They say your struggles can either break or build you, and I've committed to making the decision to allow for mine to build me. My first real test of that belief came when I was young. To be specific, September 2008. About a year after I was born. When my dad left me, my Kenyan-immigrant mom and three siblings in America, alone. The coming years from that were rough. While my mom worked hard and tried her best for all of us, things still were never easy and money was always a topic which caused anxiety. I saw the sheer struggle and desperation on my mom's face as she battled with bills as well as debt, and it pained me. I knew I had to do something different. In high school, I developed a passion in neuroscience and looked for lab positions to work in. The summer before my junior year I interned at UCSD's Yeo Lab observing therapies and research for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. I actually ended up saving $4,000, and it was probably one of my proudest achievements. I had come to the conclusion that this could finally be the safety net I’d needed all these years… But, I was wrong. I had imagined these funds could potentially go to a future car, college tuition, or unexpected finances for the future. However,I found myself using it to help cover necessities like food or a small fill of gas in my mom’s car. At first, I didn’t mind. I wanted to support my family and ease some of the burden we all carried, but, after an emergency happened in our house, and the only funds available to help fix it was unfortunately my internship money. Financial hardship has been only one small part of my story. I have also carried the weight of struggles like learning to find my voice in scientific environments where I feel small or unimportant, and constantly having to prove to myself and others that I belong in challenging academic spaces. These experiences left me with two choices... either sink under the pressure and accept that I actually may not be good enough, or rise above it. Time and time again, I’ve chosen the second. Coming from the family higher education for me is like breaking a cycle. I will be the first in my family with the opportunity to attend a university like University of California, Irvine and for me that degree opens up doors to generational wealth so no one else in my family has to struggle like I did ever again. This scholarship would mean more than just financial relief; it would be a sign that my story matters, that my resilience has not been for nothing, and that I am not walking this path alone.

They say your struggles can either break or build you, and I've committed to making the decision to allow mine to build me. My first real test of that belief came when I was young. To be specific, September 2008. About a year after I was born. When my dad left me, my Kenyan-immigrant mom and three siblings in America, alone. The coming years from that were rough. While my mom worked hard and tried her best for all of us, things were never easy, and money was always a topic that caused anxiety. I saw the sheer struggle and desperation on my mom's face as she battled with bills as well as debt, and it pained me. I knew I had to do something different. In high school, I developed a passion in neuroscience and looked for lab positions to work in. The summer before my junior year, I interned at UCSD's Yeo Lab observing therapies and research for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. I actually ended up saving $4,000, and it was probably one of my proudest achievements. I had come to the conclusion that this could finally be the safety net I’d needed all these years… But, I was wrong. I had imagined these funds could potentially go to a future car, college tuition, or other expenses. However,I found myself using it to help cover necessities like food or a small fill of gas in my mom’s car. At first, I didn’t mind. I wanted to support my family and ease some of the burden we all carried, but, after an emergency happened in our house, the only funds available to help fix it was, unfortunately, my internship money. Financial hardship has been only one small part of my story. I have also carried the weight of struggles like learning to find my voice in scientific environments where I feel small or unimportant, and constantly having to prove to myself and others that I belong in challenging academic spaces. These experiences left me with two choices... either sink under the pressure and accept that I actually may not be good enough, or rise above it. Time and time again, I’ve chosen the second. Coming from a family like mine, higher education is breaking a cycle. I will be the first in my family with the opportunity to attend a university like the University of California, Irvine, and for me, that degree opens up doors to generational wealth, so no one else in my family has to struggle like I did ever again. This scholarship would mean more than just financial relief; it would be a sign that my story matters, that my resilience has not been for nothing, and that I am not walking this path alone.