Leslie exhaled calmly as she reclined in her hammock. She was a multi-millionaire with a net worth of over $3 million. There was a feeling of tranquility that insulated her life. Looking up at the evening sky she thought, “And to think it all started with a college education”. Leslie isn’t real but embodies what is possible through financial literacy and leveraging education to build wealth. As a student from a low-income background, I have encountered many financial problems while navigating college. This experience has led me to help other students in the same situations to help them avoid the same obstacles I have encountered. I will help students in my community develop financial literacy and leverage college education to build wealth. As I volunteer with the local TRiO Upward Bound program at my university, I will support 9th and 10th-grade students from a low-income household and first-generation students. As a first-generation and low-income student, I strongly identify with these students, so I strive to pour into others from similar backgrounds. These students are in a position where their parents may not have the tools to develop their children’s financial literacy, so I hope to counter this issue. In addition to the career opportunities that a college education brings, I will help students utilize tools to graduate debt-free: tuition reimbursement programs, negotiating financial aid packages, earning scholarships and grants, and prioritizing affordable costs when choosing a college. I will host workshops where I teach students about these tools, and combine this with knowledge about financial management. There is an emphasis on paying off student debt, but there’s not enough knowledge on how to prevent it. In high school, I attended a scholarship workshop where the people on the panel expressed that if they could go back in time, they would have applied for scholarships because there’s no other stage in life where people are offering to give you free money. They explained how it would have saved them so much time and stress if they had just done the difficult work and reaped the benefits when they were older. Having scholarship money stops students from taking out loans which can become crushing debt. I will motivate youth to apply for scholarships, giving them examples of the real-life effects that student debt has on our society. I hope to help other students understand that applying for scholarships is a financially sound decision because their current choices can impact their future financial situation. Beyond avoiding student loan debt, I will teach students the importance of building wealth. I will instill the financial mindset of seeing money as their employee, teaching them to put their money to work. I strive to change the financial circumstances of the youth in my community through the TRiO Upward Bound program, where I will help students build wealth and graduate college debt-free.

Nelson Mandela once said, “To be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” A lack of education can often feel like a burden as it can hold one back from one's fullest potential. As a first-generation student, I have faced many challenges not being able to seek assistance from my parents as I navigate college since they never went to college. Having this experience has led me to help other students who are also from low-income backgrounds. As a person from an immigrant household, I had parents who understood the reality of poverty and a lack of resources, especially when it came to education. My parents grew up in a third-world country where people did not have academic resources readily available to them. This lack of education took the hope of a better and fulfilling life away from many people in my home country, Nigeria, and this problem persists. Having experienced this issue themselves, my parents taught me to prioritize my education and to be diligent and hardworking. I learned about how many people from Nigeria do not have access to quality education, and this awareness helped me recognize the available opportunities. Now, I am studying Mathematics, which allows me to use the concepts I learn, my critical thinking, and my creativity to solve real-world problems. I am surrounded by underrepresented youth in my local community, so I strive to foster their appreciation for Mathematics. I tutor Atlantan students at Cristo Rey High School, helping them comprehend Mathematics concepts. During tutoring sessions, I strive to keep students engaged and transform their frustration into a love for the subject. I encourage students to pursue higher education and research opportunities in Mathematics and related fields of study. I have no financial support from my low-income family, so earning the Whiddon Memorial Scholarship would allow me to continue giving back to my community while focusing on my research and studies.

“You’ll do great on your exam. I love you baby, and I’m proud of you”. These were the words left on a sticky note on my desk in 3rd grade and throughout elementary school before the big exams, I had to take. Although I no longer physically have these notes, the message is engraved in my heart, and moments like that defined my relationship with my mother in a broader context, especially concerning my academics. She nurtured me like a plant, giving me love and care, and taught me how a good education could open up opportunities, allowing me to be a useful member of my community. I distinctly remember studying for the SAT exam and feeling like I wasn’t improving. However, she encouraged me to study even if my progress seemed minuscule. She would stay up helping me with assignments from Quadratic Equations to argumentative essays for English. She also taught me that many people from Nigeria, my home country, don’t have access to quality education. This helped me understand my privilege and how important it is to help people in my community. She also challenged me to do my best and her words of encouragement built my confidence in my ability to make a seemingly hopeless situation better for myself and others in my community. I will carry this confidence throughout my life, no matter where I go. Through the values she instilled in me, I have begun a research project modeling Retinal Epithelial Wound Healing. I research alongside other undergraduate students to gain insight into dry Age-related Macular Degeneration, which causes loss in the center of the field of vision and largely affects older adults. I will fight to use my knowledge to advance the world's understanding of diseases like Age-related Macular Degeneration. She showed me that anything good takes hard work and time, and even after her passing, the skills she instilled in me remained. My mother did everything in her power to ensure that my siblings and I and the people in our community were nurtured and was a source of joy for anyone who experienced her presence. Through her actions, I understand the importance of being a gift to those around me, and I now follow in her footsteps and give back to the less fortunate people in my community. In the future, I will be as reliable as she is and help others grow to their fullest potential. With support, I can complete my education, and I will strive to help instill the importance of youth pursuing their education. My mother taught me everything good that I know, and I hope that one day, I can have the impact on other people’s lives that she has on mine.

Nelson Mandela, a renowned political leader once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Higher education and financial education are important, and with education being such a powerful weapon, not having access to it puts many students at a great disadvantage and stops them from reaching their full potential and positively changing society. I endeavor to address my community's lack of financial literacy, especially for first-generation and low-income students, and provide the financial tools needed to build wealth. I will help students in my community develop financial literacy and leverage college education to build wealth. Millions of people, particularly Americans, go into debt that they spend years trying to pay off, sometimes barely making a dent in the principal. Although many people don’t have the privilege of being able to graduate without debt, some people can if they seek financial resources such as scholarships. I aspire to motivate the youth in my community to apply for scholarships and educate them on how scholarships have a high return on investment and are a great way to earn college funding at a faster rate than traditional ways such as a job or fundraising. As I volunteer with the local TRiO Upward Bound program at my university, I will support 9th and 10th-grade students from a low-income household and first-generation students. As a first-generation and low-income student, I strongly identify with these students, so I strive to pour into others from similar backgrounds. These students are in a position where their parents may not have the tools to develop their children’s financial literacy, so I hope to counter this issue. In addition to the career opportunities that a college education brings, I will help students utilize tools to graduate debt-free: tuition reimbursement programs, negotiating financial aid packages, earning scholarships and grants, and prioritizing affordable costs when choosing a college. I will host workshops where I teach students about these tools, and combine this with knowledge about financial management. Beyond avoiding student loan debt, I will strive to keep students engaged, transforming their thinking and teaching students the importance of building wealth. I will instill the financial mindset of seeing money as their employee and teaching them to put their money to work. I strive to change the financial circumstances of the youth in my community through the TRiO Upward Bound program, where I will help students build wealth and graduate college debt-free.

Tears welled in my eyes and a knot formed in my chest--two sensations that I am all too familiar with when I think about the issues my community faces. And almost as quickly, the words of Danny Thomas ring in my mind: ”Success has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself. It’s what you do for others.” I strive to live by this quote by helping my local community members and the world through my philanthropic and research endeavors. Black women from low-income households (especially first-generation students) are underrepresented in Mathematics and research and do not have access to STEM resources. This blinds them from the possibilities available in STEM. I aspire to be a role model for other black women from low-income households so their eyes are open to the possibilities in Mathematics. I will strive to help young black women grow to their fullest potential by instilling the importance, love, and curiosity for Mathematics. I previously worked with a program known as TRiO Upward Bound, where I provide first-generation students and students from low-income backgrounds with tutoring and information about potential career paths. I tutor high school students at Cristo Rey High School and Centennial Academy, helping them expand their comprehension of Mathematics concepts and prepare for upcoming Mathematics exams. I strive to transform students’ frustration into a love for the subject and encourage them to pursue higher education and research opportunities in Mathematics and related fields of study. An emerging sentiment is resentment and disdain for higher education because many people have been pulled into the abyss of student loan debt. However, a strategic student can avoid taking out loans and leverage higher education as a vehicle for wealth. However, this is only possible through sufficient financial education. This summer, I have been learning about financial topics because I understand the power of financial literacy. I want to teach other students about finances, so they can make informed decisions about their education, and ultimately achieve financial freedom. As a tutor for the TRiO Upward Bound program students through, I will provide financial knowledge to students: budgeting as a means of developing healthy money management, a budget-centered college list, full-tuition scholarships, full-ride scholarships, and negotiating financial aid packages. Currently, I am conducting Retinal Epithelial Wound Healing research using the CompuCell3D simulation software, where I can discover the real-world applications of Mathematics. I replicate lab samples using technology to collect data and gain insight into cell behavior. Through similar research work, I will use technology and mathematics to understand biological phenomena and contribute data that can be used to tackle diseases. Ultimately, through my efforts, I will do my part in making the world's destiny and future brighter.

Eyes narrowed and lips pursed—I searched my university’s program and major catalog for each major and potential career. Finally, I got to the ‘M’ category and saw it: Mathematics. The word seemed to levitate off the website page, drawing my eyes to its luminous shape. As Albert Einstein once said,” Mathematics is, in its way, the poetry of logical ideas”, and I’ve been captivated by its allure. When I first arrived in college, I was not sure what I wanted to do, so I began as a Computer Information Systems major and switched my major several times. By sophomore year, I was majoring in Film & Media. Although Film & Media sparked my interest, something was still missing—I needed to study something that would intellectually challenge me. So I went back to the drawing board and began researching majors. Throughout high school and my freshman year of college, it never occurred to me that Mathematics was a possibility. Perhaps I was blind to the opportunity because of the lack of representation for black women in Mathematics, technology, and research. Subsequently, I aspire to be a role model for other black women from low-income households so their eyes are open to the possibilities in Mathematics. Currently, I am conducting Retinal Epithelial Wound Healing research using the CompuCell3D simulation software, where I can discover the real-world applications of Mathematics. I replicate lab samples using technology to collect data and gain insight into cell behavior—it has been the highlight of my academic career. Research like this piques my interest, and I will pursue more research opportunities throughout my undergraduate program and graduate school. I truly enjoy mathematics: it allows me to use the concepts I learn, my critical thinking, and my creativity to solve problems, a valuable skill that can translated to any field. Additionally, Mathematics satisfies my curiosity. When I researched possible careers in Mathematics, I knew it was the perfect major for me. Soon, I will pursue additional research opportunities where I can apply mathematics and technology to solve real-world problems. Being a black woman from a low-income household compels me to set goals that center my community. I strive to use my academic and research endeavors to inspire black women to pursue higher education in Mathematics. Additionally, I am surrounded by underrepresented youth in my local community, so I strive to foster their appreciation for Mathematics. I tutor students at Cristo Rey High School and Centennial Academy in Atlanta, helping them comprehend Mathematics concepts. During tutoring sessions, I strive to keep students engaged and transform their frustration into a love for the subject. I encourage students to pursue higher education and research opportunities in Mathematics and related fields of study. Without financial support, paying back loans isn’t feasible. Subsequently, receiving the SigLa Education Scholarship would allow me to use hours I would otherwise spend working to continue giving back while focusing on my research and studies.

“You’ll do great on your exam. I love you baby, and I’m proud of you”. These were the words left on a sticky note on my desk in 3rd grade and throughout elementary school before the big exams that I had to take, and although I no longer physically have these notes, the message is engraved in my heart. Moments like that defined my relationship with my mother in a broader context, especially concerning my academics. She nurtured me like a plant, giving me love and care, and taught me how a good education could open up opportunities for me, allowing me to be a useful member of my community. I distinctly remember studying for the SAT exam and feeling as though I wasn’t making much progress. However, she encouraged me to continue studying even if my progress seemed minuscule. She would stay up helping me with assignments from Quadratic Equations to argumentative essays for English. She also taught me that many people from Nigeria, my home country, don’t have access to quality education. This helped me understand the privilege that I have and how important it is to help people in my community. She also challenged me to do my best and her words of encouragement built my confidence in my ability to take a seemingly hopeless situation and make it better for myself and others in my community. I will carry this confidence throughout my life, no matter where I go. She showed me that anything good takes hard work and time, and even after her passing, the skills she instilled in me remained. My mother did everything in her power to make sure that my siblings and I as well as the people in our community were taken care of and was a source of joy for anyone who experienced her presence. Through her actions, I understand the importance of being a gift to those around me, and I now follow in her footsteps and give back to the less fortunate people in my community. In the future, I hope to be as reliable as she is and help others grow to their fullest potential. With support, I can complete my education, and I will strive to help instill the importance of pursuing one’s passions and education in my community. No one but my mother was worth dedicating this essay to as she taught me everything good that I know, and I hope that one day, I can have the impact on other people’s lives that she has on mine.