Often times people say that magic is just science that has not been discovered yet. Being a biology major, I fully agree, because that magic, or science fiction takes inspiration from sciences like biology. I believe the study of life, or biology, will continue to advance with technology. This constant evolution will turn science fiction into fact. A hundred years ago telephones would have been considered fiction, maybe even magic. But in eighteen seventy six Alexander Grahm Bell invented the telephone. During this time not even two hundred years ago a video call would be considered madness. The people of that time would not have been able to imagine a moving, speaking picture box being a part of their daily lives. Many aspects of modern-day life would seem magical to someone from over one hundred years ago. Developments like the telephone are technological advancements. Humanity has had so many technological advancements since the invention of the telephone, that biologists have used to determine scientific facts. On the biology side of things, each technological advancement has brought biologists one step closer to turning fiction into fact. An example is the invention of the microscope. Around 1560 was when the microscope is guessed to have first been invented. There is some debate about who the actual inventor it is assumed that the inventor was a Dutch spectacle maker. The microscope was very simple compared to modern-day microscopes. This invention was revolutionary to the science world and all that it affected. Scientists were just beginning to study the living organisms around them. As time went on wild ideas, like blood transfusions, became fact when more developments were made. New upgrades and different versions of the microscope was made, and scientists like biologist have been able to learn so much thanks to the advancement and development of the technology of their tools. The relationship between biology and technology is a symbiotic one. One of the aspects they have in common is inspiration. Biologists often use science fiction as inspiration in research and discoveries. They then use the latest technology to determine whether something is fiction or fact. Similarly, those in the technology inventing field need a large amount of inspiration to create and develop new products. Taking a look at what biologists might need would give inspiration and help to fiction into fact. In summary, science fiction takes inspiration from biology that works with the forever-evolving technology field to make science fiction =, science fact.

I have high school sweethearts as parents. They were that couple that got to grow into love as they grew up. Then, a few years after they graduated they had me. They were still young so they needed a lot of help. An important part of that support was community programs like after-school clubs, daycare, and the YMCA. Being a part of these programs was some of the most fun I had ever experienced as a kid. Given the opportunity to improve my community, I would invest in an enhanced community center. The community center I envision is a bit different from the ones I have been to. This would be one of those places where there is genuinely something for everyone. It would be broken up into three wings, each focused on a different age group. The first would be the adult wing. In this wing, people could have networking events and look for or give jobs. They would also have the space to host and take classes. Even having shops and restaurants this would be a place where adults can go to enjoy life outside of work, school, and other demanding responsibilities. There would also be the usual amenities like a gym, pool, basketball court, etc. Next, there would be an adolescent wing. Due to the vast differences, this wing would have its sections per age group connected by a common area for everyone. The amenities would be mostly the same as the adult wing with the twist of being centered around leaning. Some of the purposes of this space would include hosting kids' clubs, tutoring rooms, and dedicated childcare areas. Additionally, the common area of the adolescent wing would have a bridge to the third wing, the family wing. This wing would be more focused on parenting, adult romantic relationships, and elder care, and offer familiar support to those without a village. Being raised by parents who were not afraid to ask for help when they needed it taught me a lot. The lesson most relevant to this idea of an enhanced community center is, that people don't stop needing help. Even once they become adults they could still benefit from having a village. Growing up does not magically make you prepared for every problem that may arise. Understanding that helped me recognize the importance of having a place where you can go for any and everything you might need. My experience in the village my mom and dad created to raise me was a benefit to me. There were great times and there were hard times that I was able to learn from. Overall, the experience led me to want to help others have a community that they can benefit like I did. It is because of my high school sweetheart parents and the village they built for me that I know I will achieve all of my goals. Growing up with such an extensive village helped me become the determined, goal-oriented, passionate person I am today. I intend to give that experience to as many people as I can.

The human mind is our most important organ. It is our control center but even our minds can have off days. The important thing about our brain is maintaining a certain level of mental health. It can become difficult to maintain when stressors are too difficult to cope with, that is when you need to ask for help. Unfortunately receiving that help may not be possible due to financial factors. As someone who has been through my fair share of mental health ups and downs, I understand the importance of having access to health care. Currently, I am a sophomore in college, as I prepare for my professional career I and my classmates and told me the importance of experience. Whatever our goal we need to have experience. If I could have just one contribution to the world I would like to create a program where pre-professional students get the opportunity to help people in need of support with the guidance of an overseeing professional.

I remember the first time I tried to make a potion to turn myself into a mermaid. At the time I, four years old, was fully convinced that YouTube had shown me a very advanced chemistry project. Later I realized that mixing lotion, soap, water, and sea salt was not going to turn me into a mermaid but I was left with a new interest in science before I even knew what science was. I come from a low-income, single-parent household where I am a first-generation college student. A large part of my college experience so far has been managing the financial burden that comes with trying to achieve my dreams. To win this scholarship would help lift this burden from me as well as my family who has been working tirelessly to help me achieve every goal that I have. Currently, I have three major life goals. The first and largest is to become a doctor. I am determined to become a doctor and have women’s health as my specialty. This same dream is what fuels my second life goal; that being having a career that allows me to make a change, more specifically a positive impact. The idea of having that kind of impact is my motivation. My third major goal is to help my best friend publish her first book before we graduate college. We have been friends for about twelve years and planning to write her book for five. As we both want to have positive impacts on our society through our STEM educations, it is important that we still make time for our other passions. My passion in life is learning. I love to learn and to be able to do something with the knowledge that I have gained. My most significant STEM experience so far was my time in my A.P. Chemistry class during my senior year of high school. By the time my senior year had rolled around, I had already taken biology, chemistry, genetics, and medical terminology. In my previous classes, I had not only done well but enjoyed the content that I was learning. My outlook on science classes changed after the first few days during that class. I had never been so lost and confused. It did not help that I was working full-time and could never seem to catch up. After some time, I was no longer interested in learning, I just wanted to pass the class. To my surprise, I passed the class and was later accepted into my dream school with it on my transcripts. Fast forward to today, I am so excited at the opportunity that I have to be going to college and I am determined to use the knowledge I gain to make my dream of becoming a doctor my reality.

I would consider my perspective on the two generations, Millennials and Gen-Z, unique as I am someone within Generation Z with two Millennial parents. Reading the Ode To Millennials-Gen Z text in the description reminds me of moments where the differences between the world I was raised in in comparison to the world in which my parents were raised in. Social media would be the greatest example. There are terms, songs, phrases, and trends that I understand and enjoy that make my parents look at me like I actually am from another world. None of us are actually from different worlds, however the vast amount of changes that occurred in the twenty-one years between the two generations. The advancements are seemingly endless in technology, education, medicine, science, and the way we socialize i.e. social media. I think these advancements are what make the Millennials and those of us who are in Gen Z so similar to the Greatest Generation. They also made astounding strides in technological and science fields. I am not so sure about us becoming the Greatest Generation 2.0 but with Millennials and Gen-Z combined, I would understand why we could be awarded the title. Given the time to continue to advance, I think we could become deserving of the title.

In third grade, I was in a book club. Book club Thursday was always my favorite day of the week. I have always loved to read so sharing the experience with my closest friends was so exciting. Those weekly meetings added to a passion for reading that later transferred into a passion for learning. More than a passion I simply loved to learn. That love led me to seek higher education without knowing the obstacles that would follow. My biggest obstacle to my education has been coping with the setbacks that come from my background. I come from a low-income, single-parent household where I am a first-generation college student. A large part of my college experience so far has been managing the financial burden that comes with trying to achieve my dreams. To cope with my lack of information, financial assistance, familial support, and unpreparedness I had to enhance my problem-solving and decision-making skills. While I already had these skills I let my passion for learning combined with my determination to achieve my goals drive me to be able to cope with the obstacles I have faced before. My improved problem-solving and decision-making skills will also be necessary in overcoming any future obstacles I may face to ensure I successfully achieve my goals. Currently, I have three major life goals. The first and largest is to become a doctor. I am determined to become a doctor and have women’s health as my specialty. This same dream is what fuels my second life goal; that being having a career that allows me to make a change, more specifically a positive impact. The idea of having that kind of impact is my motivation. My third major goal is to help my best friend publish her first book before we graduate college. We have been friends for about twelve years and I am planning to write her book for five. As we both intend to impact our society positively, I think it would be important for us to start with ourselves. Winning this scholarship would be just the beginning as it would help lift this burden from me as well as my family who have been working tirelessly to help me in every way they can. Without the burden I can focus on making use of the skills I learned to combat the obstacles I went through will contribute to all three of my major goals and any little one I have along the way.

If a zombie apocalypse were to occur right this second being prepared would help me get somewhere safe but being DRIVEN would help me survive. By this point, it is clear that the zombie apocalypse has not begun but the point still stands; Simply being prepared or having a plan will not get me as far as having determination, respect, innovation, the ability to be versatile, promoting equality, and being nurturing. As a sophomore in college, I can confidently say that each element of DRIVEN has helped me get over the difficult transition from high school to college. My determination to accomplish my goals motivated me to go to college in the first place. My major life goal is to become a doctor. I was a sophomore in high school when I decided my career path and I have been planning for it ever since. Having a fierce passion for learning has helped to fuel that determination to do well in my STEM courses. Due to my passion for learning, I have a huge amount of respect for teachers. It is because of that respect that I have been able to be humble in regard to my accomplishments and gracious enough to learn from someone else. Being a STEM student I have had to study harder than ever before. Relying on my own versatility and innovation inspired me. Almost like a creativity outlet I used that inspiration to come up with new study methods and tactics that work for me. Equality is very important to me as it has such a large amount of relevance in my life. I currently attend an HBCU where there are so many people from so many backgrounds. It has been amazing to have some many teachers with different perspectives to use as aids in my learning career. Most importantly being nurturing to myself has kept me going through it all. When school or work gets stressful I make sure to prioritize myself. When needed I will take the time to do some self-care and mental health check-ins to avoid any unnecessary stress or burnouts. . I want to become an OB-GYN ( Obstetrician and Gynecologist). The impact I intend to have is lowering the rate of women of color, more specifically African American women, who are dying in hospitals due to childbirth. I plan to use all of the lessons I have learned from each element of DRIVEN to make an impact by achieving my goals

Life is hard the best thing you can do is learn to wear a helmet. Currently, I am a sophomore in college. Meaning that I graduated high school, got accepted into college, and passed through my first year qualifying me to move up once again. I can confidently say I would not have gotten here if I did not have some level of tenacity. Just like anything in life, there were challenges that I faced but how I handled them and the lessons that they taught me are the reason I have been able to persevere and continue on my journey. As stated previously I would not have accomplished what I have so far if I was not able to process, handle, and then learn from obstacles I have been faced with. A great example is my senior year of high school. That year I decided to take two AP classes and get a job. I was not completely unprepared as I had taken honors classes before. I had also already had and left my first job by this time. What made this time different was that the AP classes were at a higher level than the honors. Being in higher-level classes than before was enough of a challenge that was made more difficult by my job. That was my first time working while being in school. Being able to persevere through these new challenges meant a lot to me and still does. I made sure to apply myself and accomplish my goals. My biggest motivator is my goal of becoming a doctor. Keeping my motivation in mind I made sure to accomplish shorter-term goals when they arrived. In doing so I faced the challenges that came along. In this case, I had a hectic schedule to juggle. Sometimes I was so overwhelmed that I was ready to quit everything and become a bum. However being reminded of my goals, my motivation, and my passion gave me the strength needed to attack the obstacles holding me back. In being so determined to accomplish my goals, I persevered and learned to tackle the challenges that come my way and use them as a learning opportunity. Hard work, determination, work ethic, goal orientation, tenacity, self-reflection, and outside help have been major factors in my learning career. Working while having the most difficult classes I had ever taken taught me to strap on my helmet, overcome challenges, and continue on to achieve my goals.

This happy healthy woman will have achieved her major life goals to be able to do her dream job and make a positive impact within her community.

aniyah_257