Harry B. Anderson Scholarship

From the moment my grandfather asked me, “¿Voy a estar bien?” while we awaited his cancer prognosis, I knew that I wanted to dedicate my life to medicine. I was there as his translator, but in that moment, I felt helpless. I watched him struggle—not just against his illness, but against a lack of specialists, language barriers, and financial obstacles that stood in the way of care. That moment resonated with me, and it’s what drives me now to pursue a career in STEM where I can become part of the solution. My passion for STEM comes from a desire to understand how things work beneath the surface, especially within the human body. I’ve always been fascinated by how biology, chemistry, and technology come together to fight disease and improve lives. As I grew older, this curiosity evolved into a purpose. Whether shadowing nurses in the emergency department, researching ways to improve student well-being through mental health initiatives, or helping young children in our hospital’s kindness program, I’ve seen firsthand how science can be applied with empathy to change outcomes. STEM, to me, is not just about problem-solving—it’s about using knowledge to heal, advocate, and transform the systems that fail too many. It’s about taking the pain my family once felt and turning it into progress for others. This commitment to medicine led to my acceptance into the University of Arizona’s prestigious Accelerated Pathway to Medical Education (APME) program. Out of a national pool of applicants, only ten students are selected each year. The APME program offers a unique seven-year track that allows high school students direct and reserved admission into the University of Arizona Medical School. As an APME student, I will major in Physiology and Medical Sciences through the W.A. Franke Honors College while receiving personalized mentorship, early clinical experiences, and access to initiatives that address Arizona’s healthcare disparities. The program is designed for students like me, who are committed to practicing medicine in service to their communities. Growing up in a rural, medically underserved border community has shaped my perspective and purpose. Beyond the classroom, I plan to join student organizations focused on medicine, science, music, and my Hispanic culture—each of which plays a meaningful role in my identity. I also hope to engage in research and community outreach programs that focus on closing the healthcare gaps that affect families like mine. My goal is not just to study science, but to apply it in ways that directly uplift the people and places that have shaped me. Ultimately, I plan to become a pediatric oncologist. I’ve seen the impact of cancer up close and know how devastating it can be for families. My volunteer work in the emergency department and my involvement as Treasurer of Onvida Health’s Kindness Project have shown me the kind of physician I want to be: one who listens, empowers, and brings light to even the darkest moments. My long-term goal is to return to my hometown and open a practice that provides comprehensive, compassionate care to the community that raised me. I also hope to contribute to cancer research, advancing treatment and prevention strategies so fewer families have to endure what mine did. For me, STEM isn’t just about science—it’s about service. My drive to pursue medicine is fueled by a desire to honor my family’s sacrifices and to make a lasting impact in the lives of others. Through the innovative field of STEM, I hope to be the kind of doctor who not only heals but also inspires change.

Growing up, I didn’t have access to labs or fancy microscopes—but I had people. People with stories, resilience, and diagnoses that made me wonder: What does it truly mean to live well, even when you're sick? As a high school researcher, I’ve spent the past two summers studying quality of life in brain cancer patients, particularly those with IDH-mutant gliomas. I’ve sat with Navy SEALs expecting their first child, with 9/11 firefighters facing terminal illness, and with retired nurses being treated in the same hospitals they once worked in. Their voices shaped my understanding of what matters in medicine—not just survival, but dignity, memory, and the ability to hold a grandchild or walk to the mailbox without fear. That type of STEM moves me: research with heart, science that listens, and care that reaches beyond the clinic. I plan to major in neuroscience at Pomona College, with the long-term goal of becoming a neuro-oncologist and opening a hospital in rural Dominican Republic, where my family is from. My passion for STEM is both deeply personal and rooted in community. My grandfather, now struggling with multiple chronic conditions taught me how to plant herbs for healing, how to observe the body with patience, and how the brain, when “too tired,” can make people forget things they never wanted to. I started reading neuroscience textbooks to understand him better. What began as a need to care for him turned into a fire inside me to pursue science, not for prestige, but for the people I love. But STEM, to me, isn’t just academic—it’s a tool for equity. As the daughter of immigrants, I’ve served as my family’s translator, advocate, and caretaker since I was young. I’ve helped raise my younger siblings, taught them English, created “reading nights” three times a week, and even helped resuscitate my brother after a near-drowning in the Dominican Republic. Those moments taught me that life is fragile—and that knowledge, patience, and quick thinking can save it. They also taught me what empathy looks like in action. Whether it’s managing a household, working retail jobs to support my family, or staying up late to finish research abstracts, I bring that same persistence and purpose into every role I take on. In school, I serve as student council president and parliamentarian of the National Honor Society, where I’ve used my platform to connect underclassmen with scholarships and wellness resources. I also help lead our school’s broadcasting class, capturing stories of community and resilience through “The Spot,” a student-run segment that highlights everyday acts of kindness and leadership. I believe storytelling and science go hand in hand—both help us understand the world better and inspire us to improve it. Harry B. Anderson’s life reminds me of what’s possible when curiosity meets compassion. Like him, I’m fascinated by the natural world—I started a small garden at home to address food insecurity in my community, drawing on both traditional remedies and modern nutritional science. I’ve also started hosting early-morning workout groups at school to promote mental health after my own journey through anxiety and depression. These aren’t grand gestures—they’re small ways I try to make science tangible, healing, and human. Pursuing a STEM career isn’t just about diagnosing tumors—it’s about holding space for someone’s story. It’s about transforming pain into purpose and research into real-world impact. I want to be the kind of scientist who knows your name, not just your chart. And with support from opportunities like this scholarship, I’m determined to turn that vision into reality—not just for myself, but for everyone who’s ever felt unseen in the healthcare system.

Hello, I am Dana Abbring. I am an introspective, intelligent, ambitious individual who works through God, my school, and community to make positive contributions to the world, doing everything with the intent to improve the lives of others (or improve my ability to improve the lives of others). I envision a future in which the lowly are lifted up and don't have to suffer, where we don't squander the Earth nor the limited time we have on it, and where we acknowledge all are loved. I can be quite stubborn in my pursuit of achievement and have never felt discouraged from trying something new, challenging my intellect, nor helping the world. Thus, I am determined to be a woman in STEM. With my mind for math, curiosity for science, and fascination with modern inventions and technological advancements, STEM piqued my interest and got me excited to be an engineer starting in elementary school. I have been inspired by Thomas Edison, Marie Curie, and Shark Tank entrepreneurs to be an inventor, and explored such instincts by participating in Camp Invention (a program sponsored by the National Inventors Hall of Fame to encourage innovative thinkers) during two summers and being a counselor for a third. Like Harry B Anderson, I love to travel with my family and have gone all over the United States. This past summer, I went to Europe for the first time; that opened my eyes to “normal” occurrences in America that, when viewed through an international lens, frame our United States as wasteful. Fast food chains serve plastic utensils, grocers bag 20 goods in 10 separate bags, and highways are littered. These are sad truths of my home country, and I want to change that through science, technology, engineering, and math. I plan to study materials engineering, which creates and studies materials, then utilizes and manipulates what currently exists in the world to make something new and meet a specific purpose. I believe this is the career that will allow me to pursue my passion to not waste the Earth, but instead invent something new (or apply something in a new way) to make a positive impact. I’m inspired by Harry B Anderson to use natural materials to create something homemade and sustainable. I love making do-it-yourself products that have a purpose and personal touch. In addition, I enjoy sharing what I know, and like Harry B Anderson I hope to spread my newfound chemical and material knowledge with the world so that others may make decisions that consider our limited resources and use them more efficiently and effectively. Inspired by great scientists, inventors, and people like Harry B Anderson, I aspire to become a materials engineer and use my career in the STEM field as a force for positive change in society. Thank you for the opportunity to alleviate monetary worries from the work required to pursue my dream.

Ever since I was a little girl I have been fascinated by the way the world works around me. Throughout school, I always found myself drawn towards my science and math classes in particular. I'm one of those people who would rather sit and solve 100 math problems than write one research essay. Growing up I had a lot of supportive people in my life who helped foster my passions. My mother in particular always believed in me. She always encouraged me to take difficult STEM based classes and would buy me books or rent me movies on the topics I found to be particularly interesting in my classes. The older I grew the more my passion for STEM grew. By my first year of middle school I was positive that I would end up with a STEM based career. Throughout high school I took my time to explore a lot of careers in fields that interested me. Junior year of high school I read up on biomedical engineering and I just felt something click. The field seemed truly perfect to me, I would be able to do a job that I was passionate about while also developing things to help others. My planned field of study is biomedical engineering. My dream job in this field would be to work with a company that makes artificial organs. A younger cousin of mine has been told that he will need a heart transplant when he is older. Discovering that led me down a rabbit hole of research surrounding organ donations and transplant lists and how people can spend their whole lives waiting for an organ that they will never receive. I would like to change that. My goal is to help make artificial organs more easily available to the public. I would like to develop artificial organs that are more affordable but still work well, because nobody deserves to spend their entire life hoping for something that they will never receive. Overall, pursuing a degree in STEM is something that I have always known I would end up doing. I have always found myself fascinated by different STEM based ideas. A STEM based career field would allow for the perfect mix of all of my passions, such as seeing how things work and helping others. Growing up I have always searched for a career that I would enjoy, and I think I have truly found that with biomedical engineering.