Growing up I told all my friends and family that I wanted to own my own restaurant; specifically a diner. Like me, Disney’s Princess Tiana wanted to own her own restaurant so she quickly became my favorite princess and motivation for becoming an entrepreneur. As soon as I was old enough, I began working in the food industry. At first, I volunteered in my church’s youth cafe and worked with a family friend who owned his own catering business. I’ve also had the opportunity to work at other food service restaurants. Through these positions, I have learned the value of good customer service and having a strong work ethic. I also have seen first-hand what it takes to successfully run your own business. While I am still passionate about being a business owner, my recent college tour experience has shifted my focus away from the restaurant business. In April 2022, I attended a 9-day Historically Black College and University (HBCU) Tour. While the focus of the tour was to expose us to HBCUs, I became fascinated and intrigued by the multiple historical monuments and Black History museums that we visited. Despite the college and university visits being the main focus of the trip, I was very intrigued and fascinated with what I was learning from all of the museums we attended. These museum tours made me realize that there is more to our history than the curriculum currently offered to students in our schools. Most importantly, I realized that I want to use my passion for business to create opportunities for other students and individuals to have the same learning and cultural experience that I had. Sadly, many schools in our country only teach about well-known activists such as Martin Luther King Jr. , Rosa Parks, or Ruby Bridges. I agree that their stories are a significant part of our history and need to be shared. However, there is so much more that the youth can learn and I want to create a business that provides opportunities for them to experience more of our culture through places like the Legacy Museum, the Martin Luther King Center for Nonviolent Change, and the National Museum of African American Music. So now my goal is to attend college to pursue a degree in Entrepreneurship and Business Administration. My passion for business is now rooted in my desire to bring this exposure and access to the community through my business. In college, I hope to create a business plan that will lead to funding so that I can begin to create opportunities for others to experience these establishments and learn about our rich history and heritage. When I was younger, my plans were all about me. Now that I’ve matured, I’m hoping to use my business to give back to the community that has already given so much to me and my generation.