My mother, TaShira Sheftal is the definition of my hero, she is a superstar. From having me at 20 and my brother at 25 she has been a single mother for years. She had conquered the impossible. I grew up in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, a small little town. All my family was there, besides my dad. I experienced trouble with my father my whole life. With him either selling drugs on the street, getting arrested or even the simple fact of not upholding his promises he was never there. It was always just me, my mom and my younger brother, his dad abandoned him as well. Everything was okay until my mom got the call that she had to relocate or quit her job. She couldn’t quit at the time it was a good opportunity for us, so she had to make the decision to leave all her family behind and take her 2 kids and move all the way across the country to Florida. My mom left with nothing but us, she didn’t have the money to bring all our stuff. One thing I can say is regardless of the predicament we were in she never let us go without. She always made sure we had the needs, she was working long days and hours every day she didn’t cook but she always made sure we were fed, even if that meant she would give us her last bites. We didn’t have furniture for some time, we would all sleep on just a mattress, but she hid the fact that we lacked so well, I would have never known. That’s something that makes her different, makes her special. She would spend her last dollar if we wanted something. One thing she would do always is make sure we have the best Christmas. I remember this one Christmas me and my brother got engraved iPad minis they had our name on the back of them. One of the best gifts I ever received. Honestly, I can’t thank my mom enough for raising me to be the best kid I can be. She always puts her passions last. It was not until a couple months ago I could say my mom did something for herself she opened her own suite as an aesthetician. I applaud her for every sacrifice she has made and is still making, she is currently helping me pay for college she is helping me be something great, so if in fact If I am a winning recipient, it’s to take some of that weight off her shoulders she’s been dealing with for the past 19 years. She made me want to become a psychologist and help younger generations, she always had the wisdom to teach, and I want to follow in her footsteps professionally. I really do it for her. My talents will go a long way because of all the support I have received and still receive, I want to make people smile and uplift. I want to be the support system if they lack one. I will make a difference in this world, and I will be great. Thank You for reading, La’Niya Copeland 1st year Psychology major from FAMU

I’ve never knew how to cope with loss. Especially the ones I knew and loved. I have suffered a great amount of loss from many people. The ones that impacted me the most was when they took their own life. My moms friend took his own life with a firearm. Every year we participate in suicide walks to honor him. It amazing to hear all the survivors come together and tell their story. Even all the people that lost love ones, friends and family. In my early childhood I suffered harsh harassment and bullying. In 5th grade I was called things like obese, fat, dumb, hideous and many more that took a toll in my life. I suffered from depression for some time and that resulted in me going to therapy. I was saved by my therapist, Mrs.Maria. I will never forget the words she said to me. “Don’t let people define who you are, you tell your own story”. This is why I want to pursue a career in mental health. I want to be a support system for many that don’t have. Even when I was going through depression, I had many friends going through the same things just worst. One of my friends were on the verge of ending it right then and there she had a knife in her hand; on her wrist. She had texted me one night and said,“you have been one of the greatest friends ever, I will always love you”. My heart dropped. I was moments away from a tragedy. I started to text her trying to get her to talk to me, luckily she wanted to talk. She told me what was bothering her and I told her I was there. I told her she has way more to live for. We were only like 14. I told her don’t give up that’s what people want. She was smart and skilled, I knew she had more to live for. She didn’t do it. I realized that night I probably saved her life. No one else was there for her. Months later I’ve gotten a text. It was a long paragraph from her. She had thanked me for helping her through that. She had told me she gotten into therapy and she’s better than over. My age didn’t matter. I became the friend that people can talk to about their problems. I became the friend that always answered. Going through bullying as a kid and being able to overcome it made me stronger than ever. “Don’t let people define you”. That’s what I tell everyone. I intend to go to Florida A&M to study Psychology. I want to help young children of all races, genders, and sexuality’s. K-12 is the main focus. I just want them to talk to me. I want them to know they have someone other than a family or friend. I’ve realized growing up that kids and teens hide their emotions. They don’t know how to express themselves. The scholarship money will help me to pursue my career. It will give me the push that I need. To not worry about money for once. To be able to focus on just the education. Either way with the scholarship or not I’m doing it for the greater good. We need more people out here that care about the next to Kin. Our future educators and doctors are out there. They all need to be treated with love and care. I will do that. Thank you for taking the time to read my essay. -La’Niya Copeland