I moved back to Richmond with my daughter in 2019 to start over. We started with aboslutely nothing to our name. I came here to make a better life for us and sort of find myself along the way. I must say it has been an interesting journey thus far. Going to school has given me the structure i needed to succeed as a single mom. I know the two dont seem to go together but i was blessed enough to have the support of family to help along the way. When I started college I had no idea what direction I wanted to go in. Everyone had different opinions and it was all great but none of those suggestions really reflected who I was personally. I am not well suited to being in an office and I dont know much about science. What I have learned thus far is that I am a true environmentalist at heart and I have a passion for breaking down the old education system we have in place for our upcoming community members, the youth. I believe now that school is supposed to be more than a prison simulation and should be held in environments that replicate nature. I would like to see biophilic design make a bold entrance and change the trajectory of our systems and ways of life overall. The best way to make that happen or at the very least make some waves, is to dive into urban planning and sustainability. Simultaneously, I would love to see more creative methods for planners and council members to include the communities they serve in decision making and development to create a sense of belonging and unity within these communities. What pushed me to this decision was a short volunteer experience with a community garden and a domestic violence support group. Myself and my daughter and a couple of her friends volunteered at the Sankofah Community Orchard in Richmond and i was in awe by how naturally the work came to the girls. They wanted to help and just needed the opportunity. The needed o see that learning could be fun and they didn't have to sit in a classroom all day to do it. I want to make a difference with our kids. I plan to travel globally to see how other cultures approach education and network to pull together the best methods to inspire creativity and critical thinking in the minds of the youth through the creation of green communities and biophilic designs that promote calm and curiosity and bring us closer to something greater than ourselves.

I traveled to Germany in June of '23 for the first time and it was life changing. My mother was our host as she is there for work abroad. Everything from the food to the air to the land and culture was completely different than anything id ever experienced. On this trip id taken my daughter with me who was 7 at the time and it made me want to do it over and over again. There were obvious language barriers but we managed just fine to get from city to city and country to country with minimal hiccups. The main difference i experienced was the sure sense of self the natives had compared to people in the US. So for a bit of back story, we took a trip to Switzerland and I was walking along the shops and constantly getting knocked to the side because i didn't know where I was going. I thought for sure everyone could tell I was new and was instantly more reserved and uncomfortable. Well i shared this with my mom who told me a secret: even if i dont know where im going, walk with my head up and look straight ahead. Well i tried that from that point on and had a completely different experience from that day on. We were there for about 30 days traveling from Frankfurt to Luxembourg to Belgium and back. Seeing different cultures changed the way I eat food and the way I look at the work day. In Germany they take breaks in the middle of the work day and most things close much earlier. That sounded like bliss to me and I would have never known that was truly possible had I not traveled there. The setup of the cobblestone streets and stacked homes was refreshing. The bikers had right away on roads and the air seemed more crisp and clean. I was determined to travel outside of the US consistently after that experience by any means necessary. This year I have been accepted to my schools France study abroad program and i couldn't be more delighted. We will be going from Frankfurt, Germany to Strasbourg, France for 21 days. I will be with complete strangers this go around and I am excited to see and experience the different ways that culture will influence my study habits and schedule over all. I think full immersion into a different culture will propel my development as a mother, student, and global community member.

I moved to VA in 2019 with no resume, no work experience, and no degree. Id just had my daughter and had to remove myself from a violent situation to make sure she was safe to live out a beautiful childhood. We left GA to start fresh with nothing but two suitcases. That move changed our lives and we didn't know what was coming next in life but i had to make something major happen. I started working on the farm to earn my place in the house. I immediately went to therapy and was open about the experience with her. Starting school as an adult after taking a break was difficult but by the grace of God we made a way. Since then I have demonstrated to her that with focus and a plan we can truly make our visions come to life. I became her first teacher and made sure she learned life skills in a fun way in between classes and work. In 2023 I showed her what it took to start a body scrub business and work full time, while attending class. On Saturdays we volunteer at our local community garden. When we began she loathed the experience and begged to go home and now I cant get her to leave and its a beautiful thing to see. I have watched her confidence soar because she sees her mom growing into a better person and she has role models around her who nurture that confidence. I am determined to finish my degree on schedule and show her that all of it is possible. No matter what the outlook of the world looks like or how insurmountable our fears we can do it. I have the support of my family and that is a lot more than most but I never want to offload my responsibility onto someone else. I deserve this scholarship and I will make all that I aspire to come to fruition so she can see first hand that its possible for her too. To whomever is reading this essay, I am doing my very best and most times it feels as though it is not enough. When I look back I realize that i have made it this far by the grace of God and the help of the community around me. I ask that you see the improvements I've made in the short amount of time and see how i put my daughters well being first. I would like to continue to do that with your help. Thank you