Many children grow up playing with toys but I loved acting as a doctor and growing up in Ghana taught me how to appreciate the little things in life. The first time I noticed the suffering surrounding me was at the age of six. Standing on the sidewalk of the dirt road waiting for the school bus for the first time, children waiting on the sidewalk for the lights to turn red in order to sell snacks, water and food. The moment the light turns red, children start running towards the cars with passengers trying to buy items. The road transforms into a bustling market. Even when the light turns green, children still run after cars in order to get their money or sell more items. I stood there frightened, as a car almost ran over a young girl near me, the chills of fear that went through me at the possibility of almost being an eyewitness to a child’s death is unforgettable. I had asked her why she was risking her safety out on the roads and she answered that her mother was sick but could not afford her hospital bills. Instead of going to school, the little seven-year-old girl had to risk her life in between rows of cars to help her family. I felt useless because I did not know how I could help her, I felt ashamed because I am always complaining about my life and I felt weak because all I could do was give her my lunch money. The next day, I went back and she was not there but that girl’s face stayed with me. Lack of affordable hospital care is one of the biggest issues in Ghana and many parts of the world. This incidence made my desire to become a doctor or a job related to saving lives increase. At 14 years old, I moved to the United States to live with my father. It was arduous having to adapt to a new environment and make new friends. Having an accent did not help my situation, I was bullied for it. As I started to succeed, the bullying continued and for a moment I felt like giving up. I remembered the malnourished child running toward the car with a bottle of water. This emboldened me to report the bullies to the teachers. Focusing on my studies and extracurricular activities became my priorities. I realized my work has paid off when my counselor told me I ranked 3 out of 349 during my Junior year. I was able to maintain my 5.3 GPA while being a leader in numerous clubs. My first science research program was Waksman Scholars Program. I got more involved in STEM programs such as Governor's STEM Scholar and Summer STEM Institute. This goes without saying health is inevitably linked with science research. I have always understood my privilege and the innumerable people that lack shelter, food and education. Attending college is my first step of achieving my goal to be a physician assistant in order to help those in need. I want to start foundations that provide health services to countries that lack affordable health. I want to travel around the world, meeting and helping others. I want to be able to help children like that little girl on the road. I want children to have a chance at education and a better future. Remembering that little girl always pushes me to work harder whenever I want to give up. She may not remember me but she has helped shape who I am today.

Many children grow up playing with toys but I loved acting as a doctor and growing up in Ghana taught me how to appreciate the little things in life. The first time I noticed the suffering surrounding me was at the age of six. Standing on the sidewalk of the dirt road waiting for the school bus for the first time, children waiting on the sidewalk for the lights to turn red in order to sell snacks, water and food. The moment the light turns red, children start running towards the cars with passengers trying to buy items. The road transforms into a bustling market. Even when the light turns green, children still run after cars in order to get their money or sell more items. I stood there frightened, as a car almost ran over a young girl near me, the chills of fear that went through me at the possibility of almost being an eyewitness to a child’s death is unforgettable. I had asked her why she was risking her safety out on the roads and she answered that her mother was sick but could not afford her hospital bills. Instead of going to school, the young seven-year-old girl had to risk her life in between rows of cars to help her family. I felt useless because I did not know how I could help her, I felt ashamed because I am always complaining about my life and I felt weak because all I could do was give her my lunch money. The next day, I went back and she was not there but that girl’s face stayed with me. Lack of affordable hospital care is one of the biggest issues in Ghana and many parts of the world. This incidence made my desire to become a doctor or a job related to saving lives increase. At 14 years old, I moved to the United States to live with my father. It was arduous having to adapt to a new environment and make new friends. Having an accent did not help my situation, I was bullied for it. As I started to succeed, the bullying continued and for a moment I felt like giving up. I remembered the malnourished child running toward the car with a bottle of water. This emboldened me to report the bullies to the teachers. Focusing on my studies and extracurricular activities became my priorities. I realized my work has paid off when my counselor told me I ranked 3 out of 349 during my Junior year. I was able to maintain my 5.3 GPA while being a leader in numerous clubs. My first science research program was Waksman Scholars Program. I got more involved in STEM programs such as Governor's STEM Scholar and Summer STEM Institute. This goes without saying health is inevitably linked with science research. I have always understood my privilege and the innumerable people that lack shelter, food and education. Attending college is my first step of achieving my goal to be a Physician assistant in order to help those in need. I want to start foundations that provide health services to countries that lack affordable health. I want to travel around the world, meeting and helping others. I want to be able to help children like that little girl on the road. I want children to have a chance at education and a better future. Remembering that little girl always pushes me to work harder whenever I want to give up. She may not remember me but she has helped shape who I am today.

Comparing my life to the slope intercept form for a straight-line equation, y=mx+b seems rational. When you put my life on a graph and view its ups and downs up close, it seems as though it is a nonlinear function. From a distance, those dips and rises are inconsequential and blur into a straight line. The y determines how far up or down the line is, representing adults making decisions regarding my life without me being able to intercept it. The m describes the slope of my life from the changes throughout my twenty years. The x constitutes how far I have come along in life to the point where x=0. The constant, b, defines my constant ambition and what I seek. That is what my primary reason for attending school is, becoming financially stable in life represents, my first decision as an adult and a constant in my life. Pursuing a degree offers affordability to me as a person affected by poverty and wants to achieve a goal of being debt free. At 3 months old, a baby forms a strong attachment towards the parent but at that age my father left to the United States for greener pastures changing my growth in life. He wanted better for me, which led to him being physically absent from my life. My mother and I had to live hand to mouth to be able to survive in Ghana while also providing for my educational needs. Since then, I decided to make responsible financial decisions as I have witnessed the importance of financial stability. With the in-state tuition and the sacrifices I have made by missing out on opportunities due to financial struggles, working two jobs while in community college, I am still unable to afford college which in turn means difficulty in being financially independent. My career goal is to become a Physician Assistant by getting into Rutgers PA program emphasizing my need for a constant. Growing up I went to five different schools in the span of elementary to middle school in Ghana due to moving and attending high school here was also a unique experience. I had to adapt to the different educational processes, syllabus, and values for each institution. Currently, I am a transfer from a community college attending Rutgers University all in the efforts to be financially stable. I had to give up the opportunity to attend Ivy Leagues and prestigious colleges due to not being able to afford it and wanting to have a financially stable life in the future. Choosing Physician Assistant as a career is not only due to the financial stability it provides but also being able to give back to people going through any financial struggles. Being able to create opportunities such as this award for those who need financial help, this is why achieving my dream is important to me. This award will impact my college career and eventually achieving my dream of financial stability.

I moved to the United States at the age of 14 for the chance of a better future. This meant leaving my friends, family and most importantly my mother. Coming to this choice was no easy choice but I decided to come live with my father here in the US. Upon my arrival in the US, the differences between the living conditions in Ghana and here was very evident. It was hard fitting in because of my accent and my handwork being looked down on because of where I am from. Although I proved to myself several times that I have done well for myself, I still felt disappointed. I realized it was because I felt this guilt. Most people refer to it as the immigrant guilt. As a young girl of 16 in high school, trying to adapt to this new environment and make new friends, I also had the future of my family in my hands. Going to college makes me the first person in my family to have a degree. My siblings look up to me, my mother back home sees me as her hope and I feel indebted to my father who gave me this chance to a better future. It reached a point in my life that sometimes I felt guilty to even buy a nice top for myself as I felt like my mother never had this privilege that I have. I was so wrapped in this self guilt of how many other girls in Ghana do not have this opportunity I have. Most of them are not able to afford education or do not even have the opportunity to one. Everything began to change when I began helping my community in anyway I can. Food drives for interact club, going to retirement homes, organizing socks drive, raising money for POAC Autism Services and more. Fortunately, I got the chance to attend a New York Girls Tech Summit that had successful women in STEM who encouraged us. This inspired to have my own fundraiser. The idea was to have a movie night with a ticket sale of 5 dollars. Then it began to grow by giving an incentive of an extra credit from a teacher if you attend. There were snacks sold during the fundraiser. My friends helped me in making this fundraiser possible and this fundraiser really emphasized the importance of teamwork. My friend who is an artist helped me in making posters and the others helped in arranging the venue of the movie night. In total, I raised 300 dollars that went to the For Us Girls' Foundation that aids young girls in developing countries in having an opportunity to education. The outcome from this fundraiser shocked me and I was very happy to be able to help. My joy grew when the founder of the foundation made a video thanking me and how the donation made will be used to provide bools and desks for these girls. Many students were happy that they were able to contribute to change in other countries in their own way and that was the beginning of my journey as a voice of change. Currently, I spend my day offs at Top Soccer where I play soccer and connect with children with special needs. My hope is to create great changes in this world one day.

My father left Ghana to come to America when I was 3 months old, this made my mother a single mother. She had the responsibility of raising my 3 siblings and I on her own. My father was struggling trying to make a life in America and my mother has to take care of me while working. My older sister at the age of 9 had to take the responsibility of taking care of us as our mother was trying to earn a living. At 14 years old, my siblings, my mother and I finally came to the United States to live with my father. All 6 of us lived in a one bedroom apartment because only my father was the breadwinner of the family. It took some time for my mother, my sister and I to find a job. Living in a one bedroom apartment was not easy. I remember having to always stay after school in order to complete my assignments in the media lab due to lack of laptops in my house. Three years later, we all moved to a two bedroom apartment and everything was going smoothly till the pandemic. Due to the pandemic, my mother lost her job but my father wants me to focus on my studies for now. My older sister and my father are the only ones that now provide for my two younger brothers, my mother and I. Fortunately, the school provided my siblings and I Chromebooks that helped us to attend classes virtually during this pandemic. All these struggles has helped in building me in becoming a hardworking woman. At a young age, I have witnessed suffering and is grateful for the privilege I have. This is shown on my work ethic as a student, I graduated high school with a rank of fifth in my graduating class. I joined many clubs and science fair in order to build up my resumes. Going to college in my family is a great opportunity and this scholarship will go a long way in helping me.

I am in my first year of community college and to be honest I am loving it. It was daunting deciding to go to a community college instead of a 4 year college like most people. It is sad that there is this shame attached to attending a community college. I am proud to say that going to a community college was one of my best decisions. My parents moved to the United States from Ghana when I was 6 years old. As immigrants, they had to fight and be able to provide for their family. My siblings and I lived with our Grandmother. At 14 years old, I was finally able to move to the United States and live with my family. Unfortunately, I had to deal with the bullying regarding my accent and my intelligence was questioned every step I took. Despite the struggles, I succeeded and graduated high school ranking at fifth in my graduating class. Seeing the pride in my parents’ face was everything. To them, all the difficulties was worth it on that moment. This is why I want to go to college and hoped provide for them in the future. As the first person to go to college, I hope to make them proud. At Ocean County College, I am able to really explore what I want to do with my life. I went to first year with my major being nursing. I went to college with the mindset of being a physician assistant through a nursing degree. I realized that the nursing program is complicated. Some people are placed on the waiting list for the nursing schools for many semesters before being admitted. Coming to hard decision of changing my major was scary. Then a professor told me about the major Business option with Health administration which calmed me down. He conveyed his disappointment of the college not talking much about this program. I did my own research and realized that this a growing field in health. I finally came to the decision and changed my major. I looked at the courses required for this major and saw that most of the business classes I had taken some in high school. I have registered for my classes for the spring semester and excited about my business classes. After my two years in Ocean County College, I hope to transfer to a 4 year college to earn my bachelor’s degree in health administration. Honestly, I am scared that transferring to another college will not go as smoothly as I want. My top school is Rutgers University as they have a great Health Administration program. Financially wise, I am scared as I want to go to college without worrying about tuition. Burdening my family with the debt worried me that is why I hope to win this scholarship. This scholarship will go a far way in making college journey a success. As the first person in my family to be going to college, I hope to make my family proud.

Many children grow up playing with toys but I loved acting as a doctor and growing up in Ghana taught me how to appreciate the little things in life. As I was standing on the sidewalk of the dirt road waiting for the school bus for the first time, children waiting on the sidewalk for the lights to turn red in order to sell snacks, water and food. The moment the light turns red, children start running towards the cars with passengers trying to buy items. The road transforms into a bustling market. Even when the light turns green, children still run after cars in order to get their money or sell more items. I stood there frightened, as a car almost ran over a young girl near me, the chills of fear that went through me at the possibility of almost being an eyewitness to a child’s death is unforgettable. I had asked her why she was risking her safety out on the roads and she answered that her mother was sick but could not afford her hospital bills. Instead of going to school, she had to risk her life in between rows of cars to help her family. I felt useless because I did not know how I could help her, I felt ashamed because I am always complaining about my life and I felt weak because all I could do was give her my lunch money. The next day, I went back and she was not there but her face stayed with me. Lack of affordable hospital care is one of the biggest issues in Ghana and many parts of the world. This incidence made my desire to become a doctor or a job related to saving lives increase. At 14 years old, I moved to the United States to live with my father. I never understood what racism was till I came to United Sates 4 years ago. In Ghana, everyone no matter their race were treated the same. My skin color was never seen as a threat. I grew up watching high school movies with my friends in Ghana. To us, high schools seemed fun and perfect. Arriving to the John F. Kennedy airport, it still felt unreal that I am in the United States. The next day, I went to the hospital for checkups and on the forms, it asked for my race. I was a bit confused on why that was important. I wrote Ghanaian not knowing what to write. The receptionist told me " you are considered black or African American", I wondered why do i need to be categorized. From that day, I realized people seem to get uncomfortable with me when I went to malls or grocery shopping with my dad. I never understood the stares. High school was supposed to be a dream come true but that is where I understood racism. People called me derogatory terms because of my skin color and where I am from. Having an accent did not help my situation, I was bullied for that too. I understood racism when I saw the clip of George Floyd suffocating and dying. I understood racism when Breonna Taylor's case was dismissed.A person should not be judged based on my skin color. I was angry that the more I succeeded the worse the bullying got. Remembering the little child running toward the car with a bottle of water emboldened me to report the bullies to the teachers. Focusing on my studies and extracurricular activities became my priorities. I realized my work has paid off when my counselor told me I ranked 3 out of 349 during my Junior year. I was able to maintain my 5.3 GPA while being a leader in numerous clubs. My first science research program was Waksman Scholars Program. I got more involved in STEM programs such as Governor's STEM Scholar and Summer STEM Institute. This goes without saying health is inevitably linked with science research. Also, being the first in my family to attend college in my family had put a lot of pressure on me. I am determined to make my family proud and achieve my dreams. This scholarship will go a long way in helping me. Attending college is my first step of achieving my goal to be a physician assistant in order to help those in need. I want to start foundations that provide health services to countries that lack affordable health. I want to travel around the world, meeting and helping others. I want to be able to help children like that little girl on the road. I want children to have a chance at education and a better future. Remembering that little girl always pushes me to work harder whenever I want to give up. She may not remember me but she has helped shape who I am today.

My favorite scientist is myself, it may sound egotistical but I motivate myself everyday as I am passionate about STEM. My first science research program was Waksman Scholars Program, a program by Rutgers University which involved the genomic analysis of Duckweed. I got more involved in STEM programs such as Governor's STEM Scholar and Summer STEM Institute. I have written a paper on the effects of natural factors on oysters’ size using Python Coding and U am currently doing a research regarding Wolbachia in mosquitoes with students in Israel.

My father left Ghana to come to America when I was 3 months old, this made my mother a single mother. She had the responsibility of raising my 3 siblings and I on her own. My father was struggling trying to make a life in America and my mother has to take care of me while working. At 14 years old, my siblings, my mother and I finally came to the United States to live with my father. All 6 of us lived in a one bedroom apartment because only my father was the breadwinner of the family. It took some time for my mother, my sister and I to find a job. Living in a one bedroom apartment was not easy. I remember having to always stay after school in order to complete my assignments in the media lab due to lack of laptops in my house. Three years later, we all moved to a two bedroom apartment and everything was going smoothly till the pandemic. Due to the pandemic, my mother lost her job but my father wants me to focus on my studies for now. My older sister and my father are the only ones that now provide for my two younger brothers, my mother and I. Fortunately, the school provided my siblings and I Chromebooks that have helped us to attend classes virtually during this pandemic. Being the first to go to college in my family is a great opportunity and this scholarship will go a long way in helping me.

I attended a Tech Camp in New York mainly for women. Afterwards, I had an idea of organizing a fundraiser towards girls' education.The idea was to throw a movie night in my school's media center. I went to teachers if they could give extra credit to anyone who comes to my movie night. Some teachers rejected me but I pushed on. The price of the tickets was 5 dollars and I had snacks to sell. I ended up raising over 300 dollars. The money went to the For Us Girls foundation, who is dedicated to girl’s education in developing countries.

Many children grow up playing with toys but I loved acting as a doctor and growing up in Ghana taught me how to appreciate the little things in life. The first time I noticed the suffering surrounding me was at the age of six. Standing on the sidewalk of the dirt road waiting for the school bus for the first time, children waiting on the sidewalk for the lights to turn red in order to sell snacks, water and food. The moment the light turns red, children start running towards the cars with passengers trying to buy items. The road transforms into a bustling market. Even when the light turns green, children still run after cars in order to get their money or sell more items. I stood there frightened, as a car almost ran over a young girl near me, the chills of fear that went through me at the possibility of almost being an eyewitness to a child’s death is unforgettable. I had asked her why she was risking her safety out on the roads and she answered that her mother was sick but could not afford her hospital bills. Instead of going to school, the little seven-year-old girl had to risk her life in between rows of cars to help her family. I felt useless because I did not know how I could help her, I felt ashamed because I am always complaining about my life and I felt weak because all I could do was give her my lunch money. The next day, I went back and she was not there but that girl’s face stayed with me. Lack of affordable hospital care is one of the biggest issues in Ghana and many parts of the world. This incidence made my desire to become a doctor or a job related to saving lives increase. At 14 years old, I moved to the United States to live with my father. It was arduous having to adapt to a new environment and make new friends. Having an accent did not help my situation, I was bullied for it. As I started to succeed, the bullying continued and for a moment I felt like giving up. I remembered the malnourished child running toward the car with a bottle of water. This emboldened me to report the bullies to the teachers. Focusing on my studies and extracurricular activities became my priorities. I realized my work has paid off when my counselor told me I ranked 3 out of 349 during my Junior year. I was able to maintain my 5.3 GPA while being a leader in numerous clubs. My first science research program was Waksman Scholars Program. I got more involved in STEM programs such as Governor's STEM Scholar and Summer STEM Institute. This goes without saying health is inevitably linked with science research. I have always understood my privilege and the innumerable people that lack shelter, food and education. Attending college is my first step of achieving my goal to be a physician assistant in order to help those in need. I want to start foundations that provide health services to countries that lack affordable health. I want to travel around the world, meeting and helping others. I want to be able to help children like that little girl on the road. I want children to have a chance at education and a better future. Remembering that little girl always pushes me to work harder whenever I want to give up. She may not remember me but she has helped shape who I am today.

Growing up in Ghana taught me how to appreciate the little things in life. The first time I noticed the suffering surrounding me was at the age of six. Standing on the sidewalk of the dirt road waiting for the school bus for the first time, children waiting on the sidewalk for the lights to turn red in order to sell snacks, water and food. The moment the light turns red, children start running towards the cars with passengers trying to buy items. The road transforms into a bustling market. Even when the light turns green, children still run after cars in order to get their money or sell more items. I stood there frightened, as a car almost ran over a young girl near me, the chills of fear that went through me at the possibility of almost being an eyewitness to a child’s death is unforgettable. I had asked her why she was risking her safety out on the roads and she answered that her mother was sick but could not afford her hospital bills. Instead of going to school, the little seven-year-old girl had to risk her life in between rows of cars to help her family. I felt weak because all I could do was give her my lunch money. The next day, I went back and she was not there but that girl’s face stayed with me. Lack of affordable hospital care is one of the biggest issues in Ghana and many parts of the world. This incidence made my desire to become a doctor or a job related to saving lives increase. At 14 years old, I moved to the United States to live with my father. It was arduous having to adapt to a new environment and make new friends. Having an accent did not help my situation, I was bullied for it. As I started to succeed, the bullying continued and for a moment I felt like giving up. I remembered the malnourished child running toward the car with a bottle of water. This emboldened me to report the bullies to the teachers. Focusing on my studies and extracurricular activities became my priorities. I realized my work has paid off when my counselor told me I ranked 3 out of 349 during my Junior year.I got more involved in STEM programs such as Waksman Scholars’ Program, Governor's STEM Scholar and Summer STEM Institute. Attending college is my first step of achieving my goal to be a physician assistant in order to help those in need. I want to start foundations that provide health services to countries that lack affordable health. I want children like the little girl to have a chance at education and a better future. Remembering that little girl always pushes me to work harder whenever I want to give up. She may not remember me but she has helped shape who I am today.

Growing up in Ghana taught me how to appreciate the little things in life. The first time I noticed the suffering surrounding me was at the age of six. Standing on the sidewalk of the dirt road waiting for the school bus for the first time, children waiting on the sidewalk for the lights to turn red in order to sell snacks, water and food. The moment the light turns red, children start running towards the cars with passengers trying to buy items. The road transforms into a bustling market. Even when the light turns green, children still run after cars in order to get their money or sell more items. I stood there frightened, as a car almost ran over a young girl near me, the chills of fear that went through me at the possibility of almost being an eyewitness to a child’s death is unforgettable. I had asked her why she was risking her safety out on the roads and she answered that her mother was sick but could not afford her hospital bills. Instead of going to school, the little seven-year-old girl had to risk her life in between rows of cars to help her family. I felt weak because all I could do was give her my lunch money. The next day, I went back and she was not there but that girl’s face stayed with me. Lack of affordable hospital care is one of the biggest issues in Ghana and many parts of the world. This incidence made my desire to become a doctor or a job related to saving lives increase. At 14 years old, I moved to the United States to live with my father. It was arduous having to adapt to a new environment and make new friends. Having an accent did not help my situation, I was bullied for it. As I started to succeed, the bullying continued and for a moment I felt like giving up. I remembered the malnourished child running toward the car with a bottle of water. This emboldened me to report the bullies to the teachers. Focusing on my studies and extracurricular activities became my priorities. I realized my work has paid off when my counselor told me I ranked 3 out of 349 during my Junior year.I got more involved in STEM programs such as Waksman Scholars’ Program, Governor's STEM Scholar and Summer STEM Institute. Attending college is my first step of achieving my goal to be a physician assistant in order to help those in need. I want to start foundations that provide health services to countries that lack affordable health. I want children like the little girl to have a chance at education and a better future. Remembering that little girl always pushes me to work harder whenever I want to give up. She may not remember me but she has helped shape who I am today.