When I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2010, managing my health meant constant finger pricks and daily insulin injections. When I was 4, I received my first insulin pump, followed a couple years later by my first continuous glucose monitor (CGM). I still needed to finger prick regularly to calibrate the device, but significantly less than previously. A couple years after that I got my first closed loop system, where the sensor and pump would work together to automatically adjust insulin delivery. Most recently, I got on a newer system that requires no finger pricks. Growing up alongside these advancements showed me how powerful medical technology can be. It is this relentless development of medical technology that has inspired me to pursue the field of bioengineering. Bioengineering is a broad field, but I am particularly passionate about medical technology. The summer before my senior year of high school, I had the opportunity to work in a bioengineering lab at Caltech that was focused on noninvasive biosensors. The lab’s goal was to identify biomarkers, such as lipids and glucose, that could act as indicators for kidney disease. What made the project so unique, was that the sensors were noninvasive: the biomarker would attach to an enzyme, and the body would sweat out a byproduct of the reaction, such as hydrogen peroxide in the glucose - glucase reaction. The sensors would then detect and analyze the concentration of the byproduct in the sweat. This was an amazing experience. For most of my life, the development of glucose sensors and diabetic technology felt very distant. It was something I benefited from, but not something I imagined myself in. Working in the lab changed that. I saw directly from the finger pricks of my earlier days to a future where sensor injections themselves might be negligible. I realized that I could be a part of the process that makes life easier for people like me. Currently, as a freshman at the University of California Berkeley, majoring in bioengineering, I am excited to contribute to the future of medical technology. Living with diabetes has been formative in how I approach challenges in my daily life. My parents have always emphasized that my diagnosis did not limit what I could do, and I have maintained that mindset. I played sports all throughout high school, love hiking, baking, and eating fun things. The medical advancements before and during my lifetime have made these activities more accessible. I refuse to let diabetes restrict my life and living with it has taught me adaptability and problem-solving skills. When I do encounter setbacks that make me think about giving up, I am grounded by the reminder of why I am choosing this. I am motivated by the possibility that my innovations could help others, as past innovations have helped me. If I could make any meaningful contribution to the field of diabetes, I would of course pick a cure. Considering technology: having one injection site that could test blood sugar, inject insulin and glucose would be extraordinary. Clearly this is not a super possible idea because the insulin and glucose would affect the blood sugar readings and there is the question as to how the insulin and glucose would be injected separately. But a single device that could read glucose, stop low blood sugar, and function as a regular pump would reduce patient stress, injection site waste, and physical inconvenience of multiple sites. My personal goal is to make quality of life better for people with chronic disease, and a device like this would.