First Love by Jalon

First Love by Jalon - February 2024 Scholarship Essay

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” One of the hardest questions asked of an adolescent. As a child developing their confidence the only class that made me feel secure was math. In that, the subject kept my attention unlike the daydreaming kids in other classrooms. During my childhood, math emerged as my greatest strength. The times where other subjects were challenging math provided assurance that I can succeed. Despite not knowing what I wanted to be when I grew up, it became evident that I would land in a math-influenced career. However, when I look around not many peers shared the same love.

Sophomore year I enrolled in a Career and Money Management course. I was first amazed, but it quickly turned to a broken heart. An elective course taken by many entrepreneurial inspired teens, soon dropped out after realizing the work and math required for the course. My failed attempt to encourage my classmates to persist didn’t go unnoticed by my professor. “Many kids want to be bosses but doesn’t know what it takes,” my Business teacher claimed. This issue resonated with me over the next year as I also noticed that not too many classmates of color are taking these classes. I believe the financial knowledge gap of young African Americans is crippling my community. Gen Z primarily believes they can amass wealth from social media but fails to realize that you need the fundamentals of business and the ability to be uncomfortable, to truly be an entrepreneur. Attending University with a sound business program and infinite alum pool connected to the real world will save me from sharing my generations delusion of grandeur. Obtaining a college education will prevent me from taking the safe and common approach, furthering my leadership development by pushing past my comfort zone are the skills I want to transfer back to my community and for the next generation.
I am the student who finds excitement in the strategic approach to derivative analytics. This is my goal I want to reshape the identity of the number making it palatable to all and bringing the love for math back to my community. I want to connect with students with similar backgrounds who may not boast the highest grades, and form that connection so that more in my community can also find their passion for the integer. When I obtain my MBA, my servant mission will be to reimagine what math means for the generation to come. Seeing how challenging the subject was for some, not only will my education focus on preparation to being a leader in the industry but also paying it forward to my community. Long term goal will be to open my own small size Accounting & Finance firm in my community and share time in the local school teaching the fundamentals of business to the generation to come.