Healthcare first became real to me not through textbooks, but through people. As a medical scribe in the emergency department, I have witnessed how illness does not exist in isolation; it is shaped by access, environment, and circumstance. In one encounter, I observed a patient whose severe, untreated wounds revealed not just a medical condition, but the consequences of limited support and barriers to care. As the physician asked about her living situation and ability to manage daily needs, I began to understand that healthcare is not only about treating disease, but about recognizing the conditions that allow it to progress. That moment solidified my decision to pursue a healthcare career. My path has also been shaped by the example of my grandfather, the first physician in his hometown in China. He built a cardiology department where none existed and treated patients regardless of their ability to pay, often accepting food in place of money. His work demonstrated that medicine is not simply a profession, but a responsibility to serve others with compassion and integrity. His legacy continues to influence how I view my role in healthcare, not only as a provider of treatment but as an advocate for those who may otherwise be overlooked. Beyond the clinical setting, my experiences have reinforced the importance of individualized, patient-centered care. Through my long-term mentorship with a student with special needs, I have learned that meaningful progress requires patience, adaptability, and an understanding that each person’s needs are unique. Supporting her development of life skills and independence has shown me that care is most effective when it is tailored to the individual, not generalized. This perspective is one I will carry into my future career, ensuring that I approach each patient with empathy and flexibility. As a woman pursuing a career in healthcare, I am particularly motivated to contribute to a field that continues to evolve toward greater equity and representation. While women have made significant progress, disparities in leadership and access still exist. I hope to be part of a generation that not only enters the field but actively shapes it. I hope to advocate for inclusive practices, equitable access to care, and diverse representation in medical leadership. I also recognize the unique role women often play in fostering trust and communication in healthcare settings. Patients frequently navigate vulnerable and complex situations, and the ability to create a space where they feel heard and respected is essential. I aim to use my voice and perspective to strengthen patient-provider relationships, particularly for individuals who may feel marginalized or misunderstood within the healthcare system. In the future, I hope to make a meaningful impact by addressing both individual patient needs and the broader systemic factors that influence health outcomes. Whether through improving access to care, supporting underserved populations, or contributing to more inclusive healthcare environments, my goal is to practice medicine in a way that prioritizes both clinical excellence and human connection. Pursuing a degree in healthcare is not simply an academic goal for me; it is a commitment to serving others with purpose and responsibility. As a woman in this field, I hope to contribute not only through the care I provide but also through the example I set: one that reflects resilience, compassion, and a dedication to improving the lives of others.

Some of the most meaningful relationships in my life have not been defined by similarity, but by difference: differences in ability, communication, and perspective. Through my mentorship with a student with special needs in the Passage USA program, I have come to understand that human connection is not automatic; it is built intentionally through patience, trust, and a willingness to meet someone where they are. When I first began working with my mentee, I approached our time together with a structured mindset. I focused on helping her complete tasks efficiently and guiding her through assignments step by step. However, I quickly realized that progress was not measured by how much we accomplished in a session, but by how comfortable and supported he felt. There were days when he struggled to focus or became frustrated, and in those moments, I had to shift my approach. Instead of pushing forward, I learned to pause, listen, and adapt, sometimes turning a lesson into a conversation, or breaking tasks into smaller, more manageable steps. Over time, our relationship grew beyond structured mentorship. I began to understand his communication style, his strengths, and the ways he processed the world around him. Small moments became meaningful milestones: him initiating a conversation, completing a task independently, or expressing confidence in his abilities. These moments taught me that connection is not about imposing structure, but about creating an environment where someone feels seen, understood, and capable. This relationship has fundamentally shaped how I build connections with others. I have learned to approach people without assumptions, recognizing that each individual carries their own experiences, challenges, and ways of navigating the world. Rather than focusing solely on outcomes, I prioritize understanding: asking questions, listening actively, and adjusting my approach based on the needs of the person in front of me. This mindset has extended into other areas of my life, from my work as a medical scribe to my interactions with patients and peers. In the emergency department, I have observed how critical human connection is in moments of vulnerability. Patients are often at their most anxious or uncertain, and effective care depends not only on medical knowledge but also on the ability to communicate with empathy and clarity. I have seen physicians take the time to understand a patient’s circumstances beyond their symptoms: asking about their support systems, their concerns, and their fears. These interactions reinforced what I learned through mentorship: that trust is built when people feel heard and respected. The lessons I have gained from this relationship will continue to shape my future in healthcare. As I pursue a career as a physician, I hope to carry forward this understanding of connection into my interactions with patients. I want to be someone who not only diagnoses and treats, but also listens and adapts. Human connection is often discussed as something intuitive, but my experiences have shown me that it is a skill that must be developed with intention. It requires patience in moments of difficulty, flexibility when plans do not go as expected, and humility to recognize that understanding another person is an ongoing process. My relationship with my mentee has taught me that connection is not defined by perfection or efficiency, but by consistency, empathy, and a genuine commitment to supporting another person’s growth. As I continue my education and move toward a career in medicine, I will carry these lessons with me. The ability to form meaningful connections is not separate from professional success; it is essential to it. Whether working with patients, families, or colleagues, I believe that the strongest impact comes from relationships built on trust, understanding, and respect.

Growing up in a household where Chinese was the primary language, I learned early on that language is more than a tool for communication. Language it is a connection to identity, family, and culture. My first language is Chinese, as my parents immigrated from China before I was born. At home, Chinese was the language of comfort and familiarity, while English became the language of school, academics, and the broader world. Navigating between the two has shaped not only how I communicate, but also how I understand resilience, adaptability, and learning. Being bilingual has brought both meaningful advantages and real challenges. One of the most persistent challenges I faced growing up was feeling self-conscious about my English pronunciation. Even simple tasks, like ordering food or speaking in unfamiliar social settings, sometimes caused anxiety because I worried about mispronouncing words or being misunderstood. I still remember moments when I would quietly search pronunciations on my phone before speaking, especially for larger or less familiar vocabulary words. Over time, I also realized that reading academic texts required extra effort, not because I lacked understanding of the concepts, but because complex terminology added a layer of cognitive processing in a second language. Despite these challenges, being bilingual has also given me valuable strengths. Learning English as a second language taught me patience and persistence from a young age. It also trained me to pay closer attention to meaning, context, and structure when learning new material. I often find that I am more deliberate in my communication because I have had to think carefully about word choice and clarity. Additionally, being bilingual has allowed me to connect more deeply with my cultural background and communicate with family members who are more comfortable in Chinese. It has helped me appreciate the richness of language and how different languages can shape the way people think and express ideas. My experiences navigating language barriers have also influenced my academic and career goals. As an undergraduate student in the Early Acceptance Program at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine, I am pursuing a future in healthcare because I want to work in environments where communication and empathy are essential. I have seen firsthand how language differences can create barriers in understanding, especially in medical settings where clarity is critical. I hope to use my bilingual background to bridge those gaps and help patients feel more understood and supported, particularly in communities where language barriers may affect access to care. Post-graduation, I plan to continue my path toward becoming a physician, with a strong interest in patient-centered care and serving diverse populations. I want to work in environments where I can not only provide medical care but also help ensure that communication is clear, compassionate, and inclusive. My goal is to be the kind of physician who recognizes that language is often the first step in building trust with patients. Ultimately, being bilingual has shaped my identity in ways that go far beyond language itself. It has taught me humility, persistence, and empathy.

Christina Taylese Singh’s story reflects both the dedication and fragility of a life devoted to healthcare. Knowing that she pursued occupational therapy with the intention of improving others’ independence and quality of life makes this scholarship especially meaningful. Like Christina, I am pursuing a career in healthcare to help individuals regain or maintain independence, dignity, and confidence in their daily lives. While I am currently on a pre-medical path as an Early Acceptance Program student at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine, my experiences have consistently drawn me toward patient-centered care that values function, adaptation, and long-term quality of life. My interest in healthcare began with curiosity about how the brain, body, and environment interact to shape human ability. This curiosity evolved into a deeper commitment through my academic studies in biomedical sciences and hands-on experiences in both clinical and research settings. As a medical scribe in the emergency department at Springhill Medical Center, I observe how illness or injury can abruptly change a patient’s ability to function in daily life. In these moments, I have come to appreciate that recovery is not only about treating disease, but also about restoring the ability to live independently and meaningfully. This understanding has been strengthened through my long-term mentorship work with a student with special needs through Passage USA. Working one-on-one each week, I support the development of life skills, independence, and confidence in both classroom and community settings. Over time, I have learned that progress is not defined by speed, but by consistency and individualized support. Whether helping with organization, communication, or navigating daily tasks, I have seen how structured guidance and patience can empower someone to grow beyond perceived limitations. These experiences have given me a deep respect for therapeutic approaches that prioritize function, adaptation, and personalized care. In addition, my extensive experience fostering over 80 cats and kittens through Kitty Kat Haven and Rescue has further shaped my understanding of rehabilitation and recovery. Many of the animals I care for require medical attention, behavioral socialization, and gradual reintegration into safe environments before they can be adopted. This process has reinforced the importance of patience, consistency, and tailored care. Through these experiences, I have developed a clear vision for my future in healthcare. My goal is to work directly with patients to restore independence and improve quality of life. I am particularly drawn to roles that emphasize rehabilitation, adaptive strategies, and long-term support systems for individuals with physical, cognitive, or developmental challenges. Christina Taylese Singh’s dedication to occupational therapy reflects the kind of impact I hope to make in healthcare: helping individuals not only heal but regain the ability to fully participate in their lives. This scholarship represents more than financial support; it represents a commitment to continuing that legacy of compassion, service, and patient-centered care. I hope to honor that legacy through my own work by empowering individuals to live with greater independence, confidence, and dignity.

From an early age, I have been drawn to understanding people—how they think, how they cope with challenges, and how they experience the world when their needs are not easily met by traditional systems. This curiosity gradually evolved into a commitment to healthcare, particularly in supporting individuals with special needs and vulnerable populations. As a student in the Early Acceptance Program at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine, I have pursued this path through clinical exposure, research, and long-term service experiences that continue to shape my purpose. My interest in this field deepened through hands-on clinical and volunteer experiences. As a medical scribe in the emergency department at Springhill Medical Center, I observe the complexity of patient care in real time and assist physicians in documenting critical medical decisions. This role has taught me the importance of communication, attention to detail, and empathy in high-pressure environments. Beyond the clinical setting, I volunteer at Providence Hospital, where I interact directly with patients and families and support healthcare staff in inpatient and procedural units. These experiences have shown me that healthcare is not only about diagnosis and treatment, but also about presence, reassurance, and understanding. My most meaningful service experience, however, has been my long-term mentorship through Passage USA. For several years, I have worked one-on-one with a student with special needs, focusing on developing life skills, independence, and confidence in both academic and everyday environments. Through this relationship, I have learned that progress is often gradual and deeply personal. Small milestones—whether learning to navigate a task independently or building confidence in social settings—carry profound significance. This experience has shaped how I define success in healthcare: not only as clinical outcomes, but as meaningful improvements in quality of life. In addition, my work fostering over 80 cats and kittens through Kitty Kat Haven and Rescue has strengthened my patience, responsibility, and consistency. Caring for animals requiring medical attention and socialization has reinforced the importance of trust-building and individualized care—skills that translate directly to working with patients who require special attention and support. Through these experiences, I have learned that individuals with special needs thrive when they are met with patience, structure, and genuine understanding. In the future, I plan to become a physician who advocates for these principles in clinical practice. I hope to contribute to more inclusive healthcare environments by improving communication strategies, supporting caregiver education, and ensuring that patients with special needs receive compassionate, patient-centered care that respects their dignity and individuality. Financial need is also an important consideration in my educational journey. While I have been fortunate to receive scholarships and support throughout my undergraduate studies, pursuing a medical education is a significant financial commitment. Additional scholarship support would allow me to continue focusing on my academics, research, and service without the added burden of financial strain, ultimately enabling me to dedicate myself more fully to serving others. I am committed to using my education to make healthcare more accessible, compassionate, and responsive to individuals with special needs. My experiences have not only prepared me for this path but have also reinforced my responsibility to pursue it with purpose and dedication.

A hero to the sick and a patient himself, my grandfather Yun Chen realized the lack of medical service in his small hometown in rural China, so he studied hard as a first-generation college student. After becoming a doctor, he returned to his roots and assisted underprivileged people at a local hospital. After forty-five years of service, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2014. Despite his passing in 2023, I am determined to continue his legacy and lifelong work by serving my community and pursuing the arduous but rewarding journey of a cardiologist. From a young age, I eagerly listened to my grandfather’s passionate talks about his life as a cardiologist. I ask endless questions to try to satisfy my curiosity. I strived to understand his stories on a deeper level by hearing stories of patients from my mom, a nurse, and by experiencing them for myself. My personal experience with underserved communities in China equips me to empathize with families and patients. This empathy ignites a passion for serving my community, which has persisted my whole life. I provide my services through volunteering organizations like Passage USA, a special needs mentoring program at the University of South Alabama, and the Arthritis Foundation, the philanthropy program of my sorority Alpha Omicron Pi. I was heavily involved in extracurriculars from a young age including tennis, swimming, painting, robotics, piano, and flute. I held leadership positions including President of Latin Club, Vice President of Key Club, Captain of the Robotics Team, Captain of the Varsity Girl's Tennis Team, and Director of Academics for Alpha Omicron Pi. This background in a vast range of extracurriculars arms me with knowledge and experience to apply to my college experiences and to further myself in my career. Since kindergarten, my dream and goal have been to become a doctor. All my extracurriculars were tools and skills I used to achieve that goal. I am currently in the Early Acceptance Program for the College of Medicine at the University of South Alabama. This provisional guaranteed spot in a medical school is not a way for me to relax, but rather a step stool for me to push myself further and go even further in my education and career. I plan on serving the underserved areas just as my grandfather did and continue to my service to my community through various philanthropies and volunteer organizations. I hope to continue my fostering journey to relieve overcrowded animal shelters by providing a loving home for homeless animals. Intrinsically motivated by my desire to help my community and the world around me, I believe I will succeed because of my determination and diligence in setting my goals and pursuing them until I accomplish them. My grandfather's death inspired me to pursue a career in cardiology just as he did. He is my light at the end of the tunnel that shows me the way and guides my steps through the next eight years of schooling.

Enter into the colorful kitten room painted with a bright red farm, pink pig chased by a rooster, a horse in the stables, lush green pasture. On the wall of the doorway: the Foster Wall of Fame. 3x5 inch index cards with a picture of a kitten with their name in pen, the dates each kitten arrived, and the dates each kitten was adopted. Since the summer of 2021, I have fostered seven litters of kittens through Kitty Kat Haven and Rescue and the Shelby Humane Society. The third litter I fostered was one blind black kitten. He was named Stevie Wonder, named after an African American blind singer. I had my reservations about fostering a blind cat at first. After talking with the foster coordinator and researching, I decided to take on the challenge. I never regretted it. He was curious and persistent. When I first opened his cage, he stepped right out and started exploring. I fell in love with Stevie. Words can not describe my connection with him. He had both of his eyes removed from a young age due to a severe infection. I yearned for him to be able to see a rainbow in his pitch black world. While petting his sleek black fur, I would research ways to help him through surgery or rehabilitation. I thought of all situations like designing an eye for him. My research led me down a pathway into medicine and science. I discovered my love for learning. My mind never rests; the gears continue to turn from morning to night; I constantly think of different perspectives and alternatives; I mentally picture a pro and con chart for every small or big decision. My mind itches to learn and discover new things, important things, random things, and everything. I learned many lessons from Stevie by observing him. His walk was special; he put his paws in front of his body to protect his head. When he hits something with his paws, he would just keep walking until he overcame the obstacle. I learned to just put one foot in front of the other while valuing my brain and knowledge. If I hit a wall, all I had to do was keep going until I found my way around. I had to fight my mom to let me foster animals. Even after getting relectant permission to foster, I did everything on my own from taking them to the vet, giving them medication, cleaning the little box, attending adoption events, and showering them with all my love. There were tough moments being a foster parent with persistent diarrhea, lots of syringes of medication, and bite and scratch marks all over my body. However, I never stopped fostering because my love for the homeless and passion for making a positive impact. I applied to become a foster parent because I wanted to give back to the community and also help out in a cause that I was passionate about. Even though I signed up expecting nothing in return, I unexpectedly developed perseverance thanks to Stevie and my fostering experiences. To this day, I continue to honor his name by not giving up. Despite any challenges I face, I overcome them just like Stevie. He did not let his blindness keep him from finding a loving home. Similarly, I will not let anything keep me from following my dreams or my love for learning and service. Although the experience came with its setbacks like Stevie’s late night singing, I obtained valuable lessons from him and solidified my love to serve.

A hero to the sick and a patient himself, my grandfather Yun Chen realized the lack of medical service in his small hometown in rural China, so he studied hard as a first-generation college student. After becoming a doctor, he returned to his roots and assisted underprivileged people at a local hospital. After forty-five years of service, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2014. Despite his passing in 2023, I am determined to continue his legacy and lifelong work by serving my community and pursuing the arduous but rewarding journey of a cardiologist. From a young age, I eagerly listened to my grandfather’s passionate talks about his life as a cardiologist. I ask endless questions to try to satisfy my curiosity. I strived to understand his stories on a deeper level by hearing stories of patients from my mom, a nurse, and by experiencing them for myself. My personal experience with underserved communities in China equips me to empathize with families and patients. This empathy ignites a passion for serving my community, which has persisted my whole life. I provide my services through volunteering organizations like Passage USA, a special needs mentoring program at the University of South Alabama, and the Arthritis Foundation, the philanthropy program of my sorority Alpha Omicron Pi. I was heavily involved in extracurriculars from a young age including tennis, swimming, painting, robotics, piano, and flute. I held leadership positions including President of Latin Club, Vice President of Key Club, Captain of the Robotics Team, Captain of the Varsity Girl's Tennis Team, and Director of Academics for Alpha Omicron Pi. This background in a vast range of extracurriculars arms me with knowledge and experience to apply to my college experiences and to further myself in my career. Since kindergarten, my dream and goal have been to become a doctor. All my extracurriculars were tools and skills I used to achieve that goal. I am currently in the Early Acceptance Program for the College of Medicine at the University of South Alabama. This provisional guaranteed spot in a medical school is not a way for me to relax, but rather a step stool for me to push myself further and go even further in my education and career. I plan on serving the underserved areas just as my grandfather did and continue to my service to my community through various philanthropies and volunteer organizations. I hope to continue my fostering journey to relieve overcrowded animal shelters by providing a loving home for homeless animals. Intrinsically motivated by my desire to help my community and the world around me, I believe I will succeed because of my determination and diligence in setting my goals and pursuing them until I accomplish them. My grandfather's death inspired me to pursue a career in cardiology just as he did. He is my light at the end of the tunnel that shows me the way and guides my steps through the next eight years of schooling.

A hero to the sick and a patient himself, my grandfather Yun Chen realized the lack of medical service in his small hometown in rural China, so he studied hard as a first-generation college student. After becoming a doctor, he returned to his roots and assisted underprivileged people at a local hospital. After forty-five years of service, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2014. Despite his passing in 2023, I am determined to continue his legacy and lifelong work by serving my community and pursuing the arduous but rewarding journey of a cardiologist. My exposure to medicine from an early age that fosters a resilient flame equips me with unique empathy and perspective on medicine to better myself as a person and a future physician. From a young age, I eagerly listened to my grandfather’s passionate talks about his life as a cardiologist. I ask endless questions to try to satisfy my curiosity. I strived to understand his stories on a deeper level by hearing stories of patients from my mom, a nurse, and by experiencing them for myself. My personal experience with underserved communities in China equips me to empathize with families and patients. This empathy ignites a passion for serving my community, which has persisted my whole life. I provide my services through volunteering organizations like Passage USA, a special needs mentoring program at the University of South Alabama, and the Arthritis Foundation, the philanthropy program of my sorority Alpha Omicron Pi. I was heavily involved in extracurriculars from a young age including tennis, swimming, painting, robotics, piano, and flute. I held leadership positions including President of Latin Club, Vice President of Key Club, an international student-led service organization, Captain of the Robotics Team, Captain of the Varsity Girl's Tennis Team, and now Director of Academics for Alpha Omicron Pi. This background in a vast range of extracurriculars arms me with knowledge and experience to apply to my college experiences and to further myself in my career. Since kindergarten, my dream and goal have been to become a doctor. All my extracurriculars were tools and skills I used to achieve that goal. I am currently in the Early Acceptance Program for the College of Medicine at the University of South Alabama. This provisional guaranteed spot in a medical school is not a way for me to relax, but rather a step stool for me to push myself further and go even further in my education and career. I plan on serving the underserved areas just as my grandfather did and continue to my service to my community through various philanthropies and volunteer organizations. In addition, I hope to continue my fostering journey to relieve overcrowded animal shelters by providing a loving home for homeless animals. Intrinsically motivated by my desire to help my community and the world around me, I believe I will succeed because of my determination and diligence in setting my goals and pursuing them until I accomplish them. My grandfather's death inspired me to pursue a career in cardiology just as he did. When life gets tough, he is a reminder to me to persist and overcome my hurdles in life. He is my light at the end of the tunnel that shows me the way and guides my steps through the next eight years of schooling.

As an Asian female, I faced many hardships along my journey. During the robotics of my sixth-grade year, our coach wanted people to practice driving — I bravely volunteered. I stepped up to the edge of the field and took a deep breath. I positioned my hands on the joysticks and the buttons. I awkwardly pushed the worn-out gray joystick forward and backward. The robot jerked left and right on the ground. I tried again. The robot wobbled around. I tried grabbing the yellow star, a game element. It worked! I carefully raised the metal arms holding the yellow star like a dream coming true. The star fell out with a thud. Silence. My shoulders sank. My eyes fell to the floor. A couple of boys scoffed and snickered in the corner. "You are just a girl." "You cannot drive." The discrimination did not stop in middle school. Throughout my high school career, during tennis matches, boys would often scoff, “You just got beaten by a girl!” During tennis camps, I would often get looked down upon for being a girl. Spectators would raise their eyebrows and uncross their arms after they saw me play and win points. During robotics competitions, I would represent my team in the elimination selection. Other teams would often skip over me and choose a lower-ranking team represented by a male. The list goes on. That moment has continued to haunt me every time I sit in front of the steering wheel of my car. I got the same nervousness from the first time I attempted to drive a robot. I take a deep breath before starting the engine. Although I still have not entirely overcome the traumatic experience from sixth grade, I persevere through the dark shadows of the past and drive forward toward a better future. I strive to better understand the world around me and gain knowledge to overcome the incident in middle school. I hope to gain experience and skills to stand up against those who mocked me and help future young girls who also struggled like me in a male-dominated field. I wish to be that support that encourages others to be brave, which I was missing when I needed it. To be able to help people who are in a similar situation would mean the world to me. I aspire to be someone that people can lean on. I desire to become that person through my seven-year journey in robotics. Instead of worrying about what I cannot change, I focus on what I can change. I completed additional research on building techniques and fundamentals. Through YouTube tutorials, I taught myself how to code in C++ and contacted experts for advice. I connected with judges for specific feedback on my engineering notebook and found examples online. The STEAM field is full of diversity and opportunity. There is never one correct answer to a problem, but infinite possibilities. This endless freedom to design and imagine is a reason I have never gotten bored with robotics. The constant cycle of trial and error stimulates me to constantly improve my prototypes. By learning and constantly striving to be better, I have qualified for the World Robotics Championships six times and the State Championships five times. I have won over fifteen awards from local to international tournaments. With this scholarship, I can look to the future and continue to become the best version of myself in every aspect of my life.

As an Asian female, I faced many hardships along my journey. During the robotics of my sixth-grade year, our coach wanted people to practice driving — I bravely volunteered. I stepped up to the edge of the field and took a deep breath. I positioned my hands on the joysticks and the buttons. I awkwardly pushed the worn-out gray joystick forward and backward. The robot jerked left and right on the ground. I tried again. The robot wobbled around. I tried grabbing the yellow star, a game element. It worked! I carefully raised the metal arms holding the yellow star like a dream coming true. The star fell out with a thud. Silence. My shoulders sank. My eyes fell to the floor. A couple of boys scoffed and snickered in the corner. "You are just a girl." "You cannot drive." The discrimination did not stop in middle school. Throughout my high school career, during tennis matches, boys would often scoff, “You just got beaten by a girl!” During tennis camps, I would often get looked down upon for being a girl. Spectators would raise their eyebrows and uncross their arms after they saw me play and win points. During robotics competitions, I would represent my team in the elimination selection. Other teams would often skip over me and choose a lower-ranking team represented by a male. The list goes on. That moment has continued to haunt me every time I sit in front of the steering wheel of my car. I got the same nervousness from the first time I attempted to drive a robot. I take a deep breath before starting the engine. Although I still have not entirely overcome the traumatic experience from sixth grade, I persevere through the dark shadows of the past and drive forward toward a better future. I strive to better understand the world around me and gain knowledge to overcome the incident in middle school. I hope to gain experience and skills to stand up against those who mocked me and help future young girls who also struggled like me in a male-dominated field. I wish to be that support that encourages others to be brave, which I was missing when I needed it. To be able to help people who are in a similar situation would mean the world to me. I aspire to be someone that people can lean on. I desire to become that person through my seven-year journey in robotics. Instead of worrying about what I cannot change, I focus on what I can change. I completed additional research on building techniques and fundamentals. Through YouTube tutorials, I taught myself how to code in C++ and contacted experts for advice. I connected with judges for specific feedback on my engineering notebook and found examples online. The STEAM field is full of diversity and opportunity. There is never one correct answer to a problem, but infinite possibilities. This endless freedom to design and imagine is a reason I have never gotten bored with robotics. The constant cycle of trial and error stimulates me to constantly improve my prototypes. By learning and constantly striving to be better, I have qualified for the World Robotics Championships six times and the State Championships five times. I have won over fifteen awards from local to international tournaments. Although I cannot control people’s stereotypes of me, I can control how I handle the situation and how I go forward. Rather than dwelling in the past, I look to the future and continue to become the best version of myself in every aspect of my life.

In the back corner of my bedroom, on a light brown, wooden, two-layered nightstand, there lays a yellow foam “star” and a large, orange, pillowy “cube,” both with the letters “VEX” on them. These were the game elements of the VEX Robotics 2016-2017 competition called Starstruck. Like the name of the game, it left me star-struck. My team, a group of four girls, exited the robotics field after the VEX Robotics State Championships of 2017; my team was ranked 40 out of 47. Truth be told, my team was not very competitive since none of us had any previous experience in robotics. My group had a record of 1-5, only winning our last match. Yet my team won the Excellence Award, which is presented to the team with overall excellence in competitiveness, notebook, and code. The Excellence Award qualified us for the Worlds Robotics Championships, which I had never even dreamed of attending. I competed in the vast arena with laser beam lights and a red carpet. Still, the results were not very impressive. My team won few matches nor won awards or got picked for alliance selection; however, I did learn and make new connections. In the neighboring booth, students from Qu Zhou, China, struggled to communicate with other teams. I volunteered to be their translator. After seeing my passion and potential, the Chinese coach took me under his wing. I studied abroad in China twelve hours a day for two weeks. Coach Chen taught me how to code C++, build techniques, and drive strategy. In return, I taught middle school students English. I carried the knowledge back to the US and passed the skills on to my teammates. To this day, I continue to reach out to my friends in China to discuss coding issues and share prototypes. Due to COVID-19, I could not travel back to China to visit and learn from my international friends; however, I still FaceTime them to analyze ideas and problems. Coach Chen handed me the tools to become better; I wielded those tools to apply my knowledge and sharpen my skills. Since then, I have qualified for the World Robotics Championships six times! During the summer, I hosted robotics meetings to brainstorm ideas and get a head start. At the beginning of the school year, I started building and coding immediately. As team captain, I organized our time and tracked our progress through “Weekly Analysis.” I analyzed our progress and planned to manage our time and energy for the following week. I hosted extra practices at my house, especially before tournaments and on long weekends. Nothing ever goes as planned during competitions, so I have learned to be flexible—to have a Plan C in case Plan B does not work and a Plan D in case Plan C does not work. For example, my team would forget to charge a battery, select the wrong code, or a subsystem would break down. Accidents like robot entanglement, which can not be predicted, occur, and I have to be a quick problem solver and delicately weave a way out of the wiry mess. Robotics has taught me to be structured yet flexible and everything about time management. Through the unlikely qualification for the Worlds Robotics Championships in my sixth-grade year, I discovered my love for engineering, coding, learning, competing, and leading. My passion will inspire others just as Coach Chen mentored me. I strive to make an impact on our middle school robotics team, where I volunteer every Tuesday at their extra practices as a student mentor. I teach them building techniques, coding principles, and driving strategies. I coach teams, guide their discussions on problem-solving, and advise individuals. During matches, I acted as their coach and helped two middle school teams qualify for the Worlds Championships in 2021. My drive and passion persist as I enter my last year of robotics. I will make the most out of my losses and wins. I will embrace the experience and knowledge through the next stage of my life. Realizing that I cannot know everything about robotics, I understand the importance of partnerships between people because new perspectives enable innovative solutions to significant issues. For example, when my team comes up with robot designs and prototypes, we chime in with different ideas for each robot subsystem. We integrate aspects of distinct designs and mesh them together into an efficient robot. For me, success looks like making connections and expanding my horizons through trial and error. Through my trip to the international stage for robotics, I stretched my curiosity and connections beyond my imagination. This opportunity will allow me to continue being curious and exploring beyond the borders of my comfort zone. It will enable me to make a bigger difference outside of my local community.

Becoming a foster parent in the summer of 2021 drastically changed my life. I took in small animals around four weeks old. They come covered in fleas, extremely underweight, and with ingestion issues. To treat their conditions, I give them medication through a small syringe for parasites, ear drops for inflammation, and eye cream for infections. After treatments, I attend four hour-long sessions of adoption events at various locations around town. There I talk to potential adopters and tell them about the kittens’ stories, their habits, and their weird but cute quirks. Having to clean piles of diarrhea daily, giving medication every three hours, getting scars from claws, and driving everywhere to pick up medication, being a foster parent is not an easy task. I do not quit because seeing my kittens get adopted and finding loving homes makes it all worthwhile. With the understanding that medical school is not easy or particularly pleasant, I still follow my dream of becoming a doctor, because of the lives I can save and the impact I can make on society. Seeing the difference I can make in relieving animal shelter crowding gives me confidence in making a difference in other areas like hospitals, too. My mom, a nurse at UAB Hospital, comes home every night weary and tells me about overcrowding and shortage of hospital beds in one of the largest hospitals in the state. Although I cannot solve the issue entirely, I can still play my part. I am like a piece of the puzzle. If the issue were to solve the entire puzzle, I would merely be a small, seemingly insignificant yet necessary part of the whole. With my current qualifications, I can not perform surgeries yet; however, I can volunteer every week at Children’s Hospital at the COVID-19 tables. I station myself on the front lines of healthcare because I care for the people I want to protect. Before starting college, I started my journey to becoming a doctor by getting into an Early Acceptance program for the College of Medicine at the University of South Alabama. Continuing on this track, I have joined a research lab in the Department of Physiology and Cell Biology. As I advance further into my career, I will not forget about the people I am striving to help. I volunteer through various organizations like Alpha Epsilon Delta, a pre-health honor society, Passage USA, a peer mentor program with special needs, and the Arthritis Foundation. I hope to make a positive impact on my community and the world that emphasizes compassion and service through my career as a physician.

As an Asian female, I faced many hardships along my journey. During the robotics of my sixth-grade year, our coach wanted people to practice driving — I bravely volunteered. I stepped up to the edge of the field and took a deep breath. I positioned my hands on the joysticks and the buttons. I awkwardly pushed the worn-out gray joystick forward and backward. The robot jerked left and right on the ground. I tried again. The robot wobbled around. I tried grabbing the yellow star, a game element. It worked! I carefully raised the metal arms holding the yellow star like a dream coming true. The star fell out with a thud. Silence. My shoulders sank. My eyes fell to the floor. A couple of boys scoffed and snickered in the corner. "You are just a girl." "You cannot drive." The discrimination did not stop in middle school. Throughout my high school career, during tennis matches, boys would often scoff, “You just got beaten by a girl!” During tennis camps, I would often get looked down upon for being a girl. Spectators would raise their eyebrows and uncross their arms after they saw me play and win points. During robotics competitions, I would represent my team in the elimination selection. Other teams would often skip over me and choose a lower-ranking team represented by a male. The list goes on. That moment has continued to haunt me every time I sit in front of the steering wheel of my car. I got the same nervousness from the time I attempted to drive a robot. I take a deep breath before starting the engine. Although I still have not entirely overcome the traumatic experience from sixth grade, I persevere through the dark shadows of the past and drive forward toward a better future. I strive to better understand the world around me and gain knowledge to overcome the incident in middle school. I hope to gain experience and skills to stand up against those who mocked me and help future young girls who also struggled like me in a male-dominated field. I wish to be that support that encourages others to be brave, which I was missing when I needed it. To be able to help people who are in a similar situation would mean the world to me. I aspire to be someone that people can lean on. I desire to become that person. Instead of worrying about what I cannot change, I focus on what I can change. I completed additional research on building techniques and fundamentals. Through YouTube tutorials, I taught myself how to code in C++ and contacted experts for advice. I connected with judges for specific feedback on my engineering notebook and found examples online. Although I cannot control people’s stereotypes of me, I can control how I handle the situation and how I go forward. Rather than dwelling in the past, I look to the future and continue to become the best version of myself.

A hero to the sick and a patient himself, my grandfather Yun Chen realized the lack of medical service in his small hometown in rural China, so he studied hard as a first-generation college student. After becoming a doctor, he returned to his roots and assisted underprivileged people at a local hospital. After forty-five years of service, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2014. Despite his passing in 2023, I am determined to continue his legacy and lifelong work by serving my community and pursuing the arduous but rewarding journey of a cardiologist. My exposure to medicine from an early age that fosters a resilient flame equips me with unique empathy and perspective on medicine to better myself as a person and a future physician. From a young age, I eagerly listened to my grandfather’s passionate talks about his life as a cardiologist. I ask endless questions to try to satisfy my curiosity. I strived to understand his stories on a deeper level by hearing stories of patients from my mom, a nurse, and by experiencing them for myself. My personal experience with underserved communities in China equips me to empathize with families and patients. This empathy ignites a passion for serving my community, which has persisted my whole life. I provide my services through volunteering organizations like Passage USA, a special needs mentoring program at the University of South Alabama, and the Arthritis Foundation, the philanthropy program of my sorority Alpha Omicron Pi. I was heavily involved in extracurriculars from a young age including tennis, swimming, painting, robotics, piano, and flute. I held leadership positions including President of Latin Club, Vice President of Key Club, an international student-led service organization, Captain of the Robotics Team, Captain of the Varsity Girl's Tennis Team, and now Director of Academics for Alpha Omicron Pi. This background in a vast range of extracurriculars arms me with knowledge and experience to apply to my college experiences and to further myself in my career. Since kindergarten, my dream and goal have been to become a doctor. All my extracurriculars were tools and skills I used to achieve that goal. I am currently in the Early Acceptance Program for the College of Medicine at the University of South Alabama. This provisional guaranteed spot in a medical school is not a way for me to relax, but rather a step stool for me to push myself further and go even further in my education and career. I plan on serving the underserved areas just as my grandfather did and continue to my service to my community through various philanthropies and volunteer organizations. In addition, I hope to continue my fostering journey to relieve overcrowded animal shelters by providing a loving home for homeless animals. Intrinsically motivated by my desire to help my community and the world around me, I believe I will succeed because of my determination and diligence in setting my goals and pursuing them until I accomplish them. My grandfather's death inspired me to pursue a career in cardiology just as he did. When life gets tough, he is a reminder to me to persist and overcome my hurdles in life. He is my light at the end of the tunnel that shows me the way and guides my steps through the next eight years of schooling.

@nancy_chen2405

The tennis ball hit the net in slow motion and dropped right in front of the net on my side. My legs pushed off the hard courts. My blue racket with black strings stretched out desperately to make contact with the yellow ball before it double-bounced. I skidded to a stop using my left leg. My knee bent outwards and buckled. I tapped the ball barely over the net while sharp pain shot throughout my left leg. Under a tent at the tennis courts, I lay on a medical exam table in tears from disappointment and pain. As the medical examiner checked for tears in my left knee, she pressed on a spot that caused a sharp pain to shoot up my leg. She concluded that I strained my quadriceps tendon right above my knee. She tore off long rolls of black and white athletic tape. First, the physical therapist bandaged my knee with white tape that served as a cushion. The thick layers of tightly wrapped rough black athletic tape were added over the white layers; under the black tape, layers of white tape were visible at the edges of the black tape. It covered one-fourth of my left leg. She securely wrapped the tape so I could not bend my leg much. Our school’s varsity tennis team qualified for the Alabama State Tennis Championships in March. During an intense semifinal match with a strong tennis player from a rival school, my left knee twisted as I sprinted to a drop shot at the net. I used my racket as a crutch to prop myself up against the throbbing pain. My coach rushed over to my court along with my mom, who tried to convince me to forfeit the match. Through tears, I told them firmly that I would finish the game. Although it was a loss, I felt proud that I had fought through the agony. I learned a lesson that numbers could not teach me: perseverance. Later that day, my coach pulled me from our tent to a spot under a shady tree. I was chosen to play in a tiebreaker for first place. I looked down at my swollen knee, wrapped up in black tape, then I looked her in the eyes and told her I could play through the pain for the team. The deciding game began. My opponent saw my taped-up knee and tried to use it to her advantage. But I did not let her. Ignoring the throbbing agony in my knee, I chased down every shot, no matter how far or quick it flew. Despite the sharp pain in my left knee every time I landed on the court, I did not decrease the quality or speed of my serves. When I returned to our hotel, I unwrapped the athletic tape, and an apparent tan line from the tape was there. The tan line was proof of my effort despite my circumstances. I evolved my understanding of persistence through my taped-up knee. The black tape on the outside symbolized the darker times I went through. But, the white tape underneath the dark illustrated the lessons learned and skills gained from the painful experience. I became stronger and tougher through struggles, like the callouses on my hands. My knee still pops every time I walk around or do a squat to remind me of the circumstances I overcame. I push myself in other fields with similar tenacity. However, I hold my head high with pride because I strive to be better and not shy away from the losses and hardships I encounter.

As a female, I faced many hardships along my journey. During the robotics of my sixth-grade year, our coach wanted people to practice driving — I bravely volunteered. The entire class had eyes on me as I walked up to the starting line. I reached for the gray controller that had flashing green lights. The controller felt heavy and uncomfortable in my small hands. I stepped up to the edge of the field and took a deep breath. I awkwardly pushed the worn-out gray joystick forward and backward. The robot jerked left and right on the ground. I tried again. The robot wobbled around. I tried grabbing the yellow star, a game element. It worked! I carefully raised the metal arms holding the yellow star like a dream coming true. The star fell out with a thud. Silence. My shoulders sank. A couple of boys scoffed and snickered in the corner. You are just a girl. You cannot drive. It was devastating to be put down because I am a female. I had never felt so useless and frustrated. My parents intended to pick up a girl ready to conquer the world with her newfound experiences and skills. Instead, they found a puffy-eyed girl who was traumatized from the knowledge that was supposed to teach and equip her for the world. She stared blankly out the car window. She told herself never to drive again. That moment has continued to haunt me every time I sit in front of the steering wheel of my car. I got the same nervousness from the time I attempted to drive a robot. I take a deep breath before starting the engine. Although I still have not entirely overcome the traumatic experience from sixth grade, I persevere through the dark shadows of the past and drive forward toward a better future. I strive to better understand the world around me and gain knowledge to overcome the incident in middle school. I hope to gain experience and skills to stand up against those who mocked me and help future young girls who also struggled like me in a male-dominated field. I wish to be that support that encourages others to be brave, which I was missing when I needed it. To be able to help people who are in a similar situation would mean the world to me. I aspire to be someone that people can lean on. Instead of worrying about what I cannot change, I focus on what I can change. I completed additional research on building techniques and fundamentals. I taught myself how to code in C++ through YouTube tutorials and contacted experts for advice. I connected with judges for specific feedback on my engineering notebook and found examples online. Over the past four years, I volunteered at local middle schools to teach them about STEM. I coached them at robotics competitions and supported them throughout the seasons. I also organized and hosted robotics camps every summer where I teach them coding fundamentals, building techniques, and driving strategies. Every year, I help organize a Girl Scouts STEM night to guide other girls through a male-dominated field. We set up many stations about coding, physics, building, and driving to educate the younger generations. Although I cannot control people’s stereotypes of me, I can control how I handle the situation and how I go forward. Rather than dwelling in the past, I look to the future as a role model who leads by pushing ahead and encouraging others along my journey.

In the back corner of my bedroom, there lays a yellow foam “star” and a large, orange, pillowy “cube,” both with the letters “VEX” on them. These were the game elements of the VEX Robotics 2016-2017 competition called Starstruck. Like the name of the game, it left me star-struck. My team of four girls exited the robotics field after the VEX Robotics State Championships of 2017 ranked near the bottom. Truth be told, my team was not very competitive. Yet my team won the Excellence Award, which qualified us for the World Robotics Championships. I competed in the vast arena with laser beam lights and a red carpet with teams from around the globe. Although my team did not win many matches or awards, I developed my interests and made new connections. In the neighboring booth, students from China needed help communicating with other teams with their broken English. I volunteered to be their translator. After detecting my passion and potential, the Chinese coach invited me to study abroad in Qu Zhou. Coach Chen taught me coding fundamentals, building techniques, and driving strategy. In return, I educated middle school students in English. I uploaded the knowledge back to the US and downloaded the skills to my teammates. To this day, I continue to connect with my friends in China to discuss issues and share ideas. Coach Chen supplied me with tools to improve; I wielded those tools to sharpen my skills. Since then, I have qualified for the World Robotics Championships six times! Nothing ever goes as planned during competitions, so I have learned to be flexible—to have a Plan C in case Plan B does not work, and a Plan D in case Plan C does not work. For example, my team would forget to charge a battery, select the wrong code, or a subsystem would break down. Accidents like robot entanglement, which can not be predicted, occur, and I have to be a quick problem solver and delicately weave a way out of the wiry mess. Robotics has taught me to be structured yet flexible and everything about time management. Realizing that I cannot know everything about robotics, I understand the importance of partnerships between people because new perspectives enable innovative solutions to significant issues. For example, when my team comes up with robot designs and prototypes, we chime in with different ideas for each robot subsystem. We integrate aspects of distinct designs and mesh them together into an efficient robot. To determine between the two prototypes, we draw a pros and cons chart on our whiteboard on the classroom walls. After we add bullet points to both sides of the chart, we step back and holistically evaluate the issue. Along with my collaboration skills, robotics also improves my communication skills. In each match, we ally with other teams whom we communicate with about our robot capabilities and strategy. Through the unlikely qualification for Worlds Robotics Championships in 2017, I discovered my love for engineering, coding, learning, competing, and leading. My passion will inspire others just as Coach Chen mentored me. I strive to impact our middle school robotics team by volunteering as a student mentor every Tuesday. I coach teams, guide their discussions on problem-solving, and advise individuals. I acted as their coach during competitions and helped two middle school teams qualify for the World Championships in 2021. My drive and passion persist as I enter my last year of robotics. I will make the most out of my losses and wins. I will embrace the experience and knowledge through the next stage of my life.

The tennis ball hit the net in slow motion and dropped right in front of the net on my side. My legs pushed off the hard courts. My blue racket with black strings stretched out desperately to make contact with the yellow ball before it double-bounced. I skidded to a stop using my left leg. My knee bent outwards and buckled. I tapped the ball barely over the net while sharp pain shot throughout my left leg. Under a tent at the Lagoon Park tennis courts, I lay on a medical exam table in tears from disappointment and pain. As the medical examiner checked for tears in my left knee, she pressed on a spot with her thumb that caused a sharp pain to shoot up my leg. She concluded that I strained my quadriceps tendon right above my knee. She tore off long rolls of black and white athletic tape. First, the physical therapist bandaged my knee with white tape that served as a cushion. The thick layers of tightly wrapped rough black athletic tape were added on over the white layers. Under the black tape, there were layers of white tape that were visible at the edges of the black tape. It covered one-fourth of my left leg. It was wrapped securely so that I could not bend my leg much. Our school’s varsity tennis team qualified for the Alabama State Tennis Championships in March. During an intense semifinal match with a strong tennis player from Hoover, my left knee twisted as I sprinted up to a drop shot at the net. I used my racket as a crutch to prop myself up against the throbbing pain. My coach rushed over along with my mom who tried to convince me to forfeit the match. Through tears, I told them firmly that I would finish the match. Although it was a loss, in the end, I felt proud that I had fought through the agony. I learned a lesson that numbers could not teach me: perseverance. Later that day, I was chosen to play in a tiebreaker for first place. I looked down at my swollen knee all wrapped up in black tape; I told her I could play through the pain for the team. The competition supervisor called my opponent and me to Court 10 for the ultimate match. I limped over to the court. The deciding game began. My opponent saw my taped-up knee and tried to use it to her advantage. But, I did not let her. Ignoring the throbbing agony in my knee, I chased down every shot no matter how far or fast it flew. I did not decrease the quality or speed of my serves, despite the sharp pain in my left knee every time I landed on the court. When I got back to our hotel, I unwrapped the athletic tape and an obvious tan line from the tape was there. The tan line was proof of my effort despite my circumstances. At the end of the day, I evolved my understanding of persistence through my taped-up knee. The black tape on the outside symbolized the darker times I went through. But, there was white tape underneath the dark which symbolized the lessons learned and skills gained from the painful experience. My knee still pops every time I walk around or do a squat to remind me of the circumstances I overcame. However, I hold my head high with pride because I strive to be better and not shy away from the difficulties life throws at me.

Through the unlikely qualification for Worlds Robotics Championships in my sixth-grade year, I discovered my love for engineering, coding, and serving. I work alongside my teammates to design and build robots to complete that year’s game challenge, which reflects current issues. To simulate construction issues, the challenge was to create a robot to stack and transport cones. The robots are designed to replace workers to reduce injuries and deaths. Through this extracurricular activity, I aim to innovate and transform society through technological advancements. While the modern world is rapidly advancing, the elderly generations are left behind, not knowing how to manage technology. When I facetime my grandmother in China, she never knows if the call is connected, if the camera is on, or if the volume is turned up. Because of the wide gap between technology skills, I strive to impact my community positively. I helped establish Tech in the Hills, which is an organization to help people with technical issues. We launched this organization in a local store called Knit Happenz. We volunteer there weekly after school and assist people with technical needs. We utilize social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook to expand our outreach level. When setting up this business, each robotics team member signed up for various technical tasks that they were confident in, like streaming devices or wifi routers. Before we even opened for business, people had already contacted us for help. Every Tuesday, our robotics team assists anyone needing technical support. Since we have five robotics teams, we assigned one week per month to a team to work in the shop. We help set up televisions, fix computer issues, and connect remotes. Sometimes, it was easier for students to go to the client's homes to fix a large TV, so we had people volunteer to drive over and resolve issues from their homes. Due to liability issues, we had parents volunteer to go and watch over us. Sometimes, people call for help to fix simple problems, but also for companionship in an increasingly technological society where people FaceTime instead of meeting in person. I have enjoyed talking with various families and clients while fixing their technology. I am eager to participate in an organization where I can utilize my skills and knowledge of robotics. Through the institution, I can contribute my problem-solving skills, innovation, and leadership to help my community shrink the generational gap.

As a female, I faced many hardships along my journey. During the robotics of my sixth-grade year, our coach wanted people to practice driving ㅡ I bravely volunteered. The entire class had eyes on me as I walked up to the starting line. I reached for the gray controller with flashing green lights. The controller felt heavy and uncomfortable in my small hands. I awkwardly pushed the worn-out gray joystick forward and backward. The robot jerked left and right on the ground. I tried grabbing the yellow star, a game element. It worked! I carefully raised the metal arms that held the yellow star like a precious dream coming true. The star fell out with a thud. Silence. My shoulders sank. My eyes fell to the floor. A couple of boys scoffed and snickered in the corner. You are just a girl. You cannot drive. The discrimination did not stop in middle school. Throughout my high school career, during tennis matches, boys would often scoff, “You just got beaten by a girl!” During tennis camps, I would often get looked down upon for being a girl. Spectators would raise their eyebrows and uncross their arms after they saw me play and win points. During robotics competitions, I would represent my team in the elimination selection. Other teams would often skip over me and choose a lower rank team represented by a male. The list goes on. That moment has continued to haunt me every time I sit in front of the steering wheel of my car. I got the same nervousness from the time I attempted to drive a robot. I take a deep breath before starting the engine. Although I still have not entirely overcome the traumatic experience from sixth grade, I persevere through the dark shadows of the past and drive forward toward a better future. In higher education, I strive to better understand the world around me and gain knowledge to overcome the incident in middle school. I hope to gain experience and skills to stand up against those who mocked me and help future young girls who also struggled like me in a male-dominated field. I wish to be that support that encourages other people to be brave, which I was missing when I needed it. To be able to help people who are in a similar situation would mean the world to me. I aspire to be someone that people can lean on. Instead of worrying about what I cannot change, I focus on what I can change. I completed extra research on building techniques and fundamentals. I taught myself how to code in C++ through YouTube tutorials and reached out to experts for advice. I connected with judges for specific feedback on my engineering notebook and found examples online. Although I cannot control people’s stereotypes of me, I can control how I handle the situation and how I go forward. Rather than dwelling in the past, I look to the future. With this scholarship, I can pursue my goal of becoming a strong independent woman who inspires others to do the same. I can keep my head high and my eyes shining with pride as I step into the male-dominated field of engineering.

Something You Should Know By: Nancy Chen is that when taking walks around my neighborhood, I hear crickets chirping at night, but when I approach, and they stop singing their song. Crickets pause because they sense predators approaching through vibrations. I don’t blame them. After all, they are tiny creatures with small voices and lots to say. In class discussions, I don’t voice my opinion not because I don’t have anything to say, but rather because of my timidness. My thoughts get stuck on the tip of my tongue and never make it out. They get pushed down by my insecurity and meekness. My voice often gets swallowed up by my louder and more vocal peers. My thoughts yearn to be heard, but no one hears them because people overlook the timid hand raised in the corner of the room. Maybe once in a few years, you can see the cricket chirping.

Through the unlikely qualification for Worlds Robotics Championships in my sixth-grade year, I discovered my love for engineering, coding, and serving. I work alongside my teammates to design and build robots to complete that year’s game challenge, which reflects modern issues. To simulate construction issues, the challenge was to create a robot to stack and transport cones. The robots are designed to replace workers to reduce injuries and deaths. Through this extracurricular activity, I aim to innovate and transform society through technological advancements. While the modern world is rapidly advancing, the older generations are left behind, not knowing how to manage technology. When I facetime my grandmother in China, she never knows if the call is connected, if the camera is on, or if the volume is turned up. Because of the wide gap between technology skills, I helped establish Tech in the Hills, which is an organization to help people with technical issues. Before we opened for business, people were already contacting us for help. Every Tuesday, our robotics team utilizes our individual talents to work together to cover various technological issues, from setting up televisions to fixing computers. I enjoy serving in an organization where I can utilize my skills and knowledge of robotics. Through the institution, I can contribute my problem-solving skills, innovation, and leadership to help my community shrink the generational gap. Becoming a foster parent in the summer of 2021 drastically changed my life. I took in small animals around four weeks old. They come covered in fleas, extremely underweight, and with ingestion issues. To treat their conditions, I give them medication through a small syringe for parasites, ear drops for inflammation, and eye cream for infections. After treatments, I attend four hour-long sessions of adoption events at various locations around town. There I talk to potential adopters and tell them about the kittens’ stories, their habits, and their weird but cute quirks. Having to clean piles of diarrhea daily, giving medication every three hours, getting scars from claws, and driving everywhere to pick up medication, being a foster parent is not an easy task. I do not quit because seeing my kittens get adopted and finding loving homes makes it all worthwhile. With the understanding that medical school is not easy or particularly pleasant, I still follow my dream of becoming a doctor, because of the lives I can save and the impact I can make on society. Seeing the difference I can make in relieving animal shelter crowding gives me confidence in making a difference in other areas like hospitals, too. My mom, a nurse at UAB Hospital, comes home every night weary and tells me about overcrowding and shortage of hospital beds in one of the largest hospitals in the state. Although I cannot solve the issue entirely, I can still play my part. I am like a piece of the puzzle. If the issue was to solve the entire puzzle, I would merely be a small, seemingly insignificant yet necessary part of the whole. With my current qualifications, I can not perform surgeries; however, I can volunteer every week at Children’s Hospital at the COVID-19 tables. I station myself on the front lines of healthcare because I care for the people I want to protect.

Sitting on top of a gray exam table, the white medical exam papers crunch as I shift around. Knock knock. A nurse comes in with a needle with a clear liquid. She prepares my vaccine and I begin to imagine when I can finally be the one on the giving rather than the receiving end of the needle. My favorite scientific discovery is vaccines. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, people have been rushing to get vaccinated to protect themselves from diseases and viruses. In my recent trip to Europe, I was required to have my vaccination card on hand. And to be safe, I saved an image on my phone, printed a copy, and had an extra copy in my wallet. In 1792, Edward Jenner founded vaccinology. He inoculated a young boy with cowpox to protect him from smallpox. Because of his revolutionary thought process and procedures, the way people can avoid sickness is amazing. Although vaccinations can have side effects, its overall impact on the world surpasses the side effects. I admire him and his discovery because it gave people to ability to prevent sickness as an alternative to waiting for the sickness to befall. I feel comforted by having plans and my color-coded agenda on hand. Similarly, I feel comforted by being in control of my body and health. Edward Jenner gave humans the sword to fight against bacteria and viruses. Now people just have to be bold and fight in the war against COVID. By taking on the sword and stepping out into the battlefield, I hope to inspire others to do the same.

In the back corner of my bedroom on a light brown wooden two-layered nightstand, there lays a yellow foam “star” and a large orange pillowy “cube” both with the letters “VEX” on them. These were the game elements of the VEX Robotics 2016-2017 competition called Starstruck. As the name of the game suggested, it captivated me. My team of four girls exited the robotics field after the VEX Robotics State Championships of 2017, ranked 40 out of 47. My team had a record of 1-5. Our last match was a win. Truth be told, my team was not very competitive. None of us had any previous experience in robotics. At the State Championships, my team won the Excellence Award, which is presented to the team with overall excellence in competitiveness, notebook, and code. The Excellence Award, much to my surprise, qualified us for the World Robotics Championships. I competed in the massive arena with laser beam lights and a red carpet. The results were not very impressive. My team did not win many matches. My team did not win awards. However, I did learn and make new connections. A coach from China saw potential in me, so he took me under his wing. I studied abroad twelve hours a day for two weeks. Coach Chen taught me C++ coding, building techniques, and driving strategy. In return, I taught them English and grammar. I carried the knowledge back to the US and passed on the skills to my teammates. To this day, I continue to reach out to my friends in China to discuss coding issues and share prototypes. Coach Chen gave me the tools to become better; I use those tools to apply my knowledge and problem solve. Since then, I have qualified for the World Robotics Championships six times! During the summer, I host robotics meetings to brainstorm ideas and get a head start. At the beginning of the school year, I would get started building and coding immediately. As team captain, I manage our time and keep track of our progress through “Weekly Analysis.” I analyze our progress and plans for the next week to organize our time and energy. I host extra practices at my house, especially before competitions and on long weekends. During competitions, nothing ever goes as planned. So I have learned to be flexible. To have a Plan C in case Plan B does not work. To have a Plan D in case Plan C does not work. For example, my team would forget to charge a battery, select the wrong code, or a subsystem would break down. Things like robot entanglement, which cannot be predicted, occur, and I just have to be a quick problem solver and wiggle my way out of the issue. Robotics has taught me to be structured yet flexible and everything about time management. Because of the miraculous qualification for Worlds Robotics Championships in my sixth-grade year, I have discovered my lasting love for engineering, coding, learning, competing, and leading. I hope my passion will inspire others just as Coach Chen did for me. I volunteer my time every week to attend extra middle school robotics team practices as a student mentor. I acted as their coach during competitions and helped two middle school teams qualify for the Worlds Championships just as Coach Chen did for me. My drive and passion persist as I enter my last year of robotics. I will make the most out of my losses and wins. I will embrace the experience and knowledge through the next stage of my life.

COVID has affected everyone in various ways. For me, it turned me into a social recluse. I used to be a loud social butterfly who never wanted to stay at home. I constantly sought my friends and parties. However, during quarantine, I got used to being apart from friends and society. I started enjoying alone time in the comfort of my bed. I ended my freshman year of high school in online school on my computer at home. I adapted to my environment and became more introverted. I lost my loud voice and my confidence to speak up and out. COVID locked my personality up and threw the key away. Then I met Temple. She was reserved and did not leave her gray pillow in the corner under a chair. Once Temple came out and if we moved, she would scramble to take safety in the nearest hiding place. I saw myself in her. After experiencing quarantine, I also became more reserved and did not want to leave my bed. Everyday, I would go into the kitten room and just sit there. I would not force Temple outside her comfort zone until she was ready. After days of patience, she gradually warmed up and started purring. Temple became extremely outgoing and playful. The other two kittens adapted well from the beginning. By the end of the fostering period, Temple was the most energetic and outgoing. When she first came to me, I was worried that she would have trouble getting adopted because of her shy personality. Despite my initial concerns, she was adopted within weeks. She became my inspiration. If she could overcome her insecurities, so could I.

As a female, I face many hardships along my journey. During the robotics of my sixth grade year, our coach wanted other people to also practice driving ㅡ I bravely volunteered. The entire class had eyes on me as I walked up to the starting line. My teammate handed me the gray controller that had flashing green lights to signal the connection between the controller and the robot’s brain. I reached for it already full of excitement and nervousness. The controller felt heavy and uncomfortable in my small hands. I stepped up to the edge of the field to get a good view of my surroundings and took a deep breath. I slowly positioned my hands on the joysticks and the buttons. I awkwardly pushed the worn out gray joystick forwards and backwards. The robot jerked left and right on the ground. I tried again. The robot wobbled around. I tried grabbing the yellow star, a game element. It worked! I carefully raised the arms that held the yellow star like a precious dream coming true. The star fell out with a thud. Silence. My shoulders sank. A couple boys scoffed and snickered in the corner. You’re just a girl. You can’t drive. That was terrible! It was devastating and dejecting to be put down because I am a female. I have never felt so useless and frustrated. My parents intended to pick up a girl who was ready to conquer the world with her new found experiences and skills. Instead, they found a puffy eyed girl who was traumatized from the experience that was supposed to teach and equip her for the world. She stared blankly out the car window. She told herself to never drive again. The discrimination did not stop. During tennis matches, boys would often scoff, “you just got beaten by a girl!” During tennis camps, I would often get looked down upon for being a girl. Spectators would raise their eyebrows and uncross their arms when they saw me play and win points. During robotics competitions, I would represent my team in elimination selection. Other teams would often skip over me and choose a lower rank team represented by a male. The list goes on. That moment has continued to haunt me every time I sit in front of the steering wheel of my car. I get the same nervousness from the time I attempted to drive a robot. I take a deep breath before starting the engine. Although I still haven’t completely overcome the traumatic experience from sixth grade, I persevere through the dark shadows of the past, as I drive forward towards a better future learning from my career. I strive to better understand the world around me and gain knowledge to overcome the incident from middle school. I hope to gain experience and skills to stand up against those who mocked me and help future young girls who also struggled like me in a male-dominated society. I wish to be that support that encourages other people to be brave, which I was missing when I needed it. To be able to help people who are in a similar situation would mean the world to me. I aspire to be that someone that people can seek help from. I desire to become that person throughout my career.