Whenever I walk into a nail salon, the intoxicating fumes of acetone and acrylic paints evoke a sense of nostalgia. The pungent smell of the chemicals takes me back to when my mother would bring me to work with her. On these days, I would sit and observe the labor and dedication that my mother put into her work. My mother was a hardworking Vietnamese woman who worked 12-hour shifts 6 days a week. While I wish she would have been more present in my life, my mother’s priority was to provide for her family. Because of my mother's sacrifices, I have never spent a day without a roof over my head or food on the table. However, as committed as she was to her profession, she woke up daily with disdain to cut another cuticle and paint another nail bed. During the Vietnam War, my mother immigrated to America with my aunt and grandma. All three followed the traditional path a Vietnamese immigrant woman would. Instead of exercising their free will, they viewed becoming a nail technician as the only means to survive in the United States. As rooted as it is in Vietnamese culture to become a licensed manicurist, I always held different aspirations to pursue higher education and become a doctor. My community's deeply ingrained cultural norms inspire me to go against what is commonly expected and seek my destiny. Taking AP Psychology my sophomore year of high school introduced me to an educational passion I never knew I had but intended to explore. The biological unit piqued my interest the most. During the following school year, I took advantage of my academic resources by enrolling in Biopsychology, a dual enrollment course at my local community college, that allowed me to deepen my understanding of the biological mechanisms of behavior. Neuroscience is an interdisciplinary field that will allow me to pursue all of my esteemed interests which include psychology, chemistry, and biology. I view the brain as an intricate organ responsible for all of the aspects that characterize our humanity. The brain is a masterpiece. Vietnamese doctors account for 4.6 percent of all physicians in America. My goal is to increase this statistic. As an individual endeavoring to become a Neuroradiologist, I believe that pursuing a major in neuroscience will allow me to contribute my knowledge towards finding treatments for neurological disorders and the inner workings of the health industry. My commitment to the innovation of science motivates me to seek and apply my education in neuroscience for the betterment of society. By demonstrating a model of discipline and drive, I hope to empower young Vietnamese girls across the country and teach them that they are not confined to their community’s ideals. If there is a will, then there is a way.