Maleiha Lei Lee Garcia Smith STEM Scholarship

I think receiving this scholarship will help me be able to be more successful in the later future and it will drive me to make great decisions and make good choices. It will make me work harder on what I enjoy doing, It will help me play a meaningful role which can help me be able to get past my personal and academic goals. This scholarship would have me at ease when it comes to financial pressure and worrying how financially stable i am and it would help me be able to focus more on not only my studies and my work also research opportunities and being involved in student organizations that can help me grow to become a leader. I strive to honor Malehia Lei Lee Garcia Smith’s legacy through the values i bring to my work and the community that is around me. Inside and outside of school, I try my best to show kindness, become curious, and help other people with their problems and help them try to find solutions. I believe that true impact can originate from achievement. Also helping others get a spotlight and become more seen, feel more supported, and inspired. I feel like those are values that the scholarship symbolizes heavily. I myself have not participated in much STEM programs but i have participated in a program called IYT which helps, not just students but colored students specifically, who plan on going to college after high school. I have many careers that are planned at the moment. I hope to become one of many plans in the futures. If it’s going to be a Professional football player, a 2D Animator, a film Director, an Actor. Wherever i choose to go. This scholarship will help me be able to accomplish my goals and my dreams. As a student senior leader in football, I helped my teammates to become better and to stay strong even when times are hard. I try my best to step up when i get the chance to. Growing up in a black cultural family, it has shaped the I understand community, responsibility, resilience. My family has always emphasized the importance of helping each other out and making them feel supported, keeping each other humble, and being able to work hard for opportunities that weren’t always available for them in their generations. These values are what i have learned. And with those i have approached to school with them, I’ve approached leadership with them, and I have also approached service as well. I was taught that education wasn’t just sn achievement in life, but it was something that can be used positively in life and be used to help others out in the community we are all in. This makes me feel connected to the idea of me giving to people and being able to help people on their feet to be able to have open opportunities. Carrying these lessons with me for my future will help me honor the legacy of Maleiha Lei Lee Garcia Smith by being able to succeed not only in life but by being someone who can bring change positively and be able to be someone to look up to by what i do. Overall i believe this scholarship will help me give back to my community and pursue my future goals. I hope to honor Maleiha Lei Lee Garcia Smith’s legacy through my hard work, my leadership, and being committed to work with other people and to support them.

Receiving this scholarship would be a meaningful step toward achieving both my academic and personal aspirations. It would allow me to continue my education with greater focus and less financial stress, giving me the freedom to fully invest my time and energy into learning, building skills, and giving back to my community. More than financial support, this scholarship represents encouragement to keep pursuing a future grounded in purpose, service, and impact—values that strongly reflect the legacy of Maleiha Lei Lee Garcia Smith. Throughout my education, I have intentionally explored STEM pathways that connect creativity, problem-solving, and real-world impact. I completed an engineering design class, where I learned how to approach challenges through structured thinking, teamwork, and iteration. In that class, I gained experience designing solutions, testing ideas, and learning from failure—skills that are essential not only in engineering, but in life. I also took a building trades class, which gave me hands-on experience and a deep appreciation for how planning, precision, and craftsmanship come together to create something meaningful. This class showed me the importance of practical skills and how engineering and construction directly shape communities. In addition, I completed a coding pathway at school, where I developed foundational skills in programming and logical thinking. Learning to code strengthened my ability to break down complex problems and think analytically, while also showing me how technology can be used to improve systems, increase efficiency, and create opportunities. Together, these experiences confirmed my interest in STEM and reinforced my goal of pursuing a career where I can combine technical knowledge with service to others. Beyond academics, I value community involvement and responsibility. I believe that education should not only be about personal success, but also about lifting others up. Whether through helping in my local community, collaborating with classmates, or showing leadership in group projects, I strive to act with integrity, respect, and compassion. These values align closely with the legacy of Maleiha Lei Lee Garcia Smith, whose life represents care for others, perseverance, and making a positive difference. This scholarship would help me continue along a path that honors that legacy—by committing myself to learning, serving my community, and using STEM skills to create solutions that matter. I am motivated to grow not only as a student, but as a person who contributes positively to the world around them, and I would carry the honor of this scholarship with gratitude and responsibility.

The money from this scholarship would help me in many different ways. I’d be able to switch some of my focus to help my community more rather than struggling for money to support myself. I want to help out in my community and build relationships with the people who can really make a difference in lower focused on areas such as mine. I would like to give back to my community that supported me when I was growing up. I want to bring back the right knit communities that take care of each other and are safe to interact with each other. I’d use this money to carry me through school and support my dreams of restoring a healthy community status were everyone actually cares about the place they live. Wee people actually care about where they’re kids are growing up and what they are growing up around. Just because you are an underfunded area doesn’t mean we must act like it. We can make the change ourselves and I am not opposed to being the one to kick start the process. Improvement starts with someone realizing something needs to change. And something must change in our communities before it starts affect the youth that will be caring for our world when we get old and unable too. Wouldn’t you want to give your child the best world that can come into? With the best chance of being healthy and living a long successful life surrounded by people that they are loved and admired by? I will make that change in my neighborhood and I will help people realize that money is not the only thing that can change a community. The only thing it takes to change a community is one voice that’s loud enough to be heard over the loud speakers of life. Once I get through college and progress through my life I will continue to help underserved communities. Instead of help our rich get richer I’d like to help people build generational wealth with generational educations, smart families stick together and get things done together. A well educated group of individuals will make more of a difference than many people think. Your voice is the most powerful feature of your body, your voice will able to save communities, your voice can make the difference and I want my voice too. I want to speak out for the poor communities who aren’t spoken for enough.

Receiving this scholarship would directly support my goal of becoming a physician-researcher who bridges patient care with scientific innovation. It would allow me to fully commit to demanding STEM coursework, research, and community engagement without financial pressure, and, more importantly, to turn personal motivation into lasting impact. The values behind this scholarship, such as service, resilience, and uplifting others through education, closely align with the legacy of Maleiha Lei Lee Garcia Smith and with the work I hope to dedicate my life to. I plan to pursue an MD and work at the intersection of medicine, technology, and access. I am especially interested in how biomedical engineering tools, such as targeted drug delivery systems and wearable health technologies, can improve treatment outcomes while lowering costs for underserved communities. My interest in this field began in high school through hands-on STEM involvement and leadership. As an officer of my school’s medical club, I helped organize peer discussions, invited healthcare professionals to speak, and mentored students navigating their own paths into medicine. These experiences taught me that innovation only matters if people can actually access it. That belief became deeply personal while helping a classmate study Medicare policies for an AP Government final. When she asked, “So states can just block people from getting healthcare?” I immediately thought of my uncle. He suffers from epilepsy, and without insurance, his medication costs over $3,000 per month. After two years of rationing pills, he was forced to leave the United States to afford treatment abroad. “I came here for the American Dream,” he told me, “but I can’t afford to stay alive in it.” That moment clarified my purpose: brilliant medical advances mean nothing if people are priced out of survival. Since then, I’ve sought ways to give back through education, mentorship, and STEM-driven service. I regularly supported classmates by breaking down complex healthcare policies and science concepts, helping them feel confident engaging with material that often feels inaccessible. I’ve also explored sustainability-focused medical innovation, including low-cost 3D-printed prosthetic designs. Holding a fully functional prosthetic hand that cost under $50 compared to traditional models priced in the thousands cemented my belief that accessibility should be the standard, not the exception. My involvement in STEM and community spaces reflects a commitment to sharing knowledge and creating opportunity. Whether through leadership in medical organizations, mentoring peers, or collaborating on projects that prioritize affordability and access, I aim to build inclusive environments where students feel empowered to pursue science with purpose. These values, compassion, service, and the use of education to uplift others, mirror the legacy of Maleiha Lei Lee Garcia Smith. This scholarship would not only help me reach my academic goals but also strengthen my ability to continue serving my community through research, mentorship, and involvement in STEM and cultural organizations. I hope to honor Maleiha’s legacy by turning opportunity into impact and by working toward a future where healthcare is not a privilege, but a right.

I was thirteen when I joined GreenTech in January 2021, and at that point, I honestly did not have a clear picture of my future. Growing up Black and financially unstable made college and careers in STEM feel distant, almost unrealistic. For a long time, I felt discouraged about what I could actually achieve. It was my aunt who pushed me to try GreenTech, and that decision ended up changing how I viewed myself and my potential. GreenTech introduced me to agriculture, sustainability, and green technology in a way that felt real and hands on. I learned how environmental systems work and how technology can be used to improve communities rather than just exist on a screen. Even though agriculture and sustainability are not typically tied to computer science, the program kept pushing me forward and helped me connect different fields together. GreenTech showed me that I did not have to choose between interests. I could care about the environment, technology, and problem solving all at the same time, which gave me a stronger sense of direction. Originally, I planned to work in digital design or graphic design because I have always been creative and comfortable with art. At some point, though, I had a realization. I started thinking about the technology behind the designs and asking myself how the software I was using actually worked. That curiosity turned into a deeper interest in the software world and eventually led me to computer science. I became more interested in building technology rather than just using it, and that shift completely changed my academic goals. My path has not been perfect or consistent. In December 2023, I was diagnosed with illness anxiety and chronic stress, and I am still managing hypertension. These challenges affected my motivation, confidence, and consistency, and there were times when I stepped away from things I cared about. However, those experiences also forced me to slow down and reflect on what I want out of life. I want a future where I am doing work that improves society while also protecting my own well being. Regaining my passion after struggling has taught me resilience and reminded me why purpose matters to me. I will be attending Sacramento State to study computer science, and earning a degree means more to me than just personal success. I do not want to continue the generational struggle with access to higher education. My mother earned multiple degrees but still faced barriers that limited their impact. My father did not finish college, and generations before them did not have equal access to education at all. Pursuing computer science is my way of moving forward while honoring the sacrifices and struggles that came before me. The legacy of Maleiha Lei Lee Garcia Smith represents resilience, compassion, and service, values that strongly align with my own experiences. Honoring that legacy means continuing to grow despite obstacles and using education to uplift others. This scholarship would relieve financial pressure and allow me to fully focus on my education, health, and growth. More importantly, it would affirm that my story, determination, and goals matter. With this support, I will continue working toward a future defined by impact, purpose, and meaningful change.