I have attended 10 different schools in my 12 years of schooling thus far, and I'm only a senior in high school. My parents are not in the military, as I know this is not uncommon for them, but my mother has sought the best academic opportunities for herself and me. As I prepare to graduate from high school, I want to ensure that I finish my college studies without debt, so that I can no only establish myself in life as an adult, but also help my parents, who have devoted their time to helping me become the woman I am today. In the beginning, it was just my mom and me. Then, when I was 5 years old, she married my dad, who adopted me when I was 10 years old. Once I started high school, I knew that I wanted to go into medicine; I'm thinking of specializing in anesthesiology or dermatology, which are both fields where Black women are in short supply. This scholarship will make a difference in my ability to pursue higher education because I have committed to attend Spelman College. This highly selective institute of higher learning is a private school in Atlanta, Georgia. Since I received very little aid from the school, I am determined to subsidize my higher education costs with scholarships since my parents cannot afford to put me through college and care for my two younger siblings, too. My contributions to my community did not just start when I entered high school. From a young age (6 years old), I went with my parents to visit the sick and shut-in members of the community at nearby nursing home facilities. When I was younger, I would sing or play my violin for the residents. I would also talk to them about myself and ask them questions. As I grew, more opportunities became available to me. My mom would let us make "Blessing Bags," for the people in need we might pass on the road. We would fill plastic bags with toiletries, socks, a $5 bill and some snacks. When we saw someone asking for help, we would give one of the bags, which were kept in the car, to them. Most people received the bags with gratitude and that made me feel good, knowing that we were able to provide some useful aid to them. Most recently, I have been involved in community service through a church organization that provides food to the members of our community who are food insecure. I have volunteered in many different ways with this project, called "Grocery Grab & Go (GGG)." I have unpacked the pallets of vegetables that were delivered by freight truck in the night before the distribution. I have sorted the fruits, vegetables and dry goods that we lovingly packed into each bag. Then, I would either carry the bag to the car of the driver coming to pick up the food or ride with my mom to deliver the food to those who could not get to the distribution center by car. These contributions to my community have helped me realize, with gratitude, the sacrifices that my parents make each day to provide for their children. Since this GGG project began during the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is still going strong, I am happy to know that I am making a positive contribution to the families in the community who need a bit of help ensuring that they can have nutritious meals at home. I'm also glad that I can do so without shaming anyone.

"Education is the great equalizer," is what my Jamaican grandfather would often say. He immigrated to the United States by way of Canada in 1967. My Jamaican grandmother came to work in Livingston, NJ, as a domestic helper in 1967. They met at church and the rest is my history. The value of education is something that was so deeply instilled in my mother that it trickled down to me, too. Despite having great grades throughout secondary school, my mother became a single mother at the age of 29. My biological father is Bahamian and never received a college education. The man my mother later married and who I call my dad, is also a descendant of immigrants, from Trinidad & Tobago. He graduated from high school and chose to become an auto mechanic. Going to college has always been an assumed destiny for me and I got on board as my mother would occasionally ask me what problems I planned to solve in my lifetime. My desire to make a positive impact on the world stems from a desire to see my grandmother free of constant pain. After she left her work as a domestic, she became a nurse's aide at a psychiatric hospital. Because a colleague did not sufficiently carry her share of the weight of a patient they were moving, my grandmother's back was injured when she attempted to prevent the patient from falling to the ground. For over 40 years, she has suffered with pain. As an anesthesiologist, I will not only be able to ensure that surgeries can be completed without unnecessary pain to the patients, but also manage the chronic pain needs of patients who suffer from chronic pain, without shaming them. Unfortunately, due to the dearth of health equity in the United States and across the globe, many patients avoid seeking preventative health care because it is inaccessible. It might be because of its cost, lack of transportation, or insufficient paid time off from work. It could also be that not enough physicians practice medicine in or near their neighborhood. Even worse, if someone who makes a modest income, or one of their children, becomes injured, the cost of an ambulance and whether it is worth it is often debated. Finally, no one should have to suffer in pain, like my grandmother does. She has expressed her feelings of pain and her desire to be rid of it to provider after provider, with little help. People with brown skin are often assumed, by well-meaning healthcare providers, to be drug seekers if they express a need for pain medication. This results in shame, and no one should feel bad about wanting to be pain-free. As a biomedical engineer, I will be able to create and produce devices that deliver analgesia to patients who need it, without judgment and with safely. Since I also plan to go to medical school and become a physician, I will be able to use my inventions and other tools of the trade to ensure that no one has to suffer in pain without help.