Ashantaya Lee

I always knew that God had something great in store for me. Step one in this great plan was to be my best self and shine my light so bright that it shines on everyone around me. Step two was to not mess up step one.

From the time I was a kid, communication had been second nature to me. I always loved speaking with people and connecting with others. By the age of eight, I had created a business called Ray’s Potholders, inspired by my Yaya who loved crochet. I was creating about 10 of them a day, so my grandfather suggested I sell them. That’s when my love for speaking blossomed. So I did just that, I went to my school “Sound of the alarm” and sold them to my teachers and staff. My fourth-grade teacher saw something in me and set me up to go to a summer camp for young entrepreneurs. That Camp opened up so many doors and for that, I’m so thankful. When I was nine, I was invited to a Google Pitch competition in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I was the youngest competitor, and I was pitching my business against 30 other young entrepreneurs, ranging from the ages of 13 to 17 years old. For most kids, speaking to a large crowd like that would’ve been scary, but for me, it was just a lot of fun. I was able to hold conversations with adults and tell them my business plans and where I hoped to take my company. 

Once I began high school, the thought of my future began to weigh heavily on my mind. I had high expectations for myself, and so did the people around me. I thought that business was going to be what I did after I graduated because I had always had a natural gift for business and communications. Attending performing arts high school allowed me to study all different genres of media. I was captivated by filmmaking. I get lost in films. The process of storytelling opened my mind to a new world. All the skills that I have learned, and everything that has built me up to this moment, proves to me that making films is where I belong.

My whole life I have always been told that I’m going to do great things; It’s just a matter of when. As I head into this next chapter of my life, I want my school to represent the kind of person I want to become. Now, I am hoping to walk out of Clark Atlanta University as the woman I was meant to be. I plan to go to Clark and learn more about films and learn how to be a business owner so I can open my production company. After I finish my career at Clark, I want to come back to Aliquippa and open up a business camp as well as an arts camp. I want to help lay down that same foundation for a new generation of kids as the business camp did for me.

I need this scholarship as an investment of good faith in my future. I will work hard to get my bachelor’s then my master’s so I can come back to Aliquippa to guide the next generation of children. I hope you consider me for this scholarship as it will help me return the favor in the future.