I love sweet snacks and candy! My parents are always on me about it. I recently learned from a family friend (who is currently a doctoral candidate in chemistry) about her lab work with genetically modified e.coli to produce allulose, a zero-calorie substitute for sugar. I would be so happy to eat the sweets I love without the harmful health consequences of too much white sugar. I have learned in science classes such as AP Environmental Science about how people's poor diets and environmental issues in developed and developing countries can cause famine, disease, and poverty. Making allulose cheaply using e.coli could solve many current health concerns, including diabetes, and improve individuals' overall health and life expectancy. I would love to research how to modify bacteria strains to produce a product that may help solve a health crisis, like purifying drinking water in a developing country. I first became intrigued by the topics of disease and genetics as a freshman in biology class. The discussions on these topics, such as the technological advancements in medicine and the impacts of genetic modification throughout history, stood out to me, and I wanted to learn more. In my junior year, I enrolled in AP biology, where I performed numerous experiments and learned more in-depth about genetics, cell functions, and diseases. For one particular lab, I grew e.coli, which at that time seemed highly dangerous and irresponsible. I learned that e.coli is one of few bacteria species known to multiply and mutate quickly and in a wide range of environments. These characteristics make it easy to modify e.coli genetically. Genetic engineering's potential inspires me to continue my individual and in-class research. Like my friend who is developing a method to produce allulose, I would also like to study how bacteria species like e.coli can impact the world. There will be other deadly viruses or diseases in the future, like COVID. The cure to pandemics may be hidden in e.coli or by genetic engineering. If nothing else, it seems that soon, my sugar addiction may not be a concern, thanks to e.coli!

Many thrive to be the center of attention on a stage, thrilled by a roaring audience's applause after a dazzling performance of dancing and singing. When I tell people I'm involved in theatre, I don't mean on center stage. I work as a lighting designer for my theatre productions, in charge of giving the spotlight to the one lucky center-stage individual. As I stepped into my school theatre for the first time four years ago, something sparked my interest in how much potential there is in working with such an advanced theatre group. I learned that the theatre company was looking for a lighting designer, so I decided to take my shot. I realized soon enough that I was the only lighting designer, and in my first year, I became the leader of lighting design and operations. Working in an advanced theatre as a 15-year-old sophomore was more than enough pressure, with my first show being aired in less than two months. Later that year, my theatre director surprised me with news of my nomination for a district award for best lighting design. It was my very first show, one which I never thought would receive widespread attention. Spoiler alert: I didn't win. I didn't mind, I realized I had a passion for technical theatre and wanted to continue working creatively. For the next two years, I continued to lead the lighting operations and mentored two other underclassmen. The next year in February, I won a Certificate of Achievement for best lighting design for my third production. As a Human Biology major at the University of California, Merced, I never saw myself dedicating as much time to a theatre production compared to academics or my robotics team. As I visualize myself from four years ago, I'm satisfied with the decision I've made to go out of my comfort zone and join the arts where I can express myself through creativity and colors. Looking back at myself, insecure, and a little scared to take on a new challenge, I am proud of the decision I made to go out of my comfort zone.

I was a member of F.I.R.S.T Robotics, a non-profit organization that allows aspiring STEM students to compete in competitions and be involved in mentor-based programs to advance one's engineering skills. In my first year, I became the head of communications and held the responsibility of making connections with other teams during competitions. I helped create strong alliances with several teams over the years, and as a result, we were able to perform tremendously better in our 2019 season. In April of 2019, we made it to the finals in a regional competition and ranked #6 of 40 teams, which qualified us for the World Championships that year. In October of 2019, we won our very first competition where we competed alongside a World Champion team. As the communication lead, I implemented new methods to recruit members to our team as well as advertise robotics to our school. As a result, the number of members doubled in 2019 compared to the previous years. In my second year, our electrical mentor left the team, so I became the co-lead of electrical and held the responsibility of mentoring three new members. It was certainly a challenge to lead the subteam after one year of experience, but it taught me a valuable lesson on responsibility and being a mentor. As a fairly new team, we were often short on money due to high expenses, with our funding mostly from sponsors and donations, which were provided by the school and team members. As of last year, I am in charge of hosting fundraisers in and outside of my schools to raise funds for the team, which was a major success. With increased funds for our team and our strong connections with experienced teams, I believe that my contributions and leadership over the last three years have made a tremendous impact. In the near future, I look forward to mentoring another team and continuing my contributions to F.I.R.S.T as a whole.

I love sweet snacks and candy! My parents are always on me about it. I recently learned from a family friend (who is currently a doctoral candidate in chemistry) about her lab work with genetically modified e.coli to produce allulose, a zero-calorie substitute for sugar. I would be so happy to eat the sweets I love without the harmful health consequences of too much white sugar. I am also learning in my AP Environmental Science class about how people's poor diets and environmental issues in developed and developing countries can cause famine, disease, and poverty. Making allulose cheaply using e.coli could solve many current health concerns, including diabetes, and improve individuals' overall health and life expectancy. I would love to research how to modify bacteria strains to produce a product that may help solve a health crisis, like purifying drinking water in a developing country. I first became intrigued by the topics of disease and genetics as a freshman in biology class. The discussions on these topics, such as the technological advancements in medicine and the impacts of genetic modification throughout history, stood out to me, and I wanted to learn more. In my junior year, I enrolled in AP biology, where I performed numerous experiments and learned more in-depth about genetics, cell functions, and diseases. For one particular lab, I grew e.coli, which at that time seemed highly dangerous and irresponsible. I learned that e.coli is one of few bacteria species known to multiply and mutate quickly and in a wide range of environments. These characteristics make it easy to modify e.coli genetically. Genetic engineering's potential inspires me to continue my individual and in-class research. Like my friend who is developing a method to produce allulose, I would also like to study how bacteria species like e.coli can impact the world. There will be other deadly viruses or diseases in the future, like COVID. The cure to pandemics may be hidden in e.coli or by genetic engineering. If nothing else, it seems that soon, my sugar addiction may not be a concern, thanks to e.coli!

I love sweet snacks and candy! My parents are always on me about it. I recently learned from a family friend (who is currently a doctoral candidate in chemistry) about her lab work with genetically modified e.coli to produce allulose, a zero-calorie substitute for sugar. I would be so happy to eat the sweets I love without the harmful health consequences of too much white sugar. I am also learning in my AP Environmental Science class about how people's poor diets and environmental issues in developed and developing countries can cause famine, disease, and poverty. Making allulose cheaply using e.coli could solve many current health concerns, including diabetes, and improve individuals' overall health and life expectancy. I would love to research how to modify bacteria strains to produce a product that may help solve a health crisis, like purifying drinking water in a developing country. I first became intrigued by the topics of disease and genetics as a freshman in biology class. The discussions on these topics, such as the technological advancements in medicine and the impacts of genetic modification throughout history, stood out to me, and I wanted to learn more. In my junior year, I enrolled in AP biology, where I performed numerous experiments and learned more in-depth about genetics, cell functions, and diseases. For one particular lab, I grew e.coli, which at that time seemed highly dangerous and irresponsible. I learned that e.coli is one of few bacteria species known to multiply and mutate quickly and in a wide range of environments. These characteristics make it easy to modify e.coli genetically. Genetic engineering's potential inspires me to continue my individual and in-class research. Like my friend who is developing a method to produce allulose, I would also like to study how bacteria species like e.coli can impact the world. There will be other deadly viruses or diseases in the future, like COVID. The cure to pandemics may be hidden in e.coli or by genetic engineering. If nothing else, it seems that soon, my sugar addiction may not be a concern, thanks to e.coli!