Today, mental health is more recognized than ever before, but there is still a long way to go. My whole life I had been aware that mental health struggles run through my family, but of course I never really figured I would struggle with my own mental health, until I did. Growing up, I noticed my grandmother had always been a little different than everyone else and I never understood why. She would constantly say she had headaches and that she had to go lie down, but none of that made sense to me. Later in life I found out that my grandmother is living with bi-polar disorder. When she begins to feel her mood shift, she removes herself from the situation and goes to lie down until she feels normal again. At first this changed my whole perspective on my grandma. I began to question if I ever even really knew her. Then my own world changed. Close to 9 years ago I was raped by a cheerleading coach at my competitive cheerleading gym. I did not say a word to anyone and became extremely depressed and anxious that everyone was going to hurt me. I shut myself off from anyone who cared about. I felt completely alone. While going through my own struggles, I began to feel like I understood my grandmother better. I realized that even though our situations were very different, she was probably feeling the same way I was. She just did not want anyone to see her differently and suddenly, I no longer felt so alone. Although my depression and anxiety is still there, I have learned how to manage it and live a happy and healthy life. My mental health journey has helped me to value the relationships I have and has made me realize that you never truly know what anyone else is going though. It has helped me be more grateful for everyday that I have and for the wonderful people that surround me. It has allowed me to tell my story to help others that are struggling through the same types of situations that I have gone through. Most importantly, it helped me to love my grandmother thoroughly each and every day and realize that mental health doesn’t change who you are, it just shapes you into an even stronger person than you were before.

This might sound cliché, but I have always known I wanted to change the world. When growing up, I frequently saw my parents conquer their goals and became inspired to become a change peoples lives, similarly to how they were shaping mine. Throughout my life I have watched my mom raise money for non-profits to help people in need and observed my dad working with clients to build their dream homes, inspiring me to create joy for someone else. Although, I grew up with a dad as an architect, I never really had a passion for art and design. However, I recognized his talent for putting together beautiful spaces, but initially my interests in architecture were superficial. Even when visiting the most famous places in Italy, I thought the buildings were impressive, but did not feel the call to architecture. Originally, I planned to pursue mechanical engineering but while preparing for college I realized my passions did not lie with science, but with creativity. Over time, I developed an excitement for architecture and realized the opportunities design could afford me in my journey to transform the world. By the end of my freshman year in college I knew I wanted to become an architect, but how would I use architecture to change people’s lives for the better? Then everything changed. During the fall semester of my sophomore year, I took a studio course with a professor who emphasized architectural sustainability. I began to realize all the possibilities that sustainable practices present for architecture and how many unknowns there are to discover in creating a better world. By following this path and exploring ways to be part of sustainable change I found my true passion. I was also recruited to be a research assistant focusing on data sourced content and visualization techniques to equip designers with resources to create data-driven aesthetics correlating to atmosphere ecology. I plan to continue pursuing sustainable technologies and how architecture can create a healthier environment, and desire to continue studying my interests. I strive to grow as a person, continue to discover ways to improve myself, experience new environments, ideas, mediums and build lifelong relationships along the way. While striving to reach my goals, I have continued to learn new things about myself. I have realized that not only do I work incredibly hard to reach my goals, I also will do whatever it takes to achieve those goals. When I have a passion for something I set my mind to achieving it, I do not let anything stand in my way to the success I am after. This, however, can also be my weakness. I always prioritize my goals and am willing to do whatever it takes, that at times is often at the expense of myself and what is often best for me. I will sacrifice sleep, spending time with loved ones, and other comforts in life in pursuit of achieving my goals. Although this is a weakness, I am fully aware of the constant struggle that it does present in my life and am continually working to be better than I am today. I have truly enjoyed my education this far, worked hard, learned a lot, but am ready to be challenged more and reach to achieve my fullest potential. This scholarship will allow me to cultivate my passion to become a leader that will create healthier environments for the betterment of society. I believe this scholarship will allow me to continue to advance my understanding of natural and social environments and foster my rigorous and creative mindset that will allow me to achieve my goals. Although I know it is not going to be easy — with many late nights and several large cups of coffee— there is still much for me to learn and discover. I intend to achieve academic and professional success through the help of the Rosemarie STEM scholarship. This scholarship would provide me with the ability to continue my education in an innovative and stimulating environment and push me further towards achieving my dreams of changing the world. I have a passion and drive to make positive change and believe that the possibilities are endless using architecture as the medium. Will you be a part of the change?

This might sound cliché, but I have always known I wanted to change the world. When growing up, I frequently saw my parents conquer their goals and became inspired to become a change peoples lives, similarly to how they were shaping mine. Throughout my life I have watched my mom raise money for non-profits to help people in need and observed my dad working with clients to build their dream homes, inspiring me to create joy for someone else. Although, I grew up with a dad as an architect, I never really had a passion for art and design. However, I recognized his talent for putting together beautiful spaces, but initially my interests in architecture were superficial. Even when visiting the most famous places in Italy, I thought the buildings were impressive, but did not feel the call to architecture. Originally, I planned to pursue mechanical engineering but while preparing for college I realized my passions did not lie with science, but with creativity. Over time, I developed an excitement for architecture and realized the opportunities design could afford me in my journey to transform the world. By the end of my freshman year in college I knew I wanted to become an architect, but how would I use architecture to change people’s lives for the better? Then everything changed. During the fall semester of my sophomore year, I took a studio course with a professor who emphasized architectural sustainability. I began to realize all the possibilities that sustainable practices present for architecture and how many unknowns there are to discover in creating a better world. By following this path and exploring ways to be part of sustainable change I found my true passion. I was also recruited to be a research assistant focusing on data sourced content and visualization techniques to equip designers with resources to create data-driven aesthetics correlating to atmosphere ecology. I plan to continue pursuing sustainable technologies and how architecture can create a healthier environment, and desire to continue studying my interests involved in sustainable-focused building technologies. I strive to grow as a person, continue to discover ways to improve myself, experience new environments, ideas, mediums and build lifelong relationships along the way. While striving to reach my goals, I have continued to learn new things about myself. I have realized that not only do I work incredibly hard to reach my goals, I also will do whatever it takes to achieve those goals. When I have a passion for something I set my mind to achieving it, I do not let anything stand in my way to the success I am after. This, however, can also be my weakness. I always prioritize my goals and am willing to do whatever it takes, that at times is often at the expense of myself and what is often best for me. I will sacrifice sleep, spending time with loved ones, and other comforts in life in pursuit of achieving my goals. Although this is a weakness, I am fully aware of the constant struggle that it does present in my life and am continually working to be better than I am today. I have truly enjoyed my education this far, worked hard, learned a lot, but am ready to be challenged more and reach to achieve my fullest potential. This scholarship will allow me to cultivate my passion to become a leader that will create healthier environments for the betterment of society. I believe this scholarship will allow me to continue to advance my understanding of natural and social environments and foster my rigorous and creative mindset that will allow me to achieve my goals. Although I know it is not going to be easy — with many late nights and several large cups of coffee— there is still much for me to learn and discover. I intend to achieve academic and professional success through the help of the Elevate Women in Technology scholarship. This scholarship would provide me with the ability to continue my education in an innovative and stimulating environment and push me further towards achieving my dreams of changing the world. I have a passion and drive to make positive change and believe that the possibilities are endless using architecture as the medium. Will you be a part of the change?

This might sound cliché, but I have always known I wanted to change the world. When growing up, I frequently saw my parents conquer their goals and became inspired to become a change people's lives, similarly to how they were shaping mine. Throughout my life I have watched my mom raise money for non-profits to help people in need and observed my dad working with clients to build their dream homes, inspiring me to create joy for someone else. Although, I grew up with a dad as an architect, I never really had a passion for art and design. However, I recognized his talent for putting together beautiful spaces, but initially my interests in architecture were superficial. Even when visiting the most famous places in Italy, I thought the buildings were impressive, but did not feel the call to architecture. Originally, I planned to pursue mechanical engineering but while preparing for college I realized my passions did not lie with science, but with creativity. Over time, I developed an excitement for architecture and realized the opportunities design could afford me in my journey to transform the world. By the end of my freshman year in college I knew I wanted to become an architect, but how would I use architecture to change people’s lives for the better? Then everything changed. During the fall semester of my sophomore year, I took a studio course with a professor who emphasized architectural sustainability. I began to realize all the possibilities that sustainable practices present for architecture and how many unknowns there are to discover in creating a better world. By following this path and exploring ways to be part of sustainable change I found my true passion. I was also recruited to be a research assistant focusing on data sourced content and visualization techniques to equip designers with resources to create data-driven aesthetics correlating to atmosphere ecology. I plan to continue pursuing sustainable technologies and how architecture can create a healthier environment, and desire to continue studying my interests. I strive to grow as a person, continue to discover ways to improve myself, experience new environments, ideas, mediums and build lifelong relationships along the way. While striving to reach my goals, I have continued to learn new things about myself. I have realized that not only do I work incredibly hard to reach my goals, I also will do whatever it takes to achieve those goals. When I have a passion for something I set my mind to achieving it, I do not let anything stand in my way to the success I am after. This, however, can also be my weakness. I always prioritize my goals and am willing to do whatever it takes, that at times is often at the expense of myself and what is often best for me. I will sacrifice sleep, spending time with loved ones, and other comforts in life in pursuit of achieving my goals. Although this is a weakness, I am fully aware of the constant struggle that it does present in my life and am continually working to be better than I am today. I have truly enjoyed my education this far, worked hard, learned a lot, but am ready to be challenged more and reach to achieve my fullest potential. This scholarship will allow me to cultivate my passion to become a leader that will create healthier environments for the betterment of society. I believe this scholarship will allow me to continue to advance my understanding of natural and social environments and foster my rigorous and creative mindset that will allow me to achieve my goals. Although I know it is not going to be easy — with many late nights and several large cups of coffee— there is still much for me to learn and discover. I intend to achieve academic and professional success through the help of the Nervo "Revolution" scholarship. This scholarship would provide me with the ability to continue my education in an innovative and stimulating environment and push me further towards achieving my dreams of changing the world. I have a passion and drive to make positive change and believe that the possibilities are endless using architecture as the medium. Will you be a part of the change?

My whole life I had been aware that mental health struggles run through my family, but I never really figured I would struggle with my own mental health, until I did. Growing up, I noticed my grandmother had always been a little different than everyone else and I never understood why. She would constantly say she had headaches and that she had to go lie down, but none of that made sense to me. Later in life, I found out that my grandmother is living with bipolar disorder. When she begins to feel her mood shift, she removes herself from the situation and goes to lie down until she feels normal again. At first this changed my whole perspective on my grandma. I began to question if I ever even really knew her. Then my own world changed. Close to 9 years ago I was raped by a cheerleading coach. I did not say a word to anyone and became extremely depressed and anxious that everyone was going to hurt me. I shut myself off from anyone who cared about me. I felt completely alone. While going through my own struggles, I began to feel like I understood my grandmother better. I realized that even though our situations were very different, she was probably feeling the same way I was. She just did not want anyone to see her differently and suddenly, I no longer felt so alone. Although my depression and anxiety are still there, I have learned how to manage them and live a happy and healthy life. My journey has helped me to value the relationships I have and has made me realize that you never truly know what anyone else is going through. It has allowed me to tell my story to help others that are struggling through the same types of situations that I have gone through. Most importantly, it helped me to love my grandmother thoroughly each and every day and realize that mental health doesn’t change who you are, it just shapes you into an even stronger person than you were before.

Today, mental health is more recognized than ever before, but there is still a long way to go. My whole life I had been aware that mental health struggles run through my family, but of course I never really figured I would struggle with my own mental health, until I did. Growing up, I noticed my grandmother had always been a little different than everyone else and I never understood why. She would constantly say she had headaches and that she had to go lie down, but none of that made sense to me. Later in life, I found out that my grandmother is living with bipolar disorder. When she begins to feel her mood shift, she removes herself from the situation and goes to lie down until she feels normal again. At first this changed my whole perspective on my grandma. I began to question if I ever even really knew her. Then my own world changed. Close to 9 years ago I was raped by a cheerleading coach at my competitive cheerleading gym. I did not say a word to anyone and became extremely depressed and anxious that everyone was going to hurt me. I shut myself off from anyone who cared about me. I felt completely alone. While going through my own struggles, I began to feel like I understood my grandmother better. I realized that even though our situations were very different, she was probably feeling the same way I was. She just did not want anyone to see her differently and suddenly, I no longer felt so alone. Although my depression and anxiety are still there, I have learned how to manage them and live a happy and healthy life. My mental health journey has helped me to value the relationships I have and has made me realize that you never truly know what anyone else is going through. It has helped me be more grateful for every day that I have and for the wonderful people that surround me. It has allowed me to tell my story to help others that are struggling through the same types of situations that I have gone through. Most importantly, it helped me to love my grandmother thoroughly each and every day and realize that mental health doesn’t change who you are, it just shapes you into an even stronger person than you were before.

Growing up I was a shy and introverted kid. I did not have a lot of hobbies or interests that helped me to connect to other kids and I was too nervous to start conversations on my own. I always felt left out and got stuck in a vicious cycle of blaming myself for always feeling alone and unhappy. Then, everything changed. Right before my 7th birthday, my parents announced to me and my sister that we were going to be moving to a small town outside of Dallas named Wylie, Texas. Even though I did not have too many friends, I was devastated. I had just begun to connect with a group of girls from my gymnastics class and was starting to finally feel like I had a place in the world. I was confused and incredibly frustrated because I knew that this meant I would have to start all over again in an entirely new place. I would once again be alone. Shortly after moving to Texas, I began school and was terrified. I did not know anybody, everybody seemed to talk a little funny and I was not very sure of myself in this strange new place. Then I met Alydia. She was a vibrant young girl with fiery red hair who had no care in the world about what other people thought of her. She seemed so confident for a 7-year-old and I wanted to be just like her. Time went by and I slowly tried time and time again to make new friends, but nothing really stuck, and I slowly forgot about Alydia and the girl I dreamed to be. Until my life was forever changed when the next school year sitting in my first-period homeroom class, there was Alydia. I decided to be brave and sit at her table. At first, she paid no attention to me and began to have a conversation with the pretty blonde girl sitting next to her and I sat there quietly. Our homeroom teacher then began to pass out a "get to know you" assignment. Everyone was required to fill out basic information about themselves such as their favorite color, favorite food, favorite candy, etc., and then compare with their fellow classmates. Alydia and I began to slowly compare our lists in silence when something magical happened. Our lists were identical. Alydia and I began to talk non-stop about everything and nothing the way the little girls do, and she began to introduce me to all her other friends throughout the day. We became inseparable. She taught me how to be confident and kind and allowed me to express myself in my own unique way. Alydia truly showed me incredible kindness by just being my friend. Although we had so many things in common, she did not have to be my friend, but she choose to be anyways. She stood up for me when other girls would pick on me throughout the years for being ‘weird’ or ‘different’. She always stuck by my side when it seemed that everyone else would leave and loved me just the way I was. Alydia changed my life that day, simply by being kind. She helped to shape me into the strong and confident woman I am today. Her kindness changed my whole world, and I hope my kindness can change someone else’s life one day too.