My favorite scientist, Mae C. Jemison, is the first African American woman to be admitted into NASA’s astronaut training program. Jemison flew into space aboard the Endeavour on mission STS47, becoming the first African American woman in space. During her eight days in space, Jemison conducted experiments on weightlessness and motion sickness on the crew and herself. Following her historic flight, Jemison noted that society should recognize how much both women and members of other minority groups can contribute if given the opportunity.

My passion for and interest in athletics has taken me on my own personal journey through Track and Field, shaping who I am today. It has taught me to celebrate each milestone while learning to face adversities. It has instilled in me the discipline to set goals and to work diligently and consistently to achieve them. Track and Field has also taught me to embrace challenges as critical to my growth and development. Now I am a College athlete aiming to make it to the highest level and working hard daily to achieve this goal.

Growing up, I spent most of my afternoons racing up and down the steep hills of St. Andrew, Jamaica. At that point it was all just for fun. I was a competitive racer, but I ran just to ensure I was the fastest person in my neighborhood. In the summers, I would watch the World Championships, wondering what it was like to compete in front of so many people. I had no clue then that racing would become a major part of my lifestyle. This passion for and interest in athletics has taken me on my own personal journey through Track and Field, shaping who I am today. The task of balancing athletics and academics has significantly built my strength of character. It has taught me to celebrate each milestone while learning to face adversities. It has instilled in me the discipline to set goals and to work diligently and consistently to achieve them. Track and Field has also taught me to embrace challenges as critical to my growth and development. This sport has impacted my entire being with me learning each step of the way to place my physical and mental wellness at the center. These are some of the lessons that I take with me to pursuing my bioengineering degree. The first time I learned about Bioengineering in the ninth grade, I was excited about the possibility to make advances in healthcare by creating artificial organs and prosthetics. The chance to impact lives through biology, medicine, tech and engineering not only fascinates me, but it also drives my passion. What I love most about bioengineering is that I can tinker with my own designs for transplantable human lungs, advancing regenerative medicine and giving those with end-stage lung diseases a new lease on life. Part of what drives my interest in biomedical engineering is the prospect of changing people’s lives. I often dream of bringing my newfound skills and incorporating them in the medical field in my hometown Jamaica. Through my two passions, I will surely aim to make a huge impact on the world and everyone around me. At the start of the Covid- 19 pandemic my interest in vaccine development has really peaked. Seeing how persons in my hometown reacted to the idea of being vaccinated really made me concerned. Through this area I could help less educated person or persons unsure about vaccines understand the true positive impacts that vaccination has on our lives. This is an area that I am definitely passionate about and will be continuing to pursue in the near future. Although I do not know for sure what the future holds for me in this wonderful area of bioengineering, I do know that my impact on those around me will be huge. With my resilient nature and drive to improve all areas of life for others, I will surely work to ensure I do not take this opportunity to achieve great things in this field for granted.