When I was younger, I used to mix random chemicals. I used old boxes of milk and mixed it with deodorant, to see what would happen. When my mom found me, she decided not to be mad but instead found a safe way for my STEM mind to be challenged. She gave me STEM kits and that began my engineering journey. As I got older, I continued to be involved in STEM when I joined the University of Cincinnati's Society of Women Engineers Middle school outreach program. My mind was fascinated with the various projects we completed. I made a prosthetic leg, a paper boat to hold pennies and a tower made out of sticks and marshmallows. These experiences lead me to see engineering as a career. During my high school summers, I participated in the University of Cincinnati's Engineering camps to gain hands-on experience in engineering, college resources, and campus life. At these camps, I learned a lot about engineering and ultimately picked this field because I wanted to focus on sustainable systems. My passion for sustainability continued to grow as I watched Mr. Beast’s YouTube videos on providing wells for various countries in Africa. While it is great Mr. Beast and his team were able to provide 100 wells, this is only a small portion of people who do not have access to clean water. As a result, I joined the University of Cincinnati's Engineers without Borders (EWB) chapter. to support their mission. I am the Nyambogo committee chair where I work with the village of Nyambogo on designs for tanks and pipes. This role has allowed me to enhance my technical writing, ideation, and project management skills. These skills among others prepared me for my co-op experiences. Last summer I conducted research at the University of Cincinnati as part of the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program. This co-op experience focused on the environmental and health impact of volatile organic compounds. This experience has allowed me to grow my presentation, data analysis and discipline. As a result of my research, I was asked to present at Choose Ohio First Conference in Columbus, Ohio and at the Emerging Researcher Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. This opportunity allowed me to further enhance my presentation skills, expand my network and gave me exposure to various graduate school programs. Additionally, I had the opportunity to co-op at Multi Color Corporation. I tested over 8,000 labels for durability, product safety and environmental hazards. This co-op allowed me to gain experience in industry and widen my view of the workplace. This summer I have accepted an international research co-op in Ghana focused on aquaponics and the intersection of AI. These experiences have now motivated me to pursue a PH.D in Environmental Engineering. After I obtain my PH.D, I hope to conduct environmental research in National labs or at the Environmental Protection Agency. Being selected for this scholarship last year was an honor, especially from a fellow Bearcat. I was concerned with the future of my educational journey and this scholarship helped ease my worries. The reduced stress allowed me to focus on self-care, volunteer experiences and my studies. I am forever grateful for the opportunity to receive this scholarship and continue to represent my community and help others find their passion in STEM.

When I was younger I used to mix random chemicals. I used old boxes of milk and mixed it with deodorant, to see what would happen. When my mom found me, she decided not to be mad but instead found a safe way for my STEM mind to be challenged. She gave me STEM kits and that began my engineering journey. As I got older, I continued to be involved in STEM when I joined the University of Cincinnati's Society of Women Engineers Middle school outreach program. My mind was fascinated with the various projects we completed . I made a prosthetic leg, a paper boat to hold pennies and a tower made out of sticks and marshmallows. I was hooked, I could not wait to learn and do more. When I went into high school I enrolled in an introductory Engineering design class. In this class, I created a wooden toy box, 2D CAD drawing ornaments, and more. These experiences lead me to see engineering as a career. I knew I wanted to do engineering, however, I was unsure of what type of engineering I wanted to pursue. During the next three summers, I participated in the University of Cincinnati's Summer Engineering camps to gain hands-on experience in engineering, college resources, and campus life. At the engineering summer camps, I learned a lot about civil engineering and ultimately picked this field at first because I wanted to work more with water systems and resources. During the pandemic, I became passionate about water resources after watching Mr.Beast’s YouTube channel throughout the years. Specifically, his video called “I Made 100 Wells in Africa” stood out to me. Seeing the joy on all of the people's faces made me realize that I have taken water for granted and that there is more work to be done to fix this issue. While it is great Mr. Beast and his team were able to provide 100 wells, this is only a small portion of millions of people who don't have access to clean water, which is why I joined Engineers without Borders (EWB). Specifically in EWB, I am the Nyambogo committee chair, Nyambogo is a village in Tanzania. I work on designs for Nyambogo’s tanks and pipes. This role has allowed me to enhance my technical writing skills and to make sure my work is ethically correct for the people of Nyambogo. This role has ignited my passion for fixing the water resources problem around the globe and I can't wait to continue my work for EWB. In terms of work experience, this summer I am conducting undergraduate research at the University of Cincinnati as part of the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program. This co-op experience focuses on the environmental and health impact of volatile organic compounds in indoor spaces. This experience has allowed me to grow my presentation skills, my data analysis skills, and my discipline. When I first heard about this program I never knew research was an option for me. As a first-generation college student, I've only heard of more common occupations. I was really discouraged from doing research because it was unknown to me, however meeting various mentors I realized that I should give it a try. I am forever grateful to my mentors for encouraging me because I don't know what I would have done this summer had I not been a part of his research program. I hope to continue my research in the future. Specifically, research that affects people of color the most, like healthcare or environmental issues.