One technology I’ve recently learned about is spinal implants. It is an amazingly miraculous device that reverses the effects of severe spinal cord damage. As I was researching and reading articles, I was amazed by the effectiveness and efficiency of the new device. Scientists have developed small battery packs connected to little electrode wires that are helping people with paralysis walk again. The battery pack is surgically placed under the abdomen, and the electrodes are implanted into the spinal cord. The battery pack sends electrical impulses through the wires, delivering shocks to the damaged spinal column. With a severe spinal cord injury, the communication pathways between the brain and the spinal cord become damaged. The electrodes help reconnect this pathway and induce movement. Scientists have even created a software control panel on tablets with Bluetooth connection to the battery pack. The scientists can press a control button, such as a left footstep button. This causes the patient’s left foot to move forward. This astounding device has helped paralyzed people walk, cycle, and swim in just a few short months. Spinal implants are inspiring to me because of the hope they can instill. People who never thought it would be possible to walk, have been able to walk with just a cane for support. To me, this is a true milestone in technology. Scientists hope this device will one day make its way to more and more people. Perhaps someday they can help create a world where everyone can walk, run, dance, and truly live and enjoy life to the fullest. Technology like this inspires me because these advancements pave the way to make the world a better place. I look forward to graduating college as a Biomedical Engineer, I will be able to join this astonishing force of positive change for the world.

I was diagnosed with Dermatographia at the age of Four. It was discovered that I had it by my allergist. At the age of 1, my parents found out I had a peanut allergy due to an allergic reaction to peanut butter. Over the next several years, I had to carry a bag everywhere. Inside the bag were two sets of Epi-Pens, allergy medicines, and an emergency paper with instructions. I remember my mom at the grocery store reading everything she picked up. When I was about four, the neighbor boy came over to play. We were playing outside on my front porch. He went home and came back with some Cracker Jacks. Not knowing they had peanuts, I ate some. My mom saw it and ran to get my bag, gave me allergy medicine right away, and waited with the Epi-Pen in hand in case my airway started to shut. Time passed, and I was fine. Nothing happened to me. My mom called the doctor, and they thought it would be a good idea to have an allergy test done. After the test, my mom received a call saying my peanut allergy came back at zero and to schedule with my allergist. The allergist wanted to do a scratch test on my back to confirm any allergies I had or may have outgrown. The nurse scrubbed down my back and wrote numbers on it. Just as she began putting drops of oils on my back, my entire back flared up in raised welts. The doctor wanted to know which ones the nurse had scratched. When she said none, he knew. I had Dermatographia. Injuries and trauma to my skin in the slightest will make my skin break out in large red welts. Because of this, I couldn't complete the scratch test. Everything would show positive just from the prick of the skin. To test my peanut allergy, I had to do a food sensitivity test. Luckily, I did grow out of my peanut allergy. As I got older, kids noticed my skin condition. Anytime I fell in the grass, my legs would look like they had red lashes all over them. When I became involved in sports, it would get embarrassing at times. Any trauma to my skin showed in an exaggerated flare. My skin is extremely sensitive, and it makes me self-conscious at times. I have only met one other person with the same skin condition as me. I try my best to take care of my skin, which seems to help. As for my future, I always knew I would be involved in the medical field somehow. I plan to become a Biomedical Engineer. I want to be a part of creating, even inventing, medical technology and prosthetics that can help people and better their lives.

I have always loved playing school sports. My parents signed me up for Lil' Hoopsters and volleyball camp each year. In Fifth Grade, I got to play real volleyball and basketball. I was so excited to be on an actual team and wear a uniform. My team was a band of sisters. We cheered for each other and gave each other high fives. Playing sports over the years helped draw me out of my shell. It has taught me work ethic and determination. In Seventh Grade, my world opened to Softball. This was the year I met the coach who has impacted my life the most. In my first year, I played in the outfield. There wasn't much to do out there. However, I can't express enough the thrill I would feel when that ball came in my direction. I loved the chants, the yelling, and the upbeat vibes emanating from both dugouts. The atmosphere drew me in and made me want more. By the end of the season, I was hooked. I decided to talk to my coach about learning to pitch my eighth-grade year. My coach invited me to pitch practice and promised me he would put in as much work as I did. I was in the gym every day. My coach was true to his word. If I called him for a practice, he was there. The day practice officially began was the day COVID shut everything down. We didn't have a softball season that year. I didn't let that stop me. Every day, I would go to the field by my house and pitch into a net my parents bought me. When the lockdowns were over, Coach was back in the gym working with me. My ninth-grade year was the first year I pitched in a game. It was snowing sideways and was so cold. Our team was losing big time. My coach asked me if I wanted to go out and pitch. My heart said yes, my nerves said no, and my numb hands didn't understand how it would be possible. I went out there a ball of nerves and remember walking most of the batters in those last two innings. After the game, my coach told me he was proud of me. I couldn't understand how. I cried the entire way home. I felt like a failure like I had let my coach and team down. At my next practice, he told me why he wanted me out there in that situation. It was sink or sink time. My coach was teaching me how to be mentally tough. We were not getting out of that situation. He wanted me to know how that felt. I now understand and am thankful for that lesson. Pitching has taught me that every ball is a new opportunity and not to dwell on the last. This applies in life. Softball and pitching has become a passion for me. Seeing my coach's dedication to me and the sport has lit a fire in me. He has taught me so much. He taught me the importance of mentorship and commitment. I wouldn't be who I am today without him. Determination, drive, and grit are what I have learned most from playing sports. It has taught me how to be mentally aware in a rough situation. Most of all, I have learned I want to be a softball coach and ignite that spark in someone like my coach did for me.