“The children of doctors are more likely to become doctors themselves, you know.” This statement often comes up when I discuss my future career. I have not researched the idea to determine if it’s true or not, but that doesn’t matter to me much. My father is a cardiologist; however, I don’t want to be a doctor. The occupation seems incredibly stressful, and I already stress myself out enough. I understand why my dad loves it though. He loves to help people. We’ve volunteered for every Martin Luther King Jr. Day that I can remember, and he’s always donated as much as he could to charity. He’s instilled a love for helping others within me that has motivated my own career choice, though it is not in the medical field. An estimated 63 million people are affected by unsafe drinking water in the United States: almost a fifth of the population. This statistic bothers me beyond explanation. After taking several environmental science courses and hearing from experts in the field, it seems the solution is sustainable infrastructure. Designing and implementing infrastructure in areas most affected by water pollution can both remedy the damage already caused and prevent further environmental degradation. Perfect, problem solved! This is where civil engineers come in, whose job it is to design and implement relevant technology. Civil engineering is an extremely broad field. It can include engineering bridges, roads, pipes, and much more. The field calls me because I am incredibly indecisive. Moreover, civil engineers have a physical representation of the change they are making in the world. They could walk over the bridges they’ve designed or under the roofs whose construction they oversaw. This seems like a dream. As rewarding as it felt to complete a Lego building, I can only imagine what it is like to drive on a road you designed yourself. I have not chosen an easy field to enter. On top of the mathematic capabilities engineers must have to be successful, there are very few female engineers and even fewer female engineers of color. This disparity, however, only motivates me more. I am a firm believer that different perspectives are essential to work in a team setting as engineers often do. If I can bring my unique perspective as a black woman to a field dominated by white men, I will make an often-silenced voice heard. I am quite a planner. Therefore, I have a clear plan in mind for getting to the career of my dreams. Having submitted applications for several of the top civil engineering schools across the country, I hope to attend a university that will catapult me into my dream career. Though grueling classes and loads of homework pose potential obstacles, the only barrier I cannot confidently overcome is the financial barrier. With the help of the Cliff T. Wofford STEM scholarship, I will be able to fund my education and achieve the career I have aspired to for so long.

“The children of doctors are more likely to become doctors themselves, you know.” This statement often comes up when I discuss my future career. I have not researched the idea to determine if it’s true or not, but that doesn’t matter to me much. My father is a cardiologist; however, I don’t want to be a doctor. The occupation seems incredibly stressful, and I already stress myself out enough. I understand why my dad loves it though. He loves to help people. We’ve volunteered for every Martin Luther King Jr. Day that I can remember, and he’s always donated as much as he could to charity. He’s instilled a love for helping others within me that has motivated my own career choice, though it is not in the medical field. An estimated 63 million people are affected by unsafe drinking water in the United States: almost a fifth of the population. This statistic bothers me beyond explanation. How could the Kardashians exclusively drink Fiji water while millions do not have access to clean water across the country? While I do not expect Kim to solve this crisis, I would like to have an impact on the issue in any way I can. After taking several environmental science courses and hearing from experts in the field, it seems the solution is sustainable infrastructure. Designing and implementing infrastructure in areas most affected by water pollution can both remedy the damage already caused and prevent further environmental degradation. Perfect, problem solved! But who is going to do the designing and implementing? This is the role of civil engineers. Civil engineering is an extremely broad field. It can include engineering bridges, roads, pipes, and much more. The field calls me because I am incredibly indecisive. Moreover, civil engineers have a physical representation of the change they are making in the world. They could walk over the bridges they’ve designed or under the roofs whose construction they oversaw. This seems like a dream. As rewarding as it felt to complete a Lego building, I can only imagine what it is like to drive on a road you designed yourself. I have not chosen an easy field to enter. On top of the mathematic capabilities engineers must have to be successful, there are very few female engineers and even fewer female engineers of color. This disparity, however, only motivates me more. I am a firm believer that different perspectives are essential to work in a team setting as engineers often do. If I can bring my unique perspective as a black woman to a field dominated by white men, I will make an often-silenced voice heard. I am quite a planner. Therefore, I have a clear plan in mind for getting to the career of my dreams. Having submitted applications for several of the top civil engineering schools across the country, I hope to attend a university that will catapult me into my dream career. Though grueling classes and loads of homework pose potential obstacles, the only barrier I cannot confidently overcome is the financial barrier. With the help of the Black students in STEM scholarship, I will be able to fund my education and achieve the career I have aspired to for so long.

“The children of doctors are more likely to become doctors themselves, you know.” This statement often comes up when I discuss my future career. I have not found evidence that this idea is accurate, but that hasn't affected my aspirations. My father is a cardiologist; however, I do not want to be a doctor. The occupation seems incredibly stressful, and I already stress myself out enough. I understand why my dad loves it, though. He loves to help people. My family has volunteered for every Martin Luther King Jr. Day that I can remember, and he has always donated as much as he could to charity. He has instilled a love for helping others within me that has motivated my own career choice, though it is not in the medical field. An estimated 63 million people are affected by unsafe drinking water in the United States: almost a fifth of the population. This statistic bothers me beyond explanation. How could the Kardashians exclusively drink Fiji water while millions do not have access to clean water across the country? I do not expect Kim to solve this crisis. However, I would like to have an impact on the issue in any way I can. After taking several environmental science courses and hearing from experts in the field, it's clear the solution is sustainable infrastructure. Designing and implementing infrastructure in areas most affected by water pollution can remedy the damage already caused and prevent further environmental degradation. But who is going to do the designing and implementing? This is the role of civil engineers. Civil engineering is a broad field. It can include engineering bridges, roads, pipes, and much more. This vocation calls me because I am incredibly indecisive. Moreover, civil engineers have a physical representation of the change they are making in the world. They could walk over the bridges they have designed or under the roofs whose construction they oversaw. It is my dream career. As rewarding as it felt to complete a Lego building, I can only imagine what it is like to drive on a road you designed yourself. I am quite a planner. Therefore, I have a clear plan in mind for how to get to the career of my dreams. Georgia Institute of Technology is the #1 school for civil engineering. On top of its beautiful campus, the professors and resources for engineering students are unparalleled. They also offer a dual master’s degree in city planning and civil engineering, an option I have yet to see anywhere else and aligns with my career goals perfectly. I plan to attend a summer program at the university over the summer, where I can visit the campus before submitting my application. Applying out-of-state will undoubtedly be challenging, and the biggest hurdle will be receiving an acceptance letter. Hoping that I do, the next step will be to pay for my education. Here is where this scholarship comes in! Out-of-state tuition is not cheap, but no college tuition is. The "Your Success" Scholarship will be an enormous help in funding my dream career and relieve some of the inevitable student debt. Besides building the cities of the future, I would like to fund a scholarship of my own. Education is a powerful tool. It should not be a tool that only wealthy families can access. Providing financial support to the next generation of world-changers will complete my goals. Earning this scholarship will allow me to invest in my education. Moreover, I will have the means to support students in my position with the money they need to follow their dreams.

“The children of doctors are more likely to become doctors themselves, you know.” This statement often comes up when I discuss my future career. I have not found evidence that this idea is accurate, but that does not matter to me much. My father is a cardiologist; however, I do not want to be a doctor. The occupation seems incredibly stressful, and I already stress myself out enough. I understand why my dad loves it, though. He loves to help people. My family has volunteered for every Martin Luther King Jr. Day that I can remember, and he has always donated as much as he could to charity. He has instilled a love for helping others within me that has motivated my own career choice, though it is not in the medical field. An estimated 63 million people are affected by unsafe drinking water in the United States: almost a fifth of the population. This statistic bothers me beyond explanation. How could the Kardashians exclusively drink Fiji water while millions do not have access to clean water across the country? I do not expect Kim to solve this crisis. However, I would like to have an impact on the issue in any way I can. After taking several environmental science courses and hearing from experts in the field, I feel the solution is sustainable infrastructure. Designing and implementing infrastructure in areas most affected by water pollution can remedy the damage already caused and prevent further environmental degradation. Perfect, problem solved! But who is going to do the designing and implementing? This is the role of civil engineers. Civil engineering is a broad field. It can include engineering bridges, roads, pipes, and much more. This vocation calls me because I am incredibly indecisive. Moreover, civil engineers have a physical representation of the change they are making in the world. They could walk over the bridges they have designed or under the roofs whose construction they oversaw. It is my dream career. As rewarding as it felt to complete a Lego building, I can only imagine what it is like to drive on a road you designed yourself. I have not chosen an easy field to enter. On top of the mathematic capabilities engineers must have to be successful, there are very few female engineers and even fewer female engineers of color. This disparity, however, only motivates me more. I am a firm believer that different perspectives are essential to work in a team setting, as engineers often do. If I can bring my unique perspective as a black woman to a field dominated by white men, I will make an often-silenced voice heard. I am quite a planner. Therefore, I have a clear plan in mind for how to get to the career of my dreams. Georgia Institute of Technology is the #1 school for civil engineering. On top of its beautiful campus, the professors and resources for engineering students are unparalleled. They also offer a dual master’s degree in city planning and civil engineering, an option I have yet to see anywhere else and aligns with my career goals perfectly. I plan to attend a summer program at the university over the summer, where I can visit the campus before submitting my application. Applying out-of-state will undoubtedly be challenging, and the biggest hurdle will be receiving an acceptance letter. Hoping that I do, the next step will be to pay for my education. Here is where this scholarship comes in! Out-of-state tuition is not cheap, but no college tuition is. The GRLSWIRL Scholarship will be an enormous help in finding my dream career, and hopefully, relieve some of the inevitable student debt. Besides building the cities of the future, I would like to fund a scholarship of my own. Education is a powerful tool. It should not be a tool that only wealthy families can access. Providing financial support to the next generation of world-changers will complete my goals. Earning this scholarship will allow me to invest in my education. Moreover, I will have the means to support students in my position with the money they need to follow their dreams.

Opening my laptop, I brace myself for another Zoom call. Even the most interesting topics can seem monotonous when presented through a pixelated screen. As a part of an environmental summit, I heard from Dr. Marva King, a program manager at the EPA. The majority of her work focused on environmental injustice, an idea I hadn't heard about even after taking AP environmental science. She detailed local communities most affected by pollution: usually low-income, and its residents were people of color. Because of their lack of resources, their health diminished as a result of the toxins that surrounded their homes. I was awestruck. Why was such an important issue glazed over in my previous environmental science classes? I continued to research the topic after Dr. King's lecture. The gap between wealthy and low-income communities is only growing. As global warming accelerates, these low-income communities bear the burden climate change causes. They endure the contamination of their waterways, the unbearable smog, and the piles of waste with no relief in sight. And because of the inadequate access to healthcare, these environmental factors threaten their livelihoods. It would be much simpler to tell everyone to stop littering. However, it is an unrealistic answer. Instead of relying on the large companies who pollute the planet to fix the problem, I think we can take matters into our own hands. By uplifting communities who are most affected by environmental injustice, and providing the resources they need to improve their quality of life, we can reach a permanent solution instead of a temporary fix. As the saying goes, "Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime." Many organizations have already adopted this mantra into their mission statements. Urban Harvest in St. Louis, Missouri promotes biodiversity and sustainable farming in city areas. This reduces reliance on outside produce and stimulates the growth of the local economy. With this growth, sustainable infrastructure can be implemented which solves the problem for both current and future generations. My short term goal to help fight for environmental justice is to continue my volunteer work with the local department of health. Under the office of health equity and racial justice, I have helped out with virtual events that educate our community members on the social determinants of health. I truly believe knowledge is power and taking part in such an important step in empowering local communities has been extremely rewarding. In the coming months, the department plans to launch its #MASKUP campaign, promoting safety during the pandemic across the county. Yet another effort to promote health in our local communities, we have been able to inspire those around us to take control of their health. Though it is something I learned about recently, I find environmental injustice one of the greatest issues stemming from climate change. And by uplifting the communities the issue harms, I've been able to combat it.

The clear tarps haphazardly spread across the floor were covered in blood. My blood. Tears streamed down my face as the school nurse filled my mouth with all of the gauze she could find. It was no use. The blood wouldn't stop. She was just doing all that she could to control it while my mom came to pick me up. I didn't just lose a tooth. I had lost plenty of teeth before, which was the problem. These weren't my baby teeth anymore, they were my adult teeth. And I didn't know if they were on my mouth anymore. Recess had always been my favorite part of the school day. I never felt freer than when I could run across the field and climb the rock wall as quickly as I could. Better yet, it was summer camp recess. It was twice as long and twice as fun. Today's recess, however, was an exception. My favorite and only friend during this week's summer camp was showing me her new skill. She jumped between the bars of the set of monkey bars and landed impeccably. It looked like so much fun! She reassured me she could teach me too, and that I would be jumping between the bars in no time. After she demonstrated a couple more times, I decided it was my time to shine. I climbed to the top of the monkey bars and stared at the woodchips below me. I wasn't scared. I was excited! Without a second thought, I flung myself between the bars just as she had. Except my mouth smacked against the cold metal bars, sending my head to hit the bar behind me. I fell to the ground and broke out into tears. Blood poured from my mouth instantly, and I felt several things missing. Several teeth. The recess monitor ran to me and guided me to the nurse's office. She sent my friend to search the woodchips for my missing teeth. I had a gap in the top row of my teeth that was four teeth wide, and I didn't know where they went. My mom burst into the nurse's office frantically asking what happened. Because my mouth was filled with gauze, the nurse explained my recess adventure. She drove me to the emergency room forty miles over the speed limit to get some x-rays done. The good news was that two of the teeth I lost were baby teeth. The bad news was that two were not. Until I received my x-rays back, I panicked. So did my mom, even though she didn't want to show it. There was an enormous possibility that I had knocked out my adult teeth. The two front ones. They could have been completely missing. I didn't know what the options were to replace them if there even were any. I prepared myself for my new nickname: toothless. The doctor returned with my pictures. And there were still teeth in my skull. By some miracle, the way that my head hit the bar pushed the teeth up instead of out. He reassured my mother and me that my teeth would come out on their own and that I would still be able to enjoy solid food. At the moment, I was more relieved than I had ever been in my 7 years on earth. I was extremely lucky, and I knew it then. I could've knocked out my teeth, but I didn't. I could've gotten a concussion, but I didn't. The worst-case scenario didn't happen, and I was very fortunate in that way. I was not a particularly introspective kindergartener. But looking back on it, there are a lot of lessons I could've taken from the experience. Don't give in to peer pressure! Don't try new things with little preparation! Don't jump from great heights if you already have your adult teeth! However, I think the biggest thing I've taken away from the experience is not to expect the worst. In most cases, I like to prepare myself for the absolute worse; I figure that preparing for disappointment will soften the blow. But I've come to realize that this only causes unnecessary anxiety. It prevents me from trying new things if I expect them to turn out poorly. Not losing my teeth was an enormous stroke of luck. There's no reason to think that my luck stopped once I finished elementary school. As I get older, more opportunities become available to me. Opportunities that can seem scary, or that I haven't done before. And where I would usually convince myself that something terrible will happen and pursuing this opportunity will somehow lead to spontaneous combustion, I have taken a new approach. I no longer expect the worst, but hope for the best. I opened myself to everything that life may have to offer me, and have experienced more than I would've expected. Banging my teeth not only gave me a generous delivery from the tooth fairy but a new way of looking at life.

I really love my phone. For the generic reasons of course; I can stay connected to my friends, communicate with faraway relatives, and feel a little more prepared for emergencies. My absolute favorite thing to do on my phone, however, is watch TikToks. I am a sixteen-year-old girl after all. And what keeps the 15-second bursts of joy coming is Wi-Fi, or what I consider the best thing to ever happen to this cruel world. And the inventor Hedy Lamarr is the angel who gave modern society such a gift. During World War II, the country started getting really creative. The National Inventors Council asked for impactful solutions to whatever problems civilians felt needed solving. This is where Hedy Lamarr got to work. The US Navy's radio-signals weren't all that secure. We'll give them the benefit of the doubt since it was the 1940's but by today's standards, they were embarrassingly easy to jam. Once those signals were jammed, all kinds of mayhem ensued. Because of the frequent use of radio-controlled technologies, jamming these signals gave other militaries a real advantage. But Hedy wasn't going to let that slide. Lamarr set to work and connected a radio changing frequencies to a piano player switching keys. With the help of a composer, she developed her new technology allowing radio-waves to switch frequencies with ease. Ignored by the military, she still received a patent, and 20 years later they realized how incredible her invention really was. Lamarr's work provided the framework for lots of my favorite things; WiFi, GPS, and Bluetooth. As if Hedy Lamarr wasn't cool enough, that still isn't why I admire her so much. Inventing was a hobby of hers. She is more well-known as an actress, and this was where she was introduced to the composer who helped her with her work. She wasn't any old actress either; she has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I want to go into civil engineering. While I doubt I could invent technology as impactful as Lamarr did, the idea of making things people use every day is really exciting to me. I want to be able to create things that make people's lives easier, and maybe even more fun. If I pick up a Nobel Prize on the way, that would be cool too. I look up to Hedy Lamarr because she never put herself into a box. She wasn't just an actress or just an inventor. She was just herself. I have struggled with putting myself into a box and trying to decide exactly what I want to do as quickly as possible. But instead of focusing on if I want to be a civil engineer or a slam poet (Never fear, my mom shot that idea down quickly.), I just have to be myself, the way that Hedy Lamarr did. By doing whatever interested her, and exploring her curiosities, she changed the world. But more importantly, she gave us Wi-Fi.

"Why would you choose to go to Yale?" I never thought I'd ask anyone that question. My mother always answers the same way. "I thought it would be best for me. And I get to say I graduated from Yale Law School." It's an understandable argument. My mother did get to brag about her top-tier education. However, I couldn't fathom the implications of this world-renowned opportunity. My mom's mom, my grandmother, grew up in Brasil. She had more siblings than shoes and lost her mother at a very young age. This meant that she grew very close to her sisters, as they worked tirelessly to fill the void only a mother could. Once my grandmother turned 20, she moved with two of her sisters to New York. They had the same goal that millions of other immigrants did; they wanted a better life for all of the generations that followed them. Her daughter, my mother, grew up in a small apartment in Manhattan. And school was her thing. She'd been a good student for as long as she could remember, but it was hard to maximize her potential in the New York Public School system. Good thing my grandma is scrappy. My grandmother was determined to get my mom into a better school. And that she did. When my mom recounts tales of my grandmother demanding admission to a bewildered administrator, I giggle; picturing my 5-foot tall grandmother demanding anything is comical. Yet her efforts prevailed, and my mom proudly boasts that she attended the same high school as Lin Manuel Miranda. My mom continued to work as hard as possible throughout her high school years. And when it came time to apply to colleges, she completed all of the financial aid documents on her own. And with what I assume was a marvelous transcript and the grace of God, my mother got into the University of Pennsylvania. UPenn is important to my very existence. It was where my parents met after all, but even more importantly, UPenn offered my mom a full scholarship to their law school. She could finish her degree without paying for tuition. And she said no. My mom went to Yale instead. They did not offer her a full scholarship. I'm not sure if they offered any financial aid at all. But my mom went anyway. "Why would you choose to go to Yale?" I ask at least once a month. Her answer never changes, but I think I'm starting to get it. Education made my mother who she is. Through her education, she was able to become more than her mother had ever imagined she was capable of. Through her education, she has been able to provide for my sister and me. Through her education, she has set up every generation after her with a path to success. In a world where my grandmother did not prioritize her children's education, I would cease to exist. Needless to say, I'm quite a fan of education.

I have wanted to become an engineer since the 5th grade. While it was nice knowing what I wanted to do, it was difficult to find activities that complimented this goal. My school offers no engineering course, but I've still tried to take advantage of what I can. I am apart of the STEM program, where I am researching the impact of microplastics on terrestrial ecosystems. Just a lot of words to describe pollution on land. It has been really rewarding to guide my own research project with the help of my teachers, but when the school year ends, the research does too. My summers never feel productive enough. I took a course in marine biology last summer, along with trudging through driver's ed. But it still felt like I could be doing more. I wanted to plan early for the following summer, to make sure that I could continue to explore my interests. And one day the USPS delivery person dropped off my golden opportunity. I sorted through the mail to find a letter from NSLC. I initially thought it was an insurance company and the letter was meant for my parents. Until I opened it and realized that I was eligible for the National Student Leadership Conference. My eyes glued to the page, I read about the incredible program where I could live on a college campus of my choosing for 9 days, and delve further into my passion for engineering. As soon as I read the list of partner colleges, I knew I wanted to go to Georgia Tech. Exploring the major of my dreams at the college of my dreams was just too perfect. It was a chance to visit a new city, meet new people, and experience something I never had before. It was almost perfect. I say almost because of the price. Upon checking the tuition, I did not think that the program would be possible to attend. It wasn't meant to happen. But I didn't want to let this amazing opportunity by. I searched for creative ways to pay for this experience, which is how I ended up here. This grant would allow me to learn more about engineering than I have anywhere else. I am quite the planner too; attending NSLC at Georgia Tech gives me a real chance of getting in. I can then further my education at an incredible institution, and become the civil engineer I have wanted to be for so long. There is no one skill that NSLC will teach me; the leadership, social, and technical skills I will gain during the program will all help me get to where I want to be, and become a better daughter, sister, classmate, and eventually engineer.