Everyone was staring at me. I stood with a script in my hand for a bubble gum commercial while the eyes of my grandma, mother, and two men with pencils watched and took notes. I started to feel terrified. Why am I scared? I had wanted this for so long. I begin to feel the sting of tears in the back of my eyes, and then I know it’s over. I begin crying, which means that’s the end of the road. I remember the radio announcement that there were auditions to be the next Disney kid. Little 8-year-old me knew instantly I wanted to do it. I pestered my mother to sign me up, and with enough convincing, she did. After receiving my script to memorize, I rehearsed it all day and night, preparing for my audition. From age 6, when I discovered you could actually make acting a job, that was all I wanted to do. I loved performing, whether it was dances or scenes from a show for my parents. I loved playing imaginary with my friends during recess, and the idea that I could continue to do that as an adult but professionally sounded like a dream. I remember watching TV when I was younger to copy the way other actors delivered lines. Watching little black girls who looked just like me on screen inspired me to continue this dream I held onto. After failing my audition for Disney, I became upset but not discouraged. I wanted another chance and would never let that moment happen to me again. However, my stage fright stayed with me. I have had stage fright from elementary school to middle school despite enjoying acting so much behind the scenes. One day, when I called my dad, I complained about how scared I was for an upcoming show I was auditioning for during my freshmen year of high school, and he said something that has changed my mindset to this day: “The reason you’re so scared is because you want to do good. No one expects you to do bad.” From then on, I participated in so many shows that I didn’t have time to be scared. Theatre during high school became my main priority, and I participated in it for all four years. Loving and pursuing acting has come with many challenges. I’ve had to cope with criticism, rejection, and judgment. During reunions, family members have told me that my dream is a hobby rather than a career, and friends have told me I will never go anywhere with this dream. Performing arts has been belittled by so many other careers, but much like William Shakespeare said, “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” My drive continues to want to prove these people wrong. So now, in college, I not only have a passion for acting but for all media. I found my passion is creating and sharing with others, whether acting or not. So, although I major in communications, theatre is something I’m still passionate about and will continue to pursue through my minor. Once out of college, I plan to sign up with an agent and begin my acting career to be the inspiration those girls were for me when I was younger.

Everyone was staring at me. I stood with a script in my hand for a bubble gum commercial while the eyes of my grandma, mother, and two men with pencils watched and took notes. I started to feel terrified. Why am I scared? I had wanted this for so long. I begin to feel the sting of tears in the back of my eyes, and then I know it’s over. I begin crying, and that means that’s the end of the road for me. I remember the radio announcement that there were auditions to be the next Disney kid. Little 8-year-old me knew instantly I wanted to do it. I pestered my mother to sign me up, and with enough convincing, she did. After receiving my script to memorize, I rehearsed it all day and night, preparing for my audition. From the age of 6, when I discovered you could actually make acting a job, that was all I wanted to do. I loved performing, whether it was dances or scenes from a show for my parents. I loved playing imaginary with my friends during recess, and the idea that I could continue to do that as an adult but professionally sounded like a dream. I remember watching TV all the time when I was younger to copy the way other actors delivered lines. Watching little black girls who looked just like me on screen inspired me to continue this dream I held onto. After failing my audition for Disney, I became upset but not discouraged. I wanted another chance and would never let that moment happen to me again. However, my stage fright stayed with me. I had stage fright from elementary school to middle school despite enjoying acting so much behind the scenes. One day, when I called my dad, I complained about how scared I was for an upcoming show I was auditioning for during my freshmen year of high school, and he said something that has changed my mindset to this day: “The reason you’re so scared is because you want to do good. No one expects you to do bad.” From then on, I participated in so many shows that I didn’t have time to be scared. Theatre during high school became my main priority, and I participated in it for all four years. Loving and pursuing acting has come with many challenges. I’ve had to cope with criticism, rejection, and judgment. During reunions, family members have told me that my dream is a hobby rather than a career. Friends have told me I will never go anywhere with this dream. Performing arts has been belittled by so many other careers, but much like William Shakespeare said, “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” My drive continues to want to prove these people wrong. So now, in college, I not only have a passion for acting but for all media. I found my passion is to create and share with others, whether it’s acting or not. So although I major in communications, theatre is something I’m still passionate about and continue to pursue through my minor. Once out of college, I plan to sign up with an agent and begin my acting career to be the inspiration those girls were for me when I was younger.

“We’re moving to Japan!” my mother announces, full of excitement, expecting me to share her energy. As a military brat, I knew moving was inevitable, but moving abroad was unexpected. The idea of moving to a different country, let alone a different continent, was a terrifying idea for a girl who had spent her entire life in America. Moving meant spending my junior and senior years in Japan; it meant graduating in Japan. It meant almost no one would be likely to come to my graduation besides my mother. I instantly felt hatred toward the country. I was stubbornly determined to have the worst experience, to prove to my mother that this was the worst place to be stationed. I was no stranger to making friends since I had moved practically my whole life; it was the drastic change in culture and what I had known my entire life that truly scared me. Eventually, the time came, and I traveled over 26 hours to move to Japan, my new ‘home.’ Once we landed in the Okinawa airport, it was an instant culture shock. The colors, the worker's kindness, and the change from letters to hiragana were jarring yet surprisingly exciting. Despite our differences in culture, the locals never showed us any hatred or apprehension. They even knew English, making communication much easier than I anticipated. I was beginning to get excited about living here. I spent the next two years enjoying my time in Okinawa. I made many friends, both Japanese and American. I learned new Japanese words, learned how to properly recycle, to say thank you no matter the task, and gained a new perspective on the importance of benevolence toward strangers. Going to festivals in Japan and observing their customs, like bowing, taught me the humility and respect you should have towards any and everyone. I began to approach other cultures with an open mind and not create previous judgments without experiencing them firsthand. When I applied and moved back to the States for college, I felt I not only had a new fun fact about myself but a new and open perspective about cultures. I took a Spanish class and started keeping up with a pen pal to learn even more about other cultures around me. Luckily, as an American, I find myself in a melting pot of many different cultures. It not only solidified my career goal as a communication and media major but taught me to embrace my diversity. To this day, it drives my commitment to promoting cross-cultural understanding and inclusivity through media. My move to Japan wasn’t only a shift geographically but a reshaping of my cultural perspective and how I live my life to this day.

Have you ever had to work a long, demanding shift, feeling drained by the demands and pressure of your job? All you crave is to collapse at home, enjoy a hot meal, and finally rest. For my mother, this wish was a rare luxury. She was driven by one thing—taking care of me. She knew if she took time to rest, I could face the consequences, and she’d never forgive herself. Her 20s became a distant memory; her world revolved around ensuring my well-being, frequently forgetting her own. This was the complex reality of her raising me alone. At 3, my parents divorced. Although my dad was always in the picture, my mom handled most of the expenses throughout my schooling. I lived in an all-woman household, where my grandmother would step in whenever my mom’s work kept her away. Academically, my mother has always pushed me. In elementary school, I struggled with a speech impediment. My mother tried everything she could to help me overcome this obstacle, whether I liked it or not. She would force me to read all my spelling words multiple times until they were ingrained in my brain. Flashcards appeared on the cabinet and fridge, so I’d have to speak them whenever I reached for a snack. She even got a speech tutor to pull me from class occasionally, which I enjoyed. Eventually, with enough work, I mastered the pronunciation of my words. Now that I knew my words, I couldn’t stop talking. I’d watch Disney Channel shows and recite them word for word. I could talk my mother’s ear off about every detail of our class history lessons. I became an endlessly talkative child, constantly wanting to learn and express what I had learned. This was the birth of my passion for media and acting. As soon as I knew of this passion, I dove into drama clubs, media classes, and community theatre. Through it all, my mother was there, funding my dreams and ensuring her sole financial situation never held me back. She was there at every show, comforting me during late-night editing sessions and calming my nerves before performances. My mother’s tenacity has always inspired me to be the woman I am today. There are days that I know my mother struggled greatly but never showed me. Despite everything she went through to raise me, she never blamed me for her struggle. My mother and grandma solidified my idea that my femininity and blackness are not barriers but strengths that help me achieve my goals. That’s why I strive to create and inspire other black girls who see an absence of black girls in the media. I am passionate about being in the media, whether creating or performing on screen. I hope to work as a news anchor, an actor, or even in public relations. With this scholarship, I hope to worry less about expenses and focus on my studies as a communication major. Wherever my heart leads me, I am confident my mother will continue supporting me, as she has done from the very beginning.