I am a young African American girl. Naturally, I am worried that I may be denied scholarships, college acceptance, and more opportunities due to my ethnicity. No, I would never want to pull the race card; however, I can't help my concerns when it comes to my future. Now I would be the first-generation graduate in my family, so me getting into a college or university would be a big deal. It wouldn't only be a big deal for them but a big deal for baby nieces. My baby cousins. My friend's little siblings and all African American children. For the longest time, I've been stuck in this mindset as if I couldn't do it because of my race. However, I have to make a change. A college degree wouldn't change my life but push it further in development.  I have a passion for loving others. I love making a way for them or being a role model; receiving a college degree would be a great way to start. Now, although a college degree doesn't define you or your talent, it is still amazing to have one, and you don't even have to stop at one degree. A college degree is not for you to wave around saying, "I'm smart, and everyone knows it now!". A college degree to me says, "I have a passion that I dedicated myself to, and this is the result. Going to college is you pushing your passion farther than just manifestation and doing what you have to do to learn more about it. For instance, I am an artist. I have the skills of doing digital art, illustration, graphic design, prop art, line art, animation, and painting. I've done every single last one of these genres of art; however, I want to make a difference in the world. In order to make a difference in the world, you have to connect with them; you connect with them by knowing them, you know them by learning them, and the way you learn them is by being open to various things. I need my art to connect with the souls of people, and if that is the case, I can't limit myself to just what I know already. I have to be willing to try many things in a world full of different varieties of people. That's why I want to go to college. I need to explore and expand my knowledge on art so that I can touch not just a group of people but groups of people. Not only would it allow me to connect with more people, but it will also set a foundation for future generations. Everybody on this earth follows in someone or something's footsteps; even the U.S. Constitution still follows the patterns of their founding fathers. So if I don't do this to leave footsteps for the future generations, I have not done my job. I want to do this to help the young children understand that if I can do it, they can do it better than me.

There was a book that I once read by Kelis Rowe, "Finding Jupiter." The book was about young love between two teens that went through horrific things in their lives. The main character in the book was a young lady who went by the name "Jupiter," and the young man's name was Orion. Jupiter's father passed away the day she was born due to a car crash, and Orion's little sister was killed by a reckless driver. However, they seem to bond very well. Now, while Jupiter was deep in her sexual desire as a teen, Orion was shy and didn't see her that way. In fact, he was still a virgin himself. In the beginning of their relationship, she was frustrated with him for not complying, but she soon realized that she loved him, so she respected his boundaries. As they developed in their love, lust was out of the question, and they faced their traumas, which led to a shaky road. The story ends with Jupiter finding out that Orion's father is responsible for her father's death, and Jupiter finally confessing to Orion that her real name is Ray. This situation could've broken them apart, yet they didn't let it.  This book was a rollercoaster of emotions, but it has a powerful message. Love can heal you. After reading this story, it gave me a foundation of what growth looks like. Honestly, it reminded me of how gold is refined. You have to put it in heat, allow all of the impurities to rise to the top, extract the impurities, and then you can mold it. In life, if we have a terrible background, we tend to reject love in order to bury our worries and pain that we don't want to resurface. However, you can't throw a blanket over torment. It never has worked, and it never will.  "Finding Jupiter" taught me that when you find something or someone that doesn't comfort you in your trauma but instead helps you heal, you have found a pure diamond. The fire we go through when we are being refined hurts. It brings up every single string of pain, regret, and suffering to the surface. Then, when you start to extract it, it feels even worse because, along with that process, you have to forgive. Even though Ray was pissed that Orion's dad was responsible for her not having a father figure, she faced him anyway. Thankfully he didn't come to her projecting and being selfish; he apologized, and she accepted his father's apology. After she did, it didn't hurt as much. We may not be as brave as Ray, but I hope that the world gets there. I want to share the impact that this book had on me with everyone because nobody's life is perfect. Everyone will go through heartache and hardships at a certain point in life, but they need to know that you can't have a testimony without constant tests. Countries break down to states, states break down to cities, cities break down to downtown or uptown, then it trickles down to families. From families you have sons and daughters, the same sons and daughters who need to understand life is not peaches and cream and it never will be. However, that doesn't mean it has to stay that way. 90% of life is what happens to you, and 10% is how you react to the 90%. All in all, "Finding Jupiter" taught me that love can heal you, but you first have to be open to it and willing to be healed, just like Ray.

I am a dark-skinned young woman. I have short 4c hair, a gap, used to use Cantu products, and have bags under my eyes that stretch farther than far. Sounds like an average black girl, right? No. Nothing could ever be average about walking around with the amount of melanin that I have. Statistics say that only 26% of black young adults are considered successful. And many of us think that when we aren't "successful," we can never be excellent. However, I say statics could never define black excellence. To be excellent means to be extremely good and outstanding, and being black means to be outspoken and determined, and when you combine the two, you have a powerful force. Now I personally feel as if my powerful force is nitro-boosted with my ability to thrive with an indomitable will. I chose this because in anything and everything I do, I have to want it first. I need to crave it in a way that pushes me to do it—my indomitable will. The willingness to get something done because of how determined you are to achieve it is something so powerful. However, what assists me strongly to thrive through it is the passion for it. What is the end goal? What did I go through to get here? What is really making me fight so hard for this thing? That's what creates that consistent hunger that I need. The way I grew up, things weren't just handed to me, so I had to learn to have grit and thrive to get where I want and/or need to be. Actually, me completing this powerful essay is a prime example. I don't expect it to be handed to me; my passion for wanting to make it in life helps me to thrive and get where I need to be. I remember seeing a quote that stated, "Time is a created thing. To say, 'I don't have time,' is like saying, 'I don't want to." Lao Tzu. This quote is significant to the fact that you must be willing to sacrifice and sweat in order to achieve something. Whether it is a mental, physical, emotional, or spiritual sacrifice, you are required to give up something to gain something. I am not perfect, and I never will be; however, if I really love something, my will to get it done is stronger than ever. Everyone has their flaws, especially me. And in all honesty, the truth about growing in life is to acknowledge what you're weak in and begin to make a change. Usually the things that I have a hard time changing are fears. One of those fears happens to be servant leadership. Being in leadership is frightening to me because of how important it is. I know I'm talented; I recognize that my art is beautiful and it can inspire others, but am I ready to take on the role of major inspiration? One mistake or misrepresentation could be the downfall of everyone following behind me, and that is terrifying. I feel like it is an area in my life that is in need of improvement because I need to understand that with my role in society, others will look up to me, and I can't be afraid to take on that role. So I want that to be my main focus as I take this step into college life. I want to stop worrying about life as if I'm meant to be perfect. Does it scare me? Yes, but will I let it break me? No! I have to work to make progress, so I believe my first step would be practicing my fear management. If I face my fears and understand that they don't make up the person I am, I will go very far in life. Step 2 is building my self-confidence. If I fear that I will mess up and make mistakes constantly, how much confidence and trust do I have in myself? I need to be comfortable with my talent, enough to where I don't doubt myself. Step 3 is to build positive habits. Instead of seeing all the bad in my work, I should appreciate what I can do. Now if I take facing my fears, building my confidence, and creating positive habits, then I'll be able to have a sturdy foundation for becoming a good leader. I want my art to influence and have a great affect on this world. The only way I can make that happen though is if I'm ready for the responsibility. It is never too late to grow, and it certainly isn't too late for me. When you expand your knowledge and open your heart in a way where you are ready to receive great information, the sky is the limit.

Have you ever read anything and felt as if you were experiencing it? As if every word speaks to you in some kind of way. That is why I enjoy writing. It isn't about who can write the fastest or use the most words; it's about quality. I enjoy writing because you are not simply generating words; you are serving the experience with each sentence. Personally, I enjoy poetry. This is where I can use words that have weight and meaning to them. I can use poetry to write about everything, including the sun, moon, life itself, and even the human anatomy. At first I was thinking, "I'll never use writing for anything other than for my personal usage and hobbies," then I realized it is a strong leg of the academic table. Now I'm confident that my writing practice will pay off once I start college. Writing, of course, is an essential aspect of college study. It's not just about obtaining a decent score; if that is the case, artificial intelligence can get you a 100! However, learning how to write can help you practice organizing ideas, forming arguments, assessing facts, and many other critical thinking abilities. Additionally, completing a writing assignment might help you improve your project management abilities. So no, it doesn't just come with the benefit of getting that 95% on your essay; it comes with the ability to adapt in any situation that requires you to write. I know that even though I want to major in art, I will be required to write. Whether it's in prerequisite classes or the study of art history, writing is extremely important. In all actuality, this essay is a prime example of why the love for writing is very significant to college life. Currently in my senior year of high school, I'm in dual enrollment. One out of two of the classes is theater. Now, although there aren't many essays, we do create playwrights. They're fun, but they can't be sloppy either. The other class is English 101. I ran through essays and was just fine in the end because all that I was doing was something that I love. and I have never been more proud to love writing. I can run through and write essays and be just fine in the end because all that I was doing was something that I love. Anyone can write, but it's different when there is a passion behind the writing. A good professor in college can point out who wrote for a grade and who wrote from their heart. I promise that I will always write from my heart. When words can't express it, writing can.