Our Destiny Our Future Scholarship

The best way to make a positive impact on the world is by providing a service. I see myself in five years as an RN working in either a pediatrics doctor's office or in labor and delivery. I will work my butt off to make that a reality. I am currently a sophomore at Howard University as a nursing major. I will make a positive impact in my community by becoming a nurse. My experience with healthcare in the past was great but it lacked representation. I only saw 1 black doctor and about 2 black nurses my whole childhood. The crazy thing is that black nurses only make us 6.7% in the U.S. The most crucial thing about this statistic is that it needs to increase. The reason for this increase is that there have been multiple studies of black people being disrespected by healthcare professionals. studies show that Black patients are significantly less likely to be prescribed pain medication and that they generally receive lower doses of it when they are. One possible reason for this, supported by existing studies, is that white people believe Black people experience less pain. Many people believed this at one point of time and gaslighted what black women were saying and the pain they felt. Statistics show that black women have a 63% higher rate of severe maternal morbidity than white women. It is a sad thing that black women aren't treated fairly in the medical field. I think having more representation and diversity in the medical field will lower that statistic. Black mothers are also three times more likely to die in pregnancy postpartum than white women. Hence my reason for wanting to work in labor and delivery. It's so sad looking at the racial disparities, you would think that all workers want to genuinely help people, but in cases like this, they are doing more harm than good. I want to change that. By adding more diversity into the healthcare field it will eliminate that racist biases and perceptions and allow patients to feel more comfortable and safe. I want to be a nurse that listens and treats people like normal people instead of just patients. I want them to feel a genuine connection with me. When nurses and doctors make the patients feel comfortable they are less scared and could ease up more because they know that their life is in good hands. It’s a lot of pressure to have someone's life in your hands, so I want to make sure I do everything I can to help them. Many people tell me that I shouldn't become a nurse because of how stressful and unappreciated they are. They also bring up being overworked and underpaid. I know that life isn’t about money, and I hate that people try to discourage me from fulfilling what my purpose in life. I hope that after working as a registered nurse for a while and getting more experience I could go back to school to become a nurse practitioner I want to become a nurse practitioner so I can open my own practice filled with nurses and doctors of all different races and ethnicities. I want to open an inclusive practice. Being a nurse practitioner is extremely rewarding and I am confident that I can do it. I know it will be hard and that I will struggle but I am so excited to begin working in my field.

Community, a bond like no other Although I have always been passionate about helping others, it wasn't until my senior year in high school that I found my niche. I realized I want to use my strengths to promote kindness and serve my community by helping students. So I volunteered as a youth coach for Little League Baseball and flag football, sold tickets for sporting events, and worked concessions for booster clubs. I found strength in helping younger members of my community find their strengths. Connecting with younger students and athletes, I spent hours volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club. Sometimes, I tutored students and helped with their homework. Other times, we played basketball; afterward, the kids would open up to me about their problems. Then, we worked together to find solutions to their dilemmas. Helping them understand they were strong enough to work through their concerns and find solutions was a great way to help kids problem-solve and feel empowered. Building strength within my community and watching the kids grow is rewarding. I quickly learned that working with young children involves chasing butterflies, kicking dirt, and waving at mom in the stands, not just learning fundamental skills. However, the joy the kids receive when they score or make a great play is like nothing you can imagine. Patience has excellent rewards! I enjoy sharing my love of the game and my expertise. It has been rewarding to bring a smile to each face and watch them fill with excitement as they continue to grow. I have connected with young athletes to build a drive for success. Students not only excel but push themselves for higher achievements. Where I was initially unsure, volunteering and working with student-athletes has helped me make decisions about my future and build a community I am proud to be a part of. Giving back to the community that helped me grow into the man I am today is an integral part of my future. In addition, being a mentor for students is essential to the success of our future. For this reason, I plan to run youth fitness camps and mentor students on post-high school options. Of course, teaching health and wellness is critical, but I want to help students navigate their choices, make sound financial decisions, and help them find comfort in the difficult times between manhood and teenage years. Once you start giving back to the community, you see how positive actions encourage others to get involved too. It allows you to create a ripple of positive impact, which inspires others to do the same while tearing down barriers and achieving goals together.

Teaching is not hard work. It is "heart" work. The career epitomizes every opportunity and experience I have had to enjoy working with young children and making a difference in their lives. I am a graduating senior in the education and human services vocational program at the Passaic County Technical Institute. I am pursuing my undergraduate studies this fall at the illustrious Spelman College, majoring in elementary education. Since June 2022, I have been an assistant teacher at an Early Head Start program, working with children ages 0 to 3. This position has changed my life forever. By becoming fully invested in all nine of the children in my classroom, I not only became a part of their growth, but they had the most significant impact on my own. I love the field of education because it is my craft and has become a part of my identity and, evidently, of the community. These endeavors have grounded me into an emerging leader who actively seeks to serve and solve problems connected to my role as an educator. Because of these children, I also took an interest in doing more with the youth in my community through organizations like the March of Dimes, the New Jersey Community Development Center (NJCDC), and the Center for Future Educators at the College of New Jersey. On a hot day in April, I thought about my students as I stood on the Meadowlands racetrack cheering on parents and their children who supported the health of mothers and premature babies. Even so, on several occasions that I was able to help the NJCDC in December 2022, families were thankful to receive gifts during the holidays, boxes of nonperishable food items to feed their young ones, and a fun day of face painting and bouncy inflatable houses. During my junior year, I spent several months between December and May creating a virtual platform for children to watch storytelling videos read by high school students in the School of Education and Human Services at my vocational institution; including higher-level thinking questions and context words for teachers and guardians to ask the little ones. Targeting to improve their literacy skills and delivering quality reading content was a means for me to develop my niche in progressing educational resources and my love of contributing to their developmental growth. Involving myself further into the field of education has exposed me to many avenues which foster my passion for teaching and the more significant impact I can have on these children's lives aside from what we do in the classroom by providing inexpensive to no-cost services, local contacts for family support, and educational resources that are available to the children's needs. Despite these early experiences, which have established me as an educator, I know that in my undergraduate studies, there is more volunteer work to be done that will ultimately define the educator I have worked incessantly to become. The children I currently teach and many others throughout the years have played a significant role in how I model and act to pay it forward. I hope to educate, support, and give back in these ways upon my time becoming an educator with an academic, personal, and moral impact on their livelihood. I want other anticipated teachers to feel inspired by these festivities to bring change and joy to undercapitalized school districts. Because of my drive and commitment to the field, I reach the hearts of young scholars by bringing learning to life and acting authentically passionate, in word and action.

I think that making a positive impact on the world is something that we can all strive for, no matter who we are or what our circumstances may be. Personally, for me, I believe that the best way to make a positive impact is to focus on the things that I can control and to take small actions that can add up to make a big difference. One of the things that I am most passionate about is education and people. I believe that education is the key to unlocking human potential and that everyone should have access to high-quality education, regardless of their background or circumstances. To that end, I have been involved in several education-related initiatives over the years, from volunteering as a Youth Council member to working with two local jobs and trying to balance out what would be the right step for my future. Another thing that has been on my mind for a while is trying to be passionate about my difference in the world. I grew up not being a normal person because when I was recently diagnosed with epilepsy I thought that would crush me and stop me from what I wanted to become. Not only did it impact my appearance but it impacted my family as well. What got me through my rough patch is the positivity I received from others and the positivity I give to others. The community reminded me that it is okay to not be okay because nobody is perfect at the end of the day. Another area where I believe that I can make a positive impact is in the realm of environmental sustainability. Climate change is one of the biggest challenges that we face as a global community, and I believe that it is our responsibility to take action to mitigate its effects. To that end, I have made several lifestyle changes over the years to reduce my carbon footprint, such as reducing my meat consumption, using public transportation whenever possible, and investing in renewable energy sources. Finally, I think that one of the most important ways to make a positive impact on the world is simply to be kind and compassionate to others. We live in a world that can be harsh and unforgiving at times, and I believe that it is our responsibility to try to make it a little bit better for those around us. Whether it's volunteering at a local shelter, donating to a charity, or simply smiling at a stranger on the street, small acts of kindness can have a ripple effect that can spread far beyond their immediate impact. Of course, there are many other ways that we can make a positive impact on the world, and I think that it's important for each of us to find the things that we are most passionate about and pursue them with conviction and dedication. Whether it's through volunteering, donating, or simply being kind to others, we all have the power to make a difference in the world, and I believe that it's our responsibility to do so.