A moment that defined my academic career was when my high school friend group and I built a raft together and went down the Susquehanna river. I was never sure if I really wanted to be an engineer. There were moments when it seemed like the best idea, but it was always quite unclear. When my crazy friend group got the idea to build a giant raft, I knew that it was for me. We had all been in engineering and design classes together throughout high school and were a great team. We conquered engineering competitions and lead our class to be one of the most successful and impactful years of the school. I think this was mostly imparted to our outlandish ideas that, no matter how crazy, we would try to make it work.
Our friend group got together and started the plan. We settled in and made blueprints for a giant raft that we could float and control down the wide Susquehanna. One of our guys worked at a local car wash and started taking some empty barrels home for free (with a request to the higher-ups of course). Then we went to the hardware store and bought 2 by 4's and plywood. Throughout the summer, our invention began coming to life.
We worked together to build the raft over the course of the summer, using the barrels for floatation and assembling the basic frame. The raft ended up being big enough to fit 8 high schoolers with life jackets and an adult. We made paddles and brought snacks. In the end, the date to set sail was approaching, and we were ready.
One of the main guys in charge lived right by the river. In fact, his uncle's house had a gazebo right on the ridge. We had assembled it there and walked it down to the river together. This thing was massive. We painted it blue and red, the barrels were huge, it had a mast, and it actually floated. We got our life jackets on a prepared to board the raft and that's when we realized how cold the water was, but we had to continue for our whole summer had built up to this.
With the river raging around us, some of us held the raft while others climbed on. We had 2 trained lifeguards on board and we were fully ready. It was an absolutely beautiful day once we all got on. The river slowed down and we smoothly drifted 3 miles to our assigned drop-off point. It was not without its shenanigans, but we made it, and it was a day I will surely never forget. That is why I want to be an engineer.
As an undergraduate freshman, I have faced the greatest challenge of time management while pursuing my degree. Time management means being able to handle various tasks at the same time and to do so in an organized manner so that you can complete your work on time. While my school work was turned in on time, it was difficult to put forth my best effort. I noticed I only gave myself a short amount of time to complete important assignments, such as lab reports and research papers. Due to procrastination, I was not able to fully pursue my degree. Procrastination was a minor setback to my success, I knew I needed to create a schedule that worked for me, a schedule that motivated me to work. As a result of the guidance and advice I received from my peers, I started using a planner that outlined what I needed to accomplish each day in a timely manner. I found out that planning my days gave me more free time, and I used that time to study to make myself better prepared for finals. Taking the time to adjust my time management allowed me to pursue my degree and gain more knowledge from lessons taught to me. Throughout the next few months, I will continue to use my time wisely to ensure my degree's success. I started doing my research and found that I would be able to further my education in the field of biomedical engineering in order to improve human health. I intend to use my degree to create and develop new medical technologies. This scholarship will enable me to work more intensively on my research through internships at my college by developing new techniques of problem-solving applications. Consequently, I will use the knowledge gained from internships in order to achieve advanced innovation in the fields of mathematics, science, and biology. As a role model for mixed and black women entering the fields of medicine and engineering, I hope to impact the world. My main goal is to positively impact the medical field by creating cost-effective, reusable, and at-home devices for places such as Tanzania, Somalia, Guinea, and Madagascar. My goal is to make a mark and I think I could accomplish this if I begin my research on countries that struggle with the lack of medical help in urban and rural areas. Rural and urban Tanzanian children are at high risk of dying from lower respiratory issues, for example. Reproducing pulse oximeters, spirometers, pH strips, and breathing monitors in a mass-produced, reusable, cost-effective manner will facilitate determining if lower respiratory issues are present in kids and adults within urban and rural settings within Tanzania. This scholarship will not only help me pay for college but it will also help me pursue my degree so I can make a difference in the medical field. My hope is to encourage other mixed-race and black women to continue working in the medical and engineering fields so that we can make a difference in the world today despite the racial issues we face in society.
