As a second generation Persian, my journey began when my parents fled Iran to come to America in hopes of escaping the war during the Iranian Revolution to pursue further education so that they could provide their children with greater educational and economic opportunities. After meeting as restaurant staff, both working second jobs to support their academics, my parents founded a driving school as a symbol of their devotion to education, as well as a way for them to pioneer their place in this country. When I was the ripe age of three, we lost our home and were moved to a small apartment across the street. This was when my father was struggling to flourish at his driving school and we later learned the hard way that due to racial preconceptions or prejudices, for some immigrants, especially those that looked and sounded like my father, finding clients was difficult and tiresome. My mother struggled with multiple surgeries and a cancer diagnosis that affected her ability to do heavy labor. A while later, although doctors advised against it, my mother utilized her bachelors degree to go back to work as a caregiver for geriatric patients. This affected her health, however, we were struggling financially, and it became the new normal for my mother to be gone five days a week caregiving for patients. My dad also began pursuing a job at Lyft and would wake up at 4:00 am before taking clients for driving lessons to fill in the gaps of his empty daily organizer. This exhausted him, and getting home late at night every night to repeat the next day appeared treacherous. When my sister left for college, my parents were both working extremely hard to pay all the extra fees they were responsible for. This meant I would be home alone often every day and night, sometimes making meals with the free-time I had between school and sports. Seeing my parents so little meant that instead of getting rides to school I would have to carpool with my neighbors or friends most days of the week. My parents have always been very supportive of my sister and I, wanting the best for us in school, and they work very hard to give us everything in life. After seeing them struggle for so long, I acquired a job at Pump It Up, to support their well-being in the future. Although my family’s financial burdens have affected my way of life, I aspire to bring change to the generational hardships in order to avoid seeing my parents constantly overwork themselves every day. A scholarship will be of great value to the economic concerns my family and I experience while also allowing myself to adopt a more sustainable and successful lifestyle.

Through years of self development, I can say I'm both detail and goal-oriented. By challenging myself and testing my limits throughout school, I noticed how I pay attention to details that have never crossed other’s minds. The biomedical industry stimulates the excitement I have towards alleviating the lives of those experiencing cancer diagnosis. As a pre-med student, I will devote myself to biomedical research as a way of reimbursing the fight my mother had against cancer. At the brink of fifth grade, I learned to live life in solitude while my mother lived at the hospital. For six months, I lived the life of those I aspire to bring a change to; making their present different from my past. Experiencing this betrayal of the self alongside my family made me more empathetic; ultimately inspiring me to want to dedicate my life to helping others feel seen and cared for. With the ultimate goal of becoming an oncologist, and since double majoring is supported; pursuing a combination of medicine and business administration has always been my interest. I seek to expand my knowledge in bio-med and occupy my own medical center for cancer research and treatment to better the lives of patients who might be going through the hardships my family has experienced. Similar to my sister who recently graduated from the University of California, Riverside, under pre-med, I want to impact society through the resources I have the opportunity to receive. The reason why I want to attend college is to attain the skills to help others; to exceed the expectations of those who doubted me and look forward to waking up every morning to transform lives. I firmly believe that involvement in one's community and listening to others’ with an open mind builds stronger foundations for enhancing quality of life. Being receptive to the ideas and experiences of others around me has become a way for me to seek adrenaline and indulge in reality on a deeper level. I believe it is fundamental to surround oneself with ambitious individuals to perpetuate a dialogue discussing our diversities and using our adversities to build up from challenges. By drawing upon my knowledge and the thoughts of those around me, I know I am already one step closer to fostering this growth. Fueled by the passion for merging biology and engineering, I aspire to contribute innovation for technologies that improve human health. Pursuing this major, my excitement lies in exploring the intricate mechanics contributing to life on Earth, enhancing medical treatments and diverging the suffering of cancer patients. Bio-engineering is a nature; offering endless opportunities for discovery and making significant impacts on the world. I am determined to immerse myself so deeply in this field that bio-engineering becomes my second nature, shaping both my identity and my contributions to society. Ensuring I can apply my interests to my studies, I know I will make life long relationships and gain insight from my peers for my success in the biomedical field. At the prestigious universities I aspire to attend, I believe the bio-engineering departments will provide me with the resources to change the future.