The memories you make and the experiences you have as a child shape who you will be in the future. This makes sense given that my current passion and love for computer science began when I was thirteen and built a PC with my father. At this age, I imagined myself as a veterinarian, ballerina, or doctor, random careers I chose on a whim, not knowing where my true interests lay. But as I worked with my father to connect the different parts and understand how each one was interconnected, I realized that I now knew what I wanted to do with my education. And I'm still fighting to fulfill that dream, pushing myself to get a degree in Cybersecurity. Not only do I enjoy the passion and patience required, the problem-solving and creativity required to come up with new and innovative solutions, but I also appreciate the opportunity to contribute to the sadly low number of women in STEM. I pursue my interests in the hopes that they will inspire others and make a positive difference in the world. Not only do I know that I want to work in cybersecurity, but I also know precisely what I'm going to do with that education. From your refrigerator to your car, technology is an integral component of our everyday lives. There are innumerable innovative ways of using technology to make the world a better place. So why not utilize Cybersecurity to make society more eco-friendly? I'm especially fascinated by the connection between cybersecurity and electric vehicles, such as Teslas. Electric cars emit up to 3,000 pounds of CO2 on average per year, a small amount once compared to the nearly 13,000 pounds of CO2 emitted by the average gasoline-powered car. However, users of these vehicles must make sure that they are guarded against cyberattacks, and are equipped with the necessary electronic tools to handle any situation. These technological innovations are making eco-friendly alternatives more user-friendly, appealing, and safe. These cybersecurity standards encourage more environmentally responsible behaviors and lifestyles. The example of an electric-powered car is only one of the countless ways that computer science and cybersecurity can improve the world's carbon emissions and overall health. Aside from the benefit to the world at large, I have more personal reasons for getting a computer science-based degree. My younger sister is currently 13 years old, the same age I was when I realized my love for CompSci, and she wants to learn how to create a video game. It was terrible to see her get dissuaded and discouraged from even trying due to the lack of girls in her class interested in Computer Science, and it seemed like deja vu, seeing myself in her. I saw the same hesitation and confusion that I felt at her age, not knowing if I'm doing the proper thing or where to even begin. This personal narrative is playing out all around the world with women, particularly minorities, being discouraged and wary of studying in STEM fields due to the male-to-female ratio. However, the only way of ending this and making it more inclusive is to just go for it, to "pave the way," raise the number of women in computer science, and ultimately inspire more to join and follow their dreams. Through lines of code, I wish to improve my sister's life by inspiring her to pursue her aspirations, as well as the lives of my community and the earth by making it cleaner and safer.

When I was 13 years old, my father and I built a PC together. This was one of the first ways that me and my once distant father connected and bonded. Rather than fighting or arguing over mundane things, we worked together to pick the correct parts, learned how to connect them and built the PC. This sparked an ever-growing interest in something I never thought I would be able to take part in. Since growing up, I never saw many females talking about, or perusing a degree in Technology. This naturally dissuaded me from ever trying to learn more about computers. I kept this limiting mindset until I had first-hand experience in realizing how interesting and invigorating it is to learn about all the parts, what they do individually and how they all work together. Building the computer with my father influenced me and taught me how to problem-solve, have patience, follow directions, and taught me more about being fiscally responsible. By pursuing and currently majoring in computer science, I am trying to begin my path to having a part in the vast changes computer science is making in our world. Technology is the future, and as a female, I think that making sure my opinions and voice are heard would inspire more women to join the STEM field. Empowering young girls and letting them know that they can work and pursue a male-dominated career is important. On a more personal note, I hope to be a good influence on my little sister who is also interested in Computer Science. She is currently working on coding a video game, but is nervous and intimidated by her other male peers who seem to have more support and experience than her on the topic. Seeing her doubt herself, her skills and her ambition motivated me even further to succeed. Even more motivation is the fact that my high school computer science class has a ratio of 5 girls to 18 boys, 1 of those girls being me. By having a place in the Computer Science field, I would be able to contribute my opinions, knowledge and experience. Computer Science is one of the few things I know I am good at. It requires things that I know I can give, such as patience, problem-solving, open-mindedness and creativity. Before I even started my high school major, I knew that I would love computer science and all that it came with. But now that I am here and trying to plan out my future, I find myself wondering just exactly what are my motivating factors. What is pushing me to become one of the few females in Computer Science? What do I hope to achieve? And when I wonder these pivotal questions, all I have to do is look at my younger sister.