My commitment to diversity in education began with my involvement in the Waco Community Training Center (WCTC), an after-school program for educationally, ethnically, and socially disadvantaged students. I interacted with students who were disrespectful to both staff and tutors. These students clearly lacked interest in math and science. As I learned from my father, I told them immediately that I wanted to work with them, but would not tolerate disrespect. I maintained an assertive demeanor in order to make them understand and respect the situation as well as their academics. Over time, I discovered that some students had an interest in circuits and others found that they enjoyed writing creative short stories about hypothetically living the day differently. I actively worked to cultivate and build upon their gifts, which led to their successful performance on the standardized STAAR (State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness) test. In recognition for this work, I am a recipient of a 2016 President’s Volunteer Service Award, a national award issued by the President of the United States to citizens in recognition of hundreds of hours of service. Experiences like this enabled me to develop better communication skills and have motivated me to explore academia as a career path. This experience gave me a better understanding of the mental and cultural barriers at play at the elementary level and led to the discovery of my own personal styles for tearing those barriers down and fostering the untapped potential of young students.

When I was young, I made a promise to myself that I would never utter a curse word. I wasn't sure why at first, but I just couldn't imagine hearing profanity in my voice. Instinctively, as I strived to hone my interpersonal and communication skills, two traits I've always held at high value, cursing just seemed a little too much like an "easy way out," a limited, less robust, and often negative form of expression. I would think to myself "I can find a better way to express myself than that." I have always held myself to a standard of developing my vocabulary and eloquence of word to a level at which I wouldn't need profanity. Because I strive to be self-embracing and high-achieving, this has always been a way in which I have challenged myself daily. I challenge myself to have mastery over my thoughts and words because I believe they are the seeds of my actions. If I aspire to breathe positivity into those around me, I want to do my best to live out positivity both internally and externally. To this day, I have not broken this promise. My personal journey towards deeper self-expression keeps me grounded in my personal and professional life. I stay true to myself by keeping this life-long promise, and I am extremely grateful that the Bold Be You Scholarship exists and promotes life-long promises to the self.

I believe mentorship is one of the most prudent ways to affect positive change in my community. Through my mentorship experiences, I have come to a deep and understanding of the importance of leading by example and enabling others to live their best lives. These experiences motivate me to become a professor who can guide students and colleagues on their unique journeys towards intellectual freedom. As a Sloan scholar mentor, a physics department fellow and leader, and an activist in underrepresented minority outreach in STEM, I have inspired lifelong changes in myself and those around me. My mentoring philosophy is one of empowerment. I seek to help other realize their true potential and strive for more than they ever thought they were capable of. Just as it was done for me, I hope to walk in the shoes of my mentees and prioritize their growth professionally, personally, and relationally. A positive mentorship experience is invaluable Through the Bold Community Activist Scholarship, I strive to live out my mentorship philosophy and impact change for the better in the lives of those I am lucky enough to play a part in.

If I were a highly influential figure, I'm sure it would be in quantum physics, because that is where my passion lies. As an advocate for education in quantum science, I would emphatically promote quantum physics as an accessible discipline for the general public. For me, physics did not come naturally. During my freshmen year of undergrad, I would commonly find myself in awe of my brilliant classmates and their abilities. They would score at the top of the class, while I would score in the middle. But as we reached junior and senior year, I noticed that those stellar, high-achieving classmates, to my utter confusion, had left the major. It couldn't have been that they weren't capable, it wasn't that they lacked interest, so what held them back from pressing on towards the degree? The answer arises from a truth commonly forgotten in the Ivory Tower of physics in academia: Physics is just hard. No matter how smart you are, the field of physics is boundless, and everyone reaches a ceiling eventually. And the difference between those who stay in the field and those who leave, is not intelligence, but choice. At some point, physics stops being easy and starts becoming something you choose. The main principle I would stand for, is the total deconstruction of the belief that intellectual aptitude is a barrier to meaningfully engaging physics. I believe that anyone who truly wants to learn physics, can learn physics, even one of the most nuanced fields like quantum physics. With the assistance of the Bold Influence Scholarship, I strive to become a global leader in my field who will help other realize quantum physics is a field not beyond anyone with genuine curiosity and passion for it. Quantum Physics is a beautiful world that belongs to everyone!

Through my mentorship experiences, I have come to a deep and understanding of the importance of leading by exampling and wanting and working towards the best of others. These experiences motivate me to become a professor who can guide students and colleagues on their unique journeys towards intellectual freedom. As a Sloan scholar mentor, a physics department fellow and leader, and an activist in underrepresented minority outreach in STEM, I have inspired lifelong changes in myself and those around me. My mentoring philosophy is one of empowerment. I seek to help other realize their true potential and strive for more than they originally thought they were capable of. Just as it was done for me, I hope to walk in the shoes of my mentees and prioritize their growth professionally, personally, and relationally. Through the Bold Mentorship Scholarship, I strive to live out my mentorship philosophy and impact change for the better in the lives of those I am lucky enough to play a part in.

I have stayed optimistic by staying focused on my mission. My mission is to leave a legacy. To me, a "legacy" is a person's vow to leave the world a better place than they found it. This vow is carried out through the actions one takes to enrich the lives of others, whether it's a cleaner planet, a financial gift, or the children who carry the values left by their parent's actions. Leaving a legacy means leaving proof of the value of one's existence, that sustains their life even after it has left this world. A legacy is independent of money or social standing. It is much deeper than these because it is the purest embodiment of a person's actions and how those actions affected those that surrounded them. My upbringing as an African-American man blessed enough to have been raised by a father of substance and character has greatly impacted the way I view the nuances of somewhat abstract sentiments such as honor, truth, and legacy. I was blessed enough to have been raised by a mother whose sincerity and grace molded me into a compassionate and loving person. Although we didn't have a lot materially, I was blessed with a substantial lack of material desire. My parents raised me to value the things I can't touch or hold, but the things that also last an eternity. My parents imparted to me the value of hard work, the importance of perspective, the will to resist mediocrity, and most importantly to me, an appreciation for my ancestry and identity as an African American man that has made me who I am today. By tethering my optimism to my mission of leaving a legacy, optimism runs deep into the defining principles of my character, and can never be taken from me.

"One monkey don't stop no show!" as my late-grandfather, my mother, and now I, would say in the face of any disparaging crowd that would try to keep us from walking our walk and living our lives, running our own show. I first heard this quote from my mother one day in middle school when I told her how hurt I was with how my classmates would talk about me, being the only African American in the class in a southern suburban district. My mother, being the strong-willed, Air Force veteran she was, always had a way of kicking me into high-gear and back into action. Instead of coddling me into feeling sorry for myself, her graceful yet stern, motivational soap-box speeches always had a way of reminding me who I am: the showman in the story of my life. "Just because a few monkeys are actin' amuck doesn't mean the show can't go on". This perspective served as a water-shed moment in my young life. To me, this quote is a six-word reminder that I am not defined by the words, actions, or perceptions of others. What defines me, is me. "One monkey don't stop no show". I remember this quote well for what it means to me as well as how it was passed down to me, from my late-grandpa, to my mother, and now to me. It is a legacy of my strength of will, to always be self-defining, and to live a life I can say is truly mine. Because no matter what, the show must go on!

Through my mentorship experiences, I have come to a deep and understanding of the importance of leading by exampling and wanting and working towards the best of others. These experiences motivate me to become a professor who can guide students and colleagues on their unique journeys towards intellectual freedom. As a Sloan scholar mentor, a physics department fellow and leader, and an activist in underrepresented minority outreach in STEM, I have inspired lifelong changes in myself and those around me. My mentoring philosophy is one of empowerment. I seek to help other realize their true potential and strive for more than they originally thought they were capable of. Just as it was done for me, I hope to walk in the shoes of my mentees and prioritize their growth professionally, personally, and relationally. Through the Bold Mentorship Scholarship, I strive to live out my mentorship philosophy and impact change for the better in the lives of those I am lucky enough to play a part in.

My favorite scientific discovery is laser cooling. All my life before graduate school, I thought lasers were used to heat things or cut things. But in the 1980s, it was discovered that you can apply lasers of a certain frequency to atoms to make them COLDER. By applying them in thhe direction opposite their motion, you can transfer negative units of momentum to the atom, much like a million tiny flies crashing against the windshield of a large truck. Even though they are smaller, they still except a force on the truck, and enough of them will eventually slow it down. This concept of laser cooling atoms is the foundation for my field of physics. It is responsible for the revolutionary area of quantum computing and examining the physics of very small things. To me, is literally the coolest thing in the world and I wouldn’t be the physicist I am today without that key discovery.

To me, "generosity" is a measure of the ability to give of one's self. Generosity (with resources, time, energy, etc.) begins in the heart, with the resolution to set one's own needs aside and actively address the needs of another, as if they were just as precious. If grace is a thought, generosity is an action. By choosing to be generous to another, one is making the determination that the individual is worthy of grace. Grace leads one to act on the will of their heart from a well-wishing intention to an act of meeting a realistic and tangible need. An example of this can be seen from the difference between "thinking about donating to charity" and actually doing so. Generosity is the will to affect change in the lives of others. The forms generosity can take vary from person to person, whether it's lending a shoulder to cry on or a listening ear for a struggling friend, or giving a portion of one's salary as a tithe for the church. In any case, generosity REQUIRES action. This is the way I try to practice generosity: as an action. I believe showing true generosity requires me to give of myself, to sacrifice, and set my needs or wants aside for the well-being of my fellow human beings. Through the Bold Generosity Matters Scholarship, I want to serve as a living testament to the values of generosity as an action professionally, personally, and relationally.

"One monkey don't stop no show!" as my late-grandfather, my mother, and now I, would say in the face of any disparaging crowd that would try to keep us from walking our walk and living our lives, running our own show. I first heard this quote from my mother one day in middle school when I told her how hurt I was with how my classmates would talk about me, being the only African American in the class in a southern suburban district. My mother, being the strong-willed, Air Force veteran she was, always had a way of kicking me into high-gear and back into action. Instead of coddling me into feeling sorry for myself, her graceful yet stern, motivational soap-box speeches always had a way of reminding me who I am: the showman in the story of my life. "Just because a few monkeys are actin' amuck doesn't mean the show can't go on". This perspective served as a water-shed moment in my young life. To me, this quote is a six-word reminder that I am not defined by the words, actions, or perceptions of others. What defines me, is me. "One monkey don't stop no show". I remember this quote well for what it means to me as well as how it was passed down to me, from my late-grandpa, to my mother, and now to me. It is a legacy of my strength of will, to always be self-defining, and to live a life I can say is truly mine. Because no matter what, the show must go on!

I am excited about quantum computing and communications systems. Since the 1920s, “quantum” has been perhaps one of the most captivating words in all of science, attracting the attention of researchers and broader audiences alike. Formally a word for the smallest possible discrete unit of a particular physical property, “quantum” is more often used to describe research efforts that explore physical phenomena that are classically inaccessible. Famously proposed by Richard Feynman in 1982, computers based on the principles of quantum physics were predicted to hold potential for executing tasks too complex for classical computers. Over the last decade, researchers have made tremendous progress towards exploring the applications of quantum computing in the technology sector. In recent years, quantum computers have demonstrated dominance over classical computers in executing specialized tasks. Billion-dollar national programs and decade-long strategies for quantum information science have been announced by governments around the world. In 2018, the U.S. Congress passed the National Quantum Initiative Act, representing America’s commitment to developing new technologies based on the principles of quantum physics, notably quantum computers. Contrary to the strictly deterministic nature of classical computing bits, quantum computers can leverage the probabilistic nature of their quantum bits, or qubits, the fundamental units of quantum information. Rather than a single set value, a qubit can simultaneously occupy multiple values, with each value occurring at a different likelihood, giving the qubit much more versatility than its classical counterpart. This qubit superposition of multiple values is foundational to quantum computing. The latest literature suggests the era of quantum computing may be fast approaching. In 2019, Google declared quantum supremacy by demonstrating a calculation unfeasible even for top supercomputers with only a 53-qubit system. And in September 2020, IBM made a public promise of a 1000-qubit platform by 2023. Projections for future progress are no less ambitious. Companies such as Google, Honeywell, and Amazon are already investing in research efforts to achieve quantum systems with sufficient numbers of fault-tolerant qubits, critical to extending quantum computing to the realm of cyber security. Reports cited by Harvard Business Publishing reflect the influence of quantum computing on the market, predicting a multibillion-dollar quantum industry by 2030. Within the last decade alone, technologies based on quantum computing have worked their way from theory to reality and evolve further each day. As quantum technologies continue to make their way from research labs to the live market, we enter an new era brimming with technological possibility. I am very excited for the quantum revolution!

Diversity is important because it facilitates variety of thought and synthesis of new ideas. President Abraham Lincoln proved to be a proponent of this idea when he made the decision to fill his presidential cabinet with members he knew shared view opposing his own. He was not concerned with being right, but rather doing what's right for the country. With his mindset of need for diversity, Lincoln completed one of the most famous presidencies in American history. This is just one example of the power of diversity and its impact on unified societal progress, perhaps especially true in technology. The technological disciplines tend to feature complex and all-consuming challenges and practically require a team-based problem solving approach. A team able to tackle the problem from many different approaches will complete the task with speed and efficiency, two highly desirable working conditions in present and likely future society. In the field of Quantum Physics, the task of building quantum computing and simulation machines is a herculean effort require a vast range of thought. As a bold quantum physicist, I aim to become a leader in this field and leverage my leadership and interpersonal skills to develop a team to drive the field to new heights. My research focuses on using laser locking, cooling, and trapping techniques, electronics, machine learning and more to create arrays of ultra-cold molecules that behave as controlled quantum systems. As a PhD candidate in physics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, my thesis research simply put, is to develop a new quantum computing platform using entangled ultracold molecules. The goal of my research is to develop a novel basis for experimental approaches to quantum computing and QIS. Within the field of cold atom physics, single atoms and molecules are among the most naturally occurring and controllable quantum systems in the world. By using laser light to address their complex structure, they can be manipulated to behave as qubits, the fundamental units of quantum information. In recent years, quantum computers have demonstrated dominance over classical computers in executing specialized tasks. Contrary to the strictly deterministic nature of classical computing bits, quantum computers can leverage their quantum bits, or qubits. Rather than a single set value of either 0 or 1 as in a bit, a qubit can simultaneously occupy multiple values, with each value occurring at a different likelihood, giving the qubit much more versatility than its classical counterpart. Through this research project, I aim to extend the field of quantum information science and impact the technology sector even further into the quantum revolution. Through the AMPLIFY Diversity in Technology Scholarship, I aim to become a global leader and researcher in the field of quantum science and technology and help lead our generation into the quantum age.

A simple, yet practical way to fight for mental health and wellness is to spread awareness and openness of its normalcy. For those who struggle or have struggled with mental health, myself-included, a significant barrier that prevents one from seeking help is the struggle of fear, isolation, and judgement in acknowledging the need for assistance. In an age where everyone looks out for themselves, and we all push ourselves to be more efficient or more proficient than our neighbors for better jobs, careers, or opportunities, coming forth publicly with our vulnerabilities or apparent weaknesses proves all the more difficult. I believe one of the best ways to battle mental health struggles is to normalize it as a battle everyone, even the best of us, takes on in one form or another. The year 2020 presented several unforeseen global challenges (health, political, racial, isolation, etc.), and revealed the fragility of our sense of individuality and self-pride. These challenges forced many of us to band together, to thrive in a turbulent reality and hold the hands of our competitors as we walked into unprecedented circumstances. The year 2020 taught us to be vulnerable and find strength, not shame, in that vulnerability. I believe in order to combat the hardship of mental health issues, we have to constantly create spaces where it is safe to be vulnerable. We must universally acknowledge the battle for mental health as a worthy adversary and not withhold grace and empathy from those who struggle with it based on our own perceptions. Only then can we break down the barriers that separate us and unify to lift up those who struggle with mental health.

My aspirations to explore my scientific interests professionally, challenge myself intellectually, and cultivate my legacy among others relationally led to my pursuit of physics. With great gusto and grit, I was the first person in my family to graduate with two degrees, in chemistry and physics. And now I am boldly pursuing a Ph.D. in quantum physics, specifically ultra-cold atom experiment with applications in quantum computing. I am driven by a desire to investigate the quantum world and share its marvelous wonders of intricacy and peculiarity with others. I am highly motivated to live my life as a testament to the value of knowledge of the quantum world, our world, of which most don't realize. After obtaining my Ph.D., I will become a university professor and researcher. I will provide students with outlets for developing creativity and curiosity and promote a love for learning quantum physics among all students and especially underrepresented students. Education usually begins in elementary school with exposure to certain core disciplines: English, science, history, and math. Upon reaching adolescence, most students develop either preferences for or aversions to a single or small group of disciplines, predetermining their range of career paths before high school. For adolescents in urban settings, there are numerous mental and cultural barriers that deter pursuits of areas in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). These may cause students to choose non-STEM career paths. I plan to use my experiences as an African American male to promote achievement of underrepresented students in STEM and support STEM education for all students as a university research professor. My commitment to diversity in education began with my involvement in the Waco Community Training Center, an after-school program for educationally, ethnically, and socially disadvantaged students. I interacted with students who were disrespectful to both staff and tutors. These students clearly lacked interest in math and science. As I learned from my father, I told them immediately that I wanted to work with them, but would not tolerate disrespect. I maintained an assertive demeanor in order to make them understand and respect the situation as well as their academics. Over time, I discovered that some students had an interest in circuits and others found that they enjoyed writing creative short stories about hypothetically living the day differently. I actively worked to cultivate and build upon their gifts, which led to their successful performance on the standardized STAAR (State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness) test. In recognition for this work, I am a recipient of a 2016 President’s Volunteer Service Award, a national award issued by the President of the United States to citizens in recognition of hundreds of hours of service. This experience gave me a glimpse of the mental and cultural barriers at play at the elementary level and led to the discovery of my own personal styles for tearing those barriers down and fostering the untapped potential of young students. This experience was the first to motivate me to teach and grow alongside others. With quantum technologies developed by large corporations on the rise in recent years, I recognize that it is essential that we invest in the widespread education of the people in quantum physics. I want to make quantum physics assessible to everyone! With the assistance and generosity of Bold.org scholarships, I strive to become a global leader in my field who will use physics to bridge the gap between the scientific community and the general public, thereby playing a pivotal role in tearing down mental, cultural, and historical barriers that capitalize on our differences. A bold ambition for a bold young physicist!

I have made mental health a priority in my professional and personal life ever since I was hit with the cold slap of its critical importance my sophomore year in undergrad. It was during this year that I learned how necessary a work-life balance truly is. As a double major in physics and chemistry and student worker, I was no stranger to heavy course loads, long hours, and difficult schedules. I pushed and pushed and was not very gracious with myself or tolerant with the idea of failure. At one point, this toxic mindset and obsession with success shaped me into a callous, self-isolating curmudgeon with skewed priorities and philosophies. At my breaking point, a good friend whom I still thank to this day, pulled me back from the brink. No matter what, he texted me every single day without fail "Good morning friend!", no matter how short or distant or unresponsive I was towards him, he still reached out to the person he knew I once was and could be again. One day, I was finally responsive enough to text him back "Morning", and in that brief moment of attentiveness, he was able to convince me to come hang out with him. A hobby we both shared together and loved was singing church hymns and songs, while I played piano improvisations. Just the two of us and a piano; it was our own little worship service. It had been so long since I had enjoyed this pleasure that when I approached the chapel, I was nervous of the awkwardness and discomfort of meeting a longtime friend I hadn't been treating well. But he showed up for me once again and created the safe, comfortable environment only he could. After a whole year of sparsely seeing each other, it felt like it had only been yesterday since we were singing our jazzy mix of "In Christ Alone". That was the day I made piano, music, and friendship a priority in my life again. And after all these years, piano has not only stayed an essential component of my work-life balance, it has also become my personal approach to physics out-reach to a professional degree. I reach out to prospective young physicists through creative and musical explanations of physical law. My friend not only saved my mental health, he also showed me what kind of person I would thereafter strive to be, the kind of person I wanted to be, for others. The degredation of mental health appears in many forms and can sneak up on even the best of us. Everyone has different needs. Sometimes it takes medical assistance, sometimes a restful day-off, and sometimes it just takes a caring friend. I now understand that mental health is the key to a long life of happiness and prosperity, regardless of material things. Mental health is the breath of life that renews relationships, re-sparks passions, and produces purpose in our goals and ambitions. I am truly grateful for what was done for me to save my mental health so I could tell this story today. Through the generosity of the Ethel Hayes Destigmatization of Mental Health Scholarship, I will bring light to the mystifying nature of mental health and live my life as an advocate for its importance for those, past, present, and future, in need of a caring friend. Thank you for your consideration.

"One monkey don't stop no show!" as my late-grandfather, my mother, and now I, would say in the face of any disparaging crowd that would try to keep us from walking our walk and living our lives, running our own show. I first heard this quote from my mother one day in middle school when I told her how hurt I was with how my classmates would talk about me, being the only African American in the class in a southern suburban district. My mother, being the strong-willed, Air Force veteran she was, always had a way of kicking me into high-gear and back into action. Instead of coddling me into feeling sorry for myself, her graceful yet stern, motivational soap-box speeches always had a way of reminding me who I am: the showman in the story of my life. "Just because a few monkeys are actin' amuck doesn't mean the show can't go on". This perspective served as a water-shed moment in my young life. To me, this quote is a six-word reminder that I am not defined by the words, actions, or perceptions of others. What defines me, is me. This quote still holds meaning to me even today. As a graduate student in physics, an early professional in a field filled with dominating personalities and hints of classism, elitism, and the like, I am challenged every day to run my own show. In my opinion, physics is a field where being wrong is not only normal, but it is essential to truth learning and growth. The process of learning physics requires failure. To progress, physics demands missteps, which does not often feel comfortable or encouraging, and can leave one vulnerable to the less-than-soothing commentary of their peers. Intellectually heated debates and differences of opinion on how to interpret physical phenomena often surround the culture of the field, each scientist dedicated to their own way of thinking. It is in this kind of environment that "running your own show" is most important. Agreeing to disagree, being unshaken when challenged, staying true to who I am, what I know, and knowing I belong in this field are all essential to carving my identity in my field, especially as an underrepresented minority in physics. "One monkey don't stop no show". I remember this quote well for what it means to me as well as how it was passed down to me, from my late-grandpa, to my mother, and now to me. It is a legacy of my strength of will, to always be self-defining, and to live a life I can say is truly mine. Because no matter what, the show must go on!

Mr. Michael Low, the name of the man who put me on the path to physics, innovation, and critical thinking. As a high school senior in a physics class, where math and mind meld to solve the richest practical problems, I had my work cut out for me. As someone who just wanted to get out of school and start working, start earning money to contribute to the family in a tangible way, physics was not a hot spot on my radar. "It's just my last required class. I just need a science credit" I would tell myself, completely unaware that the man deciding my last grade and whether or not I would graduate, would alter my life even thereafter. Mr. Low was passionate about physics like I've never seen to this day. He wanted every single one of his students to understand and apply the material, constantly have "physics on the brain" as he would say. I knew that, and he knew me, the student who consistently did the bare minimum with the lowest passing grade in the class. It was almost an unspoken, mutual understanding between he and I that I was just going to "C" my way out of high school; that is, until the day of the first semester final, when I failed, dropping my average from a solid C+ to a D-. I still remember the day he pulled me aside after class to break the news personally, and I was devastated, mostly because I knew there was no one to blame but myself. I expected Mr. Low to say something along the lines of "Well, serves ya...". No doubt I would have deserved it. But instead he offered me a proposition. He told me he would give me special instruction after class every day during second semester, and if I completed all the assignments, he would allow me to pass. I graciously accepted, not knowing that decision would become the golden gates to the rest of my life. The extra assignments Mr. Low gave me were unexpected to say the least. I expected to be solving physics homework problems for hours, but the tasks he gave were far more valuable. Some were him just having a conversation with me about my future, what I wanted in life, and what my goals were. Others included reading several books that I never would have touched, such as the Harry Potter series and the physics book "Div, Grad, Curl and All That: an Informal Text on Vector Calculus" (I hadn't taken calculus). He taught me how to think of physics not as another classroom subject, but as a way of experiencing the world, from the exceptional energy transfer efficiencies of acrobats to the particles unseen by eye but always present. He taught me how to think like a physicist. Needless to say I passed and was on the road to graduating, but my extra lessons with Michael Low weren't quite over. His final assignment to me, was that I take the ACT. I had told him several times previously I had no intentions of going to college. I hadn't even studied for the ACT. His response was, "I'm not asking for a score, I'm asking you to take it. Just give it a shot". And so I did. I scored a 31. As it turns out, the books I read and problems I solved for Mr. Low's "extra assignments" were the perfect preparation. To this day, I am convinced he had it planned all along, though he denies even now. Now I've got physics on the brain.

To me, a "legacy" is a person's vow to leave the world a better place than they found it. This vow is carried out through the actions one takes to enrich the lives of others, whether it's a cleaner planet, a financial gift, or the children who carry the values left by their parent's actions. Leaving a legacy means leaving proof of the value of one's existence, that sustains their life even after it has left this world. A legacy is independent of money or social standing. It is much deeper than these because it is the purest embodiment of a person's actions and how those actions affected those that surrounded them. My upbringing as an African-American man blessed enough to have been raised by a father of substance and character has greatly impacted the way I view the nuances of somewhat abstract sentiments such as honor, truth, and legacy. I was blessed enough to have been raised by a mother whose sincerity and grace molded me into a compassionate and loving person. Although we didn't have a lot materially, I was blessed with a substantial lack of material desire. My parents raised me to value the things I can't touch or hold, but the things that also last an eternity. My parents imparted to me the value of hard work, the importance of perspective, the will to resist mediocrity, and most importantly to me, an appreciation for my ancestry and identity as an African American man that has made me who I am today. My upbringing in the southern suburbs of Oklahoma shaped my strength of character. As often the only African American in my classes, I felt very isolated. I felt not only the pressure to succeed at a supremely high level, but also the pressure to fail and fulfill my role in the eyes of my peers and teachers as the "average black kid", in their mind, consumed with an overzealous desire for sports and physique, and an underwhelming desire for science, technology, and critical thinking. As a middle school student, I felt like I was expected to play these two opposing roles constantly. My father was the one person to consistently encourage me to pursue what I loved and resist the temptation of "people who don't understand me". My love was science. Reading about it, doing it, thinking about it. And that love for science is still with me to this day, manifested as Quantum Physics. It is through Quantum Physics that I will leave a legacy of my own. I will enable those who love it as I do to pursue it with all their might and resist naysayers. No matter how you look, how you act, or how others think you should act, I believe in the sincerity of passions for learning. I plan to enable as many people as I possibly can to learn as much as they possibly can. And maybe, just maybe, they will strive for the same dream that I have to empower the beautiful mind. They will be my legacy.