When I was in middle school I asked my father about investing. He told me what it was, the benefits of investing in companies, how to put money away for long term investments, and he told me how he got into investing. He also told me about the rental properties he had and how that also makes him money. I thought investing was great and the concept was very fascinating to me, but it left me with one question. Why doesn’t everyone do this? No one else in my family owned any stocks except my Dad. This didn’t sit right with me, so I went searching for a reason on how something like this could happen. After some research I learned about the racial wealth gap in America and that Black Americans own stocks at a significantly lower rate than their white counterparts. According to the Federal Reserve, 39% of Black families own stocks compared to 66% of white families, a 27% difference. 47% of Black Americans have disposable income compared to 65% of White Americans. I also learned about generational wealth and how Black people pass down less assets such as real estate and stocks. Only 44% of Black Americans are homeowners compared to 74% of White Americans. This comes from historical exclusions in finance such as redlining and predatory lending, leading to less disposable income. All of this has led to less opportunities for financial growth and less financial literacy overall. A place where this lack of financial literacy is prevalent is in first generation pro athletes. Mike Tyson, Allen Iverson and Terrell Owens all made millions of dollars in their careers and all 3 filed for bankruptcy shortly after. These are only 3 examples of hall of fame level athletes, but there are many more examples of this for Black athletes and other Black celebrities. I’m majoring in Sports Management and I want to minor in finance so that I can manage professional athletes assets and teach financial literacy to my fellow African Americans. Many Black children look up to pro athletes and mimic them. Getting the most famous and influential African Americans to invest and learn about financial literacy will influence younger generations to follow suite. After this I want to also help those that aren’t in the top 1% of earners in the U.S. I want to help teach the youth how to invest, so that when they start making money, they’ll know what to do with it. Investing takes a lot of knowledge and patience, so it is important that the next generation is provided with a strong foundation, to make a better future for themselves and the people around them. Through programs the youth will learn about investing in stocks, long term investments, real estate and financial literacy. This will bring more Black wealth in the community as a whole. Black people will have more economic power and we will be able to invest in more Black businesses and sponsor and create more programs for the betterment of the Black community.

Im nobody without baseball. I've played since I was 5 and my life in one way or another has revolved around baseball since. Tee ball and little league baseball gave me an early identity as a child. This identity of being a baseball player and athlete has resonated with me ever since. Baseball gave me a sense of belonging in those early years, but high school baseball had a big impact on my future aspirations and the person that I am today. One lesson I learned was how to work my way up the depth chart in life. As a freshman I was already at a disadvantage if I wanted to make varsity, so I used that disadvantage as fuel to make me work harder. I made varsity and that journey taught me how to work hard. The seniors and juniors on the team that season were inspiring and helped show me what a varsity player looked like. Kydese was a D1 commit, and seeing him play gave me the blueprint of where I needed to be with my skills. Seeing all the talented baseball players on the team made me want to be like them and play baseball in college, so that became a goal of mine. My Sophomore year of baseball taught me that I should never stop working hard and that everything is earned and not given. I was in a great position to obtain a starting position, but I got lazy and complacent, which made me lose out on the chance to be a starter. I did get the chance to start halfway through the season and I started every game for the rest of my high school career afterwards, but I still learned the importance of continuing to work hard. I also learned how to humble, Im no longer arrogant or naive but I'm grateful for every opportunity I get because it can always be taken away. My Junior year taught me how to be a leader. I was voted as one of the two co-captains of the varsity team, so I had to learn quickly how to motivate the team and lead the team during the ups and downs of the season. My experience being a captain in both my Junior and Senior year led to me wanting to use my leadership skills in the real world. I am going to pursue a degree in sports management, so I can oversee an athletic facility or an athletics organization where my leadership skills will apply. My Senior year of baseball shaped me into a fighter and resilient person. I broke my leg and dislocated my kneecap while playing travel baseball in the fall of my senior year, jeopardizing my chances of playing my senior year. I did not let the injury stop me and I worked hard in physical therapy, so that I could bend my knee again. I wasn't 100% for the start of the season, but I was able to play even without being able to bend my knee all the way. I played the whole season and helped lead the team to its first playoff win in school history. I learned how to fight against adversity and push myself through challenges because of baseball. I will be attending Cairn University to play division 3 baseball this fall. Baseball has influenced my college of choice, my desire to work in a field that involves baseball and has taught me many lessons that has built my character and has helped develop me in to the young man I am today.