
Hobbies and interests
Acting And Theater
Business And Entrepreneurship
Coding And Computer Science
Crocheting
Math
Movies And Film
Reading
Television
Band
American Sign Language (ASL)
Animation
Comics
Cybersecurity
Hair Styling
Poetry
Screenwriting
Reading
Fantasy
Novels
Mystery
Magical Realism
Romance
Science Fiction
Young Adult
I read books multiple times per week
Anaya Diaz
1,305
Bold Points1x
Finalist1x
Winner
Anaya Diaz
1,305
Bold Points1x
Finalist1x
WinnerBio
Hi, I’m Anaya Diaz, a second-year at Middlesex College pursuing cybersecurity. I've been an honors and AP student, involved in multiple extracurriculars such as a captain in my high school’s marching band, a founding member of their braiding club Braiding Beauty, and a long-standing member of their drama club, in a wide range of roles in crew. I am passionate about providing education and resources to underprivileged and underrepresented communities. Making these things accessible to people are so important to me.
In the age of technology, it is so easy for uneducated people to be scammed or hacked, with their private information being released to the wrong people. Teaching people about the dangers of cybersecurity and how to better protect themselves, will create a safer community against those who wish to target vulnerable groups.
I am and have always been a huge fan of TV and movies. The ability to tell a story within multiple mediums has always been fascinating to me. To see characters you adore and respect go through struggles you yourself have experienced, to see how they handle their adversity, it builds connections. For so long, performances have connected and resonated with people of all kinds. It is a form of communication.
Going to college/university in pursuit of these topics will help me and others alike who are looking for that someone to help them understand and protect themselves the way that they should be, in ways they can understand.
Education
Middlesex County College
Associate's degree programMajors:
- Computer and Information Sciences, General
Carteret High School
High SchoolMiscellaneous
Desired degree level:
Master's degree program
Graduate schools of interest:
Transfer schools of interest:
Majors of interest:
- Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, Other
- Film/Video and Photographic Arts
- Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
- Library and Archives Assisting
Career
Dream career field:
Technology
Dream career goals:
CEO, Designer, Clothesmaker
AnayaDCreations2022 – Present3 years
Arts
Drama Club
TheatrePuffs, Pippin, Sister Act, 46 Plays for 46 Presidents2021 – Present
Public services
Volunteering
Pathway’s PALS — An active volunteer and event planner2020 – Present
Future Interests
Advocacy
Volunteering
Philanthropy
Baby OG: Next Gen Female Visionary Scholarship
Colorful circles flash across the screen in time with the surrounding sounds of a drum set, as I watch, unaware that my life is about to be changed. I sit in the dark theater, electric as the release I’ve been waiting on for years, finally begins: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. There’s always been a comfort, a sense of recognition, to be found in movies, in TV, music—but never like this.
Growing up in the Bronx, with the sounds of the subway rumbling, music blasting at any and all times, I never felt alone. There is such a strong sense of community there, you could always find someone to help you out in whatever predicament you found yourself. No matter where you came from, there’d be someone in your corner. To move away from there, to grow out of the little girl I’d been, was daunting. I understood the world differently, as did the world to I. I felt the only connection and relations I could find were through TV and movies. To watch characters go through situations I’m in, to see so much of myself in them, was incredible. I’ve felt so many times that there were scenes written just for me. With Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, sometimes I think they wrote the whole movie for me.
I am someone who speaks through characters. They say for me what I cannot say for myself. There are multiple different meanings and intentions involved in movies and TV. There is always at least one I find myself in. I often speak in references, and dress as my favorite characters to make myself feel stronger in scary moments. When I was anxious about driving, I thought to myself “This is just like Penny Robinson from Lost in Space driving the Chariot for the first time. Be brave like her.” When I feel my hands shake as I’m about to speak to someone I don’t want to, I think “Make it a performance. It’s not you on this phone call. Become someone else. Batman has his Brucie Wayne persona. Find yours.” I think of myself as an actor and as a scientist. Assess the variables, and adapt accordingly. Fictional characters have always been one of my greatest motivations and sources of protection. I’d like to be that for other people. It’s why I’d like to go into writing for TV and movies, but also why I’ve chosen to study Cybersecurity.
Cybersecurity is the practice of protection against cybercrimes. I have people I love who are incredibly vulnerable to online threats and scams. In the Bronx there aren’t many educational opportunities or special programs to teach and engage people in different interests. I want to learn what I can in college, and then I want to go to protect and educate the people in my neighborhood. Like Spider-Man, or Oracle. I also want to share my love for theater and writing, both of which have given me the greatest comfort and creative outlet I could ever know. With this scholarship, I would be able to relieve a great stress that comes with pursuing an education. It would allow me to continue to nourish, and hopefully succeed in, my most cherished ambitions.
Goobie-Ramlal Education Scholarship
WinnerMy name is Anaya Diaz, and my parents are from the Dominican Republic. My father immigrated to New York City when he was 18, following his mother who had come a year earlier to establish a stable life. He hoped that his efforts would pay off for his children one day. I am proud to say that my brother and I have had many opportunities thanks to our parents' hard work. We are honors and AP students with a passion for music, surrounded by kind and intelligent people in a community that our parents could only have dreamed of. We grew up in the Bronx, NY, in an area that was beautiful but deteriorating. My parents moved us to a small town in New Jersey, where my brother and I discovered our passions; he found physics, and I found computer science.
I took computer science seriously for the first time in high school. Though my middle school had offered an elementary level class, I didn't understand the importance and impact of computer science on our world. But now I do. I have learned multiple coding languages in high school, and just this past summer, I discovered the various branches of the computer science industry. Cybersecurity particularly fascinated me; it's the effort to defend and protect people against cyber crimes. Unfortunately, some people misuse their cybersecurity knowledge for unethical purposes, such as hacking. I want to fight against that. My parents, who grew up without the technology we have today, are vulnerable to the dangers of the cyber world. My family in the Dominican Republic and my old neighborhood in the Bronx don't have access to the same educational resources I was lucky to receive. I moved to New Jersey and realized the advantages that so many people had from the start, advantages I never would have had if my parents and their parents never immigrated here.
In college, I hope to get the education and opportunities that everyone deserves. No one should be vulnerable to a growing threat just because they were never given a chance. Too often, lack of resources is taken advantage of because people don't know any better. I want to educate, give back to my communities, and advocate for the importance of computer science and the need for diversity in the industry. Someone needs to be the voice and the open door for those who are just waiting for an opportunity to come but need a little help to get there. I want to be that person for my parents, grandparents, and the generations that will come after me. I am the product of my parents' progress and triumph.