My mother always told me, “What you do when no one is around matters the most.” I carry these words with me into every service experience. During my sophomore year, I volunteered with a small local church, Flame of Fire Ministries, to assist the unhoused. Little did I know that this was when I would answer the calling of being a Mental Health Therapist. In this community service event, we set up tables with food, Bibles, other books, and clean clothes. I was directed to pass out sandwiches. The task seems minuscule, but the impact was far greater than I could’ve imagined. People would come through the line initially seeking a meal, but they would leave with a lighter load after sharing their stories and future dreams. One man’s story in particular stuck with me. I began listening intently as he was telling me how he lost his wife to cancer, leaving him to raise their two daughters alone. He used their remaining money to rent run-down motel rooms until the money ran out. Shelters were of no assistance because they would attempt to separate him from his daughters. With nowhere else to go, they had to live on the streets. He frustratedly admitted that he didn’t know how to do his daughter’s hair or provide proper education for them! As he was pouring his heart out, he began to cry in our arms. We prayed with him and comforted him until he had the strength to stand tall. In that moment, I realized people desire compassion long before a solution. They want to know they are heard and feel that someone cares. Reflecting on this raw and humbling experience, I realized why I felt called to become a mental health therapist. I’ve learned that sometimes the most impactful thing you can do is listen. When it seems as if the odds are against them, they need that human connection that expresses more than words ever could. With the Della Fleetwood-Sherrod Humanitarian Scholarship, I will be able to cover books and supplies, which will ensure I am receiving the best information to excel in my courses. I will make it my mission to impact the minds, hearts, and souls of the overlooked in every future humanitarian endeavor. Life is full of unexpected storms, but I hope to be the sunshine in someone’s life, helping them believe a rainbow is still possible.

Just like every other stereotypical kid, I hated the dark. It wasn’t because I was scared of the monsters under my bed, but it was because I didn’t want to face the reality of what hid in the night when the lights went out. Growing up, it was always my mom and me, and no other siblings. My mother worked late hours trying to provide for me, and because I was too young to stay at home by myself, I would stay with her after hours at work. Sometimes it would be three a.m. before we ever got home. But when we finally got home and attempted to turn on the lights, they wouldn’t come on. My mom hadn’t paid the light bill, not because she forgot, but because we didn’t have enough money to cover the bill. I looked at my mom as she was holding back the tears, and she proceeded to get me ready for bed. I would try to make her smile by being silly and making jokes I thought she would laugh at, but behind her shallow smile was a heavy heart. I would grab a flashlight, climb into her bed, and read to her until I fell asleep. As I was falling asleep, she would whisper in my ear, “I pray every day that you can go further in life than I was ever able to.” Obtaining a degree in Social Work at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, I will be working towards becoming a Mental Health Therapist, specializing in adolescents. I want to dedicate my life to listening, guiding, and supporting young people through the emotional challenges of growing up. While at UNC Charlotte, I would love to join the College Mentors for Kids Club to help educate and build the confidence of the upcoming generation. I especially want to help those who, like me, had to grow up early due to their circumstances. Not only do I want to impact children, but also the adults who have to pretend they have it all figured out, but are silently struggling, just like my mother. I was able to learn that the darkness is momentary, and the lights will eventually turn on, so I want to help others realize the same! I am proud of being a first-generation student, but I am even more proud that my children will not be able to declare the same thing. Instead, they'll be able to say, "I'm following in my mother's footsteps." I am the precedent of a new beginning for my family, and I am forever grateful to bear that title.