From a young age, I’ve been inspired by the idea of changing the world—but I wasn’t sure what I wanted to change. Over time, I realized that to truly make a difference in my local Texan community, I needed to focus on a specific issue that had a widespread impact. Still, for years, I struggled to find my passion and understand how I could contribute meaningfully. That changed after a conversation with my mom and a deep internet search, which helped me find myself and develop my love for community service regarding the topics of health, nutrition, and public wellness. I discovered that when I was born, I spent six weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit due to respiratory issues caused by polyhydramnios, a condition linked to poor maternal nutrition. Many birth defects and early childhood diseases are tied to malnutrition, which disproportionately affects underprivileged, minority, and rural communities. Learning about this issue on a deeper level made me realize how unaddressed it is in our community, and how every year millions of underprivileged women in Texas, and across the United States, face dangerous birth conditions which often have detrimental effects on them and their children because of a lack of nutritional and health support. From that point on, I’ve been striving to do all I can to improve this societal issue, and over the past couple of years, I’ve grown a lot and have gained invaluable lessons from all my experiences. For the past couple of years, I’ve volunteered as a nutritional health mentor at my local middle schools. Every week, I run projects and crafts alongside informal presentations, helping students grasp the link between eating habits, lifestyle, and their nutrition goals. This opportunity has been extremely valuable to me because I believe children deserve a voice in community issues, and empowering them with knowledge about nutrition and health can help prevent many current challenges for future generations. Although I had a lot of fun in this program, there were several challenges I faced along the way. Working with young people can be hard, and informing them about a subject they are not very interested in is even more difficult. I spent a lot of time getting to know the kids in the program, and over time, my experiences taught me that connecting with students on a personal level was a great way to get them more involved and interested in their health and their community. I’ve learned that leadership isn’t just about helping people learn or engaging them in different activities; it’s about finding out who they are and how you can help them along their journey. Through my experience of volunteering as a nutrition mentor, I’ve developed a strong love for working with people around my community with issues that relate to their health and nutrition in any way possible. I’ve spent over 200 hours volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House Charities in Central Texas, helping to run their family rooms program, creating restful spaces for parents navigating newborn birth complications. Additionally, I’ve been looking into becoming a research volunteer, so I can expand my knowledge about the health topics around me as a better way to branch out and inform people about such important issues. I am so grateful for all the opportunities I’ve had to grow, lead, and learn throughout my time volunteering. Through research, advocacy, and volunteering, I plan to do so much more for the wellness of my local and global communities, and I’ll forever be passionate about changing the world in every way possible by improving people’s nutrition and health

Growing up, I was raised with the ideology that being black meant I had to work twice as hard as others to be on the same level as them, and I would need to work even harder to distinguish myself and do anything substantially significant. From a young age, I’ve always been inspired by the idea of changing the world, but I never knew what exactly I wanted to change. As time passed, I developed the mindset that to make a difference in my society, and especially a difference in the colored community, I would need to distinguish my skills, education and dedicate my life towards a specific topic, one that I knew people struggled with, and would have a massive impact on people across the globe. Yet for years, I grappled to find what my passion would be and what personal impacts I could be making regarding this issue, as soon as possible. Little did I know, a simple conversation with my mom and a deep internet search would be the ignition to spark, helping me find myself and develop my love for health, nutrition, and wellness. When I was born, I had to spend six weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit, due to respiratory issues caused by polyhydramnios, a condition where there is too much amniotic fluid surrounding the developing fetus. This condition, along with several others that lead to birth defects and develop into early childhood diseases, is affected by malnutrition, a severe issue that is rampant in several underprivileged and minority communities. Learning about this issue on a deeper level made me realize how unaddressed it is in our community, and how every year millions of underprivileged and colored women in the United States and across the world face dangerous birth conditions which often have detrimental effects on them and their children because of a lack nutrional and health support. From that point on, I’ve been striving to do all I can to improve this societal issue, and in the next few years, I plan to do so much more for my global and local community by addressing the underlying and often unaddressed health problems through research, advocacy, and volunteering. For the past couple of years, I’ve volunteered as a nutritional health mentor at my local middle school. I run projects and crafts alongside informal presentations, helping students grasp the link between eating habits, lifestyle, and their nutrition goals. I believe children deserve a voice in community issues, and empowering them with knowledge about nutrition and health can help prevent many current challenges for future generations. I also volunteer in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at our local hospital. There, I run family rooms, creating restful spaces for parents navigating newborn birth complications. In partnership with Lunches with Love, we provide nutritious meals to NICU families, supporting their health during stressful times and enriching our community. At college, I’ll begin research with a professor studying the relationship between nutritional health and maternal-child well-being before, during, and after pregnancy. This groundbreaking work could lead to publications that guide hospitals and clinics worldwide on best practices for maternal and child health. Ultimately, I aspire to become a pediatric neonatologist, majoring in public health and nutrition. Whenever I encounter people facing struggles, my first thought is how I can apply my knowledge to help, and where I should learn to make their lives better. I am passionate about changing the world by improving nutrition and health in every way possible.

Heavy Metal: My Soundtrack for Survival and Success In a world full of pressure, stress, and confusion, nothing has been a greater escape from reality for me than heavy metal. My name is Nene Grace Bello, and I’m from Central Texas. Anyone who knows me knows my life revolves around a few things: faith, family, volunteering, learning, and music. People joke that anywhere I go, my headphones follow—and that’s not far from the truth. Each year, I spend nearly 70,000 minutes on Spotify, and it’s not an exaggeration to say that 69,999 of those are spent listening to heavy metal. Whether I’m in the car blasting Judas Priest, doing dishes to Slipknot, or trying to learn songs on piano (not the most metal instrument, I know), music is always with me. But my love for metal isn’t just about how much I listen to it—it’s about how it changed me. Growing up as an African American girl in a predominantly white community hasn’t been easy. I’ve always aspired to become a doctor—to create change through healthcare, service, and advocacy. It’s deeply important to me to help build a world where everyone feels safe, welcome, and included. For me, becoming a pediatric neonatologist means serving underprivileged communities and using my education to uplift others. But pursuing those dreams hasn’t come without resistance. I’ve faced bullying for the color of my skin and was told by some that I’d never amount to anything. The hate, the isolation—I internalized it all. At one point, I felt so low I nearly gave up on my dream. Then, I discovered heavy metal. Hearing Helloween’s I Want Out for the first time in sixth grade was life-changing. The song’s cry for freedom and individuality mirrored what I was going through. That track was a spark—it gave me the strength to reclaim my voice, my worth, and my fight. Since then, I’ve been pushing to break every box I was put into and prove to people that I could make a difference in the world, regardless of how I looked. Recently I graduated as Summa Cum Laude, with a 102.7% GPA. I’ve won over six district and state awards in speech, debate, math, and piano in the past two years, all while completing over 250 volunteer hours at hospitals across Austin, working in the NICU, PICU, and children’s emergency departments. Last year, I was honored as a National African American Recognition Scholar—and to me, it was a full-circle moment that reminded me how far I’ve come since those darker days. In college, I plan to go even further. I hope to begin researching with professors on the impact of nutrition on maternal and neonatal health. I want to gain hands-on knowledge in neonatology before attending medical school. My ultimate goal is to bring lasting change through healthcare, particularly to marginalized communities. Every step I take is driven by that mission—to learn, grow, and give back. But college is expensive, and as a low-income student, the path ahead is steep. My university is generously covering a portion of my tuition and housing, and I’m currently working a part-time job while taking summer classes to cover the rest. Still, there’s a significant funding gap. Winning the Headbang For Science scholarship would help me bridge that gap, allowing me to afford a laptop, textbooks, and essential resources, all while reducing the loans I’d need to pursue my dream. More than that, this scholarship would be a celebration of what heavy metal has given me: resilience, power, and identity. To me, heavy metal isn’t just about distortion and screaming—it’s about rising up when the world tries to keep you down. It’s about community, self-expression, and pushing back against limits. And it’s proof that music can save lives—not just emotionally, but by empowering people to fight for their future. Heavy metal was made for everyone, and I hope that my story, my achievements, and my dreams prove that it belongs to people like me, too.

When I was born, I had to spend six weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit, due to respiratory issues caused by polyhydramnios, a condition where there is too much amniotic fluid surrounding the developing fetus. This condition, along with several others that lead to birth defects and develop into early childhood diseases is affected by malnutrition, a severe issue that is rampant in several underprivileged and minority communities. As someone who has personally experienced the effects of this issue and refuses to stand by without making a meaningful impact, I am driven to study nutrition to become a catalyst for positive change in our world. I hope to complete research regarding the effects of poor nutrition on child development and illnesses while also educating people on preventative nutritional measures. Nutritional science is the backbone of life, health, and general wellness in both children and adults and I am extremely interested in researching the effects of poor nutrition on infants - younger children concerning the development of early childhood diseases and disorders. I aspire to become a pediatric neonatologist, as I believe that the work and research I do related to nutrition will help children in the neonatal intensive care unit with conditions related to malnutrition. Additionally, later into my career, I hope to open a non profit organization that would be dedicated to helping young men and women learn more about nutrition and health. I believe that knowledge is power, and that a lot of the nutrition related health problems that people face stem from a lack of education about certain topics. This is one way I strive to help benefit my community. Not only I hope to work in hospitals and treat childhood nutrition related health concerns, but I also aspire to share information to people in more underprivileged communities, helping them to become more educated and resourceful about crucial nutritional science topics. Although I have several long term aspirations that I am working towards, there are also a few things I am doing now, to support my community, and make a difference through nutritional sciences. Throughout my time in high school, I’ve developed a stronger understanding and love for the study of nutrition and pediatrics by dedicating myself to working with kids in different ways around my city. One of the activities I have assisted with is being a nutritional health mentor to the students at my local middle school. I run projects and crafts with them while giving informal presentations, helping them understand the importance of eating and lifestyle habits on their nutritional goals. I am so grateful for all the opportunities I’ve had to serve, learn, and grow throughout my time in high school. And I know that majoring in nutrition will not only help me in my future medical career, but also help me to do more for my community while changing people’s lives through nutritional sciences.

For most of my life, I have struggled with self-confidence issues, especially regarding my body size. Weighing myself multiple times a day, skipping meals, and binge eating are all habits that I resorted to so I could fulfill my obsession with achieving the perfect figure. Because of my experiences, oftentimes I felt like a failure, and like I was all alone. According to the Office of Minority Health, African American women have the highest rates of obesity compared to any other group in the United States. 4 out of 5 of these women struggle with being overweight or obese, which affects their lives in several aspects. Like me, many of these girls probably struggle with their self-confidence; most likely feeling lonely, ashamed, and dejected because of their bodies as well. Young black girls are already one of the most judged groups in terms of beauty by society, facing stricter standards and the most harmful comments about their appearances. On top of all of that, their weight issues can lead to severe self-esteem problems affecting their relationships, education, and livelihood. That is why an important issue affecting my community that I would like to see improved is the nutritional well-being of young people in our society. As an individual who falls into this demographic- and simply a young black woman who wants to make a change in our community- I refuse to stand by, letting more black girls face the type of anxiety and discomfort that I did because of my eating habits and body image. Currently, I am making efforts towards creating positive developments at my high school. Earlier this year, I co-founded a club named Aspiring Student Healthcare Leaders (ASHL), to advocate for a variety of public healthcare issues that affect high school students. Every week, we spend time researching, giving presentations to our peers, and engaging in conversations about how to improve the overall health of our school, regarding the mental wellness, physical state, or nutritional well-being of the school’s students. In college, I plan on double majoring in public health and nutrition. Studying eating disorders, and providing guidance on healthy eating habits, are all things I am looking forward to doing within the next couple of years. After that, I aspire to attend Medical School and further my studies of obesity rates and their relationship with disorders, mental health issues, and various skin conditions. With the anticipated income from my medical practice, I hope to open my own non-profit organization that would be dedicated to helping young adults. Traveling across the country giving speeches to college and high school students about the importance of nutritious meal plans, while offering free counseling about the necessity of a healthy lifestyle is my plan of action for addressing the issues of adolescents’ obesity rates and nutrition well-being. Through my struggles, I have learned an invaluable lesson that has remained a steadfast reminder in my life. Now I know that to grow and live meaningfully, one should focus on maintaining a healthy lifestyle as much as possible, rather than engaging in dangerous eating habits just to be deemed attractive in the eyes of society. Even though I can’t go back to the past and erase the painful memories that I gained from my self-image issues, I can try my best to make sure that no one goes through the same experience that I had, regardless of their weight, race, or gender. Everybody deserves to feel confident in their body, which is why I’m making steps- even if they’re small ones- towards creating a positive change for the future.

"Fighting crime, spinning webs, facing evil with his might, He's a hero in our eyes." These are a few compelling descriptions that can only be used to describe a single person, our favorite web-head. Spider-Man had always been a staple in my childhood, I grew up on Sony's 2008 'Spectacular Spider-Man' and Disney's 2012 'Ultimate Spider-Man'. My most precious memories are of me running home from school, hopping on the couch, and watching my long-awaited, Spider-Man episode. For long, I've always admired his quick and witty responses, his dedication to do right, and his undying commitment to his loved ones. These are some of the things that have always made him my biggest role model. As a child, I was never allowed to watch any of the Spider-Man movies, on top of the fact that most of them were rated pg-13, my folks weren't thrilled with the idea of letting me watch a young man in tights, fighting criminals at night, I certainly was though. While I regret not being able to say I’ve watched every Spider-Man film at the time of their release date, I find content in knowing I was able to genuinely experience everything Spidey-related without the control of my parents in my later years. The older you get the more childish things become, so like all good things, I eventually outgrew Spider-Man. I witnessed the hype that Tom Holland was receiving in his first MCU appearance as Spider-Man in 'Captain America: Civil War', although I no longer considered myself a fan at that point, I was still proud that the beloved web-slinger had gotten to hang with the big shots, the Avengers. As more projects with Tom Holland's Spider-Man continued to be announced, my interest in reconnecting with my treasured childhood character was gradually increasing, until the point where it became too much to withhold. I still remember the exact day, it was in the middle of my very slow-paced summer. I never would've known that one moment would send me down an inescapable rabbit hole, or spider hole, which I continue to dig myself deeper into every day. I watched all three of his movies that day, back to back with no breaks in between. Tom, was a fresh, new adaption of a character many knew and loved, especially me. His simplicity, relatability, and determination as Spider-Man are inspirational in many ways to many people. Simple things like our shared hobby of building Legos, our passion for Star Wars, and chemistry, moreover our awkward yet kind nature, are all reasons why I found myself attached to Tom Holland’s Spider-Man within minutes. Of course, later that day I watched Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's movies, both of which I absolutely adored, but no other actor can take first place in my heart like Holland did, not only did he reconnect me to my childhood, but also brought back my child-like adoration for Spider-Man that I thought was gone forever. He sticks up for the disadvantaged little guys; he returns bicycles, gives directions, and tries to help out in any way he can, something we can all do. Tom doesn’t fight alone, he has friends, a mentor, and a family who support him, not only in his journey as a teenager but also as someone who strives to make a difference in his community, no matter how small. I admire Tom Holland's Spider-Man because of how down-to-earth he is, he's never too big to forget his humble origins, and he's never too powerful to ignore who gave him his strength from the beginning, his loved ones.

My love for Stray Kids originated from a particularly unusual source. No one was a bigger fan of the 'Tower of God' than I was—a 2010 South Korean Manhwa written and illustrated by S.I.U, an extremely talented individual. I had been reading this series for over 7 years. Since my elementary days, I remember sneaking onto my parent's laptop, with a desperate and insatiable desire to read the newest weekly release of my favorite comic. I knew the characters inside out, I left hundreds of fan comments over the years to truly show my support for the author and his hard work. I named my very first pet after the main character of the series, 'Bam'. So when I found out that my favorite series of all time was getting an anime series adaptation that would be on Crunchyroll in a couple months, best believe I almost lost my mind. For months I counted down the days, excitement and exhilaration overwhelmed my body to the point of no return. April 1st, 2020 would be the date of a lifetime. When the first episode was released my whole world changed. The Tower of God had the most bewitching, prepossessing openings I had ever heard, every part of that song submerged my mind with the tones of divinity that would never be replicated again. In other words, I fell in love at first sight with the song, and whoever was responsible for creating such a masterpiece. That specific experience led me down a steep and slippery slope that I haven't been able to get myself out of today, not that I want to anyway. I replayed that song many times that day and immediately started researching the group that gave me the gift of such angelic peace, Stray Kids. Soon after, I prided myself in becoming one of Stray Kids' biggest fans. I spent time learning all the information I possibly could about each member, listening to songs from all their albums, enough to earn me the spot in the top 0.1% of their listeners after only discovering them a few months prior. My favorite song and album is TOP, and their 2018 pre-debut 'Mixtape'. There was no need for a bias because my love for every member was split and shared equally. My passion for Stray Kids has made an extremely strong and irreversible impact on my life. At first, it was an obsession, but over time my love developed into something else, something more understanding. To me, Stray Kids was a way of grounding my loneliness and anxiety, everything about them made my life easier, I found joy and comfort in their presence, and peace in their music, to the point where I started learning Korean just to understand them more. Soon, I was able to share my enthusiasm and love for Stray Kids with other teenage girls just like me, I've always had social anxiety and trouble making friends for as long as I can remember, so being able to bond over such an important aspect of my life reassuring and encouraged me to keep going on. Not only Stray Kids alone, but K-pop, in general, has improved global culture by showcasing the charm of Korean, language, culture, and entertainment. K-dramas, K-pop, and manhwas are no longer stigmatized like before. When I was younger I was bullied for reading Korean Manhwas like the 'Tower of God' and others, but thanks to K-pop, the global perception of entertainment has changed and now people can embrace their passions without fear of judgment and isolation. Thank you, Stray Kids.