Growing up in rural North Carolina, I learned early that access to medical care is not always simple. For many families, getting treatment can mean driving long distances, waiting weeks for an appointment, or trying to decide whether a medical bill is worth the financial strain it may cause. Even when treatment is available, the cost can create another barrier. A family may be offered a promising therapy without having a clear idea of whether it will work for that specific patient. That uncertainty is what first made me interested in pursuing a career in the medical field. I am especially interested in biomolecular diagnostics because I want to help make treatment decisions more individualized. Too often, the process can feel like a patient receives an expensive treatment and then everyone waits to see what happens. For some therapies, especially newer treatments, that waiting period may come with serious financial and medical consequences. A patient could spend a large amount of money on a treatment that does not produce a lasting response, while also losing valuable time that could have been spent pursuing another form of care. My long-term goal is to help develop standardized methods for examining biomarkers, including antibody titers, before and after a treatment is administered. By comparing these measurements over time, I hope it may be possible to better predict whether a patient is likely to have a positive long-term response. Instead of simply giving a treatment and hoping for the best, doctors could use measurable biological information to monitor the patient’s response and make a more informed decision about whether to continue, adjust, or replace the treatment. This type of work could make a difference in several ways. First, it could help patients avoid unnecessary financial hardship. Expensive treatments can affect not only the patient, but also their entire family. If diagnostic testing suggests that a treatment is unlikely to provide a lasting benefit, the patient could consider an alternative before investing more time and money into it. Second, it could improve health outcomes. Earlier recognition that a treatment is not working could allow doctors to intervene sooner, rather than waiting until the disease progresses or the patient’s condition worsens. I also do not see this work happening only inside a research laboratory. I would want to work closely with physicians, clinical laboratory professionals, and hospital social workers. Doctors would provide insight into the patient’s condition and treatment options, while social workers could help explain how cost, transportation, insurance, and family responsibilities affect the patient’s ability to continue care. A treatment plan may look reasonable scientifically but still be unrealistic for the person receiving it. I want my work to account for both sides. What inspires me most about medicine is the possibility of replacing uncertainty with useful information. I know that no diagnostic test can guarantee an outcome, and medicine will always involve some level of risk. However, I believe we can do better than simply injecting a treatment and waiting. My goal is to help create a system where we measure, monitor, and use the patient’s own biological response to guide what happens next. Through biomolecular diagnostics, I hope to make advanced treatments more precise, more financially responsible, and ultimately more helpful to the people who depend on them.

Receiving this scholarship over the past year has had a direct and meaningful impact on both my academic and athletic journey. It allowed me to be fully present for away matches instead of working weekends, and for the first time, I was able to confidently cover team dues and even take pride in wearing club merchandise. More importantly, it enabled me to complete my sophomore year loan-free, cutting my projected debt in half for my first two years of college. With that stability, I’ve grown significantly within rugby. I’ve continued as a flanker, but my role has expanded beyond just playing. I now work closely with new recruits, coaching them one-on-one and helping them adjust to the pace and physicality of the game. One of my biggest areas of growth has been communication. I’ve learned to be vocal and assertive on the pitch, embracing our team mindset that “loud is nice.” I’m no longer hesitant to call for the ball or yell when I notice gaps in our line, and I’ve seen how those moments can make a real difference in the game. It’s especially meaningful to see newer players look to me for guidance and trust my voice in high-pressure situations. Beyond the pitch, I’ve taken initiative to make rugby more accessible to others. I’ve worked with teammates who felt they couldn’t participate due to scheduling conflicts, organizing small group or one-on-one practices outside of regular hours. I want anyone interested in the sport to feel like there is a place for them, and I’m proud to be in a position where I can help make that possible. This scholarship has allowed me to be that bridge, not just for myself, but for others who might not otherwise have the opportunity. Despite this support, I still face ongoing financial challenges. I’ve had to lower my meal plan to avoid debt, which has made it difficult to consistently afford food outside of what’s provided. Travel costs have also limited my ability to return home during breaks, and recent funding cuts have reduced my work-study income. As I begin preparing for graduate school, application fees alone present another major barrier. Fun fact: twelve applications can cost nearly the equivalent of a month’s rent. If awarded again, this scholarship would continue to relieve those pressures while allowing me to grow in new ways. It would give me the stability to deepen my leadership on the team, expand my outreach to newer players, and begin preparing for the next stage of my education without financial strain. More than anything, it would allow me to keep showing up fully for my team, my goals, and the community I’m working to build both on and off the pitch.

I’ve always wanted to play a high‑contact sport—rugby, football, or lacrosse—but growing up, the closest I came was as a goalkeeper on my high school soccer team. My single mother discouraged me: it was simply unheard of for girls to take part in such “dangerous” activities. When I arrived at UNC–Chapel Hill, however, rugby quickly became one of my greatest passions. I joined the team right after training camp, excited to finally test myself in a sport built on strength and teamwork. From day one on the pitch, I found my rugby family. During our very first practice, I noticed teammates who, like me, had more masculine features, spoke loudly, and refused to be confined by traditional ideas of what it means to be a girl. Our three coaches, club alumni who identify as transmasc or butch, welcomed us with a promise that this would be a safe space. They taught us, among many other things, to never apologize for making a tackle or missing a lineout. Coming from an environment where I was always taught to say “sorry,” I found it liberating to learn that in rugby, we own every hit, every mistake, and every success together. That sense of belonging made it easier to navigate the steep learning curve of six hours of practice a week, plus games every weekend. By November 2024, I scored my first try in 15s, and the team marked the moment with a brief induction chant—“Hail to the Warrior”—that instantly felt like a rite of passage. Beyond the thrill of scoring, it was the shared celebration that convinced me rugby was more than a sport, it was home. Playing on the college team has given me confidence I never expected. There’s something empowering about knowing you can tackle someone twice your size or hold firm in an eight‑man scrum as a flank. Looking ahead, I hope to leverage that confidence into community outreach: coaching youth clinics in underrepresented neighborhoods and, eventually, joining an adult league after graduation. I want to show boys and girls alike that strength, resilience, and teamwork aren’t limited by gender. Balancing classes, lab work, and rugby hasn’t been easy. Some days I’d move straight from morning lectures to a work‑study shift in the lab, then to practice, stretching my day from 9 AM until 10 PM—still needing to fit homework in whenever I could. Because I rely on work‑study to afford my education, I’ve often had to choose between extra shifts and extra reps on the pitch. Missing practices or games to earn money has been one of my hardest sacrifices. This scholarship would relieve much of that financial pressure, giving me the flexibility to remain fully committed to the team without jeopardizing my grades or living expenses. It would mean trading a work shift for an extra strength session or recovery day—time I could use to grow both as a player and as a student. Rugby has become the place where I can be myself—expressing a more masculine side without judgment, learning to communicate clearly under pressure, and caring for my teammates in ways I never anticipated. I’m grateful for every tackle, every try, and every moment I’ve shared with my rugby family. With your support, I hope to continue building that community on and off the field, using the values I’ve learned to lift others up long after my college career ends.