Six years ago, my dad was given six months to live after being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. At the time, it felt impossible to imagine life continuing like normal after hearing that, but six years later, he is still here, fighting strong. Watching him continue to fight for the family showed me how powerful medicine can truly be. Praying that every scan came back better, every single month, every treatment and all my hope was on the team of people using their research and precision in hopes of giving him more time. This is what made me choose to go into a career in oncology. I have always been stronger in math. Numbers have always just made sense to me, I really enjoy the challenge of solving more difficult problems. I scored a 780 on my SAT math section, almost a perfect score, and a total score of a 1480, and that’s one of my proudest achievements because that score reflects my abilities and how hard I worked for it. Math has taught me to think critically, and to not stop working until I find a solution.  Math is a skill that can be used to save lives. In oncology, math plays an important role in many areas, like treatment planning, dosing radiation, data analysis, medical research, and understanding patterns of cancer spreading. I want to use my strengths to contribute to the fight against cancer and help to save families like my own. I have even spent time tutoring many students in math at many different levels. From teaching first grader’s fractions, to working with students in algebra 1 and even to college trigonometry. Teaching others has strengthened my own foundational understanding of math.  It was rewarding to help someone to gain confidence in something that they have struggled with for years. My experiences have also taught me resilience and determination. Throughout high school, I earned high A’s in multiple college-level math courses. I also earned my CNA certification and spent time in a nursing program, where I learned a lot about patient care and the reality of working in medicine. I have transferred these skills to take care of my dad at times, like after radiation therapy he can feel really weak. Although after receiving my CNA, I chose to leave the nursing program so that I would have enough hours to complete my associates degree in high school. The nursing program has given me the desire to pursue a career in healthcare. It helped me to realize that I want to continue my strengths in math and science with my passion for helping people through oncology.  Receiving scholarships will help me in pursuing my education and moving closer to my goal of working in oncology. More importantly, this scholarship would be an investment in someone that is determined in making a difference in the world. I have challenged myself with college math courses, UIL competitions, my CNA certification, and completing my associates while in high school. I have worked very hard to become someone that is prepared for any opportunities or challenges. Most importantly, I have been the one to sit in a waiting room, wondering how much time someone you love has left. One day, I want to be the reason another family gets more time together.