FOSSI: Tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Israel Josiah Fayne and I am a proud, 18 year old black man born in Nashville, Tennessee. I was given to Roosevelt and Parthenia Fayne on June 11, 2004. I am the youngest of two children and have lived in Tennessee my whole life. My education started in homeschool, then I attended Pennington Elementary from 1st to 4th grade. After the conclusion of my time at Pennington, I was blessed to attend Franklin Road Academy (FRA) for the rest of my middle school and high school career. During my 8 years there, I met several people that I still call friends to this day.
FRA encouraged a school experience including athletics and arts along with academics. I tried out baseball, football, track, and basketball and ended up loving basketball and track the most. I spent many years in the band playing the alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones. I enjoyed playing basketball and running track. I was president of the FRA Jazz Ensemble and served as a leader on our track team. I helped my team win a state championship, while also earning myself a spot on the all-state track team.
Throughout all my years, I have gained an interest in technology and video games. While I enjoy playing them, the idea of how video games are made intrigues me the most. I always enjoy learning about pieces of technology. The composition of objects ranging from cell phones to air planes to digital mainframes, stimulates a feeling of joy in my brain whenever I soak up information pertaining to it.
FOSSI: Why are you passionate about pursuing a degree in a STEM-related field?
I am passionate about pursuing a degree in a STEM-related field because technology has always been a big part of my life. From a young age, I developed a love for technology and how impressively complex it could be. Anything ranging from phones to airplane cockpits, I have a great interest in learning all I can about how it is made.
Because of this, I want to truly apply myself in areas that get me closer to being able to chase my dreams of building and learning about various types of technology.
A STEM degree would give me the starting tools to work with all types of technology, and hopefully, develop truly innovative tech myself.
FOSSI: Why is receiving the FOSSI scholarship important for you?
Receiving the FOSSI scholarship is important for me because it allows me to attend college. My parents are against taking out loans for college, so this scholarship helps provide me with a financial boost to chase my dreams in college. On top of the financial benefit, this scholarship also provides mentoring and work force networking which truly captured my attention when applying for the scholarship.
FOSSI: Who is a role model that has influenced you?
A role model that has influenced my life is my grandfather. I spent a lot of time with my grandfather at a young age and I was able to see who he was. He was an extremely hard worker that cared about his family more than anything. I truly admired this about him and strived to model my life around the example he set. His death hurt me more than anything, however, I chose to remember the best things about him in order to keep his memory going and ensure that I stay the course of modeling my life around his example.
FOSSI: Fast forward – where do you see yourself in ten years?
In 10 years, I see myself working for Google. For as long as I can remember, I have desired to work for Google. It has always interested me more than anything to see what they do on a day to day basis and all the technological issues that they address through fixing their code or their phone systems.
I have always wanted to work for a corporation like Google, Microsoft or Samsung, so I see myself structuring my life to achieve this goal. In 10 years, I see myself accomplishing my dream to work for and innovatively impact a major technological corporation.
FOSSI: Share a few fun facts about yourself.
- I love playing video games and playing online with my friends.
- My favorite sport is basketball.
- I run track.
- I love playing the alto saxophone and enjoyed doing it for six years at Franklin Road Academy.
- I admire how things are made and love to watch "How it's made" videos on YouTube in order to indulge my desire to learn the innerworkings of various objects.