Describing my social anxiety would be like being trapped in a room with multiple people that you do not know asking you questions and surrounding you until you get so overstimulated and shut out everything. This is how bad my social anxiety can get depending on situations whether I am away from home or amongst other students at my college. My anxiety has affected me poorly, especially as a pre-med student in undergrad with a mind that is constantly running. I can't seem to think about one thing without thoughts of negativity through anxiety. Over the years, I felt that being by myself more would do the trick but that only makes things worse. I have anxiety attacks that can become very scary to the point where I do not feel safe and always need someone with me most of the time. As someone who struggles with anxiety, I wish there was more of a cure for it besides therapy and medications. Being a college student, I also struggle with test anxiety which is where when I am in a room with multiple people that I don't know then I will freeze up on the test. This causes me to receive poor grades that affect my GPA, and I can't control this. A degree is important to me because it shows that even if I am not the best test taker or the anxious one in most groups, I will still accomplish things on my own. I am majoring in a pre-medical major, and it may seem daunting, especially for someone with anxiety, but the career path I aspire to pursue tends to calm me down. I understand the work that needs to be done to get my degree and I can't let my anxiety stop me from living my dreams. With this degree, I would like to go to medical school and become a doctor to educate people that anyone can become a doctor but, the doctor you would want to be depends on you. I am constantly working hard to get this Bachelor's degree, and sometimes, I have to remind myself why I am doing this career path given my anxiety levels and other health conditions. I strive not only to make myself proud but also to honor my family, friends, and ancestors as a first-generation college student. I aim to promote more people like me to get into health-care professions regarding of the backlash that is faced among Black Americans.

At a young age, I have always been interested in the science behind the female reproductive anatomy system. I started watching pregnancy shows at a young age and I knew that I wanted to continue through that career path entirely. It was always more than just helping people give birth that made me fascinated but it was the look of life being brought into the world that was so special. The reason why I decided to pursue a STEM-related field is because I enjoyed it so much and I wanted to be familiar with certain topics following the pre-med classes. I understand that I need to take the MCAT eventually and I figured that I would get a good start on trying to understand the material so when I do take the MCAT I will understand what it is I am doing. Before I started college, I hated chemistry and biology because I never understood the concepts. During COVID, my high school couldn't do much so the science classes would be online. But as soon as I got to college it was a struggle for me to pass exams. The studying strategies I used did not help and I was not understanding the material at all. I found a program that helped me understand it and that was when I fell in love with chemistry and majored in it. Many would say that the field of OB/GYN is too much to handle at once but I have always been intrigued. I don't just want to help women dealing with reproductive diseases and inform them information about certain aspects, but I would like to educate women more about their bodies. There is so much that goes undiagnosed in this field, especially for black women, and I want to try and be a doctor who changes that cycle. The schooling systems do not do a great job of informing young women about menstrual cycles and what to look for. I want to make an impact specifically on this community and specifically for Black women but, I would not be biased about the patients I will have in my future. In other words, I am currently at Wayne State University as a Biochemistry and chemical biology major and a Global Health and Social Medicine minor. Once I obtain my bachelor's degree, I will take a gap year and try to catch up on my clinical, shadowing, and research hours while studying for the MCAT. I aim to get into a medical college out of Michigan and stay there for medical school. It is still pending if I want to be in a fellowship depending on my financial situation. Currently, I am in an organization called the National Society of Black Women in STEM and we recently did a community service called Hygiene for Hope for the homeless individuals near Wayne State. Being in this organization I am hoping that I can get more community service hours in because it is much needed for medical school. Before Wayne State, I attended Saginaw Valley State University and was in the co-ed fraternity Phi Delta Epsilon. I also volunteered at a soup kitchen for the homeless. I enjoyed both instances of community service and hope to continue to reach out and find other community service postings to try and get more involved in the community. I would also like to continue participating in community service events to enhance my chances of starting medical school.

Currently I am a third year Biochemistry and Chemical Biology major on a pre-med track with a minor of Global Health and Social Medicine at Wayne State University. My name is Julicia and I am 20 years old. I have always been passionate about going into the medial field from a young age and I am trying to help educate the world as a doctor. Some things that I like to do when I am not doing things related to my major or program are calligraphy, playing violin, learning ASL, line dancing, singing, dancing, cooking, filling out scholarship applications, and speaking Spanish in my free time. Even though I may be a shy individual, I do care deeply about making sure people are okay. I believe that is also why I am interested in the specific career path of becoming a doctor. I am in three organizations at my school including the National Society of Black Women in Medicine, Boulevard 13 dance which is swing dancing, hustle and dance culture club, and I am thinking about joining the orchestra at my school next year. I am hoping to get more involved within my community and school so I am not always strictly focused on my career and grades. To make a positive impact comes from being a strong leader, and role model in someone's life. Making an impact on the world will be more challenging because I am one person and I would have to do something extraordinary to help with that part. I am really driven to educating women on their reproductive systems because there is so little research and assistance done on women of color and how they are higher or susceptible to receiving diseases or illness that can be treated or prevented. Although, this might fall under both the world and community, I want to be the doctor that listens to the patients and finds a cure that will help many. Some may say that they want to become a doctor to help people but I want to do more than that within this society. I want to be able to make a difference in the field of medicine but specifically in the OB/GYN career pathway. OB/GYN has been something that gets me going and motivates me to keep going with these difficult classes in my major and I really want to shine light on the other communities when it comes to black women in STEM.

At the time I was four years old, I was fascinated by the reproductive system and watching women give birth on TV. My name is Julicia McMiller and I am a third-year student at Wayne State University studying Biochemistry and Chemical Biology on a pre-medical track. Some of my interests include doing homework, writing scholarship essays, learning ASL, speaking in Spanish, playing violin, playing tennis, and writing in calligraphy. I enjoy being in college and feeling like I can express myself. I am also involved in the National Society of Black Women In Medicine, Boulevard 13 Swing Dance, and Hustle and Dance Culture Club. Another fun fact about me is that I have been playing violin for 10 years now and my first one was pink. As a child, I have been interested in OB/GYN and the career choice has stuck with me until now as an almost 21-year-old. I hope that I can go to a nice medical program, for example, New York University or New York Medical College. You may ask why I have been interested in watching that at a young age and I would tell you because whenever I saw a woman give birth or just the reproductive system in general, my whole mindset turns into this fascinating pink world and it is an amazing point of view. If you were to ask me now why I am interested in OB/GYN, the answer would be to educate women about their bodies and period cycles. I have grown up not knowing all the different stages that come with a period, and have some trauma in the field of gynecology that I do not want somebody else to deal with. Educating and promoting feminine hygiene is something that I enjoy spending time on and why not spend my career on something that I will always be able to enjoy? I also want other women of color to experience more representation in doctors who will not continue to make women feel ignored or silenced. I understand that there are more illnesses and diseases prevalent in the African American community but, I am more interested in the reproductive aspect rather than anything else as a whole. I don't see the same interest in podiatry, cardiothoracic, dermatology, or even ophthalmology but, only within the field of OB/GYN. OB/GYN is the field that I would love to spend the rest of my life doing.

I am deeply passionate about helping the less fortunate and the treatment that African Americans face with healthcare. Recently, I participated in a community service event with the National Society of Black Women in Medicine, where we gave hygiene bags to homeless individuals. The smiles on their faces were truly inspiring. I feel that even though many people are homeless, there is still nothing that can be done to help them during these hard times in the economy. It is already difficult to receive a job right now let alone trying to buy a house or somewhere to live without all the interest and mortgages. I believe that we as Americans can continue to help support those in need. Another issue I am passionate about is how African Americans are treated in the field of healthcare. As an African American myself with a medical history, I have noticed that the African American community receives less attention and care based on the color of their skin. For example, heart disease is higher in African Americans but, some doctors will see that maybe it is anxiety or perhaps it is just something along the lines of diet and exercise when that is not the case. Many African Americans fear the field entirely because of the long history of medicine and African American individuals. This creates health anxiety and patients cannot trust their doctors with given medical advice. I understand that I won't be able to fix every problem, and am passionate about but these two issues are so relevant today that I could try and help. I think that there should be more homeless shelters for the homeless that way they should not have to be on the streets, especially in the winter or when the weather is terrible. I know it is more money for the economy but I don't think anyone deserves to live out on the streets when they could go somewhere to receive the help that they need. Regarding African Americans and healthcare, I want to become a gynecologist and even though I am not trying to specialize in other fields, I could still try and help when African Americans want a doctor that is similar to them. I am hoping to use my skills in a sense of giving back to the community and looking out for other people who look like me to help give more of an example of shining light on these ongoing issues. After I finish my undergraduate studies, I want to go to medical school to just try and educate more and more people on all things healthcare that are not talked about within other minority groups. I want to help the homeless feel valued and that African Americans can feel respected when going to a healthcare professional. Both of these issues I have had a fair share of and I do not want anyone to have to go through anything similar. I am hoping that there will hopefully be more pre-meds like me who want to help and not just seek the financial gain or power.

Would you ever expect that at four years old you would see something so interesting in medicine and understand it to the point to where you automatically knew what you wanted to spend as a career? Well that person happens to be me and my name is Julicia McMiller. I am currently a junior at Wayne State University as a Biochemistry and Chemical Biology major with plans of going to medical school and becoming a gynecologist. Ever since I was younger, I started watching shows like "I didn't know I was pregnant" and "16 and Pregnant." I know I was too young to be watching them but I was so fascinated in it that I couldn't stop watching it. I would get in trouble for watching those type of shows but I didn't care too much because I enjoyed it. Whenever I would see shows like these with moms and newborns, it triggered something in my brain. It was like this pink cloud that would be set off in my field of vision. It distracted me and made me have more motivation in the field that I was so interested in studying this. At that young age, I never threw away that dream but I built on it. My mom has told me that by the time I was eight years old I went with her to a gynecologist and asked so many questions about the field and what they were doing. By the time summer came around a few years ago, I started looking up medical terms and procedures that OB/GYN's do and fell in love. I studied hard through high school and graduated with high honors. I also participated in many clubs including National Honor Society, Tri-M Music Honor Society, link crew(a club helping freshman transition into high school), a principle player in both orchestra at my school and a tennis player. This scholarship will impact my career goals by giving me more confidence and strength as to why I want to go into the specific field of gynecology. As a female of color and a STEM major, this scholarship can help me build towards my future. This field is so important to me and I believe that if I can win this scholarship, then it will only lead me to positive aspirations as I continue this journey through the path of medicine. Although medical school can be a huge expense, this scholarship can help me achieve my goal for getting into medical school and alleviate the financial stress from taking out loans. This scholarship can also allow me access to certain job opportunities when it comes to shadowing, or volunteering and I could stand out from other applicants if I do win it. Ultimately, there is this huge pressure on trying to make my family proud to be the first doctor in the family and also apart of a small percentage of black doctors who actually could become doctors. Many years ago there was no privilege of this and now there are open doors for other women to pursue a career as unique as this. Winning this scholarship will not only make me feel more confident but it will also raise awareness to other women like me.

My name is Julicia, and I am a first-generation college student at Wayne State University in the midst of pursuing a bachelor's degree in biochemistry. When I am not within my interests of STEM, I am a violinist and singer while enjoying calligraphy and doing homework assignments or reading articles about my future career as a gynecologist. Over the last few years, it has been hard to receive scholarships for all of my accomplishments back in high school and for the other college I transferred from, which was Albion College. I didn't necessarily lose all of my scholarships when I transferred to Wayne State University, but most of my scholarships left as soon as I left Albion. Over the last 3 years, I went to Saginaw Valley State University, Albion College, and now Wayne State University. My career is to be a doctor, and I understand that it takes a lot of time, money, and energy to get to where I would like to be, but I am determined to pursue my passion, and I am hoping that money will not stop me from achieving my goal. Back when I was in high school, I was participating in all of these clubs from Student Council, being involved in both orchestras, Tri-M National Honor Society, National Honor Society, and a club that helps with freshmen. I did this because I loved getting involved, even though I did not have more access to those scholarships. I think the main reason I started out with all of these scholarships was my good grades on top of everything that I was involved in. I come from an average middle-class income household, and college is expensive in itself. At Saginaw Valley, I thought I had everything I needed, including the most scholarships out of all the colleges I applied to. The reason I transferred from Saginaw was because my financial situation got messed up and they raised my tuition because I had good grades. I had to pull out of my life insurance in order to maintain staying there. My credits there also had gotten messed up because of certain classes that I thought counted as more credits but were left to zero credits, which led me to be behind in the process. After I left Saginaw, I decided to transfer to Albion, and money was not a factor, but I dealt with some high-end levels of racism, and it took a very severe toll on my mental health, and it made me question my career as a gynecologist. I didn't want to stay there and continue to be in those situations, especially because Albion is a PWI. As of right now, I am currently at Wayne State and dealing with more financial issues than ever before. I received less financial aid, and trying to access a private loan was so difficult because I needed a cosigner and my family could not help me much. There was some misinformation given to me, and it caused all of this stress and anxiety about the unknown future. I am currently in this situation and may not be able to register for my classes to stay here another semester. The reason I am so passionate to be apart of STEM is because I want to make a change in the field of medicine, and given the circumstances of what I have dealt with over the last few years, I think this story makes me more admirable and gives insight to other young girls out there who look like me and/or want to be doctors or possible physicians in the future. I feel like the need for more people of color in the field of medicine is something that is needed to show more diversity and inclusion in this specific field. I want other girls to look up to people of color and feel more comfortable with more doctors that have a similar race as them. When I mention I would like to make a change, I am saying that I want to change certain things in the field of gynecology and to make improvements because gynecology can sometimes be outdated with how certain procedures are done. For example, birth control or even medical procedures such as colposcopies are done with very little pain management, and I think that since most of these procedures were created specifically by men, they cannot truly understand what it is like or similar to as a man versus a woman. I know that my field of interest is in jeopardy right now, but I still want to make a change in the field of medicine if I attempt to do something remarkable in my life. Being apart of this field is something that I admire with every single ounce of passion, and I will do whatever it takes to live my dream and become a doctor in the field of medicine.

My name is Julicia McMiller and I am 19 years old while currently being a sophomore at Wayne State University. I am majoring in Biochemistry and Chemical biology and plan to minor in Yoga and Mindfulness. A few things about me is that I love playing violin, singing, dancing, listening to music, cooking and writing in calligraphy. During COVID, I taught myself how to learn music by ear from using my voice, a piano app and my violin. I would also listen to the song in the process to figure out the notes. Another thing I did was teach myself calligraphy. I found a picture of practice calligraphy on the internet and just kept practicing it until it was mastered and looked better than the beginning. I have been playing violin for 10 years now and the first violin I ever had was pink. My inspiration for playing violin started with Lindsey Stirling, the artist, and a movie called Little Secrets. I currently own three violins that are the colors of white, light pink and brown. I also have been singing since before I started playing violin. It will be for about 12-13 years. During high school and early college, staying in my music interest is something that has kept me balanced while studying. An impact I hope I can make on the world is being a role model and someone to help change the field of medicine in the slightest bit that I can. I want to become a gynecologist and there are some things I want to change whether its research or just with the way things are done. The amount of black doctors that are currently in the black community. The statistic of that is very low and I am happy to be apart of it. I know I have many years left but I want to be in that statistic. I want others who look like me to feel not ignored or just dismissed when it comes to doctors or healthcare. I want to be the doctor who listens and tries to help even if I have to voice my opinions to others. I want to promote a positive atmosphere while chasing my dreams. I want to be the inspiration to other girls around the world who come from small minorities and maybe have setbacks on their lives. When I am a doctor, I want to boost more about birth controls, and other gynecological issues that aren't talked about. I feel that the only thing that is mainly talked about is pregnancies, women's menstrual cycles and even STD's/STI's. I don't think that will help many young people especially if there are not educated. These are a few things I hope I can use to impact the world through my knowledge and experience. The main thing that interests me in STEAM is the science aspect but specifically chemistry. The first time I took a chemistry class was in high school specifically during COVID and it was hard to really grasp an understanding since most of the learning was online. Once I got to college and started taking chemistry classes, I was in love. I know many people may not like Chemistry because it can be difficult and there's numbers with so many things to memorize. That's one reason why I love it. I have always had a thing for numbers and I really love mixing reactions and creating something out of what I am given in a lab class. Titrations are my favorite with mixing an acid-base reaction to create a pink substance and timing it.

My name is Julicia McMiller and I am currently a sophomore transfer. I went to Albion College but will continue my education as a Biochemistry major at either Wayne State University or Eastern Michigan University. My intentions with this major are to become a gynecologist and attend medical school and a residency to follow through. Besides the science-like things, I enjoy playing violin, singing, dancing, writing in calligraphy, learning music by ear, playing tennis, learning more about the human anatomy, specifically the women's female reproductive system, and hanging out with friends and family. I also enjoy volunteering even though I have not been able to do much volunteering with the coursework for college. I understand that being a doctor will be a long run and time but I am determined that I will be able to make my wish come true. Being an undergraduate student and soon to be a medical student, I understand a few things about the process based on other people's opinions and beliefs on how to succeed. The most common thing is "I want to help people." The second common thing is what I am asked. When I tell someone what I want to do I get asked "Am I being a doctor just for the money?". Growing up, I knew I wanted to be a doctor and never just tried to do it to help people or just because of the large amount of money that comes with it. My plan to contribute to the field is to help show representation and help change the field of medicine whether that may be big or small. I know things beyond medicine may be outdated or too far from the present. It can create anxiety and doubts when it comes to medicine and women's health. This is due to the lack of education about the human body and women. When teenagers take classes like sexual education, the students don't get taught certain aspects, for example, endometriosis, and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Still, they are taught about the human body as a human and sexually transmitted diseases and infections. There is also the conception of fibroids among the black community that many people may ignore or not have knowledge of. This is why I want to be a gynecologist. I want to encourage more people of color about the other diseases that not many others know. The outdated aspect comes from how different procedures are done. An example of this would be a colposcopy, which is done when abnormal cells can be found on the cervix and how many females see menstrual cramp pain not as serious as things can be. Women are gaslighted into thinking that certain period symptoms are normal but this is long due for the generations. Birth control has become more popular as masking symptoms but it is not the answer for everything. As a future gynecologist, I want to be able to show the world that doctors aren’t something that shouldn't be dreaded. I want females to feel comfortable telling doctors certain things that happen with their bodies and to feel heard and not just ignored. Women should not have to get overlooked for pain in their lives especially when something can be done to manage symptoms. I want to contribute my knowledge to seeking women and certain aspects that can help women decrease the amount of pain they experience. Also, to create a more positive atmosphere in the field of gynecology.

My name is Julicia, and I am currently an undergraduate transfer student. I went to Albion College but am transferring to Wayne State University, Eastern Michigan University, or Central Michigan University to pursue a bachelor's degree in biochemistry. Besides my science interests, I enjoy playing the violin, listening to music, writing scholarship essays, learning music by ear, and writing in calligraphy. I plan to start learning ASL soon. I have taken many years of Spanish and want to learn another language to help with a resume or skill. Even though I am only a sophomore-junior in college, I have done some things to represent leadership, including participating in two honor societies in high school, the Tri-M Music Honor Society and the National Honor Society. Much of my leadership in the community came from my early high school years. I participated in many things like tennis, orchestra, student council, and mentorship to help freshmen get familiar with high school juniors and seniors. I love volunteering and hope to get more experience as soon as possible. I plan to focus more on school now since I have many years of schooling. When I obtain this degree, I plan on doing a gap year for one to two years to build a resume and get more hours for clinical or shadowing a doctor. Once I obtain a bachelor’s degree, I will go to medical school for four years, and I am not sure where I would like to go from there. I dream of becoming a gynecologist to make a difference in medicine and help promote representation for other females or people of color. When I become a gynecologist, I want to focus on helping women of color feel comfortable with going to a gynecologist. I know gynecology is a career that mostly men are in, and that may make some women uncomfortable with the lack of female doctors who want to be gynecologists. I continue to say that I want to make a change in the world, and I mean that big or small, I want to change something in medicine. Many aspects of medicine can be outdated, and I feel there should be another way of doing medicine, especially in gynecology. For example, with an IUD insertion or other types of procedures that are predicted by doctors based on pain tolerance, other women have different types of pain tolerances. I want to help show the world that gynecology does not have to be intimidating or even dreaded due to a lack of experience with pain. Some women have trauma due to these painful procedures, which can contribute to anxiety when it comes to having to see a gynecologist or even a new one. I want to be a comforting doctor that people can look up to, not based on personal experience but to show clarity or some relief. Even though I have many years to go before becoming a gynecologist, I want to impact the world beyond just wanting to help people.

As a first generational college student trying to become a gynecologist and the first in my family to become a doctor, it holds a lot of power and compassion when it comes to my family. I know most people in my family decided to either not go to college or try college but not liking it whether it being from financial burdens, a waste of time or just by college not being for them. It also means that there is a lot of pressure on me to try and get a degree as I am the first to get a degree. Many other students have parents or even relatives who can help them go through the college process or have someone tell them how it is or even a pep talk. I do not have that much luxury, especially as a major in STEM. It is a privilege to be going to college nowadays, trying to go into medical school after undergraduate but specifically being the first in my family in general. In college, I want to pursue a bachelor's degree in Biochemistry and then hopeful the opportunity to get to medical college. After I complete my bachelor's degree, I am going to take a gap year to either shadow a doctor or get some research experience before I apply to medical school. I plan to take my MCAT exam while I am in undergraduate school that way if I do need to retake it I can. While I am an undergraduate, I want to meet new people, explore different clubs and experiences to add to a resume and network with certain individuals to help me get into medical school. Since I am a STEM major in my family it means most of the work that I put in will be for my future. I have a few other goals besides medicine and college are to get an apartment somewhere, a car, start a family depending on financial situations and hopefully to get married. Depending on where I decide to get an apartment will impact the car situations and starting a family. A car right now will as a huge financial burden that I cannot afford right now, and it is the same as trying to find an apartment, especially in this economy. With my future career that I am trying to pursue getting married and having kids has been something that I keep questioning since I want to make a strong career, but I feel like it will be difficult to start a family and be a doctor at the same time.

If I could choose two shows to crossover in one episode it would be Liv and Maddie with Hannah Montana. I know this may seem interesting due to the fact both Liv and Hannah (Miley) are singers, but I think it would work out well. The show would start out as Maddie winning tickets to see Hannah Montana in concert for the whole Rooney family. This would be about Christmas time so they would go on a plane to California. When they arrive at a hotel, they realize there was a mix-up with the rooming assignments, so Parker and Joey did not have a room. There were only 2 rooms assigned for Karen, Mr. Rooney, Liv, and Maddie. As they are discussing this issue with the attendant there is a girl behind them that offers her room. This girl was Miley. They did not know her and felt bad, but they took her room. Miley, Lily, and her dad were able to get a different room specialty since she gave up her room for Joey and Parker. Miley did not realize that her room was special with posters, room service and an overall suite. The boys take advantage of the room while Liv and Maddie explore the city, Karen gets a massage at the spa and Mr. Rooney catches up on football reruns of his team. It is now the next day, and the family is getting ready for the concert. Liv runs into Miley and thanks her again for letting her brothers take the room. She becomes her friend and starts asking Miley questions about where she was from and if she wanted to go shopping. Miley had to produce an excuse to make it seem like she was busy that night without showing her true self. Eventually Lily comes over and tells Miley that she has a make-up emergency in the room. They run off and Miley tells Liv some other time. An hour before the concert Liv, Maddie and the whole family get to their seats waiting for Hannah to perform. Liv decides to go the bathroom and Maddie follows her, so she does not get lost. The girls see this room and think that it is the bathroom, but it turns out that it is Hannah's dressing room. Hannah comes out of her bathroom frightened that the two of them are there and runs back into the bathroom. Liv and Maddie ran out of the dressing room, but Hannah stops them. They are also filled with excitement as they get her interview. Hannah asks if they want to perform with her on stage and Maddie nudged Liv and told her to go for it. Maddie goes back to the seats with her family and Liv goes on stage with Hannah. They prepared a song to sing together very quickly and since Liv knew mostly all of Hannah's songs it was perfect. The concert arose with cheers and screams from the fans and it was a wonderful experience for Liv since she was also well known to the people. After the performance Liv hugs Hannah and starts to walk back out to her family. Rooney's head back to the hotel, finish pack and start heading back to the airport to fly out to Wisconsin.

My name is Julicia McMiller, and I am a transfer student from Albion College. I will be transferring to either Wayne State University, Eastern Michigan University or Central Michigan University as a Biochemistry major. I am from a small town in Michigan called Trenton that is close to Ohio. I am currently a sophomore-junior student because this would be my third time transferring schools and hopefully my last time. With my bachelor's degree in Biochemistry, I want to go to medical school to pursue my career in being a gynecologist. I plan to go for a master's and am still debating a doctorate, but it would depend on how much debt I will be in. I am still questioning whether I want to get married and have kids in the future due to the extent of my career. As a first-year student, I was in a co-ed medical fraternity where I helped serve food to the homeless as a community service act across from the university. I plan to do more community service things around wherever I go for college in the fall. I hope I can get back into another Phi Delta Epsilon and continue to do community service from there and get involved in internships while networking with other pre-med students or advisors. I will continue to save this money for the rest of the student loans that I will owe in the future. I have always been a great saver of money and want to pay off my loan as soon as possible before it collects any more interest. I plan to get a job and possible taking a gap year before I go to medical college to help save money and try to pay off the loan the best that I can. I am also hoping to receive my scholarships to help pay off my student loan debt. Sadly, there will be more depending on the status of my medical school residency, but I am hoping that everything will come out already and my loans will get paid off eventually whether it is by me or just with the help of other scholarships. The rest of the money will go towards paying for medical school and preparing to study for the mcat exam or Medical College Admission Test and other expenses I will have to live with in the process. For example, a car, and housing expenses alone.

When I was younger, I always hated math because I was never good at it. All the way back to elementary school I was great at math until 5th grade I struggled a lot. My teacher was willing to help me and gave me these workbooks and eventually my spark for math came back. There are so many aspects when it comes to math, and it is a love hate relationship since people either love numbers or hate numbers. I have secretly loved numbers because I can memorize numbers very well to the point to some people call me a bit crazy. I feel like certain setbacks have made me lose my potential to remain good at math especially since COVID. There are just so many numbers, systems and formulas that result in math and that is my favorite part. I love it when there are formulas or simply basic knowledge when it comes to multiplication or square roots for example, the square root of 144 being 12. There is even math in chemistry. Some people may hate math and hate chemistry because they are what they call "math people". It is just another reason I love it. As a pre-med student with a biochemistry major, I am aware that I will have many more math classes to go through and it may be hard, but I am hoping I will not lose my love for math.

My name is Julicia McMiller, and I am from Michigan. I am currently transferring from Albion College and plan to go to either Central Michigan University, Wayne State University or Eastern Michigan University to major in Biochemistry. If I could name one thing that interests me, it would be music. I have been playing violin for about 10 years and I have been in choir ensembles since I was the age of 8. Whenever I study, I use music to help keep me focused and motivate me to get better grades. I feel like if I did not have music in my life, I would lose my purpose and my passion to wanting to continue being a STEM major. If I could do anything in my life, I would want to know how to dance and compete in competitions. When I was younger, I was in dance at the age of 5 and I liked it, but it was expensive in cost, so I ended up stopping it. It would be nice to be able to pick up jazz dancing again. I never realized how much I liked dance until I was in an acapella singing and dancing group and it just came back to me. It became something I could do to relieve stress and anxiety with exams and things like that. I would want to try and pick up dance again but maybe this time not competitively since I am well above the age to even start competing anyway. Something that excites me in STEM is both how much I love chemistry and how I want to be a gynecologist in future years to come. My first interaction in Chemistry was in 2020 during Covid. Classes were online and we could not really do much besides learn the basic terms of chemistry without labs. The more exciting part came when we did labs and I liked it ever since. Even in college, I did this titration lab, and we mixed a chemical with another to make the liquid clear to pink. That was my favorite lab, and I am hoping I can do more labs that are interesting like that even through my years of undergraduate. I may not be the biggest advocate when it comes to information technology or IT, but I would want a job that could focus more on the medical aspect of STEM not so much the technology aspect. I know it is important to know how to use certain technology even in medicine, but some of it is not too difficult to use. I think a job would benefit me through medical school especially since more technology is used there than in undergraduate schooling. The more experience in external resources the better it may seem on resumes or even on medical school applications. It could make me stand out or gain more knowledge when it comes to technology and the medical world over many other students. One of the greatest challenges I had to overcome would be receiving my first concussion from my junior year of high school. Everyone that I have talked to warned me about junior because of SATs and ACT testing all while thinking about colleges and trying to pass my classes. It happened on December 12, 2020. I was taking a shower and from this day I do not know exactly how it happened, but I whited out and could not see anything in the bathroom. From my mom, I hit my head on the side of the bathtub. I could not see color for a whole 10 minutes and I could not even see my mom. When I became conscious, I was laughing, not realizing what had just happened and was told to rest. I woke up the next morning overly sensitive to light and I did not go to the hospital. I did decide to get checked out and that was when I was told I sustained a concussion with no internal injuries. Since this was 2020 and we were in online classes and zooming, it was hard to keep up with my homework. As a straight A student, I hated every second of this because I am used to turning in assignments on time without extra accommodations. I talked to mt teachers about it, and they were very understanding. They were very empathetic towards me because I had a strong relationship with my teachers. When we had to go back to classes, the bright lights messed me up bad, and I would have bad headaches/migraines to the point where it became overwhelming. I managed to get passed it by taking my time and being okay to ask for accommodations for the first couple times especially in high school. It has helped me be able to vocalize when I need help or have trouble understanding material specifically in college now as well. It has helped me realize that even through tough times, I can still endure and be able to do things even with difficulty.

Ever since I could remember I loved being able to help people and make sure other people are okay before myself, but I have learned growing up to focus on myself as well. You may ask why this is why my passion starts? It all started with a little girl and a dream. By the time I was eight years old, I knew I wanted to be a doctor but specifically a gynecologist. I always wanted to be different than everyone else and I wanted to watch different pregnancies shows that would inspire me to maintain this dream growing up and surprisingly it did. As I mentioned previously, how I loved being able to help people, that is not the only reason I want to be a doctor. That specific answer is so irrelevant when it comes to why anyone wants to be doctor but that is not my reason. The reason I am passionate and have this dream to be a doctor is to inspire other women like me and to make a change in the field of medicine but specifically gynecology. I believe that some of the things that are taught or even learned tie back to the older years of medicine where certain devices were used to do things that cannot be used today in the 21st century. I understand that it may be hard trying to figure out what I want to change in the field of medicine and how to inspire other women that although being a black woman in STEM is difficult, it can still be managed. Being in the low 5% of Black physicians also has inspired me to continue wanting to become a doctor. I may not be a medical student yet, but I am close to it. I do not want to let this dream die and feel like I have done nothing in this world. The little girl inside of me is not a quitter and I think that if I put my mind into something then eventually it can be achieved. I want to change something small in the field of medicine and see how beneficial or useful this change can be. I may need help with however I want to change something, but I still want it to remain my idea. I think that over time I will be able to inspire other people with this dream and eventually will make my sense of change in the field of medicine.

I am certain that this show will forever be the talk of the media, but my favorite Netflix series is Bridgerton. The main reason I love it is not for the spicy scenes. It could be a little bit, but I am obsessed with the amount of representation in the characters and how they make the problems in the show feel so real. I love the idea of how they court instead of date with the older theme and costume choices. This show is a show that deserves more attention especially because it is so different than any other show I have ever watched. Once someone starts watching Bridgerton it becomes an extremely easy series to just binge watch. It can also be very emotional at times, especially in season 1 and 2 with Daphne and The Duke of Hastings, also known as Simon or Bassett. Yes, I know he has a title name like that but honestly it suits him. He is also my favorite character in the show not because of his name but because he is a good-looking actor. Rege Jean-Page is the name and I feel like he was perfect for Daphne, but he was so stubborn at first and lied to Daphne about not being able to bear children. To understand the importance of this part you would have to watch it. I will not spoil it for you. This new upcoming season will be interesting since it is Penelope and Colin. I keep seeing fan pages and teasers of it and it only comes out on May 16. If you want a show where you can just sit back and relax with popcorn and even a relaxation day, Bridgerton is the show. There is never a dull moment in this show. It always keeps you on your toes with the gossip also known as Lady Whistledown. It is a daily newspaper that is given out to the neighborhood to keep the town up to date on the events that occur. There are also many scandals that occur with the women in the town but I as I mentioned before I will not spoil anything. One piece of advice I can give someone when they are thinking about watching this show is not to watch it with your parents. There are too many sexual scenes and sexual tension amongst the characters that can easily become inappropriate. Besides, Bridgerton is a good show, and I recommend watching it if you are bored and need a new show to binge watch.

As a child, I was always interested in being a part of the medical field. I would watch television shows that involved teen moms not realizing they were pregnant, and overall pregnancy shows and enjoyed them. I know it may seem that I was too young to want to be going into gynecology, but I was just in love with the female anatomy. Being a science major has been difficult and the main thing that motivates me is the little girl inside who finds it so fascinating about the female body and just wants to make a difference in the world. I have always been hard on myself for my grades and just focusing on the after-effects once I become a gynecologist and how I will be able to make that one change in the field of medicine. When I was trying to pick a major for college, it was a little bit difficult. I follow many people on social media, and they mention that Biology is the best major and others may say it is the worst major. I wanted to pick a major that can be beneficial for me and something I can enjoy. The major I chose was Biochemistry. At my first college, I was a Cellular Molecular Biology major and then I switched over because I enjoyed chemistry. I know many people dread chemistry with all the math and the combinations of mixtures used to make certain experiments, but it was fun for me. Sometimes it can be annoying and just a lot at once but being in a lab specifically for chemistry is very cool. In 2020, I was a sophomore in high school and the first semester I was never in the lab. It was boring just learning the regular key concepts until we were able to get into the lab second semester. I did not enjoy chemistry until my first semester in college. It was the overall environment and all the varied materials. I have a major that can hopefully help me in medical school and the MCAT when I take it in the future. I know there are a load of classes that need to be taken for it and I just want to feel prepared. I am hoping I am making the right decision being this specific major in undergraduate schooling. Biochemistry is a fun major and I think that taking this major will be beneficial for me in the long term.

Growing up, I have always had a compassion for becoming a doctor; it has become something that I wanted to continue to do later in my life. I want to pursue a career in STEM to not only help people but specifically to make a change in the field of medicine. Being a woman in color I feel like it can be more difficult to achieve my goals in the specific field I want to pursue which is Gynecology. There are so many things in the field of medicine that can altered but there is always an issue with trying to change something. I want to be the one to make the change whether it is big or small. I have always been told with my career choice "You will be in schooling for a long time" or "There are never enough gynecologists." These statements have only motivated me to want to become a doctor. Many people who want to become doctors tend to either pursue a career through medical school or fall short due to debt, personal illness, or lack of motivation. Being a doctor is difficult and it is a lot of work for an individual but if I can work through the undergraduate courses and make it to medical school I can become a small percentage of doctors. I want to be able to build a community of people who want a specific doctor based on representation. There are not many African American individuals who can be able to achieve such ambitious goals and there is ongoing medicine to be learned from the overall basic fields of medicine. I want to help people who are like me and be able to connect with specifically African American women. Similarly, it also follows along the lines that doctors may not listen to patients and symptoms and that can cause fear or a sense of uncertainty when it comes to African Americans and certain healthcare experiences. I can relate to this experience, and it makes people not want to trust these doctors since they will not listen. I want to listen to patients and be able to find solutions for certain illnesses that end up being overlooked, especially in the African American community. I want patients to believe that I will not just give up on finding cures or even finding a minor change in the field of medicine. It is more than just helping people with this ethnicity, but I just want to do something good with my life and say that I am proud of something that I have continued to pursue.

I think calculus is an important tool in STEM. I think it is important because there are mathematical concepts that help us understand the world as we know it today. Calculus can be used for description and analysis in the fields of physics, engineering, economics, and even medicine. Calculus is mainly used in physics to study moving objects and is mostly used in everyday life. It can also be used to study how certain objects behave in light and sound waves. In my opinion, no other subject delves into calculus in such depth or makes such use of it. However, given the purpose of all calculus, I believe that STEM courses lend themselves to more use of calculus. Calculus is a very broad subject that can be used in almost any field, not just some of his STEM majors. Another subject in which calculus is often used is engineering. Engineers use analysis to design structures such as bridges, buildings, and even airplanes. Used to calculate forces on structures based on other forces. Engineers can also use calculus to balance fluids. This is very important for engineering applications. Economics can also be applied to calculus. The main purpose is to model economic systems and analyze market movements. You can determine a company's production level and analyze the company's behavior towards consumers. Analytics is also used to study financial market trends and develop investment strategies. Calculus, which examines the human body, is of great importance in medicine. At least I think it's easier to understand well for people who need to measure blood flow or measure a certain amount of fluid going in and out of the body. Using stones in the medical field, we can analyze the movement of the heart and track invisible systemic heart disease. Having a keen interest in being part of the medical field, I know that I need to take at least a few calculus courses to be able to analyze these specific things that can happen in the history of medicine. Calculus is not just for solving math problems, it can be used for so many different things and different jobs. I feel like most people think of calculus as just a subject for people who like mathematics, but mathematics is just as important as anything else, like being able to measure something or study something. In summary, calculus can be very difficult to understand, but I think it is an important tool for STEM subjects. It can be used to describe and analyze careers in physics, engineering, economics, and many other fields. It can also be used to develop mathematical models that help people understand the world more deeply. I feel that calculus is a worthy end to be learned in all areas of education.

Ever since I was younger, I have started to overthink things and most of the time it would be things that either have not happened yet, things that could be wrong, or past decisions that I have made so far in my lifetime. As a college student, it has only gotten worse because I end up zoning out and it has started to become more visible to others. When it comes to other people, I am so used to hiding my feelings from my childhood that if someone asks me "How am I doing?" My response would automatically be "I am fine" or "I am good." Even though I could be going through a lot, I just would not want to talk about it with anyone. I do not know how bad that is for me mentally, but it is something that I do often. I had a therapist and was told that "I do that because of my anxiety. Whenever I zone out it is me trying to get out of my real-world society." I know it may seem dark but sometimes my life can be boring. I want to be a gynecologist and I already know that this overthinking thing that I do will only get worse. I do not want to get rid of this problem because sometimes it helps me escape the world and other times it stresses me out. I do not like to talk about mental health because I feel like everyone who struggles with it has different symptoms and no one is the same. Sometimes I get too invested in what I want to do as my career that I forget that I cannot even do much of anything to prepare to be in my undergraduate years. I always get so excited when it comes to anything gynecology which is why I am so happy to hopefully pursue that career field. I am a little nervous about it because if this issue with my anxiety continues then I am not sure how bad it will affect me then when I become more of an adult. I am just hoping that one day it will resolve itself on its own and my intrusive thoughts will not make me make not so wise decisions. Some people would ask me what brings on the overthinking and I would not know because it usually just comes on by itself. It could be stress, or just being worried about my future but I am told that it is a normal thing to be nervous. Sometimes I want to already be living that lifestyle and then I realize I am not there yet, and I become sad, but I just pretend everything is fine. It is like my friends. I worry so much about them to make sure that they are all right but sometimes I forget that I am a person too and that I have a right to have feelings as well. I give people advice on their problems but when it comes to my own it becomes a different story. I am just hoping that I will have a successful career and that I will be happy to where hopefully the overthinking and anxiety can just go away or become reduced.

My favorite thing about Disney is how diverse they are with diverse cultures and ethnicities. I love to where Disney is trying to be more inclusive with things such as LGBTQ and ethnicity so more people who grow up on Disney have a positive impact on Disney alone. As an African American myself it is nice to see more things that promote ethnicity and make other people think more inclusive. I feel like there are not enough characters that are like me and that is what makes more African Americans feel some type of way when they see all the other characters. For example, the new Little Mermaid movie. I have not seen it yet, but I have seen so many African Americans post how they were so happy to see another princess that was like them, I have also seen little kids as well and it just amazes me how much representation matters. I feel like Disney is trying to promote a more positive environment by doing this and it shows how much they care. The only thing I do not like though is that there was one true African American princess and then when they re-made the Little Mermaid, they changed how it was originally written. If Disney were to produce a newer princess like that then it would be more of a different feeling. Anyways, with all the different Disney princesses and ethnicities, I feel like that is what little girls and even adults look up to in real life. Each Disney princess has a valuable life lesson in the storybook which is what makes each princess different. Those values are what make society a better place for everyone. I just love how there is so much of a variety of those types of things, and it is not just one specific ethnicity. It makes me feel happy about Disney and what they are doing to make a change in the world because if anyone wants to start something different and make it stick it would be Disney or a celebrity. Disney has been around for many years and throughout the years there have been several types of things that Disney tried to promote and that is a good thing. I see nothing wrong with Disney trying to promote things like ethnicity, or LGBTQ things but to make the world a better place. Disney should continue to do what they do and should never change.

As a first-generation college student, I feel like there is a lot of pressure on a certain individual to get a good job and become successful. I feel like someone has to do good in life to make the family stand out. It is hard especially because if someone has younger siblings then there is someone looking up at someone and they will never understand what exactly it is like since they are a first-generation college student. Most first-generation students tend to dream big in a career as a nurse, doctor, lawyer, or something more. It is like they want to be successful in life to make people proud and maybe even themselves. I think it is a big deal to be one of those students because there are more benefits and depending on GPA, or testing scores it could help with more scholarships. The main focus between a first-generation college student and a career is mostly to impress people or also to make them feel like they accomplished something in life other than just high school graduation, or other main accomplishments. It is not easy to get a degree depending on the degree someone goes for but I feel like as a first-generation college student that motivation is there to be different and stand out in the world.

My senior year was a challenging time for me. I was just cleared for a concussion that I sustained back in 2020, and it was the beginning of the new school year, and I love school. I just like being able to keep busy and get things done to keep my grades up. I never took a gym class, and for my school, a student needed at least one year of gym to graduate. I knew I'd get hurt sooner or later because of my clumsiness. It was the first couple weeks of the school year, but September 9, 2021, changed me. My class went outside, and I decided to play volleyball. There was a large net and other students playing volleyball. There was an underclassman who had the ball to serve. I was a few feet away from her because it was very windy, and somehow, when she hit the ball, the wind blew it over to my face and hit me in the forehead on the right-hand side. This was how I received my second concussion. Having a concussion, especially throughout senior year, is very hard to manage with getting through high school, college applications, and everything else that comes along with it. I am a straight-A student, or what some would call a try-hard student. Being told to take my breaks to control my headaches and having to try my hardest to pay attention to learn new material and remember things were not easy for someone like me. This concussion has affected me mentally and physically badly. It was to the point where my grades weren’t where I wanted them to be, and I would get frustrated at myself because I didn’t know how to help myself. Communication with teachers about my condition has helped me somewhat, but not completely. After I graduated with high honors, I realized all the homework and other stuff I did and the grades I received did not determine the kind of person I am. Yes, it is okay to have good grades, and it is okay to be in quite a few extracurriculars, but I have learned that it does not matter in life. The one thing that I started telling myself after not getting the grades that I would have liked was that I tried my best. I lived my high school years trying to make sure everything was perfect and that I was doing enough things, but overall, that was the only thing that mattered. With the concussion, I have learned to go with the flow of things and see how things would work out on their own without interfering with anything, and so far, for me, it has helped quite a bit. I feel better about certain things and have more positive energy from the things that come to mind. All I can say now is that everything happens for a reason, and the only thing you can do now is wait.

I would say that my mental health is affected by my overthinking and anxiety. I constantly overthink every little thing that happens in my life whether it is an everyday thing, for example what could happen in a day or lifelong things that could happen for example my life choices past my career. Overthinking is a huge part of what messes up what I want to do like my goals. I second-guess myself or think of scenarios, whether good or bad. Many of my friends and family could say that I zone out a lot and I would say it is due to overthinking and my anxiety as well. I feel like I do not have anyone to relate to and that I am alone with my thoughts. I usually try not to ask for help because I am the kind of person who puts others above myself and that becomes mentally draining sometimes. When I was younger, I used to have issues sleeping and I would always think that it was because I did not want to miss anything important in the world and I currently am the same way today. I feel like few people take the time to discuss different versions of how someone deals with mental health. Yes, it affects people differently and no two people have the same reactions. In society today, people feel ashamed to speak out about how they feel daily or try and spread positivity that it is a normal thing.

Being an African American first-generation college student, I feel like I have already faced adversity many times. For example, I want to be a gynecologist and there are few gynecologists in the world today who are also African American or even know how to deal with African Americans when it comes to the reproductive system. Black women have more risks and I feel like since I want to be a gynecologist and I want to make a change in the world of medicine I can do that by becoming a gynecologist and being a woman of color. Another reason is because of the other extracurriculars I have done with people being mostly Caucasian, I feel looked down on or that I do not belong with them or that I should do things with people of my color. I went through my pre-high school years in a mostly Caucasian school district and made many friends that are also Caucasian because there were few people like me at the school entirely. I did not let that stop me from being the person that I am today. It does not make me feel a certain way in circumstances like these since this is how I grew up, but I feel like I will have more adversity issues in the future than right now. As I have mentioned above, I plan to help the community by becoming an African American gynecologist and specifically learning more about the African American issues that women must go through. I feel like as an African American woman, more issues are not talked about enough or are being misdiagnosed for something different because people are not that familiar with the anatomy and Black women. I also feel like there should be a change in the world of medicine. Living through the years with hearing that birth control fixes everything or how even unnecessary things that birth control can help fix. Another example would be specific medical procedures in the field of gynecology that were created by men and that should not be painful but to a woman, it hurts badly. I do not just want to help people in the world, I want to make a difference in the field of medicine whether it be big or small. Sometimes I just wish it did not take so long to become a doctor, but I know that with a lot of practice, hopefully, I can be the doctor that I genuinely want to be.

My name is Julicia McMiller, and I am currently a first-generation college transfer student. I started my first year at Saginaw Valley State University for the fall and winter but then my tuition payments were raised, and I was not fully aware of that, so I had no choice but to take out a student loan. I plan to attend either Wayne State University or Albion College with a major in either molecular biology, biochemistry, or a type of science major. I would like to pursue a career as a gynecologist. I have always wanted to become one from an early age and the reason I want to be one is because I want to make a difference in the field of medicine. I feel like certain things related to women's healthcare are outdated and it is time for something to change. I know becoming a gynecologist will take a lot of money, time, and commitment but I am determined to follow my dreams. The community involvement from my high school experience and college experience has changed drastically. When I was in high school, I was in clubs such as Tri-M Music Honors Society, National Honor Society, Student Council, and Link Crew and maintained a leadership role in both orchestras related to my school. For my senior year, the total hours needed for the National Honor Society was 24 and for Tri-M, 4 hours total. I volunteered many times with the marching band and other school-related events to make the quota. Now in college, the only main thing I did was help the soup kitchen both times for the fall and winter semesters. It was in the fraternity I was in called Phi Delta Epsilon. We would have a specific amount of attendance needed to stay in the group. Over the years, I have received many accomplishments such as academics or solo and ensemble festivals for violin, but I think my major accomplishment would be the 4-year orchestra plaque that I received upon my high school graduation. The reason it is so major to me is because of how badly covid affected everyone especially with my class being only sophomores, it was difficult to stay in it especially when we had the online classes. Also, when I had my concussions during covid it made it harder to stick with it due to the limitations of playing violin and the loud sounds. With the money I save, I would save it to help prepare for my next few years as a medical student. Those are some massive expenses and if I get these loans out of the way it would be less to have to deal with, especially when I get into medical school. I would also try and help my family since they keep having financial troubles and are planning to move very soon.

My name is Julicia McMiller and currently, I am a second-year transfer student as an undergraduate. I went to Saginaw Valley State University for the fall and winter semesters of 2022-2023 and plan on transferring to either Wayne State University or Albion College. My major is in Cellular Molecular Biology sciences, and I want to pursue a career as a gynecologist. Besides the medical field, I am also passionate about music. I am a violinist and a singer as well. I love music, writing in calligraphy, playing tennis, and learning music by ear on the violin. Writing in calligraphy and learning songs by ear are things that I self-taught myself in the year 2020. There are quite a few reasons why I want to attend college. One of the first reasons is that I want to make sure I have the recommended classes needed to be taken to get into medical school. I think having this major and these classes will help me understand some of the things that are taught in medical college. Another reason is to receive the college experience, and I am not talking about the fraternity/ sorority life but the amount of work I have already shown to continue where I need to be. I am an extremely hard worker when it comes to doing work. I do not procrastinate, and my work is always done on time and efficiently. I have also been this way since high school. Lastly, I think the right knowledge and the amount of time that I spend in college will help me be better when I do become a doctor. I know it will take a lot of hard work, character, and patience, but I believe I will succeed in this career. Some other life goals I want to pursue are to become a successful gynecologist, find a way to pay off the debt that I will be in, raise a family, have a nice car, and have kids when the time comes. I am just hoping I will not be the person who works themselves to death. My priorities are so focused on schooling and being able to retain information without any distractions. I want to become a doctor more than anything in the world. Hopefully, when I do finally become a doctor, I can start focusing on other priorities in front of me, for example, the other luxuries of life.

My name is Julicia McMiller and currently, and I am a second-year transfer student in undergraduate. I went to Saginaw Valley State University for the fall and winter semesters of 2022-2023 and plan on transferring to either Wayne State University or Albion College. My major is in Cellular Molecular Biology sciences, and I want to pursue a career as a gynecologist. Besides the medical field, I am also passionate about music. I am a violinist and a singer as well. I love music, writing in calligraphy, playing tennis, and learning music by ear on the violin. Writing in calligraphy and learning songs by ear are things that I self-taught myself in the year 2020. I have always been interested in medicine since I was 4-5 years old. I started watching shows like "I Didn't Know I was pregnant" and "16 and Pregnant". I know it was at an early age, but I liked those types of things. My mom told me when I was 8 that I went with her to the gynecologist and asked the gynecologist all kinds of questions. I think at an early age was when I knew what I wanted to be as a lifelong career. I am aware of the amount of work needed to get to my dream, but I am incredibly determined and motivated in getting to where I need to be. I am told by so many people that "I bet you want to go into the medical field to help people." There are so many other reasons why someone would want to be a doctor than to help people. The reason I want to be a gynecologist is that I want to make a change in the medical field. It does not have to be a tremendous change; it could be an insignificant change. I feel like so many things in the world of gynecology were created by men and are outdated. For example, people with endometriosis or PCOS. Most men would just tell females to get on birth control or just work out more. There needs to be more females or people who should want to be in this kind of field due to certain doctors like this. I want to be a doctor where women can come to and be able to know that they will get the best care. I will investigate things further to find a true solution. I know I have a lot of years ahead of me and that will take a lot of money, but I am a focused, organized, and determined individual. I hope to be able to make it to where I want to be in life.

My name is Julicia McMiller and currently, and I am a second-year transfer student as an undergraduate. I went to Saginaw Valley State University for the fall and winter semesters of 2022-2023 and plan on transferring to either Wayne State University or Albion College. My major is in Cellular Molecular Biology sciences, and I want to pursue a career as a gynecologist. Besides the medical field, I am also passionate about music. I am a violinist and a singer as well. I love music, writing in calligraphy, playing tennis, and learning music by ear on the violin. Writing in calligraphy and learning songs by ear are things that I self-taught myself in the year 2020. I have always been interested in medicine since I was 4-5 years old. I started watching shows like "I Didn't Know I was pregnant" and "16 and Pregnant". I know it was at an early age, but I liked those types of things. My mom told me when I was 8 that I went with her to the gynecologist and asked the gynecologist all kinds of questions. I think at an early age was when I knew what I wanted to be as a lifelong career. I am aware of the amount of work needed to get to my dream, but I am incredibly determined and motivated in getting to where I need to be. I am told by so many people that "I bet you want to go into the medical field to help people." There are so many other reasons why someone would want to be a doctor than to help people. The reason I want to be a gynecologist is that I want to make a change in the medical field. It does not have to be a tremendous change; it could be an insignificant change. I feel like so many things in the world of gynecology were created by men and are outdated. For example, people with endometriosis or PCOS. Most men would just tell females to get on birth control or just work out more. There needs to be more females or people who should want to be in this kind of field due to certain doctors like this. I want to be a doctor where women can come to and be able to know that they will get the best care. I will investigate things further to find a true solution. I know I have a lot of years ahead of me and that will take a lot of money, but I am a focused, organized, and determined individual. I hope to be able to make it to where I want to be in life.

I love math because there are so many numbers in the world that each number is unique, and I would say I am more of a unique person myself as well. There are so many types of math formulas and equations, even in chemistry or stem calculation. Math is an everyday and ongoing thing that everyone must continue to take in life, whether adding or multiplying to pi. I love math because it is fun. Even though most people hate math, I am one of the people who find it fascinating. You can never escape math in life unfortunately just like history or English it will always come back around. There is so much to love about math from equations to fractions and then the fun part with factoring. I love just being able to get out a pencil and paper and just calculate without getting distracted. Even as a STEM major it never gets old. Math is like a whole different world from other subjects that I just love. And in life, you never stop learning and there are so many subjects in math from beginner algebra up to calculus. All levels are things that I love. If I could go back to high school and take more math classes to be advanced I would in a heartbeat.

If I could name a song that has an important message to me it would be Rainbow by Meghan Trainor. I chose this song because sometimes I am insecure about myself because on the outside I tend to be this bubbly, nice, sincere, caring, and very thoughtful person to other people but on the inside, I just feel shy or even timid. It's the same feeling that someone would say something nice to someone else or a compliment, or even admire something about someone but when the roles are switched and someone would compliment me I would turn them down because I don't see myself how other people would possibly see me. I think the message of the song would be to love yourself because there are people out there in the world who may like you even though, that is okay. After all, if you love yourself that is all that matters in the real world.

Ever since I was about the age of 5, I have always had a strong interest in gynecology. I am aware it may sound a little interesting, but I started watching shows like the TLC show “I didn’t know I was pregnant," “16 & Pregnant," and one more show I don’t remember the name of. I just loved being able to watch the beautiful process of a woman giving birth to a child. Although I was really young to have a passion for something so serious and profound, I just knew that gynecology was something I wanted in life, let alone a career. As the years grew on, when I was turning into more of an adult, the mindset was still there and I would just love to pursue a dream that I have always had. I feel like being a part of that process involves helping women of all ages and possibly doing something to change the world for women to be inspiringly remarkable. My goal in life is to inspire women to become more educated about female anatomy. Since I have been a part of the education system, personally, I feel like girls or women should be taught more than just in a health class within an overall gym class. Also, all the common myths that more mature people tell younger girls should be corrected somehow. Gynecology is something I would love to pursue, and I will forever want to keep working hard on my goal to make this happen. A few things that set me back from discovering a career were when I received back to back concussions in a matter of 2 years. This was during my high school junior and senior years. It has been a struggle for me because I am what some would say is a typical straight-A student with many extracurriculars. I feel like being able to do those things while dealing with something so traumatic has shaped me into the person that I am currently. Another setback would have to be obtaining financial stability. I was accepted into a college that had more scholarships set aside for me, and I won a few more but lost most of them. Over the summer, I worked a part-time job to get some money set aside for college. What I am trying to do is, since I am on my own, try not to depend on my parents for money. I feel like that is something I have gotten used to, and I don’t think that is a good position to be in. I started paying off college on my own within a payment plan. I believe that if I get another job on-campus, that should help cover the cost a bit, and starting to apply to more scholarships should help me be able to become financially independent on my own. With the unfortunate terms of events, I am hoping that I will be able to break away from my parents and pay off school on my own. I am aware that I still have a few more years of undergrad, grad school, medical school, and at some point, a surgical residency program, but I feel like I will be able to get through it. Since this is a learning experience with college life and financial life, it may become challenging at times, but if I get the understanding of it now, then it should help me go a long way as I get closer to my career. I am hoping this skill will help me pursue where I want to be.

Becoming a gynecologist is something that I have wanted to do since I was about the age of 5. It wasn't because I wanted to help people, or the money. I just wanted to find a way to change something in the way of medicine whether it be finding a new cure or changing something in the gynecological field. A person I would describe as a hero would be my mom. In 2016, she was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer and it was difficult to manage especially since my dad had an accident where he couldn't properly take care of himself without assistant. Even though both of my parents were down my mom still tried to help make ends meet. Money became tight and then cars that we had started to go away because my family couldn't pay for it. She is still here today and in remission for the 5th year now and that is something to celebrate. She came a long way and deserves the recognition. One thing I would change is how the world is today. Looking back on the other generations and the ages in history, it was more calmer and less violence. I feel like we need to get back to saving our society no matter what race, religion, or ethnicity we are. We are all people and we need to take that into consideration that everyone is different.

Being a first-generation college student, I think my best tip would be start working on time management before college. I say this because in high school you have teachers being on you for turning in assignments with so many reminders saying "Due this date" or so on but in college you don't have that luxury. I would advice using a planner or even an app on your phone for updated on when assignments or even tests are due. If you are like me you have picked up this school early in high school. I am saying this coming from a straight A high student always keeping up on my work. It is so easy to lose focus or get distracted when doing schoolwork. I mean there are different sports, clubs, friends, and social media. I understand that especially coming from the pandemic. But education is important especially when you get to college because college isn't free like high school and you are on your own. Adulting. Making the most of what you want to be in the world. Instagram: jujugirl_04 Snapchat:janay080304 Tiktok: juliciamcmiller

I believe one of the biggest problems that we have is people struggling with mental health and not being able to get the support that they need from adults or other advisors. I think it's the judgment of people or somewhat of a bias to believe that people with mental disorders or problems means that they are less among the average or even worse "crazy". I live in Michigan and there is not a lot of mental health places here for people to seek help and I believe my state isn't the only state that has the same issue. I feel like there should be more reliable sources for people that need assistance or help in the world so there are less tragedies. As for me, this is something I would be happy to see. People should be able to speak more on mental health without being shamed or publicized for it. Mental health issues are a real thing just like any other disease that is known or at this point unknown as we speak. There are many advocates who try to promote mental health and of course there are haters in the world who think that mental health problems are fake. I believe there should be more people who are willing to advocate mental health so that way the haters can see that it is a real issue. I think having more sources available will also cut down on the suicide rates especially among teenagers. Mental health provokes more in the teenagers, but it is about equal as in adulthood. People should be more open to discuss mental health without judgment to help make the world a better place.

One practical solution for helping others is letting people know that they can trust you and that you are willing to help them. I believe being around someone who is struggling can make them feel better about being open to maybe that person or seek help from an adult or counselor. I feel like in the world we live in today some people try to make it seem like mental health is not that big of a problem or as a parent they would tell their children that it is just a phase when that only makes the person struggling worse. I am a go-to friend for some people struggling with mental health and I think that since they hold in what happens and need to vent it feels frustrating. I want people to feel better or even happy with themselves. Being that person who makes people feel better is something that I love doing. I have actually had a friend growing up who struggled with mental health and sometimes they would think suicide would be a better solution. They thought that no one knows what they are going through and to me it was heart breaking. I made them realize what the world would be missing without them and so far, it has helped. It turns out they are one of my best friends for and I have also become someone they can talk to or trust. I believe that mental health is an actual illness and that there are treatments available for people struggling. Some people are willing to help even if it is just advice that you may not want to hear. It is still guidance that can walk you through life.

Ever since I was a little girl I dreamed of being a gynecologist and helping make the world a better place. I always watched pregnancy shows at the age of 8 because it was something that interest me. I would always get fussed at by my grandma for watching it so young but it was just something I loved. I couldn’t really set my mind to watch anything else because I was so into that. Now that I am a senior in high school my dreams are still the same except now I keep thinking of colleges. I really don’t want to stay in the state I am in because it’s kind of boring here. I am trying to make a plan to go to either Indiana, Illinois or even possibly New York. Ever since I went on a trip with my 8th grade class I knew that was where I wanted to be. New York just spoke to me being there it felt so real and better from here. I also plan on going to medical school after I graduate college. I think going through medical school is a very important decision in the medical process. I also hope that I will become married to someone special in my life. Someone who is understanding, kind-hearted, and loving. I plan on moving to New York and possibly having kids if I have the time with everything else in my life. I still plan on having a minor degree in music because that is mostly what I am passionate about. Being a violin player for many years has made me inspired to music and anything related to music. I would hate to let my playing ability go to waste. Also the same with singing.

Ever since I was the age of 8 I knew I wanted to become a gynecologist. I started out watching pregnancy shows like I didn’t know I was pregnant and other things like that at this age. I want to attend college because I think it’s important especially since I want to be in the medical field. I need the proper training and experience in order to be a gynecologist. I plan to make an impact by becoming an African American gynecologist helping women in most likely a specific state. There are some things I would like to change about how things run and I’m hoping I can be the start to the next generation. I think it’s important that people my age should have an idea as to to what they want to be in life whether it’s medical, or any other major. I want to do something to change the world and I have no doubt that being in the medical field can help me reach my goal. I know becoming a gynecologist is a lot to learn and know but I am ready to take on the challenge and learn. I love helping people and I think becoming a gynecologist is the right way to go for me.

Have you ever thought that by the time you were 3 you would be singing before you could talk? Well that was me. I come from a musical family. My talents are singing and playing violin. I have done both for many years. Some extracurriculares I have done is student council and participate in music groups. My financial situation because ever since I was little I have always wanted to be a gynecologist. It always spiked in interests in me. But medical school isn’t as cheap as some people think it is. My family doesn’t really have a lot of money but I am trying to find as many scholarships as I can so my parents don’t have to pay a lot of money. This scholarship would affect because I am an African American girl who just wants to help women and young women because I feel that there’s not a lot of gynecologist in the world. My career goals is to go to either University of Chicago, New York University, John Hopkins or New York Medical College to become a gynecologist. If that doesn’t work out then I want to pursue my career with acting. I have already started acting classes so I have most experience with it.