The word female used to be a hard word to hear. It meant inferior, weak, tiny, and in a way, almost degrading. As someone who lives in a place where people often find little value in women, it was hard for me to find value in myself. Living in a small city in a conservative state limited my view on womanhood and the beauty of feminism. This misogyny was also evident in my home. My father was a traditional thinker, and my mother was a conventional follower until their divorce. At such a young age, I saw that women were supposed to be submissive to men, and that was how the world worked. My parents were separated four years after I started playing soccer, and it became a solace for me. The girls on my team didn't talk about their homes or parents, but rather about soccer. It was a way for me to escape my crumbling world and see how a sport could empower women. I continued playing soccer through high school and captained the varsity team my senior year. The sport was a light through the tough years of high school. It was an outlet for every emotion I felt those years: anger, sadness, joy, anxiety, insecurity. The power a sport gave me allowed me to see the beauty of womanhood. Soccer will always hold a very special place in my heart. Not only is it my favorite sport, but I found a beautiful community within it as well as strength in myself. Yet, I felt strongest when I was running track. I started track in 7th grade. My school was small enough to have middle schoolers run for high school. I didn't take it seriously enough during those few years before high school. But once I was in 9th grade, track was no longer something fun to do, but a sport I wanted to excel in. High school was far from easy. Grades were always in the back of my mind. Staying relevant and known by my classmates seemed to be important. But I had soccer. I had track. Soccer season was always far too quick and too early in the year. From August to October, I would be playing soccer. After that, I had track. Pre-season started in November for me, as I began to run with the Runner's Club. I would lift at five in the morning, three days a week. I got strong. I had muscles. I was able to look in the mirror and smile at the strength evident on my body. The hard work I was putting into track was showing. I was becoming a strong woman who was learning how to run for herself. Track isn't usually a team sport. You work for yourself, no team pushing you. All of the effort I had put into the sport and myself was because I could do it, and I was strong enough to. Both of my sports showed me how being a woman is wonderful. It means I am confident, strong, beautiful, capable, feminine, emotional, intelligent, and meaningful. I was no longer a little girl who thought women couldn't stand up for themselves. I had become confident in my identity. I plan to go into a scientific field as my future profession. I am attending a male-dominated college in a male-dominated field. But, because I have seen myself as a strong woman through my dedication to the sports I love, I know I can be an even stronger woman in the career of my dreams.

To love the world is to protect it. To love humanity is to help it. I am no stranger to the less-than-beautiful parts of our world. My father works in an incredibly dangerous workforce as a firefighter. My stepdad is a doctor and has witnessed some horrible accidents firsthand. I have heard many stories about hatred, climate change, a failing world, and most of all, people who know hurt too well. I have always been interested in science, in some way. Of course, when I was younger, I thought becoming a singer or an actress was cooler than growing up to become a scientist. Yet, I was still curious, I still questioned things around me, and still had the creative mind that brought me to where I am today. My grandfather passed away when I was eight years old from ALS, which stands for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. I didn't understand what it meant at the time of his passing, but I promised my mom and grandma that I would save those who suffered from the same diseases. This was the beginning of my life-long journey of creation, chemistry, and helping those around me. I want to go into pharmaceutical science and create new medications for the public. It is the way I hope to help the world. However, medicine is sometimes insanely overpriced and doesn't always have the best impact on the environment. I don't want my dream to be defined by the cost and environmental impact. I want to make medication through the use of chemicals, and my knowledge in chemical engineering. To help people through something I love so much would be my ultimate goal. Yet, what good would it be if the work of mine and so many other chemists couldn't be used by those who need it most? To go into pharmaceutical science, to create, use chemicals that are abundant and not difficult to obtain, as well as cheap and good for the body, is the way I will go about my future career. It will change the industry from one that benefits from overpricing and harsh chemicals into something I can be proud of being a part of. Through this push to cheap and abundant materials, I hope that I can impact both the medical world and everything around it. Others will be able to see that it is possible to move forward as a society without killing our planet and ignoring the class levels within society. I want a future that helps our world and the people in it. A world where little kids dream about becoming scientists so they, too, can change the medical world for the better. It's a big goal, but I have more than enough grit and passion to fulfill it, and so many other people must too. To a better world or medicine, and love.

When I was five, I told my mom I wanted to be a singer. Three years later, I told her I was going to cure ALS. Not much has changed since then. The shift happened after my grandpa passed away from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or, you guessed it, ALS. It's not a pretty disease for someone to have. And, of course, second-grade me didn't quite understand what it meant nor what I signed up for while promising my mom and grandma that I would save people with ALS. But, my passion for science started here, with passing. I guess it's true what people say--death does bring life. This was the beginning of my journey. However, nothing can be as linear as that. My mind wasn’t made up for a while, and I became confused about my future. I was clueless until I met Dr. Farrar. Everyone has a teacher they remember as someone extraordinary, but Dr. Farrar isn’t just that. She fueled my desire for chemistry and became the beacon that paved my path. I was so lost about school and college before meeting her. She has shown me what I have known since I was eight and sparked my passion for science again. She helped me realize that my creativity, which I’ve also had from a young age, can be applied to science and can help advance it. My love for creation, inventing, and building are all aided by my passion for science. You can't have a scientific mind without thinking outside the box. Creativity and science go hand-in-hand. To learn more about the beautiful world of science, you have to be able to think outside of what is already known. My pursuit of a scientific degree is aided by my drive to help people like my grandpa, the influence of my teacher, and my creative mind. Science is the future and, consequently, a part of mine. Medicine is my calling. Helping others is my passion. I have always wanted to make an impression on the world, to leave and to know that I did something and helped someone. Chemical engineering will be the catalyst for this dream of mine. I know that studying chemical engineering will teach me the ins and outs of science. My creative mind will allow me to come up with different combinations, see patterns in chemical structures, and think outside the box. My ability to work with others will help me in the lab. My drive and passion for a brighter future will keep me going when the work gets difficult. Pharmaceutical science is what I plan to go into. There, I will learn how to create new medication and apply it to real-world problems. Then, I will find ways to make them more inexpensive. And finally, a way to use ample materials instead of costly, scarce resources. I intend to use science to improve our world. Through studying, solving, trial, and error, I hope to find new ways to make medicine—ways to create medication that is affordable and contains abundant resources. People shouldn't have to worry about what is in their medicine. They should know it works and can afford to keep it in their medicine cabinet. I recognize that this is a difficult goal to achieve. But, I hope through my dedication to learning and scholarships I will be able to achieve my dreams, graduate with a chemical engineering degree, and help our world become a cleaner place with easy

I plan to make medicine. Ever since I was a little girl, my calling has been medicine. When I was eight, I told my mom I was going to cure ALS. Not much has changed since then. The shift happened after my grandpa passed away from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or, you guessed it, ALS. It's not a pretty disease for someone to have. It was a hard death to deal with. No one understands ALS. Even now, I barely have a grasp on it. Yet still, I told everyone I would figure it out. So then, of course, second-grade "me" didn't quite understand what it meant nor what I signed up for while promising my mom and grandma that I would save people with ALS. But, my passion for science started here, with passing. Since then, I have been focused on science. From choosing rigorous courses, like Chem 106 to AP Physics, to my internship experience, I have surrounded myself with science. Every summer since 2021, I have participated in STEM-related camps nationwide through Envision. Science doesn’t stop at school for me, it follows me around everywhere I go—research, learning: it is science. Science is not linear or black and white. Science has so many places it can change and grow; that makes it so beautiful and desirable. Medicine is my calling. Helping others is my passion. I have always wanted to make an impression on the world, to leave, and to know that I did something and helped someone. Chemical engineering will be the catalyst for this dream of mine. I know that studying chemical engineering will teach me the ins and outs of science. My creative mind will allow me to come up with different combinations, see patterns in chemical structures, and think outside the box. My ability to work with others will help me in the lab. My drive and passion for a brighter future will keep me going when the work gets difficult. I plan to study pharmaceutical science. I will learn how to create new medications and apply them to real-world problems. Then, I will find ways to make them more inexpensive. Finally, I will find ways to use ample materials instead of costly, scarce resources. I intend to use science to improve our world. Through studying, solving, and trial and error, I hope to find new ways to make medicine—ways to create affordable medication that contains abundant resources. People shouldn't have to worry about what is in their medicine. They should know it works and be able to afford to keep it in their medicine cabinet. This is my dream; to create a better future for everyone through the works of medicine. No matter what, people should be able to have the medication they need when they need it and the world shouldn't have to suffer because of it. Make things cheap. Make things right. Do a little good for our world. That's all I really want.

My mom is the most powerful woman I know. She has been through so much, yet she keeps on pushing. When I was eight, my parents got a divorce. Just like that, my mom was now a single mother, feeding two children, making twenty dollars an hour, living with her parents, and at the age of thirty-eight. Her world was flipped in the blink of an eye. Yet, nothing came in her way. She worked towards a better life. Not just for herself but her children. We moved into a townhouse with this horrible pink carpet, but my sister and I called it cotton candy carpet and said it was perfect for our candyland-themed room. Then she remarried, and her life was suddenly back on track. I don't do her justice. Summarizing the years of my mom's life, during which she went through so much, in a simple paragraph doesn't feel right. It's simplified, but it's the quick version. It's a little story I look back on when I feel weak. I come from a bloodline of strong women who empower each other and find ways to empower themselves. When I doubt myself or need someone to lift me, I know there is another I can reach out to, no matter what time of day it may be. Empowerment is such a beautiful thing. It's not through self alone, but others. I feel most powerful when someone else tells me I can be powerful. Empowerment is the process of gaining confidence and helping others do the same. But what does it mean to me? To be empowered is to be told what you need to hear. I feel empowered when others believe in me and trust my abilities. Knowing I am enough and can do whatever I put my mind to is empowering. Every day, I am shown what empowerment can do for someone. People become confident, passionate, assertive, and proud of themselves. My life has been filled with days of empowerment and days without it. I feel best when I am empowered. I feel so feminine and beautiful when I am empowered. Nothing can stop me and my goals when I am empowered. Being a female who plans to go into a male-dominated workforce, I need to know how to empower myself and other women I may encounter. I can't go about my life shy and insecure if I plan to fulfill my dreams. I need to be confident. I need to be empowered. This is empowerment- knowing you are good enough to do what you dream to do. I wouldn't have known this without my mom. Thank you, mom, for being the powerful woman I needed. Thank you for showing me that what I want to do is possible.

Medicine should be available to everyone. Yet, it isn't. How it is fair for people to be denied treatment because it costs an arm? I plan to make medicine. Ever since I was a little girl, my calling has been medicine. When I was eight, I told my mom I was going to cure ALS. Not much has changed since then. The shift happened after my grandpa passed away from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or, you guessed it, ALS. It's not a pretty disease for someone to have. It was a hard death to deal with. No one understands ALS. Even now, I barely have a grasp on it. Yet still, I told everyone I would figure it out. So then, of course, second-grade "me" didn't quite understand what it meant nor what I signed up for while promising my mom and grandma that I would save people with ALS. But, my passion for science started here, with passing. Since then, I have been focused on science. From choosing rigorous courses, like Chem 106 to AP Physics, to my internship experience, I have surrounded myself with science. Every summer since 2021, I have participated in STEM-related camps nationwide through Envision. Science doesn’t stop at school for me, it follows me around everywhere I go—research, learning: it is science. Science is not linear or black and white. Science has so many places it can change and grow; that makes it so beautiful and desirable. Medicine is my calling. Helping others is my passion. I have always wanted to make an impression on the world, to leave and to know that I did something and helped someone. Chemical engineering will be the catalyst for this dream of mine. I know that studying chemical engineering will teach me the ins and outs of science. My creative mind will allow me to come up with different combinations, see patterns in chemical structures, and think outside the box. My ability to work with others will help me in the lab. My drive and passion for a brighter future will keep me going when the work gets difficult. Pharmaceutical science is what I plan to go into. There, I will learn how to create new medication and apply it to real-world problems. Then, I will find ways to make them more inexpensive. And finally, a way to use ample materials instead of costly, scarce resources. I intend to use science to improve our world. Through studying, solving, trial, and error, I hope to find new ways to make medicine—ways to create medication that is affordable and contains abundant resources. People shouldn't have to worry about what is in their medicine. They should know it works and can afford to keep it in their medicine cabinet. This is my dream; to create a better future for everyone through the works of medicine. No matter what, people should be able to have the medication they need when they need it and the world shouldn't have to suffer because of it. Make things cheap. Make things right. Do a little good for our world. That's all I really want.

I plan to make medicine. Ever since I was a little girl, my calling has been medicine. When I was eight, I told my mom I was going to cure ALS. Not much has changed since then. The shift happened after my grandpa passed away from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or, you guessed it, ALS. It's not a pretty disease for someone to have. It was a hard death to deal with. No one understands ALS. Even now, I barely have a grasp on it. Yet still, I told everyone I would figure it out. So then, of course, second-grade me didn't quite understand what it meant nor what I signed up for while promising my mom and grandma that I would save people with ALS. But, my passion for science started here, with passing. I guess it's true what people say--death does bring life. Since then, I have been focused on science. From choosing rigorous courses, like Chem 106 to AP Physics, to my internship experience, I have surrounded myself with science. Every summer since 2021, I have participated in STEM-related camps nationwide through Envision. Science doesn’t stop at school for me, it follows me around everywhere I go—research, learning: it is science. Science is not linear or black and white. Science has so many places it can change and grow; that makes it so beautiful and desirable. Medicine is my calling. Helping others is my passion. I have always wanted to make an impression on the world, to leave and to know that I did something, that I helped someone. Chemical engineering will be the catalyst for this dream of mine. I know that through studying chemical engineering, I will learn the ins and outs of science. My creative mind will allow me to come up with different combinations, see patterns in chemical structures, and think outside the box. I plan to use science for the better. Our world needs better. Through studying, solving, trial, and error, I hope to find new ways to make medicine. Ways to create medicine that is affordable and contains abundant resources. People shouldn't have to worry about what is in their medication. They should know it works and that they can afford to keep it in their medicine cabinet. I wish to bring hope to the world. I desire to give people hope. Hope in the future of the world, medicine, and life.

I was born in Rapid City, South Dakota, and have lived here ever since. It isn't the regular South Dakota you think of. It isn't the boring plains, but beautiful pine tree hills and wildlife at every corner. I have six younger siblings, all of who I love dearly. I have attended a private school since preschool and have met some of the best people through the system. When I'm not nose-deep in a book, I'm probably rewatching The Hunger Games, writing, playing soccer with my sister, or talking with my mom. And if I'm not doing any of those, I'm learning about science. My experience in STEM started around the summer before my 9th-grade year. I was blessed with the opportunity to participate in a STEM-focused camp through Envision. From that point on, I attended another two camps, both at different university campuses around the nation. I was exposed to pre-medicine and forensic science. I learned how to read vitals and interpret blood splatters. These camps were amazing opportunities for me to learn about the world of science and explore several parts of it. The summer before my senior year, I was able to participate in an internship at the South Dakota School of Mines through NFS REM. It was the best experience of my life. I rekindled my love for chemical engineering and learned so much, about myself and science. Through my time at various STEM camps and my internship, I have realized that chemistry is my calling. I plan to study chemical engineering in college and become a pharmaceutical scientist. Helping others has always been an aspiration of mine. Chemistry is my passion. If I put those two together, I somehow get pharmaceutical science. I hope that through my time in college and the professional world, I will find ways to make medicine more affordable, effective, and sustainable. Something so present in our world is the fact that we are using up the resources we have. I hope I can find a way to use abundant resources in new medicine; cut down the costs and help the earth, just a little. Our world could use a little more hope. Perhaps, through my dedication to others and science, I could provide that hope. It's a long journey to get there, but I hope I get there. We all deserve a future, one where medicine doesn't cost a limb and we aren't worried about what is in it; we can just trust that it will work.

Faith is never a straightforward trip. It takes weird detours, long stops, and sometimes runs out of gas miles away from a station. But, that is what makes it so beautiful. Something I have struggled with since day one was understanding that my faith life isn't like anyone else's; we all go through our religious journey differently. Religion was a big part of my life very early. My grandma is one of my biggest spiritual role models. She goes to daily mass, prays the rosary on every road trip, and always shows her love for the Lord. She is the woman I look up to when my faith is shaken, which unfortunately happens a lot. Something so beautiful about faith is that you can always return to it no matter what. It will likely drift impossibly far away, but you can always return. My life's ups have risen higher through my faith, but what about the several downs? From death to divorce, friendship troubles, and personal issues, God has been there. Did I always know that? No. It was hard to feel His presence when I was at rock bottom. However, He was there. When I was ready, God picked me up, hugged me tightly, and helped me become myself again. Faith is such a powerful tool when you have nothing else to latch onto. When I was in the dark, my faith was the light that shined the way. Recently, my faith was shaken with the passing of my uncle. He took his own life. It was unexpected and damaged so much. I couldn't believe God would take someone away from me like that. So sudden. I was upset and hurt. I questioned God. How could He let my uncle do that? It took some time, but I slowly healed. Through a lot of meditation and time with God, I learned that bad things happen not because God wants them to, but because we are free people. He gave us this wonderful thing called free will so that we would choose Him. But, with this gift, we sacrifice complete goodness. I miss my uncle every day. But God never wanted to take him away like that. It was a test of my faith, and now it is stronger. Faith has also shown me the way my life should fold out. My calling. My vocation. My mission. It is so hard to know what you are supposed to do with your life. For the longest time, I couldn't figure it out. However, through deep self-reflection and prayer, I figured it out. I hope to become a pharmaceutical scientist. This is the path God has set for me. He knows my love for chemistry and desire to help others. He understands that I hope to make medicine more affordable so that everyone can take care of themselves. God gave me an immense love for science and the want to aid others. It is apart of who I am. It is my calling. It's the way I am to help the world. I don't think I would have known this with my faith.

"Developing Personal and Academic Excellence in the Catholic Tradition." These words have been in every email, yearbook, and plaster on every wall in any classroom I have ever been in. It's my school's mission statement. Since kindergarten, I have heard these words repeated every day. However, I wasn't practicing excellence in 2nd grade, I was learning how to spell 'because' and reading "Pete the Cat." Excellence is not something you know at the age of eight. I wasn't excellent for most of my life. I thought excellence was perfection--it's not. It's reaching for perfection, knowing you can't, but doing it anyway. While in High School, you try to become a better person. Who I was in 9th grade isn't who I am now. Now, I am excellent. Through my commitment to my school's soccer team, my family, and volunteer work, I've been able to see myself as excellent. Soccer is where my journey to become excellent first began. Since the age of 4, I've been playing for a soccer team. I have been dedicated to the sport; not to become a star player, but to learn self-discipline, grow in the community, and lead. A sport centered around a team that grows together and learns to preserve as one was a community I wanted to partake in. Through my participation, I was able to develop. Self-discipline was a part of my daily life, from the runs to the games. My team was a group of girls but a community. And I learned how to be an effective leader. Soccer was how I learned to be excellent. I also see myself excelling at home. I have six siblings: four sisters and two brothers. It's a lot. I am the eldest of them. It is my responsibility to care for them- my obligation. I have not always been a good protector for my younger siblings. But, you aren't born a protector, you are born protected; I had to comprehend how to be something children aren't taught. Through trial and error, I became the older sister that my siblings needed. Of course, I am not perfect. I mess up and forget my duties as a role model, but I am continuously improving. It's a learning experience, and I have to take that with a grain of salt. I won't do it right every time, but I can improve because of the mistakes I make. Service is one of the largest ways I continue to learn how to be excellent. I sing. I love it. It is my service. I sing at masses and funerals. I sing in the shower. I sing in the kitchen. Singing for others is how I care for them. Music is an escape, it is a remedy, it is a passion that I can share with so many people at once. And by singing I can share my passion with others. You can see it on my face and hear it in my voice. My love of singing for others fosters the virtue of service. I also participate in community service through Black Hill Works (BHW). By working with performers of all abilities, and functioning with a community of performers with or without disabilities to come together and make a production, I've learned how to use my ability to serve to become excellent. Excellence is something you learn. It's something you reach for, always, no matter what, knowing that perfect excellence is impossible. To continue to try to be perfectly excellent is excellence.

When I was five, I told my mom I wanted to be a singer. Three years later, I told her I was going to cure ALS. Not much has changed since then. The shift happened after my grandpa passed away from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or, you guessed it, ALS. It's not a pretty disease for someone to have. And, of course, second-grade me didn't quite understand what it meant nor what I signed up for while promising my mom and grandma that I would save people with ALS. But, my passion for science started here, with passing. I guess it's true what people say--death does bring life. This was the beginning of my journey. However, nothing can be as linear as that. My mind wasn’t made up for a while, and I became confused about my future. I was clueless until I met Dr. Farrar. Everyone has a teacher they remember as someone extraordinary, but Dr. Farrar isn’t just that. She fueled my desire for chemistry and became the beacon that paved my path. I was so lost about school and college before meeting her. She has shown me what I have known since I was eight and sparked my passion for science again. She helped me realize that my creativity, which I’ve also had from a young age, can be applied to science and can help advance it. My love for creation, inventing, and building are all aided by my passion for science. You can't have a scientific mind without thinking outside the box. Creativity and science go hand-in-hand. To learn more about the beautiful world of science, you have to be able to think outside of what is already known. My pursuit of a chemical engineering degree is aided by my drive to help people like my grandpa, the influence of my teacher, and my creative mind. Science is the future and, consequently, a part of mine.

Asking why a fan of Wicked is a fan of Wicked is like asking a fish why they like water. Now, maybe thats extreme, I don't need Wicked to live like a fish needs water, but I find so much joy and life behind musical theater- Wicked included. The first ever musical I was apart of when called the Velveteen Rabbit and I was Block Leader. I was around 6-8 at the time and just fell in love with performance and sining. A little under ten years later, my dad and step-mom took me to see Wicked at the Buell Theater in Denver, Colorado. It was my first real Broadway Show ever and it was the most magical thing I had ever witnessed. The music sounded from each angle. The lights added to the dramatics in the best way. The actors and actresses weren't acting, they were their part. I was utterly and completely immersed in the show. After, my step-mom had asked me what I thought of the show, yet I was speechless. My first ever true show and that was the bar that had been set. After that, not play was ever as good as Wicked. I am not just a fan of the music, but the story and characters add to the amusement of the play. Yes, the music is great. Yes, I play Defying Gravity at once a day. I love the music! But the story! The characters! Both are arranged like a thousand piece puzzle, each segment perfectly together. That's how well-done the story is. It's a true masterpiece. The lyrics, storyline, and lore all add to the overall enjoyment of the viewer. Not only are the character flawed and built upon, but they are also fun and you find yourself rooting for them, even if they are a green witch. Everything about the story of Wicked is beautifully done. Who wouldn't be a fan of something that is so well put together and enjoyable? Of course I'm a fan of something that is simply fantastic.