For as long as I can remember, my grandpa was always my primary support system and mentor. Growing up without a father figure, he stepped into that role with love and grace. As an engineer, he instilled in me a belief that I could achieve anything I set my mind to. His favorite phrase, "reach for the stars," resonated deeply with me and became the cornerstone of my educational aspirations. Despite my wild dreams, such as wanting to build “robot dragons that could fly and breathe fire” at the age of five, my grandpa never dismissed them. Instead, he encouraged me to explore my creativity and curiosity. He would eagerly accompany me to the hardware store, and help me look for parts that could bring my ideas to life. His belief in my potential gave me the confidence to pursue ambitious goals, even if they seemed impossible at first. Beyond nurturing my dreams, my grandpa shared his passion for astronomy with me. Summer nights were spent in his backyard, marveling at Saturn, Jupiter, and the moon through his telescope. We would also watch the meteor showers together. He was always up to date on all the astronomical events, and would always invite me to experience them with him. He taught me to appreciate the beauty of the universe and encouraged me to always strive for more than what life initially offers. My grandpa continues to inspire me daily. I now am the one to keep up with astronomical events, using his telescope to look at the same astronomical bodies he and I once searched the skies for together. I find solace in simply looking skyward late into the night, and thinking about the universe and about life. I often remember my grandpa in these moments, and remember the profound impact he had on my life, something I am so grateful for. Unfortunately, my grandpa tragically passed away on January 1st, 2020. His sudden loss left a significant void in my life, but his legacy continues to inspire me daily. I now find purpose in pursuing a career in astrochemistry, driven by our shared love for science and the cosmos. When I gaze at the moon and stars through his telescope today, I feel connected to him and reminded of his endless belief in my potential. In conclusion, my grandpa was my greatest supporter in achieving my educational goals. His belief in me, his passion for astronomy, and his encouragement to dream big, shaped who I am today and continue to guide me on my academic journey. I am committed to honoring his memory by pursuing a career that merges my love for science with his spirit of curiosity and exploration of the universe. The moments spent with him in his backyard will never be forgotten, I hope to honor him and become someone that he would be proud of.

1. I am currently a junior in college who is double majoring in biology and chemistry. I have ambitions to attend graduate school to study astrochemistry; I am specifically motivated to do this through my passions for research, science, and creativity. I have always wanted to study space, however for a long time I was told that this goal was unrealistic. It wasn't until last year that I became comfortable with the idea that through a lot of work and motivation, it is possible for me to get into the highly competitive field of astrochemistry/astronomy. I am focused on astrochemistry because of my love for both astronomy and chemistry. For as long as I can remember, I have been looking skyward, fascinated by what we can see above us. Additionally, my passion for chemistry began in my high school chemistry class, where I was first exposed to the subject, and has only been reinforced throughout college. I have loved each and every chemistry course I have taken so far, and am especially excited for my upcoming analytical and physical chemistry courses. If I could do anything with my life, I would certainly choose to study the planets and celestial bodies. Planetary science interests me because there is a lot of chemistry to look into. Even more specifically, I would love to study the compositions of samples collected from space and delve into how specific planets and celestial bodies have formed over time. In addition to the required courses for my degrees, I am taking as many astronomy courses as I can simply because I find it so interesting. 2. STEM, in the broadest sense, excites me because of how each field has some association with the rest. For example, there is math in physics and physics in chemistry, etc. Every field perfectly complements the others. More specifically though, it excites me to visualize myself and others having the opportunity to make an impact on the world through STEM. I think an issue that is currently related to the field of astronomy is the issue of space debris. Space collisions will only become increasingly more likely to occur unless we find an efficient way to clean up the debris we have created that is now in orbit. As much as I would like to research planetary science, I would also like to contribute to solving this problem. I believe that we must hold ourselves accountable and work towards finding a solution to space debris. By using information technology, we could be a few steps closer to solving the problem; the use of detectors and computer data analysis is already used to quantify the amount of space debris out there, however I believe it can be taken further by developing technology to assist in the clean-up of space in the cleanest and greenest way possible. I am confident that I could help make this impact and it would inevitably change the world. Space would be free of debris and safer for technology and astronauts that we send up into space, which would ultimately allow for further study in the field of astronomy. 3. The greatest challenge I have ever faced was is likely my experience surrounding my grandfather's suicide. In September of 2019, my family discovered that my grandfather was molesting one of my younger sisters, and had been for around four years. I was devastated to hear this and felt extremely betrayed. After all, my grandfather had practically raised me as I never had a stable father figure in my life. My sisters and I all became very close in the months that followed this discovery, and developed a closeness like never before. We became one another's support system, and as the oldest, I felt the need to always be strong for my sisters and constantly be there for them no matter what. Unexpectedly, my grandfather ended up committing suicide in January 2020, he had chosen to do so publicly, which only made the situation more difficult. My entire family was devasted, and it was a very confusing time due to the circumstances. This led to the eventual divorce of my mother and stepfather, and my mother became a raging alcoholic. Overcoming this was very difficult, but I found healing and solace in being present for my sisters. We have all become even closer as the years have passed, and share a bond with one another that is unbreakable. We continue to push on everyday, with each other at our sides.

For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by astronomy. This fascination has only grown the more I have learned about astronomy and some of the mysteries surrounding it. I am always eager to learn more when it comes to astronomy; I recently invested in a telescope for myself to be able to admire the universe we live in. This is almost not satisfying enough for me though, I want to know more. I want to understand the physics of black holes, know the composition of terrestrial and Jovian planets, and understand what else is out there to be discovered. The mystery surrounding space and it's limits excite me beyond what I can describe. Despite all of this, I was told for much of my life that a career in astronomy would never take me anywhere, so I chose to play it safe in college. This was only until I realized that with enough work, a career in this competitive field is absolutely possible. Through my junior year in college, I was also able to find the confidence in myself that not only is it possible, but that I am capable of achieving such ambitions. In high school, I was exposed to the world of chemistry for the very first time. This experience ignited a deep passion for the subject, and you can only imagine my excitement when I realized that astrochemistry was a field that existed. I began to read more about it and immediately noticed that there are people out there researching the chemistry occurring in space. I knew right then and there that I needed to work towards this for myself. Presently, that is exactly what I am doing. I am currently working on two Bachelor's of Science degrees--one in biology and one in chemistry. Unfortunately, my university does not offer an astronomy major, but does offer several astronomy courses that I am taking in addition to my regular course work. Once I complete these degrees, I have plans to attend graduate school and study astrochemistry. Ten years from now, my ideal job would consist of researching the compositions of planets and celestial bodies. I could see myself working in a lab that focuses their research on analyzing samples that have been collected from space. Realistically though, I can see myself working in just about any area of astrochemistry, I genuinely find it all absolutely incredible and certainly worth the work it will take to get myself to where I want to be.