My story begins in South Florida, where I was born and raised. However, my life in South Florida felt like a prologue in my story. My first chapter begins after I move to New York City. My transition from high school to NYC marked the beginning of a new and adventurous journey. One that spanned two years and helped prepare me for my next chapter. I stayed busy during this time, growing my self-confidence and setting goals for my dreams and aspirations. Because of those experiences, I'm proud to say I’ve started a new journey as a mechanical engineering student at the University of Buffalo. In pursuit of this degree, my goal and deep passion is to become a motorsport race engineer. I grew up in a suburb of Ft Lauderdale called Davie. My neighborhood was predominantly white, which often led me to feel excluded and misplaced in school. I struggled to find a community that shared my interests, so I often felt alone. My friendships were thin, and my enjoyable outlets felt non-existent. As school grew difficult and my mental health declined, I often sought comfort in watching motorsport races. When I was a young girl, I'd catch my dad up early on weekends watching Formula One. Time slowed as we watched new sessions and I grew a new obsession. Those mornings formed a special bond between my dad and me, as well as between me and racing. What started as a morning ritual with my dad grew to be an ambitious goal of becoming a race engineer. These moments evoked a desire in me to play a part in creating the spectacular weekends I had watched when I was younger, and to help influence the way motorsport continues to push the boundaries of engineering. My transition to college at the University of Buffalo was not an easy road. Over the past two years, I felt lost, stressed and overwhelmed with the college admissions process. But despite the many setbacks and challenges I faced, I feel I have come out the other side a much happier, healthier and confident person. Thanks to a handful of jobs I worked to save money for college, I developed a very social persona and made many friends. Great friends whom I miss dearly now that I’ve moved away from NYC and begun my college journey. Not only have I made great friendships, but I have also put a lot of work into my relationship with myself. I realized that in order to achieve my dreams, I need to be my own biggest supporter. I’ve gotten closer to my family in ways I could never imagine. We’ve traveled the world to various sporting events, including Formula One races, and visited places I never thought I’d see. I did all of these incredible things while navigating the college admissions process and pursuing my goal of working in Formula One. My passion has fueled me throughout this process, but my ambition is guided by a desire to build greatness in my name. Throughout this journey, I have learned to believe in myself and to trust the process. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be considered for this scholarship, as it can have a significant impact on my journey. College is a necessary stepping stone for me in my pursuit of a career in motorsports, and this scholarship can help provide me with financial stability.