When I applied for the FAFSA for the first time, I was pretty nervous. I found out that week that my parents dropped out of college due to not being able to afford it, and that apparently, my family must've been really struggling, because I had gotten a Pell and Texas Grant. I asked an advisor what those awards meant and he essentially told me in professional terms that meant my family was poor and must've been in a dire need of financial help. He sounded so excited as he told me too. It was kind of funny at the time, but it also wasn't, y'know? Especially since my homelife was still rather tense due to my dad losing his job. Nonetheless, I shrugged it off and kept it pushing. I couldn't let my hurt feelings get in the way of my goal. I've known for a long time that I wanted a career in art. The desire was baseline at first; get a job where I could draw all the time. As I got older and looked into what I could see myself doing and what I wanted to do, it grew to become more than that. I discovered that I wanted to work in animation to get more voices from my community into the room where it happens. Obviously, it'd be a struggle for me to afford my education. Because of this, I did a lot of things to either earn scholarships, or gain college credit during high school so I wouldn't have to pay for it in college. It wasn't easy going to college with no money to my name, but I somehow got through my first semester alright. I'm pretty close to getting my associates degree early too! Any additional funds would help me immensely.

As I'm an animation major, I was originally going to submit a small video from one of my projects. However, I decided against it and chose a mixed-media piece I recently made instead. I did this because while I do think of using your imagination to bring something to life when defining creativity, I also see creativity as stepping out of my comfort zone whether that be trying a new technique, tool, or even software to try and make something cool.

I'm majoring in Animation and Game design with a focus on preproduction because I've always loved art. I could always be swept away in the crazy process of world-building, and each flick of my pencil or stroke of my brush is meant to tell a story. Animation at its core is using a reality-defying medium to help push a story forward. While it's commonly seen as a medium for children, animation can tell a multitude of types of stories. In fact, while I do love creating pieces for mystical or whimsy projects, I hope to work on more realism-based projects like documentaries. I know I know, why do I want to do that? Well, as I've come to realize, animation has many benefits when covering more bleak source material. For starters, let's say you want to make a documentary, and while you have people who are willing to share their experiences, they're embarrassed to have their faces on camera. Animation could be a loophole around it where your interviewees can still share their experiences yet retain a sense of anonymity and privacy. Another benefit of using animation is that it can create a more palatable way to digest information about tragedies like wars, genocides, and other atrocities. Animation can also help create visuals for areas that were destroyed or lost to time. Especially if actual film of the place is nonexistent, limited, or gone. I know what you might be saying, isn't using animation for such heavy topics bringing up the risk of you coming off as tone deaf? To that, I'd say absolutely yes. Animation in itself is seen as a childish medium, and despite your intentions, if you're not careful, you can very much come off as -or simply be- tone-deaf in your execution. When dealing with such delicate topics, you must keep the source material in mind and treat it and its subjects with the uttermost respect. Depending on what the subject material even is, animation might be the only way a company can or is willing to show someone's story to the masses. On top of that, I also want to work in the animation industry because people of color in that field are limited. We always preach about wanting more representation in shows, books, cartoons, and more. And what better way to ensure we get such representation than joining these spaces ourselves? I aspire to make a positive impact on my community by giving them a voice and the opportunity to see themselves in the media they see. So many kids, and even adults, don't see themselves in the media they encounter on a day-to-day basis. And when they do, it's usually just one show or a character that's a dramatic caricature. I aspire to promote diversity and to help spread the stories of those who aren't heard by our society.

Childhood for me was a confusing time of not knowing where I fit in or what I was supposed to do. I've recently come to realize I was one of the "weird kids" growing up, and with hindsight, I can see how it impacted me. One of the few constants about my childhood was art class. It wasn't popular among my peers, but it was it pleasant escape from the loneliness I felt as a kid. I began entering art competitions, got my works into a few local holiday shows, and even made specialty pieces for school events. I started to realize I could see myself doing this as a career. Unlike before where I'd usually only say I wanted a job in art because it was one of the few things I was good at, now I could feel the passion for it and everything I've created. My high school wasn't and still isn't big on the arts, so I didn't have anyone to talk about this with without getting the "starving artist" speech or judgemental looks. I was going to concede and start prepping to major in English or literature when my uncle moved in from Florida. My mom encouraged me to hang out with him because he was "An artist like me". He had many of his art pieces in art galleries and works as a nail technician when he's not making paintings. He encouraged my desire to work in the arts and showed me many skills and techniques that improved my abilities as an artist. He also showed me different career paths I could take that involve art from his career as a nail technician to areas like graphic design and illustration. When I saw my uncle, I saw someone who was happily making a living off of his art, someone who wasn't the starving artist I was constantly told I'd become if I tried to work in art. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have discovered my passion for design and world-building, I wouldn't have had the courage to begin making my webcomic series, and I wouldn't have gotten into college for animation and game design. Now I'm learning how to 3D model, program for video games, create levels, plan out and create concept art, and refine my animation skills. I still get weird looks when I tell people my major, but it doesn't bother me at all because I know it's the perfect fit for me.

When people hear I'm a first-generation student, they assume my parents have never been to college. That's not necessarily true as they both attended local colleges in New York. As my mom likes to put it, "I could get into college, I just couldn't afford it." The same goes for my dad. Got accepted into college, but wasn't making enough money to pay for classes. While my parents aren't big "you should go to college after high school" parents, they did say I should have a plan. This led to me looking into many paths, and I ultimately decided college was the best route for me. I chose to pursue a higher education because I feel that it will give me the most desirable outcomes for my intended career path. It'll also give me more technical skills for my profession and allow me to network and get my foot in the door. As you could expect, my parents supported my decision all the way and were proud I was taking initiative into my future. I know what you may be asking, why choose to go to college when both of your parents couldn't afford it themselves? Well, I purposely made certain moves in high school to make my journey to success easier. For starters, I took advantage of the dual credit/enrollment program at my high school. I took as many college classes as I possibly could and successfully bagged a whole year's worth of school free of charge. I plan to knock out my second year and earn my associate's degree over the summer as well so when I am at my university, I'm only paying for classes regarding my major. To help cover the remaining cost, I'm doing work-study to earn money when I'm not in class. I also plan on applying for a specific on-campus job. While said job is full-time and on-call, if I were to be accepted for the position, I'd get reduced prices for room and board. When I'm not working or applying for scholarships, I'm putting my all into my schoolwork. I know people are expecting me to mess up, and that mistakes are natural, but I can't afford any mistakes. My tuition being paid relies on my grades staying up, and failure is not an option. The constant to-dos can admittedly get stressful at times, but thinking about my degree at the end of the road instantly perks me back up and fuels me to keep going. Not to say I'm not enjoying my time in college. I'm meeting new people and gaining new experiences. Not to mention my family is incredibly supportive of my journey. While being a first-generation student can have its difficulties, it doesn't diminish the positive aspects of college in the slightest. Especially when you put in the work to make things easier in the long run.

Ever since my sophomore year of high-school, I knew I wanted to work in the animation industry. Whether it be film or video games, I didn't care. It just had to be animation. Working in animation as a concept artist specifically. Although I won't complain if I end up as a 3D modeler, story boarder, inbetweener, colorist...or anything really. Like any reasonable person who sets their sights on their dream career path, I came up with a fool proof plan to ensure I get myself through the door and into the positions I want. As you could imagine, there wasn't a ton of people I could ask in regards to preparing for my future. Besides looking at You tube videos and going through endless searches on Google, I felt pretty stuck. To my luck, my animation teacher in my junior year of high-school happened to work in the video game industry before retiring to become a teacher. Call me annoying, but I asked that man any and every question that could so much as pop into my head. He gave me very useful advice on how to build my portfolio and make myself stand out, and he let me keep his email to ask him any more questions I might have while in college. Outside of that, I also made sure to sharpen my skills. I'd draw different body parts, animals, plants, buildings, and more for hours at a time. If I want to be a concept artist, I need to be able to draw anything, right? Right. So I practiced everything. Not just drawing, either. I practiced animating and 3D modeling as well. I actually made a short film with some friends that...admittedly looks a bit rough around the edges. No matter, I'm getting better with time. When I wasn't practicing for my future job in a studio, I was working on my own projects. I like drawing, so I began developing a webcomic I haven't released yet. I think it's pretty cool. I wrote the story, the script, designed the characters, went through multiple iterations of how my comic should go, and after a few more tweaks I think I'll be ready to release the first few chapters. That's not the only project I've been working on, either. That janky short film I made with my friends? I'm remaking it. Yep. Gonna rewrite the script, redesign the characters, and remodel and animate everything! I'm really passionate about what I do. I love creating and the thrill of having to come up with new solutions or products when what you make doesn't turn out. Amongst other things, I think those are pretty useful interests to have when aiming to work in the animation industry. As animation is becoming more and more common to see in everyday media, I think continuing to have people who are passionate about the subject will ultimately benefit the medium for generations to come. I also think more people of color entering the animation industry would be great, especially when said industry is now aiming to be more diverse in the stories they share and the different cultures they shed light on.

Oh my gosh, my memories with Minecraft goes way back. I can still remember when the game first came out and how excited me and my brothers were when we got an edition for our Xbox 360. (Old, I know). While I haven't played the game in a good while now, there's always one activity that comes to mind that will never fail to bring a smile to my face. My favorite aspect of playing Minecraft by far is using creative mode. My love for creative mode is pretty simple. While I like teaming up in survival mode and hunting down resources and fighting off enemies, the simplicity of shaping my own world was far more appealing to me. Whenever I was in creative mode, it was to do one of three things. One; build a kingdom or town, two, gather materials I was feeling too lazy to look for myself while in survival mode, and three, build game maps and arenas so me and my brothers could switch it to survival mode and fight to the death. Adorable, I know. While these three activities are in hindsight, very random and slightly concerning depending on how you choose to look at it, they were core parts of my childhood. Especially in terms of my creativity. How did playing Minecraft help develop my creativity you may ask? Well, lets just say spending hours on a game where I could literally make what ever I want, really helped younger me establish how she wanted her fantasy worlds to look. Even when I was making my battle to the death arenas, I was thinking about what "world" I was in and how structures or societies like that would even work. As an up incoming concept artist and character designer now, I can definitely look back on my childhood and see when I started gaining interest in topics like design. Saying Minecraft pushed me into my current passion would be a stretch, but I would be a liar if I said all those hours I spent making dozens of mansions and castles didn't at the very least contribute to my current interests.

If you were to ask a group of people what they think a leader is, they'll most likely have different answers. Some will say a leader is someone who can take charge. Others will say a leader is someone resilient and quick to bounce back after encountering obstacles. Someone else might say a leader is someone confident. Another could say they think a leader is someone who can hold the group together and keep everyone on track. I think a leader can be all of these things and more. As someone who has taken the leadership position multiple times throughout my volunteer and high-school career, I believe I make a good leader because I'm resilient, accountable, self-aware, and able to bring like-minded people together to accomplish our goals. From my sophomore year to my senior year of high school, I worked my way up from secretary to vice president of my high school's BPA, Business Professionals of America, chapter. If you're unaware, BPA is a business and technology organization that teaches students how to connect with others and utilize an array of skills that are desired in the workforce. One of the perks of being a member is that you can compete in a wide selection of competitions that range in topics from podcasts to 3D animation. I was always selected to be the group leader of my designated team each time we competed. We scored top nine for the first time in ten years in extemporaneous speech, and we won qualifying awards for both presentation and 3D animation competitions. My teammates and fellow club members trusted me with keeping everyone on track, planning events, and coming up with plans and strategies that would help us in competitions and fundraisers. They looked up to me for advice when we came across trouble, and me and my fellow president took the buck whenever we fell short or failed. Even despite our losses, my club members could trust me to make sure everything was accounted for from competition dates to everyone's volunteer hours being counted. To me, being a leader is not just having a lot of responsibility. It's about acknowledging that whether you like it or not, there are people who look up to and count on you. Your words and actions will hit heavier than you could ever anticipate, and when you are out and about, you not only represent yourself but your fellow officers and organization as well. I'm a leader because I take those things into account. Whether I'm acting as an ambassador for my school's CTE program, vice president for BPA, or First Sergeant in JROTC, there will always be eyes on me or those who depend on me. Being a leader isn't "my word is law" but listening to others and taking their feelings and feedback into account. A leader listens with consideration when their comrades say they aren't satisfied with their performance, they watch out to see if their team is okay, and they make sure their group is seen in the best possible light. You don't have to have a leadership position to be considered one either. I think a leader is also someone willing to explore and encounter obstacles by themselves without being told to. Aka, "being a leader and not a follower". I'm not sitting around waiting for people to tell me what to do, or what's right and wrong. If I know it's right I get to it. These qualities make me a leader.

Hi! I'm Tatianna Hazel. I'm the middle child of five children, and I have two sisters and two brothers. My mom is a caterer, and my dad is a truck driver. I absolutely love art, and my favorite things to do in my free time is to read and write. I'm going to school to double major in animation/game design and business administration at the University of Texas at Dallas. I consider myself a first-generation student because while both of my parents spent time in college, both ended up dropping out early on due to expenses. Both of my parents are hard workers, and they're helping me fund my education. While I chose an in-state school and received a decent amount of financial aid, there is still a long way to go before I can comfortably say my college is fully paid for. As my parents are doing their all to help me out, the least I can do is attempt to knock out as much of my college expenses as possible via any scholarships I can find. My goals regarding my education are fairly simple. Make the dean's list and obtain my bachelor's degree. I took a few dual credit classes while in high school, so I'm fairly close to having my associate's already. While I'd prefer to start looking for work after earning my bachelor's, if I have the opportunity to get my Masters as well, I'll definitely jump on it. I don't want to waste any bit of my college experience, so if I'm not writing scholarship essays, I'm going to be studying, working, or networking with fellow classmates and my professors. I also plan to volunteer my time to any projects that will give me the much needed experience in my career field. If I were to get this scholarship, it'd be a significant help towards my college expenses. One semester of my meal plan is $2,182 plus tax. A semester of housing is $4,600. $2,000 can go a long way for me. If I were chosen as the recipient of this scholarship, I'd be so excited and grateful. As someone who is from a low income household, any amount would be appreciated. If I were to win this scholarship, it would give me so much more time to focus on my studies. If I were to accept a part time job or work study, I'd enevitably have to cut down on vital time for studying in order to immerse myself at my job. It'd help me get the money I need, but my schooling would most likely suffer as a result. I know my major doesn't seem the most conventional, but one glance at my work will tell you I'm serious about what I do. I'm going to do whatever it takes to accomplish my goal, make a name of myself, and gain the ability to take care of my family like they do for me. I truly hope you consider me for this scholarship.

Cheers echo in Astra's ears, snapping her from her daze. Around her is a boisterous celebration. And for good reason, too. Her brother cured the plague that rotted the harvests of their kingdom, saving their people from starvation. He is their savior, the one who can only do good no matter his intentions. Astra is honestly jealous of him. Unlike her mighty sibling, she can only bring destruction to what she encounters. Like two halves, one is right and one is wrong. Astra is wrong. It's not all bad. Sure, she must wear cuffs and braces that restrict her and her powers, but she is a princess. Well respected and - The crowd cheers again as her brother makes a toast. Astra forces a grin as her brother smiles at her warmly. Bright, earthly. Oh, how she wishes to be like that. She gets up for some needed air. As she walked down the corridor, she was met with portraits of those who came before her. Blessings they were. Men and women who did nothing but make their kingdom prosper. Each portrait grows more extraordinary. From discovering plants to moving mountains. Her fingers sizzle as she grazes the latest picture, the painted smile taunting her. Everyone in this family is destined for greatness. It's physically impossible for them to be any less. No harm can be done by their hand no matter how hard they may try. Astra's hand drops to her side. Unlike her family, she is cursed. Mirroring her perfect brother, everything she touches crumbles to ash even despite pure heart and intent. Rounding a corner the princess slides to the ground. It's not fair. She wants to help too. To be useful. Loved... She looks up, eyes falling on her cuffed wrists. Blinking slowly, the gears in her head turn before slowly but surely, and a smile spreads across her face. Pulling herself off the ground she reaches for the floral decorations hung on the wall. She's not allowed to do such things, lest her restraints accidentally fail and what she handles shrivel to dust. She smiles as her fingers sink into the flowers. Petals flow to the floor and crumble out of her view as she giggles. The cheers and whispers from afar reach Astra's ears, and she pulls away to wander into the garden. Fireworks and stars decorate the sky, and Astra outstretched her arms and twins as if in a dance. Picking a remaining petal from the flower she touched, she decides to try this too. What her brother does isn't that hard. He's just existing! Her powers are restricted, so with a bit of effort, she could surely do the greatness her brother accomplishes. Maybe even more than. All she needs is a chance! What could go wrong? She giggles as she brushes by statues of ancestors old. She skips across ponds, hops over mounds, observes and caresses flora, and dances across the grass. She runs her fingers across old pillars, convinced her touch is making them new again. It wasn't until Astra heard a crowd's horrified gasps that she woke up. Surrounding her in what once was the pristine royal garden is now a mess of snuffed flamed and crumbling marble. She sinks to the floor as she recognizes what she has done. The crowd murmurs, only falling silent and parting when her brother, their king, is steps forward, the grass under him rejuvenating. Gripping left over plants that eventually crumbles to dirt, Astra heaves she didn't mean to do this. Her brother gives her a sympathetic look, outstretching her a hand. The Princess sniffles.

This is a difficult choice. There's so many options that lead to varying results with peak levels of comedy. And co-op? A completely different ball game entirely. For simplicities sake, I'm going to share the story of how I combined forces with my brother to dominate in Mario Kart. It started like any other day, calm peaceful, quiet. That all ended when my younger brother suggested we all play Mario Kart. My home is filled with fierce competitors all around, so of course the mere mention of the classic go cart game had everyone hault. We normally play individually, but I suggested we try out playing on teams. The fam was all for it, and trashtalk immediately ensued. My big brother and little sister claimed they'd easily wipe the floor with my brother and I. We were floored, but the challenge was set, and the competition was on. I won't lie, we were crushed during the first race. I got confused on which screen was mine, completely forgetting I was playing as a pink Shy Guy and not Baby Peach. Meanwhile my little brother and teammate was unfortunate enough to keep getting hit with red shells. Embarrassed by our performance, we immediately locked in, so focused we didn't even talk trash anymore. We'd follow our brother and sister on the track, purposely shooting red and green shells at them, ramming them off the road, and saving horns and dashes to evade attacks. Despite our best efforts, we were cutting it close in regards to the final score. The last track was one we all dreaded, Rainbow Road. None of us were good at rainbow road, but me and my brother knew there was no room for error. We knew we'd skid off the track if we tried our old tactics, so my brother and I decided to focus on staying on the track and avoiding any attacks. Of course this was the round where my sister got nothing but red shells, plowing through our ai teammates to get to us. The tensions were high, my brother and I were panicking, my mother screamed at us to stop yelling- it was insane. We were cutting it close when my big brother passed my partner, aka my little brother. This left him in 2nd, me in 3rd, and the enemy in damn 1st place. Some video game God must have been looking down on is that day, because one of the npcs got a blue shell. Hit my brother right as the finish line for the 3rd lap was in view. My partner sped right past him, and I swooped in with a banana, disorienting my big brother even further. With him decommissioned, the top slots were ours. Our trash talk resumed almost instantly, and me and my brother started dapping each other up while rubbing our victory in my siblings faces. I'll admit, my family is what those call a sore winner, so I rode that high for ages. This occasion, along with Mario Kart as a whole, reminds me of care free times with my family. That, and the sweet taste of victory after an intense game of Mario Kart will forever sedate my hunger for triumph.

It's a lot of pressure choosing the path that may very well impact the trajectory of your life. I've considered the military, law, and even a trade. However, I decided to go to school for animation. While it seems unconventional, I love it. It's been a huge passion of mine since childhood. I want to make an impact on the animation industry, my community, and creating media that can be more than just entertainment. One day when I was little, I was watching The Princess and the Frog with my grandma. She told me it was one of her favorites and she was glad I have movies like this. I didn't fully understand what she meant until years later when I was 16 years old. I was talking about TV shows and my mom off-handedly mentioned that my grandparents grew up with only Jim Crow cartoons. Just a few weeks later, my great aunt said during a movie she thinks it's cool cartoons have other people and cultures now. It was at that moment I realized how new it was to see characters like me on "the big screen" if you will. Even then, you still see posts and articles about races getting their first-ever character to show up in video games and movies. On the flip side, you also see arguments on how groups of people, typically minorities, are being dramatic when they complain they are being misrepresented or mocked in popular media. While we've come far in terms of diversity and acceptance, I feel we still have a long way to go. As a person of color myself, one of my goals is to make an impact using the animation medium to shed light on everyone in the most positive way possible. I also want to foster more work that will bring comfort to others. While met others who face certain struggles along with facing them myself, I understand how grounding such a small thing can be, whether it being able to resonate with themselves in a story, or simply because it provides grounds for a peace of mind. Another goal of mine is I want to prove that I as a person of color can make it in the industry. There are currently only four percent of black people in the animation industry, the statistics for people of color overall are not much better. When people want to see more stories of people like them, having those people in the making of such projects is just as important as speaking with and researching the people of those groups. I know I didn't choose the most respectable major. The reactions I get when I tell people what I'm going to school for can show me that. But I love what I do, my community, and creatives of the future. Earning this scholarship will not only help me tremendously with my education, but it will also push me towards my goal of truly making a impact.

As cliché as it sounds, I feel the most creative when I'm left alone, with maybe some music playing in my ears or a TV show playing in the background. Anyone who knows me could tell you I'm not the most extroverted person, but I am a people watcher. Ignoring how creepy that sounds, hear me out. You experience just as many things from observing as you do from acting. I draw inspiration from the things I see just as much as I do from the experiences I've had. Back to the money winning question, yes, I do feel the most creative when I'm alone. It's because I like being alone for starters, and I've also come to realize my thoughts run faster when I'm at a peace of mind. My best, or at least my more entertaining ideas had come to me when I was chilling and minding my buisness. Not to say I can't be inspired by or create with others if course. I'm just an introvert who expands her fictional universe when alone and in the comfort of my room. As an aspiring cartoonist, I believe myself to be pretty good at extravagating the mundane and toning down the extra. I draw inspiration from the people I meet, the places I visit, the emotions I'm feeling, and those crazy dreams I get sometimes. Cartoons are my favorite way to express these things. While some of my works can seem pretty goofy when looking at them straight forward, they almost always have a deeper meaning to me. What could look like a person in space to you could be a character swarmed in unattainable expectations to me. Or what would seem like a goofy comic book premise could actually be me expressing my feelings on different societal issues or events I experienced or witness. While I don't do it in the most obvious ways, I find myself inserting my personality in my work fairly often. I'm not a realism girlie, so when I say "inserting myself" I don't always mean in a literal sense. For example, if I'm trying to portray some of my less than savorable quirks, like laziness or impatience, I'll use animals that don't necessarily correlate to those actual emotions, but animals I'd feel would either invoke that specific emotion in me or could connect with a situation in real life. For example, a lot of people associate laziness with not cleaning and dirty environments which often encourage pests like rats to make themselves at home. So, when feeling or trying to invoke that emotion, I'll use those animals. Lived experiences are often much more literal, as I'll either create a story based on those events or just redraw what happened from memory. I know, I know, that's not very interesting, but it's what I do. I like questions like those. They really make me think about the why of what I do instead of the actions of simply doing it. It's also always nice to talk about my thought process when it comes to my art.

This year about two days after my birthday, my uncle passed away. It turned out he was battling a sickness for months, but his condition was hidden from the entire family by my nana. I was told he was sick one week, given the hope that he would pull through and make it, and he was gone the next. While I hadn't seen him in person in years, he was always there for practically my entire life. We watched each other grow up if that makes any sense. He's my dad's baby brother. Like, he was leaving the eighth grade to start his freshman in high school while I was in the first grade. He lived with us up until I was ten, and even after he moved out we still kept in contact. He was the caretaker for my Nana and the father of a four year old son who hadn't realized his dad was truly gone at the time of the funeral. I can't even begin to tell you how depressing it was to hear my baby cousin call out for his dad during the service, or for him to talk about when his daddy is "coming back" while playing with us. How are you even supposed to explain that to a four year old? Pop their bubble and rip away the fantasy that their parent is still here? I don't know if it was the suddenness of it all or what, but losing my uncle truly showed me that time stops for no one. I still had to walk for graduation, still had to attend freshman orientation, my Nana still needed someone to look after her, and the family is debating on who can take my baby cousin in. Even with all that going on, I still have to work and pretend that nothing is wrong. Seeing how suddenly a life can be taken away really knocked in my head that saying that everyone isn't guaranteed tomorrow. It made it feel real, and I hated it. I want to focus on doing whatever it takes to make my family proud with the time I've been blessed to have. Every waking moment has to be spent improving myself. I can't give back to and support my family if I have nothing to show for it. After my uncle died, my dad told me to treasure every moment I have with my siblings. I promised I'd do that and more, that I'll always protect my siblings and keep us close. My family is actually one of my biggest inspirations on why I'm pursuing a degree. I've been blessed with scholarships and supporters who all are cheering for me to continue my education. As a first-generation student who came from family who weren't able to obtain or afford a college education, I want nothing more but to make them proud by succeeding in this journey. My recent loss pushed me to lock in on my dreams and not to slow down for anything, because I don't know if I'll be guaranteed a tomorrow, but I do know that if I'm giving my all, I'll have no regrets.

Drawing has always been an escape for me. What better way to get away from it all than to immerse yourself in your imagination? While I was there, I found myself creating character after character, and pretty soon, I was making whole worlds just waiting to be daydreamed about. In about ten or so years from now, I see myself as a concept artist, bringing others' visions to life. As silly as it sounds, I decided I wanted to pursue a career in the animation industry after rewatching a Disney movie. It was one of my favorites as a kid, and I was obsessed with the building and character designs. It clicked to me just how much animated movies resonated with me and who I am as a person. I realized at that moment just how much media can impact a person. Not just with movies, but video games, music, books...the more care put into them, the more likely it had positively affected a large sum of people. With video games and animation being more spoken about and consumed by the majority, I think it's more important now than ever for industries to put their best foot forward. With my art, I want to pour the same care and devotion into my creations that I can tell other people have done with the comfort media I enjoy. Watching thought-provoking movies and playing interactive games made the gears in my head turn, and they provided moments of escape I'm forever grateful for. Even if whatever I create doesn't "inspire" others like I was, I hope for it to at least be enjoyable and provide a brief distraction from the chaos around us. Even if it's not that, a nice, "That movie was cool, worth the $20", would make my day.

There are a few things I've done in life that I'm proud of. My greatest achievement though? Easily me getting accepted into the college of my dreams, the University of Texas at Dallas, with an academic scholarship. As someone who often found myself struggling in school, receiving a scholarship offer based on my academic merit was exhilarating. As cliché as it sounds, earning that scholarship showed me that I could indeed do anything I set my mind to. That I shouldn't push myself down because I wasn't one of the smart kids who knew every answer, and that all the work I put in meant something. It's not just the scholarship I feel holds significance either. If things go according to plan, and I believe they will, I'll be the first person in my family to obtain my bachelor's degree and soon after, my master's. Because my parents couldn't afford to continue their college educations, I especially want to make them proud and follow through with this decision. I've competed in many events and participated in multiple activities to earn various awards and scholarships, including being recognized and awarded scholarships by the Military Officers Association of America and my city Desoto, Texas. I'm forever grateful for their support towards my education, further lifting me towards my goal. I plan to go to school double majoring in animation and game design and business administration. While I hope to create concepts and design characters for various games and movies, my overall dream is to eventually create my animation studio. I want to have a business that will not only create engaging and beloved content for viewers of all ages, but also create a safe and comfortable environment for animators, designers, and creatives of the like that are often overworked, underpaid, or underappreciated. I know dreams don't sprout overnight, but seeing that notification in my email alerting me of my college acceptance and scholarship sure felt like it. It feels like the start of something great, that I'm going to do this and make my family proud. My mom and dad always tell me they want me to grow greater than them and make my mark on the world, and this is my chance to. I want to be a positive role model for my little siblings, make something of myself, and be able to take care of my parents when the time comes. It seems like a lot now, but I'm excited to get started.

Hi! I'm Tatianna Hazel. I'm the middle child of 5 children and a first generation college student. Neither of my parents could afford finishing their college education. While they became successful despite this, there were many instances we fell on hard times. When I was little for example, our basement apartment flooded within the same week my dad was laid off. A few years prior there was also a long period of time were due to my big brother's health issues, my parents had to work extra hours to afford his life saving surgeries and try to avoid stretching our resources thin, and just recently my dad was out of a job for 15 months before he could get back to work, cutting the family income in half. While things are better now, my parents still neglect their needs to ensure me and my siblings are cared for. They are without a doubt my biggest supporters and are the main ones who encouraged me to continue to college along with offering to pay for my education. I always knew I'd be forever indebted to them for that, but I know they'd refuse any attempts to pay them back. It's because of this I'm going to double major in animation and business administration. I want to not only pursue something I'm passionate about, but have the savy to grow my own business and become successful enough to not only take care of my parents, but to help my younger siblings with their higher education if that is the path they choose when the time comes. I not only want to create stories for those marginalized and underrepresented in my community, but I also want other people of color, especially African Americans, to see that they too can pursue the animation industry if they please. The 4% statistic on the labor bureau didn't discourage me, and it shouldn't discourage others either. As someone who grew up in a predominantly black area, I surprisingly didn't get much encouragement to pursue a higher education. I was actually encouraged to go to the military instead despite receiving merit scholarship offers from a few colleges. While I had no interest and refused, it made me think about how much we're actually encouraged to pursue bigger things by those around us. Sure, they tell you to go to college, but more often than not me and my peers were told by counselors and teachers that it would be better to enlist than risk loans. I remember suggesting starting my own animation studio and teachers who I'm meant to look up to had little faith I could do it. We were often told to opt for the tamer option because they didn't see us succeeding otherwise. Maybe I'm being fueled by spite, but I'm definitely going to create a animation studio. I'll probably go back to my high-school as one of those guest speakers and tell them all about it. I'm kidding, kind of. I actually want to show that people like me can not only make it in the industry, but make their own mark into is as well. No one should be discouraged from doing something because they don't look like the majority that's doing it. That should be the last thing someone has to think about when choosing a career. Whether they also want to pursue business or not, I want to encourage people to be confident and sure in the decisions they make regarding their future. Our skin color or financial background shouldn't dictate what we can and can't shoot for, yknow?

From a young age, video games helped open up a vast world of imagination to me. They impacted who I wanted to be along with what I wanted to grow to do. The influence was so strong I actually plan on majoring in animation and game concentration when I start college this fall. While I wouldn't call myself a hard-core gamer, video games impacted me from my social skills, to how I see the arts, along with my perspective on story building and creativity in general. My fondest memories, cool or sad as it is, take your pic, involve video games. Starting from the Chucky Cheese arcade to impromptu Street Fighter tournaments at home, video games had always been a way I bonded with family and friends. It's the one constant I have that always somewhat grounded me when I needed to take a break or when life would get to be too much. A much more noticeable effect video games have had on me is the career path I chose. Playing video games and learning how they're made snowballed into my interest in art, technology, and storytelling coming together to create something amazing. Fun fact, constantly sketching Street Fighter characters and trying to create my own fight scenes had led to me wanting to be a concept and storyboard artist! Along with influencing my passion for art, video games have been, and still are, a pivotal reason why I step out of my comfort zone both socially and artistically. Connecting with people that have similar interests as me has led me to becoming much more social and willing to meet new people. Playing video games provided that connection with a surprisingly significant amount of people my age. Having the same favorite games or characters is also just a easy icebreaker when meeting new people, something that's made it significantly easier for a shy person like myself to make friends. Comparing this to how video games have pushed me out of my comfort zone artistically, they've inspired me to try out new mediums like 3D modeling and, you've guessed it, animation! Me and some friends actually made a short film on blender a few months ago. I know video games have a bad stigma around it, but I can't say they haven't impacted me in a positive way. I know that might not sound all that impressive, but that's how I feel. Because video games helped my grow as a person, nurture my interests, and discover a career path I'm passionate in, I'll always hold them dearly.

My lifelong commitment to community service began when I was 12 and making care bags for the homeless. This passion evolved as I got older to helping organize food and clothing drives for my city, facepainting at local elementary schools, and helping out with various fundraisers and events. The community that nurtured and lifted me deserves my thanks and contributions, and I've always been taught that it's nothing to give back to the environment pouring into you. If things go according to plan, then I hope to be an African American creative that spreads the voices of not only my community but others as well. My goal is to work in animation, a medium I strongly believe has the power to touch hearts and induce action from storytelling alone. Through animation, I'll have the power to showcase many communities from their struggles to their successes and dreams. How a demographic is portrayed is powerful, and no group should be pigeonholed. I strive to give a voice to the unheard and visibility to the unseen. I want to inspire more individuals to give back to their communities and to have mutual support for each other. Everyone's voice matters.

It wasn't hard for me to discover my passion for art. My family is full of artists, and with a bit of monkey see monkey do, I was drawing by the age of two. My mom used to draw my favorite cartoon characters for me when I was little, and I would watch her draw and think that I want to be just like her. I kept all her drawings for me in an old notebook, so as I grew up I was constantly looking back at her stuff and thinking how I was going to draw like that one day. My liking of cartoons never fizzled, because aside from my mom, the main inspiration behind my artwork is Western cartoons. I love how simple yet enticing it looks, and I found myself copying multiple elements from the shows and movies I watched before eventually landing on an art-style of my own. I always went to my mom for approval when it came to my art. She was, and still is, my biggest supporter, and I wanted my work to be something she would like. Like the saint she is, she sat through years of my art's ugly stage, giving me tips on how to improve without shattering my confidence. She also helped me sell my first few paintings along with putting me in face painting classes so I could use my skills to make myself some money while I'm in school. No matter what I did, she was there supporting me a thousand and one percent. I don't believe I would have pushed as hard to make a career out of art if my mom didn't encourage me to do so. When it came to actually drawing, I always turned to cartoons. It was all I watched, and I was fascinated by the bright colors and simplified looks. Surprisingly enough, I never went through an anime faze, but I did spend hours trying to mimic how the show "The Amazing World of Gumball" looked. That's not the only show I'd spend ages trying to replicate either. If it had outrageous colors and crazy proportions, then I was all over it. All I'd do was make my own comic strips and posters, and I'd fantasize about making my own shows. I still dream about it, actually. While I like where my art is now, I know I want to do more. I want crazier proportions, attention grabbing visuals, something that would remind any 2000's kid of their childhood. I stepped out from cartoons and added comics and graphic novels to my arsenal, collecting anything I find eye-catching and constructing ways to subtly add them to my own work. My dad told me "Good artists copy, great artists steal" once, and I ran with it. While I love my main art-style, I try out different ones so much it looks like I stole someone else's sketchbook. My hope is to be a concept artist, to work on cartoons, movies, games, everything I fixated on as a child. So I'm not shocked I have my heart set on majoring in animation. It's crazy when I look back at where I started, comparing it to now. Younger me would lose her mind if she sees what our work looks like now, and I hope I'd have a similar reaction if I were to see where my art is fifteen years from now. I'm glad my mom encouraged me to follow my passion, and I'm eternally grateful I never lost the passion for doing what I love.

Hi, I'm Tatianna! When I head off to college, I'm going to major in game design and animation! It's a life long passion of mine, and I've done a lot of work to make it up to this point. My future career field, animation, goes hand in hand with multimedia. Whether it be from our phones, t.v.'s, games and even our music, we consume media everyday. Something I've noticed that's becoming common nowadays is how our entertainment is being handled. As a creative, I know the content we watch and listen to affects us whether we like it or not, and even the "dumb stuff" we consume needs thought put into it. I plan on using my degree in animation to change how content, especially children's media, is handled. Executives of big player studios are cutting into the creative direction of many of their projects for the sake of saving money or sticking to a "formula" that's never failed them before. These shortcuts end up affecting the overall integrity of the final product. As silly as it is, I don't want the media we consume to be made from laziness. I'm not saying everything we watch should have an underlying message to it or anything. In fact, some of my favorite childhood movies are dumb classics that would make any parent roll their eyes in annoyance. Even the more "adult" content I enjoy is clearly fun and giggles. I understand more than anyone that some things can just exist. But think about it. When you go to watch a movie, you want to be entertained, right? You wouldn't want to listen to a musical with subpar music, or see a superhero movie where the hero's suit is clipping through his body. You don't want a story that spoon feeds you the plot or is boring to follow along. What makes us think kids like it? Because they're kids? So many childhood classics are classics because they pushed boundaries, touched heavy topics, told their stories in innovative ways, and didn't dumb down their story or characters with the belief that kids wouldn't understand what they're watching. They didn't cut down on production or get rid of integral assets to save money. They also didn't remake the same story over and over again because the first one was a success. While there have definitely been some hits within the animation industry as of late, there are still a lot of bigger companies that put out mediocre products because they know a profit is guaranteed. Do we really want our children watching subpar products? Shouldn't we aspire for our kids to watch material that's engaging to their imaginations? This why I want to pursue a career in animation. When I break into the animation industry, my goal is to change how our entertainment is made. A t.v. can only be "The Idiot Box" if we let it, so why not put in the effort to ensure that the content we put there isn't brain rot? Especially in regards to our children? Our future? The more care and passion we put into a project, the higher chance it has to have the potential to affect someone in a positive way. With me up there, I'm going to ensure shortcuts aren't made at our expense. Quality content for our youth should be the standard, not a once every few years rarity. I'm going to ensure that kids' media is engaging. Who knows, I might end up revolutionizing how animated movies are made.

Hi, I'm Tatianna Hazel! Pretty soon I'm going to be a graduate from Desoto High school. While I haven't chosen which college I'd like to go to yet, I've been accepted into several universities for the opportunity to major in game design and animation! It's a life long passion of mine, and I've done a lot of work to make it up to this point. Something I've noticed that's becoming a trend nowadays is how our entertainment is being handled. As a creative, I like to take a deeper look at the production and final results of the media my friends, family, and even myself consume. Not to be critical or anything, but...it lacks any flavor, any originality, any essence. I get it, it's meant to be entertaining, but considering the fact that things like movies and games are accessible content even to groups like kids on the regular, shouldn't we make sure it's something compelling? Now I'm not saying everything we consume should have an underlying message to it or a deep meaning. Not at all. In fact, some of my favorite childhood movies are dumb classics that will make any parent roll their eyes. Even the more "adult" content I like is clearly fun and giggles. I understand more than anyone that some things can just exist. Like, why have shooting games? Because they're fun. Why have such dark humor in this film? Some people just find it funny. Just like how certain media can critique our society if it wants to. No, the issue I'm talking about specifically is the laziness we're starting to get in regards to our entertainment. Just think about it. When you go to watch a movie, you want to be entertained, right? How would you feel if the only blockbusters being released are play by play remakes of movies you already seen? How would you like it if the show you're watching is repeating the same joke over and over again? Or if the movie you paid about $10-$20 to be seated for, had obvious errors in its CG? Or if the story was so rushed you barely understood what was happening? How would you like it if your child's new video game contained even less content then its previous less expensive installment? Or if the only new games available are just different types of violent games because that's what's popular right now? Executives of big player studios are cutting into the creative direction of many of their projects for the sake of saving money or sticking to a "formula" that's never failed them before. They're even taking shortcuts that affect the overall integrity of the final product. As silly as it is, I don't want the media we consume to be made from laziness. What we watch and listen to affects us whether we like it or not, and we consume media everyday, whether it be from our phones, t.v.'s, games and even our music. Even the "dumb stuff" we consume needs thought put into it. When I break into the entertainment industry, my goal is to change how our entertainment is made. The more heart and passion we put into a project, the higher chance it has to have the potential to affect someone in a positive way. A t.v. can only be "The Idiot Box" if we let it, after all. So why not put in the effort to ensure that the content we put there isn't brain rot? With me up there, I'm going to ensure shortcuts aren't made at our expense.

Who doesn't love Disney? Okay, I know some people don't, but with the rides, movies, shows, characters, and pure nostalgia to account for, there are a lot of things a person will have to sift through before deciding they hate Disney as a whole. I'm not one of those people. I spent my entire childhood obsessed with Disney to some degree. While there's a lot to choose from, my favorite thing about Disney is definitely the movies. Weirdly, they helped me find my passion and what I want to do in life. I know, I know, how can a Disney movie tell you what you want in life? It's a movie. It's fiction. Pure bliss that only lasts about an hour or so. Well, shut up, because you don't know my life. As an imaginative and artistic child, I often turned to movies for inspiration. Many cringe-worthy OCs and obviously copied story ideas came from the movies I watched. Take my all-time favorite movie, Wreck-It Ralph for example. I can list all the reasons why this movie is perfect, but I'll settle on how it's impacted me. For starters, the character design and backgrounds are amazing. Everything either looked metallic or edible and as a kid, I just really wanted my art to look like that. The cartoonish, stylized way everyone looked is a major reason my art style is based on Western cartoons today. I've noticed this recently, but while most of my peers had turned to and grown with anime as inspiration, I turned to Disney movies like Wreck-It Ralph and ended up diving into Western art and cartoons instead. Wreck-it-Ralph is also one of the reasons I discovered my passion for animation. Yes, there were other factors at play, but looking at that movie on a loop and soaking in the joy it gives me helped me realize I want to make something like that for someone else. Being one of those people who watch the extra features on DVD and Disney Plus, that means I watched things like the storyboards of movies a lot. Seeing the various stages and changes a movie, especially my favorite movies, went through during production made me want to make animations and storyboards of my own. I know it's odd to base your future career plans on Disney movies, but I doubt I would've realized my passion without them. I want nothing more than to make something just half as memorable as Disney movies are. I want to make an impact on others like Disney made an impact on me. Disney is so much more than its goofy characters and pretty princesses. Disney is others' experiences, others' pain and joy, others' successes, and a pioneer of a media that millions of people enjoy today. Watching Disney helped me realize that I want to be an animator, a storyboarder, a concept artist… Disney helped me decide what I want to do in life. It helped give me a purpose. And to think it all started with a few Disney movies.