Impact over Income by Matyos

Impact over Income by Matyos - May 2025 Scholarship Essay

Alright, let’s be real if I had a bottomless bank account and basically all the hours in the universe, I wouldn’t just sit around buying fancy watches or collecting weird cars (though, okay, maybe one nice car, just for fun). I grew up scraping by, with my family hustling extra hard just to keep the lights on, and honestly, that kind of stuff burns into you. You watch kids with all this spark get dimmed down because, what, their parents couldn’t pay for extra classes or didn’t know someone “in the business”? Total garbage. So, I’d actually want to flip the whole system. Picture this: actual places—like, all over the map—where kids from underdog neighborhoods (U.S., overseas, anywhere you can point to) get to learn the good stuff. Not just multiplication tables and, like, random science trivia, but actual skills — how to start a side hustle, get their money right, build something with their hands, run a meeting without sweating through their shirt, you know? Plus, nobody’s gotta worry about being hungry or missing the bus or having a meltdown because they’ve got support for that, too. I’m talking real wraparound care. I swear, if I had this as a kid, I’d have been unstoppable by now. I’ve picked up a couple tricks in school—how to keep organized, how not to flake on deadlines, how to set a goal and chase it down even when you’d rather be napping. That’s what I’d bake into these centers. But I wouldn’t stop at just giving out info, like some boring afterschool thing nobody wants to go to. I’d loop in legit partners: companies, colleges, even that scrappy entrepreneur down the street who somehow made it work. Boom—internships, scholarships, mentors you can actually text when you’re stuck. Watch kids blow past every expectation. And hey, we’re not living in the Stone Age. I’d have an online platform tying everyone together—kids from Detroit chatting with someone in Nairobi, swapping ideas, helping each other troubleshoot, maybe even launching projects as a squad. No more “every person for themselves” grind. Lift as you climb, right? That’s the move. Oh, and I’d make sure it doesn’t all fall apart if I bounce or, you know, finally take that vacation. I’d train up new leaders in every neighborhood, because there’s always someone ready to run with it—they just need a shot. I guess, bottom line, if I had the chance? I’d want people to remember me for what I built—and who I helped—way more than for just piling up cash. I want some kid out there, maybe from Iraq like me, maybe from wherever, to get a real shot because someone finally threw open those doors. That’s legacy. That’s what matters.

-Matyos Marcus