I plan to get a degree in Biomedical Sciences, Chemistry, or be in a Pre-Medicine program. After I obtain a Bachelor's degree in any of those majors, I plan on attending medical school. I plan on going into the reproductive field of medicine. My goal is to become an OB-GYN or a reproductive surgeon. I also want to do research in the reproductive field, especially when it comes to infertility and birth defects. I've wanted to be a doctor since I can remember, so that has always stuck with me. Becoming a doctor just seems like the perfect fit for me because I have always enjoyed my STEM classes and get really excited about anything related to medicine. After I get my Bachelor's and Medical Degree, I want to go into the Navy as a physician. I've always wanted to be in the military, but I thought it would be too difficult while being a doctor. After doing some research, I discovered that I can do my internship and residency in the military with some of the most top-notch technology in the world with some of the best physicians. This is what I envision as my future. I also wish to do my own research in the reproductive field. I have done some research in this field while I attended Summit Technology Academy during my junior year of high school. I studied the effect of atrazine, an endocrine disruptor, on the egg production of Danio rerio, otherwise known as zebrafish. My partner and I discovered that the fish exposed to 2uL/L of atrazine in their tank laid no eggs, while the fish in the control environment laid eggs 25% of the time with an average egg count of around 33. I would love to continue similar research in my future career to see how different endocrine disruptors affect different species. Infertility is a growing issue, so I feel as though, with enough work, I could add a great deal of research to the scientific body of knowledge. I would also be really interested in researching different causes of birth defects and how to avoid them. I want to research how we as a society can avoid and possibly fix birth defects. Overall, I want to excel in the STEM environment and see that my education and career plans follow through. This scholarship would help me finance my educational journey in order to make these visions happen.

Anxiety. It worries me constantly, no matter the circumstances. I am always waiting for the other shoe to drop. I am always worried that I am not doing enough. I am always worried about what comes next. It gets to the point of if I'm not anxious, I become anxious because I'm probably forgetting something. It's a feedback loop that never stops or slows down. This constant state of weariness and anxiety is one of the biggest influences in my life. It determines what I do, when I do it, and how I do it. However, my anxiety is a big motivator to complete tasks, especially when it comes to school. Usually, I am anxious about school. This year has made that much worse with COVID-19, college applications, standardized tests, IB/AP classes and test, etc. Recently, I have found that doing school work actually helps lessen my anxiety. It seems to be one of the only times I am actually calm. It's almost soothing to study and progress through my learning career. I have also found that my STEM classes are the ones that give me the most relief of my anxiety. I love the things I am learning about, and science is my favorite subject. This was an indicator that I wanted to go into a STEM career. My career aspiration is to become a medical doctor (MD). I want to major in Chemistry or be in a Pre-Med program. My anxiety helped to inspire me to chose this career path because I am less stressed when I study these topics. However, I don't mean it has made it easy. When I try to relax, it is difficult to keep school out of my mind. I take hard classes, so I have the opportunity to learn all I can before college, which adds to my stress. This makes my anxiety both a blessing and a curse. I cannot wait to get into college and just start. Starting will give me relief from my anxiety and worrying about the unknown. Receiving this scholarship would help lessen the stress of the unknown. This scholarship would really help me pay for college, so that it is one less thing my anxiety and I can worry about. Overall, I think my anxiety is bittersweet because it helps me get things done, but it prevents me from relaxing most of the time. It is a huge influence on my life because it lead me to discovering my true passion for STEM. It really assured me of which career path I want to follow.