“It’s just another Black girl thinking she can change the world.” I learned to hold my tongue, keep my head up, and keep moving despite the knives thrown my way. When I first decided to pursue Biology as my major and enter the health field, I received more stares and side‑eyes than encouragement. I questioned myself daily: Is this right for me? Do I have what it takes? Will I even make it? People will always make assumptions, whisper comments, and even speak negatively about you to your face. Being underestimated only fuels me to prove them wrong. So, once I took my first step on this journey, I realized something else. It’s NEVER about what others think — it’s about what God placed in my heart. Now that I am two years in, I understand the importance of STEM and its' connection to all areas of life. STEM was created for the advancement of modern society. It makes basic and major parts of our lives better and more attainable. In studying biology, I have learned how it has positively impacted society by making what we thought was impossible, possible. Being a STEM major comes with challenges. At times I feel a gravitational pull to give up due to the lack of support for minority women in this field. There is also pressure to believe the negative talk that says I won't make it. But I am determined to keep going in spite of being lied to or being dismissed by others. I've learned that people fear what they can see in you, even if you haven’t become it yet. I want to be an example of purpose. Although modern society says that we must outdo the person ahead of us to succeed, I am not trying to compete with anyone. I want to show others that they don't have too either. My mom has always told me that competing with someone who has different skills, talents, and gifts steals time and energy from becoming who I am meant to be. She is right, and she is the whole reason I want to succeed in the way I am MEANT to succeed, not how others think. So, my hope and goals are to cultivate self-honesty, perseverance and the understanding that some sacrifices are worth it. I decided to take this STEM path ever since my mom got sick over 7 years ago. Doctors still have not been able to find the ROOT cause of her issue. Is it possible they don't know? Yeah. But sometimes I wondered if they were telling the truth. Society has made us believe that being an African American woman makes it more of a challenge for healthcare workers to find the real issues. I wonder if they are really trying. I want to take a step in helping to change that ideology. When I graduate and become a certified Medical Laboratory Scientist, my greatest purpose will be to lead other women who look like me along this path and tell them the truth. The truth is they are capable of success. They can and WILL make it. They are ALWAYS needed. The biggest truth of all is that they are WORTHY. The truth sets us free; lies only create chains. As for revenge? You don’t need it. The sweetest revenge is none at all. Our hearts will ALWAYS speak for itself.

Long story short, I am a first-generation, and I grew up in a low-income, single-parent household; life is not easy. I chose a degree of Biology, because I was fed up with people in the Heathfield lying to you simply because they wanna keep their job, or get more money. I also choose this career, because I was also sick and tired of doctors telling you they don't know what is wrong with you, because they didn't do the affect research they needed to do, but refused to do. Lying to people, simply to keep or make a buck is sick to me. I always grew up with the saying Mark Twain said one time, "If you tell the truth you don't have the remember anything". And he's right! If you just tell the truth, I'm not saying it will be easier, but it creates less stress for you. I really wish NO ONE in the world had to stress EVER but life isn't fair, and I want to create less stress or even no stress for some people. Life is not going to get easier, but when you have someone in your circle that cares about you, and truly shows they care, it creates a since of deeper hope (something EVERYONE deserves). I just want to make a positive impact on people, and also help others to understand that there are people out there that DO tell the truth and DO care. I know good number of people want to do that as well. But the positivity I want to spread consists of also helping others, even if I don't have a lot. One thing some people don't understand is that, you don't need a lot to make a big difference; it's just about how you choose to perceive it. Even someone who is homeless, can make a difference if they have hope in themselves. Only about 10.8% of Medical laboratory Scientists are Black or African American. Even though 10% is not a small number but isn't also a big number. I plan to inspire the next generation by simply not giving up just because someone tells me I can't do it. I have had people countless time, tell me that this journey isn't goin to be easy because I'm Black. Obviously, I get that but just because I am Black, doesn't mean others who aren't don't struggle either, people just don't talk about it. If you don't be an up-stander and an advocate for your community, someone else will and it may not do it as well as you. So stand up! Because the world needs YOU to make a change.

Being a first-generation college student, and currently in my second year, has greatly influenced my passion for my career. I never even imagined I would even be able to go to college, just thinking about college in middle school and high school seemed like a dream, because I knew I couldn't go if I didn't come up with enough money. Over the years, I have come to realize that this is a opportunity my family had dreamed of for me, and it's a dream I ALWAYS wanted. As I embark on coming to a close to my first semester in my second year of college, it is becoming more and more important to me that I don't give up. I would have never imagined I'd make it this far. Wanting to be a Medical Laboratory Scientist is no easy task, but the motivation I have is that I am going to make to the end and get my Bachelors in Biology and get my Certificate of Approval in Medical Laboratory Science studies. I also become more motivated to do better because I look up to my mom. Although, my mom only got her Associates degree in her career, she always wished she could have gone farther. Sometimes I wonder how I was so blessed with a mom that sees such a bright future for me, she supports me in all aspects of life (not so much financially), but she keeps me level-headed. It's also important to me that I remember that being a first-generation college student shouldn't feel like a burden, but a blessing. Because their are people out there int he near future that are counting on me (even now).

Goals, I have for make people feel important and consistently wanting to feel better because they know they can. For years, doctors have been telling my mom what is wrong with her, but they fail to hear what she is trying to say about how she feels. I generally believe that this is because there is little research done on African American women, and they just base it off of what they already know. So my goal is to use the knowledge I have gained about how my body reacts and incorporate that into the health field. With my learning and knowledge I have the capability to allow unknown research to thus become known. But it's all a matter of time and perseverance, if I don't keep the attitude that I have, and continue to push forward, even through all the hate, I can't get to my goal. My goal of helping people when other's can't, my goal of incorporating information and knowledge that wasn't there before, and getting information out there that wasn't known all over the United States. There is knowledge that can be found through research and continuing to push forward until an answer can be found, and that is what I want to do. I believe it is important to increase racial diversity in healthcare because every person's body is different and well react differently based on our interactions with food, and the environment. It's so amazing, how diverse the human body is, but it is the way we are all created. We are all human, but depending on our race it is different. I don't fully understand the main reason why, but I do know that it is about the human anatomy. History has shown it is because of where a certain race's ancestry took place. We may never know the main difference, but it is important to have diversity because then we can have a wider span of research. It's not until something goes wrong that researchers wish they had a wider understanding of a concept because then it might be to late. If all our research is based off of one concept, men, more specifically white men, then other people can't understand their health correctly. They will be basing it solely on the research they have gained and try to change small things to justify what is right for the person and what isn't.

I'm a 19 year old African American, and I have had to face backlash my whole life. When I was in kindergarten, one of my teachers told me that I wasn't going to be good in school. For years I did believe that, but later on I realized that she wasn't right. My mom and grandma were consistently telling me how wrong she was, and I never realized how powerful words can be until about 5th grade. When I hit the 6th grade, I had an amazing science teacher and I realized I wanted to pursue a degree in Science. Ever since then I have always been good at science, and science has always made me so happy. As I got older, and I have done more research, there is a low percentage of African American female's who are accepted into program that work around STEM. It's not everyday that I see an African American female who is my doctor, or who is doing science. STEM is vital to the community, and sometimes higher education and higher career choices are hard for people my age, and people in my minority group. Ever since 9th grade, when I told people I was going for Biology, there were a numerous number of people that told me that it was going to be hard for me. But in reality, I knew it was going to be hard, but later on I learned they were saying this because of my gender and race. Over the past year, since I started my journey, it has become harder for me to gain benefits, and get money for college. I come from a low-income single-parent household, and paying for college wouldn't be possible without grants and scholarships. I also sometimes feel like I'm not capable of going to college because of the family I come from, and the amount of money that I have to my name. Which is less than $1,000. I recently have realized that I am not making a bigger impact in my life, so I am trying to become a better person and continue to do something productive everyday. I continue to be positive to myself, because everyday I see something negative, and it tends to affect me because every time I do see it, the person is either a female or African American. Things like this, hate and discrimination towards me just because I am a female and African American makes it heard everyday, but through it all I remember that this dream was put on my heart a young age for a reason.

"Oh, biology! You brave girl! If you give-up I wouldn't be surprised!" Someone at my old church told me that one day. I always wondered why they felt the need to put me down. A lot of times, when I tell other African American men or women my dreams to get my B.S. in Biology and become a Medical Laboratory Scientists, they are so supportive and give me so much praise. They also tell me how important it is for me to keep pushing because we need more African American women in the health field, and I agree. There aren't many, and it's all because of race and gender. For as long as I could remember, there was always the ONE person that tried to talk me out of my dreams or goals. Saying things like, "Of that might be to big for you", or "Don't you think 'such-and-such' would work better for you?", or other ideas that they have to try and tear me down. I get it, me being top-tier and successful is scary for some people. Someone told me that one time, they were Caucasian. They said to me, "I'm gonna be honest with you, I see you getting to where you want to be and it scares me". I didn't know what to say, I didn't know if it was because I was a woman or because I was African American. But it could have been a combination of both, because I'm strong and I know it. All of these scenarios are all challenging for me to pursue my degree. Another set-back is that I come from a low-income family. My mom has never had enough money to do big things for me but she always did little things for me. So I always come to appreciate the little things, but sometimes life doesn't give you little things. I have to push, pray and believe for the big-things because this world won't give it to me, unless I declare I have it. With all of the recent law changes, and new laws, and programs getting shut down, it makes it even harder. As an African American, it's hard enough, people consistently looking at me side-ways making assumptions about me, always. But it's hard being a woman as well, because stereotypes are strong and always linger. Some may say I'm not strong enough to do this, or do that, but I don't believe that. I work hard, and I have worked hard to get to where I am today. If I had given up back in October of 2021, I wouldn't be a first-generation student pursuing my degree in helping people medically. If I were to get this scholarship, it would relieve the stress of the fact that I can't receive any kind of scholarship because I am black, and because I'm a women. I have only ever gotten one scholarship, and it was back in high school. It had nothing to do with my race, or gender, it was all based on my grades. But me receiving this scholarship will ignite a new hope in my heart, that things are working out; slowly but surely I am getting closer and closer to my goals

Have you ever had someone tell you to your face, "It's a SHAME you couldn't do better!" Well my great-grandmother did, and I was 8. My great-grandmother, Ms. Esther Neil Pearson Fitts, was a fighter. She died at the age of 102, and she never gave up on ANYTHING until the day she got tired, December 20, 2024. When my great-grandmother was growing up, she always had to fight, she had to fight for the best education, for her life, and to gain respect from people. She went from getting all her money stolen from her step-mother, to being the first African American librarian at her local school in Kingstree, SC. She made headline, as the first African American women to coordinate with the school board back in 1954, for better reading materials for children of color. This is significant to me, because it just proves to me that for years I have had people fighting for a better life for themselves and their children. If it wasn't for my great-grandmothers fighter spirit, I truly think that I wouldn't be here today. Everyday, I want to improve and be a better person, and the only way I can do that is by being intentional about my goals and dreams. My granny was ALWAYS wanting me do better, be better, and always told me to hold myself accountable for my actions. As years went on, I realized she NEVER lied to me about anything. She always told me the truth, even if it hurt really bad. Once I started middle school I wasn't the same person in elementary school, but once I became a college student I realized I wasn't doing what my granny wanted. Once she passed away, I told myself I can't just give up because I am tired, or because I see no improvement; all of those are just signs for me to keep pushing. I want to become a Medical Laboratory Scientists, and the only way I can get there is by fighting for the things I need to meet that goal. As an African American woman, it is even harder now (harder for me, since I have become a teenager), to get what I need. Laws, regulations, and ideas are being changed and it's affecting everyone's way of living. My granny went thru 2 stock market crashes, the great depression and even witness 3 of her siblings die to the hands of someone they knew/loved and she NEVER stopped living. I'm not going to stop pushing to where I want to be because, "it would be a SHAME for me to not reach my goals".