I'm an out-of-state, rising senior bioengineering student at North Carolina A&T State University. I'm passionate about creating and working to improve medical devices so that I can give nurses and medical professionals the best tools possible. In addition, I committed to my first internship with the Pathways to Accelerating and Computing Engineering AAMU program at the University of California, Irvine, for the summer of 2021. I executed the PICASSO approach; I collaborated with my academic mentors and used Matlab to blindly unmix overlapping fluorophore proteins. PICASSO is an unmixing algorithm useful in biomedical engineering for cell identification. Following the conclusion of the program, I participated in the Apple Women in Science and Engineering Mentoring Program from September 2021 to April 2022 as a mentee. I gained knowledge in the program on how to prepare for graduate school, bridge the gap from undergrad to industry employment, and career interview techniques. Furthermore, I participated in the HBCU First Near-Peer Mentoring Program as a mentor during the summer of 2022. I guided my mentee through a 10-week program involving the preparation of undergraduate studies. We attended daily career-building workshop events to expand our knowledge on the entrance into the industry and created a capstone video detailing our experience in the program. This past April, I completed a program called Level the Playing Field, where I engaged in professional development workshops and networking opportunities. I participated in weekly meetings about financial literacy, public speaking, resume building, dealing with imposter syndrome, and microaggressions. Additionally, my peers and I paid it forward by presenting a few of the skills we acquired from the program to high school students. We wanted to share our experience from the program with others to better prepare them for the path they decide to take after graduating from high school, whether it is the entrance into college, trade school, or the workforce. This summer, I intend to pursue two internships. My first internship is virtual with the College of Engineering at North Carolina A&T State University, called the RED Design Fellowship. I'll be constructing a sensor with my peers to keep track of newborn movement in the crib to prevent crib deaths. As well as working on an information science project at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, for my second internship. In conclusion, given my past and present involvement in engineering-related research, finances have always been a barrier to my attendance at school. Being an out-of-state student and coming from a single-parent household, I find it difficult to afford tuition, which is three times as much as that of an in-state student. In addition, I'm having trouble finding housing for the upcoming school year. Because there are no available rooms at my home institution, I must lease an apartment for the forthcoming year, which adds a new obstacle to my path. As there is no shuttle service offered by the housing complex, I am unsure of how I will get to school. The Richard P. Mullen Memorial Scholarship will be of enormous assistance in relieving my financial burden and guaranteeing my continued attendance in school. I'm in my fourth and final year of undergrad this fall, and I intend to continue my education in graduate school to pursue a software engineering degree.

My ultimate career goal is to invent and advance current engineering innovations. I will achieve these goals by building network connections with program host, participating in engineering research projects, and gaining more internship experience in subdisciplines of Biomedical engineering.

I am a rising junior studying Biomedical engineering student at North Carolina A&T State University. My ultimate career goal is to strive to obtain a doctorate degree upon completion of my undergraduate journey. I want to secure a job with a pharmaceutical or biomechanic company because I want to aid in the improvement of medical devices. I have always been captivated with medical robotics and how they could impact and improve the daily works of society. I will achieve these goals by building network connections with program coordinators and facilitators, participating in engineering research projects, and gaining more internship experience in substrands of Biomedical engineering. Since the beginning of my junior year of high school I have been trying to build on my engineering knowledge. I participated in the Young Women In Science Investigation Program(YWISE) partnered with The University of Texas at Dallas for two consecutive years. Junior year of high school, I worked amongst a team to assemble a submersible drone for underwater exploration. The objective of the drone benefits research in underwater locations that are not feasible to physically be present in. Senior year, I worked with another team to experiment with the elastocaloric effect, the expanding and contracting of rubber bands to cool down objects through conduction. A small prototype refrigerator was developed with this effect to display an alternative refrigeration system without the use of pollutants present in modern day refrigerators. In addition, in the summer of 2021 I committed to my first internship with the University of California Irvine-Pathways to Accelerating and Computing Engineering AAMU program. I worked with my faculty mentors in implementing the picasso method, blindly unmixing overlapping fluorophore proteins via matlab. During the research, I learned that picasso is beneficial in Biomedical engineering when attempting to unmix overlapping cells for identification. Recently, I was a mentee in the The Apple Women In Science Engineering Mentorship program. In this program I learned how to prepare for graduate school, interview discussions, and the transition to industry work. Currently, I am a mentor in the HBCU First Near-Peer Mentorship program. I am guiding my first year intern through a 10 week program involving the preparation of undergraduate studies. Attending daily career building workshop events to expand knowledge on the entrance into industry and creating a capstone video with my mentee detailing our experience in the program. In conclusion, I also want to learn more about the pharmaceutical/biotechnology industry of Biomedical engineering and would like to secure an internship in biotechnology to broaden my knowledge. I want to advance medical equipment making it accessible and safer for future medical procedures.

I am a sophomore Biomedical engineering student at North Carolina A&T State University. I have always been captivated by robots and how they could impact society. My purpose for studying Biomedical engineering is to advance current medical devices and aid in upcoming innovations. Since the beginning of my junior year of high school I have been involved in engineering design projects. I participated in the Young Women In Science Investigation Program partnered with The University of Texas at Dallas for two years, junior and senior years of high school. Junior year, I worked amongst a team to assemble a submersible drone for underwater exploration. The objective of the drone benefits research in underwater locations that are not feasible to physically be present in. Senior year of high school, I worked with another team to experiment with the elastocaloric effect, the expanding and contracting of rubber bands to cool down objects through conduction. A small prototype refrigerator was developed with this effect to display an alternative refrigeration system without the use of pollutants present in modern day refrigerators. In addition, this past summer I interned with the University of California Irvine-Pathways to Accelerating and Computing Engineering AAMU program, worked with my faculty mentors in implementing the Picasso method, blindly unmixing overlapping fluorophore proteins via matlab. This research taught me the benefits of Picasso in Biomedical engineering, to determine cell identification. To correlate, I am a mentee in the The Apple Women In Science Engineering Mentorship program, learning how to prepare for graduate school, interview discussions, and the transition to industry work. In conclusion, The Undergraduate Minorities in STEM Scholarship will knock down my current financial barrier to guarantee my continual enrollment in school. With this scholarship I can complete my undergraduate studies and achieve my career goals.

I am a sophomore Dean’s list, out of state student studying Biomedical engineering at North Carolina A&T State University. I want to improve medical devices, supplying nurses and doctors with nothing less than the best equipment. After completion of my undergraduate journey, I aspire to obtain a graduate degree. I am a member of 4 clubs at North Carolina A&T State University: National Society of Black Engineers, Biomedical Engineering Society, Deep South Aggies, and Natural and Proud Sistas. Moreover, I have always been captivated with robots and how they could impact and improve the daily works of society. Since the beginning of my junior year of high school I have been trying to build on my engineering knowledge. I participated in The Young Women In Science Investigation Program partnered with The University of Texas at Dallas for two consecutive years, specifically my junior and senior years of high school. During my junior year of high school in YWISE, I worked amongst a team to contribute to the building of a submersible drone that could maneuver from various underwater locations. The objective of the drone benefits research in underwater locations that are not feasible to physically be present in or could not be seen by the human eye. I was astonished at the outcome and checkpoints of the project, I came to realize that this is what my career will be composed of and I love it. During my senior year, I worked with another team to experiment with the elastocaloric effect, the expanding and contracting of rubber bands to cool down objects through conduction. A small prototype refrigerator was developed with this effect to display an alternative refrigeration system without the use of pollutants present in modern day refrigerators. Correspondingly, this past summer I interned with the University of California Irvine-Alabama A&M University Pathways to Accelerating and Computing Engineering(UCI-AAMU PACE) program. I researched the effects of the Picasso method, blindly unmixing overlapping fluorophore proteins. I used mixed images to determine the outcome of separate individual images. This research is beneficial in Biomedical Engineering research when determining cell identification. In conclusion, due to my previous experience in the STEM academy, YWISE program, and UCI-AAMU PACE program has made me more confident in pursuing an engineering degree and aided in the incline of my presentation skills. My research in STEM, YWISE, and UCI-AAMU PACE has assisted in my preparation for graduate school, but there is still a lot for me to learn. I hope I will be honored with the Cliff T. Wofford STEM Scholarship, so that I can continue my undergraduate studies and accomplish my career aspirations.