I have a vision of a world where people are provided opportunity to be healthy. There's a common belief that exists that says that we all make our own choices in life that determines our well being. Despite this not being completely untrue, there are millions of people living with conditions that they can't control no matter how much exercise or lifestyle changes they make. They just need medical care, ranging from medications to treatments. I would like to dedicate my career to insuring that people of all walks of life are able to get this care. I plan on going to medical school after majoring biology in order to pursue this pathway. I am more than passionate about this issue because it hits close to home for me. My desired pathway is ophthalmology, a medical eye surgeon and doctor. My late great-grandmother lost her will to continue living upon going blind. The cause behind her blindness was that the doctor didn't want to operate on her. He said the procedure which is a simple one, would be difficult to do, and with my relatives inability to pay for her more advanced procedure, she completely lost her vision and with it her joy in life. With her hearing already very limited, this is what ended her desire to experience life. To think that this experience is not unique to me and my family. Being mentored in an ophthalmology, I see each day at the clinic people who are struggling heavily to cover their medical expenses. Seeing is a big part of life. When something like this changes due to things like diabetes or brain tumors, or even just natural occurring glaucoma, jobs can become impossible to do and life loses one of its major facets. To have a small child and suddenly not being able to see them is tragic. I unfortunately see this go down far too often. Growing up in a single income household from a single mother, I have seen how difficult it can be to just afford basic living. My mother's relentless determination and grit rubbed off on me greatly. Her kindness to her patients and patience is something that I feel I am destined to replicate within my career. Seeing how my mother dealt with adversity with kindness and determination no matter if she was laid off, had pay cuts, or having to deal with her own medical complications, gave me the model for how I seek to conduct my healthcare career. Having been a Posse finalist, Band President, and GT Mentorship mentee, I have set myself on the path of determination, and I won't stop until I ensure the health of everyone I can.

My number once inspiration behind my dead set goal of being a medical professional, is my mother's unique nursing experiences. My mother has worked as a nurse for over 20 years, and in that time has had some of the most amazing experiences that I have gotten to see. She used to work with low income home health patients, specifically children, who had some of the most challenging disabilities known to modern health. So often, the nurses coming off their shifts would be dreadfully tired, upset with the child, and so ready to leave they didn't even have time to say goodbye. Home health is the type of job that makes one question who they really are, and let me tell you, my mom is a soldier. She was so kind to her patients and their parents, going out of her way to get groceries, movies, or whatever she could to help them. What stands out about this so much to me is that she did all of this while we were struggling as a family. One time I asked her why she worked so hard, why she would go out of her way for an immigrant family, and why should anyone spend money for someone they don't know that well. She replied to me "it's good to help people". As an eight-year-old, this was branded into my brain. I never forgot it and it made me realize what I wanted to do. From playing doctor in elementary school to shadowing a professional ophthalmologist now, I know for sure that I must make a difference in many people's lives. Working with an ophthalmologist, I can see the amazing changes in the quality of life in the patients coming in. Some come in nearly blind and leave able to see again. This ability to shift someone's life from being not so fun to being amazing again is a gift that can barley be described with words. My dream of advancing medical technology further to provide patients of all income levels with excellent treatment lies in this. I am going to pursue medical technology in addition to my ophthalmology in order to lead to massive change for as many people as possible. Making a difference in lives doesn't stop there though. The technology can only do so much. Many times, it's the face behind the company or the technology that leads to the most impact and change. As human beings, it feels best to be taken care of by other human beings. When we can connect with a person who's helping us, more than just our bodies are healed, a part of our souls are too. Connecting back to my mother's face to face help and kindness to her patients, I aim to leave positive impacts on everyone I come across within my career. I would like to inspire more kindness and growth in as many places as I can. The goal isn't an innovation award, it's being awarded the privilege to see how you can impact lives.

Bringing society forward is no easy feat. In fact, I actually believe that most of the time leadership and science move society backwards. Looking in our modern times, large scientific leaders like Elon Musk, Larry Ellison, and Bill Gates have become polarizing figures, often being criticized for doing something that people deem as harmful to society in some way. This backlash can lead to suspending projects, changing deadlines, or even cutting funds away from scientific advancement. When focusing on when science and leadership go right though, it becomes blaringly apparent that there is a capability for the human race to soar beyond common imagination. When we make advancements scientifically, society advances and therefore humanity and life do too. When the COVID-19 vaccine was released, it led to less deaths related to COVID-19 and helped to extend life expectancy. What's beautiful about this feat in particular is the immense pressure these scientists were under to complete such a vaccine. Similar to the polio virus, there was a dire necessity to help people and when finally placed in the right hands to lead a project of such magnitude, miracles occurred. As a three time section leader and band president I can testify that the leadership of a group directly changes the outcome of their performance. Whenever I was not being a good leader, no great work was done, and the following shows and performances would be lackluster, stagnant, and boring. Once I, and other leaders strengthened however, there was immediate change. When compassion enters the picture alongside motivation and new type of product is created. This is very visibly clear in the scientific world as well. Looking to the construction of machines like the Da Vinci for remote surgery, a great leader can be found. Dr. Frederic Moll led his team to perfection to create one of the most life changing inventions of our time. This machine isn't only a landmark of science, it will change the future of the lives of patients, which is why I would die on a hill believing to the bottom of my soul that leadership and science work in harmony, the future becomes bright, beautiful, and promising.

Changing society has been my dream since I was young. I've seen countless examples of how negatively people can be treated especially coming from the STEM field. Let's face it, STEM has been used to produce bombs, bioweapons, harmful technology, and so much more to leave a stain on humanity. I believe though, that STEM is a tool. A tool like a hammer can be used to hurt someone just as much as it can be used to fix up a house. When I look at society, I see clearly that there are far too many people using STEM the wrong way. I would like to use STEM to help heal our society by providing a new wave of medical care. My dream profession is to be an ophthalmologist. I have been lucky enough to have shadowed under one and seen how the profession works first hand. There is a surprising amount of the "T" and "E" from STEM used within this job. There are many complex and invasive operations that can be done to fix glaucoma, that now have a machine alternative that can leave much less damage and do a better job. What is so amazing to me about this is that about thirty years ago someone with macular degeneration would have needed lots of medical care and extensive surgery to do a minimal amount of fixing. In today's time, this type of treatment can be given so quickly that some patients can leave the clinic the day of the procedure and go to work the next morning. I seek to be a part of moving society forward in this direction improving medical care infrastructure. As I go through my years in college, I am determined to study medical technology and engineering in addition to my studying of the eyes. I want to take this technology a step further so that a patient may not need invasive cataract surgery or have to take months of antibiotic medications to deal with some post surgery symptoms. I dream of being able to send a glaucoma patient home glaucoma free. My benefit to society will undoubtedly be a facilitation and implementation of the best and newest medical advancements for patients of all income levels, walks of life, and conditions. As I see so many patients a week with my mentor, I realize that some people simply don't have access to the same care. I want to bring that care to all people. Should there be a machine that could do a typically invasive procedure, patient costs will go down, and suddenly a grandma on food stamps can get the same excellent treatment as a patient driving a BMW. I know without a doubt, my career in STEM will leave a long lasting and positive impact on society.

My dream career is that of an ophthalmologist. My Great-Grandma, perhaps the person I had the best connection with in my entire life, lost her will to live after she lost vision in both eyes. My entire family has struggled with poor eyesight for generations. I have seen just how much a life can change by simple procedures and treatments for the eyes to be healthier. Our eyes are a window to our souls, just as much as they are a window to understanding and experiencing the world. As a member of the GT Mentorship program, shadowing an ophthalmologist, I am more than certain that it is the right career for me. Everyday that I'm in the clinic, I see people come in who can barley see, depressed, frustrated, and in pain. Once they leave, they are in a state of joy that is hard to describe with words. My mother was a nurse who worked with special needs patients when I was younger, and when I would follow her to work, I would see just how happy she made her patients. Many of them reach out to her to this day and thank her for her kindness and her willingness to be helpful. This is a trait that I am determined to continue within myself. My main goal in life is to help others in any way I can. With my fascination of the human eye and my desire to change lives I feel as if I was born to be an ophthalmologist. There is nothing that can describe the feeling of watching a life positively change in front of your eyes, and the feeling is even more amazing when you know that you are the force behind that change. With my Mom being a pioneer in the family going to college, I truly aim to continue that legacy and to bring as much change to people in my life as possible via eye care and surgery. By shadowing a professional, going to hospital exhibits, studying on the side, and taking medical classes in high school I am doing everything possible to achieve this goal. While my family isn't the most well off or financially strong, I am sure that with my determination, I will absolutely become an ophthalmologist. Not only am I determined to become one, I am determined to revolutionize and change the industry to bring advanced medicine to all people.