My entire life I have been utterly fascinated by the human brain. I have trichotillomania, a relative of obsessive-compulsive disorder that causes the pulling of my hair. My sister has ADHD and my mother has severe migraines. Therefore, I have been surrounded by “bad brains” all my life. Already taking a particular interest in the brain, this led me to my current position as a second-year Neuroscience student at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Upon entrance, I had my heart set on medical school. I assumed being a doctor was the best way to make an impact and change lives. However, upon some research and a looming hatred towards chemistry, I realized that an entire world of engineering, technology, and research awaited my discovery. I began to research findings in my field and read a series of research papers on innovative treatments for neurological disorders. Leading me to a technology that I have been inspired by since, Neuromodulation. Neuromodulation joins engineering, medicine, and neuroscience in an attempt to revolutionize treatment for neurological and psychiatric disorders. It is the alteration of nerve activity via electrical impulses or pharmaceutical interference. Research has shown that neuromodulation can be helpful in cases of headaches, hearing loss, spinal injury, and chronic pain. For starters, this development is so inspiring because it introduces a paradigm shift in the healthcare field. Where traditionally migraines and other forms of pain heavily relied on the use of medicine or invasive surgeries as treatment, neuromodulation offers a non-invasive approach through medical devices available over the counter, or by prescription. Due to the electrical circuits precisely targeting neural connections, neuromodulation offers personalized, minimally invasive therapy, making strides in the world of precision medicine and personalized treatment plans. Each human being is entitled to a life free of pain and its associated suffering, and neuromodulation offers hope to these people. Chronic pain, mental illness, and other neurological disorders often reduce one’s quality of life with limited treatment options to combat that. The sheer possibility that neuromodulation has to revolutionize healthcare inspires me each day to contribute to that change. While I no longer desire to wear a stethoscope, I still have a desire to change lives and make the world a better place for all. Science and innovation have the power to do so, and I would very much like to be a part of that story.

Healthcare is at the forefront of nearly all individual needs. Humans cannot change the world they live in without being able to live through the fight, and many minorities often don't. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Black women statistically experience maternal death three times higher than white women. While a variety of factors play into this event, one major cause is a lack of representation. In my senior year of high school, I was interviewed by the Editor in Chief of the school newspaper, The Chant, on maternal mortality. I stated that "To reduce the maternal mortality rate of Black women, I think one of the biggest things we can do is pour into minority communities and get them into Medical school. I think the population of Black women in healthcare is incredibly low compared to [the] demographics of the country with large numbers of Black people who have some sort of need for a procedure and when they go to the doctor, they only see and are treated by people who don’t look like them. One of the biggest things is trusting your provider, but if your provider doesn’t look like you, they can’t share the same experiences with you or defend you in that medical setting.” I believe this remains true. Minorities, Black individuals especially, should not have to die in any medical setting at higher rates than their white counterparts for any reason, especially when one of those reasons can be easily resolved. The summer before my senior year of High School, I attended an internship at the University at Buffalo regarding public health. While there, my peers and I learned about the social determinants of health and race/ethnicity played a major role in life expectancy and overall health. A recurring theme involved minorities tending to have a worse status of health and healthcare opportunities compared to their white counterparts, in addition to the incredibly low amount of minorities in healthcare professions, compared to the dominance of the field by their white counterparts. Black children and individuals cannot imagine themsleves as doctors if they have no visibility of the possibility. This is why it is not only desired but medically necessary, to increase racial diversity in healthcare, so that individuals don't have to put their lives on the line in a setting where they should be safe and protected. Patients should be able to trust their providers and be able to connect with them at a personal level to ensure the best possible quality of individual healthcare, which is where I come in. In my medical career, I plan to attend the Georgia Institute of Technology as a Neuroscience major, graduating with a B.S. in Neuroscience. Long-term, I would enjoy obtaining my Ph.D. to further research in my field. Regarding my degree, I want to use my degree to obtain a career in precision medicine: medical care designed to optimize efficiency for patients, by using genetic sequencing and individual biological makeup of patients at hand. Through precision medicine, I would have the capability of assisting patients fully related to their personal health and ailments. While it is a growing field, it is substantially devoid of Black women like me. By entering this field, not only would I have visibility to the field, I could bring the perspective of a black woman to the team and actively advocate for Black patients given my history and knowledge of health care in the Black community.

I will be attending the Georgia Institute of Technology this fall where I intend to receive a bachelor of science degree in Neuroscience. I plan to use my degree to advance technology in precision healthcare, tailoring disease prevention and treatment considering differences in people's genes, environments, and lifestyles. The summer before my junior year, I attended a summer internship at the Jacobs Institute, a medical innovation center in Buffalo, New York focused on accelerating device development in vascular medicine. While there, my peers and I heard various lectures from neurosurgeon Dr. Ken Snyder and met with various engineers and other professionals in medical-related industries. In a particular lecture that stood out to me, Dr. Snyder claimed that in one Buffalo zipcode, life expectancy could be upwards of 80 years old, and in the next zip code over, it could decline by decades. One of those zip codes belongs to my family and many other Black households. The reasons for this drastic shift in life expectancy varied but the key component was race. In the minority-dominated zip codes, households had limited income, reduced access to quality healthcare, higher rates of illness and diseases, and as a result, reduced life expectancies. However, in the white-dominated zip codes, households had higher averages of income, higher levels of overall health, access to quality healthcare, and as a result, higher life expectancies. Upon learning this information, I was appalled. I wondered why people weren't doing anything to solve the issue, but I knew it was systemic, and wouldn't be an easy wound to heal. Although this issue is a public health concern and not a neuroscience-based issue, I strongly believe in my ability, as a Black woman, to bring attention to the racial divide in healthcare in my respective field. By having people that look like me in the rooms where healthcare decisions are made, I can serve as an advocate for my community and minorities alike. As much as I enjoyed the internship and cherish the relationships I have made, I cannot deny the fact that there were not many professionals present that resembled me or my community, despite the dense minority population in Buffalo. However, to change this, we cannot criticize the system and wish that circumstances were different, we must recognize the issue and rise to the challenge. By being a Black woman in neuroscience and precision healthcare, I can provide a perspective that considers and actively impacts the health of minorities across the nation. By developing medicine and treatment plans that speak to individual health needs, I can speak up for Black women like myself, address racial disparities, and ensure that minorities are reaping the benefits of the biotechnology we have to offer. A key component in the decline in minority health is simply a lack of representatives in healthcare. When the white majority are the ones making decisions in healthcare, whether it be intentionally or not, it is not uncommon for them to miss out or exclude minorities from their conversations, directly resulting in minorities lacking a voice when it comes to healthcare. By being a Black woman in healthcare, I aspire to be that missing voice and advocate for minorities of all kinds, resulting in a more inclusive and much healthier future environment.

I am a senior at North Cobb High School and will be attending the Georgia Institute of Technology, often referred to as Georiga Tech. I am a prospective neuroscience major and intend to use my bachelor's degree to study and develop new technology that enhances modern medicine. I've found a fascination in precision medicine, in which I hope to assist in tailoring disease prevention and treatment that considers genetics, human environments, and individual lifestyles. I would like my career to focus on neurological illnesses and disorders given my personal connection to the topic. As a long-term goal, I plan on achieving a doctoral/Ph.D. certification in cognitive neuroscience to further my studies and research in said field. From a young age, I knew I wanted to be involved in medicine. My great-grandmother died of cancer, my grandmother became disabled in her early twenties and struggles with gastrointestinal issues to this day, and my mother had developed joint pain as a child and severe migraines well into her thirties -- I was surrounded by medicine and advice from doctors. Because of my upbringing, I was always aware of medicine and its capabilities, but my family continued to struggle with their health despite the use of pharmaceuticals. So, as a child I aspired to be a doctor, I was determined to help people who suffered the same ailments as my family. However, as I aged I realized that to truly help my family and people like them, I had to consider patients' individual needs, rather than prescribing what seemed like a textbook solution, leading to my affinity for precision healthcare. Although my interest in precision healthcare developed as a result of critical thinking and questioning the norm, my interest in psychology and the brain seemed almost innate from my childhood. I became aware of trichotillomania as a young child; an obsessive compulsory disorder that caused me to pluck out my eyelashes. The disorder decreased my confidence but in time it enhanced a question: why? Why was I pulling out my hair? Surface-level research lead me to causes like stress and trauma responses, however, this answer did not suffice my intrigue. I wanted to understand the chemical makeup of my brain and what made it different from others, a key component in my love for neuroscience. However, my fascination did not stop there. In my infancy, my mother worked at Northside Hospital in Atlanta, as a Patient Relations Representative. In my adolescence, I asked her about the details of her job and I was met with stories that left me speechless. Ranging from elderly patients losing their memory to domestic violence situations, my mother handled intense situations where the human brain was essential to the scenario at hand. Whether it was a decline in the brain's function or complex vicissitudes of human behavior, my mother's retelling of her past career further interested me in the brain. Upon learning the limited information of which I have about the brain and precision healthcare, it has been enough information to steer me to a career path I see as fulfilling and exciting. Whether it was each member of my sick family or the wide range of patients my mother saw in the hospital, each of these individuals had their own experiences that contributed to their neurological and overall health. Health that a blanket pharmaceutical could not necessarily improve. By engaging in the field of precision healthcare, I aspire to help communities by serving their individual health needs and creating a future where medicine works for them.

Growing up, my family's finances didn't go without worrying. I remember my mother being stressed by bills and various payments along with others in my family. While I'm grateful that we were never in extreme poverty, I remembered not wanting my family to worry about their finances in the future. That's when I started to pay attention to finance, how to manage money, and how to budget. Surprisingly, what I needed could be found in my classroom. The most helpful piece of financial advice I received was from my Middle School Georgia History teacher. He was an old man with a white beard and a quite interesting character, but he was always spewing his old man wisdom. In a check-writing lesson, I recall my teacher, Mr. Cronin, telling us about saving. As simple as it sounds, it was super beneficial. He reminded us to always pay off our credit at the end of the month, buy spending it on gas or groceries, and keep a savings account from a young age, like 17 or 18, to ensure a good retirement fund in the future. When I got my first job the summer before my senior year of High School, I took heed of this advice. My mom and I set up a savings account and a portion of my income went into that. I felt such a sense of security and maturity knowing that I was actively making decisions that would assist my finances as an adult. Although I've only started, I'm taking Mr. Cronin's word with each job I have so that in the future my family can live worry-free, and I can have one nice retirement fund.

Throughout my lifetime I have heard people tell me to take up space. At first I was unsure of what they meant. Was it to be taken literally by sitting in someone else's seat, or did it have a deeper meaning? As time progressed, I have witnessed the courageous efforts of individuals just like me creating change in the world, and I have come to know the true meaning of taking up space. To take up space is to be present at the table. A table where one might have the smallest chair, and be seated at the furthest end, but to be at the table nonetheless. To take up space is to make a name for oneself. To fill that space and that table with their beliefs and passions. To take up space is to create change. My heroes and idols wouldn't hold the same value to me if they hadn’t filled a room they were not welcome in. They took up space. From feminist activist Gloria Steinem filling space by advocating for women’s liberation in a male dominated era, to civil rights activist Angela Davis taking up space by fighting to abolish a prison system aimed against marginalized communities. By taking up space, their names are remembered and inspire me to take up space in the world today. On a day to day basis, I am constantly seeking ways I can help my community. In the past I have participated in book drives, church volunteer opportunities for children at our local hospital, park clean ups, and canned food drives, trying to support those in need as best as I can. However, I don’t want to stop there. In the future, I plan to support my community and the nation by creating a bigger impact. I seek to converse with international leaders about issues of climate change, discrimination, public health, poverty, and hunger. I seek to create a widespread change, but while in high school, I am taking smaller steps to help me in that journey. Whether it is by educating myself on a variety of pressing topics such as racism, environmental issues, and other forms of discrimination against marginalized communities, volunteering in my community to support the voiceless, or helping out in clubs at my high school to better our student body. These actions allow me to be present in society and actively use my voice to speak up. By taking up space, not only can my voice be heard, but it can amplify those muffled voices we don’t often get to hear. By taking up space, I am creating my own seat at the table, and making others for the perspectives we have yet to hear.