I won’t accept the idea that the environment a person lives in should make it harder to manage a chronic illness. Having lived in Florida, I’ve seen my younger sister, Vicky, cope with the continuous demands of having diabetes. There are already so many things to take into account: blood sugar levels, insulin, meals, physical activities, and all the other associated matters. Yet I started to notice something which led me to think about another factor that patients might have to worry about: temperature. On certain days, Vicky’s insulin pump appeared to be less reliable, particularly when it was extremely hot outside. I can’t state with certainty that heat was the cause, since there might be other possible explanations, and I don’t want to assume that I know what was actually going on medically. Nevertheless, I noticed the pattern and therefore asked whether the heat could be having an effect on the insulin itself. This question prompted me to try to find out what was really happening. I began to look into insulin stability and discovered that insulin is a protein that can be influenced by extreme temperatures. I also found out that both insulin pumps and the insulin used in them have defined temperature limits. What began as a simple observation turned into a more significant question: if temperature can affect insulin, can we design insulin or the systems used to deliver it so that they are more resilient to the real environments in which patients live? That is why I am interested in chemical engineering. I would like to study the connection between chemistry, biology, materials, and human health so that I can examine issues such as this on a deeper level. The solution might be a more temperature-stable formulation of insulin. It could be a material that shields insulin from environmental stress. Or it might be an advancement in drug-delivery technology that I haven’t even thought of yet. I don’t know what the answer is, and I don’t intend to pretend that I do. All I know is that I want to keep asking that question. People with diabetes already have to plan around their own bodies; I don’t think they should also have to worry about whether the weather will be compatible with their medication. A visit to the pool should involve remembering to apply sunscreen and bring a towel, not having to worry about whether the outside conditions could make a necessary treatment less reliable. My aim as a chemical engineer would not be simply to accept these limitations as something that cannot be changed. Rather, I would want to understand why they occur and investigate whether it is possible to eliminate them. I can’t alter the fact that my sister has diabetes, but I can choose to be curious about the problems she faces and eventually acquire the knowledge needed to help solve them. I want to help transform the workarounds that patients have developed into problems that engineers can solve.

I’ve never been particularly good with letters. I used to confuse b with d, and I would always fail my spelling tests. In language arts, letters were my bullies; in math, they are my friends. I know exactly what to do when a letter is in an equation because a variable isn’t something I have to interpret; it’s just something I solve for. That is one of the reasons I love math: it makes sense to me. There is something comforting about knowing that if I make a mistake, I can just find where I went wrong, practice, and try again. In many subjects, the same idea can have multiple interpretations. In math, there is one answer. I can trust mathematics. What I love most is that there is always more to learn. I started by counting with my fingers and now I am in Calculus II. It's still the same subject, but now I can solve problems that would have seemed impossible. Recently, I learned how to find the volume of complex 3-Dimentional shapes using integration. When my professor, Dr. Raushan, first asked how we could find the volume without filling the object with water, I thought, “How is that even possible?” Then math showed me how. Mathematics has taught me that something can be complex without being impossible. With practice, a problem that once looked incomprehensible can become a piece of cake. Lastly, math is everywhere. It explains the physical world, from the shapes and motion around us to the scientific principles in chemistry. The more mathematics I learn, the more I realize that it is not just a school subject: it is a way of understanding the world. I am so excited to bring this mindset into chemical engineering, where I can use mathematics to turn theories into reality. I know the path ahead might be hard, but math has already taught me that anything is possible with practice and persistence.

I believe that disadvantaged students deserve opportunities such as scholarships or grants because a lack of finances should not be mistaken for a lack of potential. While some students get an easy path to college through their families or other means of assistance, others need to build that path all by themselves in difficult conditions. I am currently learning how to build that path toward higher education. As someone who was raised in a family with few economic resources, I know how the price tag on higher education makes academic and career goals seem impossible to reach. My family knew nothing about the American education system, which meant that I had to figure everything out by myself - how to apply to colleges, what financial assistance programs I qualify for, etc. I carefully chose my dual enrollment courses to take advantage of the extra credits and save money on them. I work part-time to help my family financially. I think about my goals for the future while wondering whether I would be able to afford achieving them. There were many times when I asked God about how I would pay for my education to accomplish my dreams but I never let that worry become an excuse to give up. These challenges never stopped me from pursuing any of the opportunities presented to me. My participation in dual enrollment at Polk State College allowed me to challenge myself academically while maintaining a 4.0 unweighted GPA. Outside the classroom, I serve as Vice President of Service for the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and take part in the Presidential Ambassador program. I am equally determined to help those around me overcome their challenges. Through my service club, Hopeful Hearts Club, my work as a private tutor, and service projects with my Phi Theta Kappa chapter, I realized that opportunities are made more valuable by sharing them. By organizing events and projects in local hospitals and senior care centers or by working with a student to improve his or her grades, I have experienced the delight of making someone realize that they matter and that their dreams are achievable. My goal is to earn a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and then move ahead in the dentistry career path where I can combine my passion for science with my love for creativity and service. The cost of obtaining an education is exceptionally high, and any amount of scholarship, even $5, will alleviate some of that stress and allow me to focus on my education and career. We, as students from disadvantaged backgrounds, don’t need a lowering of standards but simply an opportunity to reach and go beyond them. I have already proven myself capable of success with what I have done so far. This scholarship will give me the chance to turn my determination into success and later provide opportunities to others as well.