As deadlines piled on my school calendar, it felt like my desire to create had dissipated. In my finance classes, I found myself doodling not out of enjoyment, but out of fear that I would lose my natural creativity. My fear turned into a reality during my junior year of college. I stopped scribbling, designing, and creating. On the brink of falling victim to my own neglectful habits, I rose out of bed at 3 am and applied to the University of Miami's user experience/interface (UI/UX) design program. It was not easy attending two universities at once. However, I was committed to the vision of being a well-known digital and technical pattern maker. The UI/UX program would function as an introduction to the design and tech space. Here, I developed my skills in information architecture, design research, and constructing visual interfaces. By the beginning of my senior year, I had drafted a vision board of my professional and personal life. On the top of the board was a list of qualities, one being that I would be completely honest with myself and how I felt. If I wanted to be an artist for the rest of my life, I had to apply my creativity to every activity I participated in. As a business administration student, I use skills obtained from my marketing, management, and business law courses to aid in the development of my current brand, Myne Mane. I started this brand when I was 16 years old. Myne Mane is the first clothing brand to represent local urban youth cultures through digital wearables and streetwear with wearable technology. Garment designs carry symbolism, words of affirmation, and color themes, representative of the culture found in urban communities. Myne Mane has the vision of being a global representative for youth artists in the fashion and gaming industry. My brand produces both physical and digital wearables through patterns that I create on my phone. After a six-month period of frustration and indecision, I can officially say that I am a designer. In 5 years' time, I will be a pattern maker for a major fashion company and the owner of design tech hubs in major urban cities. These hubs will be created for youth to design clothing for Myne Mane. The brand's creative expression will never falter as youth are the creators of culture. Pursuing my career path will afford me the opportunity to create a generation of solution-oriented, tech and design-driven individuals while pursuing my passion for art.

To better understand the nature of the universe, we have to first understand the nature of ourselves. According to Kerry Lotzof, a researcher at the Natural History Museum, states that most of the elements in the human body were formed in billion year old stars. In essence, we are the universe. Every being on the planet has its own unique form and origin. Though scientists and researchers have categorized every entity in an attempt to predict nature, it is found that everything is random. You cannot predict how the abstract artist will paint, how the architect will draw, or what the next archaeologists will find. To understand the nature of ourselves, we must look at what us humans and other entities do without tangible items. We must think, then we must feel, and then we must create. I theorize that the nature of the universe is simply creation. Creation can come in the form of art, language, inventions, thoughts, and even reproduction. The desire a man has to confess his love to a woman is rooted scientifically in the human instinct to procreate. I believe we create because we must. We cannot help but create language to understand one another. A prisoner cannot help but write or draw when he has lost his privilege to participate with the rest of the world. The universe is defined as, according to NASA, “all of space, and all the matter and energy that space contains.” It is constantly making stars, galaxies, and planets. To better understand the nature of the universe, which I theorize is creation, we must ask ourselves why. Why must the universe create? The best group of individuals to ask this question are not those experienced in the field of science or the field of life. I believe the best strategy is to ask a group of children who are between the ages 4 and 6. These members of society are the most creative, expressive, and intuitive individuals on the planet. They haven’t participated in grade school long enough to be educated nor do they fully understand the world around them. That means that they are the least susceptible group to give a response that we can predict. Further, they are old enough to communicate in their native language. Every child must be asked individually. First, we explain to them what the world is and what the universe is in simple terms: sit them in front of a whiteboard and draw a circle that represents the world. Draw squiggles around the circle and call it space. Then state that new circles come about randomly. Next, ask them why they think new circles come about. It is not our responsibility as the experimenters to correct them. Although we cannot expect them to come up with research backed answers, we can expect pure creativity. The responses we collect from the children can be used as different avenues for how we can process the nature of creation. A child may say the circles are always there. We can view this as “Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before.” (MIT, Ecclesiastes 3) then theorize that the nature of the universe is not creation but simply existence. Our attempt to understand the universe is limited by the human mind which operates in the third dimension. I believe our innate creativity is key to grasping the concept of it all. Understanding the nature of the universe will help us to understand the nature of ourselves and vice versa. Understanding the nature of ourselves will help us to unlock new capabilities and develop as a human race.

I was either in the Catholic church praying with my mother or meditating for an hour with my father. When they separated, I stopped meditating, I stopped attending church, and I started searching for purpose in life. I was only 12 years old when I fell into a depressive state. I felt responsible for their separation and a burden to their life. I dreaded the thought of how much I would miss one parent while I was with the other. To take my mind off it, I would listen to music and draw on a sketch pad that my dad had brought from work. I found myself coloring every day until the activity earned itself the title of ‘hobby’. One summer my father greeted me with 3 canvases and a warm smile on his face. He bent on one knee and told me how special I was… that I should take my brushes and “…paint my heart out.”. I have always believed in a higher power but after two years of living in the shadows of others I gained faith in myself. I had faith that despite my mental state that I would recover and turn my passion into something beautiful. Since our society has entered the digital age, I have exchanged my paint brushes for sketch pens and design my heart out every day. My designs turned into intricate and beautiful patterns. On a cloudy morning of my 9th grade year, I was riding the train to school, drawing a face in the middle of the numbers ‘305’ (Miami’s area code). My friend snuck a peak at my phone and told me she would "…wear [that] if she could." I started my clothing brand, Myne Mane, when I was 16 years old using the designs in my digital sketch pad. I was inspired by my area being notorious for its school cafeteria dance battles. These battles became viral online to the point that youth from other areas were challenging us. Most days, either online or on the sidewalk, statewide battles would occur between two young people who considered themselves representative of their community. I noticed, because these battles were targeted to certain communities, it was almost impossible to differentiate which person was representative of their community. My awareness led me to design patterns for each community. Each pattern I designed would be a positive reflection of that person’s community and the culture associated with it. When I started marketing my patterns in high school everyone quickly became fond of them. They were able to identify themselves with the patterns like a native would their tribes’ patterns. I have gained small successes over the years. It has brought me to the realization that my father’s faith in me caused me to have faith in myself. I have taught people through my work to have and to be positive representations of where they are from. My career aspirations include being a serial entrepreneur in fashion and UX designer. My mission as a fashion entrepreneur is to create wearable tech that positively represents ethnic cultures based on their demographic location, supporting brand awareness of Black and Brown restaurants and establishments, and connect underserved youth to mentorship, scholarship, and trade opportunities in their areas. As a UX designer, I would be designing the software and automated platforms to support the latter. My faith has changed my life and pursuing my career path will allow me to teach faith to others.

I am Mya Wright, a fourth year Business Administration student at Florida A&M University. I was raised in several urban communities in Miami, FL, Chicago, IL, Atlanta, GA, and Montgomery, AL. I noticed early on that urban cultures, whether nationwide or international, are very distinct from one another. However, they are not formally recognized. For instance, the culture found in the boroughs of New York are much different than Inglewood, California or Houston, TX. As a result of my upbringing and my passion for fashion design, business, and entrepreneurship, I have dedicated my personal career to three projects, all under my own trademarked brand. That is The Mane Mentor, The Mane Connection, and Myne Mane. The Mane Mentor is a software where youth can receive mentorship and vocational training. The Mane Connection is a platform of solution-based films voiced by youth and their perspective of their environment. Myne Mane is where creativity creates culture. The streetwear brand designs apparel inspired by local urban youth cultures. Through wearable technology, every garment, when scanned from afar, can educate consumers on its cultural aspects or be purchased directly. The brand believes that ‘street’ or ‘urban’ wear should pay tribute to the background of their creators, urban youth. I was 17 when I began selling apparel out of 5+ stores in Chicago though I am based in Miami, FL. My first bulk order of 50 hoodies sold out in stores during the winter without any marketing campaigns. I believe this happened because my designs catered to my audience’s emotional desire to feel culturally represented. My focus, while pursuing my master’s degree in business, is to take Myne Mane to the next level. Doing so will allow me to continue funding the two projects previously mentioned. My desire to pursue these projects were also inspired by the inner city youth I networked with around the country. We would discuss the psychological impact of our environment. I found that the graffiti on the walls, the dance battles that breakout at any time of the day and wearing the newest sneakers and matching outfits even with uniform codes is an emotional outlet. Every creation of urban youth says “This is where I come from and this is who I am.” Providing youth the opportunity to express themselves and represent their cultural identity will generate a positive impact on our mental health and self-esteem. I recognize that streetwear has become its own form of cultural expression and identification. However, the lack of cultural representation has led youth to create their own brands and patterns that communicate messages that we are familiar with and attracted to. As a recipient of the Virgil Abloh Post-modern scholarship I hope to continue following In the footsteps of Virgil Abloh. My goal is to recreate streetwear by creating designs representative of local urban areas. He constantly talked about giving urban youth opportunities in the fashion industry. I hope to use Ralph Lauren's scholarship to support my personal mission to become a gateway for urban youth into the fashion industry and my brand's mission of representing youth cultural identity. In 5 years time, there will be design tech hubs in major urban cities where youth design clothing for the area that they are from. Myne Manes creativity will never falter as youth are the creators of the culture. Pursuing my career path will afford me the opportunity to create a generation of solution-oriented, tech and design driven individuals. My dream to fulfill all three projects, I believe, will create a better life for youth like myself.

I am Mya Wright, a fourth year Business Administration student at Florida A&M University. I was raised in several urban communities in Miami, FL, Chicago, IL, Atlanta, GA, and Montgomery, AL. I noticed early on that urban cultures, whether nationwide or international, are very distinct from one another. However, they are not formally recognized. For instance, the culture found in the boroughs of New York are much different than Inglewood, California or Houston, TX. As a result of my upbringing and my passion for fashion design, business, and entrepreneurship, I have dedicated my personal career to three projects, all under my own trademarked brand. That is The Mane Mentor, The Mane Connection, and Myne Mane. The Mane Mentor is a software where youth can receive mentorship and vocational training. The Mane Connection is a platform of solution-based films voiced by youth and their perspective of their environment. Myne Mane is where creativity creates culture. The streetwear brand designs apparel inspired by local urban youth cultures. Through wearable technology, every garment, when scanned from afar, can educate consumers on its cultural aspects or be purchased directly. The brand believes that ‘street’ or ‘urban’ wear should pay tribute to the background of their creators, urban youth. I was 17 when I began selling apparel out of 5+ stores in Chicago though I am based in Miami, FL. My first bulk order of 50 hoodies sold out in stores during the winter without any marketing campaigns. I believe this happened because my designs catered to my audience’s emotional desire to feel culturally represented. My focus, while pursuing my master’s degree in business, is to take Myne Mane to the next level. Doing so will allow me to continue funding the two projects previously mentioned. My desire to pursue these projects were also inspired by the inner city youth I networked with around the country. We would discuss the psychological impact of our environment. I found that the graffiti on the walls, the dance battles that breakout at any time of the day and wearing the newest sneakers and matching outfits even with uniform codes is an emotional outlet. Every creation of urban youth says “This is where I come from and this is who I am.” Providing youth the opportunity to express themselves and represent their cultural identity will generate a positive impact on our mental health and self-esteem. I recognize that streetwear has become its own form of cultural expression and identification. However, the lack of cultural representation has led youth to create their own brands and patterns that communicate messages that we are familiar with and attracted to. As a recipient of the Virgil Abloh Post-modern scholarship I hope to continue following In the footsteps of Virgil Abloh. My goal is to recreate streetwear by creating designs representative of local urban areas. He constantly talked about giving urban youth opportunities in the fashion industry. I hope to use Ralph Lauren's scholarship to support my personal mission to become a gateway for urban youth into the fashion industry and my brand's mission of representing youth cultural identity. In 5 years time, there will be design tech hubs in major urban cities where youth design clothing for the area that they are from. Myne Manes creativity will never falter as youth are the creators of the culture. Pursuing my career path will afford me the opportunity to create a generation of solution-oriented, tech and design driven individuals. My dream to fulfill all three projects, I believe, will create a better life for youth like myself.

As a former Breakthrough scholar and teacher’s assistant, I have discovered my passion for education, art, and business. The program itself always pushed the children and staff to pursue whatever they had a passion for. The activities I was in charge of required us to network and come together despite our differences. My mind is focused primarily on pursuing entrepreneurship. And my leadership roles at Breakthrough gave me the confidence to go full throttle. I commend them for my ability to network and build teams like a business owner. We were especially taught to plan out what it is we want to do in life and teach other youth to do the same. I planned out my 5-year journey in 3 steps. First, I’m going to expand my brand to every state. All my designs will be geared toward the state itself or a specific area. For instance, I will make a creative design that says ‘Chicago’ or ‘Atlanta’. I’ll collect videos from each area of teenagers and young adults wearing the brand. During my time at college I’ll be networking to work on this software I have in mind. This is my second step. This software connects teenagers to lead organizations and corporations that promote entrepreneurship. I want them to learn a trade. I was inspired by my experience at five different highschools over the course of four years. For my under-funded, low socioeconomic schools I found that some of my peers did not want to participate in academics. Others fought for their education but over time, they gave up. Teachers did not know enough material to teach it, so students weren’t motivated to learn. These schools were a reflection of the neighborhood. With that being said, they lacked role models and quality education that could be utilized to put them in a position to be successful. On the other hand, the schools I attended in highly funded districts offered a different experience. As a reflection of their environment, they dressed like they were already in their long-established careers. We had internships, opportunities, and mentors. One could expect students to have a different approach to their education. They saw leaders who look like them every day. I believe if school was geared toward entrepreneurship and natural talents, then students would be more interested to strive to represent their families. Lastly, I plan to acquire multiple properties. I want to buy a large plot of land to recruit businesses to work within that area. It's like a community of franchises. I believe I can pull all the first two steps by 2023 and the last one by 2025. I want other teens, despite their background, to be able to bring their ideas to reality. My goal is to gain freedom by doing what I love. Freedom is not limited to positive well-being and pursuing personal interest. I feel that freedom is financial stability, a status that most adults spend their lives trying to obtain.

I decided early in my elementary school career that I would be the change I would like to see in my community. The biggest influence in my life is my mother. My creativity and desire to support youth comes from her. We used to paint murals every Sunday together, almost religiously. It is a tradition that was passed down from my great grandmother. I would also go to work with her on teacher-work days and tutor students in the inner city. I noticed that the students, despite being the same age as me, were not comprehending material at the same speed as I. It occurred to me then, that resources are a strong determining factor in youth success. I vowed that I would become that resource. I discovered while working alongside my mother that I had a passion for fashion design, business, and entrepreneurship. I had the natural ability to create patterns that people can resonate with and the work ethic to make my dreams come true. After pursuing my masters, I plan to dedicate my personal career to three projects, all under my own trademarked brand. The Mane Mentor, The Mane Connection, and Myne Mane. All projects work to support youth and require my artistic skills to become a reality. The Mane Mentor is a software where youth can receive mentorship and vocational training. The Mane Connection is a platform of solution-based films voiced by youth and their perspective of their environment. Myne Mane is where creativity creates culture. The streetwear brand designs apparel inspired by local urban youth cultures. Through wearable technology, every garment, when scanned from afar, can educate consumers on its cultural aspects or be purchased directly. The brand believes that ‘street’ or ‘urban’ wear should pay tribute to the background of their creators, urban youth. My desire to pursue these projects was also inspired by the inner city youth I networked with around the country. We would discuss the psychological impact of our environment. I found that the graffiti on the walls, the dance battles that breakout at any time of the day and wearing the newest sneakers and matching outfits even with uniform codes is an emotional outlet. Every creation of urban youth says “This is where I come from and this is who I am.” Providing youth the opportunity to express themselves and represent their cultural identity will generate a positive impact on our mental health and self-esteem. I recognize that streetwear has become its own form of cultural expression and identification. However, the lack of cultural representation has led youth to create their own brands and patterns that communicate messages that we are familiar with and attracted to. In the footsteps of Virgil Abloh, my goal is to recreate streetwear by creating designs representative of local urban areas. He constantly talked about giving urban youth opportunities in the fashion industry. I hope to use Christian ‘Myles’ Pratt Foundation Fine Arts Scholarship to support my personal mission to become a gateway for urban youth into the fashion industry and my brand's mission of representing youth cultural identity.

Completing a new collection feels like scratching the eternal itch on my spirit to express myself artistically. As a fashion entrepreneur, I create designs that inform and inspire. My excitement comes from the idea of knowing that someone out there, in a state that I have never been to, supports the vision I created. I started my brand, Myne Mane, by customizing shoes at the age of 16. I was 17 when I began selling apparel out of 5+ stores in Chicago though I am based in Miami, FL. My first bulk order of 50 hoodies sold out in stores during the winter without any marketing campaigns. April 6th, 2021, marks the day Myne Mane became trademarked. Myne Mane is where creativity creates culture. The brand designs apparel inspired by local urban youth cultures. Through wearable technology, every garment, when scanned from afar, can educate consumers on its cultural aspects. It can also be purchased directly. The brand believes that ‘street’ or ‘urban’ wear should pay tribute to the background of their creators, urban youth. Urban cultures, whether nationwide or international, are very distinct from one another but they are not formally recognized. For instance, the culture found in the boroughs of Newyork are much different than Inglewood, California or Houston, TX. As a result, streetwear has become its own form of cultural expression and identification. However, the lack of cultural representation has led youth to create their own brands and patterns that communicate messages that we are familiar with and attracted to. My inspiration comes from the inner-city youth I have networked with around the country. We would discuss the psychological impact of their environment. I found that the graffiti on the walls, the dance battles that breakout at any time of the day, and wearing the newest sneakers and matching outfits even with uniform codes is an emotional outlet. Every creation of urban youth says “This is where I come from and this is who I am.” I aspire to provide youth the opportunity to express themselves and represent their cultural identity. This will generate a positive impact on our mental health and self-esteem. In the footsteps of Virgil Abloh, my goal is to recreate streetwear by creating designs representative of local urban areas. He constantly talked about giving urban youth opportunities in the fashion industry. I hope to use Roach Family’s scholarship to support my personal mission to become a gateway for urban youth into the fashion industry and my brands mission of representing youth cultural identity.