As a little kid I always dreamed of living in a picket fenced house, with cute dogs, and a big family. But growing up in the South Bronx, I knew that dream will never become a reality. We were faced with living in a very dangerous neighborhood, a household living paycheck to paycheck, and no room for success. I knew from young, I wanted to be a police officer and help my community. With access to this scholarship my dream may come true. After high school I plan on majoring in criminal justice in college. Then after that I will pursue a career in law enforcement. After long consideration, I know this is a field I actually want to pursue. There were many other fields I thought of pursuing, but none of them spoke to me.I knew if I didn't do something that makes me happy I would get bored quickly. Law enforcement is known to be a risky job; working with unpredictable people, dealing with weapons, and potentially working in a dangerous neighborhood. Nevertheless any job could be risky and helping people is my number one priority. Now that you know more about the future I dream to pursue, I would like for you to get to know me. My name is Nikkya Creightney and I was born and raised in the South Bronx. Growing up in a low income community I did not have the same opportunities as others to succeed. I was put into schools in my neighborhood without a say . Being that this was the case, the schools I was put into never cared for my education. Having little to no access to adequate education has really set me back. I feel that I haven’t had my opportunity to shine in a community that I feel like doesn’t care for me. My parents try their hardest to do what they can to support me and my future goals. But with no money it's almost impossible. I have seen too many of my friends and family fall victim to the violence and cruelty of the South Bronx. I don’t want to be next. Attending college will help me take education to another level. Both of my parents did not graduate from college, with this opportunity I will be a first generation college student. Making my parents happy is something I want to achieve. KNowing that that is something I can do makes me even more happy.

Grief is like an ugly sweater, an enormous and bulky ugly sweater. That the person that means the world to you gave it as a gift. You do not wear it but you will never give it away. Though it is just an ugly sweater it holds value and when something reminds you of it all your emotions may start rising. “Come to the living room” at that point I knew. My parents had just come back from the hospital. That could be the only reason they’re calling us. That short walk from my room to the living room felt interminable. It could not be true. We were just with each other. My heart sank as I saw her expression. I could feel she was not with us anymore. The lifeless look on my mom’s face, it is almost as if she were the one that died that day. My hands began to sweat as they let out those words. The words that would forever change my life. For some reason, I could not find myself to cry. All my tears dried knowing she was in the hospital. I was grieving her though she was still alive. I never knew the effects of losing a loved one until it happened to me. Seeing the strongest people I know cry, people I’ve never met a day in my life telling me they're sorry for my loss, knowing I’ll never see my grandma ever again. Death feels like a bad dream you never wake up from. My family started to fall apart after losing her. There were and are many arguments and hard decisions to keep her spirit alive. I never overcame my grandmother’s death, but ,I learned how to dissociate . I dislike talking about her death and often struggle finding the right words to say when her name is mention.I do not know whether to talk about her in present tense or past tense. If I talk about her in present tense am I trying to hang on to someone that is not here. If I talk about her in the past tense am I rushing to erase her from my life. So when my grandma is brought up I keep quiet. Within my mind, I remember her as an empathetic, loving, and strong but stubborn woman. Showing trust in everyone and anyone, even those who are not deserving. But all the trust was done out of love. Seeing my grandma; showing love to her friends at church, people who’ve taken money from her, and random people on the street have impacted is so many ways. In which I desire to be just like her, entering this new transition into applying that to my career in law enforcement. I want to show love to people who may not be worthy but who desperately need it. Showing love to 'bad’ people, because from her I learned only hurt people hurt people. As I embrace these words, within me, One day I hope to be able to express this openly. As well as pass these learnings from the woman I so dearly love on to my future children and grandchildren.

“Come to the living room” At that point I knew. My parents had just come back from the hospital. That could be the only reason they’re calling us. That short walk from my room to the living room felt interminable. It could not be true. We were just with each other. My heart sank as I saw her expression. I could feel she was not with us anymore. The lifeless look on my mom’s face, it is almost as if she were the one that died that day. My hands began to sweat as they let out those words. The words that would forever change my life. For some reason, I could not find myself to cry. All my tears dried knowing she was in the hospital. I was grieving her though she was still alive. I never knew the effects of losing a loved one until it happened to me. Seeing the strongest people I know cry, people I’ve never met a day in my life telling me they're sorry for my loss, knowing I’ll never see my grandma ever again. Death feels like a bad dream you never wake up from. My family started to fall apart after losing her. There were and are many arguments and hard decisions to keep her spirit alive. I never overcame my grandmother’s death, but ,I learned how to dissociate. I dislike talking about her death and often struggle finding the right words to say when her name is mentioned.I do not know whether to talk about her in present tense or past tense. If I talk about her in present tense am I trying to hang on to someone that is not here. If I talk about her in the past tense am I rushing to erase her from my life. So when my grandma is brought up I keep quiet. Within my mind, I remember her as an empathetic, loving, and strong but stubborn woman. Showing trust in everyone and anyone, even those who are not deserving. But all the trust was done out of love. Seeing my grandma; showing love to her friends at church, people who’ve taken money from her, and random people on the street has impacted is so many ways. In which I desire to be just like her, entering this new transition into applying that to my career in law enforcement. I want to show love to people who may not be worthy but who desperately need it. Showing love to 'bad’ people, because from her I learned only hurt people hurt people. As I embrace these words, within me, One day I hope to be able to express this openly. As well as pass these learnings from the woman I so dearly love on to my future children and grandchildren. After school, I plan on majoring in criminal justice in college. Then after that, I will pursue a career in law enforcement. After long consideration, I know this is a field I want to pursue. There were many other fields I thought of pursuing, but none of them spoke to me.I knew if I didn't do something that makes me happy I would get bored quickly. Law enforcement is known to be a risky job; working with unpredictable people, dealing with weapons, and potentially working in a dangerous neighborhood. Nevertheless, any job could be risky and helping people is my number one priority.

As a little kid I always dreamed of living in a picket fenced house, with cute dogs, and a big family. But growing up in the South Bronx, I knew that dream will never become a reality. We were faced with living in a very dangerous neighborhood, a household living paycheck to paycheck, and no room for success. I knew from young, I wanted to be a police officer and help my community. With access to EOP my dream may come true. After high school I plan on majoring in criminal justice in college. Then after that I will pursue a career in law enforcement. After long consideration I know this is a field I actually want to pursue. There were many other fields I thought of pursuing, but none of them spoke to me.I knew if I didn't do something that makes me happy I would get bored quickly. Law enforcement is known to be a risky job; working with unpredictable people, dealing with weapons, and potentially working in a dangerous neighborhood. Nevertheless any job could be risky and helping people is my number one priority. Now that you know more about the future I dream to pursue, I would like for you to get to know me. My name is Nikkya Creightney and I was born and raised in the South Bronx. Growing up in a low income community I did not have the same opportunities as others to succeed. I was put into schools in my neighborhood without a say . Being that this was the case, the schools I was put into never cared for my education. Having little to no access to adequate education has really set me back. I feel that I haven’t had my opportunity to shine in a community that I feel like doesn’t care for me. My parents try their hardest to do what they can to support me and my future goals. But with no money it's almost impossible. As previously stated before access to the Educational Opportunity Program, I can make my dreams come true and make little Nikkya proud. I have seen too many of my friends and family fall victim to the violence and cruelty of the South Bronx. I don’t want to be next. Attending college will help me take education to another level. Both of my parents did not graduate from college, with this opportunity I will be a first generation college student. Making my parents happy is something I want to achieve. KNowing that that is something I can do makes me even more happy.

Grief is like an ugly sweater, an enormous and bulky ugly sweater. That the person that means the world to you gave it as a gift. You do not wear it but you will never give it away. Though it is just an ugly sweater it holds value and when something reminds you of it all your emotions may start rising. “Come to the living room” at that point I knew. My parents had just come back from the hospital. That could be the only reason they’re calling us. That short walk from my room to the living room felt interminable. It could not be true. We were just with each other. My heart sank as I saw her expression. I could feel she was not with us anymore. The lifeless look on my mom’s face, it is almost as if she were the one that died that day. My hands began to sweat as they let out those words. The words that would forever change my life. For some reason, I could not find myself to cry. All my tears dried knowing she was in the hospital. I was grieving her though she was still alive. I never knew the effects of losing a loved one until it happened to me. Seeing the strongest people I know cry, people I’ve never met a day in my life telling me they're sorry for my loss, knowing I’ll never see my grandma ever again. Death feels like a bad dream you never wake up from. My family started to fall apart after losing her. There were and are many arguments and hard decisions to keep her spirit alive. I never overcame my grandmother’s death, but ,I learned how to dissociate . I dislike talking about her death and often struggle finding the right words to say when her name is mention.I do not know whether to talk about her in present tense or past tense. If I talk about her in present tense am I trying to hang on to someone that is not here. If I talk about her in the past tense am I rushing to erase her from my life. So when my grandma is brought up I keep quiet. Within my mind, I remember her as an empathetic, loving, and strong but stubborn woman. Showing trust in everyone and anyone, even those who are not deserving. But all the trust was done out of love. Seeing my grandma; showing love to her friends at church, people who’ve taken money from her, and random people on the street have impacted is so many ways. In which I desire to be just like her, entering this new transition into applying that to my career in law enforcement. I want to show love to people who may not be worthy but who desperately need it. Showing love to 'bad’ people, because from her I learned only hurt people hurt people. As I embrace these words, within me, One day I hope to be able to express this openly. As well as pass these learnings from the woman I so dearly love on to my future children and grandchildren.

After high school I plan on majoring in criminal justice in college. Then after that I will pursue a career in law enforcement. After long consideration, I know this is a field I want to pursue. There were many other fields I thought of pursuing, but none of them spoke to me. I knew if I didn't do something that makes me happy I would get bored quickly. Law enforcement is known to be a risky job; working with unpredictable people, dealing with weapons, and potentially working in a dangerous neighborhood. Nevertheless, any job could be risky, and helping people is my number one priority. Now that you know more about the future I dream of pursuing, I would like for you to get to know me. My name is Nikkya Creightney and I was born and raised in the South Bronx. Growing up in a low-income community I did not have the same opportunities as others to succeed. I was put into schools in my neighborhood without a say. Being that this was the case, the schools I was put into never cared for my education. Having little to no access to adequate education has set me back. I feel that I haven’t had my opportunity to shine in a community that I feel like doesn’t care for me. My parents try their hardest to do what they can to support me and my future goals. But with no money, it's almost impossible. I hope I can make my dreams come true and make little Nikkya proud. I have seen too many of my friends and family fall victim to the violence and cruelty of the South Bronx. I don’t want to be next. Attending college will help me take education to another level. Both of my parents did not graduate from college, and with this opportunity, I will be a first-generation college student. Making my parents happy is something I want to achieve. Knowing that that is something I can do makes me even more happy. I also have always dreamed of having my own family. I know that in this economy that's hard to achieve, but with a good education I can eventually get a job. And with a job I can pay for the things I want and dream of. These dreams aren't hard to reach but many people like to belive so. We never think we can get the chance to move away from the violence and danger we grew up with.

After high school I plan on majoring in criminal justice in college. Then after that I will pursue a career in law enforcement. After long consideration, I know this is a field I want to pursue. There were many other fields I thought of pursuing, but none of them spoke to me. I knew if I didn't do something that makes me happy I would get bored quickly. Law enforcement is known to be a risky job; working with unpredictable people, dealing with weapons, and potentially working in a dangerous neighborhood. Nevertheless, any job could be risky, and helping people is my number one priority. Now that you know more about the future I dream of pursuing, I would like for you to get to know me. My name is Nikkya Creightney and I was born and raised in the South Bronx. Growing up in a low-income community I did not have the same opportunities as others to succeed. I was put into schools in my neighborhood without a say. Being that this was the case, the schools I was put into never cared for my education. Having little to no access to adequate education has set me back. I feel that I haven’t had my opportunity to shine in a community that I feel like doesn’t care for me. My parents try their hardest to do what they can to support me and my future goals. But with no money, it's almost impossible. I hope I can make my dreams come true and make little Nikkya proud. I have seen too many of my friends and family fall victim to the violence and cruelty of the South Bronx. I don’t want to be next. Attending college will help me take education to another level. Both of my parents did not graduate from college, and with this opportunity, I will be a first-generation college student. Making my parents happy is something I want to achieve. Knowing that that is something I can do makes me even more happy. I also have always dreamed of having my own family. I know that in this economy that's hard to achieve, but with a good education I can eventually get a job. And with a job I can pay for the things I want and dream of. These dreams aren't hard to reach but many people like to belive so. We never think we can get the chance to move away from the violence and danger we grew up with.

After high school I plan on majoring in criminal justice in college. Then after that I will pursue a career in law enforcement. After long consideration, I know this is a field I want to pursue. There were many other fields I thought of pursuing, but none of them spoke to me. I knew if I didn't do something that makes me happy I would get bored quickly. Law enforcement is known to be a risky job; working with unpredictable people, dealing with weapons, and potentially working in a dangerous neighborhood. Nevertheless, any job could be risky, and helping people is my number one priority. Now that you know more about the future I dream of pursuing, I would like for you to get to know me. My name is Nikkya Creightney and I was born and raised in the South Bronx. Growing up in a low-income community I did not have the same opportunities as others to succeed. I was put into schools in my neighborhood without a say. Being that this was the case, the schools I was put into never cared for my education. Having little to no access to adequate education has set me back. I feel that I haven’t had my opportunity to shine in a community that I feel like doesn’t care for me. My parents try their hardest to do what they can to support me and my future goals. But with no money, it's almost impossible. I hope I can make my dreams come true and make little Nikkya proud. I have seen too many of my friends and family fall victim to the violence and cruelty of the South Bronx. I don’t want to be next. Attending college will help me take education to another level. Both of my parents did not graduate from college, and with this opportunity, I will be a first-generation college student. Making my parents happy is something I want to achieve. Knowing that that is something I can do makes me even more happy. I also have always dreamed of having my own family. I know that in this economy that's hard to achieve, but with a good education I can eventually get a job. And with a job I can pay for the things I want and dream of. These dreams aren't hard to reach but many people like to belive so. We never think we can get the chance to move away from the violence and danger we grew up with.

After high school I plan on majoring in criminal justice in college. Then after that I will pursue a career in law enforcement. After long consideration, I know this is a field I want to pursue. There were many other fields I thought of pursuing, but none of them spoke to me. I knew if I didn't do something that makes me happy I would get bored quickly. Law enforcement is known to be a risky job; working with unpredictable people, dealing with weapons, and potentially working in a dangerous neighborhood. Nevertheless, any job could be risky, and helping people is my number one priority. Now that you know more about the future I dream of pursuing, I would like for you to get to know me. My name is Nikkya Creightney and I was born and raised in the South Bronx. Growing up in a low-income community I did not have the same opportunities as others to succeed. I was put into schools in my neighborhood without a say. Being that this was the case, the schools I was put into never cared for my education. Having little to no access to adequate education has set me back. I feel that I haven’t had my opportunity to shine in a community that I feel like doesn’t care for me. My parents try their hardest to do what they can to support me and my future goals. But with no money, it's almost impossible. I hope I can make my dreams come true and make little Nikkya proud. I have seen too many of my friends and family fall victim to the violence and cruelty of the South Bronx. I don’t want to be next. Attending college will help me take education to another level. Both of my parents did not graduate from college, and with this opportunity, I will be a first-generation college student. Making my parents happy is something I want to achieve. Knowing that that is something I can do makes me even more happy. I also have always dreamed of having my own family. I know that in this economy that's hard to achieve, but with a good education I can eventually get a job. And with a job I can pay for the things I want and dream of. These dreams aren't hard to reach but many people like to believe so. We never think we can get the chance to move away from the violence and danger we grew up with.

After high school I plan on majoring in criminal justice in college. Then after that I will pursue a career in law enforcement. After long consideration, I know this is a field I want to pursue. There were many other fields I thought of pursuing, but none of them spoke to me. I knew if I didn't do something that makes me happy I would get bored quickly. Law enforcement is known to be a risky job; working with unpredictable people, dealing with weapons, and potentially working in a dangerous neighborhood. Nevertheless, any job could be risky, and helping people is my number one priority. Now that you know more about the future I dream of pursuing, I would like for you to get to know me. My name is Nikkya Creightney and I was born and raised in the South Bronx. Growing up in a low-income community I did not have the same opportunities as others to succeed. I was put into schools in my neighborhood without a say. Being that this was the case, the schools I was put into never cared for my education. Having little to no access to adequate education has set me back. I feel that I haven’t had my opportunity to shine in a community that I feel like doesn’t care for me. My parents try their hardest to do what they can to support me and my future goals. But with no money, it's almost impossible. I hope I can make my dreams come true and make little Nikkya proud. I have seen too many of my friends and family fall victim to the violence and cruelty of the South Bronx. I don’t want to be next. Attending college will help me take education to another level. Both of my parents did not graduate from college, and with this opportunity, I will be a first-generation college student. Making my parents happy is something I want to achieve. Knowing that that is something I can do makes me even more happy. I also have always dreamed of having my own family. I know that in this economy that's hard to achieve, but with a good education I can eventually get a job. And with a job I can pay for the things I want and dream of. These dreams aren't hard to reach but many people like to belive so. We never think we can get the chance to move away from the violence and danger we grew up with.

After high school I plan on majoring in criminal justice in college. Then after that I will pursue a career in law enforcement. After long consideration, I know this is a field I want to pursue. There were many other fields I thought of pursuing, but none of them spoke to me. I knew if I didn't do something that makes me happy I would get bored quickly. Law enforcement is known to be a risky job; working with unpredictable people, dealing with weapons, and potentially working in a dangerous neighborhood. Nevertheless, any job could be risky, and helping people is my number one priority. Now that you know more about the future I dream of pursuing, I would like for you to get to know me. My name is Nikkya Creightney and I was born and raised in the South Bronx. Growing up in a low-income community I did not have the same opportunities as others to succeed. I was put into schools in my neighborhood without a say. Being that this was the case, the schools I was put into never cared for my education. Having little to no access to adequate education has set me back. I feel that I haven’t had my opportunity to shine in a community that I feel like doesn’t care for me. My parents try their hardest to do what they can to support me and my future goals. But with no money, it's almost impossible. I hope I can make my dreams come true and make little Nikkya proud. I have seen too many of my friends and family fall victim to the violence and cruelty of the South Bronx. I don’t want to be next. Attending college will help me take education to another level. Both of my parents did not graduate from college, and with this opportunity, I will be a first-generation college student. Making my parents happy is something I want to achieve. Knowing that that is something I can do makes me even more happy. I also have always dreamed of having my own family. I know that in this economy that's hard to achieve, but with a good education I can eventually get a job. And with a job I can pay for the things I want and dream of. These dreams aren't hard to reach but many people like to belive so. We never think we can get the chance to move away from the violence and danger we grew up with.

After high school I plan on majoring in criminal justice in college. Then after that I will pursue a career in law enforcement. After long consideration, I know this is a field I want to pursue. There were many other fields I thought of pursuing, but none of them spoke to me. I knew if I didn't do something that makes me happy I would get bored quickly. Law enforcement is known to be a risky job; working with unpredictable people, dealing with weapons, and potentially working in a dangerous neighborhood. Nevertheless, any job could be risky, and helping people is my number one priority. Now that you know more about the future I dream of pursuing, I would like for you to get to know me. My name is Nikkya Creightney and I was born and raised in the South Bronx. Growing up in a low-income community I did not have the same opportunities as others to succeed. I was put into schools in my neighborhood without a say. Being that this was the case, the schools I was put into never cared for my education. Having little to no access to adequate education has set me back. I feel that I haven’t had my opportunity to shine in a community that I feel like doesn’t care for me. My parents try their hardest to do what they can to support me and my future goals. But with no money, it's almost impossible. I hope I can make my dreams come true and make little Nikkya proud. I have seen too many of my friends and family fall victim to the violence and cruelty of the South Bronx. I don’t want to be next. Attending college will help me take education to another level. Both of my parents did not graduate from college, and with this opportunity, I will be a first-generation college student. Making my parents happy is something I want to achieve. Knowing that that is something I can do makes me even more happy. I also have always dreamed of having my own family. I know that in this economy that's hard to achieve, but with a good education I can eventually get a job. And with a job I can pay for the things I want and dream of. These dreams aren't hard to reach but many people like to belive so. We never think we can get the chance to move away from the violence and danger we grew up with.