Stereotyping, insensitive jokes, and derogatory comments are just some matters that I have witnessed and received during middle school and high school. Having been around groups of people who do not understand the racial strife of black people and do not know anything about the culture you represent has caused me to disregard and downplay those actions. Back in middle school, I was constantly asked whether I was a “Crip or Blood” every time I wore red or blue. I was asked if I had a dad. People were surprised I kept all A’s in honors courses. People changed the way they talk to sound more “hood” when around me. All of that, and yet to me it was just a joke. I was deluded into thinking that my friends could not be racist, because slavery and the Jim Crow era were “so long ago.” Furthermore, this delusion persisted until the middle of my 8th-grade year, when a white boy said the “hard R" while playing Madden. That situation caused my father to give me a reality check about how the life of a black person is still not anywhere near perfect. I not only realized how racist the people around me really were, but also how much I wanted to learn about the history and culture of my people. This experience, and that lesson, is what led me to strive towards my goal of being an inspiration for other black individuals to strive for greatness. My life goal is to become an aerospace engineer who can be an inspiration for my community. Establishing my name as someone who made a breakthrough in the field and is known for doing something important has always been a substantial goal of mine. The reason for this is that I want to be an example to black individuals nationwide that with hard work, anyone can be important to society without having to fit a narrative. There are many negative stereotypes surrounding black men, like low intelligence, low work ethic, and so forth. While numerous examples discredit those descriptions, many still believe in them. I want to be another positive example for my community, and combine that with my interest in aerospace engineering. Moreover, I want the future of STEM in general to be more diverse, and hopefully, by becoming a prominent figure within the field, I can make my dream a reality. Our community is one with a deep culture and history of excellence, and I wish to be another example of that excellence. The first step in that process, and my short-term goal, is to obtain a good education, which I plan to get at The Ohio State University. I have been accepted into their Engineering Living-Learning Community, LEAP, and plan to use that organization to support the first two years of my academic journey. Moreover, I plan to combine the standard education I would receive through in-class learning with internships and co-op opportunities to gain experience in the field and build deeper connections. Through the partnership of the two, I hope to gain a fine base for when I go into the workforce, where I can start focusing on my long-term goals of innovation and inspiration. This scholarship would be very helpful in the funding of my education, as while I was awarded many local scholarships this past May, I still do not have enough money to even cover the first year of college.

I hope to become an aerospace engineer who can be an inspiration for my community. Establishing my name as someone who made a breakthrough in the field and is known for doing something important has always been a substantial goal of mine. The reason for this is that I want to be an example to black individuals nationwide that with hard work, anyone can be important to society without having to fit a narrative. There are many negative stereotypes surrounding black men, like low intelligence, low work ethic, and so forth. Also, a long standing misconception I have noticed is that many people, Black or non-Black, believe the only success we can have or want to have is in entertainment and not innovation. While many reasons and examples discredit those descriptions, many still believe in them. I want to be another positive example for my community that can showcase the intelligence within it. What would be a better way to do that than to succeed in one of the most mentally rigorous and highly regarded industries in the US? Success in this field is developing the future, and I strive to do that in order to obtain my dream. Moreover, I want the future of STEM in general to be more diverse, and hopefully, by becoming a prominent figure within the field, I can make my dream a reality. Our community is one with a deep culture and history of excellence, and I wish to be another example of that excellence. The first step in that process, and my short-term goal, is to obtain a good education, which I plan to get at The Ohio State University. I have been accepted into their Engineering Living-Learning Community, LEAP, and plan to use that organization to support the first two years of my academic journey. Moreover, I plan to combine the standard education I would receive through in-class learning with internships and co-op opportunities to gain experience in the field and build deeper connections. Through the partnership of the two, as well as some community service throughout my tenure there, I aim to build a strong foundation for my workforce entry. After obtaining my Master’s degree in aerospace engineering, I plan to obtain a nice, stable job to build wealth for my endeavors and my family. With any wealth I obtain, I plan to donate to schools in my hometown and black cities to help with students' education in any way, whether it is with new school computers or anything more. I can also go to different schools at different grade levels to talk to them about what I do as a career and how it has helped me gain wealth to give back to my community and family. I strive to be my ideal service leader for my community, to further influence the betterment and advancement of it.

For as long as I can remember, whenever someone asked about my dream career, my answer has always been some type of engineering. This dream of mine started back in the third grade. I was assigned this project, where I had to come up with an invention that would be beneficial to school life for elementary kids. The invention my group and I came up with was a contraption that would open a desk with the press of a button. That project is one of the fondest memories I have of elementary school, and ever since then, I have wanted to be an engineer. The idea of being able to create anything I would like has always fascinated me. I enjoy every part of the subject, from the design process to making and or constructing something. However, I had stopped thinking about my future career throughout middle school and some of high school. Then, recently, after having to really think about college and how I wanted my life to be after graduation, I started to wonder again. I thought back to elementary school and how happy the idea of becoming an engineer made me. That nostalgia, along with visiting colleges and hearing about different engineering programs, led me back to my original passion. However, what has changed is that, instead of wanting to build smaller objects, I have grown interested in spacecraft and other flying objects. I have decided to major in aerospace engineering to explore this interest more and decide where to go from there. I expect this major to be difficult and filled with time-consuming and challenging classes, but I believe that I will be able to succeed in my endeavors and continue to strive for my goals. I hope to become an aerospace engineer who can be an inspiration for my community. Establishing my name as someone who made a breakthrough in the field and is known for doing something important has always been a substantial goal of mine. The reason for this is that I want to be an example to black individuals nationwide that with hard work, anyone can be important to society without having to fit a narrative. While many reasons and examples discredit those descriptions, many still believe in them. I want to be another positive example for my community that can showcase the intelligence within it. What would be a better way to do that than to succeed in one of the most mentally rigorous and highly regarded industries in the US? Moreover, I want the future of STEM in general to be more diverse, and hopefully, by becoming a prominent figure within the field, I can make my dream a reality. Our community is one with a deep culture and history of excellence, and I wish to be another example of that excellence. After obtaining my Master’s degree in aerospace engineering, I plan to obtain a nice, stable job to build wealth for my endeavors and my family. With any wealth I obtain, I plan to donate to schools in my hometown and black cities to help with students' education in any way, whether it is with new school computers or anything more. I can also go to different schools at different grade levels to talk to them about what I do as a career and how it has helped me gain wealth to give back to my community and family. I strive to be my ideal service leader for my community, to further influence the betterment and advancement of it.

I hope to become an aerospace engineer who can be an inspiration for my community. Establishing my name as someone who made a breakthrough in the field and is known for doing something important has always been a substantial goal of mine. The reason for this is that I want to be an example to black individuals nationwide that with hard work, anyone can be important to society without having to fit a narrative. There are many negative stereotypes surrounding black men, like low intelligence, low work ethic, and so forth. Also, a long standing misconception I have noticed is that many people, Black or non-Black, believe the only success we can have or want to have is in entertainment and not innovation. While many reasons and examples discredit those descriptions, many still believe in them. I want to be another positive example for my community that can showcase the intelligence within it. What would be a better way to do that than to succeed in one of the most mentally rigorous and highly regarded industries in the US? Success in this field is developing the future, and I strive to do that in order to obtain my dream. Moreover, I want the future of STEM in general to be more diverse, and hopefully, by becoming a prominent figure within the field, I can make my dream a reality. Our community is one with a deep culture and history of excellence, and I wish to be another example of that excellence. The first step in that process, and my short-term goal, is to obtain a good education, which I plan to get at The Ohio State University. I have been accepted into their Engineering Living-Learning Community, LEAP, and plan to use that organization to support the first two years of my academic journey. Moreover, I plan to combine the standard education I would receive through in-class learning with internships and co-op opportunities to gain experience in the field and build deeper connections. Through the partnership of the two, as well as some community service throughout my tenure there, I aim to build a strong foundation for my workforce entry. After obtaining my Master’s degree in aerospace engineering, I plan to obtain a nice, stable job to build wealth for my endeavors and my family. With any wealth I obtain, I plan to donate to schools in my hometown and black cities to help with students' education in any way, whether it is with new school computers or anything more. I can also go to different schools at different grade levels to talk to them about what I do as a career and how it has helped me gain wealth to give back to my community and family. I strive to be my ideal service leader for my community, to further influence the betterment and advancement of it.

Public service is forfeiting time to support your community. That community could be a city, culture, or even a school organization you are a part of. It is important to understand how that support matters in that community and strive to leave a mark, no matter the size, with that same support. The experiences I made with volunteering have helped me form this ideology. Before joining the NHS, I had helped out my school’s marching and concert bands. Starting freshman year, I would help teach some of the middle school concert percussionists with their music to help them improve, as well as help them with the setup for their concerts. For marching band, I would participate in various fundraising events that included soliciting and selling lottery tickets. In my sophomore year, I started helping with car washes to fundraise. Junior year, we stopped soliciting and instead hosted bingo nights for senior citizens, in which I helped with the setup and teardown for the event for both marching band and academic decathlon teams. After joining the NHS, I started tutoring kids in mostly Spanish and math, and started getting into volunteering for events outside of marching band, like helping out with an elementary school Valentine's Day dance and a senior citizens’ night. This year, I have gotten over 45 hours of volunteering throughout the summer and first semester, with bingo cleanups, band car washes, and more outside-of-school events like the Willoughby Jr. Women's Luncheon. I am tutoring a student for AP Calc AB and AP Physics, as well as helping out a Spanish-speaking kindergartener at Edison Elementary School with using English in school. While not much, I am proud of all I have done so far, and hope to be able to do more during college and beyond. I hope to become an aerospace engineer who can serve as an inspiration to my community. To establish my name as someone who made a breakthrough in the field and known to have done something important has always substantial goal of mine. The reason for this is that I want to be an example to young individuals, especially young black individuals, nationwide, that with hard work, anyone can succeed and help their community without having to fit a narrative. In the next ten years, I plan to obtain my master’s in the aerospace field, mixing my education with internships and community service. Then, I plan to obtain a nice, stable job to build wealth for my endeavors and my family. With any wealth I obtain, I plan to donate to schools in my hometown and black cities to help with students' education in any way, whether it is with new school computers or anything more. I can also go to different schools at different grade levels to talk to them about what I do as a career and how it has helped me gain wealth to give back to my community and family. I strive to be my ideal service leader for my community, so to influence the betterment and advancement of it.