From the beginning of my life, I drew from personal experiences. I was born into a loving, secure family environment where my talents could be seen, and from an early age, my family realized my want and desire to make families as stable and comfortable as ours. As a young child, I would watch Lauren Lake and Judy Sheindlin's judge shows and be inclined to mend the families and their relationships together just as the judges did. These women influenced me in maintaining my fire and love for family law and justice. The judges coupled with my family's love and stability shaped my academic and career goals and gave me the space to believe. The academic goals that I had set for myself were to have a 3.75 Grade Point Average when I graduate high school, get into every college I applied to, obtain scholarships, and eventually go to an exceptional law school. These goals are continuously being accomplished because I set high standards and I always want to strive for greatness. These academic goals also fit into my career goals because my dream is to become a family court judge. I plan to go to college and pursue a bachelor’s degree in Political Science with a double minor in Pre-Law and Leadership Studies. I plan to go to law school after graduating college and that is an additional price tag that I will have to pay back. My education is paramount to my passion and will facilitate my opportunity and voice to make a change in the world. I want to be one who can make positive decisions in the courtroom when it comes to family law and serve with acuteness and optimism. The civil court deals with family court and all the obstacles that come with it; divorce, custody battles, adoption, paternity court, and more. I want to preside with fairness over these cases so society and families included can safely resolve their familial disputes. Family is the basis of everything in my life, what I was surrounded by conveys how I was raised and what my ideals continue to be. A perspective based on morals and values is essential within this court, and therefore, these families and individuals can be given closure. The effect of decisions made in family court can greatly affect society, families, and children. As a family court judge, I aspire to construct resolutions that give people hope, structure, and guidance in painful situations. This scholarship can help me accomplish my goals by relieving my financial bills during my undergraduate years and assist in my opportunity to make shifts in human lives through serving and leading in the future. Thank you for taking my application into consideration.

I am working and planning to address my future student loan debt by continuously applying for scholarships throughout high school, undergraduate school, and law school. Additionally having jobs during holidays and summer break are vital. Currently, I am a senior in high school but for me, it is never too early to start attacking student debt. I aspire to be a family court judge, which requires law school after 4 years of getting an undergraduate degree. Financially, my dream is already a sizable feat but it is why I have dedicated myself to filling out scholarships multiple times every week since August of 2022. I keep track of all the scholarships I have applied to and the ones that are renewable which will allow me to utilize them again. My undergraduate college is approximately $43,000 a year, not including plane trips back and forth home, college activities, and dorm necessities. I would like to ease the burden on my future self by not taking many loans out, but by receiving scholarships and working continuously on jobs as much as I can towards college tuition. Recently, I obtained a job so I can earn more money to put into my college fund. I work as a Sales Associate at The UPS Store and when I get paid, 75% of my earnings go into my college fund. However, this is not my first time saving for college. I started saving for college back when I was in middle school when I realized how much money my dreams would require. A percentage of any money I am gifted or earned always goes into my college fund. As I entered high school I set an academic goal to have a 3.75 Grade Point Average when I graduated high school and to get into every college I applied to. I have succeeded in that. This has allowed me to be eligible and open myself up to more scholarship opportunities. Also, when I entered my sophomore year of high school, I was proactive and decided to join two leadership programs that will award me scholarship money when I graduate. These leadership programs allow me to volunteer, serve in my community, and grow my leadership skills all throughout high school and I have gained scholarship money each year. As you can see, I have been cultivating money for my own future for quite some time. I am thriving and had a 3.8 unweighted and 4.0 weighted GPA with five Dual Enrollment college classes completed by the age of 16. I am happily looking forward to senior year, high school graduation, and my college experience. I have been chosen as a Junior Class Representative for Student Council, selected into Beta Club and National Honor Society, was on Varsity Step Team, thoroughly enjoyed Mock Trial, was in a professional musical, and am actively involved in Usher’s New Look Leadership Academy. Through all of this, I still find time to volunteer at local elementary schools which is fulfilling and gives me a sense of hopefulness. This scholarship is paramount to my passion and will help further my college education and law school dreams of becoming a family court judge in order to make shifts in human lives with hope, healing, guidance, and optimism.

When a toddler is two years old their focus is on toys and snacks. However, when I was two years old my focus became my health and how I would navigate my little life having an invisible disease. The trajectory of my life immediately changed when I received the diagnosis of Ulcerative Colitis (UC). Ulcerative Colitis (UC) is an inflammatory bowel disease that affects the gastrointestinal tract. When the lining of your colon, rectum, or both becomes inflamed, Ulcerative Colitis (UC) occurs. Once ulcers or tiny sores are produced on the lining of your colon, this is a sign that there is inflammation, which can start in your rectum and continue upward, sometimes implicating your entire colon. The inflammation that occurs, can cause your bowels to move the contents rapidly and empty them frequently. Symptoms include blood, mucus, stool, diarrhea, pain, fatigue, and weight loss, all at the same time or in any variation. In my case, I had it all at the same time. Symptoms do not last a day, but weeks, months, and sometimes years. Did I forget to mention that the frequency of how often you have to use the bathroom in one hour can exceed double digits? This pattern of symptoms and toilet usage can last hour after hour, day after day, and month after month while on the best medications in the best hospitals. The emotional, mental, and physical toll this takes on a life at any age is horrendous, let alone for a toddler. There is hopelessness because no doctors or parents can make these symptoms or feelings disappear. I had to live through it and hope there were better days in my future. This began my personal challenge and lifelong battle. Though it was more complicated when I was younger to completely understand living with a disease, as I grew up I accepted it more. I realized that while it is not what I thought would happen in my life; it will forever be a part of me. It is a part of who I am and my identity and it is not something that I see holding me back. Instead, I try to use it as motivation, something that I am living through and that I am proud of my success thus far. Despite suffering tremendously through ports, infections, and ICU stays over the course of years; I have never let it hold me back from living my life the way I desire. My ultimate goal is to become a family court judge. I am thriving and had a 3.8 unweighted and 4.0 weighted GPA with five Dual Enrollment college classes completed by the age of 16. I am happily looking forward to completing my senior year, high school graduation, and beginning my HBCU experience. I have been chosen as a Junior Class Representative for Student Council, selected into Beta Club and National Honor Society, was on Varsity Step Team, thoroughly enjoyed Mock Trial, was in a professional musical, and am actively involved in Usher’s New Look Leadership Academy. Through all of this, I still find time to volunteer at local elementary schools which is fulfilling and gives me a sense of hopefulness when mentoring and reading to little kids. The diagnosis of having an incurable and invisible disease is not how I would have envisioned my life, but what I have learned from this experience is the strength and quiet resolve I possess. UC has given me more than I could imagine when it comes to knowing how capable and resilient I am when facing obstacles.

When I was born in 2005, there was no representation of black princesses yet. It was a reality that my parents knew I would have to grow up with. However, when I reached the age to be interested in princesses, the representation had arrived. There was someone who was set in place for me, and that was Princess Tiana from The Princess and the Frog. The second I saw that movie, I was hooked because I was so excited to watch a character who looked like me. The impact that this movie had was paramount because it was centered around black excellence and showcased how black people can thrive on their own. It brought me my first ever animated version of black joy and it modeled what I saw in my own family, only played out on a screen. The love I had for the movie and every aspect of it made me feel appreciated because it conveyed the dignity and resilience that black women possess. This has remained my favorite Disney movie throughout my entire life. Everything about it from the liveliness of the soundtrack, to the wisdom of the characters like Mama Odie, has shaped me into the person I am today. The line "The only thing that's important is what's UNDER the skin" by Mama Odie exhibited my virtue. The theme of my life soon became Princess Tiana, all the way from my bedsheets to my clothes. The character created a sense of happiness and comfort for me whenever I saw her, I viewed her as a role model to look up to even though she was animated. I already knew that black girls could be princesses, but to have the representation be tangible was fulfilling. Princess Tiana has always had a special place in my heart because she showed me what I could accomplish. Seeing the representation in the media at such a young age, imprinted in my mind that I could be anything I wanted to be with hard work. I still carry Princess Tiana with me in my heart even though I am in a different stage of life than when I first watched it. It will always be my favorite Disney movie and the message behind it “The only way to get what you want in this world is through hard work” will continue to further me for the rest of my life.

When a toddler is two years old their focus is on the next toy they will play with or what is their next snack. However, when I was two years old my focus became my health and how I would navigate my little life having an invisible disease. The trajectory of my life immediately changed when I received the diagnosis of Ulcerative Colitis (UC). Ulcerative Colitis (UC) is an inflammatory bowel disease that affects the gastrointestinal tract. When the lining of your colon, rectum, or both becomes inflamed, Ulcerative Colitis (UC) occurs. Once ulcers or tiny sores are produced on the lining of your colon, this is a sign that there is inflammation, which can start in your rectum and continue upward, sometimes implicating your entire colon. The inflammation that occurs, can cause your bowels to move the contents rapidly and empty them frequently. Symptoms include blood, mucus, stool, diarrhea, pain, fatigue, and weight loss, all at the same time or in any variation. In my case, I had it all at the same time. Symptoms do not last a day, but weeks, months, and sometimes years. Did I forget to mention that the frequency of how often you have to use the bathroom in one hour can exceed double digits? This pattern of symptoms and toilet usage can last hour after hour, day after day, and month after month while on the best medications in the best hospitals. The emotional, mental, and physical toll this takes on a life at any age is horrendous, let alone for a toddler. There is hopelessness because no doctors nor parents can make these symptoms or feelings disappear. I had to live through it and hope there were better days in my future. Despite suffering tremendously through ports, infections, and ICU stays over the course of years; I have never let it hold me back from living my life the way I desire. I was not able to attend brick-and-mortar schooling until I was 13 years old. My ultimate goal is to become a family court judge. I am thriving and had a 3.8 unweighted and 4.0 weighted GPA with five Dual Enrollment college classes all before my senior year. I am happily looking forward to senior year, high school graduation, and my college experience. I have been chosen as a Junior Class Representative for Student Council, selected into Beta Club, and National Honor Society, was on Varsity Step Team, thoroughly enjoyed Mock Trial, was in a professional musical, and am actively involved in Usher’s New Look Leadership Academy. Through all of this, I still find time to volunteer at local elementary schools which is fulfilling and give me a sense of hopefulness when mentoring and reading to little kids. The idea of having an incurable and invisible disease is not how I would have envisioned the beginning of my life, but it has brought me to the place I am today. It is a part of me and who I am as a person although it is never wanted. It has shown me a different perspective of life that I would not be privy to without this diagnosis. UC has given me more than I could imagine when it comes to knowing how strong I am.