My life started with me being born completely deaf in both ears, but my eyes knew to look upward for achieving all of my wildest dreams. When I was ten, I went to the Jefferson Lab Particle Accelerator Facility’s Deaf Camp for three consecutive summers, which kindled a passion for learning, especially within scientific disciplines. Then, my uncle, who is now a retired NASA aerospace engineer, showed me how to use a telescope and see all of the details above me: eclipses, stars, craters on the moon, Venus, the Rings of Jupiter, and other celestial objects impossibly far from Earth. Later in my academic life, Northrop Grumman awarded me a full-ride scholarship to NASA’s Space Academy in Huntsville, Alabama. It gave me such a deep insight into my future career field and what the scientific world is working towards. It is my hope as I study astrophysics at Radford University that I will be getting involved in specialized research projects at the Selu and Green Bank Observatories with Dr. Liss, starting in my freshman year. During my third year, I will be going to the ice-covered North Pole through Utqiagvik, Alaska. There, I will study the atmosphere with Dr. Herman’s team and report the results at a research convention. It will not be the only convention I will present at either, throughout my studies at Radford, I will participate in other opportunities to share my results and network with other people in the field. I believe it will give me opportunities I have never imagined doing. Altogether, I will attain real-world experience to supply my theoretical physics studies, alongside skills such as conciseness in my reports, public speaking, and data acquisition. I also truly hope to use my public exposure to dismiss biases geared toward the deaf, women, and other underrepresented groups. As I am part of such underrepresented groups, I have also always been very thankful to the Suffolk public school system for giving me the best chances for success by providing interpreters and a 504 for accommodations. I have had an amazing interpreter by the name of Kim Werner, and she has stuck by my side for eight years, and will continue doing so until I graduate this year. With all of my experiences, I have realized the importance of bringing said groups to light because of how I have personally felt navigating this difficult world, and seeing how people in similar situations feel the same. Simply showing them that they can do anything they set their mind to makes all of the difference in the world. Ever since the pandemic, I have offered tutoring services to the homeschooled, disabled, and other students in extraordinary situations in my community. When they beam in joy when they see that they are not failing their classes anymore, I too, beam in joy. The value of community improvement will absolutely make a better world. I have become increasingly aware of how important finances are over the years and how they can completely change life for the worse or the better. It would mean so much to be able to go to college on an even playing field with others. By getting this scholarship, it would reduce my financial stress so that I could focus more on community outreach, research, and success in my own classes. I hope to use my success to make my community and the world a better place, particularly to assist people facing similar challenges to mine. I believe this is the best way I can express my gratitude to those who have helped me. Sincerely, Lily Backus

My life started with me being born completely deaf in both ears, but my eyes knew to look upward for achieving all of my wildest dreams. When I was ten, I went to the Jefferson Lab Particle Accelerator Facility’s Deaf Camp for three consecutive summers, which kindled a passion for learning, especially within scientific disciplines. Then, my uncle, who is now a retired NASA aerospace engineer, showed me how to use a telescope and see all of the details above me: eclipses, stars, craters on the moon, Venus, the Rings of Jupiter, and other celestial objects impossibly far from Earth. Later in my academic life, Northrop Grumman awarded me a full-ride scholarship to NASA’s Space Academy in Huntsville, Alabama. It gave me such a deep insight into my future career field and what the scientific world is working towards. It is my hope as I study astrophysics at Radford University that I will be getting involved in specialized research projects at the Selu and Green Bank Observatories with Dr. Liss, starting in my freshman year. During my third year, I will be going to the ice-covered North Pole through Utqiagvik, Alaska. There, I will study the atmosphere with Dr. Herman’s team and report the results at a research convention. It will not be the only convention I will present at either, throughout my studies at Radford, I will participate in other opportunities to share my results and network with other people in the field. I believe it will give me opportunities I have never imagined doing. Altogether, I will attain real-world experience to supply my theoretical physics studies, alongside skills such as conciseness in my reports, public speaking, and data acquisition. I also truly hope to use my public exposure to dismiss biases geared toward the deaf, women, and other underrepresented groups. As I am part of such underrepresented groups, I have also always been very thankful to the Suffolk public school system for giving me the best chances for success by providing interpreters and a 504 for accommodations. I have had an amazing interpreter by the name of Kim Werner, and she has stuck by my side for eight years, and will continue doing so until I graduate this year. With all of my experiences, I have realized the importance of bringing said groups to light because of how I have personally felt navigating this difficult world, and seeing how people in similar situations feel the same. Simply showing them that they can do anything they set their mind to makes all of the difference in the world. Ever since the pandemic, I have offered tutoring services to the homeschooled, disabled, and other students in extraordinary situations in my community. When they beam in joy when they see that they are not failing their classes anymore, I too, beam in joy. The value of community improvement will absolutely make a better world. I have become increasingly aware of how important finances are over the years and how they can completely change life for the worse or the better. It would mean so much to be able to go to college on an even playing field with others. By getting this scholarship, it would reduce my financial stress so that I could focus more on community outreach, research, and success in my own classes. I hope to use my success to make my community and the world a better place, particularly to assist people facing similar challenges to mine. I believe this is the best way I can express my gratitude to those who have helped me. Sincerely, Lily Backus

My life started with me being born completely deaf in both ears, but my eyes knew to look upward for achieving all of my wildest dreams. When I was ten, I went to the Jefferson Lab Particle Accelerator Facility’s Deaf Camp for three consecutive summers, which kindled a passion for learning, especially within scientific disciplines. Then, my uncle, who is now a retired NASA aerospace engineer, showed me how to use a telescope and see all of the details above me: eclipses, stars, craters on the moon, Venus, the Rings of Jupiter, and other celestial objects impossibly far from Earth. Later in my academic life, Northrop Grumman awarded me a full-ride scholarship to NASA’s Space Academy in Huntsville, Alabama. It gave me such a deep insight into my future career field and what the scientific world is working towards. It is my hope as I study astrophysics at Radford University that I will be getting involved in specialized research projects at the Selu and Green Bank Observatories with Dr. Liss, starting in my freshman year. During my third year, I will be going to the ice-covered North Pole through Utqiagvik, Alaska. There, I will study the atmosphere with Dr. Herman’s team and report the results at a research convention. It will not be the only convention I will present at either, throughout my studies at Radford, I will participate in other opportunities to share my results and network with other people in the field. I believe it will give me opportunities I have never imagined doing. Altogether, I will attain real-world experience to supply my theoretical physics studies, alongside skills such as conciseness in my reports, public speaking, and data acquisition. I also truly hope to use my public exposure to dismiss biases geared toward the deaf, women, and other underrepresented groups. As I am part of such underrepresented groups, I have also always been very thankful to the Suffolk public school system for giving me the best chances for success by providing interpreters and a 504 for accommodations. I have had an amazing interpreter by the name of Kim Werner, and she has stuck by my side for eight years, and will continue doing so until I graduate this year. With all of my experiences, I have realized the importance of bringing said groups to light because of how I have personally felt navigating this difficult world, and seeing how people in similar situations feel the same. Simply showing them that they can do anything they set their mind to makes all of the difference in the world. Ever since the pandemic, I have offered tutoring services to the homeschooled, disabled, and other students in extraordinary situations in my community. When they beam in joy when they see that they are not failing their classes anymore, I too, beam in joy. The value of community improvement will absolutely make a better world. I have become increasingly aware of how important finances are over the years and how they can completely change life for the worse or the better. It would mean so much to be able to go to college on an even playing field with others. By getting this scholarship, it would reduce my financial stress so that I could focus more on community outreach, research, and success in my own classes. I hope to use my success to make my community and the world a better place, particularly to assist people facing similar challenges to mine. I believe this is the best way I can express my gratitude to those who have helped me. Sincerely, Lily Backus

My life started with me being born completely deaf in both ears, but my eyes knew to look upward for achieving all of my wildest dreams. When I was ten, I went to the Jefferson Lab Particle Accelerator Facility’s Deaf Camp for three consecutive summers, which kindled a passion for learning, especially within scientific disciplines. Later in my academic life, my teachers shared a special opportunity with me: an essay competition sponsored by Northrop Grumman. If selected, I would be awarded a full-ride scholarship to NASA’s Space Academy in Huntsville, Alabama. Much to my amazement, I was awarded that opportunity. I cried happy tears! I attended the Space Academy, providing me with a preview of my possible life in a space-bound career, including mock-ups of rocket missions and extravehicular spacewalks. We also took a deeper look into how our world is influenced by technology, which inspired a video essay speech that I made to the VSBA. I spoke about the applications of agriculture in space since the prompt was about food scarcity. Many significant technological improvements and cross-field applications have occurred within space agencies during the search for a solution for a better world. These businesses deal in technology and solutions. In my video essay speech to the VBSA, I spoke about the applications of agriculture mixed with technology in space since the prompt was about food scarcity. Many significant technological improvements and cross-field applications have occurred within space agencies during the search for a solution for a better world. It is my hope as I study astrophysics and coding at Radford University that I will be getting involved in specialized research projects at the Selu and Green Bank Observatories with Dr. Liss, starting in my freshman year. During my third year, I will be going to the ice-covered North Pole through Utqiagvik, Alaska. There, I will study the atmosphere with Dr. Herman’s team and report the results at a research convention. It will not be the only convention I will present at either, throughout my studies at Radford, I will participate in other opportunities to share my results and network with other people in the field. I believe it will give me opportunities I have never imagined doing. Altogether, I will attain real-world experience to supply my theoretical physics studies, alongside skills such as conciseness in my reports, public speaking, and data acquisition. I also truly hope to use my public exposure to dismiss biases geared toward the deaf, women, and other underrepresented groups. I acknowledge that life may pose more challenges for me than for others, though I shall find success; I always have. I have become increasingly aware of how important finances are over the years and how they can completely change life for the worse or the better. It would mean so much to be able to go to college on an even playing field with others. I hope to use my success to make my community and the world a better place, particularly to assist people facing similar challenges to mine. I believe this is the best way I can express my gratitude to those who have helped me. Sincerely, Lily Backus

It is an app with technology that has made the intricacies of understanding speech within social situations so much easier for me and others to accomplish. “Live Transcribe.” In 2019, Gallaudet University for the deaf and hard of hearing, created a partnership with Google. Their mission was to provide clarity and context to people who may have otherwise been lost within a conversation. If it works as it should, it will split up whenever a new speaker interjects. It also has a background audio feature where it will listen into my surroundings and calculate what it is most likely from its database of similar sounds. Phrases such as, “dog barking”, “birds twittering”, “horn sounds”, “music”, “knocking”, and so on, still continue to blow me away when they pop up. I was born with profound sensorineural hearing loss in both ears. Live Transcribe allows me to fill in the missing blanks in conversations so that I can continue to carry on. It has shown its capability for countless practical applications in my life. It has allowed me to navigate my doctor’s appointments, meeting new people, talking to people with vastly different accents, noisy restaurant atmospheres, navigation instructions in the car, and even interviews. It allows me to be more confident in my responses since if I do not understand something the other(s) have spoken, I can glance back to my phone in a convenient location. As I mentioned above, Live Transcribe has also allowed me to succeed in interviews. I applied to a research fellowship at Radford University, and the enthusiastic responses from the panel just absolutely blew me away. It is my hope as I study astrophysics at Radford University that I will be getting involved deeper in technology and solutions. I will be a part of specialized research projects at the Selu and Green Bank Observatories with Dr. Liss, starting in my freshman year. During my third year, I will be going to the ice-covered North Pole through Utqiagvik, Alaska. I will participate in many opportunities to share my results and network with other people in the field. Altogether, I will attain real-world experience to supply my theoretical physics studies, alongside skills such as conciseness in my reports, public speaking, and data acquisition. I also truly hope to use my public exposure to dismiss biases geared toward the deaf, women, and other underrepresented groups.

I was born with profound sensorineural hearing loss in both ears since my mother was addicted to drinking vodka and smoking cigarettes as an effect of her horrible childhood. Sadly, she passed away soon thereafter. Despite my negative start to life, my eyes always knew to look upward for all of the motivation I needed. I knew I could move past the stigma of being related to a terrible event surrounding addiction. When I was ten, I went to the Jefferson Lab Particle Accelerator Facility’s Deaf Camp for three consecutive summers, which kindled a passion for learning, especially within scientific disciplines.Later in my academic life, my teachers shared a special opportunity with me: an essay competition sponsored by Northrop Grumman. If selected, I would be awarded a full-ride scholarship to NASA’s Space Academy in Huntsville, Alabama. Much to my amazement, I was awarded that opportunity. I cried happy tears! I attended the Space Academy, providing me with a preview of my possible life in a space-bound career, including mock-ups of rocket missions and extravehicular spacewalks. We also took a deeper look into how our world is influenced by technology, which inspired a video essay speech that I made to the VSBA. I spoke about the applications of agriculture in space since the prompt was about food scarcity. Many significant technological improvements and cross-field applications have occurred within space agencies during the search for a solution for a better world. These businesses deal in technology and solutions. In my video essay speech to the VBSA, I spoke about the applications of agriculture in space since the prompt was about food scarcity. Many significant technological improvements and cross-field applications have occurred within space agencies during the search for a solution for a better world. It is my hope as I study astrophysics at Radford University that I will be getting involved in specialized research projects at the Selu and Green Bank Observatories with Dr. Liss, starting in my freshman year. During my third year, I will be going to the ice-covered North Pole through Utqiagvik, Alaska. There, I will study the atmosphere with Dr. Herman’s team and report the results at a research convention. It will not be the only convention I will present at either, throughout my studies at Radford, I will participate in other opportunities to share my results and network with other people in the field. I believe it will give me opportunities I have never imagined doing. Altogether, I will attain real-world experience to supply my theoretical physics studies, alongside skills such as conciseness in my reports, public speaking, and data acquisition. I also truly hope to use my public exposure to dismiss biases geared toward the deaf, women, and other underrepresented groups. I acknowledge that life may pose more challenges for me than for others, though I shall find success; I always have. I have become increasingly aware of how important finances are over the years and how they can completely change life for the worse or the better. It would mean so much to be able to go to college on an even financial playing field with others. I hope to use my success to make my community and the world a better place, particularly to assist people facing similar challenges to mine. I believe this is the best way I can express my gratitude to those who have helped me. Sincerely, Lily Backus

My life started with me being born completely deaf in both ears, but my eyes knew to look upward for achieving all of my wildest dreams. When I was ten, I went to the Jefferson Lab Particle Accelerator Facility’s Deaf Camp for three consecutive summers, which kindled a passion for learning, especially within scientific disciplines. Later in my academic life, my teachers shared a special opportunity with me: an essay competition sponsored by Northrop Grumman. If selected, I would be awarded a full-ride scholarship to NASA’s Space Academy in Huntsville, Alabama. Much to my amazement, I was awarded that opportunity. I cried happy tears! I attended the Space Academy, providing me with a preview of my possible life in a space-bound career, including mock-ups of rocket missions and extravehicular spacewalks. We also took a deeper look into how our world is influenced by technology, which inspired a video essay speech that I made to the VSBA. I spoke about the applications of agriculture in space since the prompt was about food scarcity. Many significant technological improvements and cross-field applications have occurred within space agencies during the search for a solution for a better world. These businesses deal in technology and solutions. In my video essay speech to the VBSA, I spoke about the applications of agriculture in space since the prompt was about food scarcity. Many significant technological improvements and cross-field applications have occurred within space agencies during the search for a solution for a better world. It is my hope as I study astrophysics at Radford University that I will be getting involved in specialized research projects at the Selu and Green Bank Observatories with Dr. Liss, starting in my freshman year. During my third year, I will be going to the ice-covered North Pole through Utqiagvik, Alaska. There, I will study the atmosphere with Dr. Herman’s team and report the results at a research convention. It will not be the only convention I will present at either, throughout my studies at Radford, I will participate in other opportunities to share my results and network with other people in the field. I believe it will give me opportunities I have never imagined doing. Altogether, I will attain real-world experience to supply my theoretical physics studies, alongside skills such as conciseness in my reports, public speaking, and data acquisition. I also truly hope to use my public exposure to dismiss biases geared toward the deaf, women, and other underrepresented groups. As I am part of such underrepresented groups, I have also always been very thankful to the Suffolk public school system for giving me the best chances for success by providing interpreters and a 504 for accommodations. I have had an amazing interpreter by the name of Kim Werner, and she has stuck by my side for eight years, and will continue doing so until I graduate this year. I acknowledge that life may pose more challenges for me than for others, though I shall find success; I always have. I have become increasingly aware of how important finances are over the years and how they can completely change life for the worse or the better. It would mean so much to be able to go to college on an even playing field with others. I hope to use my success to make my community and the world a better place, particularly to assist people facing similar challenges to mine. I believe this is the best way I can express my gratitude to those who have helped me. Sincerely, Lily Backus