Many challenges will come in your life, but I have learned to have faith over fear. I chose to use pictures from my time in Cancun in order to show that in spite of obstacles you go for it. In times where you will not know what the future holds keep pressing. If you don't jump, how will you ever know what's out there. Faith is believing in your future even when you cannot see it.

The Legacy I’ll Leave By: Tia Watts My reasons for wanting to further my education are simple, I want to heal people and fix my community. My goal is to become a lawyer and then work my way up to be a great judge. I have seen a lot of injustices in my lifetime, and though I am an African American female I am not only concerned about people who share the same ethnicity as me. I want to create a voice for all the minorities in America. I’m hoping that while I am in the courtrooms I can reach out to and change at least one person. I have been lucky enough to be blessed by so many people in my lifetime and have a mother who supports me wholeheartedly, so what type of person would I be if I didn’t pay that kindness forward? With the profits I’ll earn from working as a lawyer then Judge I want to open a non-profit college/trade school. This will be a way to give minorities a fighting chance. To be able to get a degree or certification to start businesses or go after that career they’ve dreamt about. I also want to open community centers and teen clubs to help get children off the streets. A place where they can get tutors for homework, eat a nice meal, and have fun and be kids. I would love to incorporate community service programs and even invite speakers to the center, go on field trips and help the kids network. Our future is the younger generation and if we want this world to be a better place we need to instill great things into them. With all that being said it would mean so much to me if my goals, my legacy started and were fostered at an HBCU. Because that is the legacy left behind from my descendants before me. I want to give back to the community that saved so many. So this scholarship would mean so much to me. Thank you for taking the time to read my essay.

What A Year It’s Been The year 2020 has been a year like no other and it has taught me a lot of valuable life lessons that have shaped me and opened my eyes. I’m hoping that those lessons I’ve learned will help me shape my career path. The lesson I learned first is to slow down, step back and take a breath. Before the pandemic, it felt like life was also so fast-paced and we were always in a rush to do things for school and work, running in circles. It wasn’t until we were stuck at home that I realized the peace of slowing down. I feel like I got more things accomplished. But it’s more than getting work and tasks completed, seeing the beauty of life and enjoying it is also the main advantage of it. Another lesson I have learned is the importance of family. In the past, a family member would call me and sometimes I would ignore it. I didn’t feel like being bothered, which is terrible to say but it’s true. But now when I see a call from a relative or friend I’ll answer it because you never know when it could be the last time you’ll hear their voice. Not being able to see them face to face can be hard but thankfully with the advancement of technology, it is a lot easier to be separated from them. Remind them that you love and appreciate them because these times are especially hard Most importantly, I learned that my relationship with God is really important and why it needs to be strong. Before I elaborate more I wanted to make it clear that I am not trying to push my religion on anyone. Personally, I was feeling down and maybe it’s because of being quarantined for so long or not being able to see loved ones. All I know is once I got deeper into my Bible, joining my church’s conference and zoom calls, and started journaling again I gained this overwhelming peace. This is fundamental for my career, work can be stressful and your mental health can take a toll. So believing in something, anything at all is a comforting experience. These are the lessons that I will keep with me forever, and though these circumstances are terrible I am grateful that I was able to experience this and learn from it. I hope that I can take these lessons I’ve learned and teach them to future generations.

The Legacy I’ll Leave By: Tia Watts My reasons for wanting to further my education are simple, I want to heal people and fix my community. My goal is to become a lawyer and then work my way up to be a great judge. I have seen a lot of injustices in my lifetime, and though I am an African American female, I am not only concerned about people who share the same ethnicity as me. I want to create a voice for all the minorities in America. I’m hoping that while I am in the courtrooms I can reach out to and change at least one person. I have been lucky enough to be blessed by so many people in my lifetime and have a mother who supports me wholeheartedly, so what type of person would I be if I didn’t pay that kindness forward? With the profits I’ll earn from working as a lawyer then Judge I want to open a non-profit college/ trade school. This will be a way to give minorities a fighting chance. To be able to get a degree or certification to start businesses or go after that career they’ve dreamt about. I also want to open community centers and teen clubs to help get children off the streets. A place where they can get tutors for homework, eat a nice meal, and have fun and be kids. Put them in community service programs and even invite speakers to the center, go on field trips and help the kids network. Our future is the younger generation and if we want this world to be a better place we need to instill great things into them. With all that being said, it would mean so much to me if my goals and legacy were started and fostered at an HBCU, because that is the legacy that was left behind by my descendants before me. I want to give back to the community that saved so many. So this scholarship would mean so much to me. Thank you for taking the time to read my essay.