From a very young age, I knew I was going to college for an engineering degree. I just wasn’t sure which kind of engineering but I’d later find out. I grew up with a love of building and designing, as well as using my imagination to make something better. Sixth grade was a rough year for me for many reasons, including my parents separating and adjusting to a new school. One thing I really enjoyed from that school year, was a class that included the design and creation of a leg brace for children with cerebral palsy. I was instantly fascinated and loved it. At that point, I wasn’t aware I’d pursue a similar career path. Going through high school, I was lost as to what I’d do after college. One day in my junior year of high school, my eldest sister made a joke about becoming a biomedical engineer. My response was “What’s that?” She vaguely informed me about how I’d get to design various prosthetics and artificial organs. The more research I did, the more I learned and began to get so excited. Biomedical engineering can include stem cell research, something I’ve been so fascinated with for years. I always knew I wanted to learn more about stem cells and what they can do for patients. I almost cried with joy when I realized that this path was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Out of all the careers I could’ve chosen, I chose an engineering field. Since middle school, I’ve been fascinated with helping others and I can finally achieve that. I may not even be half way there but I’m striving and will never give up on my dreams.

My name is Alayna Hunt, I am currently 18 years old and attending Louisiana Tech University as a freshman. I was born on August 19, 2003 and I was in marching band for all 4 years of high school. I have been playing instruments for the past 6 years but I decided that this year I didn't have the time or motivation for it. Although I no longer participate in band, I do participate in powerlifting for Louisiana Tech. It helped me feel motivated in high school so I decided that I'd join in college. College has definitely been difficult but I'm optimistic for the future.

I believe that joy is something different to everyone. Many things bring me joy like my: friends, family, pets and powerlifting. They give me a sense of emotional and physical strength as well as happiness and an escape from stress. Life can be hard but there are many things that bring people joy when dealing with life’s obstacles. What gives us joy can either change or stay constant, but what doesn’t change is the feeling. Helping others brings me joy and so does designing things like prosthetic arms and artificial hearts. It amazes me how I can save an individual or make someone’s life easier after an accident, with something I create. I hope to bring many people joy with my creations and hopefully make their quality of life increase. Making other people happy brings me joy and gives me a sense of purpose that I’ve never felt before. I can’t wait to spread joy to people across the United States and possibly around the world.

As someone who has known many people struggling with substance use, I know first-hand how it can ruin lives and consume an individual. I've seen loved ones cave into drugs and alcohol and not know a way out. My biggest hope is to spread awareness and help others find their way to rehabilitation and live up to their fullest potential. Growing up, I witnessed my older sister go from a straight A student to a college drop-out. My sister started using in high school but once she got to college, she could no longer balance drugs and school. It was hard to see her go downhill so quickly when she had everything. She had a nice car, lived in a nice house, a full ride to ULM and had everything she wanted. Now, my sister and her husband live in a shed with no electricity or running water and they bathe in a river. It doesn't matter how many times we try to sit her and her husband down, they don't want to change. It hurts me, my mom and the rest of our family to see her struggle to make rent, keep a job and mother two children. Substances are so easy to come by whether it be prescription drugs, alcohol or illegal drugs. Most of the American population that starts using drugs or alcohol are looking for an escape from reality. For example, I know an individual that is a mother and a former nursing student who's life was ruined by heroin. She no longer has custody of her son and her health is steadily declining. She was clean for a few years but the weight of the world crashed down onto her, which prompted her to start using again. I use these people as an example that I've set for myself for what to avoid in my future. I just hope that one day I can get through to them and others with their illness so they can better connect with others and have a better life. I will be attending Louisiana Tech this fall as a biomedical engineering major. Avoiding substances will be one of my top priorities for college so I can be successful and get a bachelor's degree. For those who don't have anyone to help them through addiction, I hope they can get the resources they need to fight opiate addiction, alcoholism or any other addiction that they face. I try to listen to people who confide in me about their addiction and help point them in the right direction to recovery. If there are any organizations on campus to help spread awareness and to provide resources for people who are struggling, I plan to help out as much as possible while focusing on my education.

Women in the 21st century have more opportunities than any other time in history, but does this mean that women are considered equal? The answer is no, women are still being compared to men all the time and therefore more women need to go to college for more challenging careers. Although it's not unheard of to come across a female engineer, it's not very common either. As a future engineer, I have more opportunities than, for example, my mother. Even though I am given an advantage that my parents never got, it is still rare to see women that want to be engineers. I never really understood this and when I discovered which major I wanted to pursue, I realized that most people don't even know what a biomedical engineer is. I certainly didn't know what it was until years later. Why do women feel intimidated to be an engineer as their profession? My understanding is that men have always had the role of more difficult and mechanically inclined job titles. When my mother was fresh out of high school in the 80s, women generally tended to be hairdressers or nurses. I want to change the stereotypes regarding the abilities of women while also enjoying my career path. There are millions of people who are disabled or are in need of some kind of medical assistance whether it be a prosthetic, artificial organ or other medical device. I want to change the medical world for the better by working hard and making disabilities or conditions less intimidating for future patients. My ambition has always been to follow my dream of helping others that cannot help themselves. Even if I can improve someone's life by allowing them to be able to do simple tasks like tying his or her shoes, brushing their teeth or combing their hair, it would be a victory in my book. I remember being in middle school and taking a class that engaged me in the process of converting engineering, medical knowledge and teamwork to create a brace for children with cerebral palsy. I had never felt more inspired in my life, at the time, and had so much fun with this assignment. My past self didn't realize that this what would inspire my decision to become a biomedical engineer. I didn't even know the name of this occupation or the level of schooling I'd need until my older sister had mentioned it the summer before my junior year. After having a conversation about what biomedical engineers do and accomplish, I knew that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. Biomedical Engineering is a very general field and I would have to have experience in order to decide what I want to do with my degree. I will be incorporating aspects of engineering, medicine, science and potentially pharmaceuticals to innovate and construct a product that meets the medical needs of a patient. I hope to use my cognitive abilities as an engineer to advance medical equipment for generations to come.

Mental health is a very complicated and sensitive thing, for it can make or break you. Being able to have stable mental health is rare and nearly impossible with all the stressors around us. There is home life, problems in the workplace, children and other stressful aspects of life. Many people have no idea how to deal with these or they haven’t been taught healthy ways to cope. This is why many people turn to drugs, alcohol or commit suicide. Many people, including my past self, were so miserable that even though they want to die decide they can’t because their loved ones would be heartbroken and would grieve for these poor souls. My battles with mental health include anxiety, depression and former thoughts of suicide. For a long time I lived with a parent who would harm me physically and mentally but I moved out to try to take control of myself. This failed miserably as the other parent was even more controlling and manipulative but didn’t physically harm me. Having loving parents that love their kids unconditionally is not what I grew up with. There was a huge mental toll on my self-esteem and self worth. It was a very emotional time for me and I didn’t want to leave the house or hang out with friends. Abuse doesn’t have to be physical or sexual, mental abuse can be extremely traumatic as well. I’ve known so many people who’ve dealt with all three types of abuse. I felt like my problems weren’t as bad as their’s and tried to suppress my feelings and pain. I had been taught that I deserved the pain and agony because I was disrespectful and selfish. What really took a toll mentally was the constant mentioning of my weight and physical appearance. I was told that I’d be gorgeous if I was skinny and that no one would want a disgusting pig like me. At a young age, this really hurts because these were supposed to be the years of innocence. Since this I’ve gotten to a place where I am free to be myself and not have to be held down or manipulated. As a 17 year old young woman, I’ve realized who I am and what I can achieve. My goal is to help others and change the world one step at a time. My plan is to be a biomedical engineer and design medical equipment, prosthetics and artificial organs. It’s a profession that many people don’t think about or acknowledge. In fact most people don’t even know what it is, they just pass off jobs that aren’t super well known like being a nurse or doctor. Abuse is a terrible thing to go through and I’ve made it my mission to spread awareness and to never treat my own children the way I was treated. I may not be able to change the past but I can strive for a better future. As a biomedical engineer, I’m going to help current and future patients in medical need. I hope to not only change lives but to save lives of sick and injured individuals.

Quotes are usually up for interpretation and many people feel differently from others about quotes. The quote that inspires me the most is from a movie called the All of the Bright Places and is “There are bright places even in the darkest times.” This was spoken from the character Violet Markey who was being optimistic even though her best friend/ love of her life had committed suicide after battling with emotional problems from his past and present. Violet Markey chose to see things in a different light in such an awful moment in her life and this inspires me to try and make the most out of any situation despite how awful it is. Pain is temporary and so is grieve. Even though it feels like the end of the world, life goes on and good things will come later. I come from a rough childhood and often dwell on the past. I’ve been through a lot of emotional and physical abuse but I know that I’m in a better environment now. I’ve felt so useless to the point where I didn’t think I had a purpose. This quote long with help from loved ones, made me realize that I have to make a purpose for myself and that my problems are temporary, no matter how painful they are. I try to stay optimistic for the sake of my own mental health but sometimes it’s hard and quotes like this one remind me that I can get through ever obstacle if I fight hard enough and try to stay positive.

Many students apply for scholarships every day but usually the really smart kids that have time to volunteer and make a really good resume. What most people don’t understand is that some people don’t have parents that allow them to be proactive and social in their community, which is really awful. I wasn’t able to get my cord for National Honor Society because my parents didn’t want to take me to go get service hours nor did they help me get my driver’s license that I still haven’t received. This could’ve been such a great achievement to put on my resume but not everything works out the way one would like. I’m not looking for pity or sympathy but some young adults aren’t as privileged as others when it comes to looking good to colleges. I’d very much appreciate this scholarship considering I’m getting minimal help from my father and my step mother who has very clearly voiced her disliking of me. I just hope that more people realize that an individual isn’t just what’s on their transcript or resume. It’s what their goals are, what they plan to do for the future and how they plan to execute these goals. I personally plan to become a biomedical engineer in order to design prosthetics, artificial organs, and/or machines that aid injured or sick patients. I hope to change the world and give people a chance to heal and live up to their fullest potential after an unfortunate diagnosis or incident.

The image displays the first and only time I’ve participated in Powerlifting Regionals (last person on right). It was my second year in powerlifting and my first time competing with people from other schools. As soon as I walked in, I was shaking and I believe why this is why I messed up so much during this event. The three parts of the competition included squat, bench press and deadlift. My outcome was one squat, two bench presses and two deadlifts but I’m still proud of myself for getting the chance to go even though I didn’t qualify for state.