Many people believe that with affirmative action, African Americans don’t have to work hard and that they are chosen for positions to make an organization look more diverse. This could not be further from the truth. When I first learned about black excellence, it was through social media with a trending hashtag. Specifically, it was a picture of Jedidah Isler, Ph.D. who recently became the first African-American woman to graduate from Yale University with a Ph.D. in Astrophysics. Her vita shows how well accomplished she is. It is her merits that got her where she is today, not her skin color.

Black Excellence is about paving the way for African Americans. Many of us who come from academically disadvantaged and low socioeconomic backgrounds are not dealt the cards to attend college. However, many of us who come from those circumstances have parents that have instilled the values of hard work and education in us. My parents always encouraged me and helped me in my academic endeavors, and it was my father who taught me how to be competitive in the white man’s world. I was not taught to rest on my skin color to obtain opportunities. I was not taught to take handouts. In fact, I was taught that I would have to work twice as hard if I wanted to receive half of what my white competitors received. This is where I learned to work six times as hard because I wanted more.

African Americans have to work harder for everything because of our skin color, specifically because of racism, prejudice and discrimination. We are stigmatized as being lazy. This is strange because all of the African Americans I know strive for black excellence. I have worked and attended school since the age of 9. Black excellence is about going above and beyond what is expected of us. Black excellence is making the most out of the opportunities those before us has given us. Black excellence is about giving an employer, admissions or selection committee every reason to select us and eliminating any tangible reason to deny us; forcing those who practice racism and discrimination to put aside their hatred.

When I was invited to apply for the Social Work HEALS—Social Work Healthcare Education and Leadership Scholars Program, which is aimed to strengthen the delivery of healthcare services in the US by advancing the education and training of healthcare social workers—I was honored. I was honored because my institution was one of 10 institutions (out of 228 Council of Social Work Education accredited MSW programs) selected by the Council on Social Work Education and National Association of Social Workers to host this scholars program.

Out of the 30+ healthcare concentrations at UIUC, only two MSW students would be selected. The eligibility criteria included a cumulative grade point average of a 3.7 across MSW coursework, plus interviewing and securing a field placement at an approved HEALS-site (tentative you are accepted). I exceeded the expectations because it is a highly competitive and selective scholarship program.

I learned about this program in June 2015. Immediately following, I became involved in a summer health disparities research project while working three jobs and taking two summer courses. When the fall began, I took 20 credit hours while working three jobs, volunteering and serving on committees in addition to obtaining multiple certifications, completing advanced psychosocial oncology trainings and more.

Spring 2016, I added more to my plate by accumulating more accomplishments going into the application process. I obtained a flawless grade point average, obtained an internship for spring 2016 semester at a hospice center (internships are required until summer or fall), secured a HEALS approved internship site at the end of my interview, as well as received a scholarship to attend the 2016 Social Work Hospice and Palliative Care Conference. I also became a staff writer for Social Work Helpers as well as a writer for three other online platforms, including Odyssey.

My black excellence has paid off as I am one of two candidates selected from a highly competitive pool of candidates to be a 2016-2017 HEALS Scholar. This is my biggest accomplishment since beginning this program because everything I have done has been to be selected for this specific opportunity. This is what black excellence is: overcoming the odds, managing multiple commitments and excelling at it all and being our best selves. I learned that black excellence is not about beating the white man. It is about being better than yesterday.

Each day, we strive to accomplish more. The biggest part of black excellence is that we don’t do it for ourselves, we do it for those to come. As the first African American to receive this scholarship at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, it opens doors for other minorities to apply and be selected for such an opportunity. In honor of Black History month, don’t just learn about the history of the past, learn about the black history taking place today through movements such as Black Excellence.