Well first let me introduce myself my name is Saniya Cureton, and I am currently pursuing my degree in Business administration at Fayetteville State University. Black excellence has always been a statement that I heard when it came to celebrities especially when they do something great. I then realized I show and have Black excellence every day. There are 8 attributes which are: Be a continual learner, Strive for servant leadership, Thrive with an indomitable will, Prosper with a purpose, Prioritize and manage time, Get it don't!, Develop and possess grit, and Dare to take calculated risks. I feel I do embody each of these attributes but to me, my top ones are to Thrive with an indomitable will, Prosper with a purpose, and Get it done! The attribute that I believe is my top one though is thriving with an indomitable will because having an indomitable will means preserving through challenges, refusing to give up in the face of adversity, and maintaining focus on my goals no matter how big the obstacle may be. Throughout my life, I have consistently demonstrated this attribute, and it has been a defining force in my academic, personal, and community endeavors. I was taught from a very young age that you earn what you work for and if you put your mind to it, work hard, and have determination you can accomplish anything you put your mind to. I quickly realized that success would not be handed to me that is something that you have to work for whether in your career, relationships, academics, or personal goals. I watched my mother work endlessly to care and provide for me as a single mother instilling into me that hard work, persistence, and determination are the keys you need to overcoming life's challenges. Despite having obstacles I always concentrated on my schoolwork. Ultimately, I thrive because I approach life with a will to succeed in everything that I do. I believe that this attribute embodies Black Excellence because it reflects the strength, perseverance, and courage of generations who paved the way for individuals like me. I want to carry this legacy forward by standing firm in the face of obstacles, remaining focused on my goals, and never giving up. Something that I would say that is not my strongest attribute that I continue to work on and have gotten better at is prioritizing and managing time. While I am proud of my ability to thrive with an indomitable will this is something that I want to continue to improve on. As someone who is passionate about learning and achieving excellence, I often find myself juggling multiple responsibilities, from academics, to working a full-time job, extracurricular activities, and family commitments. While my drive keeps me motivated, I sometimes struggle to allocate my time effectively for time for myself sometimes leading to stress and occasional burnout. Improving in this area is crucial to achieving balance and unlocking my full potential. To help address this weakness, I have developed a structured plan that incorporates time management strategies, practical tools, and a commitment to help with self-discipline. Starting off with implementing a daily schedule like using a daily planner, and calendar which can help me allocate specific times for schoolwork, personal development, and extracurriculars such as volunteering. By being able to visualize and organize my commitments that way I can ensure that I dedicate the appropriate time to high-priority tasks that I need to do. Setting up SMART goals which is a tool that I learned in school to help me set clear and achievable goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. So instead of saying "I need to study more" I can create a smart goal with a clear objective such as " I will review two chapters of biology for 90 minutes each evening this week". By breaking tasks into smaller, manageable pieces will prevent procrastination and make time management less overwhelming. An essential part of time management to me is recognizing time for me to take a pause. To help avoid burnout, I set aside time for hobbies, exercise, and mindfulness practices such as meditation and yoga. Taking care of my mental and physical health will ensure I remain productive and energized. By implementing this plan, I believe I can improve my ability to prioritize and manage my time effectively. Time management is not just about productivity; it is about creating balance and ensuring that I can achieve my goals without sacrificing my well-being. This attribute is essential to embodying Black Excellence because managing time allows individuals to pursue their purpose, serve their communities, and thrive in all aspects of life. I am committed to becoming more intentional with my time and ensuring I maximize every opportunity to grow, learn, and lead.

My name is Saniya Cureton, and I am pursuing my degree in Business Administration at Fayetteville State University. My journey towards my future success is deeply rooted in the great support and life lessons that my mother has taught me. Seeing her strength, resilience, and guidance has shaped me into the person that I am today, and with this scholarship, I would be able to honor the sacrifices that my mother made by building a brighter future for myself and my community. Growing up, I watched my mother navigate life's challenges with great determination to give me a better life. As a single parent, she worked endlessly to provide for me making sacrifices to continue to make sure that I was taken care of. Her ability to persevere throughout everything which has taught me the importance of resilience and hard work. One of the most profound lessons that my mother has taught me was the value of education. Seeing her work hard to obtain her degree while working her full-time job and taking care of me and my little brother, while also getting her degree in criminal justice was always inspiring to me. Seeing her walk across the stage helped push me to get my degree after I finished high school. She always reminded me to dream big and that I can do anything that I put my mind to with hard work and determination and that she will always have my back. I have seen my mother go through a lot in life from working endlessly to provide for me, being in a domestic relationship, car accidents, and many more events that can take a toll on her mentally and physically. Even with everything that has happened to her she still finds the strength to push through and continue every day. Her influence extends far past just my education she has shown me how to be compassionate for others, to give back to my community, and value relationships. My mom's selflessness and commitment to others inspires me to use my education and skills to make a positive impact. I want to create a future where I can create opportunities for others, just as my mother did for me. Receiving this scholarship would be a pivotal movement in my journey. With my mother's unwavering support with any and everything that I do, her resilience, and life lessons have shaped me into a driven and compassionate individual. She has always instilled in me the values of hard work, perseverance, and giving back which guide my aspirations every day. This scholarship would not only honor her sacrifices but also empowers me to achieve my dreams and make a meaningful impact on my community. I am committed to using this opportunity to carry forward her legacy and build a future that reflects the values she has lovingly instilled in me.

My mental health has always been a big struggle for me because honestly never knew what was wrong. I was always anxious as a child like something was always gonna happen, but it still happens to this day I am a huge overthinker and always think about the worst scenario. There were other things that played a big part such as anxiety, depression, overthinking, not eating sometimes, and overeating as well. Soon I just got used to it, it was my normal well I thought it was. I went into my first year of college and I had a horrible time focusing in class while doing schoolwork, or I was uninterested and did not want to do it which over time caused problems with my schooling. I really did not know what was wrong sometimes I would have great bursts of energy and the other times I would be extremely down and did not want to do anything at all just lay in bed all day and that is what I did. I wanted to know what was wrong because nothing felt right but then again I did not because I was scared of what they were gonna say. It was not until my friend told me to go to the school therapist so I could get the help that I needed to figure out what was wrong because I was getting so mentally out of it and depressed that I was afraid I was gonna do something again. She stood by my side every step of the way even waited in the waiting room for me on my first appointment. It was near the end of the semester so I was only able to go to one session and she referred me over to a psychiatrist because she said it was a possibility that I had Bipolar Two. So I had a meeting with her and that's what was wrong this whole entire time, when I first found out I was confused because it has always been a stigma that people with bipolar disorder were crazy or something was very wrong with them and I did not want to be viewed that way by anyone. She started me on medication that helped boost my mood, increase my appetite, and some other things. It was an adjustment and change, It did help at first it boosted my mood I wasn't as angry or sad anymore but it also felt forced after a while I started feeling drowsy and fatigued all the time I would run out of energy. It felt like I was back at square one all over again. Then one day I had took the medicine it had changed my health a lot I could tell I already had low iron so I think it did cause something there but I was at school and I passed out in the school cafe. After that, I stopped taking the medicine so it could get out of my system and I could try something different. My mental health has gotten somewhat better than it was before and after all that has happened some days are a struggle but others are good and I try to focus on the positives of life now. I try to develop more relationships because before that's just not something I was too focused on and it led to me pushing people out of my life. Learning from this has really made me want to push to advocate for the youth when it comes to mental health and therapy. I want to create a safe space for kids to feel comfortable enough to talk to other people and connect them to people that are like them so they do not feel alone in this constant battle with themselves. I want to be able to help them find their voice and courage to get help and to show them that nothing is wrong with them they are still a human beings just like everyone else and that no one will judge them.

I would love to start a foundation that helps with people in need or people without housing get the help that they need to get back on their feet. So really helping them with the financial support, getting a job, housing, and also the mental health support that they need. I also want to start a foundation for the youth from middle school age up until high school or college to help students get the mental help and support that they need. From a younger age, I knew that something was different with me and the way my mental health was but I never got the help I was scared, I recently in my first year of college went to our college therapist and was recommended to a psychiatrist and I was diagnosed with Bipolar 2 and was put on medication for it. This was something that affected my every day with school it affected me by focusing on assignments, overspending money, and a lot more but I had gotten used to it and thought it was normal when it was not. I got the help that I needed because I found someone that I trusted and they listened to me and my concerns I want to be able to find that for other kids that could possibly be going through the same thing and they are scared and have no one to talk to.

I was raised by my mother she got pregnant with me when she was in college which was a challenge for her. She did the absolute best that she could, we stayed with my grandparents and me and my mom shared a room. She would work multiple jobs to take care of me so most of the time I was with my grandparents or at daycare or school. She pushed herself to make sure I had everything that I needed or wanted. She taught me throughout everything to be grateful for what you have and always have hard work and dedication in everything that you do in life. Which is something that I think about and try to do daily in my life. I always try to have a plan when I do something and then a backup plan and then another plan in case that does not work out also. I always try to make her proud in everything that I do with school, with work, and I try to accomplish every goal that I have for myself and my future to help make it successful.

My name is Saniya Cureton I was born in raised in a small town called Kenly, North Carolina. I am currently in my second year at Fayetteville State University where I am getting my degree in Business administration. That's just a little introduction of me that is something that I learned during my time here at Fayetteville State is to always leave a good first impression and introduce myself in the new rooms that you enter because you are special and no one is like you and so people also know who you are because you never know what opportunity is in the room with you. From the day that I was born, my family has always told and shown me kindness and respect for others goes a long way and that is something that I do stand by and live by in my adult years. I will say we do need more India's in the world someone who is loving, compassionate, kind, and dedicated in the work that they do but also as a person. Even though I did not know her before but I would say I am following in her footsteps of kindness, dedication, and compassion. Even though I am a full-time student and I also work full-time to help provide for myself I still try to find ways to help others even when I don't always have it. Even helping in small ways can change someone's life, when I do have time I have helped with a food bank in Dunn by helping box up free food for many different families, making donations mainly clothes and shoes to families in need, me and my family always donate to a church in our town that makes sure the people that need it get it. This is something that I truly do enjoy doing and want to do more to help give back not just in my community but everywhere else that also needs help. This has helped also with getting community service hours for something that I want to do in the future but that is not the reason I help. I help because you truly never know if you will ever be in that position yourself one day and you just need one person to help and change your life for the better. I would love to continue the legacy of India with my future plans in life after I finish my degree I do plan on going back to school to become an ultrasound technician that is something that I have always wanted to do because I have always wanted to be apart of the medical field in someway possible. With any job that I plan on in my future or in life, I always plan to treat people with respect, compassion, and dedication throughout anything that I do just like India did and I hope I make her proud.

My main goal when I graduate is to be able to help small businesses, especially black-owned businesses in my state. I live close to the Raleigh area which is one of our major cities in the state and I want to help elevate the growing city that we have or wherever my business ventures lead me to and help not only the business owners in the area but also the city itself because the more economy we have the more opportunities we have for the cities to grow but also improve and North Carolina is becoming one of the top states to live in and I want to be able to help the state and community grow. This would be my chance to help with major communities but also small communities like I am from. I come from a very small town called Kenly and there is a small handful of black businesses in our community. When we do have them they really do not have the community support that they need and also some of the business help that they need to help succeed and be successful which is one of the major reasons why I would like to help out especially in small communities so that we can grow as a community and also them as a business so they could hopefully expand more each day. I do also have a backup plan just in case something happens or if I want to go down another path. Which would be getting my Ultrasound Technician certificate so that I could become a sonographer which is another career path that I have always wanted to pursue. My plan is to get my bachelor's first but also do internships while I am in school to get my feet in the water and to really see what career I want to pursue more. Then possibly go back to a 2-year program to get my certificate. This scholarship would be very helpful in my obtaining my bachelor's because everyone knows college is expensive and is one of the reasons why most people do not even go to college which was almost the case for me. For me, I come from a single-income home with just me, my mom, and my little brother so this scholarship will help ease the cost of college even if it's just a little bit it would go a very long way and help in the future, especially with helping with debt. Even though to some my goals may seem small but to me it is something that I am really passionate about and really want to focus on more and find many different ways to help my community and also different communities in the future.

My name is Saniya Cureton I will be attending Fayetteville State University in the fall and will be receiving my BA in Business Administration. This scholarship would be very helpful in my education and also help take away some of the stress of finding funding for school because I do come from a single-income family. It is me, my mother, and my little brother, and always has been so this scholarship would be a great help so I would not have to take out student loans that will hold me back from building my future. This scholarship will help with my future plans and endeavors which will help me give back to my community in the long run. My plans and goals that I want for my future include me finishing and having my bachelor's degree in Business administration. At this moment I do not have a concentration, I want to explore the many different options and be skillful in all of them. My main goal when I graduate is to be able to help small businesses, especially black-owned businesses in my state. I live close to the Raleigh area which is one of our major cities in the state and I want to help elevate the growing city that we have or wherever my business ventures lead me to and help not only the business owners in the area but also the city itself because the more economy we have the more opportunities we have for the cities to grow but also improve and North Carolina is becoming one of the top states to live in and I want to be able to help the state and community grow. This would be my chance to help with major communities but also small communities like I am from. I come from a very small town called Kenly and there is a small handful of black businesses in our community. When we do have them they really do not have the community support that they need and also some of the business help that they need to help succeed and be successful which is one of the major reasons why I would like to help out especially in small communities so that we can grow as a community and also them as a business so they could hopefully expand more each day. I do also have a backup plan just in case something happens or if I want to go down another path. Which would be getting my Ultrasound Technician certificate so that I could become a sonographer which is another career path that I have always wanted to pursue. My plan is to get my bachelor's first but also do internships while I am in school to get my feet in the water and to really see what career I want to pursue more. Then possibly go back to a 2-year program to get my certificate. This scholarship would be very helpful in my obtaining my bachelor's because everyone knows college is expensive and is one of the reasons why most people do not even go to college which was almost the case for me which is why this scholarship would help so much for my future.

My experience with mental health has changed my life for the better and also for the worse. My battle with my mental health is something that never goes away, it is something that sticks with you everyday that you have to work through. Sometimes it does get in the way of some of my goals and relationships in the past and has been something that I do try and work on. Mental health was something I really did not think about until it affected me truly. I had my first panic attack in 2020 after failing my first quiz after we had transferred over to fully online schooling. I honestly did not know what was going on or even what to do I felt trapped and alone because I really had no one to turn too. I kept struggling in silence because I felt I had no where to turn or even someone to go too at all. It did not help the fact that I had to watch my mother go through her own battle of being in a domestic abuse relationship, it felt like my whole world was turning upside down completely. That same year I tried to take my life this is something that I never told anyone because I felt that I would be judge and they wouldn’t understand completely. I still struggle almost everyday some days are better than others but honestly I’m doing better than I was three years ago. I have not found that one method that has helped me but I’m getting there especially with me leaving on my own for college soon. This has also been my main reason as to why I want to keep going forward to start my career and moving forward with my life making sure that I’m actually going to be ok.