My future goal in life is to help change the healthcare system. What drives my academic interests is a deep curiosity about the "why" behind human behavior and the systems we build around it. After I graduate from Howard University with my degree in clinical laboratory science, I plan to come back to Pittsburgh and work for UPMC which is a major healthcare system in the United States. My dream is to be able to work in the hospital lab to be able to help patients and see what's going on with their health. A big question I always think about is " How can we create systems that are more equitable, sustainable, and compassionate? " As a scientist, I want to figure out cures for diseases and create equality in healthcare. A scientist superpower is to solve worldwide health issues by making experiments and provide data for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases. Being Black and trying to work in big industries like healthcare is hard because there is not a lot of representation. This natural inclination has fueled my passion for clinical laboratory science major. Only 9.5% of African Americans make up in this career. I want to be a part of that percent and take back what I achieve to show younger black people in my community that no matter the adversities or barriers against us, we have to fight hard for our respect and position in all work fields including healthcare. Healthcare in general for black people is not fair because of lack of resources with Medicaid, lack of trust or support with doctors and therapist, and still the racism against black people. I feel that's why a lot of black people don't take their mental and physical health seriously because the barriers they face with healthcare. That's why I am passionate for healthcare to be more equality for everyone. Choosing to attend an HBCU became my interest when I went on a HBCU tour back in eleventh grade. Traveling to different HBCUs and seeing the atmosphere, walking on all the different campuses and seeing the fraternities and sororities sister/brother hood was something I wanted to be a part of. I chose the illustrious Howard University as the HBCU I wanted to attend because of the unity, culture, and legacy. So many amazing black people have graduated from Howard like Chadwick Bossman, Taraji P. Henson, Phylicia Rashad and so many more educated Black people. My big thing for picking which college environment I wanted to be surrounded by when deciding between PWI's or HBCU's was my safety and feeling like I belong. HBCUs give a space of belonging and being around all kinds of black, melanated people from all over the world and being able to relate to the same struggles is what brings unity, community, and culture to HBCUs. I also was big on being able to join a sorority and being able to start my own legacy since nobody in my family is a part of any sorority or fraternity. Not a lot of my family went to a HBCU for college either. Howard also had a great allied health program for my major since a lot of colleges I was looking into didn't have my specific major. To be able to go to my dream HBCU will help me accomplish my dream goals in so many ways. Saying I go to Howard opens some many doors for me and great conversations about my experience and the "why" behind my interest in my major since nobody really understands what major is.

This summer I was selected to participate in the CoSBBI program at the most prestigious cancer center in Pittsburgh, Pa. The Computer Science, Biology and Biomedical Informatics (CoSBBI) site of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) Academy strives to provide cutting edge research and career preparatory experiences to a diverse group of highly motivated high school students who are pursuing higher education and careers in STEM fields especially in the emerging fields of big data, computer science, and informatics. The program continued the collaboration between UPMC Hillman Cancer Center; the Departments of Biomedical Informatics and Immunology; The Drug Discovery Institute; and the Women’s Cancer Research Center at Magee-Womens Research Institute (MWRI) to focus on the educational components. My future goal in life is to help change the healthcare system. What drives my academic interests is a deep curiosity about the "why" behind human behavior and the systems we build around it. After I graduate from Howard University with my degree in clinical laboratory science, I plan to come back to Pittsburgh and work for UPMC which is a major healthcare system in the United States. My dream is to be able to work in the hospital lab to be able to help patients and see what's going on with their health. A big question I always think about is " How can we create systems that are more equitable, sustainable, and compassionate? " As a scientist, I want to figure out cures for diseases and create equality in healthcare. A scientist superpower is to solve worldwide health issues by making experiments and providing data for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases. Being Black and trying to work in big industries like healthcare is hard because there is not a lot of representation. This natural inclination has fueled my passion for clinical laboratory science. Only 9.5% of African Americans make it in this career. I want to be a part of that percentage and take back what I achieve to show younger black people in my community that no matter the adversities or barriers against us, we have to fight hard for our respect and position in all work fields including healthcare. Healthcare in general for black people is not fair because of lack of resources with Medicaid, lack of trust or support with doctors and therapists, and still racism against black people. I feel that's why a lot of black people don't take their mental and physical health seriously because of the barriers they face with healthcare. That's why I am passionate for healthcare to be more equal for everyone. I really want to set an example for minority women and men who feel like they would not be able to succeed in a STEM career. My STEM career could possibly help me change the world for younger black females. I feel like there is not enough representation of black females in STEM careers. Young black females need other black females to look up to so they could say to themselves,’’ Wow she looks just like me and she’s a part of STEM, that’s cool.’’

My future goal in life is to help change the healthcare system. What drives my academic interests is a deep curiosity about the "why" behind human behavior and the systems we build around it. After I graduate from Howard University with my degree in clinical laboratory science, I plan to come back to Pittsburgh and work for UPMC which is a major healthcare system in the United States. My dream is to be able to work in the hospital lab to be able to help patients and see what's going on with their health. A big question I always think about is " How can we create systems that are more equitable, sustainable, and compassionate? " As a scientist, I want to figure out cures for diseases and create equality in healthcare. A scientist superpower is to solve worldwide health issues by making experiments and provide data for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases. Being Black and trying to work in big industries like healthcare is hard because there is not a lot of representation. This natural inclination has fueled my passion for clinical laboratory science major. Only 9.5% of African Americans make up in this career. I want to be a part of that percent and take back what I achieve to show younger black people in my community that no matter the adversities or barriers against us, we have to fight hard for our respect and position in all work fields including healthcare. Healthcare in general for black people is not fair because of lack of resources with Medicaid, lack of trust or support with doctors and therapist, and still the racism against black people. I feel that's why a lot of black people don't take their mental and physical health seriously because the barriers they face with healthcare. That's why I am passionate for healthcare to be more equality for everyone. Choosing to attend an HBCU became my interest when I went on a HBCU tour back in eleventh grade. Traveling to different HBCUs and seeing the atmosphere, walking on all the different campuses and seeing the fraternities and sororities sister/brother hood was something I wanted to be a part of. I chose the illustrious Howard University as the HBCU I wanted to attend because of the unity, culture, and legacy. So many amazing black people have graduated from Howard like Chadwick Bossman, Taraji P. Henson, Phylicia Rashad and so many more educated Black people. My big thing for picking which college environment I wanted to be surrounded by when deciding between PWI's or HBCU's was my safety and feeling like I belong. HBCUs give a space of belonging and being around all kinds of black, melanated people from all over the world and being able to relate to the same struggles is what brings unity, community, and culture to HBCUs. I also was big on being able to join a sorority and being able to start my own legacy since nobody in my family is a part of any sorority or fraternity. Not a lot of my family went to a HBCU for college either. Howard also had a great allied health program for my major since a lot of colleges I was looking into didn't have my specific major. To be able to go to my dream HBCU will help me accomplish my dream goals in so many ways. Saying I go to Howard opens some many doors for me and great conversations about my experience and the "why" behind my interest in my major since nobody really understands what major is.

Being a part of STEM has always been my dream since I was younger, even though I struggled with math and science. STEM careers need more Black women like me. According to data gathered by the National Science Foundation, only 1.8 percent of Black women hold positions in STEM, compared to 66.02 percent of white women. I wish there were more Black women in STEM, and I feel that if I succeed in engineering, I could inspire and encourage other young Black women, showing them that if I can do it, they can too. My dream is to inspire other young Black girls and show them they can be anything they want to be, no matter what they look like. Your skin color should never stop you from achieving your goals, because at the end of the day, you can do anything if you put your mind to it. I want to be an example for other minority women and men who feel like they can’t succeed in a STEM career. I remember my mentor from a summer program—her name was Sandra Murray. I’ll never forget the day she gave me a white lab coat, took a photo of me, and said, “I want to send this to everybody and make a statement: this is what a scientist looks like!” That moment made me believe I could really go far in life and make a difference in STEM. Just hearing that she believed in me as a young Black woman made me feel so hopeful. My future goal in life is to help change the healthcare system. What drives my academic interests is a deep curiosity about the "why" behind human behavior and the systems we build around it. After I graduate from Howard University with my degree in clinical laboratory science, I plan to come back to Pittsburgh and work for UPMC, which is a major healthcare system in the United States. My dream is to work in the hospital lab and help patients with their health. A big question I always think about is " How can we create systems that are more equitable, sustainable, and compassionate? " As a scientist, I want to figure out cures for diseases and create equality in healthcare. A scientist's superpower is to solve worldwide health issues by conducting experiments and providing data for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases. Being Black and trying to work in big industries like healthcare is hard because there is not a lot of representation. This natural inclination has fueled my passion for a clinical laboratory science major. Only 9.5% of African Americans are in this career. I want to be a part of that percent and take back what I achieve to show younger black people in my community that no matter the adversities or barriers against us, we have to fight hard for our respect and position in all work fields, including healthcare. This is why STEM careers inspire me. STEM could help me change the world for younger Black girls. I feel like there isn’t enough representation of Black women in STEM careers. Young Black girls need role models who look like them so they can say, “Wow, she looks just like me—and she’s in STEM. That’s cool.”

My future goal in life is to help change the healthcare system. What drives my academic interests is a deep curiosity about the "why" behind human behavior and the systems we build around it. After I graduate from Howard University with my degree in clinical laboratory science, I plan to come back to Pittsburgh and work for UPMC which is a major healthcare system in the United States. My dream is to be able to work in the hospital lab to be able to help patients and see what's going on with their health. A big question I always think about is " How can we create systems that are more equitable, sustainable, and compassionate? " As a scientist, I want to figure out cures for diseases and create equality in healthcare. A scientist superpower is to solve worldwide health issues by making experiments and provide data for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases. Being Black and trying to work in big industries like healthcare is hard because there is not a lot of representation. This natural inclination has fueled my passion for clinical laboratory science major. Only 9.5% of African Americans make up in this career. I want to be a part of that percent and take back what I achieve to show younger black people in my community that no matter the adversities or barriers against us, we have to fight hard for our respect and position in all work fields including healthcare. Healthcare in general for black people is not fair because of lack of resources with Medicaid, lack of trust or support with doctors and therapist, and still the racism against black people. I feel that's why a lot of black people don't take their mental and physical health seriously because the barriers they face with healthcare. That's why I am passionate for healthcare to be more equality for everyone. Choosing to attend an HBCU became my interest when I went on a HBCU tour back in eleventh grade. Traveling to different HBCUs and seeing the atmosphere, walking on all the different campuses and seeing the fraternities and sororities sister/brother hood was something I wanted to be a part of. I chose the illustrious Howard University as the HBCU I wanted to attend because of the unity, culture, and legacyHoward also had a great allied health program for my major since a lot of colleges I was looking into didn't have my specific major. To be able to go to my dream HBCU will help me accomplish my dream goals in so many ways. Saying I go to Howard opens some many doors for me and great conversations about my experience and the "why" behind my interest in my major since nobody really understands what major is. This scholarship will help me accomplish my education goal because I will be able to pay my tuition. My college tuition is $60,000( $20,000 each year). I want to be able to pay for my school without my mom taking out too many loans.

My future goal in life is to help change the healthcare system. What drives my academic interests is a deep curiosity about the "why" behind human behavior and the systems we build around it. After I graduate from Howard University with my degree in clinical laboratory science, I plan to come back to Pittsburgh and work for UPMC which is a major healthcare system in the United States. My dream is to be able to work in the hospital lab to be able to help patients and see what's going on with their health. A big question I always think about is " How can we create systems that are more equitable, sustainable, and compassionate? " As a scientist, I want to figure out cures for diseases and create equality in healthcare. A scientist superpower is to solve worldwide health issues by making experiments and provide data for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases. Being Black and trying to work in big industries like healthcare is hard because there is not a lot of representation. This natural inclination has fueled my passion for clinical laboratory science major. Only 9.5% of African Americans make up in this career. I want to be a part of that percent and take back what I achieve to show younger black people in my community that no matter the adversities or barriers against us, we have to fight hard for our respect and position in all work fields including healthcare. Healthcare in general for black people is not fair because of lack of resources with Medicaid, lack of trust or support with doctors and therapist, and still the racism against black people. I feel that's why a lot of black people don't take their mental and physical health seriously because the barriers they face with healthcare. That's why I am passionate for healthcare to be more equality for everyone. Choosing to attend an HBCU became my interest when I went on a HBCU tour back in eleventh grade. Traveling to different HBCUs and seeing the atmosphere, walking on all the different campuses and seeing the fraternities and sororities sister/brother hood was something I wanted to be a part of. I chose the illustrious Howard University as the HBCU I wanted to attend because of the unity, culture, and legacy. This scholarship money will help me fulfill my education at Howard and to pay my tuition.

Choosing to attend an HBCU became my interest when I went on a HBCU tour back in eleventh grade. Traveling to different HBCUs and seeing the atmosphere, walking on all the different campuses and seeing the fraternities and sororities sister/brother hood was something I wanted to be a part of. I chose the illustrious Howard University as the HBCU I wanted to attend because of the unity, culture, and legacy. So many amazing black people have graduated from Howard like Chadwick Bossman, Taraji P. Henson, Phylicia Rashad and so many more educated Black people. My big thing for picking which college environment I wanted to be surrounded by when deciding between PWI's or HBCU's was my safety and feeling like I belong. HBCUs give a space of belonging and being around all kinds of black, melanated people from all over the world and being able to relate to the same struggles is what brings unity, community, and culture to HBCUs. I also was big on being able to join a sorority and being able to start my own legacy since nobody in my family is a part of any sorority or fraternity. Not a lot of my family went to a HBCU for college either. Howard also had a great allied health program for my major since a lot of colleges I was looking into didn't have my

My future goal in life is to help change the healthcare system. What drives my academic interests is a deep curiosity about the "why" behind human behavior and the systems we build around it. After I graduate from Howard University with my degree in clinical laboratory science, I plan to come back to Pittsburgh and work for UPMC which is a major healthcare system in the United States. My dream is to be able to work in the hospital lab to be able to help patients and see what's going on with their health. A big question I always think about is " How can we create systems that are more equitable, sustainable, and compassionate? " As a scientist, I want to figure out cures for diseases and creating equality in healthcare. A scientist superpower is to solve worldwide health issues by making experiments and provide data for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases. Being Black and trying to work in big industries like healthcare is hard because there is not a lot of representation. This natural inclination has fueled my passion for clinical laboratory science major. Only 9.5% of African Americans make up in this career. I want to be a part of that percent and take back what I achieve to show younger black people in my community that no matter the adversities or barriers against us, we have to fight hard for our respect and position in all work fields including healthcare. Healthcare in general for black people is not fair because of lack of resources with Medicaid, lack of trust or support with doctors and therapist, and still the racism against black people. I feel that's why a lot of black people don't take their mental and physical health seriously because the barriers they face with healthcare. That's why I am passionate for healthcare to be more equality for everyone. Choosing to attend an HBCU became my interest when I went on a HBCU tour back in eleventh grade. Traveling to different HBCUs and seeing the atmosphere, walking on all the different campuses and seeing the fraternities and sororities sister/brother hood was something I wanted to be a part of. I chose the illustrious Howard University as the HBCU I wanted to attend because of the unity, culture, and legacy. So many amazing black people have graduated from Howard like Chadwick Bossman, Taraji P. Henson, Phylicia Rashad and so many more educated Black people. My big thing for picking which college environment I wanted to be surrounded by when deciding between PWI's or HBCU's was my safety and feeling like I belong. HBCUs give a space of belonging and being around all kinds of black, melanated people from all over the world and being able to relate to the same struggles is what brings unity, community, and culture to HBCUs. I also was big on being able to join a sorority and being able to start my own legacy since nobody in my family is a part of any sorority or fraternity. Not a lot of my family went to a HBCU for college either. Howard also had a great allied health program for my major since a lot of colleges I was looking into didn't have my specific major. To be able to go to my dream HBCU will help me accomplish my dream goals in so many ways. Saying I go to Howard opens some many doors for me and great conversations about my experience and the "why" behind my interest in my major since nobody really understands what major is.