My passion for art is driven by curiosity, creativity, and above all, survival. Art is a part of me. I cannot live without it, therefore there is never a day when I am not pursuing it in various forms. I am a freshman in college currently studying Piano Performance, a major that my parents are completely against, and getting to that point was extremely tough. Throughout my childhood, my parents taught me that pursuing medicine was the best and only option for me to be successful as a first-generation African-American in my family. Although I was encouraged by the same people to participate in many artistic extra-curricular activities, I too felt that medicine was what I wanted to do. As a "star student" from elementary to early high school, I, too, managed to convince every person I encountered that this was the path that was right for me. However, once I reached my junior year of high school, I was faced with 4 AP classes, an extremely busy schedule outside of school, and an eventual pandemic that led to a year-long quarantine. The burn-out was real; I felt as if I had been ripped apart at the seams several times daily. I realized that I was living out my parents' dream for so long that I had lost myself in the process. At that point, I felt completely disconnected from myself. I had very little motivation to do anything besides take care of my basic needs. I could hardly muster up the energy for my passions, and all I could do was listen to music that could keep me sane. Over time, I managed to rekindle my other artistic hobbies, like sewing outfits, creating digital art, and writing poetry. All of these things helped me revive the sense of individuality that I had lost. It was extremely hard for me to repair the damage from that level of burn-out, but art was my lifeline. Eventually, I made the decision to finally pursue what I felt I was meant to. I knew that out of all of my artistic endeavors, music was my truest passion. At every part of my life, music has been by my side. I had won numerous awards, performed on countless stages, and studied at many music workshops. Music has been a motivator, a healer, and an invaluable companion when I had nothing. So, when I finally looked deep within myself, I found that music has to be a part of my life, forever, because it already has been. The unfortunate part of this journey is that my parents cannot support me financially. They do not have the means to do so, but even if they had the money, they most likely wouldn't support me. I have to do the work myself. I know that this scholarship will help me ease my burden so that I can focus more on my education, and less on how I can pay for it. Thus I will be able to truly dive into what I love the most. By following my passion, I stay true to myself. Music is who I am. I hope that students like me, who have faced challenges from even their very support system, will be inspired by my journey to pursue their dreams. That way they will also live their lives the way they are truly meant to.

My passion for art is driven by curiosity, creativity, and above all, survival. Art is a part of me. I cannot live without it, therefore there is never a day when I am not pursuing it in various forms. I am a freshman in college currently studying Piano Performance, a major that my parents are completely against, and getting to that point was extremely tough. Throughout my childhood, my parents taught me that pursuing medicine was the best and only option for me to be successful as a first-generation African-American in my family. Although I was encouraged by the same people to participate in many artistic extra-curricular activities, I too felt that medicine was what I wanted to do. As a "star student" from elementary to early high school, I, too, managed to convince every person I encountered that this was the path that was right for me. However, once I reached my junior year of high school, I was faced with 4 AP classes, an extremely busy schedule outside of school, and an eventual pandemic that led to a year-long quarantine. The burn-out was real; I felt as if I had been ripped apart at the seams several times daily. I realized that I was living out my parents' dream for so long that I had lost myself in the process. At that point, I felt completely disconnected from myself. I had very little motivation to do anything besides take care of my basic needs. I could hardly muster up the energy for my passions, and all I could do was listen to music that could keep me sane. Over time, I managed to rekindle my other artistic hobbies, like sewing outfits, creating digital art, and writing poetry. All of these things helped me revive the sense of individuality that I had lost. It was extremely hard for me to repair the damage from that level of burn-out, but art was my lifeline. Eventually, I made the decision to finally pursue what I felt I was meant to. I knew that out of all of my artistic endeavors, music was my truest passion. At every part of my life, music has been by my side. I had won numerous awards, performed on countless stages, and studied at many music workshops. Music has been a motivator, a healer, and an invaluable companion when I had nothing. So, when I finally looked deep within myself, I found that music has to be a part of my life, forever, because it already has been. The unfortunate part of this journey is that my parents cannot support me financially. They do not have the means to do so, but even if they had the money, they most likely wouldn't support me. I have to do the work myself. I know that this scholarship will help me ease my burden so that I can focus more on my education, and less on how I can pay for it. Thus I will be able to truly dive into what I love the most. By following my passion, I stay true to myself. Music is who I am. I hope that my journey will inspire unique students like me who have to pave their own path despite adversity.

My passion for art is driven by curiosity, creativity, and above all, survival. Art is a part of me. I cannot live without it, therefore there is never a day when I am not pursuing it in various forms. I am a freshman in college currently studying Piano Performance, a major that my parents are completely against, and getting to that point was extremely tough. Throughout my childhood, my parents taught me that pursuing medicine was the best and only option for me to be successful as a first-generation African-American in my family. Although I was encouraged by the same people to participate in many artistic extra-curricular activities, I too felt that medicine was what I wanted to do. As a "star student" from elementary to early high school, I, too, managed to convince every person I encountered that this was the path that was right for me. However, once I reached my junior year of high school, I was faced with 4 AP classes, an extremely busy schedule outside of school, and an eventual pandemic that led to a year-long quarantine. The burn-out was real; I felt as if I had been ripped apart at the seams several times daily. I realized that I was living out my parents' dream for so long that I had lost myself in the process. At that point, I felt completely disconnected from myself. I had very little motivation to do anything besides take care of my basic needs. I could hardly muster up the energy for my passions, and all I could do was listen to music that could keep me sane. Over time, I managed to rekindle my other artistic hobbies, like sewing outfits, creating digital art, and writing poetry. One of the easiest ways to help lift my spirits was by watching people pursue their artistic passions online, through social media, and watching videos of them on Youtube. On some of my hardest days, just simply watching one video of an artist who inspired me kept me going. All of these things helped me revive the sense of individuality that I had lost. It was extremely hard for me to repair the damage from that level of burn-out, but art was my lifeline. Eventually, I decided to finally pursue what I felt I was meant to. I knew that out of all of my artistic endeavors, music was my truest passion. At every part of my life, music has been by my side. I had won numerous awards, performed on countless stages, and studied at many music workshops. Music has been a motivator, a healer, and an invaluable companion when I had nothing. So, when I finally looked deep within myself, I found that music has to be a part of my life, forever, because it already has been. The unfortunate part of this journey is that my parents cannot support me financially. They do not have the means to do so, but even if they had the money, they most likely wouldn't support me. I have to do the work myself. Now I apply to scholarships that I find on scholarship-based sites as often as I can. After finding this scholarship on Bold.org, I know that it will help me ease my burden so that I can focus more on my education, and less on how I can pay for it. Thus I will be able to truly dive into what I love the most. By following my passion, I stay true to myself. Music is who I am.

My passion for art is driven by curiosity, creativity, and above all, survival. Art is a part of me. I cannot live without it, therefore there is never a day when I am not pursuing it in various forms. I am a freshman in college currently studying Piano Performance, a major that my parents are completely against, and getting to that point was extremely tough. Throughout my childhood, my Zimbabwean parents taught me that pursuing medicine was the best and only option for me to be successful as a first-generation African-American in my family. Although I was encouraged by the same people to participate in many artistic extra-curricular activities, I too felt that medicine was what I wanted to do. As a "star student" from elementary to early high school, I, too, managed to convince every person I encountered that this was the path that was right for me. However, once I reached my junior year of high school, I was faced with 4 AP classes, an extremely busy schedule outside of school, and an eventual pandemic that led to a year-long quarantine. The burn-out was real; I felt as if I had been ripped apart at the seams several times daily. I realized that I was living out my parents' dream for so long that I had lost myself in the process. At that point, I felt completely disconnected from myself. I had very little motivation to do anything besides take care of my basic needs. I could hardly muster up the energy for my passions, and all I could do was listen to music that could keep me sane. Over time, I managed to rekindle my other artistic hobbies, like sewing outfits, creating digital art, and writing poetry. All of these things helped me revive the sense of individuality that I had lost. It was extremely hard for me to repair the damage from that level of burn-out, but art was my lifeline. Eventually, I decided to finally pursue what I felt I was meant to. I knew that out of all of my artistic endeavors, music was my truest passion. At every part of my life, music has been by my side. I had won numerous awards, performed on countless stages, and studied at many music workshops. Music has been a motivator, a healer, and an invaluable companion when I had nothing. So, when I finally looked deep within myself, I found that music has to be a part of my life, forever, because it already has been. The unfortunate part of this journey is that my parents cannot support me financially. They do not have the means to do so, but even if they had the money, they most likely wouldn't support me. I have to do the work myself. I know that this scholarship will help me ease my burden so that I can focus more on my education, and less on how I can pay for it. Thus I will be able to truly dive into what I love the most. By following my passion, I stay true to myself. Music is who I am.

I am a freshman in college currently studying a major that my parents are completely against; getting to that point was extremely tough. Throughout my childhood, my parents taught me that pursuing medicine was the best and only option for me to be successful as a first-generation African-American in my family. Although I was encouraged by the same people to participate in many artistic extra-curricular activities, I too felt that medicine was what I wanted to do. As a "star student" from elementary to early high school, I, too, managed to convince every person I encountered that this was the path that was right for me. However, once I reached my junior year of high school, I was faced with 4 AP classes, an extremely busy schedule outside of school, and an eventual pandemic that led to a year-long quarantine. The burn-out was real; I felt as if I had been ripped apart at the seams several times daily. I realized that I was living out my parents' dream for so long that I had lost myself in the process. It was extremely hard for me to repair the damage from that realization. Eventually, I made the decision to finally pursue what I felt I was meant to. At every part of my life, music has been by my side. I had won numerous awards, performed on countless stages, and studied at many music workshops. Music has been a motivator, a healer, and an invaluable companion when I had nothing. So, when I finally looked deep within myself, I found that music has to be a part of my life, forever, because it already has been. By following my passion, I stay true to myself. Music is who I am.