To understand science is to understand the fabric which reality and life are built upon. Like pages that contain stories, science is what everything is built upon and that is what makes it so interesting. There are so many areas of study in science because it is such an enormous and complex subject. The area of science that stands out the most to me is medicine and healthcare. My family has a long history of cancer. Several of my family members have passed away from the sickness so I know the consequences that cancer can have on a family. Through science, cancer can be understood and treated. It is for this reason that I hope to pursue a career in healthcare, so that one day I may be able to help as many people as possible fight and overcome cancer. My paternal grandfather died from cancer when my dad was only nine years old. He went through his formative years lacking a father, which seems unimaginable to me. Years later, when I was in middle school, my paternal grandmother was diagnosed with cancer. I remember seeing her for the first time after her chemotherapy treatment and being completely shocked. Before the treatment, she had a full head of hair and was always so full of life and vigor, but afterward, she had little hair and seemed like a shell of her former self. She, fortunately, beat cancer and is well, but has aged considerably from the ordeal. Seeing my grandma, one of the cornerstone individuals in my life, be afflicted with such unrelenting sickness seemed unfair to me. I could not understand how there could be any conceivable reason why young children had to lose their parents or witness their grandparents suffer through a terrible disease. The answer, unfortunately, will always remain a mystery to me, but I now see a clear path in my life. Becoming an oncologist will put me in a position where I can prevent such tragedies from occurring to those in my community. Both of my parents are Hispanic and work in the medical field. My maternal grandfather came from a small town in Puerto Rico and his pharmaceutical job allowed him to travel the globe for many years. Their experiences have shown me that my Hispanic background can have a massive effect on my community and approach to healthcare, and that STEM careers should involve people of every race, background, and ethnicity because STEM is all about the natural world and making it a better place, no matter who they are or where they come from. To achieve my goal of becoming an oncologist, I plan to major in Biochemistry. The cause and treatment of cancer are deeply rooted in the chemical makeup of cells, so biochemistry seems to be the best fit for me. Understanding the processes and reactions that control biological life is almost like learning a new language or becoming aware of a magic system from a high fantasy novel. To truly understand a disease that takes the lives of so many people, I feel it is important I comprehend what life is in the natural sense. I hope to learn this at the University of Florida. The money granted by this scholarship would be an immense help in accomplishing my goals in life. I will push my limits in working through college and medical school so that one day nobody in my community has to witness the loss of a loved one to cancer.