“People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they have not communicated with each other” -Martin Luther King, Jr. Racism is the biggest threat in our world. It has the power to make people fear or hate someone they don’t even know. It has the power to make people misjudge and discriminate. It even has the power to make people kill one another. All because they feel something in their hearts and minds that tells them another person is dangerous, bad or inferior to them. If I could make one change in the world, I would eliminate racism. Just think about what life would be like now and in the past if there was no racism? If there was no racism, slavery would not have existed. Black people would not have been thought of as property and seen as inferior. If there was no racism, people of color and people from different cultures and ethnicities would not be mistreated or discriminated against. I think racism makes people cling to who looks like them and be suspicious of who doesn’t. Why would someone feel like they can’t trust someone or be around someone from another race or culture? It’s because of racism. The biggest reason why I think racism is so destructive is because of children. When they’re little, children are innocent. They don’t have any reason to mistreat someone or think differently about someone because of their race. It’s only when they get older or they have people around them who feed them hate and tell them bad things that racism begins to take over. Imagine what life would be like if kids never had to experience this. Imagine what life would be like if everyone grew up to be able to interact with each other, build friendships and relationships regardless of race, not be fearful or judgmental of others and could just accept people for who they are? I’m not saying that everyone would love each other or completely get along. But at least people would focus on the person and not something like skin color to determine how they feel about someone. Life is not perfect and human beings aren’t either. But racism could change us all for the better. It would eliminate hatred in the world and make people finally see each other.

Since I was young, I knew what I was passionate about. CARS! It started off with collecting unique Hot Wheels. I was so excited whenever I got a new one and each car had a special place in my collection. I played every car video game I could find and I would fantasize about driving on all of those amazing tracks one day. I loved the sounds that cars made as they accelerated and switched gears. By the time I was 10 years old, I could easily identify most car makes and models. I read books and tried to learn everything I could about cars. Now as a young adult, my passion for cars has grown even deeper with the desire to learn about their inner workings and the reasons why cars operate the way they do. Going to car meets has also fueled my passion for cars. I enjoy hearing the loud engines and seeing the cool cars that always show up. They were my childhood heroes from the video games I played and I still get excited when I see them at a meet or on the road. My volunteer work at car events and ability to share my knowledge of cars led to a meeting this summer with the owner of a European auto specialty shop. I interviewed and got a job as a full-time assistant. This was my very first job and my love for cars and efforts led me to it. I worked nine hours a day, five days a week, doing what I love. On the job I learned how to perform oil changes, battery replacements, check fluids and tire pressure, keep the shop organized and clean and manage the parts database. One day at my job, I was performing an oil change. When I was done, I had oil all over my shirt. At the end of the day I sent a picture of my shirt to my Mom. I told her it was a picture of my battle scars! I felt like I had finally entered the auto mechanic world and I was so excited! I always watch videos on YouTube and follow people who are very skillful at working on cars. When I watch the videos, I am impressed with the amount of knowledge they have when it comes to car engines and how to work on them. I learn from them and use this knowledge to help me while I work on my own car, a 2015 Honda Civic Si. Now that I have my first car, all I want to do is work on it and figure out cool things I can do to make it more fun to drive. I also enjoy restoring old cars and bringing them back to life. One of my Dad's friends does this and he's given me the opportunity to help him and that has really inspired me. After all of these great experiences, I want to continue my passion by working full-time in the automotive industry. I want to help make people's lives easier by figuring out what's wrong with their cars, fix what's not working and make their cars run smoother and better. Our cars are important to us and customers shouldn't have to wait an unreasonable amount of time for their cars to be fixed. They should be able to trust and rely on their mechanic and feel like their mechanic has their back and wants to help them. That will be me! That is why innovation and progress is so important. The automotive industry is constantly changing and new ideas are needed to better enhance cars and make them more fun and easier to drive. I want to help bring back the golden days of the automotive industry when driving seemed to be more enjoyable and there was more passion for cars. I want to design and build cars that the world will love. I want to bring back older cars that maybe didn't have the right technologies or designs at the time and make them better for customers today. I want to help customers like car and racing enthusiasts transform their cars and make them stand out and be more competitive. Cara have always been a part of my life. They inspire me to think of how I can expand my knowledge and experience and play an exciting role in making the automotive industry better. Thank you for the honor of being considered for the Techs of Tomorrow Automotive Scholarship by ServiceUp. If I am selected, I promise I will continue to pursue my passion in the automotive industry and make your organization proud!

Drunk driving is the number one cause of death on the roads today. It is irresponsible, dangerous and unnecessary. It exists because people act selfishly. They aren't thinking about the consequences and how their bad choices can affect others. That's is why the effects of DUIs are so devastating. A DUI can be committed by anyone who makes the choice to drink and drive. It is an intentional act. They should know that if they drink and drive, there is a strong chance they could injure or kill someone. So why do they still do it? No one can say they aren't aware of the dangers of DUIs. There are commercials on TV and even online that show what happens when you do this. There are organizations like Mothers Against Drunk Driving that help build awareness and health and driver education classes that teach about the dangers of alcohol, especially when driving. When someone chooses to drink and drive, they aren't thinking clearly or responsibly. Their actions are devastating because when someone is killed by a drunk driver, their family finds out and understands that it was person's choice that took their loved one away. The only way to help prevent DUIs is to seriously punish those who do it even one time. This is important because it only takes one time for something bad to happen and if a person has shown they are capable of making that bad choice even once, they should never have the chance to do it again. If they choose to drive drunk in the car with other people, those people should also get serious consequences, whether they were drinking or not. Maybe if riders had to share the consequences then maybe they would make better choices and help prevent DUIs from happening. The automotive industry needs to also step up to help. Driving is a privilege. Drunk driving doesn't just happen because of alcohol. The car played a part but the car will only do what a driver tell it do do. So, what if the driver's choice was eliminated? What if the automotive industry worked together to make sure that every new car had technolgy that made it impossible for a driver to start the engine and drive off if they are drunk? There are cars that have OnStar and other built in technologies that can speak with a driver or track what a driver is doing. Why can't these same technologies make it so a driver has to blow into a device or do something that alerts the car if the driver is not in the right condition to drive. Some people might say these ideas are too extreme. DUIs can only be prevented with serious strategies. It may be difficult to improve every car in the country but improvements can be made to new cars to ensure drivers are in the right condition to drive. At some point, the government could also help and work to make sure every moving vehicle like cars, trucks, motorcycles and others have this technolgy, too. Serious punishments, new technologies and the automotive industry and government working together can help prevent drunk driving. We have to treat DUIs like an epidemic that is destroying our society. It has to be stopped. Thank you for the honor of being considered for this scholarship in Anthony McPherson's name. If I am awarded this scholarship, I promise I will do my best to live up to his name and legacy and make your family proud.

"Society teaches us that having feelings and crying is bad and wrong. Well, that's baloney, because grief isn't wrong. There's such a thing as good grief. Just ask Charlie Brown." This sums up why my favorite character on The Office is Michael. After he says something you have to laugh or smile and I always have to repeat his lines like wait what did he just say? I always watch to see what he's going to do and say. No other character can match that! The other characters are good but when Michael leaves a scene or he's not on the show, it's just not the same. You miss him. I'm almost 18 now but I started watching The Office with my parents when I was younger. I didn't always know what was going on but I always liked Michael's character. He made me laugh but he also showed a lot of character traits that I could relate to. Michael is honest, loyal and he says what he thinks, right or wrong. Even though it may not always be the right thing to say, it's real. Growing up I didn't always have a lot of friends because kids would tease me. I didn't always know the right thing to say because sometimes I would get nervous. I just said what I thought and sometimes they would think I was weird or strange. It used to hurt my feelings but as I got older I realized that it's ok to be different. Just like Michael, I do things that make me happy. If there's something that makes me happy, I try to introduce it to people I care about. So does Michael. He is adventurous and he's not afraid to try new things. He's ok with looking silly. He's all about trying things and helping people come out of their comfort zones. He also wants to be friends with people and sometimes he tries too hard. I used to do that too but then I realized if someone is really my friend, they will appreciate me for who I am. As I've gotten older, I have good friends now. As the show went on, Michael's friends started to appreciate him more and they were nicer to him. They saw that he had a good heart and good intentions. The world is a scary place right now. There are people who mistreat and judge others for their beliefs, race or whatever they want. I've been treated differently as an African American teenager and it's not right. But on The Office, Michael tried to bring people together. He was curious about different cultures and experiences and he would try to get to know more about them. if you taught him something or tried to get him to see your point of view, he would make an effort. How many people actually do that in the real world? I think having a good heart and being kind to others is way more admirable than being a great leader or being the best at something because compassion and integrity is about goodness and helping people. That's what makes a difference. I will end with this. To Michael, thank you for making me laugh, for giving me fun moments to watch with my family and for always being yourself. You helped me see that being silly, saying what you mean and being loyal to your friends is never wrong. It's honorable. I think this world would be a better place with more people like you. Marlon

My all-time favorite anime series is Attack on Titan. I instantly connected with the series from the first episode I watched. When I saw the first episode, I could feel all the emotions the characters were going through. Confusion, sadness and pain. As the series went on, all I wanted the characters to feel was freedom...freedom from all the bad things they were feeling and experiencing. But still, the atmosphere grew darker, the characters got lost in their hatred and sadness and no one even knew who the real enemy was anymore. Eren Yeager wanted to live in peace. He didn't want to have to think about violence but his deep-rooted hatred and hostility for the Titans became deadly. Attack on Titan opened my eyes to how much of an impact brainwashing and political ideas can have on people. Gabi is a young girl from Marley who was shown from birth that Paradis Island is the enemy so she hurt people because of it. It's captivating how accurately the series captures real emotions and interactions between people. I notice similarities between Attack on Titan and our world and how people will call others the enemy even if they didn't do anything wrong but because they think they are supposed to hate them. I like how the series shows how certain people are treated based on who they are or where they're from. If a Marley discovered that their friend is an Eldian, they would instantly treat them differently. When Eldian soldiers were killed by the Titans, I felt so bad because it made me think that all of this could have been prevented if hatred didn't get in the way. I relate to Eren's feelings towards society because sometimes the world can be a scary place. Attack on Titan shows the bad things that human beings can do when they're angry, sad or lost. Attack on Titan isn't just a series to me. It gives real life perspective on how easily people can change based on a certain belief or idea. It shows human nature, the good and the bad, and how some people can make bad choices even with good or honorable intentions. I can see myself in these stories. As as African-American teenager, I know what it feels like to be treated differently or for people to believe things about me because of my race or age. When I watch Attack on Titan, I get to see people my age and how they are treated and how they handle things. I can relate to the characters and the strong emotions they feel. The series doesn't sugarcoat anything! Attack on Titan gives an honest depiction of human interactions, conflict, pain, misunderstandings and brainwashing but it also shows the importance of family, friendship, determination, honor and loyalty. I feel every type of emotion after watching every single episode of Attack on Titan and in a few days, the final episode will air and I can't wait for it!