I am a K-12 physical education teacher in North Charleston, South Carolina. I currently coach volleyball, basketball, and soccer at a local, Title 1 high school. I currently attend Liberty University pursuing a Masters of Education in Administration and Supervision. I am also the founder of The Girls’ Room, LLC, a youth mentoring organization. The Girls’ Room, LLC is a Christian-based, youth mentoring organization based in Charleston, South Carolina that was designed to teach and empower young women through mentorship and sisterhood. As a young, black educator and coach, I see how important it is for young ladies to have role models to help guide them in the right direction. The mission of The Girls’ Room, LLC is to educate and empower young women through mentorship and sisterhood. The goal is to teach, develop, and provide young ladies with the opportunity to learn life-lessons and values such as leadership, discipline, and respect. The Girls’ Room, LLC will serve girls in grades 8th – 12th teaching etiquette, helping improve self-esteem, and engaging in community service. I, Precious Jemison, am a product of a Title 1, majority black high school. Thanks to God, my parents, and mentors, I went to school with 90% tuition paid with the other 10% paid by graduation. By the age of 23, I not only became a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, I sat on the Board of Directors, started a youth mentoring organization, and am currently in grad school pursuing my Masters of Education in Administration and Supervision. I was inspired to start The Girls’ Room, LLC after taking an interest to expand teaching youth outside of the classroom. There were some things I wanted to express to the young females and couldn’t within the parameters of the classroom. I want to share new experiences and positive values to young women helping to avoid negative behaviors and achieve success. Research show that youth with mentors have better attitudes toward school, increased social and emotional development, and improved self-esteem. Research also show that benefits of mentoring youth have improved social skills, comfort, and rust, when interacting with others (Rhodes et al., 1999). My goal is to improve the well-being of young females by being a role model that can support them academically, socially, and personally. It is my fervent hope that I can guide young women and help them to become the best versions of themselves.

I am a K-12 physical education teacher in North Charleston, South Carolina. I currently coach volleyball and basketball at RB Stall high School where 92% of the students are minorities and 70% are black. I grew up going to Title 1 public schools in Charleston County School District. My goal is to become a principal in a Title 1 high school hoping to help young minorities become the best versions of themselves. I understand the obstacles and day to day challenges that they face from a student's perspective as well as a teacher's perspective. I am preparing myself to achieve this goal by attending Liberty University to obtain my Masters of Education in Administration and Supervision. I also plan to go get my Doctoral Degree in Curriculum. There are so few black people in the school system. Going back to school to become an administrator is bettering myself, but in the end, it will benefit the young black students in the public school system. Black children need more people who look like them to teach them. From my experiences, black children learn and retain more information when it is coming from not only people who look like them, but from people who understand them. I think it is so important for children of color to see people who look like them in positions of authority in the school system. This can boost self-esteem, confidence, assurance, self-respect, and self-determination. Being born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina has been interesting. A city that breathes its history of racism, intolerance and segregation still exudes scenic beauty, diversity, and community engagement. For me, growing up in Charleston meant Sundays were for morning church service and afternoon dinner with my family. The saying "it takes a village to raise a child" holds true for so many Charleston families, including mine. Although that is the unofficial mantra, everyone does not share the same beliefs. Charleston is a city of culture, a culture that can empower you to change the world and just as easily discourage you from being all that you can be. It is this sense of duality that runs through my veins, knowing that I am capable of anything and having the courage to tackle my obstacles. Seeing the history of my African ancestors in Charleston inspires me to create a world that I will leave to future generations. Social change and social justice are near to me. My father was a teenage civil rights activist in Birmingham, Alabama during the ‘60s and my mother has was a civil service employee and community organizer for over 40 years. It’s their spirit and drive to better the world around them that inspires me. My passion is teaching young black children in Charleston, SC because of the Gullah/Geechee culture. I understand the value behind the language and culture and I would hate to see it die out because most people don't understand. I've seen first hand teachers tell our young children to "speak correctly." Instead, they should praise our children for being able to code switch. They should praise our children for being bilingual. Many people outside of the black community in the southern states don't understand that Gullah is a language just like American Standard English, Spanish, French, etc. Through all of my experiences and education, it is my fervent hope that I can become an advocate in a higher position for young, black, Gullah/Geechee children in the school system.

I am a K-12 physical education teacher in North Charleston, South Carolina. I currently coach volleyball and basketball at RB Stall high School where 92% of the students are minorities and 70% are black. I grew up going to Title 1 public schools in Charleston County School District. My goal is to become a principal in a Title 1 high school hoping to help young minorities become the best versions of themselves. I understand the obstacles and day to day challenges that they face from a student's perspective as well as a teacher's perspective. I am preparing myself to achieve this goal by attending Liberty University to obtain my Masters of Education in Administration and Supervision. I also plan to go get my Doctoral Degree in Curriculum. There are so few black people in the school system. Going back to school to become an administrator is bettering myself, but in the end, it will benefit the young black students in the public school system. Black children need more people who look like them to teach them. From my experiences, black children learn and retain more information when it is coming from not only people who look like them, but from people who understand them. I think it is so important for children of color to see people who look like them in positions of authority in the school system. This can boost self-esteem, confidence, assurance, self-respect, and self-determination. After teaching and coaching at a mostly minority school, I decided to start a girls mentoring organization called The Girls' Room, LLC. The mission of the program is to teach and empower young ladies through mentorship and sisterhood. The goal is to teach, develop, and provide young ladies with the opportunity to learn life lessons and values such as leadership, discipline, and respect. The Girls' Room, LLC will serve girls in grades 8th -12th teaching etiquette, helping improve self-esteem, and engaging in community service. The program commitment the girls must sign is " I promise to give myself and The Girls' Room, LLC my all. There will not be a lack of effort or focus; I will trust the process. I will allow myself to be guided and coached. I will represent The Girls' Room, LLC as best as I can where I go and I will take pride in upholding the standards set by The Girls' Room, LLC." As a young, black educator and coach, I see how important is it for young ladies to have role models and mentors to steer them in the right direction. Through all of my experiences and education, it is my fervent hope that I can become an advocate in a higher position for young black people in the school system.

I am a K-12 physical education teacher in North Charleston, South Carolina. I currently coach volleyball and basketball at RB Stall high School where 92% of the students are minorities and 70% are black. I grew up going to Title 1 public schools in Charleston County School District. My goal is to become a principal in a Title 1 high school hoping to help young minorities become the best versions of themselves. I understand the obstacles and day to day challenges that they face from a student's perspective as well as a teacher's perspective. I am preparing myself to achieve this goal by attending Liberty University to obtain my Masters of Education in Administration and Supervision. I also plan to go get my Doctoral Degree in Curriculum. There are so few black people in the school system. Going back to school to become an administrator is bettering myself, but in the end, it will benefit the young black students in the public school system. Black children need more people who look like them to teach them. From my experiences, black children learn and retain more information when it is coming from not only people who look like them, but from people who understand them. I think it is so important for children of color to see people who look like them in positions of authority in the school system. This can boost self-esteem, confidence, assurance, self-respect, and self-determination. To help improve the Black community in all aspects, I decided to seek membership into Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. After becoming a member, I became the South Atlantic Regional Representative. In that position, I was able to be the voice for the college students who wanted to see changes on their campuses and in their communities. As the Regional Representative, I hosted an annual collegiate retreat where one of the focuses was on service projects. The services projects I chose were "My Sister's House" and "The Avalon Service Project" which are women and children shelters for women who were abused physically, mentally, and/or emotionally. I have been volunteering at My Sister's House since I was in high school because of some of my high school classmates and it became dear to my heart. I am so glad that I was able to use my platform in Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated to help those in who were in need. After teaching and coaching at a mostly minority school, I decided to start a girls mentoring organization called The Girls' Room, LLC. The mission of the program is to teach and empower young ladies through mentorship and sisterhood. The goal is to teach, develop, and provide young ladies with the opportunity to learn life lessons and values such as leadership, discipline, and respect. The Girls' Room, LLC will serve girls in grades 8th -12th teaching etiquette, helping improve self-esteem, and engaging in community service. The program commitment the girls must sign is " I promise to give myself and The Girls' Room, LLC my all. There will not be a lack of effort or focus; I will trust the process. I will allow myself to be guided and coached. I will represent The Girls' Room, LLC as best as I can where I go and I will take pride in upholding the standards set by The Girls' Room, LLC." As a young black educator and coach, I see how important is it for young ladies to have role models and mentors to steer them in the right direction. Through all of my experiences and education, it is my fervent hope that I can become an advocate in a higher position for young black people in the school system.

I am a K-12 physical education teacher in North Charleston, South Carolina. I currently coach volleyball and basketball at RB Stall high School where 92% of the students are minorities and 70% are black. I grew up going to Title 1 public schools in Charleston County School District. My goal is to become a principal in a Title 1 high school hoping to help young minorities become the best versions of themselves. I understand the obstacles and day to day challenges that they face from a student's perspective as well as a teacher's perspective. I am preparing myself to achieve this goal by attending Liberty University to obtain my Masters of Education in Administration and Supervision. I also plan to go get my Doctoral Degree in Curriculum. There are so few black people in the school system. Going back to school to become an administrator is bettering myself, but in the end, it will benefit the young black students in the public school system. Black children need more people who look like them to teach them. From my experiences, black children learn and retain more information when it is coming from not only people who look like them, but from people who understand them. I think it is so important for children of color to see people who look like them in positions of authority in the school system. This can boost self-esteem, confidence, assurance, self-respect, and self-determination. To help improve the Black community in all aspects, I decided to seek membership into Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. After becoming a member, I became the South Atlantic Regional Representative. In that position, I was able to be the voice for the college students who wanted to see changes on their campuses and in their communities. As the Regional Representative, I hosted an annual collegiate retreat where one of the focuses was on service projects. The services projects I chose were "My Sister's House" and "The Avalon Service Project" which are women and children shelters for women who were abused physically, mentally, and/or emotionally. I have been volunteering at My Sister's House since I was in high school because of some of my high school classmates and it became dear to my heart. I am so glad that I was able to use my platform in Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated to help those in who were in need. As I am typing this essay for this scholarship, I am waiting to be approved for a mentor program that I want to start. The goal of the program is to teach and empower young, minority women through mentorship and sisterhood. As a young black woman teaching and coaching at a Title 1 school, I see how important is it for young women to have role models and mentors to steer them in the right direction. Through all of my experiences and education, it is my fervent hope that I can become an advocate in a higher position for young black people in the school system.

I am a K-12 physical education teacher in North Charleston, South Carolina. I currently coach volleyball and basketball at RB Stall high School where 92% of the students are minorities and 70% are black. I grew up going to Title 1 public schools in Charleston County School District. My goal is to become a principal in a Title 1 high school hoping to help young minorities become the best versions of themselves. I understand the obstacles and day to day challenges that they face from a student's perspective as well as a teacher's perspective. I am preparing myself to achieve this goal by attending Liberty University to obtain my Masters of Education in Administration and Supervision. I also plan to go get my Doctoral Degree in Curriculum. There are so few black people in the school system. Going back to school to become an administrator is bettering myself, but in the end, it will benefit the young black students in the public school system. Black children need more people who look like them to teach them. From my experiences, black children learn and retain more information when it is coming from not only people who look like them, but from people who understand them. I think it is so important for children of color to see people who look like them in positions of authority in the school system. This can boost self-esteem, confidence, assurance, self-respect, and self-determination. To help improve the Black community in all aspects, I decided to seek membership into Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. After becoming a member, I became the South Atlantic Regional Representative. In that position, I was able to be the voice for the college students who wanted to see changes on their campuses and in their communities. As the Regional Representative, I hosted an annual collegiate retreat where one of the focuses was on service projects. The services projects I chose were "My Sister's House" and "The Avalon Service Project" which are women and children shelters for women who were abused physically, mentally, and/or emotionally. I have been volunteering at My Sister's House since I was in high school because of some of my high school classmates and it became dear to my heart. I am so glad that I was able to use my platform in Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated to help those in who were in need. As I am typing this essay for this scholarship, I am waiting to be approved for a mentor program that I want to start. The goal of the program is to teach and empower young, minority women through mentorship and sisterhood. As a young black woman teaching and coaching at a Title 1 school, I see how important is it for young women to have role models and mentors to steer them in the right direction. Through all of my experiences and education, it is my fervent hope that I can become an advocate in a higher position for young black people in the school system.

I am a K-12 physical education teacher in North Charleston, South Carolina. I also coach volleyball and basketball at a Title 1 public school where 92% of the students are minorities and 70% are black. I grew up going to Title 1 schools in Charleston County School District. My goal is to become a principal in a Title 1 high school hoping to help young minorities become the best versions of themselves. I understand the obstacles and day to day challenges that the students face from a student perspective as well as a student perspective. I would use this grant to help me to obtain my Masters of Education in Administration and Supervision degree from Liberty University. I also plan to get my Doctoral Degree in Curriculum. Through all of my experiences and education, it is my fervent hope that I can become an advocate in a higher position for minorities in the school system.