My passion for science and learning has guided me to pursue a STEM field in which I will be able to conduct research or serve my community. This path has opened a wide range of possibilities and nourished numerous dreams for me. One particular dream that I have realized is the ability to incorporate my love of animals with my passion for scientific study. One possibility that I have considered following the completion of my education is to seek work that may allow me to research the growing populations of buffalo and the boundless knowledge that they hold. For the best interest of my tribe and others, I believe that we need to ensure their health for generations to come. No matter the path that I take I fully intend to use my work and knowledge to benefit my people.   I grew up off of the reservation with my mother and father in Las Vegas, Nevada. My childhood was simple until I began high school and encountered more differences between my peers and myself. I was brought up very traditionally and presented myself in many ways that non-Native individuals did not understand at the school I attended. My uncut braided hair, beaded barrettes, and my unwillingness to allow strangers to touch my hair was considered odd by many but I tried very hard to exist as both I and my family desired. Apart from feeling othered by my peers for my ethnicity, I also had to deal with a great many changes in life as I came to the understanding that I did not fit the Christian ideals that my high school pushed. I quickly realized that as I became friends with an intelligent, tall, blonde girl that maybe I wasn't as straight as I had thought growing up. Gender, sexuality, and my own ethnic differences quickly became another gap between me and my peers. Diversity means a sense of belonging and that maybe a young child may not have to feel as I did growing up.

Health is something everyone takes for granted. Everyone does it subconsciously, growing used to the ease of stability and becoming accustomed to day-to-day life. I was much like this growing up as well, as I was fortunate to have a steady home life and a wonderful mother and father. However, upon entering high school my stable life began to shift and the trajectory of my entire life was changed with a single phone call. An unknown number is not something I would have ever considered answering, if not for a foreboding feeling that loomed over me as I sat in the art room of my school after hours. This was the usual routine since middle school, as my mom had a job as an elementary school teacher and my dad never got home later in the evening, often working overtime to support us. I did not receive spam calls often though, as it happened I had just barely earned a phone by showing a stellar report card a couple of months prior. I remember very little of the words that were spoken, only that I was suddenly struck with a feeling of terror and hopelessness I have never felt before. At only fifteen years old at the time when a stranger had to explain that my dad had collapsed in the park as a result of a seizure. The only reason anyone was notified of the accident had been because Dillon, our family dog, had been fitted with my phone number on his collar. I cried for the first time in public that day and could barely breathe as I tried to call my mom. It took numerous calls to friends and coworkers for me to get ahold of my mom, as Nevada district policy prevents teachers from keeping their phones on their person. Through tears, I tried my best to explain and relay all information that I could remember to my mom. It wasn't until a couple of days after numerous visits to doctors and the VA that we were able to determine the cause. My father, a veteran of the Marine Corps, was diagnosed with cerebral atrophy and epilepsy as a result of injuries he sustained during the Gulf War. Given my age, I hardly understood most of the medical terminology at the time, though I wanted to understand it as best I could. So, I studied and learned the best I could, reading books and asking doctors questions whenever I could until I was able to fully grasp the concept of atrophy. Not being able to do anything was a struggle and even today I wish that I had been older, and more knowledgeable so that maybe I could have helped more. However, now I understand the importance of knowledge and research as a whole. With the help of science, people can have a better understanding of the human body, injuries, and the brain. Traumatic brain injuries are an area in which we have not been able to, as a society, counteract and decelerate the effects. For other people and families with similar situations, I have been pushing myself in my education to achieve this goal and apply myself to a career in which I may be able to save lives through research. My father is an amazing man and in his honor, I want to forge a path that might make a difference in the world. I would like to clarify that my father is still alive, however, his health has been declining steadily since. Decreased coordination, memory loss, and a complete alteration in personality mean that he is very much so not the same man that I remember raising me. He is far quicker to anger than I remember, lacking the gentle strength that I adored and idolized growing up. Regardless of any changes, my father is a strong man and I love him regardless of the person that he is today and no matter the inevitable outcome, which will be his brain injury eventually 'winning' either through death or loss of brain function. This is something that I cope with and continuously choose to overcome. On days I am reminded that my father may never see me graduate or marry drive myself forward in an attempt to ensure that I make him proud while he still remembers. Thank you very much for your time and consideration and I apologize if my application is unwelcomed, however, I felt that my situation was relevant. I hope that my family story may at the very least have a small impact and remind someone to appreciate those that they cherish. Miigwetch. Thank you.

Health is something everyone takes for granted. Everyone does it subconsciously, growing used to the ease of stability and becoming accustomed to day life. I myself was much like this growing up as well, as I was fortunate to have a steady home life and a wonderful mother and father. However, upon entering high school my stable life began to shift and the trajectory of my entire life was changed with a single phone call. An unknown number is not something I would have ever considered answering, if not for a foreboding feeling that loomed over me as I sat in the art room of my school after hours. This was the usual routine since middle school, as my mom had a job as an elementary school teacher and my dad never got home later in the evening, often working overtime to support us. I did not receive spam calls often though, as it happened I had just barely earned a phone by showing a stellar report card a couple of months prior. I remember very little of the words that were spoken, only that I was suddenly struck with a feeling of terror and hopelessness I have never felt before. At only fifteen years old at the time when a stranger had to explain that my dad had collapsed in the park as a result of a seizure. In fact, the only reason anyone was notified of the accident had been because Dillon, our family dog, had been fitted with my phone number on his collar. I cried for the first time in public that day and could barely breathe as I tried to call my mom. It took numerous calls to friends and coworkers for me to get ahold of my mom, as Nevada district policy prevents teachers from keeping their phones on their person. Through tears, I tried my best to explain and relay all information that I could remember to my mom. It wasn't until a couple of days after numerous visits to doctors and the VA that we were able to determine the cause. My father, a veteran of the Marine Corps, was diagnosed with cerebral atrophy and epilepsy as a result of injuries he sustained during the Gulf War. Given my age, I hardly understood most of the medical terminology at the time, though I wanted to understand it as best I could. So, I studied and learned the best I could, reading books and asking doctors questions whenever I could until I was able to fully grasp the concept of atrophy. Not being able to do anything was a struggle and even today I wish that I had been older, and more knowledgeable so that maybe I could have helped more. However, now I understand the importance of knowledge and research as a whole. With the help of science, people can have a better understanding of the human body, injuries, and the brain. Traumatic brain injuries are an area in which we have not been able to, as a society, counteract and decelerate the effects. For other people and families with similar situations, I have been pushing myself in my education to achieve this goal and apply myself to a career in which I may be able to save lives through research. My father is an amazing man and in his honor, I want to forge a path that might make a difference in the world.