I was never the kind of person to love a subject so much that I needed more of it. History could be boring, English hurt my hand, and even though I loved math, it wasn’t a subject I saw myself pursuing. This all changed when I signed up for AP Biology. Due to the pandemic, I had to take this class online and I was unable to perform the lab I found the most intriguing–the gel electrophoresis lab. The purpose of this is to separate charged molecules in DNA, RNA, and proteins to match them up with another piece of DNA. This biological advancement is the reason we were able to find criminals such as Colin Pitchfork who murdered two 15-year-old girls. Seeing biotechnology like gel electrophoresis was fascinating. I needed to learn more about it. I want to use biotechnology to find ways to treat neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s, to study and further understand neuroplasticity, and to get better imaging techniques of the human brain. Currently, I am a research assistant at my university's Culture, Health, and Development lab. This lab focuses on the effects of the transition to college on first-generation Hispanic/Latino college students to get access to better resources, making the transition easier. I’m also currently saving up money to get my emergency medical technician certification to gain some experience in the medical field. I volunteer in the NICU on Saturdays and it’s the best part of my day. On top of my chaotic week, I work as a Supplemental Instruction Leader at my university, helping students understand the most complicated topics in their chemistry classes. With these experiences, I have gained invaluable leadership experience and taken steps toward becoming the most competitive version of myself. Being a woman in a competitive field like medicine can be tough. There will always be someone in the room who underestimates you because of your background. Despite my heritage and gender being seen as a setback or flaw, I believe that being a Hispanic woman has only made me stronger as a pre-med. A value that is incredibly important to my Mexican heritage is that getting your education is one of the things you MUST do. Most of the members of my family came to this country with nothing but the clothes on their back. Most of my aunts never went to school, my mom never got to graduate high school, and my dad dropped out of school when he was 13 to help his family with the bills. Without diplomas and degrees, they were limited in what jobs they could get in a country where a bachelor’s degree was the new high school diploma. Due to their experiences, my entire family drilled into me the importance of my education. They ignored the machismo taught to them by their fathers and made sure I understood that I needed to have a career I loved so I could have my own money one day. My culture, gender, and background have made me realize the value of education and appreciate college more than some of my peers. I want to be the woman little girls can look up to and realize that their dreams can become reality. This scholarship would help me focus more on my education and would allow me to take advantage of educational opportunities offered at my campus rather than finding a second job to pay my tuition.

I am a California State University, Northridge student majoring in biotechnology and minoring in chemistry. I’ve been told I’m a grandmother stuck in the body of a teenager. I like to stay home and crochet, knit, bake, drink too much coffee, and read. Gilmore Girls, The Rookie, and FRIENDS are on my laptop and TV whenever I have free time (Team Logan, bring Chenford back, and Ross never deserved Rachel). I’ve dedicated most of my life to maintaining near-perfect grades and I have enjoyed participating in research and volunteering at hospitals during my free time. I am currently saving up money so I can get my EMT certification in the summer. Most importantly, I want to be a doctor. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve loved learning. I was always the odd one in my family because I always looked forward to returning to school. I love obtaining knowledge I didn’t have before. I love applying what I learn in class to my everyday life. I love looking at the world differently because of something I learned in class. Learning is addicting and I never plan on stopping. Pursuing a career in medicine means dedicating your life to learning and pushing the boundaries of science. To many, it sounds terrifying and boring. To me, there isn’t a day I don’t look forward to learning more about how science has evolved. Science today isn’t what it was in 1990. In 1990, we didn’t know the human genome, the code to life. In the 1940s, we still believed lobotomy to be a great neurological procedure. Now, we have stereotactic radiosurgery to preserve as much healthy tissue when attacking a brain tumor. Just 5 years ago, we didn’t know how to use mRNA to help our body fight diseases like COVID-19. We didn’t understand the structure of DNA until 1953. 70 years later, we’re editing DNA. Science never stops evolving and therefore, you never stop learning. By continuing to learn, you have to answer some of the biggest questions in medicine and science. I want to answer those questions. If someone manages to answer all of the questions, I want to ask more questions. I want to know and understand the human body like the back of my hand. I want to research the nervous system to understand the way the brain works and why. I want to examine ways we can utilize the mRNA vaccine to cure genetic disorders and cancer. I want to have an impact on STEAM through research and impacting medicine one patient at a time. I hope to give a mother her son back, a daughter her father back, a husband his wife back, and a friend their friend back. I hope to make the most impossible task possible. I will give my life to pushing the boundaries of science and being the best physician possible. With STEAM, I truly believe we could answer some of the most daunting questions we are faced with today to improve our standard of living–whether it be through science, technology, engineering, art, and/or mathematics.

For all of my life, my father has had a myriad of heart problems. My childhood memories are filled with hospital visits and fears of what was happening to my father. His heart problems only got worse when I grew older. The day before my AP English Language Exam I planned on showering to have a good night's sleep to prepare for the exam. My plans were forgotten when I saw my dad and he said, “I’m driving to the hospital. I think I’m having a heart attack”. I screamed at him that it wasn’t a good idea and blocked the door. He collapsed clutching his chest and I screamed for my mom. I called 911. When the paramedics and my parents were out of the house, I took a shower, went to bed, and thought about what would have happened if I had taken that shower earlier. Every time this happened, I had to go to school the next day. Every time I was distraught, worried, and afraid. Never did I let it affect my academic performance. My father wouldn’t want me to worry and fear. He’d want me to give my all to my studies. He wanted me to ignore everything else happening around me and just focus on the exam I was taking, the assignment I completing, and the presentation I was giving. He’d laugh at me if I was using him as an excuse to not get my work done. So, I persevere. In the end, I passed the AP English Language Exam and received college credit. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve loved learning. Learning is addicting and I never plan on stopping. Pursuing a career in the life sciences means dedicating your life to learning and pushing the boundaries of science. Science is always changing. In 1990, we didn’t know the human genome, the code to life. Just 5 years ago, we didn’t know how to use mRNA to help our body fight diseases like COVID-19. We didn’t understand the structure of DNA until 1953. 70 years later, we’re editing DNA. Science never stops evolving and therefore, you never stop learning. I want to answer life science's biggest questions. If someone manages to answer all of the questions, I want to ask more questions. I want to research the nervous system to understand the way the brain works and why. I want to research ways we can utilize the mRNA vaccine to cure genetic disorders and cancer. I am a know-it-all and I want to know it all. I truly believe that this is my life’s purpose. Two weeks ago, I was notified that I was no longer receiving the grant I was told would pay for my four years in college, and had to figure out how to pay for my tuition in a month. I was distraught and I panicked. I’ve started to fill out job applications to pile on top of the one I already have and have filled my computer tabs with dozens of scholarship opportunities. I have dreams of being a physician and to achieve this, I need to earn high grades, participate in research, volunteer, and work. Receiving this scholarship would allow me to focus on my extracurriculars to achieve these dreams rather than spending my time concerned about how I’ll be paying tuition and loans. If I am given this scholarship, I promise you will not regret it. I will spend the rest of my life proving that I am deserving of this scholarship.

I am the eldest daughter of immigrant parents and the first in my family to graduate from high school, and college. Growing up, my parents instilled in me the importance of having a good education. Whenever I asked for a toy and they knew they couldn't afford it, they turned it into a lesson. “We don’t have the money for that. But, one day, you’ll go to college, get a good education, and you can buy all of the dolls you want!” Although my parents have worked their way up financially, they aren’t making enough money to pay for my tuition. I understood from my junior year of high school that I was on my own to pay for my education. I filled out my financial aid applications, read the 1040s and W-2 forms, and applied for scholarships myself. I was finally given a grant that was enough to cover my tuition, fees, and books. Two weeks ago, I was notified that I no longer qualified for the grant and had to figure out how to pay for my tuition in a month. I was distraught and I panicked. I’ve started to fill out job applications to pile on top of the one I already have and have filled my computer tabs with dozens of scholarship opportunities. I have dreams of being a physician and to achieve this, I need to earn high grades, participate in research, volunteer, and work. Receiving this scholarship would allow me to focus on my extracurriculars to achieve these dreams rather than spending my time concerned about how I’ll be paying tuition and loans. If I receive this scholarship, I plan on paying it forward by dedicating my life to helping and saving lives. I don’t take my dream of being a physician lightly. As a physician, I plan to give my patients the best care I can. I plan on conducting research on Alzheimer’s and finding a way to cure neurodegenerative diseases. I plan on finding a way to make healthcare more affordable and accessible to low-income communities from the inside. I plan on becoming a member of “Doctors Without Borders” charity to treat patients who don’t have access to healthcare. I plan to prove that I truly deserve this scholarship by doing my best to get good grades, volunteering at hospitals to help physicians with their work, and giving my all to being a research assistant at the Culture, Health, and Development Lab at my university. I will be the best Supplemental Instruction Leader for my students and help them understand every chemistry concept they throw my way. Once I have achieved my dreams and done the work, I plan on donating to give students more scholarships. I will work for the rest of my life to pay this scholarship forward. When I was 16, my father had a heart attack the day before a big exam. I was the person to call 911, translate everything to the paramedics, and clean up the mess left behind. We had these moments a lot due to how many heart problems my dad has had. Every single time, I’ve had to go back to school the next day. Despite my constant worries and images of my dad in the hospital flashing through my mind, I have persevered. On the day of the big exam, I still managed to get a high enough score for college credit. I never let my problems get in the way of my academic success. If I am given this scholarship, I promise you will not regret it.

I was never the kind of person to love a subject so much that I needed more of it. History could be boring, English hurt my hand, and even though I loved math, it wasn’t a subject I saw myself pursuing. This all changed when I signed up for AP Biology. Due to the pandemic, I had to take this class online and I was unable to perform the lab I found the most intriguing–gel electrophoresis. The purpose of this is to separate charged molecules in DNA, RNA, and proteins to match them up with another piece of DNA. This biological advancement is the reason we were able to find criminals such as Colin Pitchfork who murdered two 15-year-old girls. Seeing technology mix with biology to create biotechnology like gel electrophoresis was fascinating. I needed to learn more about it. As I continue to learn more about biotechnology and its effects, I’ve realized that I want to be the person using the technology for the greater good. I want to use biotechnology to find ways to treat neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s, to study and further understand neuroplasticity, and to get better imaging techniques of the human brain. To pursue this interest, I want to become a research assistant at the neuroscience lab at my current university. This lab focuses on how technology (virtual reality and augmented reality) impacts our visual systems. I want to go to medical school and complete my residency in neurology or neurosurgery to learn the inner workings of the brain like the back of my hand. I will stop at nothing to answer the questions asked by neuroscientists all over the world. Being Hispanic in a competitive field like medicine can be tough. There will always be someone in the room who underestimates you because of your background. Despite my heritage being seen as a setback or flaw, I believe that being Hispanic has only made me stronger as a pre-med. A value that is incredibly important to my Mexican heritage, especially for immigrants or children of immigrants, is that getting your education is one of the things you MUST do. Many members of my family are immigrants. They came to this country with nothing but the clothes on their back. Most of my aunts never went to school, my mom never got to graduate high school, and my dad dropped out of school when he was 13 to help his family with the bills. Without diplomas and degrees, they were limited in what jobs they could get in a country where a bachelor’s degree was the new high school diploma. Due to their experiences, my entire family drilled into me the importance of my education. They ignored the machismo taught to them by their fathers and made sure I understood that I needed to have a career I loved so I could have my own money one day. My culture and my background have made me realize the value of education and have made me appreciate college more than some of my peers. This scholarship would help me focus more on my education and would allow me to take advantage of educational opportunities offered at my campus rather than finding a second job to pay my tuition.