I was 10 when I heard about the discovery of the Higgs Boson. Often referred to as the God particle because it gives mass to many other particles. From this moment forward, My curious mind was fascinated by science and by our capability to discover concepts beyond the human imagination. It was then that I knew I wanted to be a part of groundbreaking scientific discoveries and would take every opportunity and endure any hardships to get there. Majoring in Biology, I aspire to pursue Biotechnology and evidently work in a lab performing studies on genetic modification of viruses and bacteria that effect communities on both a micro and macro scale. Such as working with plastic eating bacterium in the efforts to solve our plastic crisis, or working with HIV. But I do not trail this journey of passion alone. My mother is the emblem of the woman I am today, and what I aspire to be. As I witnessed her work from morning to night and studying when she wasn't working, she set an example for me. Proving that your wildest dreams are achievable even at the age of 50 as a single parent with 6 kids. She has always been wildly devoted to her passions, and putting herself through school while working has been a huge financial issue for both her and me. Because of this, I understood that it would be my responsibility to afford college to the extent that I can, and any future finances. I got my first job at the age of seventeen, working at a bookstore for minimum wage, and since then, I've been working back to back whenever I can between two jobs, working 10-5 at a jewelry store, and walking to the bookstore for my 5-10 shift. I've faced many financial setbacks, especially during covid where my income ceased. But following that, I worked as long as I could before heading back to school. To date, every cent that I've made in these jobs has gone towards my education and money from internships, as well as emergency relief funds. While it has been an isolating experience to work so often at my age, there is always something that inspires me to keep going and have hope. I've always understood that I have a very important role to fulfill from a young age. To date, women of color are grossly underrepresented in STEM making up roughly 5% of the total workforce. When I first discovered this statistic, I felt impelled to pursue biology as a serious career, where I will evidently encourage and empower young woman of color to pursue this passion regardless of financial hardships. My goals for the future is to be the example that my mother was for me, and for many young women of color.

Legacy to me means making an immense impact on your community that cultivates others to become inspired and follow in your footsteps. A legacy is a profound action or something of the sort that leaves such an immense impact resulting in an echo effect that ripples through generations. I plan to break the cycle by leaving such a legacy behind. My mother had her first kid at the age of 20. From then to the age of 37, she was booked. Changing diapers daily, attending school meetings, and planning dinner every night for twenty-something years. She was never granted the opportunity to focus on her career while balancing motherhood as a single mom of 6. However, she eventually found a way as we grew older and more independent. Without the help of many, she'd moved us down to Texas to begin her education as a nurse practitioner at Baylor. Her life seemingly began to fall into place until our grandmother passed. I will never forget the night that I woke up to the sound of her screaming at the age of 10. She'd finally gotten the chance to work on her degree and was determined to complete school regardless of what obstacles she'd faced. But this night, she lost more than she could handle. My grandmother who was her number one supporter had passed and she'd flunked out of school all in the same night. While she slowly pulled her life back together from that moment, she confessed to me as a little girl that what she needed the most when we moved to Texas, the unfortunate night of two losses, and on her journey of success afterward, was to see a woman like herself to reassure her that all hope is not lost. My mother's scream of pain that night follows me through every milestone in my life. Not as a sad memory, but an indicator to keep pushing forward. For many other single mothers, or anyone facing financial hardships and grief, I have made a promise to myself to fulfill all that has been unfulfilled from my mother, for any woman who finds themselves in the unprecedented position of trying to have it all together in a time where they have given life their all. I am where I am today and have achieved as much as I have, with the help of women who did not have the opportunity to do so. One step at a time, I move forward to break boundaries by making sure that there is representation for women like myself in the STEM field. So that I could become the kind of woman for many young girls to follow, that my mother needed to look up to when circumstances outweighed her ability to cope and push through. I push boundaries and try to break the cycle by participating in things ranging from being vocal in my civic engagement position for underserved communities to be a representative for women and women of color in Biology within my research programs and greater future goals to be a woman of color in disease research.

It all began with a white lab coat. To me as a child, my mother's closet resembled a real-life Barbies full wardrobe. Every day after school, I would go through her belongings, posing as a different woman each time. My heart fluttered as I picked up a set of goggles that smelled like medical supplies and rubber, as well as her matching lab coat. Curious by this unusual piece of clothing, I looked for jobs where I could wear this powerful suit all day. I googled this question and came up with thousands of results. A doctor, a nurse, a pediatrician, a chemist, and so on. Then, I stumbled across what would later become my life's ambition: biotechnology. I found that by researching numerous diseases and viruses to genetically manipulate their DNA, potentially treat some of the most complex diseases, and destroy the deadliest viruses known to date, I would improve the lives of many people. I was instantly smitten. I broadened my interests by reading about stem cells and genome sequencing in general biology. My long-term goal, inspired by my childhood passions, is to investigate the strange phenomena of the human body and our environment on a molecular and genetic level in order to work toward the development of indefinite HIV-1 eradication, successful cancer therapies that do not require patients to lose a piece of themselves through radiation, and plastic-eating bacteria that would bring us one step closer to solving our plastic problems. Last but not least, I pledged to this little curious girl that I would never stop fighting for the progress of people and the environment's well-being.

I was raised in a family of six. You can only imagine how chaotic my childhood was as the youngest child, as my mother, fatigued from her first child, realized that children are only so manageable at times and opted to let us roam free. On her pricey granite kitchen tables, we role-played imaginary wars with toys and expressed our curious imaginations on her eggshell white walls. While I respect my mother's hands-off parenting style after the birth of her second most destructive son, my environment lacked routine. Fast forward to my freshman year of high school, and as a result of this formerly chaotic environment, I developed a definite regimen that I will follow to this day and forever. everything I may encounter throughout the day; furious clients, coffee spills, you name it. It's a time in my life when everything seems to be frozen in place. I appreciate the elegance of simplicity, tranquillity, and routine. Allowing my thoughts to drift away from the world as I glide across areas, entirely unconcerned about myself or the environment. This basic practice helps me to simply exist without the stressors of everyday life. I merely live in this moment, and that is enough. This little pleasure allows me to create my own universe both in the morning and at night, as my mind is soothed by music and coffee.

I sat three seats in front of a girl I was very familiar with during my freshman year of high school. Her appearance was rare but when present, She wore the same clothing every other day, tired and unattentive. One day, I overheard this young girl speaking about how she was out of lunch money. Immediately, I knew who she was; she was me. I instantly thought of myself in 5th grade. When I was embarrassed to admit that my mother couldn't afford new school clothes every year, let alone food. I reached out to this young girl that I once knew to give her all of the money I had that day for lunch. From then on, I made sure that she always had enough money for a decent meal. Giving, in every aspect, is important because by doing so I exceed that which I have been given. Every day, I set an example for anyone who would have been confused as to why I gave all my lunch money to a girl I knew little about, people who believe it is not their job to help. Our purpose here is to be of aid to others. I gave my money to the girl not so different from myself because I was and will forever be unaware of what she faces when she goes back home. While I, however, was sure every day that I would be granted the privilege of having enough money to eat with substantial resources. I believe that it takes one small act of kindness to officially change the world, and by helping the girl that I once saw myself in, I demonstrated our obligation as human beings to show selflessness and kindness.

I have five unfinished paintings all for the exact same reason, my inability to overlook perfectionism and criticism that would allow me to tell the truth. One year ago, I discovered an artist by the name of Maria Kreyn who moved me immensely. Out of her dozens of perfectly finished art, the unfinished ones struck me the most. After Discovering this strange fashion of incompleteness, I felt more admiration for the kind of art I was creating. In my unfinished paintings, I've tried to tell my life story as if it were complete, but from Maria, I've come to realize that there is always a piece of a story that is missing. In that emptiness, there is another story waiting to be told, or an entirely different sequence of events waiting to unfold. That missing piece in my unfinished paintings allows room for growth and change that I now anticipate.

Everyone that makes art is not an Artist but anyone who can express their emotions, ideas, and thoughts in a creative manner has the potential to be an artist. As an artist, I believe that there is no clear and certain definition of what art exactly is. Nor is there such a thing as a good or bad artist. As there are many ways to interpret or view art, I believe that looking beyond the image is one of the most important ways; my main intention when creating my pieces. My pieces are not always directly related to their meaning. I want my viewers to expand their views on art and life as well. In the hope that they realize that what they see is not the same thing as what it truly is. I am most interested in knowing not what the viewer believes I was trying to portray in my painting, nor what I was going through rather, how it makes them feel, and how they see themselves in it. This alone is my purpose in creating most of my pieces. I find inspiration in my dreams, music, and films. My passion for art comes from being able to paint what I cannot express. Where words fail, my art speaks, in this way, I am deeply connected to it. This is what being an artist means to me. Telling your truth, conveying every weird, uncomfortable, and confusing thought or emotion that we all share deep down in a creative manner. Additionally, being an artist means creating unique pieces that move and inspire and having the ability to create a cultural impact. I hope for my art to do the same for my generation. My art is an expose of mental health amongst my generation and individuality. My pieces are raw and real and ugly. They tell the story of my bad days and my opposition in creating art with no depth. I embrace who I am within my art and hope for my generation to do the same when viewing it. To not compare their works to other artists and stand against the pressure of putting on a persona that lacks individuality and truth.