This pandemic has been hard on everyone, but it has made many positives in my life. I have been able to train and work hard enough to have the ability to join a college field hockey team. I will be playing at a D3 school, so sadly I will not be eligible to receive scholarships but I am so glad that I get to play. My sister has also recently been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and if this was a regular year I don't think that as a family we would have been able to get used to the new lifestyle as fast as we did. Not only did this pandemic allow me to achieve things I never thought it would, it allowed me to get closer to current family and friends and even make new friends along the way. I had to work hard during the pandemic to maintain motivation for school and I did that while maintaining a 4.29 GPA. This pandemic was far from good, but I wouldn't have had the chances I have had without it.

I am a student-athlete, a member of 757 ROC, a board member with Community Knights, and I participate in food drives. I am very active in my community, as well as my high school. In high school, I am a captain for both soccer and field hockey and I strive to encourage my teammates on and off the field. I am always there for them no matter the circumstance. Sports are a huge part of my life and the sports team I’m apart of do a lot of volunteering for Phoebus and the Hampton community. I am also a member of 757 ROC, which is a CrossFit gym that prepares athletes for obstacle races. Within in the gym we are like family and encourage each other to be our best. Along with working out we hold events to raise money for certain things and acknowledge certain things going on in the world. For example, Memorial the day we held an event in tribute to soldiers that lost their lives fighting for our country andwe did the MURPH. We are huge on doing events for the betterment of peoples health and we pair up with different businesses to hold these big events with. This not only encourages people to come out and get in some reps in the gym, but it helps the small businesses that we pair up with. Community knights is a non-profit organization that was created to address the budget cuts that hit public schools in the area. Community knights doesn't only focus on schools; they are involved in so many different events including fundraisers, volunteerism, and other organized events. They hold bingo night for anyone who wants to come and play, I have volunteered to hand out small bingo cards. Everyone, there is so nice and is so understanding if you happen to make a mistake. As a board member with Community Knights, I take part in conversations to come up with ideas to help out all types of people in the 757 communities, including the elderly, students, and even school administration. Community Knights also gives grant money to a huge number of organizations, including the Phoebus Field hockey team, which I am a part of. Along with community knights, a lot of the members participate in the food drive, this is very important especially during the covid times. I helped hand out food to people in need and it was truly wonderful how many people things like this can help.

This photo was taken right after we won the first regional game of the season. We won the game 1-0 and it allowed us to go to the second stage of regionals. We got recognized for our hard work and we got to play one last game before the seniors left for college.

There have been many inventions that have had a huge impact on the world and my goal going into the engineering field is to invent things that can make life easier for others. I have been interested in STEM since I was 10 years old and I have always been good in math and science classes in school. I am interested in many different engineering paths, including nuclear, mechanical, and environmental engineering. I plan to keep an open mind going into college, but I have mainly decided on the nuclear engineering path. After college, I plan to become a Nuclear Naval officer, which will allow me to operate nuclear propulsion machinery and control the equipment that supports nuclear reactors. As a woman going into a predominantly male field, I know that it will be challenging. I am planning on going to an all-girls college and this will allow me to focus on the STEM aspect instead of the gender roles that have been depicted by society. By going into this career, I wish to encourage young women to follow in my footsteps and take a chance in STEM. There are a significantly low number of females in this career path and it needs to be changed. Women in engineering will allow for new ways of thinking and new opportunities to open, but sadly many women quit due to the lack of other women in the workspace. While in this field of work I want to make women more comfortable in the workspace, as well as help women gain recognition in this profession. By bringing more women into these fields it will eliminate the gender biases associated with women in science and will make women more comfortable in working in this field. In engineering, I plan to create things that no one would ever imagine creating. I want to be able to think outside the box and use my knowledge to create new and better things. As a woman, I want to be recognized for my work and inspire other women to do the same. I want to make the world better and create things that will allow the planet to remain healthy. I want to create things that will help American troops when going into war. I want to create things that will help animals and our natural bodies of water. I want to create the things that people think are impossible. I believe that I am the person to do that and while I achieve that I want to inspire others to do the same thing no matter their gender, sexuality, or race.