I am an ambitious and passionate student, who is striving to make a difference in the world. I am currently a freshman bioengineering major at the University of Maryland. I graduated high school in May of 2023 second in my class with a 4.82 GPA and took 19 college level courses(including AP Computer Science A, Calculus 3, Biology, Chemistry, AP Physics, Statistics, 2 English courses and 5 social studies courses). In high school, I was also very involved with many different clubs and community service opportunities. I was my school's National English Honor Society and Model UN’s President, and National Honor Society and Mu Alpha Theta’s(Math Honor Society) Vice President. In these roles I got the opportunity to lead hundreds of students, plan events and organize community service events. I also ran our school's tutoring center and have spent over 300 hours tutoring in all subjects in my school. Outside of these activities, I did an internship at the Town of Mount Airy(MD) as the Engineering Intern. Here I worked directly under the town's engineer, I oversaw construction, prepared bids, assisted with city planning and learned a lot about the interworking of a town. Looking forward I am interested in pursuing a PhD to pursue my dream of working on life saving medication. Currently, I am very interested in regenerative medicine. There are parts of the body that can grow back to full strength such as bone, however, tissue like tendons are unable to do this and when injured they will never regain full strength and range of motion. There is a lot of research into the ways you could mimic how these tissues develop in the womb to potentially recreate it in the body after injury. In my undergrad I am hoping to get involved in some research before going on to pursue a PhD then a career in pharmaceutical development. I am working on devoting my time to my academics, and research, however with the burden of the cost of college hanging over my head I will likely need to start devoting more time to working. I am a student who has worked hard to put myself in an advantageous position going into college, but that has not impacted the cost of college significantly for me. I am also very fortunate in that my parents are willing to help me with the cost of college, however, this is also a burden on them. The Richard P. Mullen Memorial Scholarship would assist me and my parents by relieving some of the cost of college. It would allow me to continue devoting my time to not only my academics but getting involved in projects that I am passionate about, and it would allow my parents to continue saving for their retirements along with the cost of sending my two sisters to college. This scholarship would go a long way in impacting the cost of college for me and my family.

I could tell you about how I have always loved the outdoors and how it has always felt like home and somewhere I needed to preserve and protect, but I will start with my first conservation project. In middle school, I became interested in biodiversity and how important each animal is to our ecosystem. Taking a particular interest in owls, I built 4 owl boxes to provide homes for the import and majestic birds of prey that are vital to the ecosystems in Maryland(my home state). I donated the boxes to different local and state parks. I also built a picnic table for a local area to allow others to enjoy the outdoor spaces the same way I do. I worked as the engineering intern for the Town of Mount Airy. It is a small town, however, the impact was still important. Here I was able to not only learn more about the impact of a town on the environment but be part of the change to preserve and improve the environment there. A project I worked on was for the capping of old railroad tracks to reduce the toxicity of the area and allow it to become open to the public. I helped draft plans and worked with contractors to create an effective plan to cover the entire area in a couple of feet of soil to make the area safe for people and animals. This was a unique opportunity to see how things we don’t even think about impact the environment and to work on the solution to restore the environment around us. I also got to contribute to the start of a community garden where people could grow their own produce even if they didn’t have the land to. My family is fortunate enough to have the land to have our own garden, but not everyone is and the community garden is a great way to allow everyone the opportunity to grow their own produce. I also worked on reviewing the environmental impact of a new development being built on some existing land. We looked at how the large neighborhood would affect the water available in the town and if the water table would be able to support a development without depleting the resources. These are just a few of the ways I have been involved with the environment. To me every voice and decision matters and while the impact I have had doesn’t make the same impact as laws passed in Congress they do contribute to preserving our environment. From the top of the mountain, I would leave a message that says, “Congrats you have made it, but you can still keep climbing”. Many compare life to climbing up a mountain then you go back down and up again in a continuous cycle. I choose to view life as one large mountain with different stopping points. We fight our battles to make it to the top of one peak, where you enjoy the benefits of what you have worked to accomplish, you look out and can enjoy everything you have accomplished. However, in my mind it does not end, when you turn around there is another mountain right there waiting for you to climb it and tackle new feats. The things you can accomplish and the impact you can make never ends. There is always a new mountain to climb, so stop and enjoy what you have accomplished, but if you feel you're done climbing, you’re wrong. You are strong enough and capable of pursuing new dreams and accomplishing greater things.

I am a third-generation American from a family that fled from their homes in search of opportunities to better the conditions for their children and grandchildren. This is not an opportunity I take for granted. I have worked tirelessly to not only succeed academically—graduating second in my high school class with a 4.82 GPA while taking 19 college-level courses—but to give back to my community and help those around me. I have made a commitment to not only take advantage of this opportunity but to help create opportunities for those around me to succeed as well. I have spent extensive amounts of time volunteering with the Red Cross: mapping out third-world countries, leading young girls in fun educational and empowering activities (200+ hours), volunteering with soldiers' angels, and creating presentations to share my culture. Most notably, I have spent 300+ hours tutoring students in my high school who struggle in math to ensure they can reach their full potential. This past year, I worked closely with teachers and administration in my school to expand our tutoring center to reach more students, including those who were not willing to seek help on their own. This was a project I was super excited to take on and that I am proud of the success of. By the end of the year, we had to move to a bigger space to accommodate the number of students who were coming in to receive tutoring. The Barbara J. DeVaney Memorial Scholarship Fund would have a huge impact on my ability to succeed in college. I am a current freshman at the University of Maryland, studying bioengineering with a potential double major in Cellular Biology and Genetics. At heart, I am the same young girl with dreams of making an impact in the world of medicine and forever changing our world for the better. University is my next step to reaching my goals, yet it presents many difficult obstacles, one of which is the significant financial burden that comes with higher education. The scholarship fund would relieve part of that burden and allow me to focus on my studies rather than working extra hours to pay for college. I would use this additional time to not only focus on my studies but also to start on research that I am passionate about and believe would make a difference in the world. This would allow me to jumpstart my career, attend graduate school, and continue pursuing my long-term goals. Success is a long journey, and there are many obstacles that the Barbara J. DeVaney Scholarship would drastically reduce the impact of, allowing me to push myself to the limits and continue taking advantage of what I have to offer this world. Furthermore, by pursuing my studies and achieving academic success, I will be able to provide an example to my younger sister to show that people of our background can succeed and truly do something meaningful, despite the obstacles we have faced and how others may choose to judge us.

I am a senior attending high school in Maryland. Throughout my high school career, my goal when taking classes was to challenge myself and take advantage of every opportunity available. I have strived to get straight As and take advanced coursework in science, (AP Physics, AP Environmental, College Biology, and College Chemistry), math (up to Calculus III and College Statistics), and history (5 AP classes). I am also involved with a number of clubs and organizations. I am the president of my school’s National English Honor Society and Model UN, vice president of my schools Mu Alpha Theta and National Honor Society, and a member of the SGA’s Student Leader Team. I work with many different people to run my school's tutoring center, host honor society events, help new Model UN members and plan to make various organizations successful. I am involved in Girl Scouts and community service. I have always had a passion for giving back, and I have found many different ways to do so. I have spent 200+ hours volunteering at girl scout camps, worked with Soldiers Angels, the Red Cross, the local library and food banks, been the Delegate for my service unit in Girl Scouts representing about 200 girls at the annual Nation’s Capital Meeting, and served as an ambassador for the Maryland STEM Festival. In the fall of 2023 I will be attending a 4 year university. I intend to double major in Biomedical or bioengineering and molecular biology. After I want to pursue a PhD in pharmaceutical science, to provide myself with the education and background to work with life-saving medication. Professionally I want to work in pharmaceuticals and design treatments that would save lives. The cost of college is higher than ever and receiving the best education possible comes at a high price. Being able to alleviate even part of that burden would allow me to be more focused on my studies and research. The Valiyah Young scholarship would be instrumental in my pursuit of higher education and aiding me in getting the most out of my educational experience. My most meaningful volunteer experience was volunteering at a summer camp that provided free child care to families who needed it. Through girl scouts, I spent a week working at a summer camp in my area. This camp was a place for families who needed child care to be able to drop their kids off for the day. I worked with a group of young girls in 4th and 5th grade to make the week fun. We did different activities every day including crafts, games and educational activities. We taught fun lessons in looking after each other and caring for our surroundings. It was a great way to be able to help out the community and provide a place for people to drop off their kids for the day. It was also impactful because we taught important lessons and provided a fun place for children to spend a week of their summer. I loved being a part of each of the kids' days and doing everything I could to make it just a little better. Giving back to those around me reminds me that what I want to do in the world is make someone's life better, whether it be creating the newest medicine or being there to play games and make someone smile. I hope that I am making someone's day just a little bit better no matter what I am doing.

I am a senior attending high school in Maryland. Throughout my high school career, my goal when taking classes was to challenge myself and take advantage of every opportunity available. I took classes in a wide range of subjects from AP World History to Calculus III, both of which captivated my attention in different ways. I have strived to get straight As and take advanced coursework in science, (AP Physics, AP Environmental, College Biology, and College Chemistry), math (up to Calculus III and College Statistics), and history (5 AP classes). I am also involved with a number of clubs and organizations. I am the president of my school’s National English Honor Society and Model UN, vice president of my schools Mu Alpha Theta and National Honor Society, and a member of the SGA’s Student Leader Team. I work with many different people to run my school's tutoring center, host honor society events, help new Model UN members and plan to make various organizations successful. I am involved in Girl Scouts and community service. I have always had a passion for giving back, and I have found many different ways to do so. I have spent 200+ hours volunteering at girl scout camps, worked with Soldiers Angels, the Red Cross, the local library and food banks, been the Delegate for my service unit in Girl Scouts representing about 200 girls at the annual Nation’s Capital Meeting, and served as an ambassador for the Maryland STEM Festival. In the summer going into my senior year, I was the engineering intern for the Town of Mount Airy. I worked alongside the Town’s Engineer; in this role I oversaw constipation projects, spoke with contractors, performed inspections, wrote bid packages, reviewed proposed designs and helped with city planning. Throughout the summer, I gained a lot of experience that helped me to see that work involving critical thinking would be a great fit for me. I have a passion for many different subject areas and helping others, and getting to explore all of these areas in high school and outside of school has made me a stronger student and person, bringing me to the conclusion that pharmaceutical science is the field that I want to pursue. I will attend a 4 year university in the fall of 2023. I am aiming to double major in bio-engineering and molecular biology. I also want to participate in undergraduate research and dive into the field of medicine. After undergraduate I plan to attend graduate school and earn a PhD in Pharmaceutical Science. I would like to be remembered for two things - being a compassionate person and advancements in the field of drug development. I hope that everyone I meet remembers me as someone who was willing to help others and who is kind to the people around her. My ambition is to win a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, and this is what I hope to be remembered for. While this may seem out of reach, I hope to be remembered for innovative strides made in the field of medicine. I know that with hard work I have the potential to really make a difference in the world and even if I do not achieve the recognition that I am aiming for, I hope to be remembered as someone who wanted to make a difference in the world.

Through the ups and downs, I have come to learn that you must be your own best advocate early on. Even though I was taking 8th grade math in 7th grade, I felt unchallenged by the coursework. I was ready to move forward and take a class that wasn’t as repetitive. Two 7th grade boys were going into Geometry as 8th graders. They were given the opportunity to skip 6th grade math, putting them on a path to finish Algebra 1 and Geometry in middle school. This opportunity was not heard of before or offered to other students. I set my mind to get onto that same path, taking Geometry in 8th grade then Algebra 2 and Pre-Calculus as a freshman. The school did not offer a path for other students to get into the class, but I was ready to create my own. With the support of my parents, we started to ask around the school about how to make the change. It was clear that if I wanted to move forward, I would be the one who had to advocate for myself. The first person we spoke to was my school's highly able learner specialist, who quickly dismissed us. She told us this was not possible, but I was not going to stop there. I knew I could move forward with my math career. I just needed to convince the school. After more discussion and after reviewing my standardized test scores, the math specialist knew that I was ready to take Geometry. She helped me convince the administration. With her help, I was able to gain approval to homeschool Algebra I and move on to Geometry in my 8th grade year. I continued to push for what I knew was best for me. If I had taken the first rejection I would not be where I am today, having completed Calculus III as a junior. Even after administrative approval, I would still be challenged by new material. I had to teach myself the necessary Algebra I skills over the summer to ensure I wouldn’t fall behind later on. This was filled with ups and downs just like any learning is, but it was especially hard on my own. I spent many hours reading books, watching videos and practicing on my own to perfect my skills. Despite struggling in new topics like factoring, I was able to push myself and succeed. The mindset of self-advocating and resilience that I developed through the process of getting into Geometry is something I have continued to use throughout high school. Oftentimes people are happy to help you, but won’t offer. It has become very important for me to continue advocating for what is best for me. In high school, I advocated for myself to skip English 11 and be placed in a college level course English 101 my junior year. This has helped me to better develop my writing skills and allowed me to take English 102 in my senior year. I am now my school's National English Honor Society President. This is just the beginning of my journey and my mindset of self-advocacy and resilience will help me continue to succeed.

I am a senior attending high school in Maryland. Throughout my high school career, my goal when taking classes was to challenge myself and take advantage of every opportunity available. I took classes in a wide range of subjects from AP World History to Calculus III, both of which captivated my attention in different ways. Social studies classes helped me with writing and allowed me to look at current world events and analyze what may happen next based on past events, while math and science courses helped me to think critically and understand what makes up the world around us. I have strived to get straight As and take advanced coursework in science, (AP Physics, AP Environmental, College Biology, and College Chemistry), math (up to Calculus III and College Statistics), and history (5 AP classes). I am also involved with several clubs and organizations. I am the president of my school’s National English Honor Society and Model UN, vice president of my schools Mu Alpha Theta and National Honor Society, and a member of the SGA’s Student Leader Team. I work with many different people to run my school's tutoring center, host honor society events, help new Model UN members and plan to make various organizations successful. I am involved in Girl Scouts and community service. I have always had a passion for giving back, and I have found many different ways to do so. I have spent 200+ hours volunteering at girl scout camps, worked with Soldiers Angels, the Red Cross, the local library and food banks, been the Delegate for my service unit in Girl Scouts representing about 200 girls at the annual Nation’s Capital Meeting, and served as an ambassador for the Maryland STEM Festival. In the summer going into my senior year, I was the engineering intern for the Town of Mount Airy. I worked alongside the Town’s Engineer; in this role, I oversaw constipation projects, spoke with contractors, performed inspections, wrote bid packages, reviewed proposed designs and helped with city planning. Throughout the summer, I gained a lot of experience that helped me to see that engineering would be a great fit for me. I have a passion for many different subject areas and getting to explore all of these areas in high school and outside of school has made me a stronger student and person, bringing me to the conclusion that biomedical engineering is the field that I want to pursue. I want to make innovative strides in medical technology such as synthetic organs. There is a long list of people who are waiting for organs. The development of synthetic organs could drastically reduce the number of people waiting for organs and help prevent people on the list from dying. I want to push the limit of technology and modern medicine in groundbreaking research. The advancement of medical machinery is limitless and I intend to make a difference in the world that will better people's lives. Knowing that my career could contribute to saving lives encourages me to pursue biomedical engineering. The ability to innovate technology that improves people's quality of life or saves their lives is worth striving for.

To me, integrity means that you never stop doing what is right, even when it's not the easy thing to do. Sometimes it may be easier to just take a step back and rely on others, or to lie or cheat, however these actions have harmful long-term consequences. Integrity is about working hard and being honest, not just when you have to. Integrity became especially important during COVID and online learning. Learning and testing online made it very easy for people to cheat, and the complications faced in learning online made cheating a much easier option for students. However, I knew that cheating would hurt me in the long run, and it was not the honest thing to do. I spent hours working and learning so that I would be able to succeed in the class without cheating, even while those around me took the easy way out and simply looked up test answers. This has benefited me after returning to in-person school and was the moral thing to do. Personally, another important concept that comes with having integrity and honor is being open to hearing others' ideas and truly listening. This means that first, you must be able to admit when you are wrong and be there to help others with what they want to do. I am President of my school's NEHS and I lead a team of 7 other officers. In order to make the year successful, I know my limits and am ready to help others implement their visions for the year. People have different ideas for events for the year and I have spent time meeting with all the officers to hear their ideas and help make them into a reality. To be honorable is not to just focus on yourself, but to also be ready to help others in any way you can. Showing honor in my everyday life is something I strive to do. It can be as simple as picking up someone's pencil or helping someone with their homework, but showing honor and integrity is something everyone should aim for.