1. I'm a super awesome person with five siblings (who always try to distract me from school) and zero contribution from my parents towards my education so, duh, of course, I deserve a scholarship. But between you and me, I mean, who cares about lab fees or gas money, I just wanna blow all my money on cool University merch to show off to all my parent's friends. 2. I want to work somewhere, someday after graduation and like, make a difference- or make money- whichever comes first ya know. 3. I tear through my problems, similar to how I feel like ripping up my biochemistry assignments- fast and hard- then probably cry a little bit and pick up the pieces to actually formulate a plan of attack, and then solve the problems in the best way I can.

Science knows no bounds, no limits, and no human language. Therefore I choose to major in Biology as a way of fulfilling my interest in biological science in my future career developing affordable care products. During my time as an undergrad so far, I have gained many valuable skills in research, writing, communication, and math that I will without a doubt need to take part in lab research as a technician after graduation. Recognizing my struggles to reach the University level as the eldest daughter of 6 children in an immigrant household, I hope to go back to my school district and use my experience and knowledge and provide ​access and solutions to the financial, familial, and academic problems that may plague them. In my experience, a diversified community breeds diverse ideas, which are a vital aspect in creating discussion and finding new solutions in the workforce and academia. I want to use my education to reveal that background is not the deciding factor in their educational and personal journeys as students and lifelong learners.

This Year was Weird Artist Name: Moodyjudy The college has been a crazy experience so far, it’s actually a little hard to believe I’m already a junior in college with all that has happened these last 3 years life has felt almost like a Movie - Megan thee Stallion (feat. Lil Durk) Honestly, college can be a little overwhelming, and sometimes I wanted people to Leave me alone - Amaarae And when it comes to chemistry, let me just say to all my past chemistry courses, “if you wonder if I hate you, I doooo” I Hate U - SZA As I realize I am approaching the end of my time in undergrad, I sometimes look back at myself 5 years ago and thought, I Don’t Know You Anymore - Eric Nam I also have to constantly stop and ask myself Where is my Mind? - Tkay Maizda But when things get hard, I just remind myself with hard work and consistency Dreams Come True - Aespa And even if I fail today tomorrow is a Brand New Day - BTS ***Album name inspired by Tkay Maizda’s Last Year Was Weird Album installations

Over the years, I have developed the skill of listening actively to my family, friends, and even strangers. Listening is how I show my love and appreciation for my loved ones. I have found that everyone has stories, some they want to share, others they don’t. Regardless of being able to get those around you to open up allowing you to listen to creates a space where they can share without judgment or unwanted feedback. Whether I have the solutions to a problem or not, having a third ear, an outside person to let all your worries or thoughts free is an act of love in itself.

Growing up in a multilingual environment pushed my interest in the nuance of language through translating phrases for my younger siblings. As I have come to develop an interest in the human brain I am constantly amazed that an “ Ób'ówa” in Benin can be equivalent to a Japanese “お帰りなさい'' yet be completely devoid of any sonic similarity. A proclaimed overthinker, mostly due in part to my dedication to understanding the mechanisms of life, finds joy in analyzing the world around me to understand the “why” behind many tenets. I plan to impact the fields of biopsychology research, learning languages, and working with other scientists to push the understanding of the human brain in memory, language acquisition, and communication. Although a lover of fantasy novels, I have been able to pull many lessons from the pages I’ve consumed. One common theme I have taken away is this, having fear does not mean you cannot display courage and succeed in your goals. In novels like Cinderella is Dead, Children of Blood and Bone, and Harry Potter, the main characters do not succumb to the trials they face. No matter how many times Zélie wants to leave her homeland and abandon the war, or the fear that takes over Sophia’s mind when she comes face to face with palace guards, or even the amount of times Harry has had to attempt to live up to his title of the chosen one, each character finds the will and the support to move forward and not be stilled by fear. Zélie was able to fight the war, Sophia freed the kingdom from the King’s tyranny and Harry survived to witness the end of Voldermort. With the goal of researching in different environments inevitably will meet new people and immerse myself in new cultures. Knowing there will be moments I will feel confused or afraid of making mistakes or miscommunicating in other languages. Research is not an easy field and learning a new language will never not present challenges. Despite the fear of making mistakes, acknowledging the temporary nature of the emotion and taking time to analyze the situation and continue to make an effort is the only way to discover the secrets of the human brain is to interact with those who have them.

After a long day running from lecture to lecture, completing group projects, and finally opening up a google document to write out cover letters, I return to my home, wrap myself in my fuzzy blanket and read. Currently, I am reading Toyi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone, a book I have put on pause for too long. As a kid, like most others, reading was fun, I loved picking books from the library and discussing them with friends. However, like most, the increase in academic papers and journals to be read and written almost completely put a halt to my enjoyment of reading, keyword almost. Reading has always allowed me to put a pause on the stress of daily life and immerse myself in new worlds, learn new things about different cultures returning to my life responsibilities with a refreshed mind and can-do attitude. It is fun to imagine living in a different world with magic, like in books such as Harry Potter and Children of Blood and Bone or an older adult-like in A Bit of Difference, even some non-fiction such as another current read, The Story of Henrietta Lacks bring forth my interests in STEM academically and release my desire to dream of a better world or at least prevent anything worse from happening to this one. As silly as it may sound, I have found great solace in characters like Sophia from Cinderella is Dead and Deola from A bit of Difference. Through these novels, I have learned the importance of tenacity in absence of bravery, the benefit of staying true to your personal beliefs, and the impact cultivating a community representative of your values and interests can help you to flourish. A good book allows me to put on “rose-colored glasses,” yet emerge with the ability to find these colors in my current and future activities as an aspiring educator and research professional. Life can be stressful and difficult a lot of the time, for me, a good book never fails to help me melt away the world surrounding me and focus solely on the morals of a good story.

Growing up I would use my siblings as human test subjects and I promise it sounds worse than it was. I would place their scabbed knee cells under my mini microscope, pretending to name the bacteria they had carelessly allowed attach to their bodies by avoiding the peroxide kept in the bathroom. Afterward, my mother would scold me for playing doctor or scientist with my sister and not calling her out to check on her. With three younger siblings at the time, I had an endless amount of people to play “Scientist” with, to my mother’s dismay. My then-budding interest in human biology soon grew to include microbial and environmental health. As a lower-income student and eldest sibling, I found trouble making the time and saving the finances to involve myself with biology internships or programs. With the support of my mother, I was able to take part in a free biological sciences program. Through college-level coursework, I gained laboratory skills and expanded my knowledge of multiple biological processes. My duration in my county’s Early College Biological Sciences program solidified my drive for communicating scientific results, working with teams, and spending time drawing up conclusions after labs. Science knows no bounds, no limits, and no language. Unfortunately, people do, therefore I choose to major in Biology as a way of fulfilling my interest in biological science and a minor in French so I may effectively engage with Francophone countries in my future career. During my time as an undergrad so far, I have gained many valuable skills in research, writing, communication, and math that I will without a doubt need to take part in lab research as a technician after graduation. I plan on completing my degree in Biology and taking a gap year to work intensively in research as a lab technician to gain on-the-job skills in a laboratory setting while preparing the finances needed before pursuing a Master’s (and later) Doctorate degree. With my education, I plan to contribute to biological research that will look further into human health causes and links. Outside of academia, applying my experience and knowledge gained from going through the college and financial aid process, I would like to give back to my community of POC women and encourage them to get into STEM and provide ​access and solutions to the financial, familial, and academic problems that may plague them. In my experience, a diversified community breeds diverse ideas, which are a vital aspect in creating discussion and finding new solutions in the workforce and academia. I want to use my education to not only show little POC girls playing “scientist” that there are people like them in STEM but that they too can become the person they see.

One-Punch Man conveyed to me that it is truly never too late to turn our lives around. While the anime, One Punch Man started off for me as a dry humor anime to watch purely for quick entertainment, I quickly began to see the connection to my everyday life. One Punch Man did not detail any extreme training program, ironically, he did simple workouts and lived in somewhat standard conditions. He had no previous connection to any superheroes nor was bitten by a radioactive spider. Yet, he pivoted from an average job-seeker to a powerful superhero. Though on a less extravagant scale, this anime has inspired me to take action. If I spend 100 minutes studying a language a day or 10 minutes revising my notes every lecture, with consistent effort, I will ultimately reach my newfound goal to partake in research abroad and serve as a U.S diplomat.

If microscopic organisms are the majority of all life forms on earth then I choose to discover the world through a microscope. The field of science never fails to both present answers to my inquires and fuel immense curiosity about life and living organisms. However, it was not until I entered my first health and medicine course-- Foundations of Medicine-- where I found myself submerged in research and the endless discoveries of chemical reactions and science in the human body. My interest was piqued when we began to delve into the various types of cells and research the roles in which they held in our everyday bodily functions. I specifically took interest in blood cells which could be attributed to my previous experience with the subject. As a seventh-grade student in middle school, I had witnessed the impact of leukemia firsthand as I watched my classmate go from a peppy drama student to a sullen, still one. These events, amongst others, have spurred me to want to work in medical research in the future. I hope to create an impact in my communities by ensuring the development of affordable and safe options for treatment. As a black woman and daughter of immigrant parents, I understand how expensive and inaccessible some treatments for illnesses as treatable as asthma can be. Foundations of Medicine has inspired me to pursue a career in scientific research and medicine dedicating my time to determining the root causes of many human illnesses and contributing to finding cures and treatment plans. As a current Biology Major and French Minor, I am working hard in my coursework to learn as many labs and research skills as to apply to experiments of my own one day. Recognizing the importance of communication and teamwork in research, I continue to develop my skills in communication and social competency by engaging in the 2020 Youth Diplomats program held by the World Trade Institute, learning other languages, and taking on leadership roles as my Universities Scholars program Representative and Ambassador. In the near future, I envision myself interning with organizations like USDA and NIH to improve my understanding of microbial flora involved in human health. I also see myself traveling and taking on international study opportunities to expand my knowledge and improve my communication across the board. I know that these goals are hefty, therefore, to ensure that I have the ability to take on these opportunities I am working a part-time job and work-study to cover the cost of educational expenses and actively applying myself for summer research and intern opportunities. Right now, education serves as the main gateway to my ideal career, with support from the Cliffton T. Wofford scholarship, I will be able to mitigate the number of hours and spend working and allocate more time to my research and internship endeavors.

Dear Reader, “I want to eat your pancreas.” To Sakura and Haruki, the main characters of the film, the quote represents their desire to stay close to one another. To me, it means adopting someone else as a part of you. This film is my favorite because it represents a bond between characters that transcend the binary and brings relief and purpose to both main characters. In the film, Sakura is dying, but Haruki cares not. Sakura believes that life is defined by your bond to other people, Haruki does not share the same sentiment. Thus, she decides to spend the last few months of her life with Haruki, completing tasks and activities she's always wanted to do before her death. During their expeditions together, Sakura tells Haraki he should eat her pancreas, telling Haruki that if an individual eats another person’s organs, part of their soul will stay with them. After Sakura dies after an unforeseen attack Sakura’s diary, Living with Dying, left in Haruki’s possession, he learns that Sakura believes he was the person she needed to “complete” her life successfully. People need other people. Throughout the film, this point is emphasized. To Sakura, her life was defined by her bonds, to Haruki, his relationship with Sakura is what finally gave his meaning to some life. Reflecting on these moments and the lesson from the film, I now take the time to treasure the moments I spend with others important to my life. Nowadays, I divide my time so that I still manage to complete all my homework, but also get to play outside with my sisters. As I trek forward, I hope in college I can devour more organs and make my life as full as possible.

It is important to be involved with your community because they are the people who surround you, are able to support and guide you, and vice versa. Before I entered high school, I applied to several different specialty STEM programs. And thankfully, I was able to attend the Paint branch and pursue a biology track as a member of Montgomery County’s early college cohort. With the help of my community, friends, and family, I was able to find the program and successfully apply and find a niche in the STEM community. With the financial and moral support of the Charles R. Ullman & Associates Educational Support Scholarship, I hope to extend my studies and service at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Through my experience, I wanted to help others take courses at their local community college campus. So, I became a co-founder of my county’s Early College Club. The club officially began the spring of 2020 and has helped incoming early college students understand the transportation options from their home high schools, given courses and professor recommendations, and paired each student with a senior in their chosen academic departments. As many of the students came from backgrounds like mine, low-income, and minority, the club was set to help further the success of my fellow students in the program and as they navigated “college” coursework and culture. Over the past year, I have paired up with two mentees from the new biology cohort, helping them transition into the new course work and schedule and give advice and extended personal outreach. The first time I was able to meet my mentees and answer the questions about the process and benefits of the program, I was ecstatic. There is something deeply rewarding about being able to help others besides myself. This feeling is why I would cite this as my greatest accomplishment thus far. Helping others similar to my situation taught me how much compassion and love I formed for teaching and working with others. It also taught me that seeing others win and find their placements in the world does not diminish my own accomplishments and deter my goals, if anything it makes my goals and connection to others stronger. As I prepare to enter university, which can be sometimes cited as cutthroat and tough, I hope I can share my progress and success with others around me and build a community of like-minded thinkers. With the goal in mind to ensure all people have access to options and resources that will maintain and enhance their health, I have realized that it is not only important to involve myself in research but interact and get along well with others. In my future, I envision myself interning with organizations like USDA and NIH to improve my understanding of microbial flora involved in human health. I also see myself traveling and taking on international study opportunities to expand my knowledge of microorganisms in different habitats and their effect in several communities. With high financial need, I am applying for scholarships to help fund my education. However, I have had a difficult time earning enough to fulfill the amount I need to attend school. As the eldest child of six and a first-generation American, charting the course to higher education can be quite difficult at times. Despite this challenge, I still try to find ways to finance my education. Currently, I work part-time as a server at a local retirement center as a means of saving up college expenses for books, food, and other miscellaneous expenses. As an aspiring biological sciences major, I hope to use my degree to become a scientific researcher, a path that requires great amounts of knowledge and education. With that being said, I want to thank the Charles R. Ullman & Associates Educational Support Scholarship committee for this opportunity. A scholarship of five thousand dollars will assist with my transition into college life saving money for my family by reducing the amount of money I will spend on books, transportation, and other miscellaneous fees. Recognizing the hardships and stress that preparing for college may bring, I aspire to achieve my goals to serve my community through scientific research and one day create my own fund to see that other students like me find ways to pay for college.

Before I entered high school, I applied to several different specialty STEM programs. And thankfully, I was able to attend the Paint branch and pursue a biology track as a member of Montgomery County’s early college cohort. With the financial and moral support of the WCEJ Thornton scholarship, I hope to extend my studies and service at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Through my experience, I wanted to help others take courses at their local community college campus. So, I became a co-founder of my county’s Early College Club. The club officially began the spring of 2020 and has helped incoming early college students understand the transportation options from their home high schools, given courses and professor recommendations, and paired each student with a senior in their chosen academic departments. As many of the students came from backgrounds like mine, low-income, and minority, the club was set to help further the success of my fellow students in the program and as they navigated “college” coursework and culture. Over the past year, I have paired up with two mentees from the new biology cohort, helping them transition into the new course work and schedule and give advice and extended personal outreach. The first time I was able to meet my mentees and answer the questions about the process and benefits of the program, I was ecstatic. There is something deeply rewarding about being able to help others besides myself. This feeling is why I would cite this as my greatest accomplishment thus far. Helping others similar to my situation taught me how much compassion and love I formed for teaching and working with others. It also taught me that seeing others win and find their placements in the world does not diminish my own accomplishments and deter my goals, if anything it makes my goals and connection to others stronger. As I prepare to enter university, which can be sometimes cited as cutthroat and tough, I hope I can share my progress and success with others around me and build a community of like-minded thinkers. With the goal in mind to ensure all people have access to options and resources that will maintain and enhance their health, I have realized that it is not only important to involve myself in research but interact and get along well with others. In my future, I envision myself interning with organizations like USDA and NIH to improve my understanding of microbial flora involved in human health. I also see myself traveling and taking on international study opportunities to expand my knowledge of microorganisms in different habitats and their effect in several communities. With high financial need, I am applying for scholarships to help fund my education. However, I have had a difficult time earning enough to fulfill the amount I need to attend school. As the eldest child of six and a first-generation American, charting the course to higher education can be quite difficult at times. Despite this challenge, I still try to find ways to finance my education. Currently, I work part-time as a server at a local retirement center as a means of saving up college expenses for books, food, and other miscellaneous expenses. As an aspiring biological sciences major, I hope to use my degree to become a scientific researcher, a path that requires great amounts of knowledge and education. With that being said, I want to thank the WCEJ Thornton Foundation for this opportunity. A scholarship of five thousand dollars will assist with my transition into college life saving money for my family by reducing the amount of money I will spend on books, transportation, and other miscellaneous fees. Recognizing the hardships and stress that preparing for college may bring, I aspire to achieve my goals to serve my community through scientific research and one day create my own fund to see that other students like me find ways to pay for college.

As a child, I believed that only superheroes could change the world. They could swoop down and save people from fires and floods, they could travel to other planets in a blink of an eye, some could even heal the broken bones and remedy illness in others. Finding purpose as a regular person, especially in a world filled with wrongs that needed to be corrected, seemed like looking for a needle in a haystack. However, as I have grown and progressed in my educational career, I have decided that I will attain a career in the biological research field to fulfill my passion for assisting others and improving the quality of life. I believe that pursuing such a profession will provide me the opportunity to help improve community health conditions. My educational aspirations consist of acquiring a bachelor’s degree in any biological or health science that would assist me in pursuing a career as a medical researcher. In addition to my educational aspirations, my career vision is to one day be able to provide affordable health care to marginalized communities in the United States. However, I am sure that obtaining multiple college degrees is imperative to achieving my career goals. Beyond the completion of my undergraduate degree, I plan to pursue a master's degree in biological sciences and complete several internships and certificates in plant science. These goals support my career goals because I want to contribute to underserved communities in the U.S. that struggle to sustain suitable lifestyles and have decreased to medical assistance as other groups. Before I entered high school, I applied to several different specialty STEM programs. And thankfully, I was able to attend the Paint branch and pursue a biology track as a member of Montgomery County’s early college cohort. With the help of the Tzu Chi Scholarship program, I hope to extend my studies and service at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. Through my experience, I wanted to help others take courses at their local community college campus. So, I became a co-founder of my county’s Early College Club. The club officially began the spring of 2020 and has helped incoming early college students understand the transportation options from their home high schools, given courses and professor recommendations, and paired each student with a senior in their chosen academic departments. Over the past year, I have paired up with two mentees from the new biology cohort, helping them transition into the new course work and schedule and give advice and extended personal outreach. The first time I was able to meet my mentees and answer the questions about the process and benefits of the program, I was ecstatic. There is something deeply rewarding about being able to help others besides myself. Now, as a senior in high school, I plan on continuing my studies in biological sciences in college. With high financial need, I am applying for scholarships to help fund my education. However, I have had a difficult time earning enough to fulfill the amount I need to attend school. As the eldest child of six and a first-generation American, charting the course to higher education can be quite difficult at times. In addition, as I have turned 18 this year, I have also become independent in the eyes of my family, who can provide support but not much money towards my education. Despite this challenge, I am not discouraged and I am finding ways to finance my education. Currently, I work part-time as a server at a local retirement center as a means of saving up college expenses for books, food, and other miscellaneous expenses. As an aspiring biological sciences major, I know my degree will be of use and aid me in becoming a scientific researcher, a path that requires great amounts of knowledge and education.