My name is Toluwalope Semowo, and I study Human Resources at Indiana University. That mundane sentence is something I never thought I'd be able to say Growing up in Nigeria, the ability to advance your education abroad is a rare and expensive privilege. I never imagined that I would be one of the lucky few able to do so. I am only here due to the indissoluble love of my parents who are weathering the devastating hyperinflation in Nigeria and taking tens of thousands in loans to keep me in college. To honor their love and sacrifice, I decided to graduate college with absolutely no regrets! To name a few, I am the Director of Community Service for Mu Beta Lambda Minority Business Fraternity, a senior member of the African Student Association, starting Center for the 2024 Intramural Basketball Championship team, an AmeriCorps National Service Volunteer, a Student Ambassador for Indiana University and the proud owner of a culinary business where I sell home-cooked meals from my dorm! That was a lot, I know. But that's the point! I am painfully aware of both how lucky I am to be in this position and the massive financial burden accompanying it. Due to the weight of out-of-state tuition, I am facing $35,000 in student loans at the start of my junior year, an amount that might double before I graduate. Just typing that sentence makes my chest tighten with a horrible pain. It honestly terrifies me. However, if I’m going to graduate with significant debt, I refuse to leave with regrets as well! In February 2023, I founded Feeding Bloom to create a positive impact on my community. After crowdfunding donations via GoFundMe, I cook massive meals and donate them to the homeless Bloomington community. For these events, I studied graphic design, social media marketing, and recruited a team of 20+ volunteers. I am elated to announce that in 4 events since then, Feeding Bloom has collected over $2000 in donations and fed 200+ people in need! My passion for helping others is why I study HR. I want to bring joy to the workplace, an environment of such deep sadness for millions. Humans spend approximately 1/3 of their lives working, so why not fill that with smiles?. This summer, I studied rigorously to improve as an HR professional, resulting in my status as a Corporate Recruiting Professional, certified by the American Staffing Association. With my skills from this certification, I want to work in recruitment to ensure that the right people get matched to the right job, increasing satisfaction for employees and the company. However, that goal becomes increasingly difficult as my debt increases. Working 20+ hours a week with EightAPlate while also Student Ambassador is exhausting. Toiling just to make ends meet as my loans drain every excess dollar from my account is frustrating. Even using resources like food banks and applying for SNAP benefits, I am struggling financially. The cost of my attendance at IU leaves me with no savings, which is terrifying as I don't have health insurance. I am one medical emergency away from ruin. This scholarship would allow me to reduce the number of hours I work, freeing up time to study and learn how to become the HR professional I want to be. I believe I should be awarded this scholarship because I work tirelessly to finance my education and make my dreams come true. I am a driven, dedicated worker, and this scholarship will be essential to help me graduate college and spread joy in the workplace! Thank you for considering my application!

My name is Toluwalope Semowo, and I study Human Resources at Indiana University. That mundane sentence is something I never thought I'd be able to say. Growing up in Nigeria, the ability to advance your education abroad is a rare and expensive privilege. I never imagined that I would be one of the lucky few able to do so. I am only here due to the indissoluble love of my parents who are weathering the devastating hyperinflation in Nigeria and taking tens of thousands in loans to keep me in college. To honor their love and sacrifice, I decided to graduate college with absolutely no regrets! To name a few, I am the Director of Community Service for Mu Beta Lambda Minority Business Fraternity, a senior member of the African Student Association, an AmeriCorps National Service Volunteer, a Student Ambassador for Indiana University and the proud owner of a culinary business where I sell home-cooked meals from my dorm! That was a lot, I know. But that's the point! I am painfully aware of both how lucky I am to be in this position and the massive financial burden accompanying it. Due to the weight of out-of-state tuition, I am facing $35,000 in student loans at the start of my junior year. Just typing that sentence makes my chest tighten with a horrible pain. It honestly terrifies me. However, if I’m going to graduate with significant debt, I refuse to leave with regrets as well! In February 2023, I founded Feeding Bloom to create a positive impact on my community. After crowdfunding donations via GoFundMe, I cook massive meals and donate them to the homeless Bloomington community. I am elated to announce that in 4 events since then, Feeding Bloom has collected over $2000 in donations and fed 200+ people in need! My passion for helping others is why I study HR. I want to bring joy to the workplace, an environment of such deep sadness for millions. Humans spend approximately 1/3 of their lives working, so why not fill that with smiles?. This summer, I studied rigorously to improve as an HR professional, resulting in my status as a Corporate Recruiting Professional, certified by the American Staffing Association. With my skills from this certification, I want to work in recruitment to ensure that the right people get matched to the right job, increasing satisfaction for employees and the company. However, that goal becomes increasingly difficult as my debt increases. Toiling just to make ends meet as my loans drain every excess dollar from my account is exhausting. Even using resources like food banks and applying for SNAP benefits, I am struggling financially. The cost of my attendance at IU leaves me with no savings, which is terrifying as I don't have health insurance. I am one medical emergency away from ruin. This scholarship would allow me to reduce the number of hours I work, freeing up time to study and learn how to become the HR professional I want to be. I believe I should be awarded this scholarship because I work tirelessly to finance my education and make my dreams come true. I am a driven, dedicated worker, and this scholarship will be essential to help me graduate college and spread joy in the workplace! Thank you!

My name is Toluwalope Semowo, and I study Human Resources at Indiana University. That mundane sentence is something I never thought I'd be able to say Growing up in Nigeria, the ability to advance your education abroad is a rare and expensive privilege. I never imagined that I would be one of the lucky few able to do so. I am only here due to the indissoluble love of my parents who are weathering the devastating hyperinflation in Nigeria and taking tens of thousands in loans to keep me in college. To honor their love and sacrifice, I decided to graduate college with absolutely no regrets! To name a few, I am the Director of Community Service for Mu Beta Lambda Minority Business Fraternity, a senior member of the African Student Association, starting Center for the 2024 Intramural Basketball Championship team, an AmeriCorps National Service Volunteer, a Student Ambassador for Indiana University and the proud owner of a culinary business where I sell home-cooked meals from my dorm! That was a lot, I know. But that's the point! I am painfully aware of both how lucky I am to be in this position and the massive financial burden accompanying it. Due to the weight of out-of-state tuition, I am facing $35,000 in student loans at the start of my junior year, an amount that might double before I graduate. Just typing that sentence makes my chest tighten with a horrible pain. It honestly terrifies me. However, if I’m going to graduate with significant debt, I refuse to leave with regrets as well! In February 2023, I founded Feeding Bloom to create a positive impact on my community. After crowdfunding donations via GoFundMe, I cook massive meals and donate them to the homeless Bloomington community. For these events, I studied graphic design, social media marketing, and recruited a team of 20+ volunteers. I am elated to announce that in 4 events since then, Feeding Bloom has collected over $2000 in donations and fed 200+ people in need! My passion for helping others is why I study HR. I want to bring joy to the workplace, an environment of such deep sadness for millions. Humans spend approximately 1/3 of their lives working, so why not fill that with smiles?. This summer, I studied rigorously to improve as an HR professional, resulting in my status as a Corporate Recruiting Professional, certified by the American Staffing Association. With my skills from this certification, I want to work in recruitment to ensure that the right people get matched to the right job, increasing satisfaction for employees and the company. However, that goal becomes increasingly difficult as my debt increases. Working 20+ hours a week with EightAPlate while also Student Ambassador is exhausting. Toiling just to make ends meet as my loans drain every excess dollar from my account is frustrating. Even using resources like food banks and applying for SNAP benefits, I am struggling financially. The cost of my attendance at IU leaves me with no savings, which is terrifying as I don't have health insurance. I am one medical emergency away from ruin. This scholarship would allow me to reduce the number of hours I work, freeing up time to study and learn how to become the HR professional I want to be. I believe I should be awarded this scholarship because I work tirelessly to finance my education and make my dreams come true. I am a driven, dedicated worker, and this scholarship will be essential to help me graduate college and spread joy in the workplace! Thank you for considering my application!

My name is Toluwalope Semowo, and I study Human Resources at Indiana University. That mundane sentence is something I never thought I'd be able to say Growing up in Nigeria, the ability to advance your education abroad is a rare and expensive privilege. I never imagined that I would be one of the lucky few able to do so. I am only here due to the indissoluble love of my parents who are weathering the devastating hyperinflation in Nigeria and taking tens of thousands in loans to keep me in college. To honor their love, I decided to graduate college with absolutely no regrets! To name a few, I am the Director of Community Service for Mu Beta Lambda Minority Business Fraternity, a senior member of the African Student Association and an AmeriCorps National Service Volunteer. That was a lot, I know. But that's the point! I am painfully aware of both how lucky I am to be in this position and the massive financial burden accompanying it. Due to the weight of out-of-state tuition, I am facing $35,000 in student loans at the start of my junior year. Just typing that sentence makes my chest tighten with a horrible pain. It honestly terrifies me. However, if I’m going to graduate with significant debt, I refuse to leave with regrets as well! In February 2023, I founded FeedingBloom to create a positive impact on my community. After crowdfunding donations via GoFundMe, I cook massive meals and donate them to the homeless Bloomington community. I am elated to announce that in 4 events since then, FeedingBloom has collected over $2000 in donations, feeding 200+ people in need! My passion for helping others is why I study HR. I want to bring joy to the workplace, an environment of such deep sadness for millions. Humans spend approximately 1/3 of their lives working, so why not fill that with smiles?. This summer, I studied rigorously to improve as an HR professional, resulting in my status as a Corporate Recruiting Professional, certified by the American Staffing Association. With my skills from this certification, I want to work in recruitment to ensure that the right people get matched to the right job, increasing satisfaction for employees and the company. However, that goal becomes increasingly difficult as my debt increases. Toiling just to make ends meet as my loans drain every excess dollar from my account is exhausting. Even using resources like food banks and applying for SNAP benefits, I am struggling. The cost of my attendance at IU leaves me with no savings, which is terrifying as I don't have health insurance. I am one medical emergency away from ruin. This scholarship would allow me to reduce the number of hours I work, freeing up time to study and learn how to become the HR professional I want to be. I am a driven, dedicated worker, and this scholarship will be essential to help me graduate college and spread joy in the workplace! Thank you!

My name is Toluwalope Semowo, and I study Human Resources at Indiana University. That mundane sentence is something I never thought I'd be able to say Growing up in Nigeria, the ability to advance your education abroad is a rare and expensive privilege. I never imagined that I would be one of the lucky few able to do so. I am only here due to the indissoluble love of my parents who are weathering the devastating hyperinflation in Nigeria and taking tens of thousands in loans to keep me in college. To honor their love and sacrifice, I decided to graduate college with absolutely no regrets! To name a few, I am the Director of Community Service for Mu Beta Lambda Minority Business Fraternity, a senior member of the African Student Association, starting Center for the 2024 Intramural Basketball Championship team, an AmeriCorps National Service Volunteer, a Student Ambassador for Indiana University and the proud owner of a culinary business where I sell home-cooked meals from my dorm! That was a lot, I know. But that's the point! I am painfully aware of both how lucky I am to be in this position and the massive financial burden accompanying it. Due to the weight of out-of-state tuition, I am facing $35,000 in student loans at the start of my junior year, an amount that might double before I graduate. Just typing that sentence makes my chest tighten with a horrible pain. It honestly terrifies me. However, if I’m going to graduate with significant debt, I refuse to leave with regrets as well! In February 2023, I founded Feeding Bloom to create a positive impact on my community. After crowdfunding donations via GoFundMe, I cook massive meals and donate them to the homeless Bloomington community. For these events, I studied graphic design, social media marketing, and recruited a team of 20+ volunteers. I am elated to announce that in 4 events since then, Feeding Bloom has collected over $2000 in donations and fed 200+ people in need! My passion for helping others is why I study HR. I want to bring joy to the workplace, an environment of such deep sadness for millions. Humans spend approximately 1/3 of their lives working, so why not fill that with smiles?. This summer, I studied rigorously to improve as an HR professional, resulting in my status as a Corporate Recruiting Professional, certified by the American Staffing Association. With my skills from this certification, I want to work in recruitment to ensure that the right people get matched to the right job, increasing satisfaction for employees and the company. However, that goal becomes increasingly difficult as my debt increases. Working 20+ hours a week with EightAPlate while also Student Ambassador is exhausting. Toiling just to make ends meet as my loans drain every excess dollar from my account is frustrating. Even using resources like food banks and applying for SNAP benefits, I am struggling financially. The cost of my attendance at IU leaves me with no savings, which is terrifying as I don't have health insurance. I am one medical emergency away from ruin. This scholarship would allow me to reduce the number of hours I work, freeing up time to study and learn how to become the HR professional I want to be. I believe I should be awarded this scholarship because I work tirelessly to finance my education and make my dreams come true. I am a driven, dedicated worker, and this scholarship will be essential to help me graduate college and spread joy in the workplace! Thank you for considering my application!

My name is Toluwalope Semowo, and I study Human Resources at Indiana University. That mundane sentence is something I never thought I'd be able to say Growing up in Nigeria, the ability to advance your education abroad is a rare and expensive privilege. I never imagined that I would be one of the lucky few able to do so. I am only here due to the indissoluble love of my parents who are weathering the devastating hyperinflation in Nigeria and taking tens of thousands in loans to keep me in college. To honor their love and sacrifice, I decided to graduate college with absolutely no regrets! To name a few, I am the Director of Community Service for Mu Beta Lambda Minority Business Fraternity, a senior member of the African Student Association, starting Center for the 2024 Intramural Basketball Championship team, an AmeriCorps National Service Volunteer, a Student Ambassador for Indiana University and the proud owner of a culinary business where I sell home-cooked meals from my dorm! That was a lot, I know. But that's the point! I am painfully aware of both how lucky I am to be in this position and the massive financial burden accompanying it. Due to the weight of out-of-state tuition, I am facing $35,000 in student loans at the start of my junior year, an amount that might double before I graduate. Just typing that sentence makes my chest tighten with a horrible pain. It honestly terrifies me. However, if I’m going to graduate with significant debt, I refuse to leave with regrets as well! In February 2023, I founded Feeding Bloom to create a positive impact on my community. After crowdfunding donations via GoFundMe, I cook massive meals and donate them to the homeless Bloomington community. For these events, I studied graphic design, social media marketing, and recruited a team of 20+ volunteers. I am elated to announce that in 4 events since then, Feeding Bloom has collected over $2000 in donations and fed 200+ people in need! My passion for helping others is why I study HR. I want to bring joy to the workplace, an environment of such deep sadness for millions. Humans spend approximately 1/3 of their lives working, so why not fill that with smiles?. This summer, I studied rigorously to improve as an HR professional, resulting in my status as a Corporate Recruiting Professional, certified by the American Staffing Association. With my skills from this certification, I want to work in recruitment to ensure that the right people get matched to the right job, increasing satisfaction for employees and the company. However, that goal becomes increasingly difficult as my debt increases. Working 20+ hours a week with EightAPlate while also Student Ambassador is exhausting. Toiling just to make ends meet as my loans drain every excess dollar from my account is frustrating. Even using resources like food banks and applying for SNAP benefits, I am struggling financially. The cost of my attendance at IU leaves me with no savings, which is terrifying as I don't have health insurance. I am one medical emergency away from ruin. This scholarship would allow me to reduce the number of hours I work, freeing up time to study and learn how to become the HR professional I want to be. I believe I should be awarded this scholarship because I work tirelessly to finance my education and make my dreams come true. I am a driven, dedicated worker, and this scholarship will be essential to help me graduate college and spread joy in the workplace! Thank you for considering my application!

My deepest condolences for the loss of Mohamed. Losing a loved one is an excruciating pain nobody should experience. However, I commend the Taha family for taking a tragedy and using it to inspire others to live upstanding lives just like Mohamed did. As soaring inflation continues to ravage my home country, my tuition grows into an even larger financial burden on my family. Decades of savings lost value, forcing them to take out extortionate college loans rose. So, during my freshman year, my first action to be an up-stander was to create my culinary business, EightAPlate and ease the massive burden my parents faced. Every Friday, I trudged to Kroger for ingredients and used the dorm kitchen to sell everything from Chinese Fried Rice to Southern BBQ. I couldn't afford to hire employees, so it was an immensely tiring ordeal. 12-16 hour shifts where I often fell asleep in the kitchen due to exhaustion, splattered with ingredients. But I loved EightAPlate. I adored making money to help my benevolent parents who sacrificed for me to study abroad. However, let's go back to the part where I bought ingredients from Kroger. Opposite my local Kroger is "Seminary Park", a camp for homeless people in the Bloomington community. Walking past Seminary Park with my arms full of food every weekend made my heart ache. I wished I could help, but I was a child thousands of dollars in debt. What could I possibly do? Unfazed by the fears clouding my mind, however, I decided to push forward. I decided to find a way to help Seminary Park! In February 2023, I created the "FeedingBloom", an event where crowdsourced funds via GoFundMe to cook food for the homeless people of Seminary Park! I studied graphic design on Canva to make digital flyers and leveraged my EightAPlate Instagram account to spread word of the event. Through all promotional material, I constantly emphasized that Feeding Bloom wasn't about making food because people are hungry. A massive bowl of soup would be much more cost-effective for that purpose. However, like Mohamed, who I write this application in honor of, I wanted to have a true impact on my community. My mission was to cook the best food that I could possibly make. Food that would make people excited to eat and bring smiles to dreary faces! My initial goal was $250, but the GoFundMe surpassed $500 within days! It was a beautiful outpouring of support from people all over the globe. A plethora of people donated, making the 1st Feeding Bloom a massive success, allowing us to donate over 30 meal filled to the brim with food! In just 4 events since then, Feeding Bloom has gathered over $2000 in donations and fed 200+ people in need. But Feeding Bloom doesn't end in college. Post-graduation, I will transform Feeding Bloom from a small series of events to a real business with more constant community support. The model of my business will take inspiration from "The Friday Cafe", a weekly event led by First Church Cambridge where food is provided for homeless community members and they're given a space to eat, socialize smile I have reached out to Rev. Kate Layzer, founder of this beautiful initiative, to learn how FeedingBloom can have a similar impact! My name is Toluwalope and I build my community by delivering meals to those most in need! This scholarship would help finance my education, reduce the financial burden on my parents, and bring me closer to my goal of expanding FeedingBloom. Thank you for considering me! God bless you! EightAPlate-Website-(https://www.instagram.com/eightaplate/) FeedingBloom-Website-https://gofund.me/ba2958ce

Being a first generation Nigerian-American while Nigeria suffers through a financial crisis, my tuition was an exorbitant amount. Even after borrowing over $30,000 in costly student loans, our funds were insufficient. Therefore, in November 2022, I created EightAPlate, my culinary business, to make money and relieve my family of the financial shock we faced. Every Friday, I trudged to Kroger for ingredients and used the dorm kitchen to make a myriad of meals to sell. I couldn't afford to hire employees, so it was a strenuous ordeal. 12-16 hour shifts where I sometimes fell asleep in the kitchen due to exhaustion. Balancing that strenuous ordeal while also being a student was the adversity I faced every week. However, the money I made helped my family, so I always cooked with a massive smile across my face. But let's go back to that Kroger part. Right beside Kroger is a place called "Seminary Park", a camp for homeless people in the Bloomington community. Walking past Seminary Park with my arms full of food every weekend made my heart ache. I wanted to help them. But my own tuition left me thousands of dollars in debt. Was there anything I could do? In February 2023, I found the answer! Leveraging the 500+ followers I had amassed with my EightAPlate Instagram account, I announced the "FeedingBloom" event, where I would be crowdsourcing funds via GoFundMe to cook food for the homeless people of Seminary Park! My mission was to cook the best food I could possibly make. I didn't just want the residents of the park to be full. I needed to provide them with the pleasure of eating for enjoyment that we relish every day. Despite the initial GoFundMe goal being $250, it surpassed $500 within days! All the generous donations allowed us to make over 30 meals filled to the brim with food! After the event, a lady approached me and said she hadn't been able to find a job, and money was running extremely tight. However, she said that my food made her day so much better. That is my definition of a positive impact! In just 4 events since then, FeedingBloom has gathered over $2000 in donations and fed 200+ people in need! In just a year’s time, it became a well-known event on the IU campus that people are extremely supportive of! I hope to donate even more with the 5th FeedingBloom next semester! But what about in the future, you ask? Post-graduation, I will transform FeedingBloom from a series of events to a real nonprofit with constant community support. The model of my business will take inspiration from "The Friday Cafe", a weekly event led by First Church Cambridge where food is provided for homeless people in the community and they're given a space to eat, talk and be treated well. Last week, I reached out to Rev. Kate Layzer, founder of this beautiful initiative, to learn from her and give FeedingBloom a similar impact! We have a call scheduled for later this week. In addition, I want FeedingBloom to encourage people to make change in their communities! I want my story to illustrate that abundant financial resources aren't required to succeed. The biggest step is simply the burning desire to make change! If you believe in my vision for a positive impact and would like to see FeedingBloom flourish, I can't under-emphasize how significant this scholarship would be. It would allow me to hire EightAPlate employees, freeing up time to study and learn how to make FeedingBloom a successful nonprofit! Additional-Information FeedingBloom Instagram-Page (https://www.instagram.com/eightaplate/). FeedingBloom-GoFundMe https://www.gofundme.com/f/feed-the-homeless-at-seminary-park?utm_campaign=p_lico+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer

In November 2022, EightAPlate, my culinary business, was founded at Indiana University. Being a first generation Nigerian-American while Nigeria suffers through a financial crisis, my tuition was an exorbitant amount. Even after borrowing over $30,000 in costly student loans, we needed more. I created EightAPlate to make money and relieve my family of the financial shock we faced. Every Friday, I trudged to Kroger for ingredients and used the dorm kitchen to make a myriad of meals to sell. I couldn't afford to hire employees, so it was a strenuous ordeal. 12-16 hour shifts where I sometimes fell asleep in the kitchen due to exhaustion. Balancing that strenuous ordeal while also being a student was the adversity I faced every week. How did I overcome it? By remembering everything that my family sacrificed for the sake of my education and taking pride in my ability to help them. But let's go back to that Kroger part. Right beside Kroger is a place called "Seminary Park", a camp for homeless people in the Bloomington community. Walking past Seminary Park with my arms full of food every weekend made my heart ache. I wanted to help them. But my own tuition left me thousands of dollars in debt. Was there anything I could do? In February 2023, I found the answer! I leveraged the 500+ followers I had amassed with my EightAPlate Instagram account. I announced the "FeedingBloom" event, where I would be crowdsourcing funds via GoFundMe to cook food for the homeless people of Seminary Park! My mission was to cook the best food that I could possibly make. I didn't just want the residents of the park to be full. I needed to provide them with the pleasure of eating for enjoyment that we relish every day. Despite the initial GoFundMe goal being $250, it surpassed $500 within days! All the generous donations allowed us to make over 30 meals filled to the brim with food! After the event, a lady approached me and said she hadn't been able to find a job, and money was running extremely tight. However, she said that my food made her day so much better. That is my definition of success! In just 4 events since then, FeedingBloom has collected over $2000 in donations and fed 200+ people in need. In just a year’s time, it became a well-known event on the IU campus that people are extremely supportive of! I hope to donate even more with the 5th FeedingBloom next semester! But what about in the future, you ask? Post-graduation, I will transform FeedingBloom from a small series of events to a real nonprofit with more constant community support. The model of my business will take inspiration from "The Friday Cafe", a weekly event led by First Church Cambridge where food is provided for homeless people in the community and they're given a space to eat, talk and be treated well. I have reached out to Rev. Kate Layzer, founder of this beautiful initiative, to learn from her and give FeedingBloom a similar impact! In addition, I want FeedingBloom to encourage people to make change in their communities! I want my story to illustrate that abundant financial resources aren't required to succeed. The biggest step is simply the burning desire to make change! If you believe in my vision of success and would like to see FeedingBloom flourish, this scholarship would be an enormous help. It would allow me to hire EightAPlate employees, freeing up time to study and learn how to make FeedingBloom a successful nonprofit! Additional-Information FeedingBloom Instagram-Page (https://www.instagram.com/eightaplate/). FeedingBloom-GoFundMe https://www.gofundme.com/f/feed-the-homeless-at-seminary-park?utm_campaign=p_lico+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer

Growing up in Nigeria, the ability to advance your education abroad is a rare (and expensive) privilege. I am only here due to the love of my parents and the countless sacrifices they made to help finance my education. To honor their love, I decided I would graduate college with absolutely no regrets! To name a few, I am the Director of Community Service for Mu Beta Lambda Minority Business Fraternity, a senior member of the African Student Association, the starting Center for the 2024 Intramural Basketball Champions (Where I was nicknamed "Mutombo" for averaging 2.5 blocks per game) and I am the proud owner of EightAPlate (https://www.instagram.com/eightaplate/) my culinary business where I sell different customizable meals every weekend out of my dorm! That was a lot, I know. But that's the point! I am painfully aware of both how lucky I am to be in this position and the massive financial burden accompanying it. Because I pay out-of-state tuition, I currently have $30,000 in student loans before my junior year even begins. Those loans are a terrifying weight that will make my life much more grueling. However, if I'm leaving college with back-breaking debt, why leave with regrets too? I want to graduate knowing that I made a positive impact on my community. Therefore, in February 2023, I founded "Feeding Bloom", crowdfunding donations via GoFundMe to cook meals and donate them to the homeless Bloomington community. The events are massive undertakings that I had to learn graphic design, social media marketing, and gather a team of 15 volunteers just to pull off. I am proud to say that in 4 events since then, Feeding Bloom has collected over $2000 in donations and fed 200+ people in need! I am currently planning the 5th Feeding Bloom in Fall to help even more people! My passion for helping others is why I am studying H.R. I want to bring joy to the workplace, an environment that causes distress and depression for millions. I know firsthand that a simple smile can illuminate the worst days. So, I study HR to bring smiles to my future workplace and help make employees happy. Humans spend approximately 1/3 of their lives working, so why not do it with a smile? My current job as a Student Ambassador helps sharpen my HR skills as I meet with multiple student families every day! I love being an Ambassador, but working 8 hours a week in addition to 20+ hours for EightAPlate is extremely exhausting. I can't afford to hire employees, so my Saturdays consist of arduous 12–16-hour shifts where I have to be a Chef, Social Media Manager, Waiter and Janitor until I finish at 6AM the next day. Sometimes I fall asleep in the kitchen due to fatigue, just to wake up the next morning and get back to work. I love EightAPlate, but these long shifts are unsustainable and take a toll on my health. In addition, they snatch away time I want to use for my studies. However, I need to work those hours to support my family financially, as all my paycheck money goes towards paying my tuition. This scholarship would allow me to reduce the number of hours I work and hire employees, freeing up time to focus on my studies and fulfill my goal of graduating college with no regrets as an educated business professional. Being awarded this Nyadollie Scholarship would be a massive help in making that goal a reality! Thank you very much for reading my submission!

I dream of adding blankets of warmth to what can so often be a terrifyingly cold world. My vision of success is to help as many people as possible with the expansion of my FeedingBloom nonprofit. What is FeedingBloom? That requires a bit of backstory. In November 2022, EightAPlate, my culinary business, was founded at Indiana University. Being a first generation Nigerian-American while Nigeria suffers through a financial crisis, my tuition was an exorbitant amount. Even after borrowing over $30,000 in costly student loans, we needed more. I created EightAPlate to make money and relieve my family of the financial terrors we faced. Every Friday, I trudged to Kroger for ingredients and used the dorm kitchen to sell everything from Chinese Fried Rice to Southern BBQ. I couldn't afford to hire employees, so it was a strenuous ordeal. 12-16 hour shifts where I sometimes fell asleep in the kitchen due to exhaustion. But I loved EightAPlate because it let me support my family. But let's return to that Kroger part. Right beside Kroger is a place called "Seminary Park", a camp for homeless people in the Bloomington community. Walking past Seminary Park with my arms full of food every weekend made my heart ache. I wanted to help them. But my own tuition left me tens of thousands of dollars in debt. What could I possibly do? In February 2023, I found the answer! I studied graphic design on Canva to make digital flyers and leveraged the 500+ followers I had amassed with my EightAPlate Instagram account. I announced the "FeedingBloom" event, where I would be crowdsourcing funds via GoFundMe to cook food for the homeless people of Seminary Park! My mission was to cook the best food that I could possibly make. I didn't just want the residents of the park to be full. I needed to provide them with the pleasure of eating for enjoyment that we relish every day. Despite the initial GoFundMe goal being $250, it surpassed $500 within days. It was a beautiful outpouring of support from a myriad of people who made the 1st FeedingBloom a massive success. We donated over 30 meals filled to the brim with food! After the event, a lady approached me and explained that life had been anything but easy recently. She hadn't been able to find a job, and money was running extremely tight. However, she said that my food made her day so much better. That is my definition of success! In just 4 events since then, FeedingBloom has collected over $2000 in donations and fed 200+ people in need. In just a year’s time, it has become a well-known event on the IU campus that people are extremely supportive of. But the FeedingBloom events are simply the beginning. True success will be when I transform FeedingBloom from a small series of events intto a real business with more constant community support. The model of my business will take inspiration from "The Friday Cafe", a weekly event led by First Church Cambridge where food is provided for local homeless residents, and they're given a space to eat and socialize. I have reached out to Rev. Kate Layzer, founder of this beautiful initiative, to learn from her and give FeedingBloom a similar impact. In order to do this, however, I have to focus on my education and build the entrepreneurial skills required to make FeedingBloom a successful nonprofit. That's where this scholarship comes in. As I mentioned earlier, Nigeria is in a financial crisis. Hyperinflation threatens to rip the country apart. The Naira to Dollar exchange rate heavily worsened and my family's life savings lost most of its value. Therefore, I work both as the owner of EightAPlate and as a Student Ambassador to aid my family financially. Being required to work 30+ hours each week takes away from the time I would like to use for my studies and plan Feeding Bloom's future. This scholarship would give me the financial assistance I need to reduce the amount of hours I work and focus more on my education. Aside from feeding the homeless, I also want FeedingBloom to encourage people to make change in their communities. I want my story to illustrate that abundant financial resources aren't required to succeed. The biggest step is simply the burning desire to make change! I am also making a short-video series on how I plan each FeedingBloom event to aid anyone creating a similar community initiative. If you believe in my vision of success and would like to see FeedingBloom flourish, I cannot understate how massive of an aid this scholarship would be. To me, success is helping others. With this scholarship, I will use FeedingBloom to spread my vision of success across America! Additional-Information FeedingBloom/EightAPlate Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/eightaplate/). FeedingBloom-GoFundMe https://www.gofundme.com/f/feed-the-homeless-at-seminary-park?utm_campaign=p_lico+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer

In February 2023, my greatest achievement was created! But before then, let's visit November 2022. That was when EightAPlate, my culinary business, was created at Indiana University (https://www.instagram.com/eightaplate/). Being a first generation Nigerian-American, my tuition was a massive financial burden on my family, so I created EightAPlate to help make money. Every Friday, I trudged to Kroger for ingredients and used the dorm kitchen to make everything from Chinese Fried Rice to Southern BBQ. I couldn't afford to hire employees, so it was a strenuous ordeal. 12-16 hour shifts where I sometimes fell asleep in the kitchen due to exhaustion. But I loved EightAPlate because it let me support my family. But let's go back to that Kroger part. Right beside Kroger is a place called "Seminary Park", a camp for homeless people in the Bloomington community. Walking past Seminary Park with my arms full of food every weekend made my heart ache. I wanted to help them. But my own tuition left me thousands of dollars in debt. Was there anything I could do? In February 2023, I found the answer! I studied graphic design on Canva to make digital flyers and leveraged the 500+ followers I had amassed with my EightAPlate Instagram account. I announced the "Feeding Bloom" event, where I would be crowdsourcing funds via GoFundMe to cook food for the homeless people of Seminary Park! I constantly emphasize that Feeding Bloom isn't about making food because people are hungry. A massive bowl of soup would be much more cost-effective for that purpose. But that isn't Feeding Bloom. My mission was to cook the best food that I could possibly make. Food that would make them excited to eat and share that joy of eating for enjoyment that we experience every day! My initial goal was $250, but the GoFundMe surpassed $500 within days! It was a beautiful outpouring of support from people all over the globe. Friends, family, co-workers, IU staff. A plethora of people donated and made the 1st Feeding Bloom a massive success, allowing us to donate over 30 meals, filled to the brim with food! In just 4 events since then, Feeding Bloom has collected over $2000 in donations and fed 200+ people in need. I hope to donate even more with the 5th Feeding Bloom next semester! But what about after college, you might ask? I will transform Feeding Bloom from a small series of events to a real business with more constant community support. The model of my business will take inspiration from "The Friday Cafe", a weekly event led by First Church Cambridge where food is provided for homeless people in the community and they're given a space to eat, talk and be treated well. I have reached out to Rev. Kate Layzer, founder of this beautiful initiative, to learn from her and give Feeding Bloom have a similar impact! In addition, I want Feeding Bloom to encourage people to make change in their communities! I want my story to show that you don't have to be a perfect planner or have all the financial resources. The biggest step is just getting out and trying to make a change! I am also making a short-video series on how I plan each Feeding Bloom event to teach anyone who wishes to create a similar community initiative. I will be overjoyed if my success with Feeding Bloom inspires others to cast doubt aside and finally be the change they hope for. I will create a positive environmental impact by feeding the homeless and showing people how simple making change can be!

In February 2023, my greatest achievement was created! But before then, let's visit November 2022. That was when EightAPlate, my culinary business, was created at Indiana University (https://www.instagram.com/eightaplate/). Being a first generation Nigerian-American, my tuition was a massive financial burden on my family, so I created EightAPlate to help make money. Every Friday, I trudged to Kroger for ingredients and used the dorm kitchen to make everything from Chinese Fried Rice to Southern BBQ. I couldn't afford to hire employees, so it was a strenuous ordeal. 12-16 hour shifts where I sometimes fell asleep in the kitchen due to exhaustion. But I loved EightAPlate because it let me support my family. But let's go back to that Kroger part. Right beside Kroger is a place called "Seminary Park", a camp for homeless people in the Bloomington community. Walking past Seminary Park with my arms full of food every weekend made my heart ache. I wanted to help them. But my own tuition left me thousands of dollars in debt. Was there anything I could do? In February 2023, I found the answer! I studied graphic design on Canva to make digital flyers and leveraged the 500+ followers I had amassed with my EightAPlate Instagram account. I announced the "Feeding Bloom" event, where I would be crowdsourcing funds via GoFundMe to cook food for the homeless people of Seminary Park! I constantly emphasize that Feeding Bloom isn't about making food because people are hungry. A massive bowl of soup would be much more cost-effective for that purpose. But that isn't Feeding Bloom. Like Michael, I wanted to have a true impact on my community. My mission was to cook the best food that I could possibly make. Food that would make them excited to eat and share that joy of eating for enjoyment that we experience every day! My initial goal was $250, but the GoFundMe surpassed $500 within days! It was a beautiful outpouring of support from people all over the globe. Friends, family, co-workers, IU staff. A plethora of people donated and made the 1st Feeding Bloom a massive success, allowing us to donate over 30 meals, filled to the brim with food! In just 4 events since then, Feeding Bloom has collected over $2000 in donations and fed 200+ people in need! And we're just getting started! Feeding Bloom doesn't end in college. Post-graduation, I will transform Feeding Bloom from a small series of events to a real business with more constant community support. The model of my business will take inspiration from "The Friday Cafe", a weekly event led by First Church Cambridge where food is provided for homeless people in the community and they're given a space to eat, talk and be treated well. I have reached out to Rev. Kate Layzer, founder of this beautiful initiative, to learn from her and give Feeding Bloom have a similar impact! In addition, I want Feeding Bloom to encourage people to make change in their communities! I want my story to show that you don't have to be a perfect planner or have all the financial resources. The biggest step is just getting out and trying to make a change! I am also making a short-video series on how I plan each Feeding Bloom event to teach anyone who wishes to create a similar community initiative.I will be overjoyed if my success with Feeding Bloom inspires others to cast doubt aside and finally be the change they hope for. I embody selflessness by working to support my family, feeding the homeless and encouraging others to make change!

Hello! My name is Toluwalope Semowo and I study Human Resources at Indiana University, which is much further than I ever expected to be. Growing up in Nigeria, the ability to advance your education abroad is a rare (and expensive) privilege. I am only here due to the love of my parents and the countless sacrifices they made to help finance my education. To honor their love, I decided I would graduate college with absolutely no regrets! To name a few, I am the Director of Community Service for Mu Beta Lambda Minority Business Fraternity, a senior member of the African Student Association, the starting Center for the 2024 Intramural Basketball Champions (Where I was nicknamed "Mutombo" for averaging 2.5 blocks per game) and I am the proud owner of EightAPlate (https://www.instagram.com/eightaplate/) my culinary business where I sell different customizable meals every weekend out of my dorm! That was a lot, I know. But that's the point! I am painfully aware of both how lucky I am to be in this position and the massive financial burden accompanying it. Because I pay out-of-state tuition, I currently have $30,000 in student loans before my junior year even begins. Those loans are a terrifying weight that will make my life much more grueling. However, if I'm leaving college with back-breaking debt, why leave with regrets too? I want to graduate knowing that I made a positive impact on my community. Therefore, in February 2023, I founded "Feeding Bloom", crowdfunding donations via GoFundMe to cook meals and donate them to the homeless Bloomington community. The events are massive undertakings that I had to learn graphic design, social media marketing, and gather a team of 15 volunteers just to pull off. I am proud to say that in 4 events since then, Feeding Bloom has collected over $2000 in donations and fed 200+ people in need! I am currently planning the 5th Feeding Bloom in Fall to help even more people! My passion for helping others is why I am studying H.R. I want to bring joy to the workplace, an environment that causes distress and depression for millions. I know firsthand that a simple smile can illuminate the worst days. So, I study HR to bring smiles to my future workplace and help make employees happy. Humans spend approximately 1/3 of their lives working, so why not do it with a smile? My current job as a Student Ambassador helps sharpen my HR skills as I meet with multiple student families every day! I love being an Ambassador, but working 8 hours a week in addition to 20+ hours for EightAPlate is extremely exhausting. I can't afford to hire employees, so my Saturdays consist of arduous 12–16-hour shifts where I have to be a Chef, Social Media Manager, Waiter and Janitor until I finish at 6AM the next day. I often have to sleep in the kitchen to wake up the next morning and get back to cleaning. I love EightAPlate, but these long shifts are unsustainable and take a toll on my health. In addition, they snatch away time I want to use for my studies. However, I need to work those hours to support my family financially, as all my paycheck money goes towards paying my tuition. This scholarship would allow me to reduce the number of hours I work and hire employees, freeing up time to focus on my studies and fulfill my goal of graduating college with no regrets. Being awarded this Carlos F. Garcia Muentes Scholarship would be a massive help in making that goal a reality!

In February 2023, my greatest achievement was created! But before then, let's visit November 2022. That was when EightAPlate, my culinary business, was created at Indiana University (https://www.instagram.com/eightaplate/). Being a first generation Nigerian-American, my tuition was a massive financial burden on my family, so I created EightAPlate to help make money. Every Friday, I trudged to Kroger for ingredients and used the dorm kitchen to make everything from Chinese Fried Rice to Southern BBQ. I couldn't afford to hire employees, so it was a strenuous ordeal. 12-16 hour shifts where I sometimes fell asleep in the kitchen due to exhaustion. But I loved EightAPlate because it let me support my family. But let's go back to that Kroger part. Right beside Kroger is a place called "Seminary Park", a camp for homeless people in the Bloomington community. Walking past Seminary Park with my arms full of food every weekend made my heart ache. I wanted to help them. But my own tuition left me thousands of dollars in debt. Was there anything I could do? In February 2023, I found the answer! I studied graphic design on Canva to make digital flyers and leveraged the 500+ followers I had amassed with my EightAPlate Instagram account. I announced the "Feeding Bloom" event, where I would be crowdsourcing funds via GoFundMe to cook food for the homeless people of Seminary Park! I constantly emphasize that Feeding Bloom isn't about making food because people are hungry. A massive bowl of soup would be much more cost-effective for that purpose. But that isn't Feeding Bloom. My mission was to cook the best food that I could possibly make. Food that would make them excited to eat and share that joy of eating for enjoyment that we experience every day! My initial goal was $250, but the GoFundMe surpassed $500 within days! It was a beautiful outpouring of support from people all over the globe. Friends, family, co-workers, IU staff. A plethora of people donated and made the 1st Feeding Bloom a massive success, allowing us to donate over 30 meals, filled to the brim with food! In just 4 events since then, Feeding Bloom has collected over $2000 in donations and fed 200+ people in need. I hope to donate even more with the 5th Feeding Bloom next semester! But what about after college, you might ask? I will transform Feeding Bloom from a small series of events to a real business with more constant community support. The model of my business will take inspiration from "The Friday Cafe", a weekly event led by First Church Cambridge where food is provided for homeless people in the community and they're given a space to eat, talk and be treated well. I have reached out to Rev. Kate Layzer, founder of this beautiful initiative, to learn from her and give Feeding Bloom have a similar impact! In addition, I want Feeding Bloom to encourage people to make change in their communities! I want my story to show that you don't have to be a perfect planner or have all the financial resources. The biggest step is just getting out and trying to make a change! I am also making a short-video series on how I plan each Feeding Bloom event to teach anyone who wishes to create a similar community initiative. I will be overjoyed if my success with Feeding Bloom inspires others to cast doubt aside and finally be the change they hope for. I will create a positive environmental impact by feeding the homeless and showing people how simple making change can be!

My name is Toluwalope Semowo and I'm a first generation Nigerian-American studying H.R. at Indiana University. To be honest, that's not a sentence I ever expected to say. When you grow up in Nigeria, advancing your education abroad is a rare (and expensive) privilege. With nationwide strikes, insecurity, and hyperinflation ripping the country apart, simply living in Nigeria is becoming a herculean task. My ability to study in the U.S. is solely due to the love of my parents and the countless sacrifices they made to support my education. They constantly denied themselves the luxuries to invest in the advancement of my learning. However, when the exchange rate of Naira to Dollar skyrocketed, savings slipped through their hands like flour through a sieve. Decades of work simply...vanished. Even after scholarships, grants and wages from both of my jobs, the out-of-state tuition was an impossible amount to pay. Defeated, we turned to private loans as a last resort to keep me in school. Currently, I have borrowed over $30,000 in high-interest loans before my junior year even begins. The idea of repaying such a large sum of money terrified me. Merely thinking about finances left my palms drenched and my heart pounding ferociously. With 2 years of college left, I was far from done paying tuition. Would I have to borrow even more money? How on Earth would I repay all of this alone?? I fell into despair. I became my own worst enemy. When a $30,000 price tag floats menacingly behind all your actions, nothing is good enough. I was angry at myself for not having perfect grades. "$30,000 just to get a A-"? I was angry at myself for feeling scared. "People back in Nigeria would kill to be in your position! Why are you being ungrateful?" I was angry at myself for taking breaks after studying. "You can rest after you study more. People who can afford college get to rest, not you. " My life was miserable, and I was the one causing the misery. I yearned to be perfect to justify that massive sum of money. All while feeling guilty because (even with the loans) studying in the U.S. is a great privilege. But finally, I accepted it. I stopped hurting myself by running away from the truth and accepted the my entire situation. I am extremely privileged to have parents who made sacrifices for me to study in the U.S. Simultaneously, having $30,000 in loans is a very difficult position to be in. Accepting both sides of my situation was the first step to overcoming the adversity I faced. Having such huge loans puts me in a worse position than my peers, that is correct. But that doesn't mean that I can't take a break while studying. This mentality change didn't happen in a day. In fact, it's still happening! I'm still learning how to give myself grace with this terrifying weight over me. Accepting my situation was an excellent first step in that proccess. To anyone else enduring similar circumstances, I remind you of your past. Think of every massive issue that once plagued your mind. Being a kid and not being able to go for a sleepover. Being a teenager feeling isolated in High School. Being a young adult struggling with college applications. Each one of those things passed by, becoming nothing but memories. You don't know these loans will get paid, and that's scary. But there will be a point where you look back and, like everything else, it's nothing but a memory. So don't let those loans stop you from living!

Hello! My name is Toluwalope Semowo and I study Human Resources at Indiana University, which is much further than I ever expected to be. Growing up in Nigeria, the ability to advance your education abroad is a rare (and expensive) privilege. I am only here due to the love of my parents and the countless sacrifices they made to help finance my education. To honor their love, I decided I would graduate college with absolutely no regrets! To name a few, I am the Director of Community Service for Mu Beta Lambda Minority Business Fraternity, a senior member of the African Student Association, the starting Center for the 2024 Intramural Basketball Champions (Where I was nicknamed "Mutombo" for averaging 2.5 blocks) and I am the proud owner of EightAPlate (https://www.instagram.com/eightaplate/) my culinary business where I sell different customizable meals every weekend out of my dorm! That was a lot, I know. But that's the point! I am painfully aware of both how lucky I am to be in this position and the massive financial burden accompanying it. Because I pay out-of-state tuition, I currently have $30,000 in student loans before my junior year even begins. Those loans are a terrifying weight that will make my life much more grueling. However, if I'm leaving college with back-breaking debt, why leave with regrets too? I want to graduate knowing that I made a positive impact on my community. Therefore, in February 2023, I founded "Feeding Bloom", crowdfunding donations via GoFundMe to cook meals and donate them to the homeless Bloomington community. The events are massive undertakings that I had to learn graphic design, social media marketing, and gather a team of 15 volunteers just to pull off. I am proud to say that in 4 events since then, Feeding Bloom has collected over $2000 in donations and fed 200+ people in need. I am currently planning the 5th Feeding Bloom in Fall to help even more people! My passion for helping others is why I am studying H.R. I want to bring joy to the workplace, an environment that causes distress and depression for millions. I know firsthand that a simple smile can illuminate the worst days. So, I study HR to bring smiles to my future workplace and help make employees happy. Humans spend approximately 1/3 of their lives working, so why not do it with a smile? My current job as a Student Ambassador helps sharpen my HR skills as I meet with multiple student families every day! I love being an Ambassador, but working 8 hours a week in addition to 20+ hours for EightAPlate is extremely exhausting. I can't afford to hire employees, so my Saturdays consist of arduous 12–16-hour shifts where I have to be a Chef, Social Media Manager, Waiter and Janitor until I finish at 6AM the next day. I often have to sleep in the kitchen to wake up the next morning and get back to cleaning. I love EightAPlate, but these long shifts are unsustainable and take a toll on my health. In addition, they snatch away time I want to use for my studies. However, I need to work those hours to support my family financially, as all my paycheck money goes towards paying my tuition. Being awarded the Hines scholarship would allow me to reduce the number of hours I work and hire employees for EightAPlate, freeing up time to focus on my studies and fulfill my goal of graduating college with no regrets! I sincerely hope you aid my path of no regrets, and thank you for reading my application!

For the longest time, I struggled with feeling privileged. Growing up in Nigeria, the ability to acquire a good education was a rare advantage that I felt guilty for having. "Why me?" I asked, looking at a child even younger than myself forced to sell food on the road in sweltering heat while I sat in a car with the AC blasting. That guilt only worsened when I came to the U.S. to further my education, another privilege that so many with they could have. But, instead of letting that guilt consume me, I came to an answer. If God blessed me to have these privileges, I will use them to help the less fortunate around me. In February 2023 I founded the Feeding Bloom events at Indiana University Bloomington where I collect donations via GoFundMe, cook delicious meals, and donate them to the homeless people in the community. In order to get those donations, I had to teach myself graphic design on Canva and learn social media marketing to spread my message on a variety of social media platforms. In just 4 events since then, Feeding Bloom has collected over $2000 in donations and fed almost 200 people in need. However, that $2000 is all from the generous donations of people around me. I am unable to donate much, if anything to Feeding Bloom apart from my labour. I mentioned my parents being from Nigeria, and the economic situation there is only worsening. Like sand slippig through their fingers, the worsening Naira to Dollar exchage rate has left their savings nearly useless. We are now fully reliant on expensive loans, scholarships, and the two jobs I work on campus to pay my tuition. To be honest, the burden of having $30,000 in student loans before my junior year even begins is terrifying. I don't know where I will get that money from and how it will impact my future. However, I do know that there are people back home who would do anything to be in my position with $100,000 of debt. Regardless of how I acquire it, education is a blessing and a priviledge. I just maintain hope that programs like this WCEJ Thornton Foundation Low-Income Scholarship can help me reduce the financial burden of education while I achieve my goals of helping others! Many kind-hearted people simply do not have the financial means to donate to Feeding Bloom. That is perfectly fine, because I also need volunteers! On my Instagram, where I crowdfund donations and give updates, this is an example of the volunteers that I gathered for the event (https://www.instagram.com/p/C5wZhhRv9Nw/?img_index=9). Over the course of the event, there have been more than 25 volunteers who have helped me buy ingredients, cook, distribute food, and clean up for these events. People from all different sides of campus, united by the desire to help the less fortunate, and delighted to have Feeding Bloom, a program they can use to help those people. In addition to becoming an HR professional, after college, I aspire to turn Feeding Bloom from a small, infrequent series of events, to a real business with more constant community aid. I am inspired by Reverend Kate Layzer, owner of "The Friday Cafe", a weekly event led by First Church Cambridge where food is provided for homeless people in the community and they're given a space to eat, talk and be treated well every Friday. Being a devout Christian, this woman of God taking the initiative to improve her community, drives me to do the same. I want my legacy to show people that making an impact doesn't have to be some world-shattering change. You don't have to be a perfect planner and have all the skills. The first Feeding Bloom event was riddled with flaws. But so what? I continued going and it turned out excellent! I will be overjoyed if my successes with Feeding Bloom can inspire others to cast doubt aside and finally be the change that they want to see. I want to shine my light to not only help the less fortunate, but be an inspiration for like-minded people that need a blueprint to do the same!

Hello! My name is Toluwalope Semowo and I study Human Resources at Indiana University, which is much further than I ever expected to be. Growing up in Nigeria, the ability to advance your education abroad is a rare (and expensive) privilege. I am only here due to the love of my parents and the countless sacrifices they made to help finance my education. To honor their love, I decided I would graduate college with absolutely no regrets! I am the Director of Community Service for Mu Beta Lambda Minority Business Fraternity, a senior member of the African Student Association, the starting Center for the 2024 Intramural Basketball Champions and the proud owner of EightAPlate my culinary business where I sell different customizable meals every weekend out of my dorm! (https://www.instagram.com/eightaplate/) That was a lot, I know. But that's the point! I am painfully aware of both how lucky I am to be in this position and the massive financial burden accompanying it. Because I pay out-of-state tuition, I currently have $30,000 in student loans before my junior year even begins. Those loans are a terrifying weight that will make my life much more grueling. However, if I'm leaving college with back-breaking debt, why leave with regrets too? I want to graduate knowing that I made a positive impact on my community. Therefore, in February 2023, I founded "Feeding Bloom", crowdfunding donations via GoFundMe to cook meals and donate them to Bloomington;s homeless community. The events are massive undertakings that I had to learn graphic design, social media marketing, and gather a team of 15 volunteers just to pull off. I am proud to say that in 4 events since then, Feeding Bloom has collected over $2000 in donations and fed 200+ people in need. Planning is underway for the 5th Feeding Bloom to help even more people! My passion for helping others is why I am studying H.R. I want to bring joy to the workplace, an environment that causes distress and depression for millions. I know firsthand that a simple smile can illuminate the worst days. So, I study HR to bring smiles to my future workplace and help make employees happy. Humans spend approximately 1/3 of their lives working, so why not do it with a smile? In addition to becoming an HR professional, I aspire to turn Feeding Bloom from a small, infrequent series of events, to a real business with more constant community aid. I am inspired by Reverend Kate Layzer, owner of "The Friday Cafe", a weekly event led by First Church Cambridge where food is provided for homeless people in the community and they're given a space to eat, talk and be treated well every Friday. Being a devout Christian, this woman of God taking the initiative to improve her community, drives me to do the same. I want my legacy to show people that making an impact doesn't have to be some world-shattering change. You don't have to be a perfect planner and have all the skills. The first feeding bloom event was so badly planned that I forgot to bring a table and the people I was donating food to had to help me set up. But so what? I continued going and it turned out excellent! I will be overjoyed if my successes with Feeding Bloom can inspire others to cast doubt aside and finally be the change that they want to see. I want to shine my light to not only help the less fortunate, but be an inspiration for like-minded people that need a blueprint to do the same!

Hello! My name is Toluwalope Semowo and I study Human Resources at Indiana University, which is much further than I ever expected to be. Growing up in Nigeria, the ability to advance your education abroad is a rare (and expensive) privilege. I am only here due to the love of my parents and the countless sacrifices they made to help finance my education. To honor their love, I decided I would graduate college with absolutely no regrets! To name a few, I am the Director of Community Service for Mu Beta Lambda Minority Business Fraternity, a senior member of the African Student Association, the starting Center for the 2024 Intramural Basketball Champions (Where I was nicknamed "Mutombo" for averaging 2.5 blocks) and I am the proud owner of EightAPlate (https://www.instagram.com/eightaplate/) my culinary business where I sell different customizable meals every weekend out of my dorm! That was a lot, I know. But that's the point! I am painfully aware of both how lucky I am to be in this position and the massive financial burden accompanying it. Because I pay out-of-state tuition, I currently have $30,000 in student loans before my junior year even begins. Those loans are a terrifying weight that will make my life much more grueling. However, if I'm leaving college with back-breaking debt, why leave with regrets too? I want to graduate knowing that I made a positive impact on my community. Therefore, in February 2023, I founded "Feeding Bloom", crowdfunding donations via GoFundMe to cook meals and donate them to the homeless Bloomington community. The events are massive undertakings that I had to learn graphic design, social media marketing, and gather a team of 15 volunteers just to pull off. I am proud to say that in 4 events since then, Feeding Bloom has collected over $2000 in donations and fed 200+ people in need. I am currently planning the 5th Feeding Bloom in Fall to help even more people! My passion for helping others is why I am studying H.R. I want to bring joy to the workplace, an environment that causes distress and depression for millions. I know firsthand that a simple smile can illuminate the worst days. So, I study HR to bring smiles to my future workplace and help make employees happy. Humans spend approximately 1/3 of their lives working, so why not do it with a smile? My current job as a Student Ambassador helps sharpen my HR skills as I meet with multiple student families every day! I love being an Ambassador, but working 8 hours a week in addition to 20+ hours for EightAPlate is extremely exhausting. I can't afford to hire employees, so my Saturdays consist of arduous 12–16-hour shifts where I have to be a Chef, Social Media Manager, Waiter and Janitor until I finish at 6AM the next day. I often have to sleep in the kitchen to wake up the next morning and get back to cleaning. I love EightAPlate, but these long shifts are unsustainable and take a toll on my health. In addition, they snatch away time I want to use for my studies. However, I need to work those hours to support my family financially, as all my paycheck money goes towards paying my tuition. This scholarship would allow me to reduce the number of hours I work and hire employees, freeing up time to focus on my studies and fulfill my goal of graduating college with no regrets. Being awarded this Grandmaster Nam K Hyong Scholarship would be a massive help in making that goal a reality! But what about after I graduate with no regrets? After my graduation, I want to turn Feeding Bloom from a small, infrequent series of events, to a real business with more constant events. The model of my business will take inspiration from "The Friday Cafe", a weekly event led by First Church Cambridge where food is provided for homeless people in the community and they're given a space to eat, talk and be treated well. It is a consistent event and becomes a weekly treat that the community can look forward to. It is an amazing initiative, and I hope to be able to expand Feeding Bloom to become a community staple like that. I want my legacy to show people that making an impact doesn't have to be some world-shattering change. You don't have to be a perfect planner and have all the skills. The first feeding bloom event was so badly planned that I forgot to bring a table and the people I was donating food to had to help me set up. But so what? I continued going! I will be overjoyed if my successes with Feeding Bloom can inspire others to cast doubt aside and finally be the change that they want to see. I want to shine my light to not only help the less fortunate, but be an inspiration for like-minded people that need a blueprint to do the same!

Hello! My name is Toluwalope Semowo and I study Human Resources at Indiana University, which is much further than I ever expected to be. Growing up in Nigeria, the ability to advance your education abroad is a rare (and expensive) privilege. I am only here due to the love of my parents and the countless sacrifices they made to help finance my education. To honor their love, I decided I would graduate college with absolutely no regrets! To name a few, I am the Director of Community Service for Mu Beta Lambda Minority Business Fraternity, a senior member of the African Student Association, the starting Center for the 2024 Intramural Basketball Champions (Where I was nicknamed "Mutombo" for averaging 2.5 blocks) and I am the proud owner of EightAPlate (https://www.instagram.com/eightaplate/) my culinary business where I sell different customizable meals every weekend out of my dorm! That was a lot, I know. But that's the point! I am painfully aware of both how lucky I am to be in this position and the massive financial burden accompanying it. Because I pay out-of-state tuition, I currently have $30,000 in student loans before my junior year even begins. Those loans are a terrifying weight that will make my life much more grueling. However, if I'm leaving college with back-breaking debt, why leave with regrets too? I want to graduate knowing that I made a positive impact on my community. Therefore, in February 2023, I founded "Feeding Bloom", crowdfunding donations via GoFundMe to cook meals and donate them to the homeless Bloomington community. The events are massive undertakings that I had to learn graphic design, social media marketing, and gather a team of 15 volunteers just to pull off. I am proud to say that in 4 events since then, Feeding Bloom has collected over $2000 in donations and fed 200+ people in need. I am currently planning the 5th Feeding Bloom in Fall to help even more people! My passion for helping others is why I am studying H.R. I want to bring joy to the workplace, an environment that causes distress and depression for millions. I know firsthand that a simple smile can illuminate the worst days. So, I study HR to bring smiles to my future workplace and help make employees happy. Humans spend approximately 1/3 of their lives working, so why not do it with a smile? My current job as a Student Ambassador helps sharpen my HR skills as I meet with multiple student families every day! I love being an Ambassador, but working 8 hours a week in addition to 20+ hours for EightAPlate is extremely exhausting. I can't afford to hire employees, so my Saturdays consist of arduous 12–16-hour shifts where I have to be a Chef, Social Media Manager, Waiter and Janitor until I finish at 6AM the next day. I often have to sleep in the kitchen to wake up the next morning and get back to cleaning. I love EightAPlate, but these long shifts are unsustainable and take a toll on my health. In addition, they snatch away time I want to use for my studies. However, I need to work those hours to support my family financially, as all my paycheck money goes towards paying my tuition. This scholarship would allow me to reduce the number of hours I work and hire employees, freeing up time to focus on my studies and fulfill my goal of graduating college with no regrets. Being awarded this Scholarship in honor of Kalia D. Davis would be a massive help in making that goal a reality!

Sliding down a hill is easy. But who is the person that first ensures that you get uphill? That is a leader. I am currently working to become a leader who can confidently do the most difficult work to reduce the barriers to entry and let others join me as we slide downhill. In February 2023 I founded the Feeding Bloom events at Indiana University Bloomington where I collect donations via GoFundMe, cook delicious meals, and donate them to the homeless people in the community. In order to get those donations, I had to teach myself graphic design on Canva and learn social media marketing to spread my message on a variety of social media platforms. In just 4 events since then, Feeding Bloom has collected over $2000 in donations and fed almost 200 people in need. A variety of people donate to Feeding Bloom. Friends I made in school, family back in Africa, teachers I talk to after class. The common thread of all these people is a desire to help. These are kind-hearted people who would like to make an impact on the less fortunate, but are too busy, scared, or simply don't have the resources to do so. As a leader, I took the first step in creating Feeding Bloom in order to give people a way to use their money to help others. In addition, many kind-hearted people simply do not have the financial means to donate to Feeding Bloom. That is perfectly fine, because I also need volunteers! On my Instagram, where I crowdfund donations and give updates, this is an example of the volunteers that I gathered for the event (https://www.instagram.com/p/C5wZhhRv9Nw/?img_index=9). Over the course of the event, there have been more than 25 volunteers who have helped me buy ingredients, cook, distribute food, and clean up for these events. People from all different sides of campus, united by the desire to help the less fortunate, and delighted to have Feeding Bloom, a program they can use to help those people. I want to turn Feeding Bloom from a small, infrequent series of events, to a real business with more constant events. The model of my business will take inspiration from "The Friday Cafe", a weekly event led by First Church Cambridge where food is provided for homeless people in the community and they're given a space to eat, talk and be treated well. It is a consistent event and becomes a weekly treat that the community can look forward to. It is an amazing initiative, and I hope to be able to expand Feeding Bloom to become a community staple like that. I want my legacy to show people that making an impact doesn't have to be some world-shattering change. You don't have to be a perfect planner and have all the skills. The first feeding bloom event was so badly planned that I forgot to bring a table and the people I was donating food to had to help me set up. But so what? I continued going! I will be overjoyed if my successes with Feeding Bloom can inspire others to cast doubt aside and finally be the change that they want to see. I want to shine my light to not only help the less fortunate, but be an inspiration for like-minded people that need a blueprint to do the same So, the issue I want to solve is twofold. Not only do I want to help provide homeless people with food, I also want to inspire those who have the desire th make change!

Sliding down a hill is easy. But who is the person that first ensures that you get uphill? That is a leader. I am currently working to become a leader who can confidently do the most difficult work to reduce the barriers to entry and let others join me as we slide downhill. In February 2023 I founded the Feeding Bloom events at Indiana University Bloomington where I collect donations via GoFundMe, cook delicious meals, and donate them to the homeless people in the community. In order to get those donations, I had to teach myself graphic design on Canva and learn social media marketing to spread my message on a variety of social media platforms. In just 4 events since then, Feeding Bloom has collected over $2000 in donations and fed almost 200 people in need. A variety of people donate to Feeding Bloom. Friends I made in school, family back in Africa, teachers I talk to after class. The common thread of all these people is a desire to help. These are kind-hearted people who would like to make an impact on the less fortunate, but are too busy, scared, or simply don't have the resources to do so. As a leader, I took the first step in creating Feeding Bloom in order to give people a way to use their money to help others. But it's not just people with money that I help. Many kind-hearted people simply do not have the financial means to donate to Feeding Bloom. That is perfectly fine, because I also need volunteers! On my Instagram, where I crowdfund donations and give updates, this is an example of the volunteers that I gathered for the event (https://www.instagram.com/p/C5wZhhRv9Nw/?img_index=9). Over the course of the event, there have been more than 25 volunteers who have helped me buy ingredients, cook, distribute food, and clean up for these events. People from all different sides of campus, united by the desire to help the less fortunate, and delighted to have Feeding Bloom, a program they can use to help those people. I want to turn Feeding Bloom from a small, infrequent series of events, to a real business with more constant events. The model of my business will take inspiration from "The Friday Cafe", a weekly event led by First Church Cambridge in Massachusetts where food is provided for homeless people in the community and they're given a space to eat, talk and be treated well. It is a consistent event and becomes a weekly treat that the community can look forward to. It is an amazing initiative, and I hope to be able to expand Feeding Bloom to become a community staple like that. I want my legacy to show people that making an impact doesn't have to be some world-shattering change. You don't have to be a perfect planner and have all the skills. The first feeding bloom event was so badly planned that I forgot to bring a table and the people I was donating food to had to help me set up. But so what? I continued going! I will be overjoyed if my successes with Feeding Bloom can inspire others to cast doubt aside and finally be the change that they want to see. I want to shine my light to not only help the less fortunate, but be an inspiration for like-minded people that need a blueprint to do the same!

Hello! Thank you for the opportunity to apply for the Marie Jean Baptiste Memorial Scholarship! I am Toluwalope Semowo, a first-generation Nigerian-American studying H.R. at Indiana University. I am not of Haitian descent, but I speak French, and I love speaking with Haitians to see how much my French knowledge translates to creole. My family still lives in Nigeria, and as the economic situation there worsens, my parents have suffered financially. Tuition has become too expensive for them, and we now rely on high-interest student loans for me to stay in school. To help them, I work as a Student Ambassador at IU and use my wages on my tuition. However, my part-time wages weren't significant enough to make a difference, so I also started a culinary business called EightAPlate where I sell meals every weekend. It is extremely strenuous, as I can't afford to hire employees, so I work arduous, 12-16-hour shifts. Despite that, I love it because it allows me to make more money and support my family financially. In February 2023 I founded the Feeding Bloom events at Indiana University Bloomington where I collect donations via GoFundMe, cook meals, and donate them to the homeless people in the community. In order to get those donations, I had to teach myself graphic design on Canva and learn social media marketing to spread my message on a variety of social media platforms. In just 4 events since then, Feeding Bloom has collected over $2000 in donations and fed almost 200 people in need. A variety of people donate to Feeding Bloom. Friends I made in school, family back in Africa, teachers I talk to after class. The common factor between these people is a desire to help. They are kind-hearted individuals who want to make an impact on the less fortunate, but are too busy, scared, or simply don't have the resources to. Therefore, I took the first step in creating Feeding Bloom in order to give people a way to use their money to help others. But it's not just people with money that I help. Many kind-hearted people simply do not have the financial means to donate to Feeding Bloom. That is perfectly fine, because I also need volunteers! On my Instagram, where I crowdfund donations and give updates, this is an example of the volunteers that I gathered for the event (https://www.instagram.com/p/C5wZhhRv9Nw/?img_index=9). After college, I want to turn Feeding Bloom from a small, infrequent series of events, to a real business with more consistent events. The model of my business will take inspiration from "The Friday Cafe", a weekly event led by First Church Cambridge where food is provided for homeless people in the community and they're given a space to eat, talk and be treated well. It is a weekly event and becomes a constant treat that the community can look forward to. It is an amazing initiative, and I hope to be able to expand Feeding Bloom to become a community staple like that.

Sliding down a hill is easy. But who is the person that first ensures that you get uphill? That is a leader. I am currently working to become a leader who can confidently do the most difficult work to reduce the barriers to entry and let others join me as we slide downhill. In February 2023 I founded the Feeding Bloom events at Indiana University Bloomington where I collect donations via GoFundMe, cook delicious meals, and donate them to the homeless people in the community. In order to get those donations, I had to teach myself graphic design on Canva and learn social media marketing to spread my message on a variety of social media platforms. In just 4 events since then, Feeding Bloom has collected over $2000 in donations and fed almost 200 people in need. A variety of people donate to Feeding Bloom. Friends I made in school, family back in Africa, teachers I talk to after class. The common thread of all these people is a desire to help. These are kind-hearted people who would like to make an impact on the less fortunate, but are too busy, scared, or simply don't have the resources to do so. As a leader, I took the first step in creating Feeding Bloom in order to give people a way to use their money to help others. But it's not just people with money that I help. Many kind-hearted people simply do not have the financial means to donate to Feeding Bloom. That is perfectly fine, because I also need volunteers! On my Instagram, where I crowdfund donations and give updates, this is an example of the volunteers that I gathered for the event (https://www.instagram.com/p/C5wZhhRv9Nw/?img_index=9). Over the course of the event, there have been more than 25 volunteers who have helped me buy ingredients, cook, distribute food, and clean up for these events. People from all different sides of campus, united by the desire to help the less fortunate, and delighted to have Feeding Bloom, a program they can use to help those people. I want to turn Feeding Bloom from a small, infrequent series of events, to a real business with more constant events. The model of my business will take inspiration from "The Friday Cafe", a weekly event led by First Church Cambridge where food is provided for homeless people in the community and they're given a space to eat, talk and be treated well. It is a consistent event and becomes a weekly treat that the community can look forward to. It is an amazing initiative, and I hope to be able to expand Feeding Bloom to become a community staple like that. I want my legacy to show people that making an impact doesn't have to be some world-shattering change. You don't have to be a perfect planner and have all the skills. The first feeding bloom event was so badly planned that I forgot to bring a table and the people I was donating food to had to help me set up. But so what? I continued going! I will be overjoyed if my successes with Feeding Bloom can inspire others to cast doubt aside and finally be the change that they want to see. I want to shine my light to not only help the less fortunate, but be an inspiration for like-minded people that need a blueprint to do the same!

He jumped into the air, sword in hand, and literally stabbed his own father through the heart. How fitting was it that your son brandishing a blade against you, the most painful thing a father could see, was a literal stab to the heart? Yet, Whitebeard, the strongest man in the world who could have crushed Squard like an ant, embraced him. Because to err is human, and to be a father is to forgive. As much as I love anime, I've never been able to be fully drawn into it. Even when Jiraiya died and it was excruciating to see Naruto with tears streaming down his face, losing the only family he had just gained, I was still aware that I was watching an anime. At the end of the day, Naruto wasn't real. I cannot say the same for the characters of One Piece. Specifically, Edward "Whitebeard" Newgate, the world's strongest man. The story I told above was when one of his "sons", Squard, was led to believe that Whitebeard betrayed him and attempted to take his own father's life. In that moment, when Whitebeard lifted his arm and hugged Squard, his sword wound still bleeding profusely, One Piece was real. It wasn't Whitebeard on screen. It was my parents, holding me as a child despite the mountain of silly mistakes I made growing up. Mistakes that they had every right to shout at me for, they simply forgave. As I saw Whitebeard hug Squard, I heard the words my mother said years ago after I had an explosive argument with my brother. She agreed with me that he was in the wrong. He said some horrible things that he got punished for. But I had said horrible things back. And she told me "Just because you were in the right and you COULD say it, doesn't mean you should." In that scenario, an all-out war with the Marines, Whitebeard had every reason to squish Squard into the ground. In fact, Squard, ridden by guilt, wanted to die. But Whitebeard, embodying the true meaning of love, forgave him. That is why One Piece, above anything else, is my favorite Anime. There is no show with characters as real and impactful as this anime. Characters are riddled with flaws, but those flaws make them completely human. The main character himself is unbelievably stupid, and his crew is full of oddballs and outcasts. But beyond their simple interiors, every character in this show is complex, well thought out, and feels extremely real. The prime example being Whitebeard, the greatest character in all of anime. (No wonder all of them got that tattoo on their back, I would too for Whitebeard!)

Hello! My name is Toluwalope Semowo and I study Human Resources at Indiana University, which is much further than I ever expected to be. Growing up in Nigeria, the ability to advance your education abroad is a rare (and expensive) privilege. I am only here due to the love of my parents and the countless sacrifices they made to help finance my education. To honor their love, I decided I would graduate college with absolutely no regrets! To name a few, I am the Director of Community Service for Mu Beta Lambda Minority Business Fraternity, a senior member of the African Student Association, the starting Center for the 2024 Intramural Basketball Champions (Where I was nicknamed "Mutombo" for averaging 2.5 blocks) and I am the proud owner of EightAPlate (https://www.instagram.com/eightaplate/) my culinary business where I sell different customizable meals every weekend out of my dorm! That was a lot, I know. But that's the point! I am painfully aware of both how lucky I am to be in this position and the massive financial burden accompanying it. Because I pay out-of-state tuition, I currently have $30,000 in student loans before my junior year even begins. Those loans are a terrifying weight that will make my life much more grueling. However, if I'm leaving college with back-breaking debt, why leave with regrets too? I want to graduate knowing that I made a positive impact on my community. Therefore, in February 2023, I founded "Feeding Bloom", crowdfunding donations via GoFundMe to cook meals and donate them to the homeless Bloomington community. The events are massive undertakings that I had to learn graphic design, social media marketing, and gather a team of 15 volunteers just to pull off. I am proud to say that in 4 events since then, Feeding Bloom has collected over $2000 in donations and fed 200+ people in need. I am currently planning the 5th Feeding Bloom in Fall to help even more people! My passion for helping others is why I am studying H.R. I want to bring joy to the workplace, an environment that causes distress and depression for millions. I know firsthand that a simple smile can illuminate the worst days. So, I study HR to bring smiles to my future workplace and help make employees happy. Humans spend approximately 1/3 of their lives working, so why not do it with a smile? My current job as a Student Ambassador helps sharpen my HR skills as I meet with multiple student families every day! I love being an Ambassador, but working 8 hours a week in addition to 20+ hours for EightAPlate is extremely exhausting. I can't afford to hire employees, so my Saturdays consist of arduous 12–16-hour shifts where I have to be a Chef, Social Media Manager, Waiter and Janitor until I finish at 6AM the next day. I often have to sleep in the kitchen to wake up the next morning and get back to cleaning. I love EightAPlate, but these long shifts are unsustainable and take a toll on my health. In addition, they snatch away time I want to use for my studies. However, I need to work those hours to support my family financially, as all my paycheck money goes towards paying my tuition. This scholarship would allow me to reduce the number of hours I work and hire employees, freeing up time to focus on my studies and fulfill my goal of graduating college with no regrets. Being awarded this Dr. Soronnadi Nnaji Legacy Scholarship would be a massive help in making that goal a reality!

Sliding down a hill is easy. But who is the person that first, ensures that you get uphill? That is a leader. As a leader, I do the most difficult work to reduce the barriers to entry and let others join me as we slide downhill. In February, 2023 I founded the Feeding Bloom events at Indiana University Bloomington where I collect donations via GoFundMe, cook delicious meals, and donate them to the homeless people in the community. As a devout Christian, I believe it is my duty to use any privilede I have to help those who have less. In order to get those donations, I had to teach myself graphic design on Canva and learn social media marketing to spread my message on a variety of social media platforms. In just 4 events since then, Feeding Bloom has collected over $2000 in donations and fed almost 200 people in need. How does this make me a leader? A variety of people donate to Feeding Bloom. Friends I made in school, family back in Africa, teachers I talk to after class. The common thread of all these people is a desire to help. These are kind-hearted people who would like to make an impact on the less fortunate, but are to busy, scared, or simply don't have the resources to do so. As a leader, I took the first step in creating Feeding Bloom in order to give people a way to use their money to help others. But, it's not just people with money that I help. Many kind-hearted people simply do not have the financial means to donate to Feeding Bloom. That is perfectly fine, because I also need volunteers! On my Instagram, where I crowdfund donations and give updates, this is an example of the volunteers that I gathered for the event (https://www.instagram.com/p/C5wZhhRv9Nw/?img_index=9). Over the course of the event, there have been more than 25 volunteers who have helped me buy ingredients, cook, distribute food, and clean up for these events. People from all different sides of campus united by the desire to help the less fortunate, and delighted to have Feeding Bloom, a program they can use to help those people. I believe I am a leader not because I am the first one to have an idea, or even the best person to have said idea. I am a leader because when I have an idea, God gives me stregth, and I refuse to let it remain one. My ideas become reality, and I rally those around me to help me make change.

By design, I live a much better life than either of my parents did. They drove me to school every morning whereas they had to catch a crickety, old bus. My lunchbox was packed with nutritious food, and I had every writing material needed for the school day. When they were growing up, they had nothing near that. Is it because we're rich? Not even close. As I've grown, I learnt that I had much less money than those around me. Looking back, that's why my closet was comprised of brother's old clothes. But as a child, I would have never known the woes of our financial situation. Because my parents refused to compromise on anything relating to their children, especially education. Despite being born in the U.S, I grew up in Nigeria. For everything that I love about Nigeria, it definetely lacks good public education. My parents, who were taught via that same public education system, wanted better for me. Sacrificing their finances, they sent me to private schools to ensure I recieved the best education. As I prepare for my Junior year of college, they are still supporting me financially, despite the economic situation in Nigeria worsening. The exchange rate of Nigerian Naira to Dollar has more than tripled since 2018. The money that they worked tirelessly for simply...dissapeared. I saw my parents go through the most harrowing time of their life, genuinely unsure of how our family would survive. All while still putting on a brave front for their children. How did they continue? What allowed them to push on in the face of their Naira becoming worthless before their eyes? "National African American Recognition Program Scholar, Toluwalope Semowo" "IU NAACP Innovator of The Year, Toluwalope Semowo" "Hutton Honors College Scholar, Toluwalope Semowo" I used to think that my parents were happy about awards because it was something to brag about. "My son was the best in Biology in his class this year!" And don't get me wrong, Nigerian parents are ALWAYS going to brag. But that is so far from what those awards truly represent. Hope. My parents still live in Nigeria while all 3 of their children scattered across the U.S, unable to live with them because they can't afford it. They have been driving the same car they complain about daily for over a decade because it would be too expensive to replace it. They have to have to sit, feeling inept as parents, as their children take on tens of thousands of dollars in loans because they simply can't afford all the tuition. When I tell them news of a new scholarship, award or excellent report card, that represents hope that one day, I will have a good enough job to change the fortunes of our family. My successes allow them to toil through the difficult present as they dream of an easier future. One where my family can laugh and smile together without the daunting prices of plane tickets ripping us apart. What has education done for me? What hasn't it? To be able to do something for my parents who have been making sacrifices for me before I was born is the greatest gift I have received. To provide even the tiniest glimmer of light in their darkest days brings joy to my soul. Education has allowed me to march to a better future for my family, making difficult days so much easier to bear. What more could I possibly want than that?