of my own someday: a small business that always leaves room for growth and improvement, or a creative agency that tells stories rooted in culture and real life experiences. I’d love to partner with small or minority owned businesses and help them reach wider audiences through powerful marketing strategies. That entrepreneurial dream may still be down the road, but I believe every class, connection, and challenge I take on in college will bring me closer to it. I see myself becoming more confident and independent. I see someone who didn’t let fear of debt or the pressure of uncertainty stop them. Someone who stayed grounded, focused, and turned every challenge into motivation. I want to be proud not just of the degree I earned, but of the person I became in the process. Ultimately, in five years, I want to look back and say: I did this for me, for my mom, and for the future I knew I could create, even if I didn’t know exactly what that future would look like at the time. With the support of scholarships, that future feels possible.