“Taylor Brown is more than a number. She is more than her pretty face or her dazzling smile. She’s even more than her GPA and academic achievements. She is a young, driven, and talented African-American woman.” She is me. I am the light that brightens people's days, and the spark in someone's bright idea. I am the encouraging word to an unhappy friend, and the umbrella on a rainy day. My primary goal is to encourage, uplift, and inform. My passion is spreading tips and advice on how to improve one’s mental health. I strive to see people at their brightest and highest selves, including myself. I use skating, yoga, and time in nature as my ultimate forms of self-care and mental restoration. By utilizing these methods, I’m able to reflect and refocus on my goal of becoming the youngest African-American female Forensic Toxicologist. With these tools and my prestigious experience at Savannah State University (SSU), I continuously equip myself with the necessary skills and holistic resources I need to be successful. Success in my eyes is having multiple streams of passive income, home ownership, owning & managing multiple investment properties, land ownership, and working at my leisure. During my time at SSU, I’ve participated in various campus organizations including Savage Inc. modeling organization, Tiger Ambassadors, and STEM Success Volunteer Club. Along with these extracurriculars, I’ve maintained a 3.2+ GPA while traveling each year for paid internships and research conferences, as well as winning the Live Mas Scholarship two years in a row. I’ve been working hard towards these achievements to continuously disprove the many stereotypes and statistics that society holds over plenty of young black women’s heads. This is my third year of college and my senior year at Savannah State University. I currently serve as Parliamentarian for Savage Inc. and will continue to prepare for my adult life after graduation in May of 2024. My only hope is that my story and growing success can be an inspiration and example for the many black adolescent ladies coming after me to always and only strive for the best version of themselves, and their lives! When I am awarded this money, I will save and multiply it as I navigate the Forensic Science career field. My time at SSU has cultivated a valuable relationship with a mentor and financial advisor who helped me attain the two previously awarded two scholarships and inspired me to start not only a high-yield savings account, but also a money market account, a secured credit card, and a certificate of deposit to prepare for unexpected vehicle expenses, property ownership, and day-to-day financial security after college. I always strive to be as mentally and physically prepared as possible for any new stage and/or decision in my life, and this scholarship would surely help me prepare financially as I secure a job in my field. I am a young, hard-working, goal-driven woman with a strong spirit of determination to succeed. By choosing me as an awardee, you would be choosing to support the first college graduate of all of my grandparents’ 17 grandchildren. Thank you for considering me, Taylor Brown, as a future recipient of the Barbara J. DeVaney Memorial Scholarship recipient.

One of my favorite hobbies is roller skating. I’ve been skating since I can remember. Growing up I’d skate with my family. We’d have occasional family outings where we’d go to Golden Glide Skating Rink and be there until close. I’d be the first one on the rink and the last one off every time. Over time we stopped going so frequently, but I always had a love for the activity. In the last two years, I picked back up the hobby when I started working at Golden Glide. I fell in love all over again watching regular customers and experienced skaters collectively bounce on the rink during certain songs or pair up and start dancing on wheels. It was like they were floating. It rekindled the fire in my heart for skating. I bought my first pair of skates while working there and started skating and practicing on breaks as well as when my manager would let me come in before hours. Skating makes me happy. It makes me feel free. It makes me feel like I’m flying. I love learning new skills, tricks, and techniques. I love the energy of the rink when the DJ is playing the best mixes and everyone is bouncing along. I love learning from the different styles of skaters. Skating brings me joy and it’s a workout so that’s a plus. A prominent concept in the skating community is that consistency during the first year will result in exponential growth, improvement, and progression. Although it’s my second year skating on a regular basis, I’m currently challenging myself to skate every day until January 9, 2023. We’ll see where this year takes me! Thank you for the opportunity to be awarded your scholarship which will help fund my goal of becoming one of the youngest, female African American Forensic Toxicologists with multiple streams of passive income.

I really enjoy being outside, people watching and being silent. I enjoy sitting outside and feeling the breeze. I enjoy the warmth of the sun on my face and arms. I enjoy the chilly air balancing it out. Sitting outside and gazing at the sky is very relaxing to me. It brings me peace listening to nature and watching how everything interacts with one another. That includes animals, the wind, insects, leaves, grass, and people. I enjoy watching people go about their daily lives. It reminds me that people have lives of their own that I know nothing about and am not a part of. It’s humbling. It’s entertaining to catch even the slightest glimpse of someone’s day. It’s even more entertaining and fulfilling to be the reason they smile at that moment. Another simple pleasure of mine is complimenting people and watching their faces brighten up from statements like“I love your outfit” or “Your hair looks so pretty.” Making someone smile brings a smile to my own face and happiness to my heart. I enjoy the quiet. I enjoy listening to white noise until that noise becomes background noise and my thoughts are at the forefront. I love sitting and thinking about anything, everything, and nothing. I enjoy silence because so much can be said in silence. Silence can be peaceful, calm, tense, loud, angry, etc. There are so many different emotions that can be expressed through silence and I find the beauty in that. Especially the content and comfortable silences. I enjoy the silences filled with happy sighs and contented smiles. Those are the best ones. Thank you for the opportunity to be awarded your scholarship which would help fund my goal of becoming one of the youngest African American, female Forensic Toxicologists.

Giving back is important because some communities don’t get the same treatment, resources, or protection as others. It’s important because people aren’t given the same opportunities. People don’t have the same background, weren’t given the same education, or weren’t taught what to do to maximize their opportunities. Giving back is important because it teaches the giver to be grateful for what they have. It teaches the giver to help others the same way someone helped them at least once in their life. It teaches the giver to not judge anyone based on their current situation. Giving back could open peoples’ eyes to struggles they didn’t know existed. Giving back could bring two separate communities together. Working with a community to help improve it will open someone’s eyes to mistreatment and injustices that they may have been completely oblivious to. Giving back helps the recipient, but it also helps the giver in more ways than one. To me, giving back means doing something to help someone, something, or a group of people with no expectation of payback. It means helping because you genuinely want to make someone’s life easier. I give back by participating in as many on-campus community service events as I’m available to. I also plan to join a community service organization in Spring 2022. I give back financially by sending a portion of every paycheck to a Cash App for donating to different causes, movements, and people who need financial assistance. The funds in that Cash App have been used to support various organizations, ministries, and movements like Women Fighting Breast Cancer, True Life Ministries, Pastor Anniversary & Outreach projects, and Secoriea Turner Memorial Garden. Thank you for the opportunity to be awarded your scholarship which would help fund my goal of becoming a young, female Forensic Toxicologist.

I am Taylor Brown. I attend Savannah State University as a sophomore. I major in Forensic Science with a concentration in Biology. I am an ADISRE scholar and an aspiring MARC student. I plan to join a community service oriented organization during Spring 2022. I will be one of the youngest African American, female Forensic Toxicologists with multiple streams of passive income. My love for science and math drew me into the STEM community. Learning how to solve a new math problem or mixing chemicals in a lab to observe how they react to each other always has me doing a happy dance. Understanding how the world works on a molecular level intrigues me to no end. Being in a lab and working with various lab equipment sparks a feeling of belonging. For a long time, I’ve known what I want to be in life. I made my decision in 7th grade. That school year I was homeschooled and my mother scheduled my day to where I had to do one extracurricular activity every day. One day, I decided to complete a CSI simulation. This simulation explored the main jobs in the CSI department and I was in awe at all the Forensic Toxicologist had to do. I knew that day that I wanted to be one. I’ve always been captivated by shows like NCIS, Law and Order, and the stories of Sherlock Holmes. Forensic Toxicology mixes crime-solving mysteries and science, some of my favorite things. I will use my position as a Forensic Toxicologist and my passive streams of income to show young minority children that anything is possible. When I achieve my degree and streams of income, I plan to show as many people as possible how to do what I did. I want to spread my knowledge to help people succeed even faster than I will. I believe knowledge is meant to be shared. I plan to create after-school programs that would help expose students to different job opportunities and career fields available to them. I will also use my position to innovate technology and testing methods to lead to more efficient and accurate results. These actions and many others will improve the world by leading to faster-closed cases. It will also help bring more diversity into the STEM career fields by stimulating and motivating the minds of young minority children to be everything they want to be. I will incorporate my passion for mental health into my career field by being an outlet for my colleagues and other workers in the field. Crime Scene Investigation can be a very dark, heavy job that places people in very difficult, dangerous, and traumatizing positions. I want to be able to uplift and assist my colleagues and other workers by helping them process their experiences, thoughts, and emotions. This will make a positive impact because a clear-headed, uplifted agent can solve crimes more efficiently and innovatively. I most often read fiction books more than nonfiction. With the few inspirational and personal development books I have read, I can’t pinpoint any lessons or quotes from them that have well and truly altered my career and financial goals. Thank you for the opportunity to be awarded your scholarship which will help fund those goals.

I am Taylor Brown. I attend Savannah State University as a sophomore. I major in Forensic Science with a concentration in Biology. I am an ADISRE scholar and an aspiring MARC student. I plan to join a community service oriented organization during Spring 2022. I will be one of the youngest African American, female Forensic Toxicologists with multiple streams of passive income. My love for science and math drew me into the STEAM community. Learning how to solve a new math problem or mixing chemicals in a lab to observe how they react to each other always has me doing a happy dance. Understanding how the world works on a molecular level intrigues me to no end. Being in a lab and working with various lab equipment sparks a feeling of belonging. For a long time, I’ve known what I want to be in life. I made my decision in 7th grade. That school year I was homeschooled and my mother scheduled my day to where I had to do one extracurricular activity every day. One day, I decided to complete a CSI simulation. This simulation explored the main jobs in the CSI department and I was in awe at all the Forensic Toxicologist had to do. I knew that day that I wanted to be one. I’ve always been captivated by shows like NCIS, Law and Order, and the stories of Sherlock Holmes. Forensic Toxicology mixes crime-solving mysteries and science, some of my favorite things. I will use my position as a Forensic Toxicologist and my passive streams of income to show young minority children that anything is possible. When I achieve my degree and streams of income, I plan to show as many people as possible how to do what I did. I want to spread my knowledge to help people succeed even faster than I will. I believe knowledge is meant to be shared. I plan to create after-school programs that would help expose students to different job opportunities and career fields available to them. I will also use my position to innovate technology and testing methods to lead to more efficient and accurate results. These actions and many others will improve the world by leading to faster-closed cases. It will also help bring more diversity into the STEAM career fields by stimulating and motivating the minds of young minority children to be everything they want to be. I will incorporate my passion for mental health into my career field by being an outlet for my colleagues and other workers in the field. Crime Scene Investigation can be a very dark, heavy job that places people in very difficult, dangerous, and traumatizing positions. I want to be able to uplift and assist my colleagues and other workers by helping them process their experiences, thoughts, and emotions. This will make a positive impact because a clear-headed, uplifted agent can solve crimes more efficiently and innovatively. Thank you for the opportunity to be awarded your scholarship which would help fund my career and financial goals.

I am Taylor Brown. I attend Savannah State University as a sophomore. I major in Forensic Science with a concentration in Biology. I am an ADISRE scholar and an aspiring MARC student. I plan to join a community service oriented organization during Spring 2022. I will be one of the youngest African American, female Forensic Toxicologists with multiple streams of passive income. Mental health is important to me because growing up it wasn’t talked about. I didn’t learn coping mechanisms, I learned to suppress. I learned that addressing issues with authority was being ungrateful, disrespectful, and disobedient. I grew up being unsure of myself, my actions, and my emotions. I didn’t know how to process my thoughts or feelings. I was afraid to confront problems head-on. I developed a habit of discussing every action and decision I made with someone before actually doing it. I grew up being co-dependent. Mental health is important to me because having a healthy mentality reflects in your aura, your walk, your confidence, your decisions, and your presence. I’m not saying I have the best mental state now, but I’m so much better than I was before. I’m at a point where I can help other people. I love watching others’ mental stability grow and develop. They get brighter. My passion is mental health and helping others increase their mental state. Having good mental health makes you more efficient, productive, happy, and relaxed. I want other people to feel free mentally, emotionally, and physically. I want people to be independent, not codependent. I want people to walk with confidence, elegance, poise, and grace because they know exactly who they are, what they bring to the table, and what they deserve. Mental health is important to me because improving your mental state helps you improve the world. I will incorporate my passion for mental health into my career field by being an outlet for my colleagues and other workers in the field. Crime Scene Investigation can be a very dark, heavy job that places people in very difficult, dangerous, and traumatizing positions. I want to be able to uplift and assist my colleagues and other workers by helping them process their experiences, thoughts, and emotions. This will make a positive impact because a clear-headed, uplifted agent can solve crimes more efficiently and innovatively. Thank you for the opportunity to be awarded your scholarship which will help fund my career and financial goals.

My experience with mental health has been up down and all around. When I was younger, I struggled with self-esteem and self-love. I learned to love myself and every one of my flaws. I had to teach myself that I am perfectly imperfect in the best way. My greatest challenge is overcoming the unmotivated and apathetic mindset that I occasionally fall into. There are days, sometimes weeks, where it can be really hard for me to work for my goals. I might struggle with completing assignments or getting out of bed in the morning. I might fall behind on daily goals or habits. I may not eat as much as I should during these times. In these moments, it feels like there’s a dark cloud hovering over me, but I've learned and developed multiple ways that help me get back into the sunshine. This is a challenge that I have overcome and will continue to overcome because I will reach my career, financial, and personal goals. I’ve recently discovered that my passion is mental health. I hate seeing people walk around with a dark cloud over their heads. I hate watching someone’s mental and mindset deteriorate before my eyes because I know what it feels like to be in a dark place. I plan to incorporate my passion for mental health into my career field by being an outlet for my colleagues and other workers in the field. Crime Scene Investigation can be a very dark, heavy job that places people in very difficult, dangerous, and traumatizing positions. I want to be able to uplift and assist my colleagues and other workers by helping them process their experiences, thoughts, and emotions. In every relationship that I have, I always make sure I’m ready and available to listen and give advice when they need it. I make it my goal to make sure everyone around me loves themselves and has a healthy mindset. I strive to be the sunshine in every relationship. My friends and family know they can come to me for laughs, cries, encouragement, and uplifting. Having good mental health makes you more efficient, productive, happy, and relaxed. I want other people to feel free mentally, emotionally, and physically. I want people to be independent, not codependent. I want people to walk with confidence, elegance, poise, and grace because they know exactly who they are, what they bring to the table, and what they deserve. Mental health is important to me because improving your mental state helps you improve the world. Thank you for the opportunity to be awarded your scholarship which will help fund my goal of becoming one of the youngest African American, female Forensic Toxicologists.

My dog's name is Dusty. We believe he's mixed with Chow Chow, Akita, and Golden Retriever. He's about 8 years old now. He doesn't look like it anymore, but he got his name because as a puppy he looked like a walking dust ball. In the first picture of Dusty and I laying down together, we just finished a walk in the rain and were sitting by our front door watching the rain through the screen door.

Mental health is important to me because growing up it wasn’t talked about. I didn’t learn coping mechanisms, I learned to suppress. I learned that addressing issues with authority was being ungrateful, disrespectful, and disobedient. I grew up being unsure of myself, my actions, and my emotions. I didn’t know how to process my thoughts or feelings. I was afraid to confront problems head-on. I developed a habit of discussing every action and decision I made with someone before actually doing it. I grew up being co-dependent. Mental health is important to me because having a healthy mentality reflects in your aura, your walk, your confidence, your decisions, and your presence. I’m not saying I have the best mental state now, but I’m so much better than I was before. I’m at a point where I can help other people. I love watching others’ mental stability grow and develop. They get brighter. My passion is mental health and helping others increase their mental state. Having good mental health makes you more efficient, productive, happy, and relaxed. I want other people to feel free mentally, emotionally, and physically. I want people to be independent, not codependent. I want people to walk with confidence, elegance, poise, and grace because they know exactly who they are, what they bring to the table, and what they deserve. Mental health is important to me because improving your mental state helps you improve the world. Thank you for the opportunity to be awarded your scholarship which would help fund my goal of becoming one of the youngest African American, female Forensic Toxicologists.

The pandemic has allowed me ample time for self-reflection and exploration. I’ve learned that I have a passion for mental health. I’ve learned that even though I enjoy my alone time, I also need social interaction to stay balanced. I understand my social limits a lot more now. The pandemic gave me time to learn habits that I can use when I feel overwhelmed. I am fully equipped with ways to destress and relax. I approach new relationships differently and try to be more upfront in communication. I will incorporate my passion for mental health into my career field by being an outlet for my colleagues and other workers in the field. Crime Scene Investigation can be a very exhausting job that places people in difficult, dangerous, and traumatizing positions. I want to be able to uplift my colleagues and other workers by helping them process their experiences, thoughts, and emotions. I have learned more about myself in the last two years than I ever have and I have the pandemic to thank for that. Thank you for the opportunity to be awarded your scholarship which will help fund my goal of becoming a young African American, female Forensic Toxicologist.

I am Taylor Brown. I attend Savannah State University as a sophomore. I major in Forensic Science with a concentration in Biology. I am an ADISRE scholar and an aspiring MARC student. I plan to join a community service oriented organization during Spring 2022. I will be one of the youngest African American, female Forensic Toxicologists with multiple streams of passive income. I want to attend college to broaden my network, knowledge, wisdom, and financial literacy. I’m in college to separate myself from my comfort zone and surround myself with people who will challenge me. I want to be pushed and stretched to limits I didn’t even know I had. I’m here to learn more about myself and the world. I want to connect with people who can introduce me to new atmospheres and environments. I want to learn about how to make money work for me. I want to learn how to break generational curses and build generational wealth. I’m in college to transform into a version of myself that I didn’t know was possible. I will incorporate my passion for mental health into my career field by being an outlet for my colleagues and other workers in the field. Crime Scene Investigation can be a very dark, heavy job that places people in very difficult, dangerous, and traumatizing positions. I want to be able to uplift and assist my colleagues and other workers by helping them process their experiences, thoughts, and emotions. This will make a positive impact because a clear-headed, uplifted agent can solve crimes more efficiently and innovatively. I will use my position as a Forensic Toxicologist and my passive streams of income to show young minority children that anything is possible. When I achieve my degree and streams of income, I plan to show as many people as possible how to do what I did. I want to spread my knowledge to help people succeed even faster than I will. I believe knowledge is meant to be shared. I plan to create after-school programs that would help expose students to different job opportunities and career fields available to them. I will also use my position to innovate technology and testing methods to lead to more efficient and accurate results. These actions and many others will improve the world by leading to faster-closed cases. It will also help bring more diversity into the STEM career fields by stimulating and motivating the minds of young minority children to be everything they want to be. Thank you for the opportunity to be awarded your scholarship which would help fund my career and financial goals.

My experience with mental health has been up down and all around. When I was younger, I struggled with self-esteem and self-love. I learned to love myself and every one of my flaws. I had to teach myself that I am perfectly imperfect in the best way. My greatest challenge is overcoming the unmotivated and apathetic mindset that I occasionally fall into. There are days, sometimes weeks, where it can be really hard for me to work for my goals. I might struggle with completing assignments or getting out of bed in the morning. I might fall behind on daily goals or habits. I may not eat as much as I should during these times. In these moments, it feels like there’s a dark cloud hovering over me, but there are multiple ways that help me get back into the sunshine. One is being outside. It is scientifically proven that sunshine and vitamin D causes your brain to produce more serotonin. Even when it’s raining, it brings me peace being outside, breathing the fresh air, and feeling the wind on my skin. Yoga is another way to relax and clear my mind. I also write or record myself talking to express all my thoughts and get them out of my head. To stay productive during these moments, I force myself to do work for an hour. This "Power Hour" method helps me because it eliminates the negative feeling of working on an assignment or task for a long time which causes me to be more efficient because I have a short amount of time to work on something. I also like to create a to-do list because being able to see myself completing tasks motivates me to keep going. This is a challenge that I have overcome and will continue to overcome because I will reach my career, financial, and personal goals. In every relationship that I have, I always make sure I’m ready and available to listen and give advice when they need it. I make it my goal to make sure everyone around me loves themselves and has a healthy mindset. I strive to be the sunshine in every relationship. My friends and family know they can come to me for laughs, cries, encouragement, and uplifting. I’ve recently discovered that my passion is mental health. I hate seeing people walk around with a dark cloud over their heads. I hate watching someone’s mental and mindset deteriorate before my eyes because I know what it feels like to be in a dark place. I plan to incorporate my passion for mental health into my career field by being an outlet for my colleagues and other workers in the field. Crime Scene Investigation can be a very dark, heavy job that places people in very difficult, dangerous, and traumatizing positions. I want to be able to uplift and assist my colleagues and other workers by helping them process their experiences, thoughts, and emotions. Thank you for the opportunity to be awarded your scholarship which will help fund my goal of becoming one of the youngest African American, female Forensic Toxicologists.

My goal is to be one of the youngest, African American female Forensic Toxicologists with multiple streams of passive income. I will incorporate my passion for mental health into my career field by being an outlet for my colleagues and other workers in the field. Crime Scene Investigation can be a very dark, heavy job that places people in very difficult, dangerous, and traumatizing positions. I want to be able to uplift and assist my colleagues and other workers by helping them process their experiences, thoughts, and emotions. My love for science and math drew me into the STEM community. Learning how to solve a new math problem or mixing chemicals in a lab to observe how they react to each other always has me doing a happy dance. Understanding how the world works on a molecular level intrigues me to no end. Being in a lab and working with various lab equipment sparks a feeling of belonging. For a long time, I’ve known what I want to be in life. I made my decision in 7th grade. That school year I was homeschooled and my mother scheduled my day to where I had to do one extracurricular activity every day. One day, I decided to complete a CSI simulation. This simulation explored the main jobs in the CSI department and I was in awe at all the Forensic Toxicologist had to do. I knew that day that I wanted to be one. I’ve always been captivated by shows like NCIS, Law and Order, and the stories of Sherlock Holmes. Forensic Toxicology mixes crime-solving mysteries and science, some of my favorite things. I will use my position as a Forensic Toxicologist and my passive streams of income to show young minority children that anything is possible. When I achieve my degree and streams of income, I plan to show as many people as possible how to do what I did. I want to spread my knowledge to help people succeed even faster than I will. I believe knowledge is meant to be shared. I plan to create after-school programs that would help expose students to different job opportunities and career fields available to them. I will also use my position to innovate technology and testing methods to lead to more efficient and accurate results. These actions and many others will improve the world by leading to faster-closed cases. It will also help bring more diversity into the STEM career fields by stimulating and motivating the minds of young minority children to be everything they want to be. Thank you for the opportunity to be awarded your scholarship which would help fund my career and financial goals.

I value my dedication to self-improvement. I don’t compare myself to anyone else. Every day I strive to be better than I was. I consistently set time aside to self-reflect and identify how I can improve in different areas of my life. I constantly seek wisdom and advice from people who I can learn from. I make sure to surround myself with people who want to improve themselves, so they can push me to improve and grow with them. I keep a growth mindset by establishing an environment of growth and support. I believe there is no such thing as success or failure, but only gaining knowledge and growing from mistakes. Growth and self-improvement are never-ending and I plan to always find something, be it a skill or task, to nurture enhance. Competing with my past self keeps me motivated and working towards my goals. I want to accomplish so much in life and it’s hard to do that when I’m not motivated to put in any work. My commitment to self-development has equipped me with various tools and methods to push through depressive moods and moments. One is being outside. It is scientifically proven that sunshine and vitamin D causes your brain to produce more serotonin. Even when it’s raining, it brings me peace being outside, breathing the fresh air, and feeling the wind on my skin. Yoga is another way to relax and clear my mind. I also write or record myself talking to express all my thoughts and get them out of my head. To stay productive during these moments, I force myself to do work for an hour. This "Power Hour" method helps me because it eliminates the negative feeling of working on an assignment or task for a long time which causes me to be more efficient because I have a short amount of time to work on something. I also like to create a to-do list because being able to see myself completing tasks motivates me to keep going. I will be one of the youngest, African American female Forensic Toxicologists with multiple passive streams of income. I will break generational curses and build generational wealth. I strive to learn as much as I can and teach that same knowledge and wisdom to anyone who wants to be taught. I plan to inspire young African American children to dream ginormous and do everything they set their minds to. Not only do I have the courage and tools to grow, but I have the passion and determination to help others grow with me. My passion for self-growth is what keeps me going and is what will help me achieve every goal I set for myself. Thank you for the opportunity to be awarded your scholarship which will help fund my career and financial goals.

My name is Taylor Brown. I graduated from Decatur High School with dual enrollment credits from Georgia State University. Because of this, I'm a sophomore in my first year at Savannah State University. I major in Forensic Science with a concentration in biology. I'm an ADISRE student and an aspiring MARC student. For a long time, I’ve known what I want to be in life. I will one day be a Forensic Toxicologist. I decided this is what I wanted to be in 7th grade. That school year I was homeschooled and my mother scheduled my day to where I had to do one extracurricular activity every day. One day, I decided to complete a CSI simulation. This simulation explored the main jobs in the CSI department and I was in awe at all the Forensic Toxicologist had to do. I knew that day that I wanted to be one. I’ve always been captivated by shows like NCIS, Law and Order, and the stories of Sherlock Holmes. Forensic Toxicology mixes crime-solving mysteries and science, some of my favorite things. Although the number is growing, African Americans are a minority in the STEM career field. Becoming an African American female Forensic Toxicologist is something that I hope will inspire lots of young African American girls to not lose hope in their dreams. I will use my Forensic Science degree and my passive streams of income to show young minority children that anything is possible. When I achieve my degree and streams of income, I plan to show as many people as possible how to do what I did. I want to spread my knowledge to help people succeed even faster than I will. I believe knowledge is meant to be shared. I plan to create after-school programs that would help expose students to different job opportunities and career fields available to them. I will also use my position to innovate technology and testing methods to lead to more efficient and accurate results. These actions and many others will improve the world by leading to faster-closed cases. It will also help bring more diversity into the STEM career fields by stimulating and motivating the minds of young minority children to be everything they want to be. Thank you for the opportunity to be awarded your scholarship which will help fund my goal of becoming one of the youngest, African American female Forensic Toxicologists.

Equity is defined as the quality of being fair and impartial. Inequity is the lack of such fairness and/or justice. In the educational system an example would be the difference in funding for certain schools of an ethnic background instead of others. Another example would be the inability to maintain up-to-date textbooks and other educational resources for schools with a majority of the demographics being a specific ethnicity. There are six kids in my family: the first three went to a high school with African Americans as the majority (Towers High School), while the last three, including me, attended a high school with White Americans as the majority (Decatur High School). My mom made the decision to enroll her last three kids in a different school because Towers was unpredictable, unorganized, and unequipped. My older sister was told by her choice college to attend a different college for a year "to see how you do" because they didn't think her education at Towers was sufficient enough for her to succeed. Situations and decisions like this is why we should fight against educational inequity. Minority students and families should not be forced to move into a certain neighborhood of a different demographic to receive the same opportunities, education, and resources as other ethnicities. Every community no matter the demographic should have a good school. There should be no such thing as a bad school. Thank you for the opportunity to be awarded your scholarship which would help fund my career goal.

Healed people heal people. It's very hard to help people when you are battling and struggling within yourself. It can be difficult to give advice, encouragement, and strength to friends and family when you need those same things. You can't pour from an empty cup. I'd share this sentence with the world because it directly refutes the phrase, "Hurt people, hurt people." I believe people should prioritize self-development over anything. When you know and understand yourself and what you need, it becomes easier to help people, build healthy relationships, and balance all that life throws your way. I believe, "Healed people heal people," should replace the antiquated phrase, "Hurt people, hurt people." We should encourage self-improvement and reflection. We should make the journey of self-understanding the new trend. Thank you for the opportunity to be awarded your scholarship which would fund my goal of becoming one of the few young, African American female Forensic Toxicologists.

1) My name is Taylor Brown. I attend Savannah State University majoring in Forensic Science with a concentration in biology. My motivation stems from being better than I was the day before. I try not to compare myself to anyone, but myself. I continually strive to be the best version of myself. On the days where I feel like I have nothing left to give, I think of my family and friends who are cheering me on. They encourage me and support me when I need it and it helps me push forward. I think of my mom and dad who set great examples of putting in the work to achieve everything you want in life. Ever since I was little, they made sure I never felt like I couldn’t do or be anything. They help me keep pushing for my dream: to be a young, African American female Forensic Toxicologists with multiple streams of passive income. If I could do anything with my life, I’d like to do just that: anything. I want to create scholarships for students. I want to inspire and encourage young, African American children to push, work, and be proactive for their dreams. I want to help people understand themselves better. I want to test hair follicles, smashed bullets, and blood samples to figure out how someone died and who did it. I’d teach people how to become financially free after I’ve achieved that same thing. I imagine I’d dabble in a lot of different aspects of helping and inspiring people. 2) My love for science and math drew me into the STEM community. Learning how to solve a new math problem or mixing chemicals in a lab to observe how they react to each other always has me doing a happy dance. Understanding how the world works on a molecular level intrigues me to no end. Being in a lab and working with various lab equipment sparks a feeling of belonging. I’ve always been captivated by shows like NCIS, Law and Order, and the stories of Sherlock Holmes. Forensic Toxicology mixes crime-solving mysteries and science, some of my favorite things. I will use my position as a Forensic Toxicologist and my passive streams of income to show young minority children that anything is possible. When I achieve my degree and streams of income, I plan to show as many people as possible how to do what I did. I want to spread my knowledge to help people succeed even faster than I will. I believe knowledge is meant to be shared. I plan to create after-school programs that would help expose students to different job opportunities and career fields available to them. I will also use my position to innovate technology and testing methods to lead to more efficient and accurate results. These actions and many others will improve the world by leading to faster-closed cases. It will also help bring more diversity into the STEM career fields by stimulating and motivating the minds of young minority children to be everything they want to be. 3) My greatest challenge is overcoming the unmotivated and apathetic mindset that I occasionally fall into. There are days, sometimes weeks, where it can be really hard for me to work for my goals. I might struggle with completing assignments or getting out of bed in the morning. I might fall behind on daily goals or habits. I may not eat as much as I should during these times. In these moments, it feels like there’s a dark cloud hovering over me, but there are multiple ways that help me get back into the sunshine. One is being outside. It is scientifically proven that sunshine and vitamin D causes your brain to produce more serotonin. Even when it’s raining, it brings me peace being outside, breathing the fresh air, and feeling the wind on my skin. Yoga is another way to relax and clear my mind. I also write or record myself talking to express all my thoughts and get them out of my head. To stay productive during these moments, I force myself to do work for an hour. This "Power Hour" method helps me because it eliminates the negative feeling of working on an assignment or task for a long time which causes me to be more efficient because I have a short amount of time to work on something. I also like to create a to-do list because being able to see myself completing tasks motivates me to keep going. This is a challenge that I have overcome and will continue to overcome because I will reach my career, financial, and personal goals. Thank you for the opportunity to be awarded your scholarship which would fund my career and financial goals.

For a long time, I’ve known what I want to be in life. I will be a Forensic Toxicologist. I decided this is what I wanted to be in 7th grade. That school year I was homeschooled and my mother scheduled my day to where I had to do one extracurricular activity every day. One day, I decided to complete a CSI simulation. This simulation explored the main jobs in the CSI department and I was in awe at all the Forensic Toxicologist had to do. I knew that day that I wanted to be one. I’ve always been captivated by shows like NCIS, Law and Order, and the stories of Sherlock Holmes. Forensic Toxicology mixes crime-solving mysteries and science, one of my two favorite things. I will be one of the few young, African American female Forensic Toxicologists with multiple streams of passive income. I will achieve financial freedom and then teach others how to achieve it as well. Thank you for the opportunity to be awarded your scholarship which would help fund my career goals.

Friendship means a lot of different things. Friendship means being there for someone whether it's good or bad. It means supporting someone when they're down. It means encouraging someone when they don't believe in themselves. To be a friend, you don't have to talk to them every day, but you do have to be there when they really need you. Being a friend also means enjoying a sunny day with them, spending time with each other and relaxing together, creating memories that will last forever and so much more. To put it plainly, being a friend means being there. Being present when you're together and when you're not is being a friend. Cheering someone up after they've had a long day is part of being a friend. Sitting in silence in the same room is friendship. Friendship is different for each person, but I believe the principle definition is just being there. Thank you for the opportunity to be awarded your scholarship which would greatly help me fund my goal of becoming a young, female Forensic Toxicologist.

I practice self-care by reminding myself to take breaks and schedule days for myself. I love spending time with friends, but I have a tendency to stay even when I feel my social battery getting low. I practice self-care by being letting my friends know that sometimes I need to leave early. I'm a hard worker and I have a vision and plan for my life. I strive for excellence all the time. I set goals and push myself to reach them continually. I can get so focused on my goals that I forget to rest so another way I practice self-care is by making sure I take a break every once in a while. I have to remind myself that I can't help myself or others when I'm tired or burned out. These two forms of self-care have helped me be happier and more productive. I'm more efficient on the days where I'm fully rested. I bring more energy and laughter to my friends when I have a full social battery. Thank you for the opportunity to be awarded your scholarship which would help fund my goal of becoming a young, African American female Forensic Toxicologist.

My motivation stems from being better than I was the day before. I try not to compare myself to anyone, but myself. I want to be the best me possible. I continually strive to be the best version of myself. On the days where I feel like I have nothing left to give, I think of my family and friends who are cheering me on. They encourage me and support me when I need it and it helps me push forward. I think of my mom and dad who set great examples of putting in the work to achieve everything you want in life. Ever since I was little, they made sure I never felt like I couldn’t do or be anything. I think of my village of family friends and extended family who are always ready to give me a word of advice, encouragement, or both. They help me keep pushing for my dream: to be one of the few young, African American female Forensic Toxicologists with multiple streams of passive income. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be awarded your scholarship which would help fund my career and financial goals.

My favorite way to help others is through discussing their mental health. I like helping others clear their mind. I know firsthand how difficult it can be to function when you have 5,000 things on your mind at one time. It can be hard to focus on one task because your brain wants you to focus on five other things too. I love being a listening ear to someone who needs to vent. I also love helping someone organize and analyze their thoughts. It helps them gain a better understanding of themselves. I enjoy helping people who find it tough to ask for help. Helping those types of people is my favorite because I don't like to ask for help even when I know I need it. Advising and guiding someone through their own brain brings me the most joy. This is because I believe you can't help or pour into others without knowing and understanding yourself. Thank you for the opportunity to be awarded your scholarship which would help fund my goal of becoming a young, African American female Forensic Toxicologist.

My mom and dad set great examples of putting in the work to achieve everything you desire in life. Ever since I was little, they made sure I never felt like I couldn’t do or be anything. One vital lesson I learned from my parents was that my only competition was who I was yesterday. I don’t compare myself to anyone else. Every day I strive to be better than I was. I consistently set time aside to self-reflect and identify how I can improve in different areas of my life. I constantly seek wisdom and advice from people who I can learn from. I make sure to surround myself with people who want to improve themselves, so they can push me to improve and grow with them. I keep a growth mindset by establishing an environment of growth and support. Thank you for tithe opportunity to be awarded your scholarship which would help fund my goal of becoming a young, African American female Forensic Toxicologist.

Virtual reality (VR) inspires me to believe the world can be a better place. I recently attended a lab demonstration that used virtual reality to educate students, like myself, about breast cancer, its symptoms, stages, and indicators. I was able to immerse myself in a female torso diagram and explore the numerous types of breast cancer. I could see where cancer could develop, what an infected area would look like both internally and externally, and lots of other things. Virtual reality can and should be used as a learning tool. It would improve learning quality for hands-on learners, like myself. It would do the same for visual learners because they can thoroughly look at everything from various angles. VR is multi-faceted. It can help with different learning styles as well as in different subjects. VR could be used in history to provide a more in-depth demonstration of historical events. It could be utilized in science the same way it was used for the breast cancer awareness lab demonstration: Immersing students into a fabricated lab where they can explore without endangering themselves or others. Car companies can use VR when making a design or model. The same could be said for airplane companies, like Gulfstream, or architects. The government could use VR to see how certain decisions about land or waste could affect the environment. Virtual Reality could make the world a better place if used correctly and purposefully. Thank you for challenging me to reflect on different uses for the technology we may or may not use every day. I appreciate the opportunity to be awarded your scholarship which would help fund my goal of becoming a young, African American female Forensic Toxicologist.

There's a lot of things I want to see change in society. In my community, I want to see improvement in our roads. I want to see people in leadership positions acknowledging America's true history. I want to see them take action by confronting all physical exaltations of people who gained their wealth and recognition through the pain and hard work of others. In the country, I want to see school boards acknowledging that their curriculum is outdated, discriminatory, and Eurocentric. I want to see the beauty standard for both men and women be erased completely. I want to see variety and inclusivity in the media. There are so many things that could and should be changed in our world today. For example, a difference in environmental habits could make the world last a little while longer. However, there are two main developments I want to see made. First, I want to see the educational system revised. The American curriculum is eurocentric. Merriam-Webster defines eurocentric as, “reflecting a tendency to interpret the world in terms of European or Anglo-American values and experiences.” In lamen’s terms, a Eurocentric curriculum means teaching subjects and topics from a European point of view. When the country was first founded, I think it was only normal to teach from a specific point of view because they weren’t aware or knowledgeable enough of other backgrounds and cultures. However, as the country has developed and explored over the years, the curriculum should have also changed. As people started to learn more about each other and their histories, the curriculum should have become more and more unbiased, neutral, and objective. I work towards this change by being a part of an organization called the Student Coalition for Equity. Its mission is to represent student interests in the form of protection of identity, educational enrichment, and making a place for students in spaces discussing their setting. One thing we do in this organization is holding the Decatur High school board accountable for their words, actions, and curriculum. Lastly, I want to see a change in gender norms and equality. I want to see the narrative that women are supposed to be in the house all day cooking, cleaning, and at their husbands’ beck and call erased. Women have brains and skills that could be used to improve our economy and society. We can be in leadership positions. We can be doctors and lawyers. We can be engineers and astronauts. Men can do ballet and be secretaries. Women should be able to sit at the head of the table, and not only this but receive the same pay as if she were a man. Men can cook, clean, and take care of children just like a woman can. There should be no such thing as a gender role. Women and men are not supposed to do anything. My actions towards this change are through my social media platforms. I reshare, post, and advocate for these issues and topics on my platforms. This helps spread awareness and initiates discussion on gender equality and the removal of gender roles. Thank you so much for prompting me to reflect on societal issues and how I strive for change in my personal life. Also, thank you for the opportunity to be awarded your scholarship which would help fund my goal of becoming a young, African American female Forensic Toxicologist.

In reality, society can most effectively empower women by minding its own business. Women's choices with their bodies, clothing, makeup, sex life, and work-life are nobody's business but their's. If I decide not to wear a bra, it has nothing to do with anyone else. If a woman decides to have an abortion, that's her choice. No outside opinion matters unless she asks for it. Outside opinions lead to internal judgment. I learned from experience that internal judgment is so detrimental to your mental. Opinions and criticisms from the outside world can cause a little girl, a young lady, and a grown woman to question their worth and value. More specifically, society can empower women by providing inclusive examples of beauty in the media. There should never be a beauty standard or trend. There should always be various body shapes, skin colors, ethnicities, skin conditions, and hair textures portrayed in advertisements, tv shows, and social media. Being able to see yourself on your tv or phone is uplifting and empowering. It subconsciously tells young girls that they are enough and deserve to be loved and appreciated. Realistic examples in the media demonstrate that everyone is beautiful in their own way. Everyone is valuable. This is how society can empower women with their physical appearance. Empowering women intellectually is an entirely different subject. Erasing the narrative that women are not as smart as men or not as capable is crucial. Yes, this narrative is slowly being rejected and proven incorrect, but it is still lingering in pay rates and company demographics. Women are less likely to be in leadership positions. Women’s skill sets and work ethic aren’t being reflected in their paychecks compared to their male counterparts. A quick Google search led me to an article that stated, “In 2020, women earned 84% of what men earned, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of median hourly earnings of both full- and part-time workers” (Barroso, and Brown). Even if a woman and a man were to have the same credentials and the same degree, the man would have a larger annual salary than the woman. Making it the social norm for women and men to have equal pay rates is an action to help women empowerment. Thank you for the opportunity to be awarded your scholarship which would help fund my goal of becoming a young, African American female Forensic Toxicologist. Barroso, Amanda, and Anna Brown. "Gender Pay Gap In U.S. Held Steady In 2020". Pew Research Center, 2021, https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/05/25/gender-pay-gap-facts/.

I grew up in a household of eight. I have five siblings and two parents, so patience is something I learned early. My parents were adamant about teaching us the importance of discussions instead of arguments. They taught us to compromise instead of winning and losing. I learned to listen to people and work with them to figure out a solution. With these skills in mind, I was able to compare how quickly a problem or situation was diffused rather than when it escalated to arguing and yelling. Being patient and calm enough to actually hear the other person results in a solution that makes everyone happy in one way or another. Patience is important to me because I want people to hear me when I speak. In order for that to happen, I must lead by example and listen to them. A closed mouth and open ears learn much more so much faster. Thank you for the opportunity to be awarded your scholarship.

I don't like to pick favorites, but I love lyricists. My music choices consist of J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Dreamville, Eryka Badu, Jill Scott, The Fugees, and many more artists like them. I like being forced to actually listen to the music and feeling the emotion portrayed through their lyrics. My favorite artists are the ones that have music that speaks to you.

For a long time, I’ve known what I want to be in life. I want to be a Forensic Toxicologist. I decided this was what I wanted to be in 7th grade. That school year I was homeschooled and my mother scheduled my day to where I had to explore one extracurricular activity every day. One day, I decided to complete a CSI simulation. This simulation explored the primary jobs in the CSI Department, and I was in awe at all the Forensic Toxicologist had to do. I knew that day that I wanted to be one. I’ve always been captivated by shows like NCIS, Law and Order, and the stories of Sherlock Holmes. Forensic Toxicology mixes crime-solving mysteries and science, one of my two favorite things. My motivation stems from being better than I was the day before. I try not to compare myself to anyone, but myself. I want to be the best me possible. I constantly strive to be the best version of myself. On the days where I feel like I have nothing left to give, I think of my family and friends who are cheering me on. They encourage me and support me when I need it and it helps me push forward. I think of my mom and dad who set exceptional examples of putting in the work to achieve everything you desire in life. Ever since I was little, they made sure I never felt like I couldn’t do or be anything. I think of my village of family friends and extended family who are always ready to give me a word of advice or encouragement or both. They help me keep pushing for my dream: to be one of the first young, African American female Forensic Toxicologists with multiple streams of passive income. Although the number is growing, African Americans are a minority in the STEM career field. Becoming an African American female Forensic Toxicologist is something that I anticipate will inspire lots of young African American girls to not lose hope in their dreams. I will use my Forensic Science degree and my passive streams of income to show young minority children that anything is possible. When I achieve my degree and streams of income, I plan to show as many people as possible how to achieve what I achieved. I want to spread my knowledge to aid people to succeed even faster than I will. I believe knowledge is meant to be shared. Thank you for the opportunity to be awarded your scholarship.

Anytime spent with my little sister is a happy memory, but her 14th birthday was an especially joyous memory. I was 17 and had my driver's license, so she wanted to spend her birthday driving around with just us. We had breakfast that morning and ate it at the park. Then we drove to a plaza in Atlanta and to visit our older brother for a little while. My little sister is my best friend and being the one she wanted to spend her birthday with made me feel so special. That day was sunny, private, and oh so fun.