What interests me most about the natural sciences is that they give us a way to ask questions about life that are both deeply practical and deeply mysterious. I am drawn to biology because it sits at the intersection of observation, problem-solving, and human need. A small change in color, a fluorescent signal under a microscope, or a pattern in microbial growth can reveal something meaningful about health, disease, or the environment. That ability to translate invisible biological processes into useful information is what excites me most about my field of study. My interest in the natural sciences grew from both personal experience and academic research. As a caregiver for my mother-in-law during her battle with Alzheimer’s disease, I saw how difficult it can be to recognize medical problems in someone who cannot always communicate symptoms clearly. That experience shaped my interest in accessible diagnostics, especially tools that could support caregivers and vulnerable older adults. It also helped me understand that science is not separate from everyday life. It is connected to whether a caregiver can make a decision sooner, whether a patient receives treatment earlier, and whether a family has one more tool to help someone they love. At Skyline College, my honors research focused on developing a low-cost, point-of-care system to detect complicated urinary tract infections in seniors experiencing cognitive decline. I studied natural dye-based colorimetric responses, microbial behavior, and the possibility of using volatile organic compounds as early indicators of infection. What excited me was not only the biology itself, but the process of turning a real-world problem into a testable research question. I learned how to design experiments, interpret unexpected results, troubleshoot limitations, and think critically about how a prototype could eventually be useful outside of a classroom or laboratory. My work with microscopy and life-detection research has also expanded the way I think about biology. Through my research experience with Blue Marble Space Institute of Science at NASA Ames, I worked on instrumentation connected to detecting microbial life in extreme or low-biomass environments. This showed me how the same scientific tools used to study cells, microbes, and fluorescence on Earth can also help us ask larger questions about life beyond Earth. I find that connection thrilling: the natural sciences can help us understand both a caregiver’s urgent concern at home and humanity’s search for life in the universe. What excites me most about cell biology is that it allows us to investigate life at the level where structure, chemistry, and function meet. Cells are not abstract units in a textbook. They are dynamic systems responding to stress, environment, infection, and injury. I am fascinated by how much information can be gained by observing cells and microbes carefully, especially through microscopy, fluorescence, and assay development. Ultimately, I am interested in natural sciences because they offer a disciplined way to solve meaningful problems. I am motivated by research that is rigorous, creative, and useful. As I continue my education in cell biology, I want to develop the technical skills and scientific judgment needed to contribute to accessible diagnostics, biomedical research, and technologies that improve quality of life.

First, thank you so much for the opportunity to apply for this scholarship in honor of your loved one, Rodney James (RJ) Pimentel. The way you speak of him and carry his love forward is a true testament to family, friendship, and the undying bond it brings. I also really appreciate how this is reflected in the essay prompt, which asks me to explain how I would respond and handle the situation of a close friend/loved one asking for guidance on a major life decision. My love language is being there for my friends and loved ones. I do not have any of my birth family in my life, so my friends have become my family over the years. I am always open to meeting new people and seeing the outsiders in life, bringing them into the circle, as I know this saved me when I was younger and just finding my way after leaving a high-control religious cult that left me shunned from my birth family and community. So luckily, these types of conversations are very normalized and invited into my life. The first thing I always like to do is thank my friend for trusting me with the opportunity to be there for them. People have choices about whom they go to, and when someone trusts me to offer insight or listen, it's truly an honor. I also find that this grounds us a bit in the present moment, and I start by listening humbly to what is concerning my friend. I look to see whether the opportunity or decision aligns with my friend's values. I say this because it does not really matter whether it aligns with my values, but to be a good friend, I put myself in my friend's shoes. I ask probing, non-judgmental questions to help my friend sort through the pros and cons and see whether this aligns with their capacity, overall life plan, and values. This helps us determine the next steps needed to make the decision. Perhaps an expert is needed for advice or additional research before a decision can be made. If they decide not to pursue the opportunity, I help them strategize about potential obstacles or how to handle the guilt they may feel about passing. Sometimes the right decision is not to pursue an opportunity, but it still hurts to say no to great things or potentially disappoint others. This is such an important skill that I am fostering as I build my leadership capacity, and I have had the opportunity to be mentored on it. I am honored by the opportunities to help pass this on to my community. As I have pursued my degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology, I have had many opportunities and been approached to take on various roles. I have been blessed to be mentored through my extracurricular activities at Skyline College, particularly the Women's Mentorship and Leadership Academy (WMLA), which has helped me foster these skills I have described. As I transfer from a community college to a four-year institution, I am sure these skills will continue to blossom. WMLA helped me navigate the largest challenge to my STEM education: how to survive being a full-time caretaker for my mother-in-law with Alzheimer's while pursuing my degree. My wife and I brought her mother to live with us at the end of the pandemic from Alabama, as she could no longer live alone. The marathon of caregiving pushed me to build my capacity to ask for help and support from my community, lovingly disengage for self-care, and use my experiences to inspire my research. I used my experience as a caretaker for a loved one with Alzheimer's to develop a prototype sensor to detect urinary tract infections at home as part of the Honors Transfer Program. This experience opened many doors and gave me the opportunity to help others who are struggling to provide the best care for their loved ones. I learned that I want to do this with my life, to pursue solving problems that others may not be able to, with science. One of the benefits of being a member of WMLA is that I have had the opportunity to prioritize learning about and practicing leadership and mentorship once a week for the last three years. It has taken me a bit longer to complete my Associate's degree due to acquiring a brain injury from a car accident and being a caretaker, but I really appreciated my time with WMLA because every week I would show up, listen to the wise women who have come before me, and be uplifted in my pursuit of an education. I began to see myself as a leader, someone who not only could but would contribute to the hard questions we are facing as a culture and society today. This group sustained me and helped my community at large as I have helped others find their educational path. I learned that we need compassion and wholehearted vulnerability in our leaders, and this is what I strive to bring to the table daily. This is why I am pursuing my STEM degree and why I am humbly asking for your help today. Thank you for your consideration and for the opportunity to share my journey with you, and learn about your friend, RJ. May his memory always continue to be a blessing to you and the community.

When I left the Jehovah's Witness religion, I knew I would be on my own. I had little idea how the world actually functioned, and it was mostly by fate and luck that I didn't end up homeless or murdered as I learned to function in a world that I had no idea about. I moved to San Francisco in the late 1990s with $500, a box of books, and a backpack full of clothes. Knowing I was not planning to go to college, I did an internship in graphic design during my senior year of high school. This was my lifeline, and as luck would have it, I moved to SF during the first dot-com boom. I ended up working for a software company that made Adobe Photoshop plugins. At that time, I had little idea of my future, and I was just exploring what it meant to be free in "the world." This means I didn't plan for my financial future at all, and when I became burned out and sick from PTSD later in life, I had no backup plan. Having spent the last decade and a half healing and discovering that I am passionate about science. I enrolled in community college and discovered that I wanted to be a research scientist, even though I had only imagined getting certified in advanced microscopy and histology techniques. Having been a caretaker for my mother-in-law with Alzheimer's, I discovered that this population suffers inordinately from the effects of urinary tract infections (UTIs), and home caretakers have zero tools to predict if their loved one has a UTI. I decided to make a sensor to detect UTIs at home. This research opened many doors for me, including time at NASA working on a microscope to detect life in watery worlds. I am planning on continuing on the path of research science. I was accepted to a four-year university and plan to transfer this Fall. I am not 100% clear on what the focus of my long-term research will be, but I do know that I see the world full of problems that no one else is going to fix except scientists. I want to contribute to solutions through my research. I will finish my Bachelor's degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology in the next few years, then from there will likely pursue a graduate degree. Along the way, I want to bring my UTI sensor prototype to market, helping home caregivers have peace of mind that their loved ones suffering from dementia and Alzheimer's will not be hospitalized and potentially die from a simple and preventable UTI, as currently 80% of unplanned hospitalizations of people in this demographic do, and the mortality rate is around 40%. Catching UTIs earlier is of utmost importance, and my sensor can help. Your support, especially from other Ex-JWs, would mean the world to me. I know how hard it is to be on your own out here after you leave the church. Most of us end up dead or going back, because the isolation is rough. I was lucky, and I built my own family in San Francisco's LGBTQI community, in science, and through mentoring via groups like Women's Mentoring and Leadership Academy at my school. I would be honored to count you as part of my family. Thank you for your consideration.