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Kendra Vincent

665

Bold Points

1x

Finalist

1x

Winner

Bio

I love STEM, I volunteer every opportunity I get, and I work as a math tutor and volleyball coach for underserved communities.

Education

Presentation High School

High School
2020 - 2023

Miscellaneous

  • Desired degree level:

    Doctoral degree program (PhD, MD, JD, etc.)

  • Majors of interest:

    • Biology, General
  • Not planning to go to medical school
  • Career

    • Dream career field:

      biological sciences

    • Dream career goals:

      Sports

      Volleyball

      Club
      2021 – Present4 years

      Awards

      • Sportsmanship Award Titan Athletics
      Virginia Jeanette Drummond Kissane Women in STEM Memorial Scholarship
      Winner
      When I turned ten, I was finally old enough to help my dad decorate the house for Christmas, and I loved spreading that joy. At age thirteen, I connected our holiday spirit to charity by starting a fundraiser for Make@Wish, a foundation that supports hospitalized children and provides hope during the holidays, and this has become our annual tradition. Since then, we've set up a photo booth, baked cookies, and handed out hot cocoa while collecting donations through QR codes; in the last five years, I've raised over $8000 for the foundation. Through Make@Wish, Sacred Heart, tutoring, and local food distributions, I've spent 400+ hours giving back to my community. When Covid hit, I learned there was a way to influence change through the world of STEM. Now that I'm older, I want to participate in that impact. During my junior year, AP Biology's challenging content came to me instinctively. I spent hours studying after class because I found the lectures on cancer research fascinating. Through experiments that made E. coli glow in the dark by cross-mixing genetics, learning how GMOs can solve food insecurity, and the comradery that came with solving complex math equations as a team, it was clear that biology was my calling. By studying science, I can find ways to further help children in Make@Wish by advancing medical research. This year in Biotechnology/Bioethics we are studying ethical decision-making in STEM, like using PGD to select genetics for children, and where to draw the line between advancing medicine and playing God. I plan to implement these progressive lenses of morality and equity as I pursue my degree. I want to find ways to allocate resources to communities of color that lack access to proper healthcare and be an inspiration to future generations. My goal to create a diverse, trustworthy, equitable industry of medicine To be a black woman in STEM means I can open doors for people like me, inspire feminism in science culture, and work towards developing research aimed at curing childhood illness. I also want to allocate resources to communities of color without access to proper healthcare. By studying science, I can change people's lives on a broader scale and impact the world. Receiving this scholarship would allow me to attend USC and explore the academic and social opportunities that I have dreamed about since I was young. As the only black woman in my current high school class, I have learned to fight for representation and take advantage of every opportunity provided to me. Spreading awareness of my experience as a black lesbian and educating others throughout my high school journey is how I’ve made myself seen, and I am ready to take on the world with the same mindset. If given the opportunity to receive this scholarship, I will be sure to use it to the fullest extent and uplift women of all ethnicities and sexualities to help them find their true potential in the world of STEM.
      Kendra Vincent Student Profile | Bold.org