My name is Meryem Saka and I attend William Nottingham Highschool in Syracuse, New York. My passion has always been STEM, especially math and problem solving. I started my education in math in 7th grade, putting me 2 years above my peers academically. My school didn't offer Calculus 2, so I pursued private study with my calculus teacher senior year. I also have a passion for soccer, being moved up to the high school varsity team in 8th grade and playing year round club soccer. I work up to 6 days a week, maintaining 3 different part time jobs including golf course manager, food service worker, pizza maker, and lifeguard. My greatest strength has been balancing a 100.8 GPA, full time soccer, and working. I have learned time management, independence, and responsibility. These skills will be important for my success in college, as I support my dreams academically and financially. I plan to get a masters in mechanical engineering, my dream school being Vanderbilt University. I plan to apply anywhere I can and see where my higher education path lies, and having financial freedom would heavily impact my final choice. I used my love for helping others and my talent for math to volunteer at a local center to tutor refugees in math. This helped me feel accomplished and like I was making a real difference in the world. Coming from an immigrant family, I appreciate the value of helping others out and providing opportunities for all people to succeed. Living in Syracuse has also shown me a diverse atmosphere, with people from all over the world. I want every person to feel supported and given equal chances, regardless of race, religion, or financial status. My love for community service has also led me to volunteer at local food pantries and product drives. My core belief is that hard work combined with the needed resources can make a motivated person successful. I want to provide these resources within my capabilities to the people that I can, and push my own growth as far as I can. I am driven and will give myself the life that I want. My primary concern while applying for college has been the financial burden that I would have to endure. I have been doing anything in my power to seize all opportunities given to me, I want to take charge of my future and ensure that I will succeed no matter what. Any amount of help could make the difference for me.

‘"Menstruation” might make an adolescent girl quietly blush, or a grown man look down in an attempt to avoid its insinuation. In Islam, there are rules slighting this biological normality, women cannot pray or touch the Quran while on their periods. In high schools, girls slide tampons up their sleeves and boys giggle during health class. This leads to a feeling of universal shame. I went into the world knowing my period was a topic so uncomfortable that it was better unspoken. My freshman year, a senior on my soccer team said, “You look like you would have a heavy period”. What does this mean? 14 yr old me was confused. This notion stuck with me, was having a certain period seen as “dirty”? I didn't understand why this accusation seemed so critical and negative. We are all the same sex, with the same anatomical experiences. I floated through high school, dreading my monthly stream of despair. Later that year, I joined my school’s chapter of Girl-Up, a historically girls-only club which provided a more welcoming environment about these topics. I appreciated this newfound community, but wanted to foster my own space. Sophomore year my friends and I helped start our school's chapter of 1st amendment 1st vote, an exclusively female club which emphasized women in government and women empowerment. Being co-founder made me feel powerful, like a mentor for underclassmen. Being around people who shared my ideas of openness and equality was vital to overcoming my shame. We were able to host a feminine hygiene product drive and fundraise enough money to open our own “hygiene locker” in school. We advocated for funding from local organizations and available grants. We also needed administrative approval, and worked relentlessly to make our vision a possibility. This locker stocked with tampons, condoms, pads, and anything a girl might need to traverse the terrain of life was accessible for all. Watching girls open it and riffle through, either timidly or bravely made me feel a sense of pride. I helped create something, de-stigmatizing menstruation so no girl would feel embarrassed and alone. Another way I am involved is through volunteering to tutor refugees at my local community center. One of my passions besides service is STEM, and combining these two pathways has been rewarding. I plan to continue my involvement with community organizations, whether it be related to feminine hygiene or instructional help. Creating a sense of belonging for all is my ultimate goal, during college I want to join as many outreach and service clubs as I can.

My kindergarten teacher had us write down the numbers 0-10 on a piece of paper, and line up each digit with its counterpart so that the pairs added up to 10. This moment was my first of many, where math just clicked perfectly in my brain. I could instantly see how each number configured together, and it was such a satisfying and addictive feeling. My passion for all things problem solving, STEM, and especially math extended into my participation in robotics clubs and Odyssey of the Mind in middle school. In 7th grade, I took algebra 1, allowing me to be two years ahead on my math courses. Numbers leaping off of the page and rearranging themselves in my head is a thrill I constantly seek. Every solved problem is a dopamine rush. My high school only offered classes up to calculus 1, but I talked to my calculus teacher and arranged individual math sessions to keep my skills fresh. I craved the feeling of my pencil outlining the shape of an integral line, chasing an evasive answer until I could finally unearth its secrets. I also volunteered to tutor refugees at my local community center in algebra and geometry. Helping other people get the right answer was just as satisfying and complete as doing it myself. Theres just such an indescribable feeling I get when I solve something first, or the best, or the most creative way. Its partly my competitive nature and partly my hyper fixation with the topic. In college I plan to do something with math, although Im not sure which career path will contain the most amount of physical number crunching. I want to do something with the most amount of setting up a problem and then sitting down with a pencil and paper and solving it. I can truthfully say that I love math, no matter the level, concept, or problem. I would be incomplete without it.

My name is Meryem Saka and I attend William Nottingham Highschool in Syracuse, New York. My passion has always been STEM, especially math and problem solving. I started my education in math in 7th grade, putting me 2 years above my peers academically. My school didn't offer Calculus 2, so I pursued private study with my calculus teacher senior year. I also have a passion for soccer, being moved up to the high school varsity team in 8th grade and playing year round club soccer. I work up to 6 days a week, maintaining 3 different part time jobs including golf course manager, food service worker, pizza maker, and lifeguard. I plan to get a masters in mechanical engineering, my top schools being Vanderbilt University and Boston University. I plan to apply anywhere I can and see where my higher education path lies, and having financial freedom would heavily impact my final choice. I used my love for helping others and my talent for math to volunteer at a local center to tutor refugees in math. This helped me feel accomplished and like I was making a real difference in the world. Coming from an immigrant family, I appreciate the value of helping others out and providing opportunities for all people to succeed. Living in Syracuse has also shown me a diverse atmosphere, with people from all over the world. I want every person to feel supported and given equal chances, regardless of race, religion, or financial status. My love for community service has also led me to volunteer at local food pantries and product drives. Finding a way to combine my mathematical talent and community service would be the goal of my charity. My mission as a charity would be to provide resources for as many new arrivals and underprivileged kids as possible. I would open a community center in an area of my city with a lot of refugee families and enlist kids from the local high school to tutor kids. I believe that one of the best ways to succeed is through education, and giving the needed tools and guidance for people to be able to do so is pertinent. I would also partner with local organizations to receive grants to have feminine hygiene products, canned foods, school supplies, and clothing. I would want to make my community center open to all, a place where kids could come after school to do work, play soccer, and stay safe off of the streets. I volunteer at places like these, but I would want to make my own. The more help and support that is out there, the better we are as a community. Giving back causes a chain effect, and the more we can give each other, the healthier and richer our society will be. I believe my place in the world is to help others while fostering my own education, and if I hope to find a way to combine these passions.