That Picture by Oluwasemilore

That Picture by Oluwasemilore - July 2019 Scholarship Essay

As a graduated high school senior and incoming college freshman I’ve been through it all. I know what it’s like to stay up that extra hour to get that high grade or finish that project I procrastinated on. And I understand the mental strain of constantly comparing your statistics to others and putting yourself down because your SAT score wasn't as high or you didn’t make the top ten percent.

There have been so many times I wanted to give up and give in. To not care about my education and let my grades fall. It was so tempting. But there was one thing that kept my confidence up and mind in check: a picture. And not just any picture. This picture is the iconic picture of Elizabeth Eckford entering into Little Rock Central High School. Eckford was apart of nine black students, known as the Little Rock Nine, who were chosen to integrate into an all white high school. The hatred and bigotry of the white people in Arkansas encircled them at all sides, derogatory slurs and chants ripping at them and digging deep, but Elizabeth Eckford still walked with the grace, poise, and confidence I wish to instill in my life. And although she and her other classmates were not able to even enter the school on that day, they are the reason why I push forward.

I push forward with my education because they were not able to, they weren't even given the chance to. Unlike the Little Rock Nine, I am able to go to any school I want and study any major I want. I have a choice and they did not. But the only reason I have this choice now is because of the black students like Little Rock Nine. They paved the way for the future of the black generation in education. And as a way to honor their struggle and the hate they endured, I feel it is only right for me to use my opportunity for education as much as I can. Simply giving up and allowing my grades to slip away would be a slap to their faces and legacy as a black student.

Education is also important for me because I have a purpose to fulfill and to fulfill that purpose is through education. As of now, my dream is to pursue a career in medicine and publish a young adult novel. I will be majoring in public health science with a minor in creative writing. I specifically picked this as a major because public health gives the other side of the medical field that allows me to be active in the community and give back to the people. With both the community based medical field and the science/biological based medical field (that I will gain through the requirements of the pre-med track), I will be able to have a well-rounded view and educational experience of the healthcare field that will benefit me in the years to come. I plan to use my education to give back to my community, specifically the black community.

By minoring in creative writing, I will be able to learn about myself as a writer and develop my writing style. As of now, I am currently enrolled in a fantasy literature course that will help me fulfill my humanities credit and also plan on taking an African diaspora literature course the next semester. Taking courses like these, along with my creative writing minor, will give me a well-rounded idea of the types of literature I plan on writing in the future. I want to write and publish books following black characters that would further uplift the black community and black readers. I want to write books about black people who are people who happen to be black. At this point, I am fleshing out my writing skills by writing short stories. These short stories are ones that I either keep to myself or submit in writing contests. I hope to flesh out my writing style even more with the help of the various professors and educators I will meet when I get to college.

But it all goes back to the Little Rock Nine and my picture of Elizabeth Eckford on that day. The very fact that I have this dream and have an opportunity for my dream to take breath and fly is a special thing. A lot of people were not even able to dream due to the systemic oppression enforce don them. So many black students used to believe, and some still do, that there is nothing more to life than just life, eat, sleep, work, and do it again. But not anymore. Just like Elizabeth Eckford, I will continue to go forward regardless of what is thrown my way.