All Paths Start with a Choice Scholarship

To me, perseverance means continuing to pursue a goal or take action despite obstacles or challenges that may arise. It is about being determined, resilient, and refusing to give up even when things are difficult. I have demonstrated perseverance in my own life by taking care of myself and my family since I was 15 years old. My father has been suffering from Parkinson's disease, and as a result, I have had to step up and take on various responsibilities that would normally be handled by my parents. This has included managing our household, taking care of my siblings, and even handling some of my father's medical appointments and treatments. One of the ways that my father's illness has affected me is by increasing my responsibilities and workload. As a caregiver, I have had to take on additional tasks and duties, such as managing my father's medical appointments and treatments, coordinating his care, and providing emotional support. This can be a lot to handle, especially for someone who was still a teenager. Despite the challenges that come with being a young caretaker, I have never given up or lost sight of my goals. I have continued to focus on my studies, participate in extracurricular activities, and work towards achieving my dreams. Through hard work, determination, and perseverance, I have been able to overcome many obstacles and continue to move forward. Perseverance is an important quality to have in life, as it allows us to overcome obstacles and challenges that may come our way. It is about being resilient, determined, and refusing to give up even when things are difficult. One of the most important things that perseverance teaches us is the value of hard work and determination. When we persevere, we show that we are willing to put in the effort and dedication needed to achieve our goals. This can be especially important in the face of adversity, as it allows us to continue pushing forward and making progress even when things are tough. Perseverance also teaches us resilience. By continuing to take action and pursue our goals despite challenges and setbacks, we learn to bounce back and adapt to difficult situations. This can be especially important in today's fast-paced and constantly changing world, as it allows us to adapt to new challenges and continue moving forward. Overall, perseverance is a valuable quality that can help us overcome obstacles and achieve our goals. Whether we are facing challenges in our personal lives, our careers, or our communities, perseverance allows us to keep pushing forward and continue making progress.

My ability to adapt and overcome both trivial and important trials determined much of my path to Astrophysics. During a course to design, build, and test a spectrometer, I worked as the electrical engineer in my group. While leaning down to adjust a mounted lens, a few of my curls wrapped around a 1mm wide photon detector connected to the breadboard. Without thinking, I veered back, ripping out the wires of the detector (and some hair), ruining an elaborate circuit. My face became hot, and the fear of inferior treatment from the men in the group over an embarrassing error prompted immediate recovery planning. Forfeiting half of the morning to rebuild the board, realign the detector, and plot the data from our laser mitigated any delay to the team and constituted a small, personal test to demonstrate my resilience to any level of unexpected deterrence. This experience reinforced my belief that perseverance is the magic formula that transforms daunting hardship, into the spark of achievement. Two years into my undergraduate degree, I changed my major to Astrophysics from International Affairs after realizing my passions lie in understanding physics beyond our blue marble. What followed pushed me to the edge of my capabilities and belief in myself, but through sheer resilience, it allowed me to blossom as an individual and flourish as a professional. Reflecting on my experiences in college, I achieved laudable success; however, transitioning to Astrophysics left me academically, financially, and culturally unprepared. Money at times instilled great concern and I could not devote myself fully to learning the material due to the financial burden of paying for college unassisted. I found myself failing classes within the first year, creating gaps in my physics foundation, and making advanced courses incredibly difficult to comprehend. A bruised GPA and the process of perpetually falling behind compounded the isolation I already felt as a minority. These issues intensified as my household vocabulary did not include STEM, and I was constantly confused with being an athlete instead of a typical student. In seeing the lack of representation of diversity among peers and faculty, I questioned my place as a scientist in the community. These experiences dissolved my already dwindling confidence to ask questions, and to avoid drawing unwanted attention to myself, I remained silent. Though finances remained arduous, I prevailed academically, built my own support network, and remained focused. Managing my time and attending every help session led to improved grades, and in searching for support, no such resource existed, so I helped found a Women of Color in STEM branch for my major. This group allowed both me and other women to find encouragement, resources, and networking opportunities at CU. My motivation in overcoming those obstacles stemmed from my mother, who exhorted higher education while raising me young and on her own, and helped shape my determination to control my future. I became the first in the family to receive my bachelor’s degree, and passion combined with my ability to prevail inspired me to obtain a Ph.D. in Astrophysics. Though highly competitive, becoming a professor at an HBCU embodies my long-term goal. Encouraging the influx of diverse backgrounds not only benefits the scientific community but also those who aspire to join it. As I pursue my master’s in physics, I am facing similar challenges, and financial hurdles still impede my progress. However, I know that with support, I can become a prominent figure representing black women in a predominantly homogenous field, even ones who may also have lost a few curly hairs in the lab.

Perseverance is a trait that is crucial to success in all aspects of life, from personal to professional. To me, perseverance means never giving up, even in the face of challenges and adversity. It is about pushing through difficult times and staying committed to achieving your goals, no matter what obstacles you may encounter along the way. As a resident assistant (RA) at my university, I have learned the importance of perseverance in a very tangible way. Being an RA means that I am essentially always on call and never truly off-duty. I live where I work, and that means that my job is not just a 9-5 commitment, but rather an around-the-clock responsibility. This can be exhausting at times, especially when I am on duty and receive a lot of calls in the middle of the night. However, I know that perseverance is essential to succeeding in this role, and so I continue to show up and do my best, even when it's difficult. Working as an RA is also essential to my ability to afford to attend school. Without this job, I would struggle to make ends meet and might not be able to continue my education. I must persevere through the long hours and demanding work schedule, even when it feels overwhelming, but I know that the rewards of my hard work will be worth it in the end. In addition to my work as an RA, I am also interning at the American University Zero Waste Office. This internship has been an incredible opportunity for me to gain valuable experience and knowledge in the field of sustainability. However, it also requires a great deal of perseverance, as the work can be challenging and demanding. There have been many nights where I have had to push through fatigue and exhaustion in order to meet a deadline or complete a project, but I know that this work is important, both to my own professional development and to the broader goal of creating a more sustainable future. So, I continue to persevere, even when it feels difficult or overwhelming. As a first-generation college student and Bosnian-American, I have also had to persevere through a great deal of adversity in order to achieve my goals. Applying to college was a daunting process, especially since I didn't have any family members who had gone through it before. I had to navigate the process on my own and figure out how to make myself stand out in a sea of other applicants. I refused to give up, and I persevered through the process, ultimately being accepted into the university of my dreams. Since then, I have continued to persevere through the challenges of college life, including the demanding workload, financial pressures, and personal struggles. Through all of these experiences, I have come to see perseverance as an essential component of success. It is not enough to simply work hard; we must also be willing to push through difficult times and stay committed to our goals, even when it feels like the odds are stacked against us. Perseverance is a crucial trait for success in all aspects of life. It requires us to stay committed to our goals, even when we encounter obstacles and challenges along the way. As an RA, intern, and first-generation college student, I have learned the importance of perseverance. It is a trait that has helped me succeed in my professional and personal life, and one that I will continue to cultivate as I move forward in my career.