ume, Courtney thought that this rural town in Arkansas would be full of farms and “country” people. However, he soon saw that in this predominantly African American community with a population under 3,000, there were a number of negative influences around him. When he saw that even his older brother and sisters were hindered by alcohol, drugs, violence, and teenage pregnancy, Courtney felt that he had a responsibility towards his family, his community, and himself to make sure that he did not continue the cycle of tragedy that tormented his family. He set the goal of becoming the first in his family to graduate from college. To achieve this goal, Courtney decided to move out of Eudora and away from his family in the 10th grade to attend the Arkansas School for Math and Sciences (ASMS) in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Despite being in a new community and school (both predominantly white), Courtney continued to do well in class, as well as activities such as athletics and b

Some topics in this essay:
Houston Courtney, African American, Scholarship Program, Environment EMERGE, Arkansas Despite, Eudora Arkansas, Woods Sr, David Satcher, Atlanta GA, Baytown Texas, bonner scholars, african american, family graduate, family graduate college, graduate college,