I lost a cousin due to violence four months ago and the healing journey since then has not been linear. On June 8, 2024, I got the devastating call that my cousin had been shot twice. All of my family members in my hometown were distressed and they didn’t want to share much information because they didn’t want me driving while upset due to my commute being an hour and 45 minutes. Moments later, I spoke with my grandmother who confirmed that my cousin was announced dead. It hurt so much because this was a cousin that I saw regularly and was very close to. Family has always been one of my biggest values because I felt like all we had were each other. After getting myself together I prepared for the drive to my hometown to see my family and be with them during this time. I was okay during my drive because I had to focus on the road. It wasn’t until I made it to my aunt’s house that I parked my car and broke down with tears. Seeing so many cars at my aunt’s house and realizing why they were there made me face the reality that my cousin was truly gone. As I sat in my aunt’s yard that evening, I kept expecting him to show up with his usual sense of humor, but reality set in that it wouldn’t happen. This hurt because I still wasn’t contemptuous with the idea of never seeing him again. As the days went on, I eventually attended his funeral and felt numb. During my time there, I shed a couple of tears, but I still couldn’t process the fact that he was no longer alive. Seeing his body in a basket was surreal to me because I wanted so badly for him to jump out and laugh at us saying that it was a joke, but that never happened. After the funeral, I continued my normal activities with work and school, but I still don’t believe I’ve fully acknowledged my feelings and I believe this is what caused healing to be hard for me. The emotions that I had to navigate because of this experience were anger and confusion. I felt anger knowing my cousin trusted someone who betrayed him without remorse. I felt angry because I’d remember my other family members reminding him to be careful of who he spent his time with because everyone didn’t have good intentions. I was also confused because I still couldn’t grasp the idea that the only way I’d be able to see someone I saw weeks prior was to look at a picture or a video. Journaling has helped me express emotions I struggle to communicate, offering a space to reflect and heal. I like this because it doesn’t keep my feelings bottled up. I want to continue my education because there wasn’t much success in my family background. I want to be a role model for the generations behind me showing that there can be success in the family of Lindsay’s. I want to have a positive impact in the world and I plan to do so by pursuing a career in accounting to help promote financial integrity. The biggest influences in my life are my family. The older generations and the younger generations inspire me to be a better person and make a difference in the world. I want the older generation to be proud of what they’ve created and want to provide the younger generation a legacy they can look up to and aspire to follow.

Growing up in a single-parent and low-income household has shaped who I am today by teaching me perseverance. I often felt isolated without my father, especially at Daddy/Daughter events, and wondered why my family wasn’t like others. Over time, I realized that while my background was challenging, it didn’t define my future. These experiences pushed me to become resilient. I learned my journey was my own, and I had the power to change my future. I embraced the idea that I could create a different path for myself, one that didn’t reflect the hardships I experienced as a child . I plan to use my life experience to make a positive impact in my community by getting involved with organizations that help children and families like mine. When my father was incarcerated, I attended events hosted by Prison Fellowship Angel Tree, which gave me hope by connecting children of incarcerated parents with their parents and providing holiday gifts. These programs gave me a glimpse of a different future, and now I want to give that same hope to others. Currently, I am interning at an accounting firm that supports community initiatives, and I’m working on ways to get involved. I plan to work with my firm’s diversity team on projects that benefit families in need. By collaborating with leaders in my organization, I believe we can create programs that make a real difference.

I love math because it has always been the foundation of clarity and logic in my academic journey, and it plays a pivotal role in my chosen field of accounting, particularly in auditing. From an early age, I found joy in the precision and problem-solving nature of math. Whether it was solving complex equations or unraveling intricate patterns, math provided a sense of accomplishment and certainty. This passion for math naturally steered me towards accounting, where numerical accuracy and analytical skills are paramount. As an accounting student with a keen interest in auditing, I am drawn to the idea of using my mathematical skills to enhance financial integrity. Auditing is fundamentally about ensuring that financial statements are accurate and reliable. It requires a meticulous approach to examining financial records, identifying discrepancies, and ensuring compliance with regulations. My love for math aligns perfectly with these responsibilities, as it equips me with the ability to analyze data critically, detect errors, and provide meaningful insights. Math’s structured nature fosters a discipline that is essential in auditing. The logical reasoning and problem-solving skills honed through years of studying math enable me to approach financial audits with a methodical and thorough mindset. I enjoy the challenge of piecing together financial information to form a coherent and accurate picture of an organization’s financial health. Furthermore, the satisfaction I derive from solving mathematical problems translates into my auditing work. There is a profound sense of fulfillment in contributing to the transparency and accountability of financial reporting. By leveraging my love for math in auditing, I aim to uphold high standards of financial integrity, ensuring that stakeholders can trust the information presented to them. In essence, my love for math is not just about numbers and equations; it’s about the pursuit of precision, the joy of solving problems, and the opportunity to make a meaningful impact in the field of accounting. This passion drives my commitment to becoming a proficient auditor who values accuracy and integrity in financial practices.

A major goal of mine has always been to make a positive impact in the world through the work I do. I want to spend my time doing something knowing that it helps another person’s life become a little less stressful and gives them insight to things they lacked prior knowledge to or fills in any previous knowledge gaps. I want to make a difference in business environments and people’s personal lives by increasing financing integrity in business environments. I’ve read many different articles, watched different movies, and even heard of different things where someone stole money from innocent people for their selfish benefit and stories like these upset me. The movie Tower Heist is a good example of this. (Spoiler alert) In this movie, there was someone who had a position of authority and used this authority poorly by stealing people’s hard-earned money. Situations like this are not uncommon and I plan to help decrease the number of events like this. I don’t have a specific job title in mind yet, but what I do know is that I want to help increase financial integrity and help others. So, whether that’s being an auditor and reviewing financial statements to make sure that they’re up to par, being a financial analyst and making sure that people are correctly filing the financial statements or working in internal controls to prevent people’s bank information from being in the hands of the wrong person, I want to make a positive impact that will benefit people. I also aspire to help my community. I know that people aren’t always committing financial crimes on purpose. Some people truly lack financial literacy and are learning as they go about life so they make some mistakes along the way. One of the ways I’d like to give back to my community is by working in high schools and working with adults to ensure that they know how to properly file their taxes and fill out the FAFSA. I’d love to host financial literacy workshops on the weekends that help people who lack knowledge or have knowledge gaps to come fill those gaps and leave the space knowing more than what they came in with. Part of the reason that I’m involved in so many groups and organizations/extracurriculars (president of one, vice president of another, treasurer of two, and a resident assistant) is that I enjoy talking to people, learning about people, and seeing the common trends in what people need/lack so that I know what I can provide. Every organization I’m involved in relates to what I want to do in some way, shape, or form. Whether it’s being involved with first-generation students because they tend to have those knowledge gaps I want to help close, working with multicultural people because they weren’t always allowing learning financial literacy, or working with people who want to become more self-aware and understand why they have limiting beliefs and what’s stopping them from becoming the better version of themselves, I enjoy working with others to have a positive impact in someone’s life. Lastly, one of the things I’m doing now to achieve those goals is planning to continue my education because I feel that the more, I know, the better, and that this can only put me in a position to better help people in the future.

My values are integrity, family, and accountability (not in any specific order). Integrity was something that I learned at a young age. When I was in the sixth grade, my teacher described integrity to us as doing the right thing when no one was watching. Analogies have always been helpful to me when learning a new concept, so the analogy she provided when explaining this was saying how if you’re at a red light and there’s no one around, you still stop and wait for the light to turn green because you know that it is the right thing to do. This is very important to me because people aren’t always doing what they’d do if there was supervision. Another value of mine is family. I learned that family does not always have to be the people that you are biologically related to. I learned that sometimes a family is the village of people that surround you who love and support you the same way you love and support them. Lastly, another one of my values is accountability. Accountability is something I learned in elementary school and the way it was explained to me was owning up to anything you’ve done, whether good or bad. I was always told no matter the situation, you should have the same confidence when taking accountability for something that you’ve done. I plan to incorporate these values in the work I do with business because they all have separate motivations for why I do what I do. My interest in family encouraged my choice to major in business. Growing up, I’d always watched movies and TV shows where people would get together and share ideas around a table to make a final decision. I knew that I enjoyed teamwork, and that business opened a lot of doors for teamwork in different settings. I plan to incorporate accountability and integrity into the work I do with business because I want to work in accounting/finance. I’ve always been interested in numbers and as I grew older, I heard different stories about people committing frauds, engaging in Ponzi Schemes, etc. One of my goals with my work is to make a positive impact in the lives of others and one way I plan to do so is by working in environments where we are removing people with malicious intentions from business environments so that they can further flourish. I plan to incorporate all my values into this by working with a family to achieve the same goal, calculating the amount of integrity to make sure there are no people with malicious intentions in finance environments, and holding those with malicious intentions accountable so that others do not have to suffer from their choices. In doing so, I plan to make a positive impact.

The aspect I admire the most about Zendaya is her activism. I love the idea of someone standing for their beliefs no matter what. I love the fact that she is the type of person who goes with what she believes even if there's an army against them. It takes a different type of person to have the resilience that she has, and I admire that so much because many people do things for trends. Some people do things just to say that they did it, or because it's what they feel is the right thing to do that the time, but she truly cares for anything she speaks about and that is one of the things I admire most of her. I love that she does things that encourage her followers to donate during Christmas time and that she's interested in things like ending hunger. I also admire how she supports small businesses and wears their pieces on the red carpet to advertise that they can be profitable. Even though this is something that can be looked at from the fashion aspect, I feel that the overall goal is to show what she believes in and raise awareness for things like small businesses. Overall, I admire how Zendaya uses activism in her career to show what she cares about and what it means to her.

Sometimes being involved in extracurricular activities can be hard as a college student. Ideally, you’d want most of your free time to be used for studying or resting due to the workload, but I find enjoyment in being involved in things on campus. As of right now, I’m a Resident Assistant (RA), president of one organization (F1RST), vice president of one organization (A.Bevy), and treasurer of two organizations (MSU and SAM) all while being a full-time college student. The extracurricular activities that I’m involved in focus on community building and creating a home away from home. Being an RA allows me to check in on my residents and give them a person to express their concerns with. F1RST is an organization for first-generation students ensuring they have the resources needed to complete college. A. Bevy is a group where students get together and have discussions on controversial topics. MSU is the Multicultural Student Union and SAM is the Society for the Advancement of Management. My leadership experience has been a learning and self-improvement/self-development journey. Though it seems like a lot, I realized this past semester that it can all be done with proper time management. I hadn’t always had the best time management. I was able to meet deadlines, but it would always be by prioritizing one thing over the other and not equally giving my time and effort to each thing I’m involved in. By being a leader, I learned the lesson of quality over quantity. I learned that sometimes I’d have to reschedule a social event if that meant that we’d get a better turnout on a different date. Whether that be having better quality events where we would have more community-building activities or having to find a better location that allowed all of the members to attend. I learned patience and learned that things don’t always happen overnight. I also learned how to communicate with others and explain what the different organizations I’m involved in mean in hopes of expanding that community to people who are interested in it. I manage my time/maintain my GPA between these organizations by constantly knowing what my schedule consists of. I keep around 4-5 “planners” with me at all times for different reasons to make sure I know what my day, week, month, or semester looks like. The first planner is the assignment spreadsheet that I use to keep track of when my assignments are due. This is a simple spreadsheet with class names, assignment names, due dates, and checklists to ensure I know when things are due and when they’ve been completed. I also keep a whiteboard calendar in my room that I update monthly to get an idea of what my full month looks like. Whether it’s a room inspection on a certain day, a SAM meeting in the middle of the month, or an executive meeting at the end of the month, I have a general idea of what needs to be done for that month. I use a handheld planner that sits in my backpack containing the weekly overview of what I need to do. This allows me to know when meetings are, when exams are, and when events are. Lastly, I recently started using Google Calendars as a time-blocking tool. I find this useful because every other “planner” I have only lets me know a day and time that something is due or when I need to be somewhere, but Google Calendar allows me to properly block out the time to see when my free time is during the day.

The best money lessons I’ve received in my journey to become financially literate are to create a budget, to put my money where it works best, and use cash-back apps. Starting with the budget, a budget is important because it helps you track your expenses and allows you to know where your money is going. It also allows you to compare your income to your expenses to see if one is exceeding the other. Without a budget, I probably wouldn’t have noticed that I was spending an extra $5.99/month on an app that barely had ten minutes per week when my screen time report came. Tracking my spending and creating a budget allowed me to see how much extra money I’d have at the end of the month and allowed me to see the months where I spent the most money. I learned that I spend the most money in the last half of the year because this is when I’d be preparing to go to school, celebrating my birthday/family member’s birthday, and purchasing Christmas presents Secondly, putting my money where it works best is another lesson that is helping me on my journey to become financially literate. When I first heard of this, I didn’t know exactly what it meant. I just know that sometimes I’d put money into a savings account and that the majority of my money went to my checking account. I later learned about things like cash app boosts for example. If I apply a boost on my cash app card, I’d be able to save a certain percentage for using that card at certain stores. So I could spend $25 on my regular debit card, or add the money to my cash app card and only spend $21.25. Although this seems like a small difference, the money being saved begins to add up. That’s why it’s important to put your money where it works best. Lastly, using cash-back apps has been another key in helping me become financially literate. This also goes along with putting your money where it works best, but there is a small difference between saving money and getting money back. The small difference is that in one scenario you are automatically saving the money and in the other, you are spending the money and the money is later reimbursed to you. One of my favorite cash-back apps is the Upside app. This is a cash back app for gas which allows you to get a certain amount of money back per gallon. I’m the type of person who purchases gas every week and this has been one of the best lessons because it allows me to receive money back on things that I’d spend it on anyways. There are so many apps that allow you to receive cash back.

Living in a single-parent household shaped my educational journey by showing me to always be prepared for anything. I was in kindergarten when my father went to prison, and I didn’t understand what was going on at the time. Growing up, I knew where he was, I just didn’t know why he was there or when he would return. Although this had a major impact on my mom’s life, she never showed me the bad times. My mom has always made sure that I had everything that I needed and wanted, and she's very independent because handled everything on her own. My mother has always explained to me how it is best to have your own thing going on and to never fully depend on someone, because if something was to happen to that person then you wouldn’t want to be lost in life. This has shaped my educational journey by making me push myself even harder to succeed because I know that I want to be successful in life and become financially free. This mindset has allowed me to focus on school more because I know that if someone I loved passed away, I would be on my own and I would have to know how to provide for myself. I plan on giving back to my community by pursuing my college degree because I believe that by earning it I can help show others that knowledge is power. I am an accounting major and my goal is to help people understand how to be financially free. Being able to correctly manage your money is a very important skill that will be used all throughout life, and unfortunately, there are a great number of people who are unaware of how to do so. I hope that by learning more about money, and the way the economy works, I will be able to use my practices to advise people on how to spend, save, and invest their money carefully. I think that by doing so, I will help people learn to be prepared for anything, whether it’s the death of a family member, the incarceration of a parent, or a natural disaster that destroys someone’s home. I’m pursuing a business administration degree because I feel that there are people in the business world with malicious intentions and I’d like to be a part of something that removes those people from the business environment so that it can flourish. There have been many articles explaining how people have committed crimes like embezzlement, constructed different Ponzi schemes, etc. People do this not only harm the business environment but also harm the innocent customers/clients who have to be impacted by these wrongdoings. I’m pursuing business because I want to help ensure that people are doing the right thing, even when others aren’t watching, I learned the lesson of integrity in middle school from one of my teachers. She explained integrity to use by saying it was doing the right thing, even when no one was watching. The example she used to further explain was when you’re setting a red light and no one is around, but you still wait until the light turns green to go because you know that it is the right thing to do. I believe that some business environments lack integrity and I’d like to help increase integrity and decrease crime.

My education goals include graduating from Presbyterian College with a bachelor’s degree in business administration with accounting and management concentrations. My career goals include making a difference in the world through finance by increasing integrity in business environments. Integrity is a lesson I learned at a young age from one of my middle school teachers. She explained integrity to use by saying it was doing the right thing, even when no one was watching. The example she used to further explain was when you’re setting a red light and no one is around, but you still wait until the light turns green to go because you know that it is the right thing to do. I believe that many business environments lack integrity because there are multiple articles explaining things like embezzlement, Ponzi schemes, etc. I plan to be a part of something that decreases the amount of crime in the business environments and increases integrity so that the business environments can properly flourish. I feel that in doing so, I not only help the business, but I also help the customers and clients who are harmed by the crimes of employees in a business. Another career goal of mine is to educate others on finances. I would love to help people become financially free and achieve goals that they originally felt were unattainable or were unsure how they would accomplish the goals. I feel that financial freedom is a luxury that everyone should be able to experience and I want to positively impact people’s lives by teaching them things they didn’t know that help them do things like avoid unnecessary debt, improve their credit scores, and stop the lifestyle of moving paycheck to paycheck. This scholarship will help me reach those goals because it will help me get closer to closing the tuition gap. Throughout college, I’ve always felt hindered by tuition because I knew that my combined family income barely made half of the tuition for my school. Though tuition is something that has always made me nervous, it’s not something that I let get in the way of my education because I know that if I apply myself and work hard, things will work in my favor. I have a plan to help multiple people in different areas and make a positive impact in their lives. I also know that my education will allow me to do this. Earning this scholarship will ensure that I continue to further my knowledge and use it to make a positive impact in the world. Earning this scholarship will put me a step closer to decreasing the amount of crime in business environments by removing people with malicious intentions and increasing integrity in the business environments so that it can flourish and the customers and clients are not punished for the wrongdoings of others. Earning this scholarship would also get me closer to teaching others about finances and helping them become financially literate.

I’m pursuing a business administration degree because I feel that there are people in the business world with malicious intentions and I’d like to be a part of something that removes those people from the business environment so that it can flourish. There have been many articles explaining how people have committed crimes like embezzlement, constructed different Ponzi schemes, etc. People do this not only harm the business environment but also harm the innocent customers/clients who have to be impacted by these wrongdoings. I’m pursuing business because I want to help ensure that people are doing the right thing, even when others aren’t watching, I learned the lesson of integrity in middle school from one of my teachers. She explained integrity to use by saying it was doing the right thing, even when no one was watching. The example she used to further explain was when you’re setting a red light and no one is around, but you still wait until the light turns green to go because you know that it is the right thing to do. I believe that some business environments lack integrity and I’d like to help increase integrity and decrease crime. Another way I plan to make a positive impact with my business degree is to help people become financially literate. I would love to help people become financially free and achieve goals that they originally felt were unattainable or were unsure how they would accomplish the goals. I feel that financial freedom is a luxury that everyone should be able to experience and I want to positively impact people’s lives by teaching them things they didn’t know that help them do things like avoid unnecessary debt, improve their credit scores, and stop the lifestyle of moving paycheck to paycheck. I want to help create a safe space and be an outlet for people who are genuinely confused about how to manage their finances so that they don’t make the same mistakes that others have and spend a lifetime fixing them. My post-secondary education will allow me to be of service to others or give to others by allowing me to use my knowledge and education to help people understand financial advice that they might lack. I believe that earning my degree in accounting can help show others that knowledge is power. Being able to correctly manage your money is a very important skill that will be used throughout life, and unfortunately, there are a great number of people who are unaware of how to do so. I hope that by learning more about money, and the way the economy works, I will be able to use my practices to advise people on how to spend, save, and invest their money carefully.

My education goals include graduating from Presbyterian College with a bachelor’s degree in business administration with accounting and management concentrations. My career goals include making a difference in the world through finance by increasing integrity in business environments. Integrity is a lesson I learned at a young age from one of my middle school teachers. She explained integrity to use by saying it was doing the right thing, even when no one was watching. The example she used to further explain was when you’re setting a red light and no one is around, but you still wait until the light turns green to go because you know that it is the right thing to do. I believe that many business environments lack integrity because there are multiple articles explaining things like embezzlement, Ponzi schemes, etc. I plan to be a part of something that decreases the amount of crime in the business environments and increases integrity so that the business environments can properly flourish. I feel that in doing so, I not only help the business, but I also help the customers and clients who are harmed by the crimes of employees in a business. Another career goal of mine is to educate others on finances. I would love to help people become financially free and achieve goals that they originally felt were unattainable or were unsure how they would accomplish the goals. I feel that financial freedom is a luxury that everyone should be able to experience and I want to positively impact people’s lives by teaching them things they didn’t know that help them do things like avoid unnecessary debt, improve their credit scores, and stop the lifestyle of moving paycheck to paycheck. This scholarship will help me reach those goals because it will help me get closer to closing the tuition gap. Throughout college, I’ve always felt hindered by tuition because I knew that my combined family income barely made half of the tuition for my school. Though tuition is something that has always made me nervous, it’s not something that I let get in the way of my education because I know that if I apply myself and work hard, things will work in my favor. I have a plan to help multiple people in different areas and make a positive impact in their lives. I also know that my education will allow me to do this. Earning this scholarship will ensure that I continue to further my knowledge and use it to make a positive impact in the world. Earning this scholarship will put me a step closer to decreasing the amount of crime in business environments by removing people with malicious intentions and increasing integrity in the business environments so that it can flourish and the customers and clients are not punished for the wrongdoings of others. Earning this scholarship would also get me closer to teaching others about finances and helping them become financially literate.

What makes me a leader is my determination. When leading a group of people, one thing you have to realize is that you may not always know the answer to a question. My determination allows me to do what it takes to find the answer so that I can clear any confusion or provide clarity. I have the determination to make my dreams a reality and I do what it takes to make that happen. What makes me a leader is my ability to effectively communicate with others. I understand that I am a leader, not a ruler. I don’t aim to tell people what to do and see it get done. I am to work with others so that we can form a community and become great together. I know that when people are trying to solve a problem it cannot just be one person explaining their ideas. People are better together and I am a leader because I allow others to express their feelings, opinions, and emotions so that they feel just as important as the next person. I’m a leader because my peers understand that we are doing collaborative work and that there isn’t a ruler calling the shots. What makes me a leader is knowing my place and allowing others to feel superior as well. I don’t look to the people I lead as inferior, I look to them as equals and people who are trying to progress. What makes me a leader is knowing that I'm not better than anyone and knowing that the people I lead are where I once was, and that is my motivation to help them progress in life. What makes me a leader is the fact that I’ve been led. As mentioned before, the people I learned are in similar positions that I was in life. This allows me to know how to lead them and allows me to know what works and what doesn’t. It helps me realize that people are different and that people aren’t led the same way. What works for one group of people, may not work for the next group of people, and that is 100% fine. I understand that everyone has their way of doing things and that sometimes it takes explaining to someone more than two times for them to comprehend. I’m a leader because I’m patient. I know that things don’t happen overnight and that slow progress is better than no progress. Lastly, I’m a leader because I believe in myself. I am confident that I can do anything I put my mind to. I know that I wouldn’t be presented with a situation I couldn’t handle. I know that if anything is thrown my way, there is some way that it can be tackled. I know that I believe in others and that I can help them believe in themselves. What makes me a leader is the fact that I’m with the group 100%, whether it’s listening to ideas, or explaining something five times just so that everyone understands it, I try my best to make the group feel accomplished. Leaders aren’t made in a day, and leaders aren’t always made in a week, but it takes a lot for a person to be considered a leader, and I consider myself a great one.

The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Looking back, a time I faced a challenge was when I was looking for my first job. When I first turned 14 years old, I had my heart set on getting a job. The idea of being able to earn my own money and spend it the way I pleased was very appealing to me and it was something that I was really looking forward to. There were only two places that I knew of in my hometown that hired 14 year olds. One of them was the grocery store Publix and the other was this ice cream shop Bruster’s. The application process for Publix was a long one. There were many different assessments, scenarios, and questions that had to be done before the application could be done. At the end of the process, I was definitely relieved when I was able to press that submit button. The application process was different for Bruster’s because they had an online application that had to be printed off, filled out, and then turned into the store. This was a challenge for me in the beginning because I didn’t have a printer, but I was able to use my aunt’s printer and fill out the application and later turn it in. Months had passed and I continued to call and check on my application because that was something my mom always told me to do. Fast forward a year and some months later, I still haven't heard anything from either job. Now that I was a year older, I was able to apply to a couple more jobs and the one I decided to apply for was Subway. I originally applied online and then a week later I called to check in on my application. The manager told me that they were no longer doing online applications and that if I printed one off I’d be able to turn it into the store and they’d get back to me. After school one day, I printed off the application in the library and filled it out. My mom drove me to the subway and that’s when I handed in the application, talked directly to the manager, and was offered a job that same day. What I learned from this experience was that determination, patience, and tenacity was the key. I also learned that it was very important to listen to others and be able to accept constructive criticism. Determination is being able to do what it takes to get what you want. There was a time where I didn’t have a printer so I had to utilize other resources to print off the things that I needed. Whether it was going to an aunt’s house and using her printer or running to the library and printing off an application in time so that I could still make the bus, I did what it took to make sure I got what I wanted. Patience was also very important and I learned that sometimes things take time and that you can’t expect instant results. This also helped me learn that sometimes you don’t get things instantly because there are other things in store for you. Taking constructive criticism and being consistent was another thing I learned. My mother was the one who told me that calling and checking on applications was a good sign to show that I was interested and ready to work. Overall, this experience allowed me to learn great lessons that I still carry with me each day.

A time I demonstrated tenacity was when I was searching for my first job. I knew that the jobs available for 15 year olds were limited, but I had my heart set on making my own money. There has always been a saying that “consistency is the key” and I didn’t understand that until I started looking for jobs. I remember applying to a few jobs and never getting called back for an interview. I started to accept my fate and think that I should just wait until I turned 16 when there would be more job opportunities. After talking to my mom about the situation she taught me about tenacity and told me how I should continue applying for jobs, ask to hand the application to the manager when taking it back, and even call back to the job after a week if they hadn’t reached out. After listening to her advice, I turned in an online application to Subway and called the manager a week later. After talking on the phone to the manager I learned that she hadn’t received the application and then she invited me in to fill out a paper application. When I turned in my application I got an on-the-spot interview and after the interview, I was offered a job position. I was so excited. This lesson taught me to never give up on my dreams and to continue to accomplish my goals and not let anything get in the way of it. I will use this lesson to help me move forward because it showed me that if you are passionate about something, you can get it. Telling this story makes me think about how if I had never been so consistent that I wouldn’t have known she never received the application the first time. This experience has made me a stronger person in life because it showed me the importance of checking on something. You can never know how something is going unless you continue to check on it and see its status. This also helped me realize that the reason I may have not gotten a call back before could have been similar to this one. Looking at things from different perspectives allows you to better understand a situation and understand it from the other person’s point of view. I think this is an important lesson to learn as well because it allows you to be open-minded. What I learned from this experience was that determination, patience, and tenacity was the key. I also learned that it was very important to listen to others and be able to accept constructive criticism. Determination is being able to do what it takes to get what you want. There was a time where I didn’t have a printer so I had to utilize other resources to print off the things that I needed. Whether it was going to an aunt’s house and using her printer or running to the library and printing off an application in time so that I could still make the bus, I did what it took to make sure I got what I wanted. Patience was also very important and I learned that sometimes things take time and that you can’t expect instant results. Taking constructive criticism and being consistent was another thing I learned. My mother was the one who told me that calling and checking on applications was a good sign to show that I was interested and ready to work. Overall, this experience allowed me to learn great lessons that I still carry with me each day.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned from a book is to move in silence. This is a lesson with many lessons inside of it. Moving in silence can be seen as not always letting people know what your plans are or what is going on in your life. It’s actually a skill of learning when you are oversharing and not putting too much of your business in the world. This is an important life lesson because it shows you the power in the tongue. There are many hateful individuals in the world who are not happy to see people excel in life. Sometimes sharing the wrong information with the wrong person can be a form of self-sabotaging. This also taught me not to speak about situations until they are confirmed. I have learned not to include people in the process unless I have to and to only share the results with people I feel comfortable sharing them with. For example, I learned to not tell people about job interviews. Even though this is something that should be exciting, you never know who would try to go behind your back and mess with your chances of getting the job. The best thing to do would be letting someone know when you’ve secured the job, and that isn’t something that is mandatory. This also showed me that people can’t ruin what they don’t know about. This has shaped my goals because I have noticed I’m more successful when people don’t know what’s going on with me. I’ve become more humble because I know that anything can be taken away with the blink of an eye and I try to limit that as much as possible. It has also inspired me to encourage friends and family to watch the people they surround themselves with because that plays a big part in success as well. I learned that sometimes when you’re doing something you have to remove people and enjoy the journey alone to get to your end goal. I know that when including people in processes, you have to make sure that it is a person you trust and someone who would be beneficial to the process. I learned that there is nothing wrong with sharing your excitement whether they are big or small, but that you have to be careful with who you share them with. A goal of mine is to not overshare because you never know a person’s intentions and you don’t want to self-sabotage because you wanted to talk a little more than usual. I learned the importance of being discreet and how that affects your success.

I am a third-year first-generation student at Presbyterian College majoring in Business Administration with interests in finance and data analysis. I am the president of F1RST, which is a student organization for first-generation students. It’s like a support group that makes sure that the students have all of the resources they need to be a successful student. I am also the secretary/treasurer of the Multicultural Student Union (MSU) which is another group that allows students to know they belong on campus and also have events/meetings to make sure students feel heard on campus and that they are enjoying their time there. Lastly, I am a Resident Assistant (RA). A resident assistant is like a hall mom or a school parent.I aspire to be a person who makes a difference in the world and positively impacts the lives of others. I aspire to be the first person in my family to obtain a bachelor’s and set a higher standard for my family members. I want my younger family members to understand that even though we didn’t originally come from a family that represented success, we can be a change and create that legacy to be successful individuals despite the odds. I am a great candidate for this scholarship because I have the work ethic to become successful. I am not someone who gives up at the sight of difficulty. I will push and motivate myself continuously to have a degree in my hand and become a step closer to achieving my dream of helping others become financially literate. The time and effort I put into my future is not something that is always noticed, but I will always make sure that in the end, I have something to celebrate. And that something will be my very first degree. This scholarship could be one of the things that bring me closer to making my dream a reality. I will use my education to contribute to the business community by pursuing a career in forensic accounting. I believe that there are a lot of corrupt people in the business world and they are protected by different things in the companies, such as a person not wanting to be deemed as a whistleblower. There are many people who are working in financial institutions who lack financial integrity. Integrity is something that was taught to me in middle school and the way it was explained to me was by “doing the right thing even when no one is watching.” There are people who illegally use money and sometimes it is the money of shareholders who invest in the company and they are putting those people at the risk of losing money when ideally, the people were investing the money to have the potential to make more money. I want to come in and investigate financial crimes in hopes of removing corrupt people so that businesses can properly flourish and excel and people are working with trusted institutions when allowing them to handle their money. I also plan to contribute to the business community by helping others become leaders. I’m an example of the mentee that became a mentor. I plan to help others become financially literate and help them put themselves in positions to replace the corrupt people and become mentors to the younger generations and set them up for success.

I am a third-year first-generation student at Presbyterian College majoring in Business Administration with interests in finance and data analysis. I am the president of F1RST, which is a student organization for first-generation students. It’s like a support group that makes sure that the students have all of the resources they need to be a successful student. I am also the secretary/treasurer of the Multicultural Student Union (MSU) which is another group that allows students to know they belong on campus and also have events/meetings to make sure students feel heard on campus and that they are enjoying their time there. Lastly, I am a Resident Assistant (RA). A resident assistant is like a hall mom or a school parent. This position prepares me for any management position that I would possibly take in the future by allowing me to be over an amount of people and making sure that things are running smoothly and being able to step in when there are problems. My ultimate goal is to educate others on financial literacy and remove corrupt people from the business world. There are so many families where I’m from who aren’t exactly poor, but they’re comfortable. I come from a place where people are too comfortable with being in debt, and I want to work to fix it. Or they are comfortable with not being in debt, but also not having extra money to spend after the monthly bills have been paid. I hope to help others understand that they don’t have to live like this and that we can be the change so that our children, grandchildren, etc never have to experience it. Whether it’s from suggesting a strategy on how to save money to sitting down with a person and writing down a budget plan; I want to make a difference in this world and give back by just using my knowledge and helping others become successful. I also plan to be a part of something that practices financial integrity as well. I recently became interested in forensic accounting. My idea here is to take people out of the position of authority if they are corrupting the system and using money illegally. I feel that if we remove corrupt people from the authority positions it puts us closer to helping people become financially free because the only people who have control over things like investments will be people who are there for the right reasons and will properly handle the money. I would use this money to create a better life for me and others because it puts me closer to financial freedom. I have an interest in finance because I believe that everyone should have the luxury of becoming financially free and I don’t think that it is something that should be limited to a few groups of people. I personally believe that with being able to educate people on their financial situation, I can work closely with others to reduce the amount of stress they have when it comes to their finances and allow them to create generational wealth so that their children and grandchildren don’t have to suffer. This money allows me to continue my education so that I can gain the knowledge to teach others and gain the knowledge to make positive changes in the business environment like removing corrupt people from the business so that it can flourish.

My main goal is to make a difference in the world and have a positive impact no matter the field I decide to pursue. I am interested in finance and data analysis because that is how I plan to promote not only financial literacy, but financial integrity as well. I believe that financial freedom is not something only a few people should be able to experience, but I believe that it is a luxury that everyone should have so that they can continue to set the next generation of children up for success and lower the amount of families that have to struggle. I believe this all starts with a person with a vision of how to get things done and a plan I plan to make a positive impact on the world by pursuing my college degree. My post-secondary education will allow me to be of service to others or give to others by allowing me to use my knowledge and education to help people understand financial advice that they might lack. I believe that earning my degree in accounting can help show others that knowledge is power. Being able to correctly manage your money is a very important skill that will be used throughout life, and unfortunately, there are a great number of people who are unaware of how to do so. I hope that by learning more about money, and the way the economy works, I will be able to use my practices to advise people on how to spend, save, and invest their money carefully. I also plan to be a mentor to those who don’t know where to start. I want to help others understand that with certain things, there is no right way to do it and that there are so many other options they have that aren’t spending their whole lives working and living paycheck to paycheck. I want to help create a safe space and be an outlet for people who are genuinely confused about how to manage their finances so that they don’t make the same mistakes that others have and spend a lifetime fixing them. There are so many families where I’m from who aren’t exactly poor, but they’re comfortable. I come from a place where people are too comfortable with being in debt, and I want to work to fix it. Or they are comfortable with not being in debt, but also not having extra money to spend after the monthly bills have been paid. I hope to help others understand that they don’t have to live like this and that we can be the change so that our children, grandchildren, etc never have to experience it. Whether it’s from suggesting a strategy on how to save money to sitting down with a person and writing down a budget plan; I want to make a difference in this world and give back by just using my knowledge and helping others become successful. I also plan to be a part of something that practices financial integrity as well. I recently became interested in forensic accounting. My idea here is to take people out of the position of authority if they are corrupting the system and using money illegally. I feel that if we remove corrupt people from the authority positions it puts us closer to helping people become financially free because the only people who have control over things like investments will be people who are there for the right reasons and will properly handle the money.

It is important to help others because you never know what a person is going through. Some of the people who appear to be the strongest, are the ones who suffer in silence because they’re afraid to ask for help. Growing up, I heard the phrase “a closed mouth doesn’t get fed” multiple times. This meant that if you didn't request the help, most of the time you wouldn’t get it. There are people who don’t know how to properly ask for help or are afraid that something will be expected from them if they receive help. I’ve also heard the phrase “what’s the catch?” multiple times when offering to help a person. You never know the household a person grew up in, or if they actually ever received help or were just expected to handle everything on their own. I believe that we live in a society when people don’t help others as much as they used to. Something is always expected from a person, and as a borrower, it is hard to pay back a favor, when you never have the means in the first place and originally this is why you were asking for a favor. If someone believes there is always a catch or that someone will not help them, they are more likely to not ask for help. It is important to help others because you can make a difference in their life. Helping does not always include monetary help. Have you ever heard the phrase “give a man a fish, and he’ll eat for a day, but you teach a man to fish, and he’ll eat for a lifetime.” Help can be something as simple as showing someone a skill, writing a letter of recommendation, or sharing a newspaper ad with a job for someone in search of one. So it’s always important to help others because you could potentially put them in a higher place in life. For example, if you were to pass a homeless person on the way to work everyday sitting in front of the store, you’d never know why he was there unless you asked him. Sometimes people aren’t looking for money, they’re looking for opportunities. This could be something as simple as setting them up with a hotel manager and allowing them to be a housekeeper, and their money being made there can be used to stay there and save until they have enough to move elsewhere. Although you didn’t put money in a cup, you put the person in a position to not have to sit in the streets every day. It’s important to communicate with people and understand their situations, the same way you’d want someone to effectively communicate with you and listen to you. You never know how your help would impact a person’s life, and you also never know how they would repay you when they have the means to. I’ve seen plenty of tiktoks where someone would ask multiple people for $5 and many were skeptical about it or just didn’t have it so they would say no. Later on in the video when the person asking received the $5, they would repay the person $500 just because they previously helped them out. Helping others could be a potential blessing to you and it’s also a way to create community and connections.

My favorite song on Taylor Swift’s ‘1989’ album is “I Know Places. I like this song because it reminds me of myself. I’m a person who likes to do a lot of the behind-the-scenes work, and I don’t like for people to know what I have going on. I value my time alone because it’s where I have the most peace. I control the narrative of what happens and I have control over who sees it and when they do. It’s my space and I only allow people to come in when I’m comfortable. In the beginning of the song, Taylor says “Something happens when everybody finds out,” and it made me think about how sometimes things are so much better when only you know about them because people find out and start to voice their opinions on them. I feel as though this is something all celebrities go through because people seem to think that when someone is famous they are allowed to invade their privacy and state their opinions on their lives. They believe that the world should know what the celebrity has going on in every aspect in their life. I understand wanting to keep something to yourself so that you can enjoy and live in the moment, and in this song that seems like that’s what Taylor wanted to experience. A time to herself to enjoy what was going on in her life and just be happy about it. Taylor says “Loose lips sink ships” in the second verse and this is just her way of expressing that she doesn’t want her relationship to be ruined because people know about it. This is something that she wants to keep private so that she can comfortably enjoy it. She also says “Baby, I know places we won’t be found And they’ll be chasing their tails trying to track us down,” this song expresses the reality of many celebrities' lives when they just want to feel normal and escape reality sometimes. She compares her and her partner to foxes and the paparazzi to hunters multiple times in the song because she feels like they’ll continue to be after them. This song expresses her determination to be able to feel like she doesn’t have to let the world know everything about her and that some moments and situations are meant to be kept private until the person is ready to release the information themselves. Although this song was not an official cry for help, it lets you see how celebrities view the world from their perspective. People like paparazzi have to understand that although people are famous, that does not mean that they want every aspect of their lives in magazines or in articles. This song explains the importance of keeping precious moments to yourself so that you can enjoy them and not have to worry about others. As someone who likes to look at situations from all perspectives, I enjoyed this song the most because her feelings are just as valid as anyone else’s and she deserves to be heard too.

When I began my health journey, I watched lots of different videos to figure out which route I’d like to take. Some changes that I made to my lifestyle to be more healthy were regularly going to the gym, watching my portion sizes, and swapping out store bought juices for natural juices. With my original goals being becoming more consistent in the gym, controlling my portion sizes, and cutting back on sugar, I tried to think of ways to implement this into my lifestyle. A gym near my house had a free teen summer for the summer of 2023, so I would be able to attend the gym free of charge. I looked at this as motivation because that left me with no excuse as to why I couldn't go, the next thing was finding a way to make it a lifestyle and not just a hobby. Before, I would only go to the gym during free time when I felt like it, which ended up with me going to the gym once or twice a month. When incorporating the gym into my lifestyle, I made time every morning to go to the gym before work. I would usually have to be at work around 2pm, so I aimed to go to the gym at 9am so that I would still have time to relax before work and not be drained before going in. This also allowed me to be more energetic at work, because I wasn’t just waking up an hour before to get ready, I’d already been up for hours so I was ready for the work day. The goal I initially made was to go to the gym at least two times week, but after the first two weeks I realized that my body wasn’t overwhelmed and that I could make more trips to the gym because I enjoyed them, so that resulted in me going to the gym 3-4 times a week incorporating glutes, abs, and arms into each workout and becoming more consistent. I noticed a difference after the first few weeks when I was able to increase weight each week and increase my speed on the treadmill each week. The next thing I had to work on was controlling my portion sizes. I work at a fast-food restaurant and since I was working six days out of the week, most of my meals came from my job. I started to do things like eating a 5 count nugget and small fry instead of a 12 count nugget and a medium fry, and I learned that this gave me more energy and I didn’t feel sluggish after eating my break food and returning to work. Just doing this allowed me to see a change in my mood and it also became a lifestyle for me because I wasn’t restricting myself, I was still able to eat what I wanted, just in smaller portions. Lastly, I cut some sugary products out of my diet by no longer purchasing store-bought juices and making my own. One of the things I did to make this easy and become a part of my lifestyle was purchase a juicer. I made both green juices for digestion and that would help my gut health, while also making multiple fruit juices to help with my sweet cravings. Drinking natural juice without added sugars allowed me to cut back and consume more fruits and veggies into my diet. Overall, each thing allowed me to live a more healthy lifestyle and I still continue to incorporate these things into my daily life.

Math is important because it is something used in your everyday life. When you are setting an alarm to wake up in the morning, you are using math to determine how much time it would take you to get ready. When you are grocery shopping, you are using math to figure out which carton of eggs you should get to see which will last you the longest time. When you are thinking about the dream car you want, you use math to create a budget to figure out how quickly you can make your dream a reality. Math is around us every single day and we might not always notice, but it always makes an appearance. I think math is important because if you don’t know how to do math properly, you could be seen as vulnerable and a target because people could possibly take advantage of you. If you don't know math, you could be overcharged for things or not paid back the same amount of money you’ve given out. It’s important to know math because it isn’t something that we will just stop using. I love learning math because it was one of the first subjects I understood in school. When I didn’t know what the powerhouse of the cell was, when I didn’t know who the 5th president was, or when I didn’t know the difference between a verb and a noun, I knew how to multiply, add, and subtract. Math was one of the subjects that could be easier for me, it always made me feel smart because I understood what was going on. It gave me the confidence to raise my hand in class knowing that the answer I was soon shouting would be the correct answer. Math also influenced the major I was interested in when applying for college. When applying to college, I didn’t always know what I wanted to do. I took many “what should I major in” quizzes, trying to figure out the best career for me. This led me back to my k5-12th grade favorite subject when all of the results showed things like finance, account management, accounting, etc. My passion is to help others become financially independent and experience financial freedom. I can use math in my day-to-day life to make others' lives easier and provide them with the knowledge that will last them a lifetime. I would not be able to do any of this if I never understood or enjoyed math, and that is just another reason for me to love math.

I love math because it was one of the first subjects I understood in school. When I didn’t know what the powerhouse of the cell was, when I didn’t know who the 5th president was, or when I didn’t know the difference between a verb and a noun, I knew how to multiply, add, and subtract. Math was one of the subjects that could be easier for me, it always made me feel smart because I understood what was going on. It gave me the confidence to raise my hand in class knowing that the answer I was soon shouting would be the correct answer. Math also influenced the major I was interested in when applying for college. When applying to college, I didn’t always know what I wanted to do. I took many “what should I major in” quizzes, trying to figure out the best career for me. This led me back to my k5-12th grade favorite subject when all of the results showed things like finance, account management, accounting, etc. My passion is to help others become financially independent and experience financial freedom. I can use math in my day-to-day life to make others' lives easier and provide them with the knowledge that will last them a lifetime. I would not be able to do any of this if I never understood or enjoyed math, and that is just another reason for me to love math.

A business I believe I could start in my community is a restaurant with healthier food options. This ideal business would be a restaurant that is dine-in and drive-thru friendly. It will allow people to sit inside and have a healthy meal if they have time or quickly go through a line to retrieve a healthy meal in a short amount of time. This will help the people in my community decrease health problems and help them to live longer lives. This business contributes to the general welfare of my local community by helping decrease health problems. Working out plays a role in losing weight and becoming healthy, but working out doesn’t make a difference alone. When paired with things like eating healthy meals it allows a person to become healthier and live a longer life decreasing their health problems. For every health problem, there is a food/ingredient that helps it. For example, people who have low iron are told to consume beats, people who need more energy are encouraged to eat oranges, and people who are looking to make their digestive system run smoothly are encouraged to consume more green foods. A restaurant that has all these ingredients and makes meals for the community will allow others to take their health seriously with less work. You’re more likely to be healthy if you’re consuming meals that help you meet your health/fitness goals. I would go about developing such a business by first doing my research on the foods and their uses. Earlier I listed things like beets, oranges, or green foods, but there are many other foods that contribute to a person’s health. After doing research on which foods provide the most health benefits, I would come up with a menu that incorporates the different ingredients into tasty meals that people would be interested in purchasing. After coming up with a menu, I could pitch my idea to investors and began the search for a building for the venue. The building would need to be in an area that would be mid city so that people from all sides of town will have access to it. After finding a building and people to invest in, the next step would be finding employees who are passionate about the health of others and will help contribute so that the restaurant could be a success. With time and patience, a building like this in the community will help increase the health of others, create a family and community for those who share similar interests to bond over said interest, and allow people to get a step closer to living a healthier life.

Growing up with a single mother was something that I never really paid attention to until I was late into elementary school. There would be times where events would be hosted with dads and daughters and I wouldn’t have a father there to accompany me. Growing up, I didn’t understand this, but I also didn’t ask as many questions. My mother always showed up at my events, even if that meant she came in uniform because the event was in the middle of the day and she needed to wear her uniform. I learned many different lessons/important traits growing up with a single mother. I learned the importance of independence, leaning on a village, and asking for help when needed. Independence meant a lot to my mother because she rarely asked for help when it came to me and my sister. She always handled a lot of things on her own and while I was little I thought nothing of it, but as I grew older I realized that it had to be tough to tackle raising two children on your own while working full-time and making sure that they were involved in extracurricular activities. My mother has always been very supportive and never let the struggle show. There were times where my mother worked 12 hour shifts and still managed to have dinner on the table for me and my sister with a smile on her face. Although independence is important, everyone has heard the phrase that “it takes a village to raise a child.” Although my mother rarely asked for help, she leaned on our village when it was important. My village contained my grandparents, aunts, and uncles. This showed me the importance of support and family. I’d always been big on family because my mother kept me around my loved ones to create great memories growing up and emphasizing familiar faces. There were events like grandparents day at school and my mother would always get into contact with my grandparents to make sure they were there for me and that I wasn’t alone. Growing up with a single mother isn’t something that always has to be a sad topic and it shaped me as a person in a positive way. I learned a lot from my mother and I wouldn’t have it any other way. As I grew older, I stopped thinking about what could have been and tapped into the reality of what is. I was never on “what ifs” growing up, so I tend not to think of things like that anyways. I knew that what was, was that I have a strong, independent mother, who leaned on her village when needed help and still made time for me and my sister and whatever else we were involved in. Growing up with a single mother has shaped me as a person by allowing me to know that anything is possible. Earlier I spoke on how my mother was very independent, but she was also very resourceful. My mother would be the first person to tell you that she doesn’t know everything, but if I ever came to her with a question, I always got the guidance to the answer. So although she was a single mother, she didn’t let there be room for disappointment. She understood that there were some things that would be better if learned from a father, but she never let that stop her from being the best mother she could be and showing up any way she could and I will always appreciate her for that.

I am pursuing an education in financial services because I feel that financial literacy is important and I also believe that it is important to stop the misuse of money. There are many people in the world who commit fraud and are never caught because they don’t have people in the office to look for those things or they don’t think of it as a big idea. I’ve recently taken an interest in forensic accounting because I believe that it is a good idea to check behind people and make sure that they are properly using the money for what they’ve stated it will be used for and making sure that people are putting their money into trusted hands. I’ve also always wanted to work with a trusted company and a company that did not test my integrity, so I believe that forensic accounting may be the best field just because I am aiming to stop the people involved in fraud. Financial literacy is mainly important to me because I believe that if people were financially smarter they would be able to make better decisions with money and in a way, this could lower crime. I am also interested in forensic accounting because this allows me to help put a stop to the misuse of money and ensure that people are using it the correct way and to the best of their abilities. I believe that everyone has their niche in this world, and finance is mine. Knowledge is power and that is the one thing you cannot take away from a person, so being able to educate others on finance and stop the people who illegally use money will have a great impact on the world for many different reasons. I am passionate about this because I know that it can make a positive change in this world, and the change can start with me. Xiomora Lindsay is my name and this is important because one day you'll hear it more and more because of the amazing things I've completed and the changes I helped make. The legacy starts here and that is my ultimate career and life goal. I see this changing my life trajectory by allowing me to experience different people. Everyone has their different versions of alternative routes and I consider myself taking an alternative route because I was an early graduate of high school. While being young, sometimes it is harder to have someone take you seriously. I learned that people tend to look at you as a child rather than an adult. I won’t let that change my determination for accomplishing my goals, and it only boosts my motivation to go further. This changes my trajectory because it allowed me to go to a school with great connections, it allows me to do lots of research before meeting with people so that I don’t appear as a young and confused student, and it pushes me to reach for the stars because I know that I am capable of doing anything I put my mind to and that I’m able to seize every opportunity presented to me.

The ways I manage my personal wellness while attending college is taking time to myself, making a routine, and doing my own self-care maintenance at least once a month. I take time to myself by allowing myself a break every day. After class, I take an hour or so in my room alone to just reflect on the day so far, think about what else I have to do that day, and also relax. This just allows me some time so that I don’t get too overwhelmed with the things going on around me. I also make a routine depending on my schedule so that I make time for everything I have to do. For example, I usually have breaks between classes, so instead of going to my room during those times, I go to the student center or the school library to do homework so that when I am done with classes for the day, I am able to go to my room and relax. I also have two planners, one is a monthly calendar that keeps me up with the events and things throughout the month, and the other is a weekly planner so that I’m aware of the day to day activities that I’m involved in. I also keep my assignments listed in a google sheets document so that I can check them off as a go and this also helps with the weekly planner so that I know what is due and when it is due. Lastly, I make sure that I do self-care maintenance at least once a month, whether it’s me polishing my nails, taking myself out on a self lunch date, or doing a face mask, I do something at least once a month just for me. Maintaining my personal wellness helps me succeed as a student because it prevents me from being overwhelmed. Doing things like creating a routine helps me stay on top of my classes and allows me to avoid any unnecessary stress from late assignments or too many things happening on one day. It also allows me to schedule in time for myself so that I am taking time to myself to collect my thoughts and do any self mental-health checks that I need. Doing things like my self-care maintenance just reminds me that I am a person and that I need to keep myself up because I’m not able to perform any other day-to-day activities if I’m not fully together. I know that I cannot fill someone else’s glass if mine is half full, so I make sure that I’m keeping myself together so that I can accomplish any other dreams or goals that I have. Whether it’s turning in an assignment, studying for a test, or hanging out with friends, that’s not something I can do until I’ve taken the time to make sure that I’m mentally okay. This also helps me succeed as a student because I’m able to walk into class confidently, with my head high and ready for anything that life brings.

The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Looking back, a time I faced a challenge was when I was looking for my first job. When I first turned 14 years old, I had my heart set on getting a job. The idea of being able to earn my own money and spend it the way I pleased was very appealing to me and it was something that I was really looking forward to. There were only two places that I knew of in my hometown that hired 14 year olds. One of them was the grocery store Publix and the other was this ice cream shop Bruster’s. The application process for Publix was a long one. There were many different assessments, scenarios, and questions that had to be done before the application could be done. At the end of the process, I was definitely relieved when I was able to press that submit button. The application process was different for Bruster’s because they had an online application that had to be printed off, filled out, and then turned into the store. This was a challenge for me in the beginning because I didn’t have a printer, but I was able to use my aunt’s printer and fill out the application and later turn it in. Months had passed and I continued to call and check on my application because that was something my mom always told me to do. Fast forward a year and some months later, I still haven't heard anything from either job. Now that I was a year older, I was able to apply to a couple more jobs and the one I decided to apply for was Subway. I originally applied online and then a week later I called to check in on my application. The manager told me that they were no longer doing online applications and that if I printed one off I’d be able to turn it into the store and they’d get back to me. After school one day, I printed off the application in the library and filled it out. My mom drove me to the subway and that’s when I handed in the application, talked directly to the manager, and was offered a job that same day. What I learned from this experience was that determination, patience, and consistency was the key. I also learned that it was very important to listen to others and be able to accept constructive criticism. Determination is being able to do what it takes to get what you want. There was a time where I didn’t have a printer so I had to utilize other resources to print off the things that I needed. Whether it was going to an aunt’s house and using her printer or running to the library and printing off an application in time so that I could still make the bus, I did what it took to make sure I got what I wanted. Patience was also very important and I learned that sometimes things take time and that you can’t expect instant results. This also helped me learn that sometimes you don’t get things instantly because there are other things in store for you. Taking constructive criticism and being consistent was another thing I learned. My mother was the one who told me that calling and checking on applications was a good sign to show that I was interested and ready to work. Overall, this experience allowed me to learn great lessons that I still carry with me each day.

I will use my unique talent and skills to build a more empathetic and understanding global community by creating a space for people to learn financial literacy, get corrupt people out of authority positions, and help people have more than one solution to their problems. Financial literacy is very important to me and I feel like it should not be a luxury that’s only allowed for a select few people. I also feel that there are a lot of corrupt people in the world and that the business environment would be so much better and the people who abuse their authority are taken from their position. Lastly, there are many issues in this world that have popular solutions and sometimes those solutions help one thing to hurt another, and I don’t believe that it should be that way. I’m still debating on which career path I’d like to take post-graduation, but I know that with whatever I decide to do, I want to help others become more successful in their lives and set the next generation up for success as well. I’d like to break generational curses and help others flourish. This is important to me because I come from a family that has not always been successful, and I will be a part of setting the tone for success. Being a financial advisor is something that has always interested me because of my fascination with numbers. The ability to work with numbers and actually enjoy them is rare because math does not light up the room when it comes to favorite subjects in the world. My combined skills in money and the way it works so that they are able to make smarter financial decisions and create generational wealth for themselves and their families. I am also a resilient person who has the talent/skill of problem-solving. One of the biggest problems in the world is there being people in leadership/authority roles who are corrupt. People abuse their power because they feel that they are high enough in the business and aren’t able to have their titles removed from them, but I believe that when a person is incorrectly operating in their title, it should be taken away from them and given to someone who cares for the greater good, versus being in the hands of someone who will use it for malicious reasons. Lastly, my problem-solving skills, communication, and empathetic side will help me find solutions for people that have the best benefits for them. My idea for this is basically becoming a data analyst. I have friends who suffer from mental illnesses and they have mentioned more than once how the main thing they’re encouraged to do is take medication. I’ve had friends tell me that they feel numb when taking their medication or that if they refuse to take their medication because they don’t want it to ruin their personality. I feel as though this should not be the population solution to their problem because it “fixes” one problem just to create another. I feel as though being a data analyst will allow me to do research and look at the results to help people come up with better solutions for people’s problems whether the problem is what dry cleaners to use or what are some alternatives to help people stay motivated.

My experience with mental health has been through a loved one and it has given me a greater knowledge of mental stability. It influenced my beliefs by allowing me to get a better understanding of a person’s highs and lows and being able to tell when someone is manic versus when they are not. I was once ignorant of mental illness and did not understand depression. As unfortunate as it is to say this, I once thought that people just didn’t have the energy to do things and chose not to do them. I never understood why people would not shower, would not turn in their school assignments, would not do things like brush their teeth, etc. Having a friend with a mental illness shifted this thinking immediately. I now understand that it is not something they chose to do, and it is also something that cannot be explained in simplicity. This strengthened my relationship with my friend because I was willing to learn more about mental health and this allowed me to understand her more and be able to help her as much as I could. It was a mutual benefit relationship because she would be able to express her feelings the best way she could, and I’d accompany her in any way I could. My positive experience with the mental health industry has been having a friend who deals with mental illness directly and learning from her. As stated before, I was once ignorant of the subject and was unaware of things that people dealt with. I was not always empathetic because I didn’t deal with it myself. Having a friend like her who is able to express their feelings and opinions on mental health not only allows me to learn more, but also allows her to be heard and receive any support she’d want. My negative experience with the mental health industry was learning that people would prescribe people who are suffering from anxiety, depression, or who may be mentally bipolar with pills that caused them to feel emotionless. I feel as though this is wrong and that more research should be done on mental illness because prescriptions should not be the most popular alternative for people with mental illnesses. This influenced my career aspirations because I’ve always had a passion for helping people. There was a time when I thought I had to be a teacher to do so and there was a time when I thought I had to be a therapist to do so, but I learned that I can do so by just having a listening ear and being open-minded to sensitive topics. This allowed me to follow data analysis because I know that the more knowledge you have on something, the better. I feel as though analyzing data will allow people to make better predictions in how to help people who are mentally ill. I feel that if we take it one step at a time, we can all work together to find solutions for people that are outside of the typical medicine doctors will prescribe that numbs a person's emotions. Mental health is important and I believe that there should be people willing to study it so that we can help those who suffer from it directly.

I am a first-generation college student who graduated a year early from high school and who is now in my sophomore year, but I am classified as a junior due to my taking dual enrollment classes in high school. I am pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting. Accounting is my major choice because I want to understand money and help others become financially literate. I believe that many problems in the world arise from people not being able to properly manage money and I want to be a part of the solution to those problems. I am interested in sharing my earned knowledge with individuals and companies to help them make better financial decisions so that we can decrease those problems. I want to attend college because I want to create a legacy and make a positive impact on the world. I am a first-generation college student and no one in my immediate family has obtained a four-year degree. It is important to me to be the first to do so because I believe that I will be a role model for my family members and show them that success is possible in a family regardless of their history. I am pursuing an education in financial services because I feel that financial literacy is important and I also believe that it is important to stop the misuse of money. There are many people in the world who commit fraud and are never caught because they don’t have people in the office to look for those things or they don’t think of it as a big idea. I’ve recently taken an interest in forensic accounting because I believe that it is a good idea to check behind people and make sure that they are properly using the money for what they’ve stated it will be used for and making sure that people are putting their money into trusted hands. I’ve also always wanted to work with a trusted company and a company that did not test my integrity, so I believe that forensic accounting may be the best field just because I am aiming to stop the people involved in fraud. Financial literacy is mainly important to me because I believe that if people were financially smarter they would be able to make better decisions with money and in a way, this could lower crime. I am also interested in forensic accounting because this allows me to help put a stop to the misuse of money and ensure that people are using it the correct way and to the best of their abilities. I believe that everyone has their niche in this world, and finance is mine. Knowledge is power and that is the one thing you cannot take away from a person, so being able to educate others on finance and stop the people who illegally use money will have a great impact on the world for many different reasons. I am passionate about this because I know that it can make a positive change in this world, and the change can start with me. Xiomora Lindsay is my name and this is important because one day you'll hear it more and more because of the amazing things I've completed and the changes I helped make. The legacy starts here and that is my ultimate career and life goal.

The dream version of my future self is an open-minded and intelligent woman who is creating a legacy for her family by being the first to graduate college and secure a bachelor’s degree and helping others become financially literate while also working in forensic accounting to ensure financial integrity through all working environments and fulfilling her dream of being a data analyst to continue building knowledge on things she may be less educated about.

The potential careers I’m planning to explore in college are financial advising, data analysis, and forensic accounting. These are the top three career choices I have for post-graduation and they are not in any specific order. Knowledge is power, and I feel that the more you have, the better. My main goal is to be able to help others and create a cycle of wealth so that the next generation will be more set up for success than I was. Each career allows me to use my knowledge for the greater good and impact the world in a positive way, so I’m okay with taking either path. Financial advising is important to me because I believe that every person should be financially literate. I also believe that when people are making smarter decisions with their money, this allows them to have more money, create more generational wealth, and be less likely to live in poverty. There are so many families where I’m from who aren’t exactly poor, but they’re comfortable. I come from a place where people are too comfortable with being in debt, and I want to work to fix it. Or they are comfortable with not being in debt, but also not having extra money to spend after the monthly bills have been paid. I hope to help others understand that they don’t have to live like this and that we can be the change so that our children, grandchildren, etc. All of this can be avoided if we have someone like me, with a plan to help the world become a better place one step at a time. Whether it’s from suggesting a strategy on how to save money to sitting down with a person and writing down a budget plan; I want to make a difference in this world and give back by just using my knowledge and helping others become successful. Data analysis is also important to me because this is a job that will have me steadily learning. As I stated before, knowledge is power. I am a firm believer of the saying, “if you don’t use it, you will lose it” and I know that data analyst are introduced to different things every day and they are steadily learning about new topics and analyzing the data to make important situations to report back to someone else. Data analysis is also interesting to me because I like the idea of working with the tech side of the business for my days where I am not as open to interaction with people, this allows me to get my work done and report later versus having to work with a team full-time. I am also passionate about forensic accounting. I recently learned what this was, and I find it very interesting. I feel that I can make a positive impact on the world as a forensic accountant by investigating people who are usually money illegally and taking away their authority to do so. I feel that people have gotten away from things like money laundering for many years now and it is time to put a stop to it. I also believe that just because someone owns a business, their illegal use of money should not be given the shoulder. Integrity is very important to me so I’d love a working environment where I’m helping integrity between all companies become a thing.

I am a first-generation college student who graduated a year early from high school and who is now in my sophomore year, but I am classified as a junior due to my taking dual enrollment classes in high school. I am pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting. Accounting is my major choice because I want to understand money and help others become financially literate. I believe that many problems in the world arise from people not being able to properly manage money and I want to be a part of the solution to those problems. I am interested in sharing my earned knowledge with individuals and companies to help them make better financial decisions so that we can decrease those problems. I plan to make a positive impact on the world by pursuing my college degree. My post-secondary education will allow me to be of service to others or give to others by allowing me to use my knowledge and education to help people understand financial advice that they might lack. I believe that earning my degree in accounting can help show others that knowledge is power. I also plan to be a mentor to those who don’t know where to start. I want to help others understand that with certain things, there is no right way to do it and that there are so many other options they have that aren’t spending their whole lives working paycheck to paycheck or finding a way to pay someone back who they have loaned money from. I want to help create a safe space and be an outlet for people who are genuinely confused about how to manage their finances so that they don’t make the same mistakes that others have and spend a lifetime fixing them. There are so many families where I’m from who aren’t exactly poor, but they’re comfortable. I come from a place where people are too comfortable with being in debt, and I want to work to fix it. Or they are comfortable with not being in debt, but also not having extra money to spend after the monthly bills have been paid. I hope to help others understand that they don’t have to live like this and that we can be the change so that our children, grandchildren, etc. When people don’t know how to correctly manage their money they are not left with extra money to spend after paying their monthly bills such as rent, water bills, internet bills, etc. Not having extra money set aside can cause people to not be able to go on vacation or allow them to practice self-care. When you are not given the time to properly care for yourself or relax when you need to, this can cause stress. Stress can also cause depression and anxiety because it will feel like you aren’t doing enough when you actually are and just might need a little extra help to get to where you need to be. All of this can be avoided if we have someone like me, with a plan to help the world become a better place one step at a time. Whether it’s from suggesting a strategy on how to save money to sitting down with a person and writing down a budget plan; I want to make a difference in this world and give back by just using my knowledge and helping others become successful.

My educational goals are to finish graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting by the age of 20 and possibly obtain a Masters in Business Administration a year or so after. This is also something I want to do while having a 3.5+ GPA. This is important to me because it marks the start of my legacy. None of the people in my immediate obtained a four-year college degree, so I will be creating a new stepping-stone for our family. I want to show my relatives that success is possible in a family that hasn’t always been successful and that they should not let our family’s history determine our future. I also want to show my family that they are capable of doing anything they put their mind to and that if an opportunity were not for them, then it would not have been presented to them. So that they should seize every opportunity if it means that they will be able to advance in life and put themselves and their children in a better position. An obstacle that I’ve currently experienced is being a first-generation college student. I’ve overcome this obstacle by reminding myself of my goals post-graduation and by joining a first-generation student organization. The first year I was a member, my sophomore year I was a mentorship coordinator, and for my upcoming junior year, I was encouraged to run for President. This is important to me because this organization allows me to connect with other first-generation students and let them know that they are not alone. This organization welcomed me with open arms and reminded me that I will accomplish all of my goals and that if I ever needed help I could always come to them. I love this group because it provided me with a community and I plan to do the same for all the incoming students so that we can overcome this together and be successful. I also plan to be a mentor to those who don’t know where to start. I want to help others understand that with certain things, there is no right way to do it and that there are so many other options they have that aren’t spending their whole lives working paycheck to paycheck or finding a way to pay someone back who they have loaned money from. I want to help create a safe space and be an outlet for people who are genuinely confused about how to manage their finances so that they don’t make the same mistakes that others have and spend a lifetime fixing them. There are so many families where I’m from who aren’t exactly poor, but they’re comfortable. I come from a place where people are too comfortable with being in debt, and I want to work to fix it. Or they are comfortable with not being in debt, but also not having extra money to spend after the monthly bills have been paid. I hope to help others understand that they don’t have to live like this and that we can be the change so that our children, grandchildren, etc. When people don’t know how to correctly manage their money they are not left with extra money to spend after paying their monthly bills such as rent, water bills, internet bills, etc. Not having extra money set aside can cause people to not be able to go on vacation or allow them to practice self-care.

I will create a postive environmental impact on my local and global communities within the next year through finance and markting. My academic goals are to finish out my education with a bachelor of science in accounting by the age of 20 and later finish a master’s degree in business accounting. I would be the first person in my family to receive a degree higher than an associate’s degree and I plan to be a role model for all of my relatives. I want to show my relatives that success is possible in a family that hasn’t always been academically successful and that they should not let our family’s past determine their future. I plan to finish college with a GPA of 3.5 or higher. I am an accounting major and my goal is to help people understand how to be financially free. Being able to correctly manage your money is a very important skill that will be used all throughout life, and unfortunately, there are a great number of people who are unaware of how to do so. I hope that by learning more about money, and the way the economy works, I will be able to use my practices to advise people on how to spend, save, and invest their money carefully. I think that by doing so, I will help people learn to be prepared for anything, whether it’s the death of a family member, the incarceration of a parent, or a natural disaster that destroys someone’s home. I am pursuing an education in financial services because I feel that financial literacy is important and I also believe that it is important to stop the misuse of money. There are many people in the world who commit fraud and are never caught because they don’t have people in the office to look for those things or they don’t think of it as a big idea. I’ve recently taken an interest in forensic accounting because I believe that it is a good idea to check behind people and make sure that they are properly using the money for what they’ve stated it will be used for and making sure that people are putting their money into trusted hands. I’ve also always wanted to work with a trusted company and a company that did not test my integrity, so I believe that forensic accounting may be the best field just because I am aiming to stop the people involved in fraud. Financial literacy is mainly important to me because I believe that if people were financially smarter they would be able to make better decsions with money and in a way this could lower crime. I am also interested in forensic accounting because this allows me to help put a stop to the misuse of money and ensure that people are using it the correct way and to the best of their abilities. I believe that everyone has their niche in this world, and finance is mine. Knowledge is power and that is the one thing you cannot take away from a person, so me being able to educate others on finance and stop the people who illegally use money will have a great impact on the world for many different reasons. I am passionate about this because I know that it can make a positive change in this world, and the change can start with me. Xiomora Lindsay is my name and this is important because one day you'll hear it more and more because of the amazing things I've completed and the changes I helped make.

What's unique about me is my difference. I am different because I feel that I am one of a kind. I’m not an introvert, but I’m not an extrovert either. I am the type of person when you’re around me you’d think that I’m a quiet person, but if I feel comfortable and welcome I make sure to return the favor to those in my vicinity. I consider myself a mature person because I have always believed in the idea that energy is reciprocated and looked at things from the vice versa point of view. The best way I can explain this is by saying that I’ve always felt that if I were good to others that the favor would be returned. Although I may not agree with what a person is saying, I will still try my best to understand their point of view and understand why they feel or think the way they do. My peers refer to me as "Momma Mora" because I'm a trusted individual and people look to me for guidnace when they are stuck and don't know what to do. Although this can be shocking for an 18 year old, I take pride in the trust people have in me and always looking to help. I plan to give back to my community by becoming a mentor. A mentor to those who don’t know where to start. I want to help others understand that with certain things, there is no right way to do it and that there are so many other options they have that aren’t spending their whole lives working paycheck to paycheck or finding a way to pay someone back who they have loaned money from. I want to help create a safe space and be an outlet for people who are genuinely confused about how to manage their finances so that they don’t make the same mistakes that others have and spend a lifetime fixing them. There are so many families where I’m from who aren’t exactly poor, but they’re comfortable. I come from a place where people are too comfortable with being in debt, and I want to work to fix it. Or they are comfortable with not being in debt, but also not having extra money to spend after the monthly bills have been paid. I hope to help others understand that they don’t have to live like this and that we can be the change so that our children, grandchildren, etc. When people don’t know how to correctly manage their money they are not left with extra money to spend after paying their monthly bills such as rent, water bills, internet bills, etc. Not having extra money set aside can cause people to not be able to go on vacation or allow them to practice self-care. When you are not given the time to properly care for yourself or relax when you need to, this can cause stress. Stress can also cause depression and anxiety because it will feel like you aren’t doing enough when you actually are and just might need a little extra help to get to where you need to be. All of this can be avoided if we have someone like me, with a plan to help the world become a better place one step at a time. Whether it’s from suggesting a strategy on how to save money to sitting down with a person and writing down a budget plan; I want to make a difference in this world and give back by just using my knowledge and helping others become successful.

My post-secondary education will allow me to be of service to others or give to others by allowing me to use my knowledge and education to help people understand financial advice that they might lack. I believe that earning my degree in accounting can help show others that knowledge is power. Being able to correctly manage your money is a very important skill that will be used throughout life, and unfortunately, there are a great number of people who are unaware of how to do so. I hope that by learning more about money, and the way the economy works, I will be able to use my practices to advise people on how to spend, save, and invest their money carefully. I also plan to be a mentor to those who don’t know where to start. I want to help others understand that with certain things, there is no right way to do it and that there are so many other options they have that aren’t spending their whole lives working paycheck to paycheck or finding a way to pay someone back who they have loaned money from. I want to help create a safe space and be an outlet for people who are genuinely confused about how to manage their finances so that they don’t make the same mistakes that others have and spend a lifetime fixing them. There are so many families where I’m from who aren’t exactly poor, but they’re comfortable. I come from a place where people are too comfortable with being in debt, and I want to work to fix it. Or they are comfortable with not being in debt, but also not having extra money to spend after the monthly bills have been paid. I hope to help others understand that they don’t have to live like this and that we can be the change so that our children, grandchildren, etc. When people don’t know how to correctly manage their money they are not left with extra money to spend after paying their monthly bills such as rent, water bills, internet bills, etc. Not having extra money set aside can cause people to not be able to go on vacation or allow them to practice self-care. When you are not given the time to properly care for yourself or relax when you need to, this can cause stress. Stress can also cause depression and anxiety because it will feel like you aren’t doing enough when you actually are and just might need a little extra help to get to where you need to be. All of this can be avoided if we have someone like me, with a plan to help the world become a better place one step at a time. Whether it’s from suggesting a strategy on how to save money to sitting down with a person and writing down a budget plan; I want to make a difference in this world and give back by just using my knowledge and helping others become successful.

Education is important to to because because it has introduced me to different types of people and teaching me life-long lessons. As a first-generation student, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect when it came to college. At my orientation, I met a lady who ended up having a big impact on my life. She introduced herself as the leader of PresbyFirs+ which is a group we have at my school for first-generation students. She has helped me so much during my freshman year of college from offering to give me a planner so that I can stay on top of my classes to showing me how to register for my classes. I realized that although there are hateful people in the world, you cannot let them steal your joy. There are people such as classmates who will be disappointed in your achievements if they do not align with theirs or if your achievements go above theirs. I learned that those people in school are the type of people you have to avoid the most because sometimes they could try to damage your plans and cause a negative impact on your growth. I have also been introduced to some very lovely people, who offer to study with you when you don’t completely understand something. As a member of the cheer team, I have been introduced to a family, who believes in me when I don’t believe in myself, and I appreciate that so much. Being in school has also taught me life lessons that have been mentioned to me before, but I never paid attention to them until now. Being in college made me realize how important accountability and time management are. In high school, my teachers always reminded me that some of the things people get away with then, wouldn’t be allowed in college. The professors at my school take their syllabi very seriously and a great number of professors do not accept late work, and if they do so then it is with a penalty. Time management is important when completing assignments and projects because if something isn’t turned in on time, it can negatively impact your grade. Accountability comes into play when someone is looking for someone to blame, and the only person there is yourself. I learned that I have to own up to my actions and accept the consequences when I don’t do things the way that they are supposed to be done. I learned that I cannot expect my professors to be lenient with me, and not with other students because it isn’t fair to them. Overall education has shaped my understanding of the world and brought value to me by showing me that everyone is different and there are no two people that are the same; also, accountability and time management are skills that you need to steadily improve on and implement into your daily life. Being in school has taught me lessons that will go beyond college and lessons that I will continue to bring with me into my adult life. I learned that even when I am doubting myself, there are people out there who are rooting for my success and will be with me every step of the way. I thought that coming to college and getting my education would just teach me how to be an accountant, but it has shown me so much more and I am glad that this is something that I am able to experience.

How are you different, and how do you leverage your uniqueness to make a difference in someone’s life that you have no idea is watching you? (400-600 words) I am different because I feel that I am one of a kind. I’m not an introvert, but I’m not an extrovert either. I am the type of person when you’re around me you’d think that I’m a quiet person, but if I feel comfortable and welcome I make sure to return the favor to those in my vicinity. I consider myself a mature person because I have always believed in the idea that energy is reciprocated and looked at things from the vice versa point of view. The best way I can explain this is by saying that I’ve always felt that if I were good to others that the favor would be returned. I also believe in not doing something to someone that I wouldn’t want to be done to myself. I am a firm believer in karma, and I feel as though revenge is never the answer. I say this because if I believed in revenge then it would go against my belief in the vice versa point of view. When described by my friends and peers, I’ve always been told that I’m a responsible and very mature person. I think that what makes me different is that I consider the feelings of others, and think from different perspectives other than my own. I feel as though this is important in life because I don’t believe that you can progress in the world if you only see things from your point of view. I also think that what makes me different is that I don’t just listen, I understand which are two different things. Although I may not agree with what a person is saying, I will still try my best to understand their point of view and understand why they feel or think the way they do. Being myself is the way I leverage my uniqueness to make a difference in the lives of those who I may not know are watching. I feel as though a lot of people make impressions on who they think is watching. I believe that in doing so, you promote a false narrative to those who you aren’t currently in a conversation with. I say this because if you are trying to please a certain group of people then you may succeed with that, but you never know the impression you leave with those who you weren’t actively entertaining. I always felt that if you are yourself no matter what, that is when you make the best impression on those around you and you don’t even have to fake it to do so. I feel that it is important to find out who you are and be your true self so that you don’t end up comparing yourself to those in the future. If you are not being yourself then you can’t fully know if the things that are happening around you are supposed to happen that way for the simple fact of the attention you’re getting because of pretending to be someone you’re not. I want to always remind others that they should love themselves and be true to who they are. I feel that as long as that is one of my main goals, no matter where I am, I will always be able to have an impact on people, even if I don’t know that they are watching.

I am a first-generation college student who graduated a year early from high school and who is now in my sophomore year, but I am classified as a junior due to my taking dual enrollment classes in high school. I am pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting. Accounting is my major choice because I want to understand money and help others become financially literate. I believe that many problems in the world arise from people not being able to properly manage money and I want to be a part of the solution to those problems. I am interested in sharing my earned knowledge with individuals and companies to help them make better financial decisions so that we can decrease those problems. I'm also interested in business integrity, which is why I have taken an interest in forensic accounting and making sure that people are using the money the way the proposed to. In high school, I applied as a team member at Chick-Fil-A. I have accepted a position and have now been working there part-time for two years. Although it is a very great work environment, I knew that I did not want to be a team member for the rest of my working years. Therefore, I applied and enrolled in Presbyterian college. Although I was accepted into Presbyterian College, I was not offered a full ride and tuition can sometimes be hindering. Although it can become overwhelming, I will not use it as an excuse to not chase my dreams because I know that there are so many resources that can help me attend college, like scholarships for example. I am a great candidate for this scholarship because I have the work ethic to become successful. I am not someone who gives up at the sight of difficulty. I will push and motivate myself continuously if that means that within the next two years, I will have a degree in my hand and become a step closer to achieving my dream of helping others become financially literate. The time and effort I put into my future is not something that is always noticed, but I will always make sure that in the end, I have something to celebrate. And that something will be my very first degree. This scholarship could be one of the things that bring me closer to making my dream a reality. I am not a fine arts marjor, so I do not have paintings or drawings to share. I do have a vision board that I made on canva that has multiple pictures of things I planned to accomplish or implement in my life and that's my digital creatvity that I'd like to share.

My mother has impacted my life in a positive way by always reminding me to be my authentic self. My mother constantly reminds me of my beauty, my personality, and my intelligence. She spekas advice into any problem that I have and some how she always has a solution to the issue. Although my mother was not in the miliary, she is definitely a soldier. I’ve always seen her show up and be the best version of herself even when things were going on in life that would have caused her to do otherwise. I can’t remember when I went through a time without or wanting for something because I lacked it, my mother was always able to provide. This made every dinner amazing, every birthday amazing, and an amazing conversation. This is very influential to me because it allows me to know that if she can do it, then it is possible for me as well. Without my mother, there would’t be a Xiomora Lindsay to type this essay and apply for this scholarship, so I am very grateful for that. My mother is instrumental in helping me become the person I am today because her repetition stood with me for a long time. When I was younger I watched the movie “The Help” with my mother. There was a scene where an adult was telling a child “you is smart, you is kind, you is important,” my mtoher would say this to me all the time to just keep it in my head. My mother taught me many things. She was the person who taught me to tie my shoe when I was five years old, this is what causes me to always help a child struggling when I know I can do something that can make the task easier for them. She was the one who taught me to make my favoite snack when I was younger. This allowed me to become independent at a young age because it allowed me to do things on my own. She was the person who was supportive with anything that I participated in, this is what allows me to show up and show out for my family and friends because I realized that support goes a long way and can really make a difference in someone’s life. She was the one who reminded me to never settle for less, this allowed me to realize that anything I’d expect from someone else, I can provide for myself and that I should only give people with pure intentions access to me. My mother has been a very important person in my life, and a lot of my success is owed to her because she has always reminded me that I am a great genuine person who is destined for greatness.

My experience as a person living with an autoimmune disease shaped who I am today but allowed me to be confident with being my natural self. The autoimmune disease that I have is alopecia, and when I was younger it caused me to not be confident in myself because I never understood it or knew how to deal with it. Growing up I had a very supportive mother who always reminded me that I was beautiful and never let me belittle myself. My experience shaped who I am because it allowed me to be open to advice. When you have so many negative thoughts on yourself, it is hard to hear someone out when they approach you with a compliment. It allowed me to be understanding of other words. Living with an autoimmune disease shaped me into who I am by allowing me to see people past their appearance. I learned that it is always not a person’s physical look that makes them who they are. Things like this goes into a person’s personality and allows you to get to know them more and understand them on a deeper level. I turned my struggle into strength because self-esteem is something that many people deal with. This became a strength when I learned to embrace my natural self and realize that no matter what was going on, people would always find something to say whether it’s good or bad. I use my confidence as strength because it allows me to help other people be confident as well. When they are unsure about their beauty, I remind them that everyone has a beautiful element in their body and sometimes it takes others a little longer for some people to realize. I tell anyone that when they feel like they aren’t strong enough to stand up themselves, I’d be there beside them to help them balance. I turned my struggle into strength by supporting those who haven’t made it to the point of life that I’m currently in. I’m as confident as can be, but this did not happen overnight, so I aspire to help others feel the way I do now. I also turned my struggle into strength by letting it allow me to see people past their appearance. You cannot judge a book by their cover, and if you are only looking at a person’s appearance then you will never be able to understand the true person they are.

I am a first-generation college student who graduated a year early from high school and who is now in my sophomore year, but I am classified as a junior due to my taking dual enrollment classes in high school. I am pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting. Accounting is my major choice because I want to understand money and help others become financially literate. I believe that many problems in the world arise from people not being able to properly manage money and I want to be a part of the solution to those problems. I am interested in sharing my earned knowledge with individuals and companies to help them make better financial decisions so that we can decrease those problems. I plan to make a positive impact on the world by pursuing my college degree. I believe that earning my degree in accounting can help show others that knowledge is power. Being able to correctly manage your money is a very important skill that will be used throughout life, and unfortunately, there are a great number of people who are unaware of how to do so. I hope that by learning more about money, and the way the economy works, I will be able to use my practices to advise people on how to spend, save, and invest their money carefully. I also plan to be a mentor to those who don’t know where to start. I want to help others understand that with certain things, there is no right way to do it and that there are so many other options they have that aren’t spending their whole lives working paycheck to paycheck or finding a way to pay someone back who they have loaned money from. I want to help create a safe space and be an outlet for people who are genuinely confused about how to manage their finances so that they don’t make the same mistakes that others have and spend a lifetime fixing them. There are so many families where I’m from who aren’t exactly poor, but they’re comfortable. I come from a place where people are too comfortable with being in debt, and I want to work to fix it. Or they are comfortable with not being in debt, but also not having extra money to spend after the monthly bills have been paid. I hope to help others understand that they don’t have to live like this and that we can be the change so that our children, grandchildren, etc. When people don’t know how to correctly manage their money they are not left with extra money to spend after paying their monthly bills such as rent, water bills, internet bills, etc. Not having extra money set aside can cause people to not be able to go on vacation or allow them to practice self-care. When you are not given the time to properly care for yourself or relax when you need to, this can cause stress. All of this can be avoided if we have someone like me, with a plan to help the world become a better place one step at a time. Whether it’s from suggesting a strategy on how to save money to sitting down with a person and writing down a budget plan; I want to make a difference in this world and give back by just using my knowledge and helping others become successful.

Mental growth is something that I’ve experienced over the past year. There were two events/situations that inspired this personal growth. The first event was the loss of my father. My father was incarcerated and eventually passed away behind bars. Something that really upset me about this situation is the fact that my family has still not been given the answers we need to his passing. We are still unaware of the reason for his passing and have been left confused. This has hurt me because it has delayed my healing process. I know that if I knew exactly what happened and that if the death was due to natural causes I would be more content with it, but I have no answers and that has really altered my brain chemistry. This has made me come content with the fact that some questions are left unanswered. Unfortunately, this is something that I am starting to face. The second event was a heartbreak from a relationship. The relationship had been on and off for the past five years and I’d been dealing with a person who didn’t respect me or treat me the way I deserved to be treated. This was upsetting because I’d give the person the shirt off my back if they needed it, and knowing that the feeling was not mutual left me stuck and not knowing what to do next. What has changed about me is that I am learning to find my own closure in situations. I am also learning to use the resources that are provided for me, like counseling. For a while, I thought that counseling was for people who needed help, and I thought that it was a bad thing to need help. One thing I came to the realization about is the fact that the resources we have in this world would not be a thing unless someone needed them, and that it is not bad to need help because at some point everyone will need another person and that if there is a person there to help, you should always communicate with them because it will help you mentally and help you move on from situations. What I’ve learned throughout this self-love is that healing starts with you. If you want to truly accomplish something, you have to put your mind to it and make it a priority. I learned that you also have to give your time to process things before you have conversations about them and say things that you may possibly regret. Overall, I learned that there is so much that we can do if we actually think about what we actually want, and go from there. The goal from now is to think before acting or speaki

My father's incarceration has impacted my life by shifting my thinking in every situation or in every decision I have had to make. As a teenager, I am sometimes expected to make mistakes, learn from them, and just take them day by day. I have not always been exactly comfortable with this idea because being the child of an incarcerated parent makes people view you differently, you can mess up one time and they assume that you’re going down the same path as that parent. With this idea in mind, I have always been hard on myself when it comes to anything because I don’t want people to assume the worst when it comes to me. I am known as a person who prefers to be a perfectionist, and that’s just because I feel as if any wrong turn can change my whole destination. Everyone who is incarcerated didn’t make a series of mistakes Sometimes, it was just that one that changed their lives forever. I have always been cautious of that and tried to avoid anything that could put me in that predicament. I feel as though this is because of the thinking shift with my parent that causes me to believe one mess-up can change my life forever. My father's incarceration has impacted my education by also causing me to be harder on myself when the topic is school. I am a first-generation college student, which means I am held to a higher standard compared to some of my other friends or family members. Earlier I mentioned how people can expect the worst and this applies to education as well because they don’t always see you as someone who can be successful because of your parent’s past. I am the type of person who likes to be able to prove someone wrong (when there is a good reason for it). So when people expect me to not go to college because my incarcerated father didn’t, I decide to go a year earlier just to show that it is possible and that it can be done. I am a hard-working person and I earn everything I deserve, so I don’t appreciate the assumptions when it comes to me being the child of an incarcerated parent because I work just as hard as anyone else. Although my parent was not able to complete college when they were expected to, I still applied to college, got into college, and worked hard every single day to show that I am not a reflection of them and that I am my own person. Incareation has also really hurt my family. My father died behind bars earlier this month and that is something I'm still trying to process. My success is motivated by him, because although he was unable to get a bachelor's degree, he will smile from heaven knowing his daughter was able to do so.

All songs have messages, but I feel like there are two types of messages when it comes to songs. You have the intended message from the artist, and this is the message that the artist wants you to get from the song, this is the message that the artist made the song for. The second message is the interpreted message. The interpreted messages come from the audience and it is what the audience gets from the song, the message that the audience tells others about when they are encouraging them to listen to the song. The song that has the most important message to me is Time by Snoh Aalegra. This song was written about the artist’s father who passed away in 2009. What’s interesting about this is that I always loved it because I knew it had something to do with time running out since she always mentions how she wishes time never mattered. Her intended message for this song was not stated, but the interpreted message I got was that a person's not being on earth does not stop them from being on your mind. She mentions in the song how the voice was her home, but my deceased grandfather’s and father’s smile was my home. Seeing the smile warms my heart and it is my greatest memory of them aside from their great words of advice. This song has the most important message to me because it reminds me of the good times with my deceased family members. Although they are no longer here with me physically, this song brings them with me again spiritually by allowing me to visualize their smile.

I never experienced the loss of a family member that affected me until the eighth grade. The last conversation I’d had with my grandfather was him checking up on me because I hadn’t seen him that day and him telling me that he’d talk to me later. The next morning (October 29, 2017), around 4 am -5 am I learned that my grandfather passed away in a car accident. He was one of three people in the car, and he was the only one that was unable to walk away from the car accident. This is when I realized that death is real and that it could happen to anyone at any given moment. My father was arrested when I was younger, maybe around 4 or 5 years old. The last time I visited him in prison was in July of 2022 during my summer break from college. We talked about college, my experience during my freshman year, and my plans for the next three years. I never knew that the last visit I had with my father would actually be my last time speaking with him. On December 1, 2022, around 7-8 pm I received a call from my mother telling me that my father was found dead in his cell in prison, and the reason for his death is still unknown. So within the last five years, I’ve received the horrible news that two very important people to me have passed away. The loss of these two family members has caused me to focus on what matters most in life and what I want to “fight” to achieve by always encouraging me when they were on earth. My grandfather and father have always known that I was destined for greatness and they have always motivated me to chase my dreams and do whatever it takes to accomplish my dreams. I know that family members look down on me and smile at all the accomplishments I’ve made so far. I am a second-year, first-generation student who is still figuring out life and sometimes get discouraged. My deceased family members encouraged me in conversations that I had with them before their deaths and I still remember those conversations as words of affirmation. As a first-generation student, college can be overwhelming because no one else has accomplished what I am in the process of accomplishing. Although I was accepted into Presbyterian College, I was not offered a full ride and tuition can sometimes be hindering. Although it can become overwhelming, I will not use it as an excuse to not chase my dreams because I know that there are so many resources that can help me attend college, like scholarships for example. I know that one of my goals is to continue to make my family members proud even when they aren’t here. Sometimes family members are not here to help financially, but any type of encouragement is helpful to me. I look up to them as my guardian angels who are also guiding me and encouraging me that I can do this, no matter what the costs. My deceased family members showed me that life on earth is not everlasting and that one day my day will come. This is a sad truth that everyone has to face, but you never realize how true it is until it happens to someone you love. One thing I can say is that even though your family members are not with you physically, they can still be with you spiritually, leading you to a path that you always knew you could take. Though my deceased family members may no longer walk this earth, they still play a big part in my life and I want to be able to say I did things like graduating high school a year early, and I will be able to add that I graduated college as well.

My academic goals are to finish out my education with a bachelor of science in accounting by the age of 20 and later finish a master’s degree in business accounting. I would be the first person in my family to receive a degree higher than an associate’s degree and I plan to be a role model for all of my relatives. I want to show my relatives that success is possible in a family that hasn’t always been successful and that they should not let our family’s history determine their future. I plan to finish college with a GPA of 3.5 or higher. A professional goal that I have is to work from home. I plan to work from home so that I will be able to travel the world after graduating from college. I think that travelling the world is essential because it allows you to be in different environments and learn different things about the world around you. I feel that working from home gives you more opportunities to travel because most times when working from home you only have to go into your office at least once a week or sometimes not at all. With seven days in the week that allows you six to travel to any place that you haven’t been to before and to experience different people and different cultures. I’ve given back to my community by volunteering as a tutor to children attending or living at the Thornwell Charter School in Clinton, South Carolina. Thornwell is a school that also offers foster care to children in need. There are three different types of learners, audio learners, visual learners, and hands-on learners. Although a teacher can be performing to help each type of learner in the class, sometimes students need time after the original school hours to get extra help to make sure they understand the concepts being explained in class. It is also sometimes easier for a child to communicate with someone who is closer in age and not their original educator. This inspired me to make a difference in the world by encouraging the other organizations that I am involved in to do tasks like this and help make a difference in the students’ life. I’ve suggested that we start doing things like going to tutor the children at schools, going to high schools to help students apply for college and scholarship applications, building relationships with these students by attending the events for their extracurricular activities, etc. These are small things can that make a big difference to children who need that extra push. I feel as though doing things like this will give the students the encouragement and motivation that they need to continue their education after high school and it will allow them to look at someone as a mentor and show them that what they want in life is possible.

The quality/characteristic that I value most in myself is my dependability/independence. This is is my favorite quality because I feel like it speaks volumes about my personality. I feel like dependability is a characteristic that can be broken into many other traits which is why I value it the most. When someone is looking for someone who they know can get the job done efficiently and in a reasonable amount of time, they come to me. Dependability can relate to the trait responsibility which means that you are a person who someone is confident in their work and people are confident in putting their trust in you. Dependability also relates to professionalism, because you wouldn’t put your trust in someone who could not produce work in a professional way. Dependability can also relate to flexibility because it means that no matter what is going on, you are able to put something into your schedule and get it done to the best of your ability. Dependability relates to honesty because you would not be dependent on an untrustworthy person. This also relates to being able to balance out things in your life and it reflects on your time management which is another great characteristic to have. Although I mentioned many characteristics, they all wrap into my favourite one which is dependability and help explains my professionalism, ability to balance, my work ethic, and my time management. I feel like having this quality/characteristic will help me in my life journey because it will allow me to connect with awesome people and an awesome company. What makes a company awesome is its ability to produce a product or a service that is honest and efficient to its target audience. Connections are important to me because it is not always what you know, but who you know. I believe that dependability is an important characteristic that people look for when involving themselves with people because you would want to associate yourself with a person who is responsible, honest, able to perform at the best of their ability, and able to manage their time well. This quality/characteristic will help me in my life journey because it also allows me to continue to level up and progress in life. I feel as though being dependable/independent helps provide structure to one's life. I say this because if you are not a reliable person, there is no way that you are able to get daily tasks done in time. There is also a slim chance of someone trusting you with important tasks if they feel like you aren’t dependable/independent enough to do things for yourself.

An important life lesson I learned is consistency. I learned about consistency when I turned 15 years old, and I was ready to start working. I knew that the jobs available for me at my age were limited, but I had my heart set on making my own money. There has always been a saying that “consistency is the key” and I didn’t understand that until I started looking for jobs. I remember applying to a few jobs and never getting called back for an interview, I started to accept my fate and think that I should just wait until I turned 16 when there would be more job opportunities. After talking to my mom about the situation she taught me about consistency and told me how I should continue applying for jobs, ask to hand the application to the manager when taking it back, and even call back to the job after a week if they hadn’t reached out. After listening to her advice, I turned in an online application to Subway and called the manager a week later. After talking on the phone to the manager I learned that she hadn’t received the application and then she invited me in to fill out a paper application. When I turned in my application I got an on-the-spot interview and after the interview, I was offered a job position. I was so excited. This lesson taught me to never give up on my dreams and to continue to accomplish my goals and not to let anything get in the way of it. I will use this lesson to help me move forward because it showed me that if you are passionate about something, that you can get it. Telling this story makes me think about how if I never as consistent that I wouldn’t have known she never received the application the first time. This experience has made me a stronger person in life because it showed me the importance of checking on something. You can never know how something is going unless you continue to check on it and see the status of it. This lesson has also made me a stronger person because it allows me to look at things in different perspectives. When looking at it from the manager’s perspective, I realized how if I never called to check on the application that she didn’t receive, she would have never been able to reach out to me because she didn’t receive said application. This also helped me realize that the reason I may have not gotten a call back before could have been similar to this one. Looking at things from different perspectives allows you to better understand a situation and understand it from the other person’s point of view. I think this is an important lesson to learn as well because it allows you to be open-minded.

My academic goals are to finish out my education with a bachelor’s of science in accounting by the age of 20 and later finish a master’s degree in business accounting. I would be the first person in my family to receive a degree higher than an associate’s degree and I plan to be a role model for all of my relatives. I want to show my relatives that success is possible in a family that hasn’t always been successful and that they should not let our family’s history determine their future. I plan to finish college with a GPA of 3.5 or higher. A vocational goal that I have is working from home. I plan to work from home so that I will be able to travel the world after graduating college. I think that traveling the world is important because it allows you to be in different environments and learn different things about the world around you. I feel as though working from home gives you more opportunities to travel because most times when working from home you only have to go into your office at least once a week or sometimes not at all. With seven days in the week that allows you six to travel any place that you haven’t been before and to experience different people and different cultures.

My loved one’s incarceration has impacted my life by shifting my thinking in every situation or in every decision I have had to make. As a teenager, I am sometimes expected to make mistakes, learn from them, and just take it day by day. I have not always been exactly comfortable with this idea because being the child of an incarcerated parent makes people view you differently, you can mess up one time and they assume that you’re going down the same path as that parent. With this idea in mind, I have always been hard on myself when it comes to anything because I don’t want people to assume the worst when it comes to me. I am known as a person who prefers to be a perfectionist, and that’s just because I feel as if any wrong turn can change my whole destination. Everyone who is incarcerated didn’t make a series of mistakes, sometimes it was just that one that changed their life forever, and I have always been cautious of that and tried to avoid anything that could possibly put me in that predicament. I’m considered the “mom” of the friend group or even the mature friend just because I think more into situations than my friends would, I feel as though this is because of the think shift with my parent that causes me to believe one mess up can change my life forever. My parent’s incarceration has impacted my education by also causing me to be harder on myself when the topic is school. I am a first generation college student, which means I am held to a higher standard compared to some of my other friends or family members. Earlier I mentioned how people can expect the worst and this applies to education as well because they don’t always see you as someone who can be successful because of your parent’s past. I am the type of person who likes to be able to prove someone wrong (when there is a good reason for it). So when people expect me to not go to college because my incarcerated parent didn’t, I decide to go a year earlier just to show that it is possible and that it can be done. I am a hard-working person and I earn everything I deserve, so I don’t appreciate the assumptions when it comes to me being the child of an incarcerated parent because I work just as hard as anyone else. Although my parent was not able to complete college when they were expected to, I still applied to college, got into college, and worked hard every single day to show that I am not a reflection of them and that I am my own person. Although I am not a reflection of my incarcerated parent, they do motivate me to be my best because they want me to beat the odds as well. My loved one’s incarceration is my motivation when it comes to my future goals because although they did something that caused them to be put behind bars, just knowing that they are there gives me a reason to work harder because I know that isn’t a place that I want to be. I want to work in the financial field and help people better manage their money and become financially free so that they don’t resort to crime as an idea to “help” them get out of the situations that they are in. I feel as though money has been an issue in many households and it causes some people to resort to crimes for fast money, but this fast money is not always good money. I want to help people understand that they have so many other paths to walk through, rather than running towards the path of crime, and my incarcerated parent’s situation has helped me develop this plan. I am overcoming adversity by constantly thinking of my future and constantly reminding myself that I can be the person that helps someone else, and by helping that person I could possibly help their loved one’s avoid a life of crime.