I am the type of person who wants to raise the bar for myself in any and every aspect, and education is no exception. I have always had a curious mind about a lot of things and would love to use my interests to help my community. That’s why it’s been my plan to go to college and improve my skills and education in writing and health by majoring in Nursing and English. As a first generation Nigerian-American girl, it is very important to me to use my knowledge in health to enforce another positive representation in the medical field for black women. I also want to use my linguistic knowledge to help myself get better in communicating which will be very useful in the medical field. Despite the unique challenges I find myself in throughout this whole process of getting into college, I use these very aspirations to motivate me to keep going. I plan to become a Nursing Practitioner because beyond my deep curiosity about health and the human body, I also absolutely love helping and connecting with people. It makes my day to know that I've helped someone and/or put a smile on their face during a rough time. I also think my presence in the medical field will not only aid the representation of black women but also improve the experience in healthcare for black patients. Unfortunately, black people have suffered a history of mistreatment in the healthcare system. Black women, specifically, have a history of being treated with manipulation in healthcare such as the Henrietta Lacks case where her cells were taken during her cervix cancer treatment without her consent. Black women are also treated with disregard in the healthcare system, especially during birth. In the U.S, the maternal mortality rate for black women is almost 3x higher than any other racial group of women. This issue increased even more during the pandemic in 2020, with the rate going from 44 deaths to 55.3 deaths every 100,000 childbirths. I want to make it my duty to offer to make sure black people are given the best healthcare with the utmost regard. I believe my leadership in a high position such as a Nurse Practitioner will change the negligence that black women face in the hospital. It can possibly also inspire black patients and regain their hope and confidence in the healthcare system. Inspiring black people is also a big reason why I want to major in English as well. I like telling stories and hearing from different people and perspectives around the world. I could use my linguistic skills to effectively communicate with black patients and make them feel comfortable and validated. I can use my love for sharing thoughts about the world to share stories of black women’s experience in the healthcare system and possibly reach others that can relate. I hope to use my skills to improve both my writing and speaking so I can help tell stories of black women, both in and outside of healthcare, so that they can feel seen and heard. In conclusion, caring for others and communication are powerful virtues and I choose to channel these characteristics in the medical field by becoming a Nurse Practitioner and influence positive change for the collective of black women in healthcare and possibly inspire them to pay it forward. That is why I would truly appreciate being given this scholarship and given the chance to pursue my goal in creating inspiration and helping my community. References Layal Liverpool. “Henrietta Lacks.” New Scientist, https://www.newscientist.com/people/henrietta-lacks/ USAFacts. “The US Maternal Mortality Rate Peaked during the Pandemic and Was Highest for Black Women.” USAFacts, USAFacts, 21 Mar. 2022, https://usafacts.org/articles/the-us-maternal-mortality-rate-peaked-during-the-pandemic-and-was-highest-for-black-women/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=ND-Healthcare&gclid=Cj0KCQjwof6WBhD4ARIsAOi65agtNPBgUrdXHpb-dqHICPPhsIZ6mTBDEmK7wTa2EGB-esNF-8fKdJYaAtCeEALw_wcB

Throughout my life, I’ve always identified with my intelligence and success in school. I’ve always been praised for being the smart one in my family. If anyone needed help on homework, “go to Uchechi” was the answer. So, naturally, I grew up with pride about my intelligence and ability to learn things quickly. It wasn’t until I went to a high school with a broader variety of people with a broader variety of talents that I got quite the reality check. I’ll never forget when I had my first high school literature class where we read “Rain or Hail” by E.E Cummings and were asked to share our thoughts on it and its overall meaning. And as a person who usually participated, I was silent. I remember there being a good handful of kids that gave insightful ideas that I would’ve never thought of. This was when I started to believe I wasn’t as smart or as perfect as I thought. My freshman year was the first time I was really challenged and ended up falling short as opposed to others. It triggered my fear of not being perfectly good at things. There were so many things I would have loved to do but the fear of not doing well made me not even want to continue or try at all. This was one of the main reasons why I shied away from joining any clubs or sports in school. I was so used to being good at things so quickly that anything besides that terrified me. I became a little more social towards the end of my sophomore year and shared my story with my friends and teachers and I finally felt understood. They made me realize how crippling a perfectionist mindset could be. Although I had high standards and wanted to excel, it definitely led to burnout. I found this to be true because I recalled the many times when I pushed myself and lost sleep over trying to make every assignment perfect. I also realized that it hindered me from actually learning things I was interested in. Things I enjoyed like volleyball or drawing were difficult for me at first but got easier when I simply just pushed myself to keep practicing. Change isn’t linear so I still have moments where my perfectionist side lingers but I have gained a freer spirit and have fed my curious mind by trying things. Unfortunately, my epiphany happened right at the start of the pandemic so I wasn’t able to participate in sports but I did join some clubs held over Zoom, like cooking club and mock trial club where we competed against other schools. Now as a senior, I’m in yearbook club, a track runner, and writing tutor and I only hope to get better at balancing having high standards but also not letting it control me in the future. I hope college will further teach me how to be okay with being an amateur before a master.

I am the type of person who wants to raise the bar for myself in any and every aspect, and education is no exception. I have always had a curious mind about a lot of things and would love to use my interests to help people. That’s why I plan to go to college and improve my skills and education, specifically in writing and health by majoring in English and Nursing. As a first generation Nigerian-American girl, it is very important to me to use my knowledge in health to enforce another positive representation in the medical field for black women. I also want to use my linguistic knowledge to help myself get better in communicating which will be very useful in the medical field. Despite the unique challenges I find myself in throughout this whole process of getting into college, I use these very aspirations to motivate me to keep going. I plan to become a registered nurse because beyond my deep curiosity about health and the human body, I also absolutely love helping and connecting with people. It makes my day to know that I've helped someone and/or put a smile on their face during a rough time. I also think my presence in the medical field will aid in the representation of black women. Unfortunately, black women have faced worse treatment in healthcare, and I want to make it my duty to offer them the best care. I believe my nursing skills will make black female patients more comfortable being in the hospital and possibly even inspire them. This is also a reason why I want to major in English. I like to tell stories and hear from different people and perspectives around the world. I will use my linguistic skills to effectively communicate with black female patients and make them feel comfortable. I can use my love for sharing thoughts about the world to share stories of black women’s experience in the healthcare system and possibly reach others that can relate. Even if some don’t, I like expanding my knowledge about different perspectives. I hope to use my skills to improve both my writing and speaking so I can tell stories of mine and others so that they can feel seen and heard. All of these dreams are truly what motivate me to keep pushing through at the best of my ability. However, this process of getting into college hasn’t been easy. As a first born child, I have always been the first to dip my toe into the pool for a lot of things and applying for college and scholarships is no exception. This has made this process a little bit strenuous and nerve-racking but remembering my aspirations for my life and plans to do things that can impact other people for the better keeps me going. Receiving the financial assistance from the scholarship would really make the pursuit of my goals much easier and give me even more of a reason to continue striving towards my dreams.

I have had many experiences in my life and some of which have taught me something, some not so much. However, I think everyone has had or has yet to have an experience that changes them as a whole; becomes a part of their personality. One experience in my life that I can say has influenced how I live my daily life is the time I went to live in Nigeria at 5 years old. Before I went, I was just like any other little kid; innocent and naive. Although I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth, I thought everything I had was normal and easy to obtain. From the clothes I had to the toys I played with, I thought it was the norm and anything less than that didn’t exist. Therefore, I carried this mindset to Nigeria. I saw everything as weird and dirty. There wasn’t consistent electricity and it was uncommon to own a fridge. Didn’t have the luxury of having a different meal everyday or going to the store. I remember finding it weird that my cousin was so surprised that I had a Hannah Montana. For a long time, I was frustrated that I was even there, but I later got used to not having much. It became my normal. So when I came back to America, I was different. Being exposed to a totally different life allowed me to see the life I had been living in a very different way. I became more appreciative of things I had, even the simplest things that most don’t think about. Now that I’m older, I take people who are without into consideration and I try to help them in any way I can because I’ve experienced what it’s like.

I dream of working in the medical field; maybe as a registered nurse, public health nurse, or dietitian. I also dream of doing something involving writing; maybe journalism, screen-writing, or even tutoring writing. However, as a senior in high school, I haven’t really been able to get a broad scope of opportunities that are out there so my dream job may change. I can only aspire to what I know. But I do know my core dream is to be comfortable and happy doing something that I enjoy. And something I enjoy is helping others. It warms my heart to know that I’ve helped someone in any way, and I believe working in a medical field is one of the best ways I can do that. You get to meet so many people and the connection you have with patients is something I believe is priceless and very worth it. I also love discussing different topics such as pop culture, social commentary, public figures and their legacy, etc. But one that I believe can also help others and will truly make a difference is telling stories of the unheard. There are so many people with stories/perspectives that deserve to be heard/seen by the world and I would love to help them achieve that goal in my professional life.