I am a twenty-four-year-old first-generation college student from Long Beach, California. During my journey in college, I have faced many hurdles, from financial struggles to grief, depression, and other health issues. Although life has been challenging I still persevere with goals. Currently, I am studying at Hampton University. Attending Hampton University was a goal that I had set for myself before my father’s passing and something I take pride in knowing my father would be proud of me. At Hampton, I am an English major with a concentration in Film. I chose English/ Film because of my interest in films and television that I had during my childhood. I was inspired by movies and TV shows like A Different World, Girlfriends, Do The Right Thing, Crooklyn, Jackie Brown, and The Meteor Man. All of these films made a difference in how I go about writing a script and or creating a film. But most importantly they let me know and understand that black actors, writers, directors, and production crews are needed in Hollywood. This is why after college, I plan to start a production company. I want my company to include women of color in every aspect, from crew members; to writers, directors, costume, makeup, etc. I want to be able to give women of color the opportunities we so much deserve but yet, are not usually given. I have seen several movies, shows, and animations that don't include women of color. And if they are included they are not accurately represented or are a nonperson of color’s sidekick. I hope that my production company can show to little black girls and women alike that they too can pursue a career in film. With my production company, I also plan to annually fund two film productions. One of the productions is about a young black woman between the ages of fifteen and twenty, and the other for a black woman twenty-five and older. I want to do this because I believe that although children are our future, and we should pour into our youth. I also find it important for women to not give up on furthering their education or careers because of their age. Because of me being a twenty-four-year-old attending an HBCU, most of my classmates are much younger than me. I know how hard it can be to feel like you are behind in life because of your age but that is not the case, you are never too old to better yourself.

I have to say I have face many adversity in my life not only because I am black and female but as of recently my mental health.During my time in community college, I took multiple breaks because I was overwhelmed , or least that’s what I thought at the time. But I came to a realization during my last two semesters of junior college that was not all what I was feeling. During this time I was going through the grief of my father, and I processed that the feeling I was feeling was not me being overwhelmed but depression. I didn't notice at first how depression was affecting my relationships. Being a natural introvert I was typically closed off from people. But I noticed as my battle with depression got harder I found myself gravitating toward being out with friends or family to try and distract myself from suicidal thoughts. When I noticed this change in my behavior I reached out to my doctor who helped me understand that depression is something that a lot of people go through and that I was not alone. Mental health has changed the way I see my goals and how I pursue them. I had always had the goal of attending and finishing college, but that was always pushed to the side because of my mental health. But after going through these past two years, I learned that for me to push through my fight with mental health and continue to accomplish my goals, I needed to ask for help. Without speaking out and asking for help when I needed it, I would not be here today. Depression has changed my outlook on life. Most people view people as their success and accomplishments, but I now see people for their struggles. Without pain and struggle many people would not be who they are today. Because I know I wouldn’t without dealing with grief and mental health issues, I would not be who I am today. If I were to give advice to someone facing adversity, I would say a few things. The first being don't be afraid to ask for help during difficult times. I would also say even though life maybe hard when you push through you will be proud of what you have accomplished. I know I am.Had I not asked for help during my darkest times, I would not have seen brighter days.

During my time in community college, I took multiple breaks because I felt, at the time, what I thought was the feeling of being overwhelmed. But I came to a realization during my last two semesters of junior college. During this time I was going through the grief of my father, and I processed that the feeling I was feeling was not me being overwhelmed but depression. I didn't notice at first how depression was affecting my relationships. Being a natural introvert I was typically closed off from people. But I noticed as my battle with depression got harder I found myself gravitating toward being out with friends or family to try and distract myself from suicidal thoughts. When I noticed this change in my behavior I reached out to my doctor who helped me understand that depression is something that a lot of people go through and that I was not alone. Mental health has changed the way I see my goals and how I pursue them. I had always had the goal of attending and finishing college, but that was always pushed to the side because of my mental health. But after going through these past two years, I learned that for me to push through my fight with mental health and continue to accomplish my goals, I needed to ask for help. Without speaking out and asking for help when I needed it, I would not be here today. Depression has changed my outlook on life. Most people view people as their success and accomplishments, but I now see people for their struggles. Without pain and struggle many people would not be who they are today. Because I know I wouldn’t without dealing with grief and mental health issues, I would not be who I am today.

Leadership is very important to me, I try to demonstrate leadership in all aspects of my life. I do this by helping and inspiring others. Recently when I became a first-generation college graduate, at my local community college. During college, I took multiple breaks due to financial struggles, mental health, physical health, and grief. But no matter how hard life got I still always made it back to my main goal, finishing my college education. By doing this I have inspired many of my family members to attend or re-enroll in college. Inspiring others is something that I enjoy doing which is why I look forward to leading my annual women's event. This event allows women to speak up about social issues and their emotions. I love to do these events because they allow women to support each other through rough times and also celebrate their accomplishments and good times. Doing these events is what helped me push along through my dark days. Although these are current leadership roles I have taken I also have plans to further my leadership after college. After college, I plan to take my leadership skills to the next level by running a production company. This production company will consist of women of color. In the film industry, there are not many jobs held by women of color, and I plan to change that. My production company will create jobs in various fields of the film industry; writing, directing, acting, and editing. Along with creating jobs for women of color I also plan to give opportunities. With my production company, I plan to annually fund the production of two films. Each production will have a different requirement. One of the productions will be awarded to a young black woman between the ages of fifteen and twenty, and another to a black woman twenty-five and older. I want to do this because I believe that although children are our future, we should pour into our youth. I also find it important for women not to give up on furthering their education or careers because of their age. Because I am a twenty-four-year-old attending an HBCU, most of my classmates are much younger than me. I know how hard it can be to feel like you are behind in life because of your age but that is not the case, you are never too old to better yourself.

I am a twenty-four-year-old first-generation college student from Long Beach, California. During my journey in college, I have faced many hurdles, from financial struggles to grief, depression, and other health issues. Although life has been challenging I still persevere with goals. Currently, I am studying at Hampton University. Attending Hampton University was a goal that I had set for myself before my father’s passing and something I take pride in knowing my father would be proud of me. At Hampton, I am an English major with a concentration in Film. I chose English/ Film because of my interest in films and television that I had during my childhood. I was inspired by movies and TV shows like A Different World, Girlfriends, Do The Right Thing, Crooklyn, Jackie Brown, and The Meteor Man. All of these films made a difference in how I go about writing a script and or creating a film. But most importantly they let me know and understand that black actors, writers, directors, and production crews are needed in Hollywood. This is why after college, I plan to start a production company. I want my company to include women of color in every aspect, from crew members; to writers, directors, costume, makeup, etc. I want to be able to give women of color the opportunities we so much deserve but yet, are not usually given. I have seen several movies, shows, and animations that don't include women of color. And if they are included they are not accurately represented or are a nonperson of color’s sidekick. I hope that my production company can show to little black girls and women alike that they too can pursue a career in film. With my production company, I also plan to annually fund two film productions. One of the productions is about a young black woman between the ages of fifteen and twenty, and the other for a black woman twenty-five and older. I want to do this because I believe that although children are our future, and we should pour into our youth. I also find it important for women to not give up on furthering their education or careers because of their age. Because of me being a twenty-four-year-old attending an HBCU, most of my classmates are much younger than me. I know how hard it can be to feel like you are behind in life because of your age but that is not the case, you are never too old to better yourself.

I grew up watching A Different World not realizing that it was a representation of an HBCU. So I attended my local community college expecting my college experience to be similar. Celebration of black culture and found out it was a different experience. This led me to look into HBCUs. I chose to attend an HBCU for various reasons, one is I wanted to feel like I belonged and celebrated. While attending community college I felt my culture was rarely celebrated or acknowledged. Being at an HBCU would allow me to connect with people who look like me and celebrate our different backgrounds in life. Another reason I chose to attend an HBCU was the lack of promotion, unlike California State University. During transfer fairs my community college tended to promote mainly UCs and Cal States, leaving HBCUs out of the promotion. This was disappointing to me because HBCUs have a rich history of educating minorities during a time when many wouldn't. I wanted to attend so that I could promote and share my experience with future generations. Especially at a time when HBCUs are being underfunded. The final reason I chose to attend an HBCU ties into my career plans. I plan to use my future career in the film industry to share stories, visions, and culture of the black community. While sharing these stories I also plan to create career opportunities in the film industry, because of the lack of representation.