Growing up as an immigrant in a low-income household, I quickly understood how financial hardship affects every part of daily life. My mother worked multiple jobs to support our family, often putting her own needs aside to ensure I had the opportunities she did not. We lived with a tight budget. Every dollar had to cover rent, food, transportation, and school supplies. There were times when unexpected expenses made it hard to get by. Seeing this taught me about sacrifice, responsibility, and how important education is as a tool for change. These challenges did not discourage me. Instead, they gave me a clear purpose. I realized early on that opportunities many kids had such as private tutoring, summer camps, or the latest technology, were not easily available to me. I had to be resourceful. I searched for free or low-cost programs, used online tutorials, and joined school clubs. This determination helped me build skills and confidence. It also gave me a strong belief that I could shape my future through hard work and curiosity. Living in a community where access to healthcare was limited made a lasting impression on me. I knew health was not just about medicine; access, communication, and environment were all factors as well. Many people around me struggled to get even basic medical care. Mental health was especially neglected. Families often did not have insurance or the money to see therapists. Stigma made it harder to ask for help. I saw friends and neighbors suffer silently. This made me want to find ways to improve health outcomes for people like them. My interest in STEM, and specifically biomedical engineering, grew from these observations. I attended the NCWIT BridgeUP STEM camp at Georgia Tech, a program focused on encouraging young women to pursue computer science and engineering. There, I learned about artificial intelligence and machine learning and how they can transform healthcare. We built simple models in Python that could detect patterns in medical data. This hands-on experience showed me that AI could make diagnosis faster and more accurate. It gave me hope that technology could help bridge gaps in care. Later, I joined a robotics camp where I worked with a team to build robots using sensors and microcontrollers. We programmed these robots to respond to changes in their environment. This experience made me think about how robotics and AI could work together to improve people’s lives. For example, prosthetic limbs could use machine learning to adapt to how a person moves, making them more comfortable and functional. These ideas inspired me to focus on biomedical engineering because it combines technology and medicine to solve real problems. Since those camps, I have continued exploring AI and biomedical engineering through independent projects. I have learned to use tools like TensorFlow and Google Colab to build neural networks. I recently began developing a health-monitoring chatbot that asks users about their symptoms and suggests resources or next steps. This project is still early, but it has taught me how technology can provide support outside traditional healthcare settings, especially for people who may not have easy access to doctors or therapists. The passion I have for biomedical engineering comes from a desire to create tools that serve people in practical ways. I want to design devices that learn and adapt to the user, not just machines that perform fixed tasks. Whether through smarter diagnostic tools, adaptive prosthetics, or digital health platforms, I want my work to improve quality of life, especially for communities like mine that are often overlooked. Overcoming financial challenges has not been easy, but it has given me perspective. I understand what it means to struggle and how important it is to have tools that are affordable and accessible. I carry this understanding with me as I continue to learn and grow in STEM. It motivates me to create technology that is inclusive and effective. My immigrant background has also taught me resilience and a strong sense of responsibility. I want to give back to communities facing barriers similar to those I experienced. This is why I believe biomedical engineering is the right field for me. It allows me to combine technical skills with empathy to make a difference. In the future, I hope to work on projects that close the gap between advanced healthcare and underserved populations. I want to be part of developing AI-powered medical devices that improve with use, helping doctors diagnose conditions earlier and more accurately. I also want to design prosthetics that better meet the needs of their users by learning from their movements and adjusting in real time. Beyond devices, I want to contribute to building systems that support mental health. Many students in my community struggle with stress, trauma, and lack of support. I envision programs that combine peer support, education, and technology to provide accessible mental health resources. For example, an app could offer daily check-ins, coping strategies, and connect users to professionals when needed. My goal is to create solutions that reflect the realities people face. Biomedical engineering offers the tools and knowledge to do this, but it also requires compassion and a willingness to listen. I am ready to take on the challenges of this field and use my background as a source of strength and insight. Receiving support through scholarships or mentorship would help me continue my education and work toward these goals. I want to build a career that not only advances technology but also improves lives, especially for those who have been marginalized or forgotten.

After attending the NCWIT BridgeUP STEM camp at Georgia Tech, I was introduced to artificial intelligence and machine learning and how these technologies are transforming healthcare. The program was designed to empower high school girls in computer science and engineering, and it gave me a strong sense of belonging in a field where young women like me are still underrepresented. Through hands-on coding sessions in Python, I built basic machine learning models to classify data and explored how algorithms could detect abnormalities in medical images. I learned about neural networks and how AI can be trained to recognize complex patterns which is something that has endless potential in diagnostics, especially for conditions like cancer, diabetes, or heart disease. That experience opened a door for me, not just to a field of study, but to a way of thinking that combines logic, empathy, and innovation. Later, at a robotics camp, I worked with a team to design robots that could complete assigned tasks using programmed instructions and environmental sensors. I was fascinated by how the robot responded to different inputs and how programming could simulate human-like behaviors. That’s when I started thinking more deeply about the connection between robotics and AI. What if prosthetics weren’t just mechanical, but intelligent? What if a limb could adapt to a person’s pace, surface texture, or muscle tension in real time? These questions led me to biomedical engineering, where I realized that AI, robotics, and medicine could all come together to build something meaningful. Since those experiences, I’ve continued to learn about AI on my own. I’ve experimented with TensorFlow, built basic neural networks using Google Colab, and followed tutorials on natural language processing to understand how machines interpret and respond to human input. Recently, I started developing a basic health-monitoring chatbot that asks users about symptoms and suggests personalized next steps. While it's still in early development, it’s taught me how even small, well-designed models can provide real value in underserved communities that may not have immediate access to healthcare professionals. I’m drawn to biomedical engineering because I believe real impact happens when disciplines overlap. I want to help design medical tools that not only function but also learn, adapt, and grow smarter with each use. Whether it’s AI-powered diagnostics, intelligent prosthetics, or tools for remote care, I want to build systems that serve people and improve outcomes especially for communities that are often overlooked. AI is a path I plan to follow with persistence and purpose, creating tools that blend innovation with compassion. My goal is to be part of a generation of engineers that makes healthcare more personalized, more responsive, and more human.

As an immigrant, I have always paid close attention to the challenges people in my community face, especially those related to health. Growing up in an environment where people often lacked access to quality care or resources, I quickly became aware that health isn't just medicine, but also about accessibility, communication and environment. That awareness is what led me to pursue biomedical engineering, where I hope to combine innovation and compassion to address the public health issues I have seen firsthand. One of the most urgent public health issues in my community is youth mental health. Many students at my high school carry heavy emotional burdens, whether it is the stress of academic expectations, financial strain, unstable home lives, or social pressures. Despite these realities, support is extremely limited. Most students do not have consistent access to mental health professionals. School counselors are often overwhelmed, and therapy services outside of school can be expensive or out of reach, especially for low-income or uninsured families. This lack of access leaves many young people without the tools they need to cope, heal, or simply feel heard. I believe that addressing this mental health crisis requires both community engagement and innovative solutions. As a future biomedical engineer, I want to be part of developing technologies and systems that make care more accessible, personal, and effective. To help tackle this issue, I would propose a program called Open Minds, a school-based mental health initiative that brings together students, educators, mental health professionals, and technology. Open Minds would consist of three main parts. First, it would include peer support circles, where trained student leaders work alongside licensed mental health professionals to create safe spaces for open conversation. These circles would meet regularly during or after school and give students a place to talk, connect, and support each other. Second, the program would partner with nearby colleges and universities to bring public health and psychology students into schools to run workshops and activities. These workshops would cover topics like stress management, social media pressure, and emotional resilience. This would not only support high school students but also give college students hands-on experience in community health work. Finally, I would design a mobile app to support mental health outside of meetings. Inspired by the work BeVera Solutions does in workforce data science, this app would offer daily self-care tips, anonymous emotional check-ins, and direct access to mental health resources. It would also allow schools to see general trends (securely and anonymously) so they can better understand student needs and plan support accordingly. This kind of solution, blending human connection with technology, is what excites me most about biomedical engineering. I want to create tools that are practical, personal, and rooted in empathy. Whether I am designing devices that mimic human tissues, digital tools, or support systems, I want my work to reflect the realities of the people who use them. My immigrant experience has shaped my values: resilience, resourcefulness, and a deep sense of responsibility to give back. I carry those values with me as I pursue biomedical engineering and as I work to build healthier, more equitable communities. Receiving this scholarship would help me continue that path and turn those values into lasting impact.