Personal Statement

Exceptionally creative, a brilliant thinker, and a determinative hard worker are adjectives that narrate my school life, but are contrasting adjectives of my family life. Growing up as the son of a poor single mother in the city, I realized it is hard to be recognized by the knowledge that an individual possesses or acquires. The lack of being offered the chance at a fair opportunity in life enabled me to possess the will-power to set scholastic goals in the stratosphere and make an attempt at being somebody in life.
My mother, God and my high school biology instructor, Mrs. Oliver, are my motivations to be interested in the sciences. My mother always encourages me to continue my pursuance towards getting my PhD because she compels me to believe that knowledge is the highest power that humans possess. During my elementary years, she placed me in the LEAP (Liberal Education Accelerated Program), a model designed to evaluate gifted children in Hampton City Schools at Hampton University, where as a young and beginning student I had the opportunity to experience science in its most natural forms. My mother is my best friend and provider, and has diligently worked so that I will have the opportunity unlike her at pursuing a degree. God directs me to interest in the sciences because after conversing with him upon several occasions through prayer about my future, he always points me in the direction of computers. As time progressed and I got older, computers made their way into my heart by distinctively grasping my interest and curiosity. I was always interested in discovering for myself how computers work, and I always wanted to someday make a video game. I for the first time had hands on experience with building a computer in the eleventh grade, which was also the same time at which I experienced computer programming. After these encounters I computers became a one-way path for me in life, for I was overwhelmed with excitement about the vast field. Mrs. Oliver is my main drive for success. She told me in the ninth grade when I almost failed her class that, “Science is hard and strenuous, but great success is the product of hard work, determination, and patience.” She was a guide for me through my difficulties in science and mathematics and provided me with not only scholastic assistance, but also great values and moral assistance that can be applied to everyday life. When my schoolwork gets tough, I always contemplate on what she said to me, and after I think about it, I feel that anything can be accomplished.
I am a rising fourth year computer science major at Hampton University. I have set my life goal educationally at earning a Ph.D. in the area of either software engineering or computer engineering. During this process I have set goals to parallel education and expand my knowledge by engaging in challenging coursework and intriguing scientific research. One day in the future I would like to be blessed with the opportunity to display my knowledge amongst young scholars that have an interest in the field of the sciences. As a tutor of computer science, I savor the chance of being able to help people in my major area that are on a knowledgably lower level than myself. I anticipate continuing research in my area and am enthusiastic about what the future holds for me as a computer scientist.