I am the first of five siblings. We migrated to the United States in year 2017 making me a first generation immigrant. I love and play high school volleyball. I am the captain of my varsity team. Before now, I had played basketball and track since junior high school days and only just streamlined my school and club sports to volleyball. Academically, I am at the top sixty percentile of my school, having a wonderful awards in various capacities. I plan to study nurse Anesthetics in college. Coming to America was a turning point in my life. With this decision, my mother was left to handle the enormous responsibilities of taking care of me and my four siblings, financially and otherwise, alone. For the first time in my life, I saw firsthand how decisions were made on whether to pay the rent or buy food or pay for medicals. We were often at the juncture of either to fill out bellies or be homeless! Till this day, my mother continues to do her best but many times, she comes up short. During these directions times, we were often faced with the stark reality of being foreigners in a strange land without family members or friends. With time, we built a support system through our local church and they never failed to show up. In so many ways, these Christian brothers and sisters became our fathers, mothers and relatives. They showed up many times when we couldn't help ourselves. With the knowledge of nursing that I plan to acquire in college, I hope to give back in many ways back to my community that has shown us so much love. I plan to provide medical services to low income households just like how we have benefited from such services in many years past. Without those services, my mother wouldn't have been able to afford the medical services we regularly received. I plan to support the autistic people where I currently volunteer my students hours because of how well they took my twin siblings who are on the autism spectrum. These siblings had been rejected in circles where "normal children" were but this organization (The Bridge) took us in and showed us unconditional love for many many years. I intend to give back to the various sports clubs that have given me the opportunity to prove my sports prowess by giving me scholarships where mother couldn't afford the high club fees. Generally, from my vantage position of being a first born, in charge of many siblings, I have grown to show empathy towards the next human being in front me and this empathy and love is what I intend to carry with me into my profession in future.

I plan to be a nurse Anesthetics in future. Using the knowledge that I would acquire through the nursing program for the betterment of the world, comes in all forms and shades. My family is the closest group to me. Coming to America in 2017 was a huge change for me and my four siblings. My mother was saddled with the responsibility of taking care of us all alone, financially and otherwise. For the first time in my life, I saw first hand where the choice of making painful decisions like whether to pay for rent, food or medicine was a daily struggle. We had to choose to either have full bellies or being homeless due to lack of funds. And I can't mention the many times I had to sit with my mother to figure out how to meet some essential needs without "rocking the boat"! Through this experience, I have learnt to show empathy towards my siblings, love them unconditionally and actually stand in for my mother many times when she was out working. My knowledge in nursing would further perfect the art of caring for my mother and siblings if and when the need arises. Living in a giving community Katy has shown me that there is strength in numbers. With only my mother to support us, many times she came up short of this, the community and support groups showed up for us, many many times. I hope to be able to give back to this wonderful community who have loved on us when we couldn't help ourselves, with my knowledge in nursing sometime in the near future I also volunteer in the autism group called The bridge at my local church. This experience has further broadened my view of the world. All God's people are worthy of love and care, whether they look like the "normal" human being or not. The bridge has taught me to show love irrespective of the recipient of my care. It has deepened my empathy for human beings. Thinking back to those clinics that allowed us to see the doctor for little or no cost is a source of inspiration for me. With determination and faith, I hope to be in a position of seeing and treating families that cannot afford medical services, just the way my siblings and I had been treated these past years. I really pray that the opportunity to study the nursing program would open up huge opportunities for me to give back to the society because my family and I have been well blessed to live in a community with a human face.

I meditate alot. This means spending time with myself and my God. I just reflect on my life and ways I can be better in whatever I put my mind to and asking Him for help and courage. I make sleep a major part of my self-care routine. On an average day, I sleep latest 10pm so as to get 7hours of beauty and sleep. This helps me get through the next day of studies, sports and volunteer work. I believe taking care of myself also means taking care of my gut. I detoxify as regularly as monthly and also do intermittent fasting so my gut is all clean and healthy to carry me through my daily activities. Exercising daily is part of my self-care routine. This is very possible since I am a sportsperson. I do mostly volleyball, basketball and track and field I do daily practices and games to keep in shape. And even when my sports are out of season, I like to take long walks or do some push ups, especially during the pandemic when I couldn't get outside. I try to eat right as part of my self-care regimen. Carbohydrates are a must for me because I burn alot of calories during my daily sports practices. I strongly believe that saying no to others and say yes to me, sometimes, go alot way to maintaining a good mental health balance. I love the company of my friends and so I schedule hangouts, as much as my schedule allows, to just catch up and decompress with some of my good friends. I realize that when I do all these, I am more relaxed, better focused on my goals, a better daughter and friend to my loved ones and able to face life's challenges better.

Being patient means delaying reactions and responses in the face of seemingly debilitating or frustrating circumstances. The importance of Patience in my life's journey can not be overemphasized because I am a better person today. Being patient has helped me focus on my long-term objectives instead of dwelling on the current challenges that would have discouraged me from achieving my goals. It helps me make rational choices instead of emotional ones because it's so easy to feel all these "righteous" emotions when faced with major life challenges. Patience has allowed me to develop various skills rather than being discouraged when things are not going my way. For example, it took a few years and quite a few practices and games for me to be the professional sportsperson that I am now. Patience has helped me to attract more people to listen to to what I have to say. My audience are always in awe of my speeches or conversations. Being patient has allowed me to gain better mental condition as against when I am not. I have discovered that my mental health is always at equilibrium when I am patient than when I am all over the place with my choices. Being patient with myself has made me more of an optimistic person in life in spite of the many challenges life has thrown my way. Being patient has helped me to show kindness and empathy to others instead of being rash in my decisions. Besides, kindness also helps me feel better about yourself too. So, it's really for my good when I am patient. Patience helps me to achieve peace and contentment rather than being disoriented and shaky about what tomorrow may bring.

A few things fuel my life of which my faith takes the cake! My faith in God keeps me going even in the face of adversities. My mother has singlehandedly been raising my four siblings and me for the last five years. What I see that keep her through all the challenges is her faith in God. I see her laugh when she should be crying. I see her strong when she should be weak and I decided to key in for myself. In my almost sixteen years of life, stuff can get me depressed but when I pray and put all my trust in God, I always have a reason to face the day. My family is my life. My mom and my four siblings are a large and noisy party any day. They add color to my life. They are my clan, my own village, my identity. I understood what a family truly means during year 2020 covid 19 pandemic shut down, when we were not allowed to go out. My siblings made all the difference. I particularly grew closer to my immediate younger sister who is two years younger. We share a room and we became best friends. My love for my education is big in my life. I love to see the 100% on my test sheets. I love to be on the honors lists. This propels me to study hard so I can come tops in all my classes. I also love my sports! I currently play volleyball, basketball and track/field. I would say my sports is like a "getaway" for me. Sometimes when the pressures of school gets too much, just playing that ball excellently or running on those tracks is like a breath of fresh air. So surreal.

Coming to America for me was like an end of an era and a leap into the unknown. My parents' separation prompted our relocation to the United States of America. It meant leaving a life I and my four siblings were used to, to start afresh in a foreign land. It meant forgoing any known comfort to begin a journey filled with only faith and hope for a better day True to their type, our father cut all ties with us including financial assistance. He seemed not to care if we lived in the streets or starved but by the grace of God, my mother stepped up to the occasion but it wasn't always an easy road for her. As a single mother to five children, my mother had more than her fair share of troubles. She singlehandedly birthed and took care of my last siblings. I saw her struggle between caring for my toddler siblings and taking us to school, sports practice and parents meetings amidst helping us with homework, house chores and cooking. My mother would work odd jobs at odd schedules just to ensure we had a roof over our heads and food in our bellies. Of course what she earned was never enough to cover our expenses for the month but God sent angels in human form through our church support system Through those painful early years in America, I saw my mother model the essence of hardwork. She presented a bold front in the face of challenges. She showed me that there is strength in integrity. She made me realize my word was my bond. Through it all, I realized I had a strength I didn't even know I possessed. I recall we would go days without proper nutrition or even sleep on the carpet because we couldn't afford new beds or recycle old clothing year in year out because we couldn't afford new ones. These events made me focus on my studies more. They made me press forward in my various sports more than ever before. And because we had been blessed with very loving support system, I choose volunteering efforts at my school and church as efforts to give back to my community. I volunteer at the austism class, taking care of children with autism. I also give my hours in school related activities or events. I also plan to study medicine in college because of my desire to care for others and to give back in any way that I can because God has been merciful to me, my mom and my four siblings.

The Bible. I have read quite a number of books in my short years but I will say the bible hands down beats every other material I have come in contact with. I am a Christian. A bible believing Christian who has seen her life transformed by the word of God through reading the Bible and having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I know it's a cliche to say I am a church goer. But I have seen my life transform from being the average teenager to a focused young lady. My mother is my mentor and I look up to her to for direction because she has my very best interest at heart. We had the opportunity of attending a church some year back where we were convicted of the supremacy of Christ and since then we never looked back. Reading the bible every morning or night keeps me grounded in my daily walk with God. It shows me the mind of God on any particular subject matter. It helps me relate with God, Christ and holy spirit as a friend not some being too high up to hear me. My life is now full of hope where desperation lived before. Joy is a daily event for me now because I have learnt that my happiness doesn't depend on just positive/favorable events in my life. It's given to me by God even in the face of debilitating challenges, I no longer lose hope. I now see a better tomorrow everyday.

Adversity to me means difficulties and misfortunes in life. I would say I have faced a life changing adversity that would have otherwise derailed my life goals. My parents' separation and subsequent abandonment by our father was a huge setback. My mother was a stay at home mom of five children and when this sad event happened, it was like the rug was literally snatched from under her feet! We would go days without proper food or worry with and for her how the next rent would be paid or wear threadbare clothing's without hope of replacing them. Navigating school with all the expenses that come with it was a big challenge for me but my mother taught me well to count my blessings instead of counting my loses. And so, I had to join her in the effort to bring our small family together. While she is out there doing all the jobs she could get to help pay the bills, I babysit my younger siblings after school, help with homework. We couldn't afford most things. So, we would attend charity organizations to receive back to school stuff, holiday giveaways, food and toy drives, clothes fairs etc to help with what we need in the house. While I am literally my mother's personal assistant, I make out time for sports, volunteering and planning my college readiness. I play volleyball and basketball in highschool with a view to grooming my younger siblings and to earning a scholarship inorder to reduce the financial pressure of college off my mother. I also ensure my GPA is top notch to increase the probability of earning a college scholarships and I am proud to say it's at 4.67 as at today. I maintain a really high point for my mother as much as I do it for myself. Giving back has been a big part of me because we have been recipients of God's grace and human benevolence over the past years. I currently volunteer at the austism class in church, taking care of kids with such disability because of my experience with my younger siblings. I also give my hours in school by volunteering as teacher's help or sports support team. My goal to delve into the medical field by studying anesthesiology is borne out of my love to help others, however I can. God helping me, I hope to continue giving my time, resources to people around me because I personally know how it feels to be hungry with no hope of food or not to have any money or not knowing if you would be evicted out of that apartment the next week. This is what keeps me wanting to give back.

One experience that has definitely shaped a part of who I am today is my parents separation. Relocating to the United States from Africa as a result of their separation definitely made me feel like fish out of water. And trying to make new friends all over again was a huge hurdle I had to surmount. Being a single mom was difficult for my mother. I watched her struggle day and night to provide for me and my siblings. Her raw tenacity and never giving up has really shaped my views about challenges. I now see difficult challenges as a platform to try new things and to let go of what's no longer working with hope for a better tomorrow. Also, I realize I have developed a mature personality way higher than my peers as I have to acknowledge adult issues as I watch my mother work her way through paying for rent, food, clothing, power and so many other bills she has to think of every month. I believe I am much wiser, stronger, goal oriented, tenacious than ever because of this singular life changing decision between my parents.

Staying true to myself means behaving according to my beliefs and doing what I think is right, no matter how hard it gets. I can stay true to myself by being who i am, to be my genuine self, not a fake person I am trying to portray to others or who others even want me to be. When I follow your own value system and common sense, this helps me to remain grounded and not fall under peer pressure. I often listen to the advice of others, especially to my beloved mother, who has been through thick and thin to get me to the level I am today but I still make up your own mind. That is being true to myself. I can also remain true to myself by recognizing, appreciating, and developing my unique talents such as my love for poetry, competitive sports, academics, volunteering and music instead of following the crowd. I stay true to myself when I stand up for what I believe in no matter the pressure. By doing this, I gain respect.

To me, listening means taking notice of and acting on what someone is saying to me. Active listening means actively listening to someone, simple! It's a genuine interest to know what the other speaker is saying. I can actively listen to people around in a whole number of ways. Paraphrasing what I have heard someone say is a huge pointer that I have been listening to what they have been saying. I can also ask questions pertaining to the subject matter. This action tells the other person that I have been following what they have been saying. Using appropriate body language like nodding, facing the other person or having an open expression can go along to letting them know that I have been listening to them. Not being judgemental or trying to give my opinion to the speaker shows that I am being understanding and actively listening to them and allowing them pour out their soul to me. When I show empathy to the other person, they usually feel like they have finally been heard and will be willing to share more of the subject matter. Sometimes, what I do is to just listen. Wanting to quickly offer advice to the speaker already tells them that I am not listening but just want to get it over with.

My mother is a caregiver in my community and I see how she treats them so warmly and gently. The clients always have good words to say about her and I am at awe on how she does all that she does for her client. So I resolved to learn to show empathy for people around me specifically the elderly people in my community, just like my mother. I applied for volunteering positions in my community through food drives, environmental clean ups, fence mending, house cleaning and personal shopper for elderly people just to put smiles on their faces just like how I see them smile at my mom all the time I have the opportunity to be with her and her clients. The feeling is out of this world when you help people you know cannot help themselves. It's so gratifying.

The bible says love your neighbor as yourself. So, I think the lack of LOVE or EMPATHY for one another is the biggest problem facing the world right now! If I love or have empathy for my neighbor, I wouldn't steal from or kill my fellow human being. I would not commit adultery or bear false witness against someone else. I would not be greedy enough to put human and environmental wellbeing at risk because of financial gains. I wouldn't covet another's property or spouse or deals or whatever if I loved or had empathy for them. One way we can all be one another's keeper is to go back to the basics. We have to realize that we are created by one God. We all have one creator! So we are really brothers and sisters of one big family. That no matter the difference in our skin color, political affiliation, religion or life views, we are still children of the same creator! I realize most people just go about their lives with no spiritual depth. We should work on our spirituality and relationship with the almighty father. Knowing God personally will improve our personality by removing pride, greed(love of money), materialism, selfishness, individualism, hatred etc and replace our hearts with love and empathy for others which would make us treat our friends, nations and the world better.

I am the first of five children of a single mom and also the first to attend college. Confidence, to me, means firm trust in God, myself and my support system. I love my academics, sports and volunteering such that my GPA stands at 4.67 right now, I have achieved so much in my school and club volleyball and basketball tournaments and my volunteering efforts at an austism class in my church community. This has motivated me to delve into the medical field to study Anesthesiology in college with the hope of giving back to my community. Working on being the best in my academics, sports and volunteering efforts have helped me grow and e more confident in my skin. My mother's influence has also been a big factor in my confidence journey. An obstacle I faced was when my mother was left to take care of all five of us by herself! I saw her struggle from one job to another, to provide food, shelter and clothing for us. I observed that her Spirit was never broken. She was always hopeful through all the challenges we faced. This also taught me to be resilient in whatever I do, never to give up and always push and pray for a brighter day! Today I am a well rounded individual with a firm belief in my hope and faith in God, very good academic records, full involvements in school and club sports and giving back to my community through volunteer efforts like food drive, teacher's support and offering church childcare services for able and autistic children.

I am the first of five children of a single mom and also the first to attend college. I love my academics, sports and volunteering such that my GPA stands at 4.67 right now, I have achieved so much in my school and club volleyball and basketball tournaments and my volunteering efforts at an austism class in my church community. This has motivated me to delve into the medical field to study Anesthesiology in college with the hope of giving back to my community. A turnaround story for me was when my mother was left to take care of all five of us by herself! I saw her struggle from one job to another, to provide, shelter and clothing for us. I observed that her Spirit was never broken. She was always hopeful through all the challenges we faced. This also taught me to be resilient in whatever I do, never to give up and always push and pray for a brighter day! And I am on my way to achieving my set goal one step at a time.

I am the first of five children of a single mom and also the first to attend college. My family setting is a training ground for mentorship. I get to babysit them, help with their homework and show them the ropes in academics, sports and volunteering. My GPA stands at 4.67 right now. This feat motivates them to want to do better in theirs too. I have also encouraged some of them to go into school and club sports to help them be a part of a group, improve their interrelationship and sportsmanship and to with further increase their chances of college scholarships. My volunteering efforts at an austism class in my church community has also set the pace for them to follow. We serve at these childcare autistic classes most weekends. My hope for my siblings, peers and autistic children I mentor is to be motivated to want to do more, to break the myths surrounding girl child of bring black child from not too prosperous backgrounds, to always give back to a community that has poured so much soul into us, to always be hopeful through all the challenges we face, to be resilient in whatever we do, never to give up and always push and pray for a brighter day!

I have learnt so much from my mother whose extended family has suffered from high blood pressure, obesity, dementia, ulcers, asthma, and so much more. I would say first of all is to keep a healthy weight for your height. Exercise as much as your schedule allows you. Eat little, frequently and healthy too. My mother will always advise me to take something no matter how little as breakfast, then she would call to find out if I had had my lunch and would practically be on me to take a bite on dinner. I have learnt that fruits, vegetables plus portion control is of the essence. Good sleep can never be over emphasized. I have learnt to do ALL I needed done for the day before 10pm! Because my momma will come charging into my room to recover any electronic gadgets or books so I could get my beauty sleep, she calls it! I believe in my faith in God almighty. My mother has helped me grow in my faith in Christ and the importance of having God as priority in my life. When all else fails, my hope and faith in God keeps me mentally healthy. I keep good relationships with my family members, friends and the community. I believe all these people are my support system. When I can or cannot help myself, these lovely groups of people show up strong and this has kept me going. Giving back to the community around .e also makes me smile non-stop. I volunteer in a number of activities like food drive, child care, austism class, sports support team even as teacher's support in school. I like to give back to a community that has poured so much soul into me.

I am the first of five children of a single mom and also the first to attend college. I love my academics, sports and volunteering such that my GPA stands at 4.67 right now, I have achieved so much in my school and club volleyball and basketball tournaments and my volunteering efforts at an austism class in my church community. This has motivated me to delve into the medical field to study Anesthesiology in college with the hope of giving back to my community. An obstacle I faced was when my mother was left to take care of all five of us by herself! I saw her struggle from one job to another, to provide, shelter and clothing for us. I observed that her Spirit was never broken. She was always hopeful through all the challenges we faced. This also taught me to be resilient in whatever I do, never to give up and always push and pray for a brighter day! I am passionate about STEM because it's channel got me to understand, research black health issues of sickle cell anaemia, high blood pressure, prostrate cancer, dementia that have ravaged our larger families and communities, with the hope of providing more information, breaking the myths and putting a smile on people's faces.

I am the first of five children of a single mom and also the first to attend college. I love my academics, sports and volunteering such that my GPA stands at 4.67 right now, I have achieved so much in my school and club volleyball and basketball tournaments and my volunteering efforts at an austism class in my church community. This has motivated me to delve into the medical field to study Anesthesiology in college with the hope of giving back to my community. An obstacle I faced was when my mother was left to take care of all five of us by herself! I saw her struggle from one job to another, to provide food, shelter and clothing for us. I observed that her Spirit was never broken. She was always hopeful through all the challenges we faced. This also taught me to be resilient in whatever I do, never to give up and always push and pray for a brighter day!

I am the first office children and the first to want to attend college in my family. I I love my academics, sports and volunteering work so much that I am at 4.67 GPA right now, I play school and club volleyball and basketball and I volunteer at the austism class in my church community. This has motivated me to delve into the medical field to study Anesthesiology. I always strive for excellence in everything I do and it shows in my level of scholarly achievement in school, various volleyball and basketball tournaments and how well I love to take care of my siblings and show them the ropes in school and sports life