The importance of a college education to my career goals and objectives. by Nia

The importance of a college education to my career goals and objectives. by Nia - October 2024 Scholarship Essay

Academic excellence. Creativity. Entrepreneurship. These words are the foundation of my goals.

Since I was a young girl, I always wanted to go to college. More specifically, I knew that I would attend a historically black college or university. I had the benefit of growing up with examples of the value of a college education. My parents graduated from college. My aunts and uncle graduated from college. My grandparents graduated from college.

I have had my heart set on attending and graduating from college not merely because of the scholastic achievements of my family members, but because of the vast opportunities that I have witnessed my family members experience with a college education. These college experiences produced nurses, lawyers, pastors, pharmacists, graphic designers, cosmetologists, college presidents, food service managers, and most of all…entrepreneurs.

When I was eleven years old, with the support of my family, I started by own baking business, Nia’s Sweet Treats. Throughout my primary and secondary education, in addition to pursuing academic excellence, I was encouraged to feed my creative and entrepreneurial spirit with custom cakes and cupcakes. This entrepreneurial experience taught me the value of planning, budgeting, and self-promotion. It also landed me an opportunity to be a featured business on a segment of a local news program, Windy City Live. The amount of pride I felt in that moment developed my interest in entrepreneurship even more.

In high school, I was introduced to an area of study that further influenced my interest in entrepreneurship – video production. I fell in love with video production because it was a direct creative outlet from my creative brain to the outside world. The level of artistic expression permitted in the Homewood-Flossmoor High School Fine Arts Academy left a lasting impression. It also provided me with an added drive to achieve, and I am proud to have been named as an Illinois State Scholar (2023) and a Finalist in the 29th Annual Midwest Media Educators Association High School Video Festival (2022).

As a second-year college student, I am majoring in Business Management with a Concentration in Innovation and Entrepreneurship at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. My college experience is preparing me to achieve my goals of graduating college and contributing positively to my community by exposure to so many people from different walks of life. I am learning what it means to be a part of a community, how to adapt to change, the value of accepting differing opinions from my own, and a greater sense of accountability to myself and my college community.

Receiving this scholarship will contribute to my goals of graduating college just like my family before me and pursuing a successful career as an entrepreneur. It will also ease the financial burden of the rising costs of a college degree from my hard-working and supportive parents.

Thank you for the opportunity to share my story and goals of academic excellence, creativity, and entrepreneurship.