I am proud to be an American because of our advancements in technology. American technology is very impressive and is able to help many different people. For example, Americans invented the assembly line, Global Positioning System (GPS), microwave, and many more. All of these inventions and innovations make a drastic difference in everyone's lives. I am proud to say that I am able to be a part of it. I want to continue the American legacy of creating inventions to help others. To continue the American legacy, I am attending college to obtain a degree in mechanical engineering. Mechanical engineering is traditionally a male field, so it will be a challenge. It is difficult to defy stereotypes and pursue dreams. I intend to prove that women can contribute and be successful in engineering. According to The University of Toledo’s Strategic Plan for Diversity and Inclusion 2020-2023, only 18% of engineering students are female. It is crucial that female engineers are acknowledged as a contributing asset to the workforce. I want to collaborate with others to solve environmental issues in our current society. The more people I can help, the better. The biggest change America should make is to become more sustainable. Many ecosystems are being destroyed to supplement our space and material needs. If America can become more sustainable, then less problems will occur regarding air quality, water quality, and more. I intend to leave my mark on the world by making it a more sustainable place. I have done a lot of work regarding the environment in high school. During my junior year, I took IB Environmental Systems and Societies. This class taught me a lot about the environment in different parts of the world. We learned about past mistakes humans have made and what was done to fix those mistakes. This class has taught me a lot and has inspired me to take action. For example, I wrote my senior research paper on the effects of nutrient pollution on Lake Erie. I was able to demonstrate the links between nutrient pollution, algal blooms, urbanization, farmland, and the declining fish population. I brought these factors together to determine the causes of nutrient pollution and why it has such a harmful impact on Lake Erie. I reviewed current solutions through my literature review and discussed other options to reduce the nutrient load in Lake Erie to sustain the fish population. This paper has taught me that there are many measures that people can take to help protect the environment. Pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering will allow me to help find solutions to help the environment recover and flourish. I want to continue to study the environment in college and after college. These studies will help me come up with different solutions to make America a more sustainable place. The environment is very fascinating and it is crucial that it is protected. Without the environment, America could not have become what it is today. The environment plays a crucial role in allowing countries to flourish.

I became interested in engineering when I competed in the international Mathworks Math Modeling Challenge my junior year of high school. This competition gave my team a real world problem to solve in 14 hours. The real world problem addressed e-bikes and the growth of their usage. I was able to collaborate with my team by creating math models to identify possible solutions. In the first part of the project, a model using multiple data regressions with data on gas prices, urban populations, and other variables were used to predict and show the growth of e-bike sales in the U.S. The next part of the project work determined that the used car index score and the percentage of the number of electric vehicles out of the total number of cars were the two most significant factors that affected the number of sales of e-bikes. Other factors were used to show a change in the number of e-bike sales. These factors were used in a Reduced Row-Echelon Form matrix to create an equation resulting in the total number of e-bikes sold. In the final section of the project, our model for e-bike growth is converted and equated to a shrinking number of cars on the road. We determined that e-bikes will reduce the growth of automobiles on the road by 3.647 million by 2028 which would reduce carbon dioxide and general traffic congestion by providing alternatives to busy roads. It would also increase the general health of the nation by providing the same amount of exercise as traditional biking. Our typed proposal allowed my team to finish in the top 25% internationally. It was a fantastic experience for me. It allowed me to collaborate with a very diverse team who came from multiple different backgrounds to find a solution to a problem occurring in the real world. I explored a variety of career and college majors and I found engineers get to do this all of the time. I became super interested in engineering and decided that mechanical engineering would be the best fit for me. After college, I plan to join the workforce and have a full time job in mechanical engineering with the skills I gain at the University of Toledo. I want to be able to be successful enough to be able to support myself and have a rewarding career. I intend to prove that women can contribute and be successful in engineering. I am applying for this scholarship in hope that I can help represent women in engineering. Women are very underrepresented in the engineering field. According to The University of Toledo’s Strategic Plan for Diversity and Inclusion 2020-2023, only 18% of engineering students are female. It is important that female engineers are acknowledged as a contributing vital asset to the workforce. I would be a good choice for this award because I intend to leave my mark on the world. I want to collaborate with others with diverse backgrounds and experiences to develop new innovations and create crazy new things. I want to help solve problems in our current society. The more people I can help, the better. Receiving this award would allow me to attend the University of Toledo with less college debt and obtain a degree in a predominantly male field. Scholarship dollars would remove a barrier and allow me to focus on my studies and participate in the many opportunities college life has to offer. The scholarship would empower me in working towards achieving my highest potential.

In the fall of 2020, I started to experience an immense amount of back pain. This pain continued into 2021. Doctors were unable to find a cause or a diagnosis for the pain. In June of 2021, it was revealed that I had a large mass that was causing my back pain. I had emergency surgery to remove the mass. Because of the surgery, I was not allowed to swim for two months. Swimming is very important to me and it was very difficult to live without it. I missed 2 months of swimming competitively. During this time, I attended practices in order to prevent falling even farther behind. Even though I couldn't swim, I wanted to make an effort to be present. I was able to start swimming again right before my championship meet. I realized how far behind I fell, so I worked really hard during practices. My hard work paid off and I surprised myself at how well I bounced back. I learned the importance of having a strong work ethic and what it can do for someone’s life. My work ethic has never been stronger and has carried over into other aspects of my life. I became interested in engineering when I competed in the international Mathworks Math Modeling Challenge my junior year of high school. This competition gave my team a real world problem to solve in 14 hours. The real world problem addressed e-bikes and the growth of their usage. I collaborated with my team by creating math models to identify possible solutions. In the first part of the project, a model using multiple data regressions with data on gas prices, urban populations, and other variables were used to predict and show the growth of e-bike sales in the U.S. The next part of the project work determined that the used car index score and the percentage of the number of electric vehicles out of the total number of cars were the two most significant factors that affected the number of sales of e-bikes. Other factors were used to show a change in the number of e-bike sales. These factors were used in a Reduced Row-Echelon Form matrix to create an equation resulting in the total number of e-bikes sold. In the final section of the project, our model for e-bike growth is converted and equated to a shrinking number of cars on the road. We determined that e-bikes will reduce the growth of automobiles on the road by 3.647 million by 2028 which would reduce carbon dioxide and general traffic congestion by providing alternatives to busy roads. It would increase the general health of the nation by providing the same amount of exercise as traditional biking. Our typed proposal allowed my team to finish in the top 25% internationally. It was a fantastic experience for me. It allowed me to collaborate with a very diverse team who came from multiple different backgrounds to find a solution to a problem occurring in the real world. I explored a variety of career and college majors and I found engineers get to do this all of the time. I became super interested in engineering and decided that mechanical engineering would be the best fit for me. I am applying for this scholarship in hope that I can help represent women in engineering. Women are very underrepresented in the engineering field. According to The University of Toledo’s Strategic Plan for Diversity and Inclusion 2020-2023, only 18% of engineering students are female. It is important that female engineers are acknowledged as a contributing vital asset to the workforce.

In 2022, I approached the childcare director at a local school and asked if anyone could use assistance. I picked my old elementary school because I knew many struggled to make ends meet but you would not know it. I organized a fundraiser for a young girl whose parents could not afford to buy her any Christmas presents. The girl was on scholarship for childcare. After communicating with the girl’s mom, I was able to find out what types of things she wanted and needed. I created a form that I shared on social media that had a list of all of the items. I collected the items people donated and wrapped them for the family. I was very fortunate to collect extra money that went towards food and additional gift cards to help support the family after the holidays. I was able to deliver presents to the childcare director who was able to deliver them to the family. I felt that I really made a difference. I am glad that I was able to help her when she needed it. I enjoyed coordinating and providing a fantastic holiday to the girl and her family and loved working with everyone to make a difference. Service impacts me in many ways. The biggest way it impacts me is by teaching me lessons. There are many things I would not know about if it was not for service. For example, when I organized Christmas presents for a young girl, I learned a lot. Throughout this experience, I have learned that everyone has a different story and background. I was pleasantly surprised at the number of people willing to help me provide for someone else. Some people grow up with less money than others or grow up in challenging environments. Everyone’s situation is different. No one would know about others’ situations unless they were told or took a minute to ask and understand. I found out that it is important to not judge a book by its cover. Everyone needs to be treated with respect and some may need extra help to reach their fullest potential. This year, I organized a project selling socks. For every pair sold, a pair of socks was donated to a local shelter or hospital. Additionally, all of the profits from selling socks went towards building a well in Rwanda. We sold 422 pairs of socks. This meant that we were able to donate 422 pairs of socks to our community. We donated the socks to the YWCA, the Dayton Foodbank, and the Dayton Children's Hospital. All of these places have people in need. Some people can not afford socks/clothing, so it is important for people to donate them. I really enjoyed being able to help my community. While in college, I would like to continue to help my community by participating in or leading similar projects. Service projects have become very important to me because of the impact they have on others. I want to continue to help people throughout the rest of my life.