I'm a 6’2 280-pound Black male who is grateful to attend UC Berkeley, but my physical stature may present a certain idea about me that doesn’t show who I am. I’ve had my fair share of difficult battles which caused me to not be able to show empathy to others. Throughout my life, I’ve faced a lot of adversity whether it was academic, athletic, or overall. My biggest time of adversity was completely off the field. When I was younger, I had to go through dental procedures since I had an underbite and crooked teeth. Sadly my family did not have dental insurance to cover my braces, so I received the most affordable braces we could find at that time. Unfortunately, the braces gave me a speech impediment! I became almost inaudible and it was hard to try and get my point across when others couldn’t understand me! I was devastated because I considered myself charming and my personality always shined when I spoke. I was frustrated when people kept asking me to repeat myself since it was becoming more and more frequent. This is where it became very difficult for me to feel empathy towards those who were trying to converse with me whenever they asked me to repeat myself because I was hearing that so often. It messed with my mental health during an already trying time, so to hopefully overcome this challenge I started taking acting classes at American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco. I studied speech and recited monologues and now I am proud to be able to slow my speech and over-enunciate my words to be completely understandable. But…my dentist said I will probably need braces again. This time I’m getting Invisalign! This contributed to my goals and dreams since it showed me that if I want something to be changed I have to fix it myself. The fact that I struggled with speaking and was able to put in the work and reach out to people to help me proved to me that I can do anything if I put my mind to it and chase that goal. I still struggle with my speech impediment to this day and although it’s very annoying it forces me to think about what I’m saying. I still get frustrated at times, but more so with myself than others because I know what I’m capable of and it hurts when I mess up my speech. It may not be as apparent, but if I get too excited or don’t fully think I may stutter, or if I don’t take my time speaking I may slur my words. I’m always actively working to ensure that I’m clear enough for others to hear, and I’m more empathetic towards those who may ask me to repeat myself since they are just trying to understand me to the best of their ability.

My community interests me! To me, a community represents a tight-knit group of people who rely on each other and can enhance everyone's experience in the group. I decided to get involved because my family has always had an emphasis on putting the community first. They taught me that I always needed to remember my roots, where I come from, and who helped me get here. This has led me to exhibit a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice in high school and more recently college. For that reason, I’ve worked with many different organizations such as the Ecumenical Hunger Program which is a local food shelter located near my house, Habitat for Humanity, my church, and many other programs. The most significant experience I’ve had while contributing to my community would be when I was working with the Ecumenical Hunger Program. This program provides meals for families in need during the holidays. I was put to work organizing all the food items that came into the shelter, equally distributing the food items into boxes, and then helping hand out those boxes to the long line of people who were waiting. I volunteered my time at the Ecumenical Hunger Foundation in East Palo Alto to help families with food insecurity. During my time there I remember there was one lady who broke into tears when I gave her a box of food items. She explained to me that she was a single mother of two and how many jobs she had to work. She was very grateful to receive the food and was expressing how much it would help her and her kids. Doing work like this ended up being meaningful for me because I didn’t realize how little work could make someone's day, month, or even year. More recently during my time at UC Berkeley, I was given the opportunity to join a program called BSAC. It stands for Black Student-Athlete Community at Cal. More so than just joining the program I was given the position to be on the online leadership board. I am the recruiting coordinator, so it's my job to recruit new people to our meetings or to join our leadership board. I also try to make the meetings more engaging and ensure many have a good time. Our goal is to ensure that Black student-athletes feel included on campus and to give a space to talk about diversity, equity, and social justice in our group. After college, I plan to find a similar group to keep working on these issues. Community service will also propel me toward my future goals of being a CEO and overall being a community leader since it will give me the skills and abilities I will need to connect with people and understand the community is a problem and how to fix it.

I'm a 6’2 280-pound Black male who is grateful to attend UC Berkeley, but my physical stature may present a certain idea about me that doesn’t show who I am. I’ve had my fair share of difficult battles which caused me to not be able to show empathy to others. Throughout my life, I’ve faced a lot of adversity whether it was academic, athletic, or overall. My biggest time of adversity was completely off the field. When I was younger, I had to go through dental procedures since I had an underbite and crooked teeth. Sadly my family did not have dental insurance to cover my braces, so I received the most affordable braces we could find at that time. Unfortunately, the braces gave me a speech impediment! I became almost inaudible and it was hard to try and get my point across when others couldn’t understand me! I was devastated because I considered myself charming and my personality always shined when I spoke. I was frustrated when people kept asking me to repeat myself since it was becoming more and more frequent. This is where it became very difficult for me to feel empathy towards those who were trying to converse with me whenever they asked me to repeat myself because I was hearing that so often. It messed with my mental health during an already trying time, so to hopefully overcome this challenge I started taking acting classes at American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco. I studied speech and recited monologues and now I am proud to be able to slow my speech and over-enunciate my words to be completely understandable. But…my dentist said I will probably need braces again. This time I’m getting Invisalign! This contributed to my goals and dreams since it showed me that if I want something to be changed I have to fix it myself. The fact that I struggled with speaking and was able to put in the work and reach out to people to help me proved to me that I can do anything if I put my mind to it and chase that goal. I still struggle with my speech impediment to this day and although it’s very annoying it forces me to think about what I’m saying. I still get frustrated at times, but more so with myself than others because I know what I’m capable of and it hurts when I mess up my speech. It may not be as apparent, but if I get too excited or don’t fully think I may stutter, or if I don’t take my time speaking I may slur my words. I’m always actively working to ensure that I’m clear enough for others to hear, and I’m more empathetic towards those who may ask me to repeat myself since they are just trying to understand me to the best of their ability. To this day I still practice to make sure that I’m understood and try not to get frustrated when I’m not. It’s a good life lesson since it teaches me how to promptly react when something doesn’t go the way I intend it to!

MONSTAR is the nickname that you earn when you become a 6’2 280-pound Black male who is grateful to attend UC Berkeley. My goals are to graduate and go on to attend graduate school to earn an MBA, and I want to enter the wealth management field for the workforce. Throughout my life, I’ve faced a lot of adversity whether it was academic, athletic, or overall just messed up my desire to achieve my goals. When I was younger, I had to go through dental procedures since I had an underbite and crooked teeth. Sadly my family did not have dental insurance to cover my braces, so I received the most affordable braces we could find at that time. Unfortunately, the braces gave me a speech impediment! I became almost inaudible and it was hard to try and get my point across when others couldn’t understand me! I was devastated because I considered myself charming and my personality always shined when I spoke. I was frustrated when people kept asking me to repeat myself since it was becoming more and more frequent. This is where it became very difficult for me to feel empathy towards those who were trying to converse with me whenever they asked me to repeat myself because I was hearing that so often. It messed with my mental health during an already trying time, so to hopefully overcome this challenge I started taking acting classes at American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco. I studied speech and recited monologues and now I am proud to be able to slow my speech and over-enunciate my words to be completely understandable. But…my dentist said I will probably need braces again. This time I’m getting Invisalign! This contributed to my goals and dreams since it showed me that if I want something to be changed I have to fix it myself. The fact that I struggled with speaking and was able to put in the work and reach out to people to help me proved to me that I can do anything if I put my mind to it and chase that goal. I still struggle with my speech impediment to this day and although it’s very annoying it forces me to think about what I’m saying. In school discussions, I have to make sure that I’m speaking well so that if I’m in a lecture hall the processor can hear me in a room full of 300 students or that my discussion group can relate to what I’m talking about. I still get frustrated at times, but more so with myself than others because I know what I’m capable of and it hurts when I mess up my speech. It may not be as apparent, but if I get too excited or don’t fully think I may stutter, or if I don’t take my time speaking I may slur my words. I’m always actively working to ensure that I’m clear enough for others to hear, and I’m more empathetic towards those who may ask me to repeat myself since they are just trying to understand me to the best of their ability. As long as I stay persistent and don’t let it lead me astray from my goals I’ll be able to continue to pursue my college education.

I'm a 6’2 280-pound Black male who is grateful to be attending UC Berkeley. At this school, I'm currently on the board for a school organization called BSAC which stands for Black Student Athletes at Cal. I am the recruiting coordinator, so it's my job to recruit new people to our meetings or to join our leadership board. I'm also on the Cal football team, but I'm a walk-on so I don't receive scholarship money from the team. I have to pay for everything on my own which is why I'm applying for this amazing scholarship! My plan for college is to continue to challenge myself to remain a good student no matter the circumstances since I do have a lot more on my plate compared to the normal student. I plan on majoring in Finance/ Business Administration specifically in the wealth management field, and I hope to also minor in African American studies. I also plan on going to graduate school, so my goal is to try and graduate early so that I can go to a new school, or even stay here at UC Berkeley, to earn my master's degree. Throughout my life, I’ve faced a lot of adversity whether it was academic, athletic, or just overall in my life. My biggest time of adversity was completely off the field. When I was younger, I had to go through dental procedures since I had an underbite and crooked teeth. Sadly my family did not have dental insurance that covered my braces, so I received the most affordable braces we could find at that time. Unfortunately, the braces gave me a speech impediment! I became almost inaudible and it was really hard to try and get my point across when others couldn’t understand me! I was devastated because I considered myself charming and my personality always shined when I spoke. I was frustrated when people kept asking me to repeat myself since it was becoming more and more frequent. It messed with my mental health during an already trying time. So I started taking acting classes at American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco. I studied speech and recited monologues and now I am proud to be able to slow my speech and over-enunciate my words to be completely understandable. But…my dentist said I will probably need braces again. This time I’m getting Invisalign! This contributed to my goals and dreams since it showed me that if I want something to be changed I have to fix it myself. The fact that I struggled with speaking and was able to put in the work and reach out to people to help me proved to me that I can do anything if I put my mind to it and chase that goal. I have the same approach when it comes to college because my current goal is to graduate with a degree. The only way that is possible is if I find groups, friends, and mentors that can help shape me along the way.

In a community full of uber wealthy families mine is in a constant battle to stay a float. Being a 6’3 255 pound Black male at a predominantly white private high school in Atherton California during the last few years has had its own unique set of challenges. My ultimate goal for myself is to remain a good student no matter the circumstances. When school went virtual I stayed diligent and kept my grade point average between a 3.75 and a 3.9. I also made a commitment to play football for the first time ever in life! Although I have only been playing football for two years I have received football offers from Dartmouth, Cornell, Claremont McKenna, Davidson, Yale and Cal Berkeley. My goal to play D1 college football at UC Berkeley is a dream come true or more like a miracle for me since I have only been playing football for two years. Now I'm actively working on attending UC Berkeley debt free. Since I am a preferred walk on to the football team at UC Berkeley means I don’t have a football scholarship. I will receive need based financial aid but I will have a large gap to cover so I’m looking for outside scholarships. I will continue with football for as far as it will take me but I am fully aware of the lifespan of football as a career. My academic goals will be focused on technology, economics, and business. My desire is to lead a technology company in Silicon Valley as a CFO and be a game changer in the US economy. Since The Bay Area is where my home is I definitely plan on staying here to work and build. This will also allow me to stay involved and have an impact in my community in a significant and hands on way. From my passion for volunteering I have received many recognitions and accolades. The most impressive one being The Presidential Volunteer Service Award for the numerous hours working in my communities of East Palo Alto, East Menlo Park and Oakland. Volunteering with groups like Habitat for Humanity, Ecumenical Hunger Program and church organizations have already had long lasting effects on positive change here. I’m already dedicated and committed to learning how to be a successful and supportive bridge for underserved and underfunded marginalized communities. When prospective students come to visit I tour them around my high school campus at Sacred Heart Preparatory because I except the privilege I have of an elite private education. I regularly speak at admissions events to interested parents and students while also leading our Black Student Union as president. As Student Body Secretary at Sacred Heart Preparatory the legacy I want my legacy to include encouraging students to believe that they can achieve the greatest possibilities no matter their personal reasons for feeling failure. We all have faults and weaknesses that we need to overcome but learning how to fail forward is key. This is what I constantly reiterate to my teammates as captain on the football team. Although my home community is underfunded and underserved and opportunities for advancement are few and far in between I strive for excellence at all levels. The blessing of being admitted to UC Berkeley to study Economics is my next step in being able to be an impressive and dynamic CEO or CFO that changes the atmosphere of financial advantages by providing the funding that supports these initiatives.

In a community full of uber wealthy families mine is in a constant battle to stay a float. Being a 6’3 255 pound Black male at a predominantly white private high school in Atherton California during the last few years has had its own unique set of challenges. We moved back to East Palo Alto when my grandma got sick to help take care of her. My dad had to start all over building a personal training business and then Covid happened and shut it down. It's been up and down to this day. When school went virtual Streetcode Academy loaned me a laptop and I did really well using that device. I made a commitment to play football for the first time ever in life! I played every game on the varsity team. I want a life where I'm happy and enjoy doing whatever it is that I will do. But I know I live in one of the most expensive areas in the US and I like it here so financially literacy is vital to becoming a homeowner here. From my passion for volunteering I have received many recognitions and accolades. The most impressive being The Presidential Volunteer Service Award because I had numerous hours working in my community of East Palo Alto, East Menlo Park and Oakland with groups like Habitat for Humanity, Ecumenical Hunger Program and church organizations. At school I am a Student Ambassador. When prospective students come to visit I tour them around campus. I regularly speak at admissions events to interested parents and students while also leading our Black Student Union. I'm seriously trying to be a bridge between many different groups on campus. As Student Body Secretary at Sacred Heart Preparatory the legacy I want to leave behind is very simple. If they can do it we can too. I want my legacy to include encouraging students who look like me to believe that they can achieve the greatest possibilities. As captain of the varsity football team my role is to encourage positive morale amongst my brothers at all times! My home community is underfunded and underserved and opportunities for advancement are few and far in between. This is the reason why I strive for excellence at all levels. I have won multiple awards for academic achievement and for sports. During community meetings we discuss many aspects of financial literacy including credit, investing, and insurance strategies. Although I have only been playing football for two years I have received offers from Dartmouth, Cornell, Claremont McKenna, Davidson, Yale and Cal Berkeley. My goal to play D1 college football at UC Berkeley is a dream come true or more like a miracle for me since I have only been playing football for two years. Now I'm actively working on attending UC Berkeley debt free. I will continue with football for as far as it will take me. But I am aware of the lifespan of football as a career. My academic goals will be focused on technology, economics, business and design development. My desire is to lead a technology company in Silicon Valley as a CFO and be a game changer in the US economy. Since The Bay Area is where my home is I definitely plan on staying here to work and build. I’m hoping this will allow me to stay involved and really give back to my community in a significant way. In a real deep felt hands on way that really makes an impact in the future of my community.

In a community full of uber wealthy families mine is in a constant battle to stay a float. Being a 6’3 255 pound Black male at a predominantly white private high school in Atherton California during the last few years has had its own unique set of challenges. My dad had to start all over building a personal training business and then Covid happened and shut it down. It's been up and down to this day. My challenge to myself is to remain a good student no matter the circumstances. When school went virtual Streetcode Academy loaned me a laptop and I did really well using that device. I made a commitment to play football for the first time ever in life! I played every game on the varsity team. I am extremely proud that we won The State Championship for the first time in Sacred Heart Preparatory history last season. I want a life where I'm happy and enjoy doing whatever it is that I will do. But I know we live in one of the most expensive areas in the US and I like it here so education beyond high school is a no brainer. From my passion for volunteering I have received many recognitions and accolades. The most impressive being The Presidential Volunteer Service Award because I had numerous hours working in my community of East Palo Alto, East Menlo Park and Oakland with groups like Habitat for Humanity, Ecumenical Hunger Program and church organizations. At school I am a Student Ambassador. When prospective students come to visit I tour them around campus. I regularly speak at admissions events to interested parents and students while also leading our Black Student Union. I'm seriously trying to be a bridge between many different groups on campus. As Student Body Secretary at Sacred Heart Preparatory the legacy I want to leave behind is very simple. If they can do it we can too. I want my legacy to include encouraging students who look like me to believe that they can achieve the greatest possibilities. As captain of the varsity football team my role is to encourage positive morale amongst my brothers at all times! My home community is underfunded and underserved and opportunities for advancement are few and far in between. This is the reason why I strive for excellence at all levels. I have won multiple awards for academic achievement and for sports. I have included my resume for your convenience. Although I have only been playing football for two years I have received offers from Dartmouth, Cornell, Claremont McKenna, Davidson, Yale and Cal Berkeley. My goal to play D1 college football at UC Berkeley is a dream come true or more like a miracle for me since I have only been playing football for two years. Now I'm actively working on attending UC Berkeley debt free. I will continue with football for as far as it will take me. But I am aware of the lifespan of football as a career. My academic goals will be focused on technology, economics, business and design development. My desire is to lead a technology company in Silicon Valley as a CFO and be a game changer in the US economy. Since The Bay Area is where my home is I definitely plan on staying here to work and build. I’m hoping this will allow me to stay involved and really give back to my community in a significant way. In a real deep felt hands on way that really makes an impact in the future of my community.