I dream to be a successful Black woman in the Social work field who exemplifies the qualities of compassion, honesty, intelligence, tenacity, generosity, and openness no matter what challenges life throws at me.

Hello, my name is Qunesha Barnes. I am currently a first-year student at Saginaw Valley State University, majoring in social work with a minor in psychology. I plan to become a social worker specifically for high school students after I achieve my master’s in social work at Wayne State University. Using this degree, I will make a positive impact on the lives of individuals in the community by addressing their needs, providing support and resources, and advocating for social change. I strive to provide information about available resources such as healthcare, housing, financial assistance, legal aid, and help connect those individuals with the resources listed. As a high school social worker, I will strive to make my office a comfortable environment where students will feel safe to talk about their at home issues just like my mother did. I’ve lived in Detroit, Michigan for most of my life in a single-parent household. While living in a single-parent household, my mother’s guidance has helped me academically and individually. In High School, I worked hard to earn the best grades and be a well-rounded student. Due to my academic success, I have been accepted to all the colleges that desired to attend, ranking eighth in my senior class, and I continue to maintain a 3.5 GPA in college. I am also a low-income first-year generation student, being a first-generation student I must work while attending school to make ends meet and take out loans to cover my expenses. This can add to the stress and anxiety of my college life. This scholarship can significantly reduce the financial burden of my college tuition, expenses, and work long hours to pay for my education. The financial support provided by a scholarship can help cover tuition fees, room and board, textbooks, and other expenses associated with college. This can help alleviate the financial burden on me and my family, allowing me to focus more on my studies and career goals. This would also allow me to focus more on my extracurricular activities, which can improve my academic performance and increase my chances of success in college. This scholarship would help limit the amount of debt that I could accumulate and may help me avoid adding on existing loans which would make it hard for me to focus on my future. Even though being a low-income first-generation student is a struggle I am still determined to make something out of myself, graduate from college, and start my life as a social worker to make a difference in my community.

My name is Qunesha Barnes I’m 19 years old and I'm currently a freshman majoring in Social Work at Saginaw Valley State University. I plan to become a school social worker after I achieve my masters in Social Work at Wayne State University. During my childhood, I experienced several years of instability and trauma because of drug abuse by my stepfather. As well as seeing my mother become a victim of domestic violence while raising my younger brother and me. As a result of his abuse, we were forced to flee into a shelter home. There were a lot of kind individuals working there, and that is why I remember this vividly. Among the amazing toys they had, I recall the animal room where someone read the bible to me and the children who were also present. It was only through the support of my community that we were able to escape this abuse and remain safe. Through this experience and watching "Good Deeds" by Tyler Perry, I knew what I wanted to pursue. Watching this movie over and over at the age of 12 always made me think " I wish could help" and “I want to help as people helped us”. The plot of the story was about a struggling mother living in a car with her child. She had no relatives that cared about them and were forced to live in poverty. Someone eventually noticed her struggles and helped her with an apartment and a well-paying job. I’ve always thought about my purpose on earth. I strongly believe my purpose is to help those in the community who are in need. I’ve always known I wanted to help others, but before I chose social work as my major, I strived to become a nurse. However, I’ve grown to see that becoming a nurse wasn’t God’s plan for me. Using this degree, I can make a positive impact on the lives of individuals and communities by addressing their needs, providing support and resources, and advocating for social change. Just like the loving individual at the shelter home, I strive to provide information about available resources such as healthcare, housing, financial assistance, and legal aid, and help connect individuals with those resources. As a school social worker, I will strive to make my office an environment where students will feel safe to talk about issues at home just like my mother did. I also plan to design and volunteer in programs and services that meet the needs of specific populations such as homeless youth, victims of domestic violence, or individuals struggling with addiction. I can’t wait to see what God has planned for me in the future, and this scholarship will be the start of it.

My name is Qunesha Barnes I’m 19 years old and I'm currently a freshman majoring in Social Work at Saginaw Valley State University. I plan to become a school social worker after I achieve my masters in Social Work at Wayne State University. During my childhood, I experienced several years of instability and trauma because of drug abuse by my stepfather. As well as seeing my mother become a victim of domestic violence while raising my younger brother and me. As a result of his abuse, we were forced to flee into a shelter home. There were a lot of kind individuals working there, and that is why I remember this vividly. Among the amazing toys they had, I recall the animal room where someone read the bible to me and the children who were also present. It was only through the support of my community that we were able to escape this abuse and remain safe. Through this experience and watching "Good Deeds" by Tyler Perry, I knew what I wanted to pursue. Watching this movie over and over at the age of 12 always made me think " I wish could help" and “I want to help as people helped us”. The plot of the story was about a struggling mother living in a car with her child. She had no relatives that cared about them and were forced to live in poverty. Someone eventually noticed her struggles and helped her with an apartment and a well-paying job. I’ve always thought about my purpose on earth. I strongly believe my purpose is to help those in the community who are in need. I’ve always known I wanted to help others, but before I chose social work as my major, I strived to become a nurse. However, I’ve grown to see that becoming a nurse wasn’t God’s plan for me. Using this degree, I can make a positive impact on the lives of individuals and communities by addressing their needs, providing support and resources, and advocating for social change. Just like the loving individual at the shelter home, I strive to provide information about available resources such as healthcare, housing, financial assistance, and legal aid, and help connect individuals with those resources. As a school social worker, I will strive to make my office an environment where students will feel safe to talk about issues at home just like my mother did. I also plan to design and volunteer in programs and services that meet the needs of specific populations such as homeless youth, victims of domestic violence, or individuals struggling with addiction. I can’t wait to see what God has planned for me in the future, and this scholarship will be the start of it.

Hi , my name is Qunesha B Barnes. I'm eighteen years old and I'm currently a senior at Voyageur College Prep High school . Through the adversities in my life I managed to maintain a 3.0 GPA throughout high school. During my childhood, I experienced several years of instability and trauma because of drug abuse from my stepfather. I witnessed my mother become a survivor of domestic violence while trying to raise me and my newborn brother. At the tender age of 11 years old I was already affected by something negative due to home and life and circumstances. After almost having to repeat the 6th grade due to many absences, my school career had a rocky start. So, I used education as my anchor and motivation toward a better future. Although I went through a lot as a kid , over the last 3.5 years I have worked hard to earn the best grades and be a well-rounded student. I have been accepted to all of the colleges that I most desired to attend and ranked eighth in my senior class out of one hundred students. Due to my resilience and commitment to my future goals and success, I am confident that accomplishing my career goals is within my reach. My aspiration is to become a Registered Nurse or a Social worker, specifically a case worker for Child Protective Services. I see myself determined to achieve more, rather it’s going for a License in nursing after choosing Social work, or going for Social work after choosing nursing. I see myself married and in love in my hometown, Atlanta Georgia. Overall, I see myself happy, healthy, and surrounded by love and positivity. This scholarship will benefit me to not only achieve my career goals, but my overall life goals being that it’ll pay for college tuition, housing and other fees because my family financially cannot . This scholarship could reduce stress that having to manage and balance work and school would cause. It'll allow me to reduce working after my college classes every day to pay for personal things and keep me out of student debt. Receiving this scholarship will allow me to focus my energy and attention on my academics completely. I’ve worked hard throughout High School in order to receive as many scholarships I can for my higher education. Winning this scholarship would mean a lot to me.

May 22 , 2010 I lost my number one supporter; my best friend , my father , due to a chronic health condition that he was unaware of. My mother who was thirty at the time was left to raise three children on her own and I've been living in a single parent household ever since. My mom has molded me and has continued to mold me into the person I am today. She is one of my biggest inspirations, she's always been a hard worker regardless of her circumstances. At seventeen years old she was kicked out of her home and has been working to provide for herself ever since. During that time she still remained in school and worked toward earning her high school diploma. Shortly after graduating from high school my mom had her first child. Even as a young mother she was determined to still get the most out of life. She has traveled a lot and lived in Georgia and Florida before moving back to her hometown in Michigan. I have learned so much from my mother about having a good work ethic to achieve your goals and get what you want out of life by choice rather than circumstance. My mother taught me to lead my life by my choices and not let it be guided by my circumstances. Living in a single parent household , my mothers guidance has helped me academically and with my individualism. During High School I have worked hard to earn the best grades and be a well-rounded student. Because of my academic strides I have been accepted to all of the colleges that I most desired to attend, rank eighth in my senior class, and continue to maintain a 3.5 GPA. I take public transportation to my High School everyday , because of the distance , but I still remain on time. I know that all of my sacrifices and hard work will continue to pay off and serve me well on my life’s journey and I have my mother to thank for being my first examples of what’s possible when you work hard and believe in yourself. My mother prepared me for the real world , and has molded me into a charismatic, diligent , and determined person .

So far, I believe life has prepared me for success because of my experience of adversity and my accomplishments. During my childhood, I witnessed my mother become a survivor of domestic violence while trying to raise my siblings and I . At the tender age of 11 years old, I was already affected negatively because of my home life and circumstances. I often missed school and almost had to repeat the sixth grade. My school career was already off to a rocky start, but education has been the one thing that I have held onto as my anchor and my salvation toward my future success.     During High school, having reliable and consistent transportation to school was one of the biggest challenges , especially during the pandemic. I attended a school that was a better fit for me, but I would have to take three buses to get there each way on public transportation. However, I know that all of my sacrifices and hard work will continue to pay off and serve me well on my life’s journey, and I know anything is possible when you work hard and believe in yourself. Even though I have faced a significant amount of struggles and obstacles, I was determined to not let any personal or circumstantial issues impede achieving my goals. Some of my most notable academic achievements include getting accepted to all the colleges that I most desired to attend, ranking eighth in my senior class out of one hundred students, and maintaining a 3.0 GPA every school year.   My personal definition of success is understanding that you control your destiny. It’s understanding that there will be challenges before greatness and believing in yourself always. My mother is an example of my personal success. She didn’t let setbacks control her future. She pushed herself and persevered through her struggles. My mom has shown me what can be possible when you are determined and resilient to not just survive but to thrive. Because of her, I know what it means to make necessary sacrifices to get ahead during adversity and live the life you really want to.   Because of my resilience and commitment to success, I am confident that accomplishing my career goals is within my reach. Twenty years from now, I see myself as a Registered Nurse or a Social worker, specifically a case worker for Child Protective Services. I see myself determined to achieve more, rather it’s going for a License in nursing after choosing Social work, or going for Social work after choosing nursing. I see myself married and in love in my hometown , Atlanta, Georgia. Overall, I see myself happy, healthy, and surrounded by love and positivity. I haven’t reached my full potential of success yet, but the more I grow, the more it shows. 

During my childhood, I experienced several years of instability and trauma because of domestic violence and drug abuse. I witnessed my mother become a survivor of domestic violence while trying to raise my siblings and I. At the tender age of 11 years old; It already affected me negatively because of my home life and circumstances. I missed school and almost had to repeat the 6th grade. At such an early age, my school career was off to a rocky start, but education has been the one thing that I have held onto as my anchor and my salvation toward a better life. I’ve learned so much from my mother about having determination to achieve your goals and get what you want out of life by choice rather than circumstances. I have decided to not let the same obstacles experienced by my mom become my story. My work ethic is an example of my determination. Although I went through a lot as a kid, over the last 3.5 years, I have worked hard to earn the best grades and become a well-rounded student. Because of my academic strides, all the colleges that I most desired to attend have accepted me. I ranked eighth in my senior class and continued to maintain a 3.0 GPA or higher. Even though I have faced my set of struggles and obstacles, I was determined to not let any personal or circumstantial issues impede achieving my goals. I know all of my sacrifices and hard work will continue to pay off and serve me well on my life’s journey and I have my mother to thank for being my first examples of what’s possible when you work hard and believe in yourself. I’m proud of the young adolescent I’m becoming, despite my family’s past.

My mother is one of my biggest inspirations and has been very influential.She has always been a hard worker regardless of her circumstances. At the young age of sixteen she was kicked out of her home and has been working to provide for herself ever since. During that time she still remained in school and worked toward earning her high school diploma. Shortly after graduating from high school my mom had her first child. Even as a young mother she was determined to still get the most out of life.I have learned so much from my mother about having a good work ethic to achieve your goals and get what you want out of life by choice rather than circumstance. Even though I have faced my own set of struggles and obstacles, just like my mom, I was determined to not let any personal or circumstantial issues get in the way of achieving my goals. Having reliable and consistent transportation to school was one of the biggest challenges for me especially during the pandemic. I decided to attend a school that is a better fit for me, but have to take three buses to get there each way on public transportation. However, I know that all of my sacrifices and hard work will continue to pay off and serve me well on my life’s journey and I have my mother and sister to thank for being my first examples of what’s possible when you work hard and believe in yourself