“The most important things to me are my family, success, and leaving a legacy.
My father passed away in a single car accident my freshman year of high school. After he passed away, my mom struggled with paying the bills, so she requested increased hours at work to support our family as a now widowed mother of three. With her income under twenty-five thousand dollars a year, I soon took on the role of mother by working multiple jobs to help provide for the family. However, I knew that if I wanted to truly be able to support my family, I needed to get out of town and get a strong college education. I decided I would concentrate on my school work and extracurricular activities to make the most of my time. By my senior year of high school, I was working two jobs, holding an internship position at a custom prosthesis company, managing a non-profit youth theater foundation, and acting as President for my high school’s drama club. I did this while managing to take seven AP courses and graduating with honors. All so one day my hard work will pay off, and my mom will never have to worry about money again. Through the successes of my efforts, I realized my low-income status at home was not a barrier at all, but rather a driving force to push me into accomplishing whatever I put my mind to.
I decided to transfer to Georgia Tech because of the countless opportunities Tech can provide. My friends who attend Georgia Tech are offered better internships, have better instructors, participate in phenomenal undergrad research, and experience outreach and engagement in the community unlike any other. Here, my leadership skills are cultivated. I have always had the soft skills needed to be a strong leader: excellent communication skills, having an energetic personality, and a passion for helping people succeed. As I learn more about the kind of leader I want to be, I work on developing these skills every day. In my first year at college, I joined Southern Leaders- a group focused on developing leadership skills by becoming involved in our local community. Through this program, I took a non-credit hour class that the University offered to help students learn about leadership styles and how to apply these. Then I joined the National Society of Leadership and Success where every week we learned about different people across the globe who have made a difference and discussed our own goals. This group helped me realize how important it is to give back to your surroundings on or off campus. It has led me to join many service organizations such as the Director’s Immediate Response Team. I hope to continue this leadership process by giving back to the Atlanta community.
Since my mother is still working a very low-income job, I must pay for everything on my own. I have taken out many loans to be able to continue to afford to live in Atlanta and attend Georgia Tech. I currently am working two jobs while pursuing my college education, and I believe with my whole heart that in the near future, my hard work here at Georgia Tech will enable me to pursue my dreams and be able to provide for my family.
Success is a reminder that triumphing over hardships is not always easy, but it is always worth it. Having to manage schoolwork with home responsibilities and work has required nothing but persistence, energy, and enthusiasm and I intend to keep challenging, and encouraging myself to be the best leader I can be.”