As a proud daughter of immigrant parents, I was a little girl with BIG ambitions who was taught that she was capable of it all. My parents never pursued higher education since they moved to the United States from Ecuador at a young age and had to work to survive. My father loved to learn and we shared a passion for STEM. When he fell ill with stage IV renal cancer, he urged me not to fall behind in school. After he passed away, I dedicated most of my time to academics, sports, and my internship. I knew for a long time that I wanted to pursue a career in the medical field; I developed a passion for helping others and realized I could do that and make an impact through biomedical engineering. I joined the Stevens 5-year co-op program to gain professional experience as an undergraduate, but also to keep up with finances. My mother is a hairdresser, working a mere few days a week as she suffers from debilitating rheumatoid arthritis. Her support is the reason why I work so hard. She also taught me that having compassion can lead one to make a grand impact on the lives of others. I was able to carve out my path upon entering college and find amazing communities through the people who helped guide me. After dedicating my time to serving my Newark and the greater Latino community in high school, I wanted to continue this work upon going to college. I immediately gravitated towards identity-based organizations like the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and became a sister of Omega Phi Beta, a Latina-based sorority, which provided a welcoming environment and valuable resources for success as a minority on campus. I integrated myself into the e-boards of such organizations and began hosting and spearheading community service and philanthropic events. Spending time finding ways to give back to my communities fulfills me and I hope to continue doing this work. However, being so involved takes up a great deal of commitment and time. Being a recipient of this scholarship would allow me to prioritize my passions and academic pursuits instead of worrying about having to work to make ends meet and pay my tuition and bills. Given my background, it didn’t take long for me to realize that I wanted to devote my career to helping others. I want to be able to develop new ways to increase the quality of people’s lives through tissue engineering, which I have already started with the research I am conducting at my current co-op internship. I work at MTF Biologics, a non-profit tissue transplant organization that saves and heals lives through tissue donation. I’ve been experimenting and researching ways to optimize the process of a bone void filler allograft and have learned so much about product development and process optimization. I am grateful that the work I do has a real impact on the quality of lives of people and adds to innovation in healthcare. Being able to get my degree in Biomedical Engineering would allow me to pursue a career that paves the way for medical innovation, which is one of my biggest goals. This scholarship would aid me in the challenges and struggles I would face with my work/school balance on the journey to achieve my goals and continue to allow me to devote myself to helping people in every way I am capable of because I know I am capable of it all.

“¿Como te llamas?” “Mimi!” 2-year-old me screamed out excitedly. I didn’t know exactly how to pronounce my real name, but the confidence and exuberance I emitted when I answered that question led my family to make Mimi my nickname, which is what they call me today. I was a restless child, and by being the youngest out of just my brother and me, naturally, I was spoiled. I was my dad’s muñeca, su Tesoro, y su vida. My grandpa, my Papito, also called me his wawita, even when I was nine years old and half his size. I didn’t know what it meant at the time, but it means ‘small baby’ in the Quechua language, the language of the natives of Ecuador. It really didn’t matter what my family called me; I just know each nickname was given out of love. My parents provided me with the best childhood that they could. However, their journey was not easy. My dad crossed the border into the U.S. and my mom was denied entry into the U.S. from Spain and was deported with nothing but the clothes on her back. Despite all of their setbacks, I was still raised with lots of love. They tried to keep me in the dark about our financial hardships, my mom’s immigration status, and family drama but I was nosy and a quick learner, so it didn’t take long for me to catch onto things. My dad used to take trips to Ecuador on his own since my grandpa suffered from lung cancer for years. His last trip to Ecuador was for my Papito’s funeral. Taking advantage of the affordable healthcare there, he also went to get medical scans done that his physician requested him to get. The results cut his trip short. Within the week, he had entombed his father and came back with devastating news: he himself had cancer. After that, it was a whirlwind of tests, doctors, long hospital stays, and chemotherapy. I had just entered my freshman year of high school, starting a new chapter while my dad’s whole book was coming to an end. To make matters worse, my mom’s immigration court date was coming up. The thought of losing both parents tore me apart. The judge ultimately granted my mother permanent residency status. It was good news, but I was still angry. Would he have granted her that status if my dad wasn’t dying? Throughout that time, I harbored so much anger and frustration that I never let show because I was supposed to be strong for my mom. She won the immigration battle, but she was still losing the love of her life. Losing my father took a huge toll on my mental and emotional health. I kept in so many strong emotions over the years by hyper-focusing on my responsibilities and priorities. I fixated on doing well in my AP and honors classes, playing volleyball and track, working my high school internship, going to the gym, and simply keeping myself busy. It wasn’t until the pandemic struck that led me to slow down and reflect on my academic career thus far. I started a brand new chapter upon starting my undergraduate career. Stepping foot into a predominantly white institution during the pandemic not knowing anyone was intimidating at first. I eventually found myself gravitating to spaces where I felt welcomed, starting with the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) and the Latin American Association (LAA). I was surrounded by peers who I could relate to, and who would provide valuable resources for students like me on campus. I am immensely grateful for the experiences these organizations provided for me; I eventually became part of their executive boards to help run them so I can help fellow students like myself, proudly represent my culture on campus, and host community service events to bring students of different backgrounds together. Finding a sense of community on campus sparked my sense of what direction I want to take my life in: I want to help others in whichever way I can. My major in Biomedical Engineering would allow me to do that through medical application. I decided to go into this field of study in order to find solutions to problems brought on by diseases/disorders, like cancer. My current co-op internship is in researching tissue allografts for transplantation through tissue engineering, which I would like to pursue after graduation. I am in the midst of realizing my wildest dreams and things I never thought possible: I have the opportunity to make people's lives better through my career and it is all thanks to my parents who had the strength and courage to provide me with this life. Challenges will never cease to exist, but they are there to learn from. While I struggle to juggle all of my responsibilities including my academics, internships, extracurriculars, part-time jobs, health and fitness, and managing finances, I choose to focus on how far I’ve come and how much I know I will accomplish. Throughout my journey, I have grown immensely; I have become a confident, successful woman working hard every single day to make not only her family proud, but to make the little girl who couldn’t pronounce her own name proud. I know now that when someone asks what my name is, I can say it loud and clear and confidently, the same way that 2-year-old me would say it.