As an HBCU student, I am constantly surrounded by Black excellence, pushed to be greater and can see visible examples of Black success. I recently completed my freshman year and I learned so much about myself. I came in as a 17-year-old kid, uncertain about what the future held, and have already obtained a wealth of knowledge and life skills. As I enter my second year, I plan on continuing what worked as a freshman and learning from my mistakes as I continue to adapt to college life. One of the biggest shifts for me happened in the classroom. The discussions that take place in our classrooms go beyond the four walls as we carry them into the real world and apply them to our daily lives. Every time I step on campus, I feel a sense of belonging and acceptance and I am sure I will carry the lessons I’ve learned and apply them to my everyday life. I have an expansive resume of community service, leadership, and employment. I have completed over 100 hours of community service in recent years. I have served my community at a local church food pantry, participated in a local Community Baby Shower, distributed food boxes at a Thanksgiving food drive and volunteered at the HBCU Classic amongst other things. In the summer of 2022, I was fortunate to obtain an internship with the Columbus Urban League, an organization that aims to empower African Americans and disenfranchised groups through economic, educational, and social progress. During my time there, I worked under the Director of Financial Empowerment Services. I was inspired by the work she was doing in the community providing financial counseling; as well as behind the scenes work, such as overseeing the daily operations and direct supervision of program. This internship inspired me to continue to put myself in positions to increase my confidence and creativity, use to use these leadership qualities to create a positive change and give back at my home, in my school and in my community. In 2022, the Columbus, Ohio chapter of the National Pan Hellenic Council hosted a Youth Summit the focused on violence and mental health, issues that have plagued our communities, especially Black youth. I served as a youth leader and a facilitated conversations around the stigmatism of mental health issues in youth and young adults. I also wrote and produced a PSA video that centered around the pressures our youth today, such as drug and alcohol use, bullying, social media, and suicide. This video garnered raved reviews from the NPHC and community leaders such as Columbus’ Mayor Andrew Ginther, City Council President Shannon Hardin and former Columbus City Schools Superintendent, Dr. Talisa Dixon. My continued education will put me in the forefront of the next generation of leaders who will make a significant impact on society. I chose to pursue a degree in business because it translates across many roles and industries and will give me a solid and thorough base in important business components like accounting, operations, and organizational management. I’ll also be better equipped to manage and lead other people, a necessary skill to advance into leadership positions. As I look to the future, I hope to take on leadership roles in student organizations, and to develop a professional network. I want to establish these relationships early on so that as I advance through college and enter the workforce, I can include the next generation of young Black professionals in teams, as mentees, or on important projects.

I have spent the last 12 years navigating life with a neurodiverse disability once I was diagnosed with Petit Mal Epilepsy in the 2nd grade. These types of seizures cause a brief disturbance of brain function due to abnormal electrical activity in the brain, resulting in staring spells. This happened many times a day, and occurred months before being noticed as they were mistaken for lack of attention and daydreaming. At just 7 years old I began to take medication multiple times a day and had to have EEG’s and blood work completed several times a year. I intentionally practiced resilience to cope with the seizures and the medication to minimize the impairments of my learning abilities, performance, and socialization. It was important for me to be as normal as possible, and to have the independence to participate in school activities and sports. Instead of focusing on my diagnosis I focused on knowing my strengths and keeping them in mind. Building my self-esteem and having confidence in my abilities and the positive things in life. Building healthy relationships. Knowing when to ask for help, managing stress and anxiety levels, and working on problem solving skills and coping strategies. Because I was able to shift my focus, in 2023, I graduated as a National Honor Society member from Eastmoor Academy and with a Photography Certification and as a National Technical Honor Society member from Ft. Hayes Career Center, and have successfully completed my first year of college at Kentucky State University. I have an expansive resume of community service, leadership, and employment. I was a 4-year Varsity softball player and team captain, member of the drama department and Thespian Society inductee, 4-year member of the Zeta Phi Beta Archonette Club, where I served as the club President, and in 2022, was named OSO State Conference Youth of the Year. I was also a founding member of The ONUS Project - a social change entity that creates platforms for young people to have a voice in issues that impact them. I have completed over 100 hours in a variety of community service efforts with these organizations. In addition to my many activities in school and the community, I have been employed part time since 2020, held summer internships with both the Columbus Urban League and the YMCA, participated in College Credit Plus at Columbus State, and completed a three-week college preview at Columbus College of Art & Design. I am working towards a degree in Business Management with a minor in Marketing because it translates across many roles and industries. It will also give me the opportunity to apply my education and grow my experience. As I have recently started my post-secondary educational pursuits, my goals are to expound upon my leadership skills by joining and taking on roles in student organizations, to participate in an internship or job shadowing experience, and to develop a professional network. I chose to pursue a degree in business because it translates across many roles and industries. A degree in Business Management will give me a solid and thorough base in important business components like accounting, operations, and organizational management. I’ll also be better equipped to manage and lead other people, a necessary skill to advance into leadership positions. Furthermore, I will have the opportunity to apply my education, grow my experience, and even combine my business knowledge with my passion for photography. Ultimately, this scholarship will help by lowering the costs of my 4-year degree.

Last year I was accepted to 15 HBCUs and decided to attend Kentucky State University because of its strong sense of community and emphasis on academics and community service. Being constantly surrounded by excellence, I am being pushed to be greater and can see visible examples of success. I entered college as a 17-year-old kid uncertain about the future, and have already obtained a wealth of knowledge and life skills. The discussions that take place in our classrooms go beyond the four walls as we carry them into the real world and apply them to our daily lives. Every time I step on campus, I feel a sense of belonging and acceptance and I am sure I will carry the lessons I’ve learned and apply them to my everyday life. I have an expansive resume of leadership, employment, and have completed over 100 hours of community service in recent years. I believe that the skills that I am continuing to build in college will empower me to continue to impact the lives of others with my consistent involvement in community service and leadership. One of my most memorable leadership opportunities was my participation in Columbus, Ohio’s NPHC Youth Summits. The 2022 summit focused on violence and mental health, issues that have plagued our communities, especially our black and brown youth. I served as a youth leader and as well a facilitator for the summit. I facilitated conversations around mental health issues with my peers and prominent city leaders, such as Columbus’ Mayor Andrew Ginther, City Council President Shannon Hardin and former Columbus City Schools Superintendent, Dr. Talisa Dixon. I also wrote and produced a PSA video that centered around the pressures our youth today, this video garnered raved reviews from the NPHC community and its leaders. Facilitating this conversation was especially important to me because of the impacts of COVID-19 lockdowns and how it emotionally affected not only myself, but many of my peers in various ways. My continued education will empower me to achieve excellence and put me in the forefront of the next generation of leaders who make an impact on society. I am pursuing a degree in business because it translates across many roles and industries and will give me a solid and thorough base in important business components like accounting, operations, and organizational management. I’ll also be better equipped to manage and lead other people, a necessary skill to advance into leadership positions. I also hope to take on leadership roles in student organizations, and to develop a professional network. I want to establish these relationships early on so that as I advance through college and enter the workforce, I can include the next generation of young professionals in teams, as mentees, or on important projects. Moving into the future, my charismatic and dynamic personality will continue to exude leadership through both my academic and extracurricular involvement and I am confident that serving my school and my community will be a part of my plans.

In 2023 I was accepted to 15 HBCUs and decided to attend Kentucky State University because of its strong sense of community and emphasis on academics and community service. Being constantly surrounded by excellence, I am being pushed to be greater and can see visible examples of success. I entered college as a 17-year-old kid uncertain about the future, and have already obtained a wealth of knowledge and life skills. The discussions that take place in our classrooms go beyond the four walls as we carry them into the real world and apply them to our daily lives. Every time I step on campus, I feel a sense of belonging and acceptance and I am sure I will carry the lessons I’ve learned and apply them to my everyday life. I have an expansive resume of leadership, employment, and have completed over 100 hours of community service that has impacted the communities that I am apart of. I believe that the skills that I am continuing to build in college will empower me to continue to impact the lives of others with my consistent involvement in community service and leadership. One of my most memorable community leadership opportunities was my participation in Columbus, Ohio’s NPHC Youth Summits. The summit focused on violence and mental health, issues that have plagued our communities, especially our black and brown youth. I served as a youth leader and as well a facilitator for the summit. I facilitated conversations around mental health issues with my peers and prominent city leaders, such as Columbus’ Mayor Andrew Ginther, Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin and former Columbus City Schools Superintendent, Dr. Talisa Dixon. I also wrote and produced a PSA video that centered around the pressures our youth today, this video garnered raved reviews from the NPHC community and its leaders. Facilitating this conversation was especially important to me because of the impacts of COVID-19 lockdowns and how it emotionally affected not only myself, but many of my peers in various ways throughout our high school careers. My continued education will empower me to achieve excellence and put me in the forefront of the next generation of leaders who make an impact on society and my community. I am pursuing a degree in business because it translates across many roles and industries and will give me a solid and thorough base in important business components like accounting, operations, and organizational management. I’ll also be better equipped to manage and lead other people, a necessary skill to advance into leadership positions. I also hope to take on leadership roles in student organizations, and to develop a professional network. I want to establish these relationships early on so that as I advance through college and enter the workforce, I can include the next generation of young professionals in teams, as mentees, or on important projects. Moving into the future, my charismatic and dynamic personality will continue to exude leadership through both my academic and extracurricular involvement and I am confident that serving my school and my community will be a part of my plans.

Being constantly surrounded by excellence at my HBCU, I am being pushed to be greater and can see visible examples of success. I entered college as a 17-year-old kid uncertain about the future, and have already obtained a wealth of knowledge and life skills. The discussions that take place in our classrooms go beyond the four walls as we carry them into the real world and apply them to our daily lives. Every time I step on campus, I feel a sense of belonging and acceptance and I am sure I will carry the lessons I’ve learned and apply them to my everyday life. I have an expansive resume of leadership, employment, and have completed over 100 hours of community service that has impacted the communities that I am apart of. I believe that the skills that I am continuing to build in college will empower me to continue to impact the lives of others with my consistent involvement in community service and leadership. One of my most memorable community leadership opportunities was my participation in Columbus, Ohio’s NPHC Youth Summits. The summit focused on violence and mental health, issues that have plagued our communities, especially our black and brown youth. I served as a youth leader and as well a facilitator for the summit. I facilitated conversations around mental health issues with my peers and prominent city leaders, such as Columbus’ Mayor Andrew Ginther, Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin and former Columbus City Schools Superintendent, Dr. Talisa Dixon. I also wrote and produced a PSA video that centered around the pressures our youth today, this video garnered raved reviews from the NPHC community and its leaders. Facilitating this conversation was especially important to me because of the impacts of COVID-19 lockdowns and how it emotionally affected not only myself, but many of my peers in various ways throughout our high school careers. My continued education will empower me to achieve excellence and put me in the forefront of the next generation of leaders who make an impact on society and my community. I am pursuing a degree in business because it translates across many roles and industries and will give me a solid and thorough base in important business components like accounting, operations, and organizational management. I’ll also be better equipped to manage and lead other people, a necessary skill to advance into leadership positions. I also hope to take on leadership roles in student organizations, and to develop a professional network. I want to establish these relationships early on so that as I advance through college and enter the workforce, I can include the next generation of young professionals in teams, as mentees, or on important projects. Moving into the future, my charismatic and dynamic personality will continue to exude leadership through both my academic and extracurricular involvement and I am confident that serving my school and my community will be a part of my plans.

In 2023 I was accepted to 15 HBCUs and decided to attend Kentucky State University because of its strong sense of community and emphasis on academics and community service. Being constantly surrounded by excellence, I am being pushed to be greater and can see visible examples of success. I entered college as a 17-year-old kid uncertain about the future, and have already obtained a wealth of knowledge and life skills. The discussions that take place in our classrooms go beyond the four walls as we carry them into the real world and apply them to our daily lives. Every time I step on campus, I feel a sense of belonging and acceptance and I am sure I will carry the lessons I’ve learned and apply them to my everyday life. I have an expansive resume of leadership, employment, and have completed over 100 hours of community service that has impacted the communities that I am apart of. I believe that the skills that I am continuing to build in college will empower me to continue to impact the lives of others with my consistent involvement in community service and leadership. One of my most memorable community leadership opportunities was my participation in Columbus, Ohio’s NPHC Youth Summits. The summit focused on violence and mental health, issues that have plagued our communities, especially our black and brown youth. I served as a youth leader and as well a facilitator for the summit. I facilitated conversations around mental health issues with my peers and prominent city leaders, such as Columbus’ Mayor Andrew Ginther, Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin and former Columbus City Schools Superintendent, Dr. Talisa Dixon. I also wrote and produced a PSA video that centered around the pressures our youth today, this video garnered raved reviews from the NPHC community and its leaders. Facilitating this conversation was especially important to me because of the impacts of COVID-19 lockdowns and how it emotionally affected not only myself, but many of my peers in various ways throughout our high school careers. My continued education will empower me to achieve excellence and put me in the forefront of the next generation of leaders who make an impact on society and my community. I am pursuing a degree in business because it translates across many roles and industries and will give me a solid and thorough base in important business components like accounting, operations, and organizational management. I’ll also be better equipped to manage and lead other people, a necessary skill to advance into leadership positions. I also hope to take on leadership roles in student organizations, and to develop a professional network. I want to establish these relationships early on so that as I advance through college and enter the workforce, I can include the next generation of young professionals in teams, as mentees, or on important projects. Moving into the future, my charismatic and dynamic personality will continue to exude leadership through both my academic and extracurricular involvement and I am confident that serving my school and my community will be a part of my plans.

My high school career was memorable to say the least. Not for typical reasons like, homecoming dances, first jobs, pep rallies, and other exciting memories made with friends, but, due to the world coming to a standstill in March of my freshman year from the impacts of COVID-19. While COVID-19 dominated across the globe, here in the US, the fight for equity and equality expanded. #JusticeForBreonnaTaylor, #JusticeForAhmaudArbery, and #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd were the hashtags that filled social media and became battle cries for the summer of 2020 as protestors took to the streets in cities across the country with outrage surrounding police brutality in the United States. Protesters were met with militarized police forces, violence not seen in the United States since 1968, when heightened tensions from the war in Vietnam, a dissatisfying presidential election, and the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. pushed the country into action. Nearly five and a half decades later, the country was pushed into action again. Amid tensions due to worldwide shutdowns from COVID-19, a frightening political climate in an election year, and the calls for justice that has surged in response to the rising number of senseless murders of Black people. The summer of 2020 empowered me to start having conversations with peers and to seek guidance from adults on how to use my voice about social justice in America. The internet gave young people like me, who were then too young to vote, a way to make our voices heard, some of my peers joined local protests, and others raised money to donate to Black Lives Matter, or similar organizations. At just 15/16 years old our eyes were wide open to the need for change in this country and we knew that this was the time to enact that change and made me proud to be an American because we are provided many opportunities to make an impact on these needed changes. Dr. King once said: “The time is always right to do what is right” and the time is now to continue his legacy in the 21st century. The time is now to keep demanding structural change, to show the urgency for policing reforms, end to racial violence and demand voting rights protections. We can do this by holding the police accountable, ending mass incarceration, and investing in Black communities. The time is now to continue the fight for voting rights and to vote in local and federal elections. This is essential to reforming policing practices and addressing racial inequities. The time is now to keep protesting. Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and protests have played a role in human rights movements around the world, from Civil Rights Movement marches in the US to the efforts to dismantle apartheid in South Africa. Too many of our ancestors spent their life fighting to put an end to segregation, fighting for equal rights, and ensuring Black Americans could make their voices heard at the ballot box. The time is now for us to be relentless and to persevere in honoring their legacy.

Merriam-Webster defines leadership as “the action of leading a group of people or an organization” and defines a leader as “an individual who possesses the ability to influence and inspire others, towards the accomplishment of a goal.” I have been able to build and sustain leadership skill due to an expansive resume of school and community activities that have taught me qualities that make a great leader and given me the opportunity to demonstrate leadership skills such as, effective communication, a good attitude and confidence. I am fortunate to have had several opportunities to be in a leadership position through personal relationships, school activities, and the community organizations that I am a part of. I am a class of 2023 graduate of Eastmoor Academy & Ft. Hayes Career Center in Columbus, Ohio. During my time in high school, I was a member of National Honor Society where I served as Historian, National Technical Honor Society, played varsity softball and participated in three productions with the drama department and was inducted into the International Thespian Society. Outside of school I have participated in several community service, leadership, and employment opportunities. I am a 4-year member of the Zeta Phi Beta Archonette Club and was the 2022 OSO State Conference Youth of the Year. I was also a member of The ONUS Project - a social change entity that creates platforms for young people to feel connected and have a valued voice around issues that impact them. I completed over 80 hours in a variety of community service efforts while a member of the Onus Project. In addition to my many activities in school and the community, I have been employed by Donatos Pizza since 2020, and held summer internships with both the Columbus Urban League and the YMCA. I have spoken on panels at events hosted by the City of Columbus and the National Pan Hellenic Council and obtained accolades from community leaders such as City Council President Shannon and Mayor Andrew Ginther. It is my goal to continue to put myself in positions to increase my confidence, creativity, and ability to inspire and to use these leadership qualities in my home, in my school and in my community. As I look to the future and beginning my post-secondary educational pursuits, my short-term goals as a college student are to expound upon my leadership skills by joining and taking on roles in student organizations, to participate in an internship or job shadowing experience, and to develop a professional network. These goals will give me knowledge and skills I need to reach and obtain the goal of earning a business degree. I chose to pursue a degree in business because it translates across many roles and industries. Furthermore, I will have the opportunity to apply my education, grow my experience, and even combine my business knowledge with my passion for photography. I will also be equipped to manage and lead other people, a necessary skill to advance into leadership positions. This scholarship will help by lowering the costs of my 4-year degree in Business Management. In addition to this scholarship and other aid, I plan to work throughout my studies to pay the additional cost. Earning this scholarship will give me the ability to move forward with my academic goals.

As I look to the future and begin my post-secondary educational pursuits, my short-term goals as a college student are to expound upon my leadership skills by joining and taking on roles in student organizations, participating in an internship or job shadowing experience, and developing a professional network. These goals will give me the knowledge and skills I need to reach and obtain the goal of earning a business degree. I chose to pursue a degree in business because it translates across many roles and industries. Furthermore, I will have the opportunity to apply my education, grow my experience, and even combine my business knowledge with my passion for photography. My long-term goal is to earn a Business Management degree. A degree in Business Management will give me a solid and thorough base in important business components like accounting, operations, and organizational management. I’ll also be better equipped to manage and lead other people, a necessary skill to advance into leadership positions. Ultimately, this scholarship will help by lowering the costs of my 4-year degree in Business Management. In addition to this scholarship and other aid, I plan to work throughout my studies to pay the additional cost. Earning this scholarship will give me the ability to move forward with my academic goals. I have experienced physical or emotional weakness since I was in 2nd grade and diagnosed with petit mal epilepsy, also known as absence seizures. Absence seizures involve brief, sudden lapses of consciousness. I suffered from these seizures for the majority of my elementary education, went into remission in middle school, and discovered that I relapsed just as I entered 9th grade. Absence seizures impacted me heavily physically, socially, and emotionally. I was not able to participate in certain activities and had frequent visits with a neurologist, countless EEGs and lab work, and medication to assist with the seizures. I am happy to say that I am now in remission, and have been able to lead a normal teenage life. I played JV volleyball, Varsity softball, I can drive and do normal things with my friends and family. I no longer have to worry about medication daily, or the frequent visits to the EEG clinic and lab at Nationwide Childrens Hospital. I overcame my fears of this medical issue with the unwavering support from my parents, family, teachers, and the medical professionals that treated me over the years.