As a young woman raised in a religious family, I wasn’t, like most women in Black-South American families, encouraged to pursue a STEM career due to sexist cultural customs. However, I’ve always been eager to design anything I wanted with an intriguing complex language, so I took the initiative to make myself more knowledgeable in this skill and enrolled in a 3-week beginner coding course. I spent countless hours watching the lessons and completing homework, and though I finished later than the average time, I ended up coding a web page that portrays women empowerment and gender equality-advocating non-profits using all the knowledge I learned. I discovered coding a year ago, and since then I’ve coded my own website, and am the web designer for the Bangladesh-based orphanage nonprofit, Dar-Rahman, which provides housing to orphans, and religious schooling. My love for computer science stems from my humanitarian aspiration to break the gender gap barriers for girls in STEM. The STEM field consists of only 28% of women, and even fewer engineering employees in the U.S. are women of color (11.6%). No one should be at a disadvantage to succeed in life or pursue such an innovative career due to their demographic or sex. As I start studying at NYU this Fall, I intend to pursue a Business, Technology, and Entrepreneurship major where, through the Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholars Program, I’ll develop my vision of combining my passion for social justice and breaking socio-economic barriers for women by building schools in underprivileged countries, such as Ghana and Yemen, as well as build a company that invests in women’s education and sustainable technology. This can be a huge breakthrough for gender equality, especially in underprivileged countries, like Afghanistan, since the Taliban has stripped girls of their educational rights by closing all-female schools. My biggest goal is to aid in making more opportunities for women to thrive in STEM. Starting small businesses to raise money for college is my first step to accomplishing this mission. I have been told countless times that I won’t be able to succeed at making a career out of coding and business. I beg to differ. Not only is computer engineering an innovative career, but it’s something that I love to do every day. Everyone deserves an education, and the lack of such a necessity is a crime that many corrupt governments commit. To me, STEAM means choosing to commute to a reputable public high school an hour away from my house just to attain a better education than the one in my local neighborhood. STEAM means to further innovation and make opportunities – to break through socio-economic barriers not just for myself, but for other girls too so we can have equal pay and more opportunities to succeed in life.

The first time I was exposed to math outside of the classroom was when watching Project Mc Squared, where girls used science to make inventions and be spies. The fascination turned into a future career for me years later. I’ve always loved STEM more than math, yet mathematics has seemed to follow everything I did throughout high school: computer science, physics, and AP Chemistry. Mathematics has always been an intriguing realm, drawing me in with its elegant structure and boundless potential. It’s filled with everything that requires memorization more than understanding, and it was frustrating at first, just as coding was for the first three months of learning it. However, from the abstract beauty of numbers to the practicality of problem-solving, my passion for math has shaped my understanding of the world around me. Through its principles, I have developed a unique perspective, a refined analytical mindset, and an appreciation for the pervasive influence of mathematics. The aesthetic appeal fuels my curiosity and drives me to delve deeper into the intricate tapestry of mathematics. Mathematics empowers me with problem-solving skills and fosters analytical thinking. Through unraveling intricate mathematical puzzles, I have honed my ability to break down complex problems into manageable components. The logical reasoning and critical thinking required in mathematics have equipped me with valuable tools applicable beyond the realm of numbers, enabling me to approach challenges in various aspects of life with a systematic approach. The principles of mathematics have also taught me that it is a universal language. I was introduced to it as a love language. Regardless of cultural, linguistic, or geographical differences, mathematical concepts transcend barriers and provide a common ground for understanding. Mathematics has the power to connect people across borders, fostering collaboration and communication on a global scale. The first time I ever witnessed how it was a way of communicating something so endearing with mathematical concepts that seemed so complicated was when a guy in my calculus class sent a girl a love note – with an equation. It was an intricate one, with graphs and radicals, but when she plugged it into a TI-84 Calculator, the grid formed a heart. Before, I had wondered how people could make sense of the world. Now, I see even if you have a passion for physics or dentistry mathematics is intertwined with basically every function of any field. Although calculus may not have been my favorite subject to learn in a classroom, I’ve learned to appreciate the way people can communicate with it, and how it’s altered my perception of the world. Coding every day helps me think, and as more and more time passes I also gain a better understanding of math. The principles of mathematics have had a profound impact on my understanding of the world by revealing the pervasive presence of mathematical concepts in everyday life. From financial transactions to technological advancements, from scientific discoveries to artistic creations, mathematics underlies every facet of our modern world. The application of mathematical principles in various fields highlights their practical relevance and further solidifies my appreciation for the subject. My fascination with mathematics stems from its inherent beauty, problem-solving capabilities, universal language, and real-world applications. Mathematics has shaped my understanding of the world by fostering logical reasoning, analytical thinking, and an awareness of the pervasive influence of its principles. Even coding countless pages of self-projects with zeroes and ones involved in mathematics. Through its captivating nature and unwavering presence in everyday life, mathematics continues to ignite my passion, driving me to explore its depths and contribute to the fascinating realm of numbers.

I utilize my passions for social justice, engineering, and entrepreneurship to aid in eliminating gender inequality, especially gender-based violence. Sexual assaults are the most prevalent crimes in the United States, yet they are also the most underreported. As a survivor, I’ve felt the raw feeling of dehumanization, and know that many have experienced immensely worse, and strive to help, which is why I started volunteering with Girl Up. I decided that to help I had to start getting involved any way I could. So, I then volunteered with many organizations advocating for gender equality, including Girl Up, in which I was the PR Outreach head for a coalition club, as well as creating my own Girl Up club: Girl Up Los Angeles. I decided to make this club for when I visited L.A. there was drastic amounts of homelessness, and statistics show that period poverty is particularly rampant in this state, as well as sexual violence. I made it my mission to aid as many women as possible and give them access to healthcare and educational resources, especially when they are restricted by the states. I will help prevent gender-based violence from happening to as many girls as possible, and especially considering recent events of the fight to retain reproductive rights and healthcare for women, advocacy has never been more potent. I’ve always felt a deep sense of duty to utilize my resources to help as much as I can, which is why I greatly try to make an impact both locally and internationally. I was never given the privilege of egalitarian treatment, and neither are the countless girls who’ve been subjected to abuse and barbaric attacks in the Middle East, just fighting to live and attain an education. I wanted to help, which is a core facet of being an entrepreneur – purpose. I’m also involved with Step Up, a program dedicated to providing free career services to young girls, in which I interned with them as a social media ambassador. I strive to become even more involved with non-profit organizations like Girl Up, United Nations, and Zonta International. It’s of great importance to me to break sexist expectations and gender-stigmatized expectations for myself and other girls, through entrepreneurship – unprecedented actions of a young woman who was born in a religious household with its own familial gender-stigmatized expectations. In addition, I intend to take advantage of my university’s opportunities, such as participating in NYU's Blackstone LaunchPad Ideas Competition, Innovation Venture Fund, and NYU Female Founders Fellowship to gain funding and connections to start my company. In terms of computer engineering, I utilize my passion for coding as well as being the web designer for Dar-Rahman, a non-profit orphanage, for which I created the website and manage social media. It teaches religious scriptures and classes and provides housing to orphans. It’s of great importance to me to break sexist expectations and gender-stigmatized expectations for myself and other girls through entrepreneurship – unprecedented actions of a young Muslim woman. As I start studying at NYU this Fall, I intend to pursue a Business, Technology, and Entrepreneurship major where I’ll develop my vision of combining my passion for social justice and breaking socio-economic barriers for women by building a company that invests in women’s education and project funding. My biggest goal is to eliminate gender inequality, violence, and aid in making more opportunities for women to thrive in male-dominated fields, especially STEM and business. Starting to be active in several communities striving to eliminate the same issues is my first step to accomplishing this mission.

As a young woman raised in a religious family, I wasn’t, like most women in Black-South American families, encouraged to pursue a STEM career due to sexist cultural customs. However, I now know that it’s my life’s mission to break these stereotypes for myself, and younger girls as well. As I’ve always been eager to design anything I wanted with an intriguing complex language, I took the initiative to make myself more knowledgeable in this skill and enrolled in a 3-week beginner coding course. I spent countless hours watching the lessons and completing homework, and though I finished later than the average time, I ended up coding a web page that portrays women empowerment and gender equality-advocating non-profits using all the knowledge I learned. I discovered coding a year ago, and since then I’ve coded my own website, and am the web designer for the Bangladesh-based orphanage nonprofit, Dar-Rahman, which provides housing to orphans, and religious schooling. My love for computer science stems from my humanitarian aspiration to break the gender gap barriers for girls in STEM. In addition to funding my education and career, this scholarship will also aid many other women in pursuing STEM careers, as I aspire to create free coding boot camps and international scholarships for women of color. The STEM field consists of only 28% of women, and even fewer engineering employees in the U.S. are women of color (11.6%). No one should be at a disadvantage to succeed in life or pursue such an innovative career due to their demographic or sex. As I start studying at NYU this Fall, I intend to pursue a Business, Technology, and Entrepreneurship major where I’ll develop my vision of combining my passion for social justice and breaking socio-economic barriers for women by building a company that invests in women’s education and sustainable technology. This is why if I could do anything with my life, I’d use it to eradicate every social injustice so that we wouldn’t have inequality, and people could live their lives without interference from bigotry. It’s what motivates me every day to build my company, as well as become an engineer. I know that if I work hard enough, and use my resources to succeed I’ll be able to make a lot of needed changes in society, such as investing in women-owned businesses, and being an advocate for human rights. It’s also my dream to travel the globe and live in as many places as possible in my lifetime – ranging from Greece, Hawaii, Shanghai, and Paris. Using my education, I’ll strive to break socio-economic barriers so that young girls pursuing any STEM career will have equal pay and more opportunities to succeed in life. My biggest goal is to aid in making more opportunities for women to thrive in male-dominated fields, especially STEM and business. Starting small businesses to raise money for college is my first step to accomplishing this mission. As a girl, who also comes from a religious family, being an engineer was never an option. There were only three choices of professions: doctor, dentist, or lawyer. However, my curiosity was engendered by my insatiable need for diversity of knowledge and the irresistible fragrance of unknown exploration, which is why I always strived for any opportunities I could attain. Though I’m constantly told that there’s no place for me in a field dominated by men, the aftermath of engaging with underprivileged communities and politically and gender equality-advocating organizations has taught me that one’s never too young to make a change. I have been told countless times that as a young woman, I must follow the dogma of religious and societal stereotypes and that I won’t be able to succeed at making a career out of coding. I beg to differ. As a young woman who has grown up teaching herself skills to succeed in life, I know now that I can pursue any career I’m passionate about, and make a living for not only is computer engineering an innovative career, but it’s something that I love to do every day. Coming from a family of immigrants, I know that their struggles have allowed me to be surrounded by opportunities, and inspired me to craft a successful career for myself. I know that many kids don’t possess the needed resources to further their education and careers, which is why I intend to pay forward my family’s hard work in my career by also creating my own scholarship funds in the future for students belonging to college students, especially those who’re women of color.

My mother, born in Guyana, immigrated to Canada when she was 4 years old. My grandparents – married at 17 and 21 – immigrated to the U.S. and soon after, they had my dad. They all worked incredibly hard to accomplish living a stable lifestyle. Having been able to reap the opportunities of being American-born solely by their actions, I strive to attain the best education so that I can beat the odds. She made me not take anything for granted, while at the same time spoiling me by shielding me away from the world’s problems by sending me to a religious private school. It was only when I attended public high school did I realized how little I knew of the world. I realized the court system is corrupt, and our human rights are in jeopardy. I desired to use my education and experience and channel it toward becoming politically active in my community. Starting with joining my high school’s Model UN club where I competed in cases regarding disputes of worldwide trade and enduring issues. Then, I created Girl Up Los Angeles. I decided to create this club because when I visited L.A. a few years ago there were drastic amounts of homelessness, and statistics show that poverty and starvation were particularly rampant in this state. I decided to change this by partnering with many local organizations in L.A. to host food fundraisers for the homeless, especially women, and low-income families in the city. I became enraptured in politics and the dire issues all of us are being impacted by, directly and indirectly. dedicated most of my time to volunteering with organizations that advocated for solutions to worldwide issues, including gender-based violence, racism, voter disparity, climate change, and the gender pay gap – disparities that I wanted to help eradicate. It’s of great importance to me to break sexist expectations and gender-stigmatized expectations for myself and other girls through entrepreneurship – unprecedented actions of a young Muslim woman. I now see how imperative it is for us to not only care but take real action that can make an impact in many people’s lives. As I start studying at NYU this Fall, I intend to pursue a Business, Technology, and Entrepreneurship major where I’ll develop my vision of combining my passion for social justice and breaking socio-economic barriers for women by building a company that invests in women’s education and project funding. I’ve always felt a deep sense of duty to utilize my resources to help as much as I can, which is why I greatly try to make an impact both locally and internationally. My biggest goal is to aid in making more opportunities for women to thrive in STEM and entrepreneurship while traveling the globe, and aid in the eradication of social issues. Starting small businesses to raise money for college is my first step to accomplishing this mission. Coming from a family of immigrants, especially my mom and grandparents, I know that their struggles have allowed me to be surrounded by opportunities, and inspired me to craft a successful career for myself. I know that many kids don’t possess the needed resources to further their education and careers, which is why I intend to pay forward my family’s hard work in my career by also creating my own scholarship funds in the future for students belonging to black minority groups.

As a young woman raised in a religious family, I wasn’t, like most women in Black-South American families, encouraged to pursue a STEM and entrepreneurial career due to sexist cultural customs. Even more so, I was relentlessly told that I wouldn’t be able to be successful in such a career. However, I’ve always been eager to design anything with an intriguingly complex language, so I took the initiative to make myself more knowledgeable in this skill and enrolled in a 3-week beginner coding course. I spent countless hours watching the lessons and completing homework, and though I finished later than the average time, I ended up coding my first web page (featured on my website – https://nabak5571.wixsite.com/mysite) which portrays women empowerment and gender equality-advocating non-profits using all the knowledge I learned. Since discovering coding a year ago, I’ve coded my website, and am the web designer for the Bangladesh-based orphanage nonprofit, Dar-Rahman, which provides housing and religious schooling to orphans. The STEM field consists of only 28% of women, and even fewer engineering employees in the U.S. are women of color (11.6%). In addition, PitchBook data reported that “women-founded startups raised only 1.9% of all VC funds in 2022, a drop from 2021. Last year, U.S. startups with all-women teams received 1.9% (or around $4.5 billion) out of around the $238.3 billion in venture capital allocated.” No one should be at a disadvantage to succeed in life or pursue such an innovative career due to their demographic or sex. My love for computer science and entrepreneurship stems from my humanitarian aspiration to break the gender gap barriers for girls in STEM. So, I’m combining my passion for computer science and entrepreneurship to break socio-economic barriers by building a global tech company that’s dedicated to gender equality and making a global impact on poverty through investments in sustainable solar-powered technology. Also, designing educational lessons with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript can substantially impact girls in Afghanistan, for example, since the Taliban has stripped them of their educational rights by closing all-female schools. This can be accomplished by offering these services made by young people just like me. In addition, through my business, I’ll start funds to build schools for both boys and girls to initiate equal education. My biggest goal is to aid in making more opportunities for women to thrive in STEM and entrepreneurial fields while traveling the globe, and aid in the eradication of social issues. I plan to start small businesses to raise money for college as my first step to accomplishing this mission. Though I’m constantly told that there’s no place for me in STEM, or as an entrepreneur, the aftermath of engaging with underprivileged communities and politically and gender equality-advocating organizations has taught me that one’s never too young to make a change. Using my education, I’ll pursue a degree in computer engineering, as well as entrepreneurship and technology, at NYU and strive to break socio-economic barriers so that young girls pursuing any STEM or entrepreneurial career will have equal pay and more opportunities to succeed in life. Coming from a family of immigrants, I know that their struggles have allowed me to be surrounded by opportunities, and inspired me to craft a successful career for myself. I know that many kids don’t possess the needed resources to further their education and careers, which is why I aspire to create own scholarship funds in the future for current college students, especially those belonging to women and black minority groups. I would love for there to be more opportunities like this moving forward.

As a young woman raised in a religious family, I wasn’t, like most women in Black-South American families, encouraged to pursue a STEM and entrepreneurial career due to sexist cultural customs. Even more so, I was relentlessly told that I wouldn’t be able to be successful in such a career. However, I’ve always been eager to design anything with an intriguingly complex language, so I took the initiative to make myself more knowledgeable in this skill and enrolled in a 3-week beginner coding course. I spent countless hours watching the lessons and completing homework, and though I finished later than the average time, I ended up coding my first web page (featured on my website – https://nabak5571.wixsite.com/mysite) which portrays women empowerment and gender equality-advocating non-profits using all the knowledge I learned. Since discovering coding a year ago, I’ve coded my website, and am the web designer for the Bangladesh-based orphanage nonprofit, Dar-Rahman, which provides housing and religious schooling to orphans. No one should be at a disadvantage to succeed in life or pursue such an innovative career due to their demographic or sex. My love for computer science and entrepreneurship stems from my humanitarian aspiration to break the gender gap barriers for girls in STEM. So, I’m combining my passion for computer science and entrepreneurship to break socio-economic barriers by building a global tech company that’s dedicated to gender equality and making a global impact on poverty through investments in sustainable solar-powered technology. My biggest goal is to aid in making more opportunities for women to thrive in STEM and entrepreneurial fields while traveling the globe, and aid in the eradication of social issues. I plan to start small businesses to raise money for college as my first step to accomplishing this mission. Though I’m constantly told that there’s no place for me in STEM, or as an entrepreneur, the aftermath of engaging with underprivileged communities and politically and gender equality-advocating organizations has taught me that one’s never too young to make a change. Using my education, I’ll pursue a degree in computer engineering, as well as entrepreneurship and technology, at NYU and strive to break socio-economic barriers so that young girls pursuing any STEM or entrepreneurial career will have equal pay and more opportunities to succeed in life. Coming from a family of immigrants, I know that their struggles have allowed me to be surrounded by opportunities, and inspired me to craft a successful career for myself. If awarded the Voila Natural Lifestyle Scholarship, this would have a profound impact on my academic and career endeavors for it would not only further my education in computer science for my success with a bit less of a concern on finding funding but also aid many other women in pursuing all types of careers, as I aspire to create free coding boot camps and international scholarships for women of color. The STEM field consists of only 28% of women, and even fewer engineering employees in the U.S. are women of color (11.6%). I know that many kids don’t possess the needed resources to further their education and careers, which is why I aspire to create scholarship funds in the future for current college students, especially those belonging to women and black minority groups. I would love for there to be more opportunities like this moving forward.

As a young woman raised in a religious family, I wasn’t, like most women in Black-South American families, encouraged to pursue a STEM and entrepreneurial career due to sexist cultural customs. Even more so, I was relentlessly told that I wouldn’t be able to be successful in such a career. However, I’ve always been eager to design anything with an intriguingly complex language, so I took the initiative to make myself more knowledgeable in this skill and enrolled in a 3-week beginner coding course. I spent countless hours watching the lessons and completing homework, and though I finished later than the average time, I ended up coding my first web page (featured on my website – https://nabak5571.wixsite.com/mysite) which portrays women empowerment and gender equality-advocating non-profits using all the knowledge I learned. Since discovering coding a year ago, I’ve coded my website, and am the web designer for the Bangladesh-based orphanage nonprofit, Dar-Rahman, which provides housing and religious schooling to orphans. The STEM field consists of only 28% of women, and even fewer engineering employees in the U.S. are women of color (11.6%). In addition, PitchBook data reported that “women-founded startups raised only 1.9% of all VC funds in 2022, a drop from 2021. Last year, U.S. startups with all-women teams received 1.9% (or around $4.5 billion) out of around the $238.3 billion in venture capital allocated.” No one should be at a disadvantage to succeed in life or pursue such an innovative career due to their demographic or sex. My love for computer science and entrepreneurship stems from my humanitarian aspiration to break the gender gap barriers for girls in STEM. So, I’m combining my passion for computer science and entrepreneurship to break socio-economic barriers by building a global tech company that’s dedicated to gender equality and making a global impact on poverty through investments in sustainable solar-powered technology. Also, designing educational lessons with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript can substantially impact girls in Afghanistan, for example, since the Taliban has stripped them of their educational rights by closing all-female schools. This can be accomplished by offering these services made by young people just like me. In addition, through my business, I’ll start funds to build schools for both boys and girls to initiate equal education. My biggest goal is to aid in making more opportunities for women to thrive in STEM and entrepreneurial fields while traveling the globe, and aid in the eradication of social issues. I plan to start small businesses to raise money for college as my first step to accomplishing this mission. Though I’m constantly told that there’s no place for me in STEM, or as an entrepreneur, the aftermath of engaging with underprivileged communities and politically and gender equality-advocating organizations has taught me that one’s never too young to make a change. Using my education, I’ll pursue a degree in computer engineering, as well as entrepreneurship and technology, at NYU and strive to break socio-economic barriers so that young girls pursuing any STEM or entrepreneurial career will have equal pay and more opportunities to succeed in life. Coming from a family of immigrants, I know that their struggles have allowed me to be surrounded by opportunities, and inspired me to craft a successful career for myself. I know that many kids don’t possess the needed resources to further their education and careers, which is why I aspire to create scholarship funds in the future for current college students, especially those belonging to women and black minority groups. I would love for there to be more opportunities like this moving forward.

As a young woman raised in a religious family, I wasn’t, like most women in Black-South American families, encouraged to pursue a STEM and entrepreneurial career due to sexist cultural customs. Even more so, I was relentlessly told that I wouldn’t be able to be successful in such a career. However, I’ve always been eager to design anything with an intriguingly complex language, so I took the initiative to make myself more knowledgeable in this skill and enrolled in a 3-week beginner coding course. I spent countless hours watching the lessons and completing homework, and though I finished later than the average time, I ended up coding my first web page (featured on my website – https://nabak5571.wixsite.com/mysite) which portrays women empowerment and gender equality-advocating non-profits using all the knowledge I learned. Since discovering coding a year ago, I’ve coded my website, and am the web designer for the Bangladesh-based orphanage nonprofit, Dar-Rahman, which provides housing and religious schooling to orphans. The STEM field consists of only 28% of women, and even fewer engineering employees in the U.S. are women of color (11.6%). In addition, PitchBook data reported that “women-founded startups raised only 1.9% of all VC funds in 2022, a drop from 2021. Last year, U.S. startups with all-women teams received 1.9% (or around $4.5 billion) out of around the $238.3 billion in venture capital allocated.” No one should be at a disadvantage to succeed in life or pursue such an innovative career due to their demographic or sex. My love for computer science and entrepreneurship stems from my humanitarian aspiration to break the gender gap barriers for girls in STEM. So, I’m combining my passion for computer science and entrepreneurship to break socio-economic barriers by building a global tech company that’s dedicated to gender equality and making a global impact on poverty through investments in sustainable solar-powered technology. Also, designing educational lessons with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript can substantially impact girls in Afghanistan, for example, since the Taliban has stripped them of their educational rights by closing all-female schools. This can be accomplished by offering these services made by young people just like me. In addition, through my business, I’ll start funds to build schools for both boys and girls to initiate equal education. My biggest goal is to aid in making more opportunities for women to thrive in STEM and entrepreneurial fields while traveling the globe, and aid in the eradication of social issues. I plan to start small businesses to raise money for college as my first step to accomplishing this mission. Though I’m constantly told that there’s no place for me in STEM, or as an entrepreneur, the aftermath of engaging with underprivileged communities and politically and gender equality-advocating organizations has taught me that one’s never too young to make a change. Using my education, I’ll pursue a degree in computer engineering, as well as entrepreneurship and technology, at NYU and strive to break socio-economic barriers so that young girls pursuing any STEM or entrepreneurial career will have equal pay and more opportunities to succeed in life. Coming from a family of immigrants, I know that their struggles have allowed me to be surrounded by opportunities, and inspired me to craft a successful career for myself. I know that many kids don’t possess the needed resources to further their education and careers, which is why I aspire to create own scholarship funds in the future for current college students, especially those belonging to women and black minority groups. I would love for there to be more opportunities like this moving forward.

I want to use my skills to help grow the food industry and impact how customers and consumers make food shopping choices, and further nurture the entrepreneur it takes to truly be an independent grocer, especially in a family. As I continue a higher education at NYU in the Food Management Industry as a Food Nutritionist, I aspire to use my summers to travel to Ghana, Madrid, and other foreign countries to conduct research regarding the food trends and shortages that have taken place, and record them to discuss a plan with my university’s active sustainability initiative – NYU’s IT Sustainability Initiative – to decide how to implement them in real-time. This organization is very dedicated to green life, as well as incorporating business marketing strategies with the food market to better the economy and the businesses of independent grocers. Coming from a family of immigrants, I know that their struggles have allowed me to be surrounded by opportunities, and inspired me to craft a successful career for myself. I know that many kids don’t possess the needed resources to further their education and careers, which is why I intend to pay forward my family’s hard work in my career by also creating my own scholarship funds in the future for students belonging to black minority groups. If awarded Christina Taylese Singh Memorial Scholarship, this would have a profound impact on my academic and career endeavors for it would not only further my education with a bit less of a concern on finding funding, but also aid many other students pursuing studies within Food Industry Management Business, as I aspire to create domestic and international scholarships for college students, especially for minority groups. An estimated amount of 600 million – almost 1 in 10 people in the world – fall ill after eating contaminated food and 420,000 die every year. No one should suffer as a result of the lack of care of products and systems in the food industry. A $1000 scholarship may seem like nothing to some, but for me, that would fund an entire class and/or meal plan going into my Fall semester. The less I have to worry about money, the more time I can dedicate to fulfilling my humanitarian aspirations of providing support to minority groups and making a positive global impact. I want more opportunities like this to be accessible to current college students, especially those belonging to low-income college students, and other minority groups. I would love for there to be more opportunities like this moving forward.

As a young woman raised in a religious family, I wasn’t, like most women in Black-South American families, encouraged to pursue a STEM and entrepreneurial career due to sexist cultural customs. They thought I should instead focus on studying for the SAT, and I did, but I also dedicated most of my time to volunteering with organizations that advocated for solutions to worldwide issues, including gender-based violence, racism, voter disparity, climate change, and the gender pay gap – disparities that I wanted to help eradicate. Sexual violence against women, specifically, is the most prevalent crime in the United States, yet they are also the most underreported. As someone who has been a victim of this, I’ve felt the raw feeling of dehumanization, and know that many have experienced worse, and I strive to help, which is why I started volunteering as the PR Outreach Head for Girl Up Gang, a coalition club under the Girl Up foundation, for a year. Soon after, I founded Girl Up Los Angeles where I created fundraisers and charity events to raise thousands of dollars for period products for low-income women. I decided to make this club for when I visited L.A. there was drastic amounts of homelessness, and statistics show that period poverty is particularly rampant in this state, as well as sexual violence. It’s of great importance to me to break sexist expectations and gender-stigmatized expectations for myself and other girls through entrepreneurship – unprecedented actions of a young Muslim woman. As I start studying at NYU this Fall, I intend to pursue a Business, Technology, and Entrepreneurship major where I’ll develop my vision of combining my passion for social justice and breaking socio-economic barriers for women by building a company that invests in women’s education and project funding. My biggest goal is to aid in making more opportunities for women to thrive in male-dominated fields, especially STEM and business. Starting small businesses to raise money for college is my first step to accomplishing this mission. I strive to help prevent gender-based violence, and especially considering recent events of the fight to retain reproductive rights and healthcare for women, advocacy has never been more potent. I’ve always felt a deep sense of duty to utilize my resources to help as much as I can, which is why I greatly try to make an impact both locally and internationally. Though I’m constantly told that there’s no place for me as an entrepreneur, the aftermath of engaging with underprivileged communities and politically and gender equality-advocating organizations has taught me that one’s never too young to make a change. Part of how I came to be impassioned by these topics is because I was born and raised in the suburbs of New York. My dad has worked laboriously to independently build his business, as did my grandparents when they immigrated to America from Guyana after they married very young – at 17 and 21. My grandparents drove from upstate New York to Manhattan every day to work three jobs to provide for their family while also caring for my dad as a baby, and later his two brothers. Coming from a family of immigrants, I know that their struggles have allowed me to be surrounded by opportunities, and inspired me to craft a successful career for myself. I know that many kids don’t possess the needed resources to further their education and careers, which is why I intend to pay forward my family’s hard work in my career by also creating my own scholarship funds in the future for students belonging to black minority groups.

As a young woman raised in a religious family, I wasn’t, like most women in Black-South American families, encouraged to pursue a STEM career due to sexist cultural customs. Even more so, I was relentlessly told that I wouldn’t be able to be successful in such a career. Growing up, I have always found it very difficult to voice my opinions and the career I wanted to pursue in college in fear of being ridiculed and gaslighted into doing something I hated. It was tiring, and so instead of asking to take lessons in things such as coding, business, and engineering, I decided to learn them myself. I’ve always been eager to design anything I wanted with an intriguing complex language, so I took the initiative to make myself more knowledgeable in computer science skills and enrolled in a 3-week beginner coding course. I spent countless hours watching the lessons and completing homework, and though I finished later than the average time, I ended up coding my first web page which portrays women empowerment and gender equality-advocating non-profits using all the knowledge I learned. I discovered coding a year ago, and since then I’ve coded my own website, and am the web designer for the Bangladesh-based orphanage nonprofit, Dar-Rahman, which provides housing and religious schooling to orphans. My love for computer science stems from my humanitarian aspiration to break the gender gap barriers for girls in STEM. I have been told countless times that as a young woman, I must follow the dogma of religious and societal stereotypes and that I won’t be able to succeed at making a career out of coding. I beg to differ. As a young woman who has grown up teaching herself skills to succeed in life, I know now that I can pursue any career I’m passionate about, and make a living for not only is computer engineering an innovative career, but it’s something that I love to do every day. Using my education, I will pursue a degree in computer engineering, as well as entrepreneurship and technology, and strive to break socio-economic barriers so that young girls pursuing any STEM career will have equal pay and more opportunities to succeed in life. To me, that's what being a maverick is. I aspire to create my own scholarship fund in the future so that opportunities like this can be accessible to current college students, especially those belonging to low-income women of color. I would love for there to be more opportunities like this moving forward.

One year ago, my friend, Prisha Shroff created an A.I. - based wildfire detection and suppression system that uses NASA and NOAA satellite and meteorological data to predict wildfire hotspots, and where they can occur. At 15, she was told by teachers that she wasn’t capable of doing it; now, Prisha is globally renowned and was recognized by the United Nations. Her resilience and the complexity of the invention she built using new software have shown me that there’s an infinite amount of technological advancements that can be accomplished by anyone willing to try. This has further inspired me to pursue Business, Technology, and Entrepreneurship at NYU this Fall. Using my education, I strive to build a tech company that’s dedicated to making a global impact on gender equality and poverty through investments in sustainable solar-powered technology, like Prisha’s, especially in impoverished countries, like Africa, and Yemen. As a young woman raised in a religious family, I wasn’t, like most women in Black-South American families, encouraged to pursue a STEM career due to sexist cultural customs. However, I now know that it’s my life’s mission to break these stereotypes for myself, and younger girls as well. My love for computer science stems from my humanitarian aspiration to break the gender gap barriers for girls in STEM. If awarded the Elevate Women in Technology Scholarship, this would have a profound impact on my academic and career endeavors for it would not only further my education in computer science for my success with a bit less of a concern on finding funding but also aid many other women in pursuing all types of careers, as I aspire to create free coding boot camps and international scholarships for women of color. The STEM field consists of only 28% of women, and even fewer engineering employees in the U.S. are women of color (11.6%). No one should be at a disadvantage to succeed in life or pursue such an innovative career due to their demographic or sex. I aspire to create my own scholarship fund in the future so that opportunities like this can be accessible to current college students, especially those belonging to low-income women. I’d love for there to be more opportunities like this moving forward. Starting my tech company and applying for scholarships to raise money for college is my first step to accomplishing this mission—supporting them is yours.

Writing is like pulling on a cardigan in a cold basement when I'm in solitude; it's also like wielding a sword without moving my mouth. The best writing stems from deep desires and wants for happiness. . However, I’ve always struggled with perceiving if my writing was ever "good” – as in “good” enough to mimic the spirits of female heroines written by The Bronte Sisters and Jane Austen. This was mainly due to society, and I’m still struggling a little with it. It’s always been my ambition to be an author. However, I was always told that being an author wasn’t a proper profession, and to just do it “on the side,” which infuriated me. No one took me seriously as a young woman, but I yearned to expose all of the misogyny in culture and religion, especially within families. I craved to be like all the female heroines I’d read about since I was young. They were my teachers in life. Writing is my armor against the patriarchy that tries to degrade women to a pulp. As I'm writing now, it's like a breath of fresh air. It’s the one place I feel that I could say anything and not have to tolerate people's opinions of me. Christine Piper, author and an Australian/Vogel Literary Award winner, even stated how “Like many women, I’ve been guilty of self-sabotage: doubting my ability, playing down my talents, taking rejections personally, and being shy about pursuing opportunities. Men are socialized to be confident and champion their abilities.” Women are always seen as arrogant if we ever prioritize our work, and are successful because of it. Countless amazing feminist literary works were once banned and branded as foolish, like Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour,” and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper.” My ambition is to write stories that encourage young girls to pursue their literary aspirations and to know that their work is only met with cynicism when you’re doing something different – something good. One of my favorite novels is Little Women, written by Louisa May Alcott who inspired me with her tenaciously bold female author protagonist, and her saying — 'I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.” For me, writing my novel is the first step to breaking the gender barrier in the publishing industry. If awarded the Alicea Sperstad Rural Writer Scholarship, this would have a profound impact on my academic and career endeavors for it would not only further my education with a bit less of a concern on finding funding, but also aid many other women in pursuing writing careers, as I aspire to create free writing boot camps and international scholarships for women, especially of color. In the publishing industry, women authors earn approximately 5 to 6 percent less than their male counterparts. No one should be at a disadvantage to succeed in life due to their demographic or sex. For me, the less I have to worry about money, the more time I can dedicate to fulfilling my humanitarian aspirations of providing support to minority groups and making a positive global impact. With that being said, I just want to thank everyone behind the Alicea Sperstad Rural Writer Scholarship. A $500 scholarship may seem like nothing to some, but for me, that would fund an entire meal plan. I want opportunities like this to be accessible to current college students, especially those belonging to women, and other minority groups. I would love for there to be more opportunities like this moving forward.

As a young woman raised in a religious family, I wasn’t, like most women in Black-South American families, encouraged to pursue a STEM career due to sexist cultural customs. However, I’ve always been eager to design anything I wanted with an intriguing complex language, and so I took the initiative to make myself more knowledgeable in this especially valuable skill in today’s job market, and enrolled in a 3-week beginner coding course. I spent countless hours watching the lessons, and completing homework, and though I finished later than the average time, I ended up coding a web page that portrays women empowerment and gender equality-advocating non-profits using all the skills I learned. I discovered coding a year ago, and since then I’ve coded my own website, and am the web designer for the Bangladesh-based orphanage nonprofit, Dar-Rahman, which provides housing to orphans, and religious schooling. My love for computer science stems from my humanitarian aspiration to break gender gap barriers for girls in STEM. This Fall, I will be attending New York University (NYU) as a freshman, and will be combining my interests in entrepreneurship and technology. Even though women are even more qualified than men they’re still denied occupations. Statusofwomendata.com states that, “About 36% of women, ages 25-34, have a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared with about 28% of men who are the same age.” Also, for every dollar earned by American men, women earned 82 cents. Being inspired by my role model, Karlie Kloss, founder of Kode with Klossy – a foundation whose purpose is to further girls’ education in STEM – I also want to eliminate gender and ethnic disparities. I’m very passionate about coding as well as creating a tech company that invests in women’s education. That is why I created the vision of combining my desire for social justice, and breaking socio-economic barriers into building a global tech company that’s extremely dedicated to political awareness, taking action for gender equality, and is centered around working with nonprofit organizations to make a global impact on poverty through investments in sustainable solar-powered technology, especially in impoverished countries, like Africa, and Yemen. This can be a huge breakthrough for gender equality, especially in underprivileged countries, like Afghanistan since the Taliban has stripped girls of their educational rights by closing all-female schools. My biggest goal is to aid in making more opportunities for women to thrive in STEM, and starting small businesses to raise money for college is my first step to accomplishing this mission If awarded the Women in Technology Scholarship through the wisegeek foundation, this would have a profound impact on my academic and career endeavors for it would further my education in computer science for my own success with a bit less of a concern on financing my education. In addition to the funding of my education and career, this scholarship will also aid many other women in pursuing STEM careers, as I aspire to create free coding bootcamps and international scholarships for women of color. The STEM field consists of only 28% of women, and even fewer engineering employees in the U.S. are women of color (11.6%). No one should be at a disadvantage to succeed in life or pursue such an innovative career due to their demographic or sex. I aspire to create my own scholarship fund in the future, so that opportunities like this can be accessible to current college students, especially those belonging to black female minority groups. I would love for there to be more opportunities like this moving forward.

My mom says my little cousin reminds her of her high school best friend, Bizerka. It was such a quirky name, almost as quirky as the person that bared it. Right after she graduated high school, she traveled the world, going as far as Berlin. My uncle even remembered my mother’s old friend from high school – the one that did exactly what every ambitious and youthful young adult said they’d do after graduation: travel the world. She was that kind of person. She must’ve loved my mom since she gave her a souvenir from her travels: a piece of the great Berlin Wall — before it fell of course. My little cousin is the epitome of zany – a fountain of the avant-garde – though she most definitely has no idea what that even means. How could she? She’s only twelve. Lanky, muscular (her arms were toned!), and tall for her age – I know by the time she hits thirteen she’ll be able to see over my head. But from her especially, I’ve learned that age does not dictate potential or intellectuality. Even from a young age, she could always run faster than the other kids. Her long legs gave her an unfair advantage. Extremely opinionated, she was a nuisance, a she-devil. I always hated when she wore the same outfits as me, with my grandmother saying that she wanted to be just like me. Sure she did. Babies always put things into their mouths. But they don’t make it their life’s mission to hunt down and bite their cousin’s feet! As well as the head. At two. My sister said my cousin, held aloft in her father’s arms, gazed at my head as if it were a burger before she bit down. Little savage no doubt. I’ve known her my entire life, except, of course, I wasn’t aware of the other parts of her life. She was indisputably a subversive, but intellectually so. She was no doubt street-smart while her extremely mature speech, and actions gave her the demeanor of a child much older than her. Her personality itself was seemingly eccentric. She was so pretty – brown hair so thick and smooth – with natural blonde ends. She could be a model. Her personality was the epitome of eccentricity. She was the type of person that could be absolutely anything in the world. She was an amazing actor, so outgoing in Charades, a total sore loser in Monopoly, conversed like a teenager at ten, and was extremely creative, and outspoken. She mostly always made everyone laugh. Now, nearly a teenager, it’s gotten better. “Better,” as in a halt in profanity and trying to kill one another..most of the time. But my little cousin, I no longer see her as just some sweet little girl; she’s a genius, embodied with resistance, life, and ambition. She never listens to anyone. She reminds me of me. I used to take that as an insult. My mom’s friend, Bizerka, had that quirky name and spirit. My little cousin had the personality and attitude. She was the most “Bizerka'' any human being could get. My dad continuously ridicules Bizerka’s name for its eccentricity and weirdness. But, my, she must’ve been a creature to behold, because if she’s anything like my little cousin, she was a lost gem.

I’ve been indignant for most of my life for at a young age I was exposed to sexual abuse that I didn’t even realize was abuse. I just knew it was the first real-time I’d ever experienced the raw feeling of objectification. “One in 9 girls and 1 in 53 boys under the age of 18 experience sexual abuse or assault at the hands of an adult,” RAINN states. This is a horrendous, but true statistic that only becomes worse as human rights are stripped from women, which is why it’s a deeply important issue to me for I want to prevent gender-based violence from happening to as many girls as possible. It’s become an intrinsic need to protect and gain justice for all those who’ve been sexually assaulted. I strive for gender equality and want to help women, especially in third-world countries where they’re being extremely oppressed, eliminate gender-based violence, and advocate for human rights through writing and entrepreneurship. So, I use my passion for entrepreneurship and service and channel it towards solving political enduring issues I’m devout to, such as eradicating sexism, gender-based violence, period poverty, climate change, and regaining reproductive rights. A few years ago I became engrossed in news reports because I wanted to impact politics and create bills that protect us and our rights. I realized I could help change everything that resulted in the dehumanized and sexist treatment of women, which is why I began to volunteer with many social-justice organizations, such as Girl Up, and soon created my own for Los Angeles to address the especially high period poverty and sexual violence that’s occurring there. So, I created the vision of combining my desire for social justice, and breaking socio-economic barriers into building a business that’s extremely dedicated to political awareness, taking action for gender equality, and is centered around working with nonprofit organizations to make a global impact on poverty through investments in sustainable solar-powered technology, especially in impoverished countries, like Africa, and Yemen. I want to use my knowledge and apply it to a political landscape and provide girls deprived of education with resources to thrive. My entrepreneurial passions center around making a global and political impact by solving enduring issues, including the gender-education gap, and eradicating oppressive and sexist laws by challenging them, especially in underdeveloped countries, such as Iran and Afghanistan, by utilizing code. Designing educational lessons with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript can substantially impact girls in Afghanistan, for example, since the Taliban has stripped them of their right to education by closing all-female schools. This can be accomplished by offering these services, as well as affordable and sustainable technology, to underprivileged children in multiple regions who are denied sufficient resources to learn and thrive with ample opportunity. In addition, through my business, I want to start funds to build schools for both boys and girls to initiate equal education. It’s of great importance to me to break sexist expectations and gender-stigmatized expectations for myself and other girls through entrepreneurship – unprecedented actions of a young woman who was born in a religious household with its own gender-stigmatized expectations. I want to help change the corrupt laws and issues that we’re suffering for. I and others don’t deserve to live in oppression and be in a constant brawl to be treated as human beings, which is my work and dreams centered around gaining justice for myself and others. I empathize with those who’ve been assaulted and know that many have experienced immensely worse than I have, and so I strive to instigate change regarding these major political enduring issues.