As a first-generation computer science student and Black woman, I have faced significant financial challenges throughout my academic journey. While loving and supportive, my family was unable to provide funding for my education, so I was required to take out a loan in my first year of college. With the current state of the world and the constant push to keep underrepresented communities out of higher education, the ability to afford a college degree has become more difficult. Despite these challenges, I earned scholarships, worked a full summer, and balanced jobs with school to cover my second year and continue onward. Through this persistence, I developed a passion for programming and am committed to using my studies to address inequalities faced by Black women and other underrepresented minorities. Since creating my first program, I have been fascinated by the versatility and endless possibilities of computer science. I was determined to discover a passion where I could apply my programming skills and knowledge, and I found myself looking into data science. Competing in a campus data science event initially inspired my interest. The goal of the competition was for each team to analyze three large datasets with information about films, such as ratings, genres, and contributors, to solve industry problems and present our analysis to a panel of judges. Although inexperienced, my team explored the data, identified numerical and categorical inputs, and focused our question on predicting top movie genres by rating. Using Jupyter, we averaged the ratings for each movie and created a line chart. We found that the drama genre was the least popular, while animation and family genres were the most popular. It was an incredible learning experience. Seeing how each team used the data to create solutions to problems and their process of cleaning, analyzing, and visualizing the data intrigued me. I was curious about how they decided to use the data in the way they did, whether they used Jupyter or other tools, and why they chose their solution to address the proposed problem. Since then, I have been working to improve my understanding of statistics and mathematics through coursework and personal study. This curiosity grew from a general interest in data science to a passion for biostatistics as I considered how data analysis is applied to address health disparities and support positive outcomes for underrepresented communities. In biostatistics, biological research sample data are examined, interpreted, presented, and used to discover inclusive healthcare solutions for the population. Everyone has similar biological functions, but not every solution applies to every person. As a Black woman, I want to apply my programming knowledge to advance research into the health and wellness of Black women and demonstrate progress in the journey toward improving healthcare outcomes for underrepresented minorities. Focusing on issues such as disparities in disease prevalence and access to quality care allows me to identify health challenges and develop tailored solutions. With this connection between my background and data science, I established a genuine passion and delved further. I scoured the internet for statistics regarding the lack of research in African American women’s health, and I quickly realized how limited the available data was. This challenge prompted me to pivot toward researching statistics concerning clinical trial data, seeking the roots and real-world consequences of underrepresentation in clinical trial samples. The Multi-Regional Clinical Trials (MRCT) Center published an article in 2022 discussing the lack of intersectionality between race and gender in clinical trial data, and that studies with data that includes this intersectionality show a lack of representation of women of color. A 2015-2016 Drug Trial Snapshot by the FDA revealed only 3.2% of African American women enrolled, and a snapshot for oncology trials from 2017 to 2020 displayed a range of 2-5% for Black female participants. However, Black women make up around 12% of the US population. Consequently, African American women are disproportionately underrepresented in clinical trials, and Black women’s health is underresearched. I want to be part of the line of changemakers in that aspect, and I strongly believe that biostatistics is instrumental in making that change. However, financial barriers threaten to slow my progress and limit opportunities available to me, which makes support from this scholarship essential. With this scholarship, I can continue my education and access campus resources, propelling me toward a fulfilling college experience. By continuing my education, I can stay connected with mentors and peers, and network with professionals in my desired field. It allows me to access many research and project opportunities where I can make significant contributions to the biomedical field through data-driven solutions. With the funds, I can afford to complete my undergraduate degree, pursue graduate study, and demonstrate my capabilities as a leader and trailblazer for my community through my career. It enables me to inspire others who struggle with identity and want to find their passion in the computer science world. Ultimately, I am committed to utilizing the expertise and experiences to pursue graduate study in biostatistics and become a catalyst for real change in the field, striving to advance health equity for Black women and underrepresented communities.

I am fully committed to earning a bachelor's degree in computer science and pursuing minors in data science and cybersecurity. My interest in computer programming was later than most, and I have been expanding my programming knowledge and skills by enrolling in an introductory programming dual enrollment course and challenging myself by participating in CyberStart America. I joined a wide range of computer science- and STEM-focused organizations offered at Cal Poly Pomona, like the CPP Game Development Club and sheCodes, to continue improving my programming and collaboration skills by working on team projects with other club members. Now entering my second year of college, I am uncertain what career I want to pursue. Much less than the field I am interested in. To aid in my discovery, I will minor in data science and cybersecurity. Although I am unsure which industry I want to work in, aerospace has caught my attention, and I plan to delve further. Until I find my true passion, I am aiming toward a career in software development. After college, I will enter the industry as an entry-level software engineer working on software applications and computer systems. I want to join a company with goals and ambitions to improve today's world through technology and make discoveries that lead to revolutionary solutions to current problems. Regarding STEM, specifically technology, there is a range of opportunities for growth in all aspects. When I first entered STEM as a pathway in my first year of high school, despite being forced, I was initially interested in creating websites using HTML and learning a bit about Python. Since I was more inclined to design, I was more interested in web development. However, when I took the time to practice Python, I became increasingly intrigued by the idea of developing limitless programs and expanding my programming knowledge to other languages, like Java and C++. It excites me that STEM opens many career opportunities for those passionate about computer science and allows for job promotion if you have a knack for it. Having a well-paying and rejuvenating career in tech promotes personal growth. The less time spent worrying about finances allows individuals to explore parts of themselves and become their ideal selves. Over time, they can spread that positivity and knowledge to others who want to do the same. Becoming a tech professional will allow me to create opportunities for others, benefit them, and encourage ambition and continuous learning for the African American community, LGBTQ+ community, and women in STEM. I believe my work can lead to a legacy of other IT professionals becoming leaders who inspire and improve the world. The projects I manage and execute can lead to new programs and computer systems that work toward various causes and benefit people at a national level. These programs can assist families and citizens in need, minimize homelessness across the United States, and undertake many other projects. Throughout my high school career and first year of college, I struggled with self-confidence issues and had trouble managing my time. As the oldest of two, and neither of my parents earned a college degree, I will be the first in my family to attend a four-year undergraduate degree program in computer science. The process of applying to colleges and figuring out my financial situation has been incredibly stressful, especially with my parents separating during my third year of high school. Despite not getting into my dream school, I remained determined and committed to California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. They were one of the few schools I applied to that offered a spot in the computer science program, so I jumped at the opportunity. It was after I accepted the offer at Cal Poly Pomona that one of my most significant challenges occurred. I struggled to maintain a growth mindset and separate failure and moments of learning. My self-esteem took various hits from rejection letters and emails apologizing and encouraging me to continue pursuing my education. I kept many of these negative thoughts to myself, refusing to burden others with my self-pity. But it all fell apart when I received a failing grade on my college math final. Sharing the news with my family, I expected disappointment and degrading comments. However, they expressed their pride in me despite it and that this was only a learning experience to utilize in my college journey. These sentiments and encouragement brought me to retake that test and earn a B in the course. To this day, I am still unlearning this mindset and allowing myself to make mistakes while learning from them rather than beating myself up for them. I can take these moments and let them propel me toward achieving success and leading a healthy and accomplished life. Another struggle I face is my time management. As the end of my senior year of high school neared, I felt burnt out and lost motivation. Doing homework and participating in clubs felt like an unrelenting weight. I developed a bad habit of procrastinating on my work and often canceled plans to go to club meetings. This unhealthy mindset followed me into my first year of college. While I was excited to jump into my first year and did well in the beginning, this energy started to dwindle over time. Instead of doing homework or working on projects, I decided to be productive in other ways, such as cleaning my desk or organizing my files on my laptop. My work ethic took a hit, but I finished the year strong with high grades. I am refining my time management by applying for scholarships. Like assignments, scholarships have deadlines and requirements. It takes a dedicated and organized college student to keep up with various deadlines and frequently write essays, motivated by the goal of continuing their education. Applying for scholarships like this one helps me improve and stop procrastinating. By using this method, I can apply this renewed motivation and skill to my schoolwork, future projects, and internships.

As an incoming college freshman passionate about programming and business, I am fully committed to pursuing a bachelor's in computer science and a minor in business. My interest in computer programming was later than most, and I have done my best to work toward propelling myself concerning my programming knowledge and skills by enrolling in an introductory programming dual enrollment course and challenging myself by participating in CyberStart America. The cybersecurity competition taught me much about various cybersecurity topics, like utilizing browser dev tools and cryptography. I earned the National Cyber Scholar title and have been working toward earning a Google Certificate in Project Management, qualifying me to apply for Certified Associate in Project Management. Entering Cal Poly Pomona, I will join the programs and extracurriculars offered, such as the CPP Game Development Club and sheCodes, to continue improving my programming and collaboration skills by working on team projects with other club members. After college, I will enter my field by starting as a software developer and working on software applications and computer systems. After a few years of working in that position, I want to pursue project management or get into game development. I want to work with companies to set goals and assist in working toward them by managing teams and resources, maintaining budgets and progress, and exercising risk management strategies. I recently became interested in developing video games that offer users an incredible gaming experience. Either pathway allows me to grow in the technology industry. Regarding STEM, specifically technology, there is much opportunity for growth in all aspects. When I first entered STEM as a pathway in my first year of high school, despite being forced into it, I was initially interested in creating websites using HTML and learning a bit about Python. Since I was more inclined to design, I was more interested in web development. However, when I took more time to practice Python, I became increasingly intrigued by developing limitless types of programs and expanding my programming knowledge to other languages like Java and C. It excites me that STEM opens many career opportunities for those passionate about computer science and allows for job promotion if you have a knack for it. Having a well-paying and rejuvenating career in tech promotes personal growth. The less time spent worrying about finances allows individuals to explore parts of themselves and become their ideal selves. Over time, they can spread that positivity and knowledge to others who want to do the same. A job in information technology not only opens doors for me but for other people as well. Becoming a tech professional will propel me toward various career and personal goals. From there, I can open up opportunities for others that can benefit them and encourage ambition and continuous learning in my community. I believe my work can lead to a legacy of other IT professionals becoming leaders who inspire and improve the world. The projects I manage and execute can lead to new programs and computer systems that work toward various causes meant to benefit people at a national level. These can be a program that minimizes homelessness in California or a system that ensures that families in need receive the assistance they need. I have experienced many challenges throughout my high school career, much of it concerning college and time management. Since I am the oldest between myself and my sister, and neither of my parents has earned a college degree, I will be the first in my family to attend a four-year degree program intending to graduate with a bachelor's in computer science. The process of college applications and figuring out my financial situation has been incredibly stressful, especially with my parents separating during my third year of high school. One of my most significant challenges occurred after committing to Cal Poly Pomona. I have trouble separating failure from learning. My self-esteem took various hits from emails filled with fluffy words doused in rejection. I kept many of these negative thoughts to myself to not burden others with my self-pity. But it all fell apart when I received a failing grade on my college math final. Sharing the news with my family, I expected disappointment and degrading comments. However, they expressed their pride in me despite it and that this was only a learning experience to utilize on my college journey. These sentiments and encouragement brought me to retake that test and earn a B in the course. Now, I need to unlearn this mindset and allow myself to make mistakes while learning from them instead of beating myself up for them. I can take these moments and let them push me toward achieving success and leading a healthy and accomplished life.