It seems like just yesterday I was sitting on the living room couch with my three older brothers immersed in countless hours of Disney and Nickelodeon movies. The movies all had the same cliche plot; a new kid in high school trying his best to fit into his/her new environment and avoid being bullied. To the younger version of myself, of course that made sense. The idea of being in a completely new area surrounded with strangers and not being able to blend in with them was dreadful for me to even think about. So, of course, I applied it to my real life experiences.

I attended a private school where as an African-American, rarely anybody looked, talked, or acted like me. I was terrified of being picked on or laughed at, so I made it a point to fit in with the other kids. Months went by and I found that I had completely transcended into a new person. Sure, I had lots of friends, I was up to date with all the new trends and styles, and nobody even thought about bullying me. But at the end of the day, that wasn’t who I was. I didn’t want to wear those new shoes, I didn’t want to sit at that lunch table or converse with those people, I didn’t want to do any of it at all. By making it my goal to fit in with the other kids at my school, I began to lose my own identity. At first, I saw blending in with the crowd as the ideal scenario in my new school. But that wasn’t who I was. I wasn’t me.

On February 23rd, 2006, I was blessed with the opportunity to join my loving mother and three older brothers in this adventure we know as life. I was born and raised in Missouri City, Texas, however my family originates from Nigeria. While I have rarely visited the country, I make great efforts to connect back to my roots and learn more about my lineage every opportunity that I get. That’s who I am. My family has been the driving force in my life as I look up to them and devote every action that I take in this life to making them proud. That is who I am. They have instilled great values such as my faith in God. My faith is the strongest pillar in my life. Whenever I am facing adversity or unsure of how to overcome difficult times I rely on my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for guidance. That is me. These childhood experiences come together to shape who I am today.

So, yeah, sometimes, I may talk funny, laugh weird, or listen to unorthodox genres of music, but at the end of the day those are traits which define me. That’s who I am. And never again would I change to try and fit in.

“What's it sound like when everybody sounds like what you sound like?” At first, I had no idea what Kanye West was talking about when I heard this in his song. But at a deeper level, whether it was his intent or not, it made me think to myself, if I continuously make it a point in my life to blend in with others, will I grow? If I am constantly exposed to the same voices on a daily basis, all of which voice the same ideology, am I truly hearing anything at all? And if I alter myself to meet the norms and expectations of a specific group of people, what identity do I have left?

At first I thought my biggest fear was standing out, but now, I believe it is fitting in. While I’m not the best at it yet, I try to be authentic as much as I can. And embarking on these next four years on the Forty Acres, I won’t change who I am for anybody. I’ll just be me.

Major:
Business

Other Academic Interests:
Planning to minor in Economics 

Extracurricular Activities:
CEO & Founder of WhoGotNzxt - Platform which aims to restore equity in sports by providing less fortunate high school athletes with resources such as exposure and recognition to optimize their chances of getting the opportunity to play in college. To this day, WhoGotNzxt has sent multiple high school athletes to college on full-ride athletic scholarships and have boosted the social media followings of our signed athletes immensely.

Economics Grader - I will be working as an Economics Grader helping to enrich UT OnRamps students education with streamlined and in depth feedback.

What drew you to the Forty Acres Scholars Program?
While the Forty Acres Scholars Program definitely intrigued me at first due to the lack of financial burden I would have while attending the university, I realized after extensive research on the program through the application process, I found something even more intriguing. I found a sense of family and connection. To be in such a close group of friends to the point where you can call them family, to me, is one of the greatest experiences one can have on this Earth.