My name is Nnaemeka Ike born in Newark, NJ raised in Irvington and Maplewood, NJ. I’m Nigerian raised by Nigerian parents, they wanted the best for me and my other siblings. It’s not easy having immigrant parents especially the struggle tied with it. The thing that stood out to me was that he overcame the challenges on adulthood while trying to balance everything out as far as financial needs. It inspires a lot it’s more of motivation honestly like I’m currently in the same shoes as him in his story. Living independently trying to pursue your dreams while living paycheck to paycheck gets rough especially for young black African-American men. It just shows to tell you the bigger picture of how life can get worse if you don’t stay on top of your game. Everyone has a story to tell and my story definitely stands out. The way I will carry this forward is by motivating others that no matter how life is moving in the direction you don’t want… it’s how good you respond to it. I was once a Division 1 college recruit for football. I had a few offers that i couldn’t commit due to NCAA eligibility. It was really tough for me so I dropped that dream unfortunately. I came back home living in a financial crisis due to student loans and other minor debts that needs to be paid off. Slowly but surely I’m making payments but it is extremely difficult and exhausting and I’m still not done with school. After I got my associates at Junior College I went on to going to Trade School studying Electrical Technology. Best decision I’ve made in my life I have 3 more years left to finish and I’m turning my dreams into reality. I was once an athlete, nobody relies on a Plan B they always make sure to go strong on Plan A. I would have to be forced to let go of my Plan A and which I did because I had no choice at the time. But like I said I made a good decision fast. I graduated from Independence Community College Dec 2024 and relocated back to NJ Jan 2025. Went home confused and stuck thinking I was supposed to enter my last 2 years at a University but things didn’t go as planned. Late September 2025 I enrolled into Bergen County Tech in Hackensack, NJ. I’m very good with my hands I’m a maintenance repair technician at 2 different facilities. So I know what it’s like to have something good going for yourself and it just slips away just like that but like I said it’s how good you respond to get yourself back on track. Receiving this scholarship would mean a whole lot to me especially with my financial struggles. I have to make payments for my current classes. This will go a long way for me and plus I don’t really put myself out there like that so this is a good opportunity in doing so for sure. These classes is my career path if I receive this scholarship I’m most grateful and blessed. Once I finish these classes I can be eligible to sit down to take my License exam to get my journeyman license to be an electrician.