My entire life my parents have emphasized how important getting an education is, so ever since elementary school I’ve been determined to attain a college degree. They always told me that pursuing higher education would unlock many doors for me and provide me with opportunities that would otherwise be inaccessible. My mom has over $100k in student loans, and they can’t afford to take out any more loans to help get me to college. They’ve always taught me to work hard and dream big, and getting a good education is a huge stepping stone that can unlock so many opportunities that I might not be able to have without it. I want to make them proud, and by swiftly achieving my dream of going to Howard and being a music journalist will allow me to feel like I've done just that. Ever since I was little I've wanted to attend the illustrious Howard University. Getting accepted into their Media, Film, and Journalism program has been an absolute dream come true. I’m so excited to be attending an HBCU, since I grew up in a city with a low black population and I barely had any black friends growing up. It also didn’t help that I'm a bit weird and socially awkward, making it even hard to create close connections with others. I think being surrounded by other black people will feel incredibly fulfilling and allow me to come out of my shell more. With my journalism degree I plan to write about up and coming black musicians. I love music and writing, they're my 2 favorite things in the entire world, so I hope to use my the knowledge and connections I'll be exposed to to be able to change how the mainstream media views and treats our black artists We have the most influential figures in music, but we really never get the proper credit and I want to make sure we have a space to be appreciated for our work. Black people have been starting music trends and movements ever since we've been able to, and our culture is such an important part of American culture, so it's only fair that we're welcomed into every musical space, and held to the same standards and high regards as our non-black peers. And since I listen to and enjoy pretty much every single genre of music, I feel like I will be able to promote such a wide variety of black music to the public. To me, such a quintessential part of being black is standing up for injustice and fighting for equal opportunities for everyone, and I hope to do just that with my career path.

I've been a lover of music ever since I can remember. I was one of those kids whose parents always had stories about a song I loved, or about me dancing or singing, or the music I would create. When I was younger my lifelong dream was to be a super famous pop star. When I got into middle school, I picked up the flute, and changed my dream from pop star to flautist. By the end of my high school career, I realized that my heart also lies within the journalism world. I found a space where I could stay inside the music world, all while relentlessly promoting my favorite artists. Along the way of finding that dream, I also found Howard University and their Journalism program. With my journalism degree I plan to write about up and coming black musicians. I hope to use my the knowledge and connections I'll be exposed to at Howard to be able to change how the mainstream media views and treats our black artists We have the most influential figures in music, but we really never get the proper credit and I want to make sure we have a space to be appreciated for our work. Black people have been starting music trends and movements ever since we've been able to, and our culture is such an important part of American culture, so it's only fair that we're welcomed into every musical space, and held to the same standards and high regards as our non-black peers. Since I listen to and enjoy pretty much every single genre of music, I feel like I will be able to promote such a wide variety of black music to the public. To me, such a quintessential part of being black is standing up for injustice and fighting for equal opportunities for everyone, and I hope to do just that with my career path. I want the whole world to see and believe in our artists, the way the black community does. This will not only change the way the world views us, but will also help local and lesser known artists have a real shot at making their dreams come true. There are so many amazing musicians that don't get the time of day to shine because of the world's biases, and because of how oversaturated the music industry is, it can feel almost impossible for anyone to make it. I want young, black artists to feel appreciated, to feel seen, and most importantly to be heard.

Ever since I was little I've wanted to attend the illustrious Howard University. Getting accepted into their Media, Film, and Journalism program has been an absolute dream come true. I’m so excited to be attending an HBCU, since I grew up in a city with a low black population and I barely had any black friends growing up. It also didn’t help that I'm a bit weird and socially awkward, making it even hard to create close connections with others. I think being surrounded by other black people will feel incredibly fulfilling and allow me to come out of my shell more. With my journalism degree I plan to write about up and coming black musicians. I love music and writing, they're my 2 favorite things in the entire world, so I hope to use my the knowledge and connections I'll be exposed to to be able to change how the mainstream media views and treats our black artists We have the most influential figures in music, but we really never get the proper credit and I want to make sure we have a space to be appreciated for our work. Black people have been starting music trends and movements ever since we've been able to, and our culture is such an important part of American culture, so it's only fair that we're welcomed into every musical space, and held to the same standards and high regards as our non-black peers. And since I listen to and enjoy pretty much every single genre of music, I feel like I will be able to promote such a wide variety of black music to the public. To me, such a quintessential part of being black is standing up for injustice and fighting for equal opportunities for everyone, and I hope to do just that with my career path. This scholarship will help take some of the financial burden off of my parents so that I can pursue the thing I love without leaving college with huge debts. My mom has over $100k in student loans, and they can’t afford to take out any more loans to help get me to college. They’ve always taught me to work hard and dream big, and getting a good education is a huge stepping stone that can unlock so many opportunities that I might not be able to have without it. I want to make them proud, and by swiftly achieving my dream of going to Howard and being a music journalist will allow me to feel like I've done just that.

When I was around 12 years old, I found "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe" by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. Being a young, black girl questioning her own sexuality and struggling with her mental health, this book healed me and helped me become the woman I am today. It’s a beautiful coming of age story about Aristotle, a depressed high school boy, becoming comfortable in himself and finding comfort in others. The reader follows him on his journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance while he re-evaluates how he interacts with the world. Sáenz has a way of writing that is truly beautiful, and completely expresses the melancholy tone Aristotle has throughout the story. I felt like this book was speaking to me, taking thoughts and ideas out of my own head, ultimately helping me make sense of my reality. Watching this young, hispanic boy find love and trust for not only himself, but others around him made me feel like there was an actual future for me. That I wasn’t doomed to loneliness forever. I’m so thankful to have found that book when I did, because it saved my life. I needed to see a story so similar to mine, about someone being able to be loved, even with their mental struggles. I needed to experience someone else’s story in order to believe in my own. I needed this book to help me feel humanized again, after such a long time of believing that I’d never be loved, and that I’d never have true happiness.

I’m planning to attend Howard University in the fall, majoring in Media, Journalism, and Film. I’m truly so excited to be attending an HBCU, since I grew up in a city with a low black population and I barely had any black friends growing up. It also didn’t help that I'm a bit weird and socially awkward, making it even hard to create close connections with others. I think being surrounded by other black people will feel incredibly fulfilling and allow me to come out of my shell more. I love music and writing, it’s my 2 favorite things in the entire world, so I hope to use my journalism degree to promote black up and coming musicians! We have the most influential figures in music, but we really never get the proper credit and I want to make sure we have a space to be appreciated for our work. And since I listen to and enjoy pretty much every single genre of music, I feel like I will be able to promote such a wide variety of black music to the public. To me, such a quintessential part of being black is standing up for injustice and fighting for equal opportunities for everyone, and I hope to do just that with my career path.

Black LGBT+ youth suffer from the highest rates of mental illnesses, suicidal thoughts and actions, and an inability to receive help and treatment for these things amongst any other group. According to the 2022 Trevor Project Survey on LGBT+ Youth Mental Health, an astonishing 45% of LGBT+ youth seriously considered suicide in the past year. That number is even higher among black LGBT+ youth, at 49%. These statistics are terrifying - the idea that young people are considering taking their own lives simply because they are not accepted because of the person they love or how they identify. I believe this issue stems from a lack of representation and understanding of LGBT+ people in black communities. By pushing this representation of real black LGBT figures into our mainstream media, we can slowly beat down this stigma surrounding being black and being LGBT+. Black people are the backbone of the movement that continues to fight for equal treatment and rights of all people, including the LGBT+ community. It’s so important to highlight the voices of figures like Martha P. Johnson, James Baldwin, and Audre Lorde when talking about the history of LGBT+ movement. So often black LGBT+ artists are left out of important conversations, consistently being erased from the narrative and not being recognized for the talent and impact they have had on the community. Musical artists such as Victoria Monet, Kehlani, Sylvester, and Mykki Blanco are overlooked in the LGBT+ community, which often opts to give credit to white artists for breaking the status quo, when in fact frequently these artists stand on the foundations set by their black counterparts. While the work and efforts of white LGBT+ artists should not be undermined, it’s hypocritical to only celebrate white LGBT+ artists and ignore and even try to diminish the work of black artists. This is what I hope to change in my career. By becoming an entertainment journalist, I want to highlight influential black artists so that their work can’t go unnoticed. I want to create a world where the LGBT+ movement cannot pretend not to see us and where seeing a black LGBT+ person becomes part of the norm. I believe that normalizing this and highlighting black LGBT+ artists can help break the dangerous stigma around being black and being LGBT+. It’ll give young black LGBT+ youth the ability to see successful people who look and feel like them so that they can see themselves represented in a positive light, as well as carve out a space for musicians who just want to be unapologetically themselves. When you’re able to see others like you feeling comfortable and confident in who they are, it gives you the hope that things can get better.