I have always been interested in computers and programming, and my passion for them has bloomed exponentially in the past 4 years. However, I was not always able to pursue and foster my interest as my family didn't always have the resources to provide me with an opportunity to explore STEM. When I was younger, I was fascinated with the way computers somehow seemed to work magically, processing information seemingly at the speed of light. I first started researching how computers worked at my community library, as my mom only had a laptop for work and we had very limited internet access at home. At that point, I found out what programming was. I thought it was amazing how humans could basically run a computer without ever having to touch the actual keyboard, and that a program could be executed anywhere in the World. From then on, I was enthralled with the idea of becoming a software engineer one day. The only issue was my family had no funds to support my passion. My parents were both constantly working, as well as struggling with debt and poverty. This gave me little to no ability to be able to learn how to code. However, when my parents learned about my fascination, they tried to invest in me as much as they possibly could. My mom started taking me to the community library to learn more about computers and signed me up for several STEM camps and clubs just for girls. My dad worked hard to provide me with a home computer, signing me up for things like Hour of Code and Black Girls Code, allowing me to delve into my newfound passion. By doing this, my parents set me up for a lifetime love of computers and code. By pursuing higher education, I will be able to continue to make my mark in previously undominated spaces, and through a career in computer science, specifically by becoming a computer programmer or software engineer, I strive to help increase the number of women and POC in the STEM field and help create spaces for young POC girls to foster and increase their interest in STEM. I also aim to assist young girls and BIPOC children that may not have the financial means to explore their passions in STEM to learn about and get more involved in STEM, and develop the building blocks to succeed in the STEM field in the future. I believe I am the best candidate for receiving this scholarship because despite experiencing hardships throughout my life, I have persevered and stayed committed to one day achieving my dream of becoming a software engineer. I also plan on not only going into the Computer Science field to further myself, but I am also committed to advancing underprivileged and underrepresented communities by getting people involved and falling in love with computers, just as I did.

As we move further into the future, computers will become more essential to everyday life, and ultimately technology will be the great equalizer. However, through access to technology and computer science, I have been able to make my own mark despite the inequality I may face while doing so. I am both a large women's and POC advocate, having even founded the first POC Student Union at my high school. I believe that in the future, equal access to technology will help create equality and increase the number of women and POC in spaces that haven't always been available to change. I have always been interested in computers and programming, and my passion for them has bloomed exponentially in the past 4 years. However, I was not always able to pursue and foster my interest as my family didn't always have the resources to provide me with an opportunity to explore STEM. When I was younger, I was fascinated with the way computers somehow seemed to work magically, processing information seemingly at the speed of light. I first started researching how computers worked at my community library, as my mom only had a laptop for work and we had very limited internet access at home. At that point, I found out what programming was. I thought it was amazing how humans could basically run a computer without ever having to touch the actual keyboard, and that a program could be executed anywhere in the World. From then on, I was enthralled with the idea of becoming a software engineer one day. The only issue was my family had no funds to support my passion. My parents were both constantly working, as well as struggling with debt and poverty. This gave me little to no ability to be able to learn how to code. However, when my parents learned about my fascination, they tried to invest in me as much as they possibly could. My mom started taking me to the community library to learn more about computers and signed me up for several STEM camps and clubs just for girls. My dad worked hard to provide me with a home computer, signing me up for things like Hour of Code and Black Girls Code, allowing me to delve into my newfound passion. By doing this, my parents set me up for a lifetime love of computers and code. By pursuing higher education, I will be able to continue to make my mark in previously undominated spaces, and through a career in computer science, specifically by becoming a computer programmer or software engineer, I strive to help increase the number of women and POC in the STEM field and help create spaces for young POC girls to foster and increase their interest in STEM. I also aim to assist young girls and BIPOC children that may not have the financial means to explore their passions in STEM to learn about and get more involved in STEM, and develop the building blocks to succeed in the STEM field in the future.

My name is Maira Jones, and I am a half first-generation American from Alexandria, Virginia. I am my Senior class' Vice President, I am the Senior Editor of our Yearbook, and am a Varsity member of my school's Volleyball and Softball teams. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, listening to music, and getting involved with nature by going on walks or foraging. Growing up with an immigrant mother, we weren't always in the most fortunate situations financially. As I grew up, I was often bounced around from apartment to apartment as my mother struggled to stand on stable ground financially. Standing in food lines and getting government assistance just to be able to afford food were some things I knew all too well as a child. Nevertheless, my mother worked tirelessly for me to be able to pursue my passions. When I was younger, they ranged from fashion to geology, but as I grew up and got older, they turned onto something else: technology and computers. I still remember the first time I learned about coding. I was 7 years old and my father introduced me to the concept of computer programming. I was instantly fascinated, as the idea that humans could control computers or even robots through a series of written commands seemed almost magical to me. From that point on, I was determined to learn more about programming and to increase my skill level. In that time, although I didn't have much access to electronics because of my family's financial situation, my parents still worked to accommodate my interest in computers. My mother would take me to the public library so that I could research and read more about programming, which further fueled my budding passion. However, as I got older, I realized I would never have the advantage of having the best or newest technology to be able to pursue programming. As me and my family progressively got more fortunate, I was able to unlock usage of better technology to be able to explore programming and all the other aspects of software engineering. It was through these opportunities that I really began to think of a career as a software engineer. One of my main goals for my future career path is to be able to help those that are less fortunate. Specifically to help little girls that come from financially tough backgrounds find and foster a passion for STEM and programming. By doing this, I will be extending the torch to little girls that are like I once was, giving them the opportunities I didn't have at their age. It is well known that the presence of women, specifically women of color, is lacking in the world of STEM. By helping little girls to explore STEM, I'll be increasing the accessibility to STEM for groups that have historically been excluded, and that is an impact worth fighting for.

With $1,000, I would put down a deposit onto my tuition. Currently, my tuition is $35,000 a year, which is a number that me and my parents both cannot afford. Since I was offered very little financial aid, I still have a huge sum of money that I have to pay to finance my education. Even though $1,000 may not seem like that much in the grand scheme of things and only a small chip out of a huge boulder, any small amount honestly really helps. I am trying my hardest to get through college and finance my bachelors without any student debt. That may seem ridiculous, since in the current economic climate of the United States, financing any type of education without debt is nearly impossible, but I am trying my hardest. I know that attaining student debt before I have any type of savings to my name would be utterly detrimental to my future and could effect the opportunities I have in the future for economic advancement. So, I would be so grateful to receive this $1,000, as it means it is $1,000 less that I have to worry about for my first year of my bachelors degree.

In late 2021, I was experiencing extreme pain in my stomach. After finally becoming hospitalized, I learned that I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. This was a discovery that both shocked and worried me, as I did not know what my future would now look like because of this diagnosis. I was concerned that it would limit my ability to continue to participate in sports, especially volleyball, the sport I've always loved most and that has helped me keep a sense of normalcy throughout the ups and downs that I've experienced in life. While I was in the hospital in between operations, I was worried that the longer I stayed there, the more I would lose my athleticism and the weaker I would become. I was losing a lot of strength, both mentally and physically. However, after my second operation I knew that I would have to change my way of thinking. I knew that if I wanted my life to return to something resembling normal, that I would have to continue to work and push myself beyond my physical limits in order to get stronger again. By changing my mindset, I allowed my self to persevere through my pain and the strength I had lost, and in about a month's time, I started playing volleyball and softball again. Although it was hard in the beginning to push through the fatigue and the pain, I am so happy that I chose to keep persevering, because it helped me get back my athleticism despite of what I had gone through.

My name is Maira Jones, and I am a half first-generation American from Alexandria, Virginia. I am my Senior class' Vice President, I am the Senior Editor of our Yearbook, and am a Varsity member of my school's Volleyball and Softball teams. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, listening to music, and getting involved with nature by going on walks or foraging. Growing up with an immigrant mother, we weren't always in the most fortunate situations financially. As I grew up, I was often bounced around from apartment to apartment as my mother struggled to stand on stable ground financially. Standing in food lines and getting government assistance just to be able to afford food were some things I knew all too well as a child. Nevertheless, my mother worked tirelessly for me to be able to pursue my passions. When I was younger, they ranged from fashion to geology, but as I grew up and got older, they turned onto something else: technology and computers. I still remember the first time I learned about coding. I was 7 years old and my father introduced me to the concept of computer programming. I was instantly fascinated, as the idea that humans could control computers or even robots through a series of written commands seemed almost magical to me. From that point on, I was determined to learn more about programming and to increase my skill level. In that time, although I didn't have much access to electronics because of my family's financial situation, my parents still worked to accommodate my interest in computers. My mother would take me to the public library so that I could research and read more about programming, which further fueled my budding passion. However, as I got older, I realized I would never have the advantage of having the best or newest technology to be able to pursue programming. As me and my family progressively got more fortunate, I was able to unlock usage of better technology to be able to explore programming and all the other aspects of software engineering. It was through these opportunities that I really began to think of a career as a software engineer. One of my main goals for my future career path is to be able to help those that are less fortunate. Specifically to help little girls that come from financially tough backgrounds find and foster a passion for STEM and programming. By doing this, I will be extending the torch to little girls that are like I once was, giving them the opportunities I didn't have at their age. It is well known that the presence of women, specifically women of color, is lacking in the world of STEM. By helping little girls to explore STEM, I'll be increasing the accessibility to STEM for groups that have historically been excluded, and that is an impact worth fighting for.

My name is Maira Jones, I am a first-generation American, currently living in Wiesbaden, Germany due to the US Army. I am a high school senior and grew up in Alexandria, Virginia until I was 11 years old when I moved to Germany. I have traveled all around the world and consider myself a global citizen. I am fully fluent in Spanish and English, as well as semi-fluent in German and proficient in French. I plan to major in computer science and eventually get my Master's to become a software engineer. I love to program, cook, and learn new skills.

As we as a society progress further into a future fueled by technology, equal access to education is absolutely necessary. How can we expect to innovate all these incredible, groundbreaking inventions when the barrier between rich and poor is ever-growing? By providing equal access to education for all, we are therefore also providing equal opportunity for success. Although not everyone is motivated to pursue higher education, that lack of motivation may stem from a place of academic or financial insecurity. By giving everyone a chance to earn a degree in higher education, it increases our chance of heading into a future where technology is something that everyone is able to access and pursue.

NFT's, or nonfungible tokens, have taken the cryptocurrency world by storm. This revolutionary new method of digital investment has revolutionized the way technology and art can combine to showcase the increase of the popularity and use of crypto in modern-day society. The reason that NFT's are such an exciting new development in the world of crypto isn't only because they can turn the auction and showcase of the arts digital, but it also represents a new mainstream understanding of the blockchain system, and this means that we are one step closer to the adoption of crypto in mainstream channels. Digital assets are an extremely important factor in the popularity of blockchain. By allowing artists and creators to market their work, adding the enticement of not only digital ownership but also short or long-term financial speculation is helping to successfully transform the world of fine art into the virtual world. Personally, the most exciting thing about NFT's to me is seeing just how much people are willing to pay for a stake in one of the most quickly growing, lucrative markets in the tech world currently. It is super cool to see all the different talent showcased in the NFT markets, and see which NFT's are popular and why. Another important part of NFT's are that they, unlike cryptocurrency, cannot be so easily mined or obtained. NFT's truly do represent fine art and are considerably more rare and difficult to be in ownership of than crypto. This slight shift from traditional crypto to digital art and investment in digital art is the beginning of a revolution towards more untraditional methods of investment, and I think it's going to become a new trend to innovate new forms of digital investments, such as in the future maybe people will be able to get ownership of their favorite song or TV episode. Regardless of the new ways that blockchain technology continues to develop, I am excited to see the continuation of innovation in regard to cryptocurrency.

As we move further into the future, computers will become more essential to everyday life, and ultimately technology will be the great equalizer. Being a minority woman in STEM, I feel like I have always somewhat been in the shadows of my white male counterparts. However, through access to technology and computer science, I have been able to make my own mark despite the inequality I may face while doing so. I am both a large women's and POC advocate, having even founded the first POC Student Union at my high school. I believe that in the future, equal access to technology will help create equality and increase the number of women and POC in spaces that haven't always been available to change. I have always been interested in computers and programming, and my passion for them has bloomed exponentially in the past 4 years. However, I was not always able to pursue and foster my interest as my family didn't always have the resources to provide me with an opportunity to explore STEM. When I was younger, I was fascinated with the way computers somehow seemed to work magically, processing information seemingly at the speed of light. I first started researching how computers worked at my community library, as my mom only had a laptop for work and we had very limited internet access at home. At that point, I found out what programming was. I thought it was amazing how humans could basically run a computer without ever having to touch the actual keyboard, and that a program could be executed anywhere in the World. From then on, I was enthralled with the idea of becoming a software engineer one day. The only issue was my family had no funds to support my passion. My parents were both constantly working, as well as struggling with debt and poverty. This gave me little to no ability to be able to learn how to code. However, when my parents learned about my fascination, they tried to invest in me as much as they possibly could. My mom started taking me to the community library to learn more about computers and signed me up for several STEM camps and clubs just for girls. My dad worked hard to provide me with a home computer, signing me up for things like Hour of Code and Black Girls Code, allowing me to delve into my newfound passion. By doing this, my parents set me up for a lifetime love of computers and code. By pursuing higher education, I will be able to continue to make my mark in previously undominated spaces, and through a career in computer science, specifically by becoming a computer programmer or software engineer, I strive to help increase the number of women and POC in the STEM field and help create spaces for young POC girls to foster and increase their interest in STEM.