The dream version of myself is a debt-free speech pathologist who gives back to her community.

The buzzing of the airplane is the only thing heard as my mother flies across the country to embark on her new dream of joining the military. The buzzing continues as she flies from Italy to Germany to give birth to me. My mother and I returned to the United States when I was two years old. My father was present during this time, but a year passed by, and he was back home on the east coast. From then on, my mother was the only thing I knew. While I was in elementary, I took a liking to dance and continued it for many years. I began to compete in dance and later joined a performing arts high school. When I was about eleven, my mother and I experienced financial troubles. She was very open to me about this, and I understood despite my age. I pitched the idea of quitting dance in order to help put my mother in a better place, but she refused. She understood how important dance was to me and said she would do anything to support my dreams. I never forgot this and used it as an inspiration to work harder than I already did. Later on, we ended up moving to a new place with my aunt and cousins, and it was one of the best decisions she made. My mother is such a hard worker, and being raised by her has made me believe I can do anything as long as I put my mind to it. She has pushed me to complete many challenges, such as completing my associate's degree at the same time as my high school diploma. I have been taught to be humble and accept every opportunity I am given because I never know where it could take me. She inspired me to be very driven in dance as well as academics. Being raised by my mother has programmed me to think nothing but big because she didn't put in so much effort, only for things to be small. I have never underestimated myself because my mother does exactly the same. She was always able to make anything happen for the better of her child, and I expect nothing less of myself. Even though I only have my associates, I am already thinking big and aiming for a doctoral degree. I know school is already tough for me financially, but I believe I can make anything happen.

The buzzing of the airplane is the only thing heard as my mother flies across the country to embark on her new dream of joining the military. The buzzing continues as she flies from Italy to Germany to give birth to me. My mother and I returned to the United States when I was two years old. My father was present during this time, but a year passed by, and he was back home on the east coast. From then on, my mother was the only thing I knew. While I was in elementary, I took a liking to dance and continued it for many years. I began to compete in dance and later joined a performing arts high school. When I was about eleven, my mother and I experienced financial troubles. She was very open to me about this, and I understood despite my age. I pitched the idea of quitting dance in order to help put my mother in a better place, but she refused. She understood how important dance was to me and said she would do anything to support my dreams. I never forgot this and used it as an inspiration to work harder than I already did. Later on, we ended up moving to a new place with my aunt and cousins, and it was one of the best decisions she made. My mother is such a hard worker, and being raised by her has made me believe I can do anything as long as I put my mind to it. She has pushed me to complete many challenges, such as completing my associate's degree at the same time as my high school diploma. I have been taught to be humble and accept every opportunity I am given because I never know where it could take me. She inspired me to be very driven in dance as well as academics. Being raised by my mother has programmed me to think nothing but big because she didn't put in so much effort, only for things to be small. I have never underestimated myself because my mother does exactly the same. She was always able to make anything happen for the better of her child, and I expect nothing less of myself. Even though I only have my associates, I am already thinking big and aiming for a doctoral degree. I know school is already tough for me financially, but I believe I can make anything happen.

Imagine the feeling of accomplishment rushing over you after you become the first person to complete high school and a college degree at the same time. I do not have to imagine the feeling because I made it happen. I used to be a competitive dancer that was devoted to her craft and spent her days leaving the dance studio at 10 pm. Once I experienced two knee injuries that resulted in a trip to the hospital, I decided to cut back on the activity after the dance season was over. Since I had free time that I wasn't used to, I started taking concurrent enrollment classes. Taking these classes saved me so much money and brought me one step closer to my dream of becoming a speech pathologist. Speech pathology is a career that is currently in high demand as well as in need of more black people. Many patients often get the wrong type of help due to non-black people's lack of knowledge in African American Vernacular English. Becoming a speech pathologist will allow me to be able to give back to my community as a young black woman. I am considered a role model for my younger cousins in my family as well as some adults. There are people within my family who have gone to college and received degrees, but no one has taken my steps to do so just yet. Unlocking new paths and creating new stepping stones in my family has been one of the main motivations to continue to further my education. My mother has agreed to pay my college tuition, even though she still has some student loan debt and plans to go back to school herself. I understand how expensive school can be and the fact that she will be paying for it on her own as a single mother puts a burden on my shoulders. I don't want to feel like I have to halt my studies for the financial well-being of my mother or have to pick up jobs that take away time I could be spending studying. I plan on getting my master's degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders, getting a job in my field, and working on my Ph.D. I do not plan on taking any breaks other than in the summer to obtain my degrees. This scholarship will help put me on the fast track to pursuing my dream without financial worry.

What are the odds of injuring both knees in eight months? When you are running your body into the ground like I was doing, the odds increase. My classical dance training started at the age of six. The two-hour-a-week commitment grew to thirty hours in what felt like a blink of an eye. By the time I started middle school, dance was my life and I was focused on taking it to the next level. I auditioned to attend a performing arts school in seventh grade. My acceptance to this school plus my competitive dancing schedule caused me to wake up at 5 a.m., and return home around 10 p.m. I did schoolwork, ate, and napped during any free time I got. During the school week, I was lucky to get five hours of sleep. Schedules like this will break anyone down physically and mentally over time. My first injury occurred at an audition; I partially dislocated my right knee and I was not able to continue. I went from crutches to auditioning and competing in a brace in a month. I made it through that dance season and was looking forward to what the new dance season would bring. One month into the new season, I found myself in an ambulance with a fully dislocated left knee. The pain made me look at my mom and tell her I didn’t think I could dance anymore. Once the Physician's Assistant popped my knee back I immediately asked “How long until I can dance again?”. I rehabilitated as quickly as I could to make sure I could come back less than a month later. As soon as I got back on track, seven months later, covid slowed the whole world down and made me rethink my future. That summer I decided to try my first dual-enrollment course. I decided to continue dancing at my performing arts high school and halt activities at my dance studio. Through mentorship, I realized that my future is in rehabilitation and therapy. I continued taking more dual-enrollment classes every semester and engaging in self-care. It wasn’t just about dance anymore, it was about myself. Usually, injuries are seen as a bad thing, and yes, they are bad. Luckily for me, I was able to step back and assess before it hurt me permanently physically and or mentally. I still consider myself a great dancer but stepping back allowed me to realize I am also great at other things as well. My loose ligaments permitted me to further my education and find free time for family and friends. I graduated with my associate's degree as well as my high school diploma at 17. I am on the fast track to becoming a speech pathologist. In speech pathology, black people are often inaccurately assessed due to the different grammatical structures of AAVE. I will be able to give back to my family by accurately assessing black individuals with my experience in African American Vernacular English.

Dessert first As the day begins to simmer down like stew My body which was once on autopilot, now rests My bones feel heavy Imprinting the bed I am glued to My mind however It never stops running Longing to reach the finish line of the marathon Moments with you constantly replaying as the time away stretches like gum Your words begin to comfort me Like having dessert after dinner Melting into your embrace Like the ice cream that sits in the bowl after dinner Dessert is craved So sweet that I want to have it before dinner, but I can't Dessert is a reward Some days are more difficult than others I feel as if I deserve to have dessert first at times The dinner may be unbearable, so I will take the opportunity to melt in your arms once again One should never feel guilty for having dessert It will always be there when you need it

My goal in life is to go to college and pursue speech pathology. With this career, I will be able to give back to those in need and my family.

What are the odds of injuring both knees in an eight-month period? When you are running your body into the ground like I was doing the odds increase. My journey as a classically trained dancer started at the age of six. The two-hour-a-week commitment grew to thirty hours in what felt like a blink of an eye. By the time I started middle school, dance was my life and I was focused on taking it to the next level. My acceptance to this performing arts school plus my competitive dancing schedule caused me to wake up at 5 a.m., and return home around 10 p.m. I did schoolwork, ate, and napped during any free time I got. During the school week, I was lucky to get five hours of sleep. Schedules like this will break anyone down physically and mentally over time. My first injury occurred at an audition. I partially dislocated my right knee and I was not able to finish my commercial dance audition. My mom was able to push my classical ballet audition to the last available date and now it was up to me to begin rehabilitating. I went from crutches to auditioning and competing in a brace in a month’s time, returning after one missed competition. The competition was a commitment that I made and my mom made financially. I couldn’t let down my team because I know how much I hated re-spacing dances when something happened to someone within the dance. I made it through that dance season and was looking forward to what the new dance season would bring. One month into the new season while filming for National Dance Day I found myself in an ambulance with a fully dislocated left knee. The pain made me look at my mom and tell her I didn’t think I could dance anymore. If I was going to go through this pain so often, the last thing on my mind was dancing again. Once the Physician's Assistant popped my knee back I immediately asked “how long until I am able to dance again?” This was during the time of the year when we prepared for our spring show. I knew I would be able to dance by the time the performance date rolled around. I never just sat and watched the dancers in my class while I was injured, I always practiced my dance in a chair. I practiced in a chair to make sure I was prepared to perform. Having to change something that was being prepared for months was the last thing I wanted to do. I rehabilitated as quickly as I could to make sure I still maintained a front spot, and I did. Even though dance was something that I enjoyed for myself, there were people who were counting on me. It was never just my job as a dancer to be there for my team, but it was my job as a teammate. I was discouraged for a short period of time with these injuries, but there wasn’t much I could do but work on myself and come back better than ever. I will never forget the smiles that I put on my coach and my team’s face once I was able to dance again. This made me understand how important keeping my body healthy is. Ever since these two incidents, I have been sure to make sure I am doing great mentally and physically. Injuries are not the best thing, but I don’t regret them because they taught me how important it is to be there for my community.

When young athletes find out that they are prone to an injury, they usually end up giving up on whatever sport they are pursuing. I have had moments where I have had to sacrifice something meaningful to do something that I desire. In my mind, being brave means you are willing to do anything. As a dancer, I would consider myself brave. When I did a dance audition in 8th grade I partially dislocated my right knee, and eight months later I fully dislocated the left one. I ended up taking a small break, but not long after I was dancing again. Continuing to dance was a huge risk and I knew that, but it was something I loved. I was dancing 24-plus hours a week and competing once a month and letting down my team was something I couldn't do. I was also a dancer at school, so I had performances to prepare for as well. Letting my competitive team and my school dance program down was something I couldn't do; I decided to be brave and continue to dance with the risk of injuring myself. Academics is something that also allowed me to become brave. With covid, I had to cut back on dance. I was no longer competing, but I was still dancing during the week with my school over zoom. Not knowing when I'd be able to dance again, I decided to further my education and start taking dual enrollment classes. I have been taking dual enrollment classes since the summer before sophomore year, and by the time I graduate in 2023, I will have my associate's degree. I sacrificed lots of time that I could've spent with friends or family, but the final outlook of receiving a degree was something that kept me going.

Two years ago I would never expect myself to do anything else besides being a professional dancer. Dance was my life ever since I was 7. When I was in 8th grade, I had to take a break from dance because I partially dislocated my knee, and a year later I fully dislocated the opposite one. I was a competitive dancer, so I was often competing with a knee brace or athletic tape. I was dancing 24+ hours a week. The only thing that stopped me was covid. Covid made me settle down and focus on the world outside of dance. I began to focus on academics and other interests of mine. I also became immersed in the news which allowed me to focus on the issues of the black community in America and think of ways to give back with my desire to become a speech pathologist. Black people have the highest poverty rate in the United States compared to any other race, which affects education and health care benefits, including therapy. Black health is something that has been neglected for too long and that is something that I want to change. Once I am able to become a speech pathologist I will give back to my community by volunteering at places that aren’t able to have programs such as speech pathology. Low-income schools often miss out on programs like this due to funding. Speech pathologists are not just limited to schools, they can also work at places such as hospitals and health care facilities. Within the black community, there is also a lack of health insurance and access to care. I want to be able to help those who need speech-language therapy in hospitals or care facilities but can't afford it. I don't want to just give back to the black community within my state, but expand to other black areas. The percentage of speech pathologists that are black is very low. According to the ASHA, 3.6% of speech pathologists are black. When it comes to diagnosing those who are African American, there is a chance of misdiagnosing if you are non-black. Only 24% of speech pathologists are trained on how to assist AAE speakers (African American English) (Latimer-Hearn, 2016). Those who do not understand that AAVE is a dialect are subject to bias. With growing up speaking AAVE, I am able to accurately help those in my community and give more opportunities to them by being present in a predominantly white career field. Covid has had its many disadvantages for my community, but many people are working to move past it. Every year I get closer to completing my goal of becoming a speech pathologist. Being black allows me to recognize and sympathize with the struggles in my community, but just sympathizing isn't enough. The only way I can make a change is by working with my community to improve it. I hope my plan of giving back to lower-income communities will help improve black health for future generations.

Out of the five fingers I was always the thumb Why was I never understood? Constantly in places where I didn't belong Struggles never related to Jealousy rising All these things I wish I had Is it okay not to look or be like everyone else? It is okay. Mom always set me up to succeed Even if that meant she had to struggle These things make me who I am today My curls My skin the color of molasses My pain My suffering I can be the thumb At the end of the day I'm still part of the hand