As a 46-year-old African American woman and single mother of three, including a child with special needs, I am a first-generation college graduate still pursuing my degree. My life has been shaped by challenges and my perseverance in overcoming them. These experiences motivated me to continue my higher education at this stage and helped me clarify my future career goals. For 22 years, I have served as a police officer in Chicago. I have encountered people during some of their most difficult moments, witnessing traumatic events that taught me the importance of serving and comforting others, just as they have supported me. Balancing a career and raising three children, including a child with special needs, has helped me develop qualities that enable me to serve my family and community with compassion. In my forties, I decided to pursue higher education to fulfill a lifelong dream. I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies and am now working toward a Master of Divinity with a concentration in Chaplaincy at Chicago Theological Seminary. My education has strengthened my faith and equipped me to support others facing difficulties. I plan to retire from the police force and serve as a chaplain in hospital and hospice settings, offering comfort to those in vulnerable stages of life. My career and education equip me to serve others with empathy. I grew up in a single-family home on the south side of Chicago, my father died when I was 9, and my mother was forced to raise three girls on her own. As the oldest, I took on a lot of responsibility, such as working at 14 at a local soul food restaurant to help pay the bills. I understand the importance of hard work and obligations. This scholarship will ease some financial burdens of my studies and bring me closer to my goal of becoming a chaplain. I aim to help vulnerable individuals in my community, making a positive impact through care rooted in faith and service.

As a 46-year-old African American woman and single mother of three children (including one child with special needs), my life has been defined by the challenges I have faced and the perseverance I have employed to overcome them. My decision to pursue higher education in my current stage of life has been inspired by these challenges and has allowed me to define my career goals for the future. For the past 22 years, I have dedicated my life to the Chicago Police Department as an officer. I have had the fortune to encounter individuals during some of the most difficult moments of their lives. I have seen some of the most traumatic events of their lives and learned the importance of serving and comforting others in the same way that they have served and comforted me throughout my life. As a single mother, I have raised three children while also maintaining my career. I have been the caregiver for a child with special needs, but it has also been a great mother to them all. These challenges have allowed me to develop qualities in myself that allow me to serve and comfort others in my family and community. In my forties, I decided to pursue higher education to fulfill a lifelong dream. I earned my Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies and am continuing my education at Chicago Theological Seminary where I am earning my Master of Divinity with a concentration in Chaplaincy. My education has allowed me to strengthen my faith while also gaining the knowledge to serve others in a capacity that supports those who are struggling in their lives. I plan on retiring from the police department and beginning to serve individuals in the hospital and hospice care settings as a chaplain. My goal is to provide comfort and care to those who are in some of the most vulnerable stages of their lives. My career and my education allow me to serve others with compassion and understanding. This scholarship will allow me to alleviate some of the financial burdens regarding my education. However, more importantly, it will allow me to come closer to achieving my goal of serving others in the capacity of a chaplain. I want to use my education to help individuals in my community. By providing better care for those who need it most, I can continue to make a positive impact on the lives of others. Through my faith and the service that I provide to others, I want to make a difference in the lives of those who come in contact with the services that I will offer.

One of the most difficult seasons of my life began when my teenage child was diagnosed with major depressive disorder. As a single mother of three living in Chicago, I was already balancing many responsibilities—working full time, raising my children, and pursuing my Master’s degree in Divinity. But nothing prepared me for the fear and heartbreak that came with my child’s multiple suicide attempts and hospitalizations. It was a time when I felt stretched emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Yet it was also a time when my faith became my greatest source of strength. There were nights when I sat in hospital waiting rooms praying through tears, asking God for protection over my child and for the strength to continue showing up as the mother my children needed. I often felt powerless in the face of depression, a condition that no amount of love alone could immediately fix. Watching my child suffer was one of the deepest pains I have ever experienced. Still, my faith reminded me that even in the darkest valleys, I was not alone. Scripture became a lifeline for me during this period. Verses about perseverance, hope, and God’s presence helped me push through moments when I felt like giving up. My studies in the Master of Divinity program also deepened my understanding of suffering, compassion, and the importance of spiritual resilience. What I was learning academically often spoke directly into what I was living personally. As a Black woman and single mother, I have always understood the importance of resilience and community. My faith community prayed with me, encouraged me, and reminded me that asking for help was not weakness but wisdom. Their support helped carry me when my own strength felt depleted. Through therapy, medical care, prayer, and persistent love, my child continues to walk a healing journey. While the road has not been easy, I have learned that faith does not remove obstacles; instead, it gives us the courage to face them. My faith helped me wake up each morning and continue fighting for my child’s life and well-being. Looking back, I realize that this experience has shaped not only my motherhood but also my calling. It has strengthened my desire to minister to families who are walking through pain, mental health challenges, and uncertainty. Faith anchored me during the storm, reminding me that even when circumstances felt overwhelming, hope and healing were still possible.

Returning to school after the age of forty was not an easy decision for me, but it was one rooted in purpose, faith, and resilience. As a Black woman, a single mother of three, and a first-generation college student, my journey has never been traditional. Yet every challenge I have faced in life helped build the courage I needed to pursue my college degree and now my Master of Divinity to become a chaplain. I grew up in a single-parent household on the south side of Chicago. Like many families in the city, we struggled with poverty and limited opportunities. Education was always encouraged, but navigating the path to college was unfamiliar territory because no one in my family had gone before me. First-generation students often face uncertainty about how to succeed in higher education because they lack guidance from family members who have experienced college themselves. Despite those barriers, the desire to create a different future for myself and my children remained strong. For the past twenty-two years, I have served as a Chicago police officer. My career has exposed me to the realities of trauma, grief, and crisis in our communities. Over time, I realized that people often need more than law enforcement—they need compassion, spiritual guidance, and someone who will listen during their darkest moments. That realization planted the seed in my heart to become a chaplain. My children are one of my greatest motivations. As a single mother, I want them to see that perseverance matters and that it is never too late to pursue your dreams. Research shows that many adults return to school partly to set an example for their children and inspire them to value education. My journey is not just for me; it is for them. One of my children lives with autism and mental health challenges, which has required strength, patience, and faith. Those experiences have deepened my empathy and strengthened my calling to serve others who are struggling. They remind me every day that resilience grows in difficult circumstances. Going back to school also represents unfinished business for me. Many adult learners return to education to fulfill personal goals and gain a sense of accomplishment they once had to postpone. For years, my focus was on survival—working, raising children, and caring for my family. Now, I am choosing growth. My courage comes from my faith, my life experiences, and my commitment to serve others. By pursuing a Master of Divinity and becoming a chaplain, I hope to use my story, my compassion, and my education to bring comfort, hope, and healing to those who need it most.

I am a devoted single mother deeply committed to the lifelong task of nurturing, guiding, and caring for my three children. Two of them face significant mental health challenges, which require my constant, unwavering support, attentive presence, and proactive efforts day after day. Despite these hardships, I remain resilient, sustained by a profound determination to overcome every obstacle that arises in our path. Since their birth, I have been their sole provider, working tirelessly—often beyond exhaustion—to meet their needs, ensure their safety, and promote their well-being. My strongest motivation is to pursue my educational ambitions, aiming to transform our circumstances and build a brighter, more promising future for my family. The journey has been arduous, filled with sacrifices, sleepless nights, moments of doubt, and emotional struggles, but I strive to serve as a positive role model—demonstrating to my children that perseverance and education can turn even the most distant dreams into reality. Balancing a demanding full-time job with ongoing studies is physically draining and emotionally taxing; however, the sense of purpose, hope, and fulfillment I derive from these efforts keeps me moving forward. Through God's grace, I have persevered through doubts and difficulties—moments when surrendering seemed easier—but I kept fighting, pushing ahead, trusting that better days are on the horizon. I was raised by a teenage single mother who had me at just 15 years old. As the oldest of three girls, I watched her struggle and learned early on that I wanted to create a better life for my future. Growing up in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood—an area known for its challenges—I internalized the importance of resilience, hard work, and community support. I later served as a Chicago Police officer within that very community, working with respect and compassion for its hardworking, often single-parent families striving to make ends meet despite adversity. I am humbled by my journey as a single mother and a community servant. I never take for granted the resources I have been blessed with. If awarded this scholarship, I would use it to further my education and pursue my calling in ministry, advocating for social justice, equity, and liberation for all marginalized groups. I teach my children the importance of love, compassion, respect, and maintaining human dignity—for themselves and others. I believe that scholarships like this do more than fund educational pursuits; they maintain dignity, empower individuals, and open pathways toward a higher purpose. I am sincerely grateful for the opportunity to be considered and hope to continue serving my family and community with integrity and dedication. God bless.