Hearing Maggie’s story was deeply inspiring, as I have not heard of other women overcoming the same struggles I have experienced. Her determination and bravery is remarkable. Growing up in the Democratic Republic of Congo, I have experienced poverty and war my entire life. My father was killed before I was born, and I lost my mother at the age of 10. After her passing, I lived on the street for 2 years begging for food and unable to go to school. At the age of 12, I heard about an organization called Un Jour Nouveau (Africa New Day) that offered to pay for my tuition. My passion to receive an education led me to pursue this opportunity, despite having to walk over two hours each way, four days per week. Through this program, I began learning English and leadership skills. At the age of 14, I started a club for young women who couldn’t afford a traditional education, many of which were also orphans or rape victims who had been shut out by their families. My intention was to pass on the knowledge I had gained to other young people in my area who did not have the same opportunity to receive the education I had. After 3 years, my club included over 100 young women that met once a week to learn together. I had always dreamed of moving to the United States to continue my education. In 2019, I moved to Nairobi, Kenya, to take an English course and pass the TOEFL exam. I applied for a student visa in 2021 and was denied, but I didn’t let this discourage me. I reapplied and was accepted later that year, and began attending El Camino College in the Spring of 2022. Originally, I planned on going to school for International Business to help my home country of DR Congo. However, I quickly realized this was not my passion. As a child, I was always fascinated with how electronics worked, and would often take electronics apart to see how they were made. I started helping people fix their phones and other devices in order to make some money to survive. I never pictured this as a career I could pursue though, because in my country, engineering is a man’s job. Coming here and seeing women in STEM reignited my passion and pushed me to pursue Electrical Engineering. I am currently one semester away from finishing my Associate’s Degree and I have applied to several Electrical Engineering programs for Fall 2025. Hearing Maggie’s story is further proof that women like me can achieve anything we put our minds to despite what society says. Maggie and I share a similar hunger for knowledge and determination that pushes me to continuously grow and advance in my field. Through this scholarship, I hope to continue Maggie’s legacy by setting an example for other women in my country. My goal is to inspire the young people of DR Congo to dream big the same way I have, and start a chain reaction to innovate solutions to the conflict in my country.