I am striving to graduate college with a B.B.A. in Marketing. I am extremely excited to see what kind of job I will hold, and I am definitely excited to make money. If I'm being completely honest, I would love to somehow work my way up to even making triple figures some day, and I don't feel guilty about that.

There seems to be this negative connotation hovering over business people, particularly CEOs and other successful position holders, that we're all crooks trying to rob anyone and everyone below us. Let me just clear something up; not all business people are monsters. We're not trying to steal your money. We're not all willing to neglect the social welfare of our neighbors. Yes, there are some people in this world who are greedy, selfish, and unethical. They bring these characteristics with them to work, and they distort and take advantage of our economic system to fill their wallets as fat as they'll go. I get that. I come from a family that has never seen a triple figure pay check. I am attending school with a trail of debt behind me. I know what it's like to struggle and make sacrifices. However, not all successful, "well off" people are that way. There is a difference between being materialistic and being resourceful, and my goal is to be the latter.

I want to make a profit, to live within my means and then utilize my money to serve those around me. I pray that God blesses me financially, not so that I can sit in my wealth, but rather so I can provide and contribute to society. I want to have the means to donate to various causes. I want to have the resources to provide meals for those in my community who might be in desperate need for fellowship outside of their stress filled walls. I want to have the knowledge to donate my time to neighbors in a way that will help them when they're caught in sticky situations.

When I graduate, I'm not looking to race to the top of an industry and begin plotting ways to make the most money for myself despite the cost to others. I am looking to work in a setting of equality, integrity, and selflessness. Obtaining a business degree will provide me with a tool to create a work setting like that, or with a positive light to bring into a dark place. I hope that my presence, wherever I end up, will be a source of prosperity and morality. For every good business person, there could be one less corrupt one. I want to be that difference. I want to obtain wealth as a resource to serve. I want to offer my money, home, and time.

I want to break the stigma.