My mother has been the strongest and most constant source of support in my life, especially in my educational journey. Growing up in a single-parent household came with many challenges—financial strain, emotional weight, and moments of uncertainty—but my mother made sure that love, determination, and resilience were always present. She has been both my anchor and my motivation, reminding me through her actions and words that I am capable of achieving anything I set my mind to. She worked tirelessly to provide for us, often sacrificing her own comfort and needs so I could have access to opportunities she never had. We couldn’t afford many luxuries, and even affording my education now is a major challenge. But despite all of that, she has never let me believe that money should be the reason I stop chasing my dreams. When I told her I wanted to go into STEM, a field still dominated by men and often difficult to access for women—especially those without financial privilege—she simply said, “Then go be the one who breaks barriers.” Her faith in me has shaped my confidence. She’s taught me that intelligence isn't just about grades or test scores, but about persistence, integrity, and believing in your own voice even when the odds are stacked against you. Because of her, I’ve learned to be bold in my ambitions and unapologetic in the pursuit of my goals. I honor my mother every day by pushing forward, especially when things get hard. When I study late into the night or walk into a classroom where I’m one of the few women, I carry her with me. I remind myself that everything I’m doing is not only for my future, but to reflect the strength and sacrifices of the woman who raised me. I want to succeed so I can give her back even a fraction of what she’s given me. Her support has been instrumental because it gave me a foundation of belief in a world that often tries to tell girls from single-parent, working-class families what they can’t do. She has been my example of resilience and quiet power. I build on that by staying committed to my education, by applying for scholarships, by speaking up for myself, and by aiming to one day mentor young girls who are standing where I stood. I don’t take any of this for granted. I’m going into STEM not just for me, but for her—for all the times she told me I was capable, even when things felt impossible. I want to make her proud, not just with degrees or job titles, but by living a life that proves her love and sacrifices were not in vain.

Cancer is a word that shook the foundation of my family when my grandfather was diagnosed. He has always been the biggest father figure in my life—my mentor, my role model, and my constant source of guidance and strength. Seeing someone I love so deeply face such a serious illness changed my perspective on life in more ways than I ever expected. When we first heard the diagnosis, it felt like the air had been sucked out of the room. I couldn’t imagine someone as strong, as dependable, as invincible as my grandfather battling something as terrifying as cancer. He was the one who taught me how to be strong, how to treat people with respect, and how to always keep moving forward. Now, he was the one who needed support—and that shift was hard to process. Watching him go through treatment was one of the most difficult things I’ve experienced. There were days when he was too tired to get out of bed, and times when the side effects of his medication made it hard for him to be himself. But through it all, he never gave up. He never stopped being the man who inspired me. His resilience, even in the face of pain and uncertainty, taught me what real courage looks like. It’s not about pretending everything is okay—it’s about pushing through even when it’s not. This experience brought our family closer in a way that’s hard to explain. We started valuing the little moments more—sitting around the dinner table, listening to his stories, laughing at his jokes. We learned how important it is to be there for each other, not just in big ways, but in the small, everyday moments too. We stopped taking time together for granted. I also gained a deep respect for caregivers, especially my parents, who took on so much to support him. Their strength, patience, and love were a lesson in selflessness. It showed me that love isn't just a feeling—it's action. It's showing up, even on the hardest days. The most important thing I’ve learned from my grandfather’s journey is that cancer doesn’t define a person. He is not his diagnosis. He is still the strong, funny, compassionate man I’ve always looked up to. He continues to fight, to live, and to inspire me every single day. This experience has taught me how fragile and precious life is. It’s made me more compassionate, more present, and more determined to live a life that honors the values my grandfather taught me: strength, perseverance, and love. And for that, I’m endlessly grateful.

I am a girl who’s moved all over the USA during elementary school and high school. I have my up’s and down’s when it comes to feeling secure in where I’m at weather that be emotionally or physically, but I most definitely always push through. I’ve most definitely always been more of the left brain type, always wanting to do experiments and science, it just thrilled me beyond doubt. I have many hobbies such as photography, and music, I even tried to connect the two together involving science one year. The idea was that when you captured a photo, music will be aligned with the subject’s composition . And it was amazing, pictures of plants would create very light and beautiful sounds where as a picture of the sun would come back very dark and deep mix of music. It was definitely a great idea and I think it truly shows some characteristics of mine! The idea of what my future could be motivates me endlessly. I am constantly thinking about my future and how to get there. I am always thinking about the next steps in my life and different paths if one doesn’t work out as planned. That scares me but also excites me. I want to work for NASA one day and be apart of that amazing community, I want to be able to say I did it for my younger self and other little girls around the world , I want to discover things we’ve never heard of before, I want to be the one that finds solutions to problems we have in space, I simply want to reach for the stars. I’m so tired of people saying woman aren’t fit for such jobs, we are more than they can believe. STEM is just endless to me, there’s so much to learn which makes it’s so exciting. Knowing that I could possibly make a difference in what we know of STEM today thrills me beyond belief. I think I can make an impressive difference on the world, the sky’s the limit with the plans I have. And I won’t stop until I achieve my goals of doing so. There’s so many possibilities to change and adapt the intelligence we have and are currently using today. I most definitely believe that I could be a leading factor and or catalyst start to something new and innovative that we’ve never thought about before. When I was 13 and 14 I attended space camp in Huntsville Alabama. This was a thrilling experience for me like none other. I was able to meet new people, make connections, and get the experience of being all different types of STEM professions. I really believe going to space camp was the catalyst of my love for STEM. It just opened my version to all the endless possibilities I could encounter. I remember our teams having so called mission assessments. Where we are each assigned a position ( Mission Control, Command, astronaut, and ect). We were given a piece of paper of our Mission and had to complete it in a short amount of time. I just remembered being the main person in the assignment and being the one that flew us to victory scoring the highest of all teams. But even after that, I was constantly mocked by the boys saying they made it easier for me since I was a girl. I was heartbroken and defeated. It felt as if I couldn’t do anything I wanted anymore But I pushed through and ended up getting my wings at graduation along side the boys. I’ve always been told I can’t do what I want in life because I’m a Girl, and I’ve just recently started to understand how detrimental that can be to other people as well. I was able to push through after simply ignoring it, which can be very detrimental if not given the opportunity to talk the situation out with someone close to you. but I think we as people in the USA and everywhere else need to bring that up to light more. We need to speak up for woman in not only STEM but in other professions. I truly believe some people don’t understand the weight of their words. We as women can do so much but people expect less from us. How will we ever grow if that negativity is always placed onto us? I hope to bring some light onto this topic, show what woman are capable of. We are the future in STEM.

Not everyone has goals of maintaining The honor roll throughout schooling, but I certainly do. I made goals for myself in middle school to get nothing below 80% on my all of my report cards and I have stuck with that throughout high school and college. Everyone kept telling me that those goals of mine were impossible to do and or were stupid to even try To pursue. They kept telling me that when I got to college, those grades would drop drastically, and To just give up on something so unrealistic. but I have proven many people wrong with this. I graduated high school with all A's and B's on all report cards of all 4 years, and so Far I have all A's and B's from my first year in college. That is my greatest Achievement. This taught me that no matter what, whatever I put my mind to, I can do it, and that I do have potential and I do have the ability to do such great Things in my life. I was always letting those negative words from people get to me but after graduating and showing myself that I did it, it just unleashed a huge amount of confidence in me and an even bigger Drive to aim as high as I can. To not let closed-minded people get in the way and say, that I'm striving for unrealistic goals in life. I hope that I can prove my momma Proud. She's been a single parent for a very long time and she's my biggest Supporter of everything. I hope to go to college and get the degree that I've been dreaming of to do what I want In life and so much more. I also hope to pay for college. It is hard knowing that we can only afford online college for me currently and with My major in astronomy and astrophysics not being provided online. Knowing that I have to somehow get the money to go In person makes me want to work even harder. Not only for my future but for my mom. I simply want to make her proud and everyone around me. I want To show people that your life can turn around for the better and that you can get opportunities for further education. The sky's the limit and aim high. You never know what tomorrow can bring.

A complicated and changing aspect of my life has been my mental health. My experiences with worry and self-doubt have influenced not only how I view myself, but also how I interact to the world around me. Unaware of how profoundly these feelings were impacting my choices, relationships, and general sense of wellbeing, I battled in quiet for a large portion of my life. I didn't realize how potent—and transforming—the process of self-awareness, acceptance, and progress can be until I started to face my mental health concerns head-on. I frequently felt as a child that I was carrying an inexplicable burden. I was the reserved one in school, hesitant to speak up even when I had something significant to offer because I was insecure. I remained mute out of fear of being judged, saying the wrong thing, or not being "good enough." I was unaware that these emotions sprang from anxiety, which was fueled by a fear of failing and a need for perfection. The slightest error could trigger a flood of self-criticism, and this incessant internal conversation about "you're not enough" or "you're going to mess this up" only made me feel worse about myself. The pressure to perform well academically and socially increased as I started high school. I wanted to be successful and prove myself, but I was constantly doubting myself because of my anxiety. Every assignment, test, and social encounter seemed like an impossible task. The worst beliefs I had about myself—that I wasn't competent, that I didn't belong, and that I wasn't deserving of success or happiness—were confirmed by my fear of failing, which went beyond simply disappointing other people. I attempted to control these emotions on my own for years, thinking that if I just worked harder, I could get over the anxiety or that it would ultimately go away. But this way of thinking only resulted in exhaustion. I became overburdened by the pressure, social responsibilities, and homework. my mind kept telling me if I'm not perfect there's no point in trying. when I started college which was a few months ago, I had finally talked to someone to try to help me with what was going on. I no longer consider my struggle with anxiety and self-doubt to be a defining feature of who I am, but it is far from done. I now realize that having mental health issues is what makes me human, not what makes me weak or unable. I've come to accept my vulnerability as a source of strength rather than something to be ashamed of. It has increased my empathy and compassion for both myself and other people going through comparable difficulties. In both personal and professional contexts, I think these experiences have improved my ability to help people navigate their own challenges. In addition to improving how I manage my own mental health, I wish to keep learning and developing so that I can help and inspire those going through difficult times. I'm still on my path, but I don't fear where it will take me.

I am majoring in astronomy and astrophysics, I hope to work for NASA one day and help us dive into space more and find out things we haven't yet. I went to space camp for 2 year in middle school, My love for space was sparked by my life-changing experience at space camp. As soon as I entered the immersive, interactive setting, I had the impression that I was a part of something greater than the mundane, everyday routine of Earth. Every activity, from creating and launching model rockets to modeling space missions, stoked my enthusiasm and expanded my knowledge of space exploration. Playing the character of an astronaut during a simulated space flight was one of the most thrilling experiences. As I collaborated with a group to solve issues and finish projects, I came to see that space was about more than simply science; it was also about teamwork, resiliency, and pushing the boundaries of what is possible. Even in a spacesuit, the sensation of wearing one made me feel lie an astronaut. I am interested in astronomy simply because there is so much to learn, there is so many thing we haven't found yet and i'm so ready to just find them. It is possible to discover nearly anything in space. There are countless opportunities for novel, ground-breaking discoveries, ranging from spotting cosmic phenomena like black holes or supernovae to discovering new planets that might support life. Every new discovery casts doubt on preexisting ideas, offering scientists and inquisitive minds the excitement of exploration and the opportunity to change the rules of physics. space is a wonder and its brilliant how we live amongst the stars. my ideal job in 10 years time would be at NASA, overlooking, analyzing, discovering new things, telling the world what is around us and what we had just discovered. In 10 years, NASA will likely be at the forefront of some of the most exciting and transformative advancements in space exploration, thanks to a combination of evolving technology, new missions, and greater international collaboration. An ideal job at NASA in 2034 would blend cutting-edge science, deep exploration, and cross-disciplinary work. I want to do so many things with my future and with space. The last frontier is space. It is enormous, mostly uncharted, and teeming with mysteries that we have only just begun to unravel. For example, what are the characteristics of dark energy and dark matter? or What was the origin of the universe? stretch the limits of human understanding.

Because astronomy represents the ultimate pursuit of knowledge about the world and our place in it, I have decided to pursue it as my area of interest. I have always been fascinated by the night sky. I developed a habit of stargazing, which sparked my interest in the enormousness of space and celestial events. My desire to learn more has been fueled by the fascination of investigating far-off galaxies, black holes, and the basic principles of physics. Astronomy includes a more comprehensive understanding of our existence than only the study of stars and planets. It enables us to consider important issues like time, life, and the beginnings of the universe. This discipline offers a comprehensive approach to some of humanity's biggest questions by fusing science, mathematics, and philosophy. I am especially interested in the connection between theoretical astrophysics and observational astronomy because I want to help us better comprehend the still mostly mysterious concepts of dark matter and dark energy. I think that information can inspire and bring people together, which is why I want to make a difference in astronomy. My goal is to educate and engage the public by explaining difficult astronomy ideas. I want to inspire the next generation of scientists and visionaries by encouraging awe for the cosmos. Using interactive exhibits and hands-on activities, I hope to create outreach programs that introduce astronomy to community centers and schools, making the universe accessible to everyone. I want to bring the universe to you. My own personal goals are in line with my career goals. I'm determined to pursue astronomy graduate work, with the goal of earning a masters degree. Furthermore, I intend to work on collaborative projects with groups that prioritize broadening STEM areas. In order to ensure that everyone gets the chance to advance our knowledge of the cosmos, I want to assist in establishing pathways for underrepresented groups in science. Furthermore, I think that creative discoveries can result from interdisciplinary collaboration. I am excited to collaborate with scientists in a variety of disciplines, such as engineering and computer science, to create new technologies for space travel. This could entail developing better data analysis methods, enhancing telescopes, or even supporting missions that aim to investigate our solar system and beyond. Long term, I hope to work on important astronomical projects like gravitational wave research or the study of exoplanets in search of extraterrestrial life. My path is motivated by the desire to contribute to ground-breaking discoveries that have the potential to alter our knowledge of the cosmos. To sum up, my love of astronomy stems from a deep-seated need to comprehend the universe and impart that understanding to others. and I really want to have a significant influence in the field by going to college, doing public outreach, and encouraging diversity in science. I want to inspire people to gaze up and marvel, to ask questions, and to search for answers in the expanse of space. My astronomy adventure is about more than simply the stars.

"Wicked" is a gripping adaptation of the well-known story from L. Frank Baum's "The Wizard of Oz," diving into issues of identity, friendship, and the complex nature of good and evil. The story's central theme is the unexpected connection between Glinda, the Good Witch, and Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West. This dynamic calls into question established narratives, offering a novel interpretation of well-known characters and challenging viewers' moral assumptions. With tunes like "Defying Gravity," the musical's potent score strikes a deep chord, embodying the fight for self-acceptance and the yearning to escape social norms. The difficulties many people have when negotiating their own identities are reflected in Elphaba's path of empowerment and Glinda's transformation from shallowness to depth. I always felt as if the soundtrack had such great deep meaning, its truly amazing to listen to. Furthermore, the inventive storytelling and extensive world-building transport viewers to a lively, fascinating universe. The program is pertinent to current situations since it poses meaningful questions regarding the nature of authority, discrimination, and the consequences of decisions. and I just think its great. In the end, "Wicked" is notable for its deep reflection on friendship and the nuances of morality in addition to its captivating music and stunning images. It reminds me that every story has more than one side and challenges us to see past outward appearances.

My life had a profound effect by the event of losing my pop pop. He was more than simply a grandfather; he was a source of unconditional devotion, wisdom, and influence. As a child, I loved spending the weekends at his house, where I was captivated with tales of his early years. He would convey his distinct sense of humor, which elevated even the most ordinary occasions, while sharing stories of his travels, lessons gained from hardship, and the value of family. The weight of that loss was overwhelming when he died. There was a sense of emptiness that was difficult to describe, like if a light had gone out in my life. I struggled to accept that I couldn't simply be in his presence anymore. But this sadness also led to a time of reflection. I started to see how much he had shaped me into the person I am now. His focus on integrity and kindness struck a chord with me, inspiring me to live up to those ideals in my own life.I found myself using the principles pop pop had taught me in the months after his death. I learned to appreciate the value of each moment spent with my loved ones and grew more present with them. I learned to value the small pleasures from pop culture, such as a quiet stroll in the park or a hot supper with loved ones. I realized that these relationships were the foundation of my happiness and started to give them priority. Furthermore, his life experience taught me the value of resilience. He confronted challenges with grace, and I admired how he turned adversity into strength, that was a really big thing he was known for. This viewpoint has been quite helpful, particularly during challenging moments in my own life. Inspired by the remembrance of his unwavering attitude, I now approach challenges with a mindset that aims for progress rather than defeat. In the end, losing my pop pop was a devastating experience but also served as an inspiration for personal development. It made me realize how important it is to value connections, live a purposeful life, and uphold the principles he taught me. Despite his physical absence, his legacy endures in my decisions and deeds. As he did throughout his extraordinary life, I try to make every moment matter in my remembrance of him. he would want me to keep going and use this in the way that I am.