2020 has taught me a lot this was one of my most memorable year. I had quit a job that I hated to only go to a job that I couldn't bear going back to school and having a freelance web design business. Let's be clear that not the only thing that happened to me in 2020. My family and I had suffer many losses of life gone way too soon and our family experiencing financial hardship. What 2020 had taught me most was about something I have always struggled with all my life. Patience was the main theme of my 2020 experience. When even I ran into problem that I could solve right away I learned to wait them out and deal with them when I can. I learn patience when dealing with people I didn't agree with. Patience when confronted with problem that seemed unbearable to manage. Some days were hard but I still got up everyday to remember my great grandmother's bible saying "this shall pass". I kept those words in my head when I felt like many times giving up. 2020 was something else but I am also thankful it happened. I feel like it cause me to grow as a person.

My name is Roger Fox and I am a returning junior at Rutgers University. I am majoring in computer science and work as a freelance web designer. I am a Rotarian member and I love to volunteer and help people. My favorite thing to do is to program and build websites for people. I have even built a website for a non profit organization that is based in California. (www.sundarinstitute.com). This scholarship would help me immensely because I had to take a semester of school to keep with my tuition. Upon graduation I want to work as a web developer for my own company and help people develop online businesses. One day I would like to open up technology centers for underprivileged children to help them learn the wonderful free world of programming.

My journey to self love helped me appreciate people and my beliefs by learning how to trust people. I have learned that when your are trying to accept yourself that you realize that mistrust is a leading factor to a lot of peoples problems. When I started to open up more and trusting people with my feelings, I felt better about myself and became more open. A example of that is when I feel upset with something I let people know rather than hold it in and let it sit. That was a trait that I had gotten used to and it led to a lot of miscommunication. My relationships with people had gotten better because to love another you have to love yourself. I understood what it meant to truly love someone and the importance of people in your life. When on this journey I had read a lot of books about self-love and meditation and the common theme was to accept people as they are. You might want someone to change or act a certain way but if you don't accept the way they are then it will never work out. I've learned to treat people the way I would want to be treated and not expect it back. Self-Love has also taught me to believe in myself and aspirations. That they are not just crazy goal but real things I'm going to accomplish. That each day I set goal for myself so that one day I can reach that big goal.

My name is Roger Fox jr. and I'm a computer science major that is very into fitness. My story begins when I was younger that I was a very last child. When I wasn't doing school work you could find me behind a screen. Whether it was a computer screen or tv screen you could find me plastered to it with a liter of my favorite soda. This had my toll on me especially when I decided to join the Air Force. I had to change to way I lived and ate completely. I would begin to run everyday and lift weights to try and pass the required physical exams. I had also joined track as a 200 hundred pound sprinter. I did this for a good year until I had lost 80 pounds and was ready for the Air Force . Unfortunately in that year I was diagnosed with an auto immune disease and couldn't enlist. I had decided to go to college but not give up on the fitness I gained from it. As a junior at Rutger University that studies computer science I can say fitness has made me a better programmer. I work out 6 days a week and do cardio everyday along with intense weight lifting. I can say being fit has given me a lot more energy to sit and focus and stay up during intense programming sessions. When I'm sitting all day in a chair I feel better about myself knowing that I worked hard at the start of my morning. There is satisfaction being physically and mentally exhausted at the end of the day.

I am Roger Fox jr., I am a junior at Rutgers University that is studying computer science. I grew up in Plainfield, NJ for most of of my childhood and I have the dream of being a software engineer. Living with my grandmother who was very much into education being a teacher assistant. Education was always a topic of discussion at the dinner table. Everyday whether it was assigned by the teacher or by my grandmother academic work was always a must in the household. I was even sent to summer school because my grandmother felt that I had too much time on my hands. During those times at summer school at would always end up reading. Which is probably why today I have the capacity to read a new book every week. When I started to live with my mom education also wasn't a fiscal matter either. Any grade that was below a 80 was lesson that I was following up on the day after. Being young I had always thought that this was alway a little too much but what I understand today is that they were preparing me for the real world. When I was little I had been blessed having the strong sense of curiosity and finding out how all my toys worked. I don't think I ever had a toy in my possession that I didn't try and take apart and put back together. When I was always finished with all my homework I had then privilege of being on the computer. My love for computer had developed from a very early age. One thing that I hope to achieve in life is to become a famous website developer that can one day show proof for his work. I hope to have enough money one day to give back to the community. Today I try to help Youn African- American students find a path through computers. My web design company has done work with a math professor in the University of California to set up a website called sundar institute to help young people with academic help. The professor had asked me to teach a few classes to young women of color. This was a very encouraging stepping stone to what I want to do in the future. What I want to do when I have enough money and resources is start a school of technology that is aimed for African-American that come from tough homes. Growing up I had faced many struggles of trying to continue my education and dealing with home. My parents made the best for me but even I can say at some points in my life where tougher than others where I wished I could of focused on my education rather than dealing with the responsibilities of home. I want to be the person to give kids the opt unity to learn and grown and help their family needs also through school programs. That is why I work so hard to be the best software engineer I can be.

The role of music has played an important part in my life. As a computer science major I can tell you that music has contributed to the majority to my study sessions. I battled with social anxiety with most of my life and music had defiantly been a source of comfort for me. I do not specifically have a favorite song but I do have a specific genre of music. It is called low fidelity music or "lofi" for short. This music is supposed to produce a sense of relaxation in the listener. This music had produced my best coding projects. I found this music when I was going through a bad break up when I had just got into a car accident and was starting a new semester at Rutgers as a transfer. My breakup was hard for me specifically at that time because I thought someone I cared about care for me also but it wasn't the case. Dealing with the new changes with school and not having someone I had listen to a bunch of music to cope. Lofi was the best because I could listen to music and not have it be so distracting. I used it to do school work which made me a very good student. I also used it to work out and ended up losing a lot of weight and I started to gain muscle from it. It had shown me that music if used right has a very important affect on a person.

My role model is my mother. I know this sounds cliche but hear me out. My mom was the first born in a working class family to graduate from Rutgers University. While growing up she had a love for mathematics and science to propelled her to receive a higher education. While growing up my mom was forced to grow up very fast true to the nature of her having younger siblings to take care of. While the family didn't have money to send my mother to school she still found a way to figure it out through scholarship and grants. One thing I love about my mother is her attitude to never give up even when things are grim we still don't give up. I was raised in a single-mother household so my mom had to play two roles. While I can say I feel like I've had a mother. I can also say that my mom has taught me to be a very upstanding man. Teaching me about accountability and meaning what I say. My mom put me on the path you see today as an African-American man that owns a business and is pursuing a degree in computer science at Rutgers University. My mom being a financial data analysis had instilled the love for math and computers inside of me. To tell you the truth I don't know when I wasn't I front of a screen. She had always nurtured this curiosity in myself by giving me old computers to take apart or helping with homework, making sure I was ahead of the class and I had no trouble. I remember specifically a day in 3rd grade when a teacher said I was having trouble in a subject and no later that 10 min my mother was there to help me. My mother always cared about my education because she felt education is a very important factor. I wasn't allowed to get a grade below a 70 in my household. My mom strived hard to give me the best education possible and honestly that probably why I am the way I am today. As a business owner of a web design establishment I can say that my mom helped me shape who I am today. I took a lot of my self taught knowledge and drive to start this business and my mother was one of the factors that encouraged this. When I decided to continue my education at Rutgers my mother was my main supporter who help me adjust to Rutgers. She has shown me so much that I am very grateful to have a mother like her. While I might have somethings going for me now what I really want to do in the future is when I become a highly respected software engineer I would like to start a school. This school would be for people like me and my mother who had to deal with the struggles of family life and balancing school. This school would help children focus on their education while also helping their family. That is the dream I envision for myself and I have my mother to thank for that.

“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change” -Albert Einstein. The change I want to see in my community is more African Americans pursue fields in technology. Growing up with my grandmother in a working class community I was always kept inside due to not living in not the best area. While some see this as a bad thing she was the main one to keep me busy by making me read books or doing extra homework. When I found my self with free time you could always find me playing on the computer or taking my toys apart to see how they work. Now being a junior at Rutgers University I can say that I haven't changed. My curiosity has found a love for building software and being around computers. While in school I have been doing a lot of volunteer work and I have actually become a rotary member. No matter how successful I get when I become a software engineer my service is something that I would like to be known for. I currently own a web design business that is called voiddynamics.com. While this business is how I make a living and go to school I have done some service work through the business. I have started a website with a professor in the university of California called Sundar Institute. Which helps kids get homework help and learn new skills. I had recently been offered the opportunity to teach young African Americans about computer science and teach them about basic computer skills. This is what I strive for because this is the change I am working towards when I want to see change in my community. While working I have come across a number of African Americans that have had the skills and knowledge to succeed but family and money where holding them back. One day I hope to use my own acquired funds and funds from donators to start a technology school for children with home disadvantages. Giving them a quality education but also tending to their needs like helping out family so that they can focus on education. This is a goal of mine because growing up in a single mother household with a baby sister I know how hard it is to be focused on school. I would like to serve the my community giving kids who don't think that they don't have a chance to be successful or happy a opportunity to grown. I act locally by doing some free jobs around my town. I help local businesses by giving them a website that can help their business but I let them know of my cause. Everyday I wake up with and study as hard as I can because one day I hope to share my knowledge. When I learn something new I try to teach my community around me so they they get something out of what I learned to. I think holistically I'm just trying to make the world and the people around me a better place. That is honestly my goal in life.

My name is Roger Anthony Fox Jr. and I was born in the little town of Plainfield, NJ. In the first half of my life I lived with my grandmother and uncle in a two bedroom apartment in a working class community.My grandmother and I would walk everywhere for errands because she didn't have a car. Due to the rough neighborhood around me, my grandmother would keep me in the house a lot. Due to that I grew up playing a lot of games and on the computer. Which is probably why I am now a junior at Rutgers University majoring in computer science. Growing up I had a very active imagination and along with that imagination was instilled a curiosity to find out how things work. Even Christmas by the end of the day I would have half my toys dismantled in a bag. I have taken that curiosity and have always applied it to my life. That's why I love computer science because not only does it give me the ability to create but also the ability to fully understand what makes something works. All my classes I find interesting because there are so many things that make a computer work. The fact different components come together and make a computer is interesting to me. Software is the main thing that I love. In fact when I graduate from Rutgers I have high hopes into becoming a software engineer. I would enjoy doing consultant work for big tech companies. I've had the idea of becoming a software engineer ever since I started school. When growing up I used to watch a lot of a cartoon called dexter laboratory. It was about a boy genius inventing cool things in his lab. I've always seen the same for myself. I want to actually create software applications that matter and hopefully better peoples every day lives. I hope to create a service one day to help disabled people get around easier. Another goal of mine is to help young children of color in education. Having a school to help them focus on their education rather than their troubled homes. Today what I'm doing to better myself is that I actually have a web design business that I'm the owner of. It is called VoidDynamics.com and I hope to one day make a big name for myself. With my web design will I have also started another online business called shopyvetty.com. This business was started with my grandmother. My grandmother is still working class so this extra income help her a lot. We started this business at the beginning of the pandemic selling face-mask to people who needed them and then got more into home decor. I also manage my mother's business website where she does notary and accountant work. What I love what I'm doing now because I'm helping people with the skills that I have picked up in order to better myself and and their businesses. I hope to never stop learning so that I have the opportunity to help and give to people.

What interested me about computer science was having ability to build anything that came to my mind. A lot of people see computer science as a very technical skill. I've always see computer science as the ability to imagine a idea or concept and have it come to life. As a Rutgers University junior I have had my fair share of hard coding assignments. Some very complex and some very simple. What I get out of computer science is the ability to learn something new everyday. I love that with each day passing by that I gaining more knowledge I a field that I want to be respected in. What I love about computer science is the ability to affect the world through the help of a computer through software. My goal after I receive my degree is to become a software engineer and do consultant work for some major tech companies that include google, Facebook, and Amazon. While having creating and working on my own passion projects. I want to create apps that help people and better their everyday lives. I have a idea for a Uber like service that would help disabled people get around safely and with convenience. This goal is only possible if I learn how to make this app and learn everyday. I feel like I'm the best candidate for this scholarship because of my love for computer science. Most people get in this field for the money which there is nothing wrong with that, but I've always wanted to be a big backer behind great technology. I would love my name to be known by others for creating great things. While even knowing I might not get this scholarship I sure it is going to someone who is great also. There are a lot of upcoming great computer science graduates.

Its has been my goal to be a very successful software engineer. Growing up as a 90s kids and religiously watching dexter laboratory.Being you I had a very active imagination, every Christmas most of my toys would be broken a part because I needed to know how they work. I have always been interested in tech and having the knowledge to build things. One of my favorite toys while growing up as a kid where Kinects and Legos. I love the idea of making a toy or structure and having it totally be up to you how complex and simple it is. That's how I see being a software engineer as. Being a Rutgers juniors I can honestly say that I have built all types of programs that have challenged me or bored me. That the beauty of being a software engineer is that you can carve out your passion and be able to solve problems with your knowledge. The problem I hope to solve one day as a software engineer is help push any technological advance to help make the world a better place . My experience with having friend who are in the field is that most of them mostly care about making money and having a good life. There is nothing wrong with that but what I seek is more fulfilling. I want to see people using my applications or software to help them better their lives. I have been instrested in starting a Uber service that primarily helps disabled people. I feel transportation for the physically disabled is a very looked over concept. Transportation for people who need a little help is hard to come by and I feel its not easily accessible. My goal is to make a software to get them the immediate help they need and provisions. Another goal of mine if that one day I hope to be a well recognized software engineer. To set up an organization to help young people of color to move more towards tech. The goal in mind is to have a school where they learn about technology and dealing with the real world. These students would have the option to privately board at the school to focus on their studies in case they have a troubled home. Another thing I would do is in-case they have troubled homes is try to provide their family assistance. Creating a positive environment for these student to strive and one day surpass me. That is the future I want to have in tech. This is a goal I am going to accomplish.

My name is Roger Anthony Fox Jr. and I'm thew proud owner of Void Dynamics. What is Void Dynamics you ask? It's my web design company that I had started at the beginning of this pandemic. In the past I worked as a video wall technician for 3 years and then as a spot welder shortly before the pandemic. While still working I am a Rutgers student working for a degree towards computer science and hopefully a minor in entrepreneurship . What inspired me to start Void Dynamics was the interest in web development. Why web development you may ask? Web development mixes computer science with the of aesthethics of a website being user friendly and inviting. To me as a web development is an art which mixes science and visuals. It's honestly one of my passions. What I hope to achieve with my web development company is to be the brand behind some of the biggest companies web sites. Mixing new softwares and design tricks to websites to make stunning presentation. What I love about a website is that not matter where I am I can show people who I am and my business as long as I have my phone and my laptop. Another goal that I hope to achieve to successfully actually have a few e-commerce stores too. I am also the owner of another company that is called Yvetty or shopyvetty.com. Its actually a store that I set up with my grandmother in mind. She was known for making wreaths, candles , and crafts and giving it to people. I decided to share that with the world through a website. One day I hope to achieve with this business is actually to be a big wreath seller where people get custom made wreaths from us. I hope to be a top seller even one day competing with home goods or Etsy. While I love owning multiple businesses the main reason I love and even want to be an entrepreneur is that I want to give. Working one day as a video wall technician at a holiday party at the Make-A-Wish foundation. I had the opportunity to talk to a lot of entrepreneurs and I experienced how giving a generous they were and how I want to be like that. My grandmother and mother had put a strong sense of giving inside of myself that it fulfills me to truly give to other. I grew up with a working class family so I know how hard money is to come by. I hope that one day I can be that person that I wished came to help my family and to help us. I actually hope one day to have a foundation to help children in troubled situations and to put them in a school to help them focus on school and also help their family financially to get through. The reason I want to be entrepreneur is I want the ability to give to people .

My history as a chess player is a very brief one. I started just when I entered community college at the age of 19. Being 26 today I can tell you the game of chess can apply to life in a lot of different ways. When I started playing chess my good friend had shown me the rules and proceeded to wipe the floor with me. Me being a very competitive but very impatient person, I proceeded to never play again for the next couple of years. When I started to get into the game was about the time I was learning to run a business being as an operations manager at a party company. I was in charge of a lot of things but my biggest passion was bringing new ideas to the table . That being said being in the entertainment industry in New Jersey you have to know your competition. I remember carefully planing product or events that would best the competition. I had succeeded in doing so but I remember when my boss praised me for my hard work and he said "it's chess not checker". I remember back then when my friend showed me chess and how impatient I was. I guess it a part of growing but playing the game of chess had taught me in life that if you want something good to happen. Then you need to have a plan to go along with it and learn how to execute. My goal is having one of the best web development companies. I want to be behind new cutting edge technology and amazing websites. With that in my mind I know it more of a chess game I have to plan out the moves that I'm going to be making and execute. I also need to pay attention to what's around me also the people who are competing with me. I need to evaluate their moves in order to see if that would affect me. One thing that I love to do first is move my pawn first. Most of the time when I'm the first one to move my pawn or the first piece in the game. I usually win because I am very good at offense and making the first strike then to play defense. I took that principal in chess and applied it to life. Most of the time when people praise me for getting things started for doing what I said I would do the ask me "how do I do it?" . I say initiation and taking those first step towards something is the most important thing you can do. My life goal is to have a child with the person I love which is my girlfriend but one thing I learned in chess is patience. I might want those things really fast but I know patience is key and that I have to be smart if I want a big happy family one day on this earth.

I would be doing the same thing. I know what you are thinking but hear me out. When I was young and up until the tender age of 26 I've experienced the value of money. From working full time and going to school from power washing and staining deck in the hot summer sun because I needed a new xbox. Even now when I can say in moments of when I had money and not had money I tend to stay the same person. That being said you might be asking. What type of person am I? Well I'm a man who's family has shown me the importance of service. I remember when I was just young my grandmother and I were walking to the corner store approaching the under pass of the bridge. A old homeless man was always under the bridge. Normally I wouldn't think much of it cause as a kid you don't pay attention to things but my grandmother would always approach them and give them some type of money or food. We were not a wealthy family by any means we were walking to the corner store cause we had no car. I remember my grandmother's face as she would help them. It was a face of distress, disgust , or annoyance but one of joy. That always stuck with me and made me pursue volunteering and helping people. One day when money is not a issue for me I would like to one day help homeless and help trouble kids with housing and schooling to secure their future. If money wasn't a issue in my life I would try to be a solution in peoples lives.