Innovation requires creativity. Some of the most profitable and successful business ideas come from a place of creative thinking. And they sprout from a place of scarcity. What is needed in these spaces is resources. The more capital and true resources in underrepresented communities, the more these bright ideas have a platform. As an aspiring entrepreneur and current HBCU student, I found my resources in my education. From conferences, competitions, and internships I have been able to make connections and learn more. I am blessed with the experiences I have had in the first half of my undergraduate degree. With these blessings comes the true reality of my experience and my privilege. Back home, I notice my peers who did not take my same path and how our challenges differ. I know young entrepreneurs who have their own business or provide a service and they struggle with maintaining clientele or sales while also being in the workforce to survive. They pay for their supplies with their own money and do not have access to certain grants and loans to grow their businesses. With more success and innovation in underrepresented communities, there will be more financial freedom and more opportunities for people to turn their ideas into lasting businesses. Economic empowerment is not just about money. It is about removing the barriers that force talented people to choose between survival and their dreams. Business innovation in these communities looks like a dancer creating her own apparel line because the industry refuses to see her. It looks like my high school friend is finally getting a loan to turn her nail business into a storefront. When underrepresented communities have resources, we do not just participate in the economy. We change it. And that change lasts. As a dancer who has participated in both halftime entertainment and competition dance, I constantly encountered issues finding proper sizing and colorways of costume pieces. The dance industry is white dominated in sizing and coloring. The supportive straps of my costumes were all a shade of pale beige; the officer costumes for my high school drill team were sized medium and under. Masking my own skin color in order to be "uniform" left me disheartened and self-conscious during performances. My experience is felt by other melanated dancers across the world. I want them to have access to the proper dancewear and feel accepted in their field. I wish to start a dance apparel company inclusive in both sizes and color swatches. The intended market is for dancers and other movement based groups who participate in performance art. My products will supply performers proper accommodations to perform skillfully in their fields. The ability to market my products to a wide range of dancers makes my brand unique amongst the current market. My intended market also serves a wide range of customers. From children to adult sizes, I want to create garments for performers. So not only can dance teams utilize my products, a high school colorguard team or gymnasts could find something within my brand that they can buy. This is to ensure inclusion across the board. The ideal ballerina or gymnast in our eyes as a society should not have a specific skin tone or body type. Everyone should be able to achieve their dreams as a performer because they want to and feel comfortable while doing it. My brand aims to provide more than just a tangible item, but a change in the status quo. Through economic empowerment and business innovation, my company will help underrepresented communities gain financial freedom and prove that our ideas matter.

As someone who grew up in an environment with little to no black representation in leadership and navigating public education as one of the few black students in my classes, I desired to be amongst my community and find more peers who looked like me. The concept of historically black universities was not introduced to me until my freshman year of high school. At last, I have the opportunity to be surrounded by my people all while pursuing higher education. In my search for a black institution with an exceptional standard of academics, a high rating of student experience, and a major program that best fits my intended career path in business, North Carolina A&T satisfied all of those requirements. I was also attracted to the culture surrounding A&T, the idea of Aggie Pride, and the history of remarkable students who created change as students. Now it is my time to be part of that legacy and create change in my career field. This scholarship will help me achieve the financial freedom to truly soar as a college student and utilize my time to build a foundation for my career path in entrepreneurship. The dance industry is white dominated in sizing and hue. This biased perspective was a lasting indicator of my value in the art of dance. My physique, skin tone, and bone structure distanced me from the standard dancer. I danced for years with the incorrect dance wear, restricting movement and attracting unwanted attention to my two-toned figure during performances. It isolated me from my predominately petite, fair-skinned team. I want black and brown performers to have access to the proper costumes and uniforms acknowledging their presence and value in art. Pursuing business management with a concentration in entrepreneurship will best assist me in crafting dance apparel inclusive in both sizing and color swatches for dancers and other movement-based groups who participate in performance art. Garments that are both affordable and accessible to all performers give them the space to create lasting works where their identity is reflected in both their art and their attire. Throughout my four years in Greensboro, I want to explore and take advantage of all of the opportunities offered to North Carolina A&T students. Whether that is studying abroad, internships, or other extraordinary opportunities on campus, I want those experiences as a part of my journey through college. As an accepted applicant of the Honors College, I can be a part of a unique experience that will continue to enhance my college experience with supplemental classes and pursuing a minor program catered towards my career goals. After my years in Aggieland, I want to reflect on my time at North Carolina A&T as an experience that left me an improved and more mature version of myself. And while I was there, I made both professional and personal connections lasting long after my time on campus. What I was able to accomplish as an Aggie, hopefully inspires another high school student to come here and find their place, similar to how I was inspired back during my freshman year continuing a cycle that creates more black excellence.