When deciding where and what I wanted to pursue in college, the STEM environment has always intrigued me the most. My major is Mechanical Engineering and I am one of the few women of color in my freshman engineering classes. Overpowered by the male majority, it is hard to voice any opinion in my big institution. However, I am a very persistent and determined young woman with a focus to inspire my younger female family. I have always had a love for engineering and I can not wait to become the first female engineer in my family. I decided to go about this path in college because I have a desire to inspire my younger cousins and siblings and let them know that it IS possible. I grew up in a brown household, with lots of Indian aunties that crushed any type of dreams that my female cousins and I had. All they were worried about was when we were getting married. I came to Clemson University and decided to pursue Mechanical Engineering to prove them wrong. After college I hope to land a secure job at a well known company that will use my skills to my best ability. I aspire to be happy where I work and to build great relationships with the other employees there as well. Although the money is a great plus that comes with being an engineer, it was never about the money for me. I would rather gain raw experience and memories with a job that could potentially be greater for me in the future, than stay at a job that provides me nothing because the money is good. With this, I hope to be a leader in my family to show, not just my cousins, but everyone that it is one hundred percent possible to follow your dreams. I hope that I can be someone that my niece and nephew look up to when they get older. With this scholarship, I can be one step towards achieving this goal.

My name is Ashley Maharaj. I currently attend Clemson University and is a first generation student to attend college in my household. I have two immigrant parents who dedicate their life to taking care of my brother and I. I chose to pursue a career in Mechanical Engineering because there are fewer to none female engineers in my family, let alone females that have jobs. In my family, most of the women are subjected to taking care of their significant others and nothing more. With this being said, most of my younger female cousins only look forward to this as their coming of age years are near. I am the first female in my family to pursue a career as a female of color in a male dominated field, pursue a bachelor's degree in another state, and give my younger cousins an inspiration for their future years to come. Because of my college journey this semester, I have influenced my younger cousin to apply to college and become a mechanical engineering major. This influenced me to encourage all of my cousins, male or female, to apply to college and pursue their goals and dream. I plan to use my education to influence other young women to chase their dreams as well. I aspire to be an inspiration to not only the younger generation in my family but the younger generation as a whole. I can start off by speaking at schools to interact with the children one on one. Interacting with them personally can influence an inspiration so impactful they will make a difference in the future. By educating, inspiring, and influencing the younger generation to believe in themselves is the ticket to how I can make a difference in this world.