The inspiration for my career goal stems from a visit to New York City my family and I took last summer. New York City would have to be the only city in the world that could give me real motivation to pursue a career in the business field. Seeing first-hand the foundation of how the city's economy runs is truly eye-opening. This inspiration has concreted my decision in choosing this career path. My goals and aspirations revolve around building businesses and improving our economy. The hustle and bustle of New York and surrounding cities is the root of our country's economy and its growth stems from the very make-up of the largest city metropolis in the United States of America. Experiencing the enormity of a place like New York City seems a bit overwhelming at first, but the majesty of a city this size is fascinating. I plan to learn and grasp all I can to create ideas to build monumental places in other parts of America to help build the economy everywhere and to innovate ways to withstand the ever-growing population. Having come a long way in a very short time, the past few years have been a leap jump into the real world. Before the age of 12, I lived a very secluded life and thought that was all there was. I had been conditioned to accept those circumstances. TV had become my only window to the outside world. I knew all those people and things I saw on TV existed, but I had never experienced them. Then my life changed. I didn’t like this change. In fact, I thought I hated it. Less than a month after my twelfth birthday, I was forced to live with my father and stepmother and two younger half-sisters. I felt like I was an intruder in their perfect life. My father made it very clear that things were going to be different for me. He was going to take me out of my comfort zone. The very place inside my mind where I felt safe was now compromised. It was very confusing for my young, underdeveloped brain to process. I would only do what I was asked because I didn’t want to get in trouble. I started to resent my father and my stepmother for making me feel that I had to change my way of thinking. They were trying to make me someone else, someone I wasn’t and didn’t want to be. I didn’t like it. Then my father and stepmother began introducing me to new things. Eventually, I began to see so much more of the world and was able to experience things I had only seen on TV. It was as if my younger years were in black and white and now I am seeing color for the first time. I want to continue this pattern by learning all I can and getting the education I deserve. I am now a senior in high school, and I have been accepted to Morehouse College. I would like to receive all the help I can to achieve my goals for the future. This scholarship would be helpful in continuing to give me the courage to grow and would serve as a steppingstone through the undergraduate process and in into my future career endeavors.

I was a fighter from the very beginning. I fought to live from the day I was born and fought to thrive throughout my life thus far. My biological mother and father only dated a short time and were no longer a couple by the time I was born. Logically, I stayed with my mother. My father paid child support to my mother, and I would see him sporadically. However, my father married and moved across the country. He and my stepmother then had their own two daughters. While living with my mother, there would be times I didn't know where we were going to sleep at night or what we were going to eat. Nothing was stable, but I really didn't know it was abnormal. I credit my ability to adapt to any situation to the less than fortunate formative years of my life. During the summer I was to turn twelve, I was preparing to start middle school. This would mark the 5th school that I would attend in a relatively short amount of time. Sadly, an unforeseen circumstance happened, and I was forced to live with my father and stepmother. I didn't want to live with them. I was fine with how things were. After an extensive adjustment period, I started understanding where I fit into my new family. I realized they cared about me and wanted what was best for me. Unfortunately, another setback happened. COVID-19. I already had a hard time making new friends and I was still really adjusting to the uproot of my entire life. I then had to go back to being Isolated and alone. I threw myself into my schoolwork and that's when I realized I really liked making good grades. I loved the feeling of accomplishment and knowing that getting good grades was a direct result of studying and it really encouraged me to strive further. My father and stepmother have been able to give me and my sisters all the necessities to help us grow. Raising a family is hard enough, but now, as I am looking to go to college, it will be a struggle for my family to afford. I don't want to add an extra strain on my parents because they have already been so amazing helping me get to where I am today. I am now a senior in high school and have been accepted to Morehouse College. I am very excited to be attending this fall. I will be majoring in business with an emphasis in finance. This scholarship would be a benefit in continuing to give me the courage to grow and would serve as a steppingstone through the undergraduate process and into my future career endeavors.

Phototropic As a seedling grows, it instinctively knows what to do. It develops the way nature has designed. However, in some instances, a phenomenon occurs that can change the development of how a seed transforms into a plant. This strange event is called phototropism. This is my story: I, like a seedling, have entered the world. I have been fed and nurtured and cared for long enough to gain my consciousness. Now, I am aware of who I am. I am a young boy carelessly tossed away and condemned to a small, dark box. Day after day, this box and I get more acquainted. I learn to get along with just me and my own thoughts. I somehow teach myself how to fold and unfold my small fists. I learn how to curl and uncurl my tiny toes. I stretch my arms as far as the box will let me. As each day passes, the box seems to get smaller, but for some reason, it is comforting me. It feels as though the box is hugging me and with this brings a sense of encouragement and safety. I know there is more to this bleak world I am in, but strangely, I don’t strive to understand more about the living condition I am in. After many days, weeks, months, and years I have accepted this meaningless void as my home. I naturally gravitate to only one side of this box. It is my favorite side, although I don’t know why. I press my face against the side of it. This is a routine I have adopted. I run my hand across the wall until I get to a corner. Then I run my hand across the next wall until I reach that corner, then to another corner and the other. My hand returns to my favorite side. It is warm and inviting and safe. One day something changes. I wake up expecting this day to be the same as the days prior, but I sense something is different. I attempt to open my eyes, but a burning sensation stings them and seals them shut. Slowly and painfully, I let one eye at a time adjust to a small ray of light. Although I struggle to observe what this light could mean, my curiosity gets the best of me. I want it. I am drawn to it. I reach up and let my fingertips touch the pinhole in my box. Little do I know, this tiny hole will change my life forever. At first, I thought the adrenaline of my excitement would be enough to bore through the pinhole so I can explore what is on the other side of my confinement. However, I had no instrument to make the hole bigger. I didn’t know what to do. More days of waking up to this strange ray of light only added to the suspense of not knowing what was out there. After some time of grazing over the pinhole, I stop and squint at the hole. It seems to be getting larger. With a new rush of excitement, I rub the hole with my thumb as fast as I can, but it causes so much friction I almost burn my thumb. Eventually, I figure out a way to slowly and effectively make the hole bigger by methodically scraping where the hole is. Soon, my persistence pays off. I make the hole wide enough to get a finger through. The widening hole is letting more of the bright, warm light into my dim, dreary box. The invitation to explore what’s outside of this box is now my only motivation to keep going. After diligently working on it, I can finally reach my hand through the hole. Outside, I see a bright, blue sky with white, puffy clouds. The sunlight now covers my entire outstretched arm. I am now wanting so desperately to be free from my tiny dwelling place and to feel the sun’s warmth all over me. It’s easier now to tear through the box, but I failed to realize just how big I am now. I take a moment to reflect. I used to be happy here and even affectionately called this box my home. I am too big for this box. I want to grow. I want to learn. I want to see everything that my sheltered eyes have not seen. And with that last thought, I gain enough strength to push myself entirely out of the box. For one second, I allow myself to look back at my broken box and mourn for it. Then, never to look back again, I face the sun with my arms stretched wide. I am free. This is just the beginning!

Having come a long way in a very short time has been eye-opening for me. Before the age of 12, I lived a very secluded life and thought it was all there was. I had been conditioned to accept these circumstances. TV had become my only window to the outside world. Even though I knew things that I saw on TV existed, I had not yet experienced those things. But, oh, I wanted to. Then my life changed. At first, I didn’t like this change. In fact, I thought I hated it. Less than a month after my twelfth birthday, I was forced to live with my father and stepmother and two younger half-sisters. I felt like I was an intruder in their perfect life. My father made it very clear that things were going to be different for me. He was going to take me out of my comfort zone. The very place inside my mind where my safety was now compromised. It was very confusing for my young, underdeveloped brain to process. I would only do what I was asked because I didn’t want to get in trouble. I started to resent my father and my stepmother for making me feel that I had to change my way of thinking. They were trying to make me someone else, someone I wasn’t and didn’t want to be. I didn’t like it. I was doing just fine. I already had it all figured out. Then my father and stepmother began introducing me to new things. Eventually, I began to see so much more of the world and was able to experience things I had only seen on TV. It was as if my younger years were in black and white and now I am seeing color for the first time. I want to continue this pattern by learning all I can and getting the education I deserve. I have also always enjoyed putting things together and figuring out how they operate. Seeing something take shape and come to life has always been so rewarding. That is why I would like to continue learning how to build businesses and help grow the economy, especially in places that need it more than others. I know furthering my education on how to generate business models and evolving my team-building skills will grant me the start-up tools to begin my venture. I plan to take everything I learn from my higher education and implement them into the work I aim to accomplish. I am now a senior in high school and have been accepted to Morehouse College. I would like to receive all the help I can to achieve my goals for the future. This scholarship would be helpful in continuing to give me the courage to grow and would serve as a steppingstone through the undergraduate process and in into my future career endeavors.

Having come a long way in a very short time has been eye-opening for me. Before the age of 12, I lived a very secluded life and thought it was all there was. I had been conditioned to accept these circumstances. TV had become my only window to the outside world. Even though I knew things that I saw on TV existed, I had not yet experienced those things. But, oh, I wanted to. Then my life changed. At first, I didn’t like this change. In fact, I thought I hated it. Less than a month after my twelfth birthday, I was forced to live with my father and stepmother and two younger half-sisters. I felt like I was an intruder in their perfect life. My father made it very clear that things were going to be different for me. He was going to take me out of my comfort zone. The very place inside my mind where my safety was now compromised. It was very confusing for my young, underdeveloped brain to process. I would only do what I was asked because I didn’t want to get in trouble. I started to resent my father and my stepmother for making me feel that I had to change my way of thinking. They were trying to make me someone else, someone I wasn’t and didn’t want to be. I didn’t like it. I was doing just fine. I already had it all figured out. Then my father and stepmother began introducing me to new things. Eventually, I began to see so much more of the world and was able to experience things I had only seen on TV. It was as if my younger years were in black and white and now I am seeing color for the first time. I want to continue this pattern by learning all I can and getting the education I deserve. I have also always enjoyed putting things together and figuring out how they operate. Seeing something take shape and come to life has always been so rewarding. That is why I would like to continue learning how to build businesses and help grow the economy, especially in places that need it more than others. I know furthering my education on how to generate business models and evolving my team-building skills will grant me the start-up tools to begin my venture. I plan to take everything I learn from my higher education and implement them into the work I aim to accomplish. I am now a senior in high school and have been accepted to Morehouse College. I would like to receive all the help I can to achieve my goals for the future. This scholarship would be helpful in continuing to give me the courage to grow and would serve as a steppingstone through the undergraduate process and in into my future career endeavors.

There was a time in my life I thought I didn’t matter. I thought maybe it wouldn’t matter to anyone if I succeeded or if I failed or if I was even alive at all. I had been so afraid to fail that I wouldn’t even try. Then, something happened in my life that changed everything I had been taught up to this point. I didn’t like this change. In fact, I thought I hated it. Less than a month after my twelfth birthday, I was forced to live with my father and stepmother and two younger half-sisters. I had only met my father a handful of times. We would talk over FaceTime sometimes, but we really didn't have a relationship. I felt like I was an intruder in their perfect life. My father made it very clear that things were going to be different for me. He was going to take me out of my comfort zone. The very place inside my mind I could escape had been compromised. It was very confusing for my young, underdeveloped brain to process. I would only do what I was asked because I didn’t want to get in trouble. I started to resent my father and my stepmother for making me feel that I had to change my way of thinking. They were trying to make me someone else, someone I wasn’t and didn’t want to be. I didn’t like it. I was doing just fine. I already had it all figured out. I didn’t need anyone to tell me what I was or wasn’t going to do. I was going to be a professional gamer; like the ones that go on TV and compete against each other and win hundreds of thousands of dollars. I had already envisioned myself winning the championship game and getting trophies for all the games I beat. I could just see all the competitors' faces I annihilated. Oh, how satisfied I felt in those dreams and ambitions. That is, until my father beat me at one of my own games. He then said to me condescendingly, “I thought you were a professional. What happened?” I was crushed. The ego that took me years to build crumbled in a matter of seconds. I realized there was always going to be someone better than me. I wasn’t as good, or as smart, or as cool as I thought I was. However, I slowly started to let my father’s words change my stubborn way of thinking. After a few years of constantly chipping away at the wall of comfort I so diligently crafted in my mind, I can say I am truly thankful for the intervention that changed my life’s course. I am now stronger and wiser because of what my father has taught me. I am now ready to accept all life has to offer and to finally make my mark on the world. I know this is just the beginning. I am now a senior in high school, and I have been accepted to Morehouse College. I plan to obtain a degree in business with an emphasis in finance. I will use my degree to educate and encourage others to learn more about financial literacy. Attending Morehouse College would be a benefit in continuing to give me the courage to grow and would serve as a steppingstone throughout the undergraduate process and into my future career endeavors.

This may seem cliche, but my favorite book-to-film adaptation would have to be the Harry Potter Series. J. K. Rowling wrote an amazing story about how one boy can really make a difference in the world. At one time, I wanted so desperately to attend Hogwarts and to be a wizard with my own personalized wand. I even took online tests to see what house I would be sorted into if I were ever chosen to be a magical wizard. I scored at an 80% to be in the house of Ravenclaw. It slightly surprised me at first, but after more research, it began to make sense. I am intelligent and I think through my problems. I am witty and crafty and will outsmart any opponent. Having been obsessed with the books and movies at a very young age, I still, even now, hold a place in my heart for all things Harry Potter. Although, the books are always better than the movies, I thoroughly enjoyed how Harry Potter was brought to life. Visually, the crew that made the films possible did the books justice. Imagining Hedwig delivering the letter to Harry and mentally visualizing Hogwarts Express were not disappointing when experiencing the masterpiece on the big screen. I truly enjoyed the thought of being protected by Hagrid and making an unlikely friend like Dobby. The foundation of developing life-long friendships is also something worthy of mentioning about this franchise. I do understand fact from fiction, however, when engulfed with any one of the Harry Potter films, reality seems to stand still. The action and excitement, along with the intense music, allows any fan to detach from the present and be transported to the wonderful, Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It has become a way of escape into a fantasy world for those young and old. The most interesting part of what J. K. Rowling did when writing these books was dividing each student wizard into a specific house that they would fit into, that would give them inclusivity and acceptance, regardless of which house they would be assigned to. As seen in the film, the Sorting Hat evaluates each student and determines where they should be placed. Harry Potter actually had many different qualities but was finally placed in the Gryffindor house. J. K. Rowling and the creators of the adaptations of the book put so much thought into what needed to be done to make an epic ride for anyone that was to experience Harry Potter's adventures with him. And to feel right next to Harry as he and his friends defeated enemies and conquered quests in order to find out the truths that would ultimately change their lives.

There was a time in my life I thought I didn’t matter. I thought maybe it wouldn’t matter to anyone if I succeeded or if I failed. At times, I was so afraid to fail that I wouldn’t try at all. Then my life changed. I didn’t like this change. In fact, I thought I hated it. Less than a month after my twelfth birthday, I was forced to live with my father and stepmother and two younger half-sisters. I felt like I was an intruder in their perfect life. My father made it very clear that things were going to be different for me from that moment on. It was very confusing for my young, underdeveloped brain to process. I would only do what I was asked because I didn’t want to get in trouble. I started to resent my father and my stepmother for making me feel that I had to change my way of thinking. They were trying to take me out of my comfort zone, and I didn’t like it. I was doing just fine. I already had it all figured out. I was going to be a professional gamer. Like the ones that go on TV and compete against each other and win hundreds of thousands of dollars. That is, until my dad beat me at one of my own games. He then said to me condescendingly, “I thought you were a professional. What happened?” I was crushed. The ego that took me years to build crumbled in a matter of seconds. I realized there was always going to be someone better than me. I wasn’t as good, or as smart, or as cool as I thought I was. Slowly, I started to let my father’s words work their way into my stubborn mind. Seemingly, the time I started to gain my footing in my new reality and having established a mini social life at my new school, COVID-19 reared its ugly head. Now, not only was I already isolated and awkward, COVID-19 made it a hundred times worse. I was stuck in the house and spending all my class time on Zoom. Then, to make matters even worse, when the world did finally start to open back up, my family moved to another county and school district right before my freshman year in high school. I had never before felt so afraid to go to school. I am already small, but this school of almost 2,000 students made me feel even smaller. I slowly started to face my fears and was able to overcome most of my anxiety. After a few years of constantly chipping away at the wall of comfort I so diligently crafted in my mind, I can say I am truly thankful for the intervention that changed my life’s course. Through all the obstacles, I can now say I am now stronger and wiser. I am now a senior in high school and my intention is to attend Morehouse College. I plan to obtain a degree in business with an emphasis in finance. I will use my degree to educate and encourage others to learn more about financial literacy. Attending Morehouse College would be a benefit in continuing to give me the courage to grow and would serve as a steppingstone through the undergraduate process and into my future career endeavors.