Philosophy was my first degree choice through all of high school. I had no idea what I wanted to do and considered it my safest option. When I graduated high school, my perspective changed. It was something my civics instructor said that stuck with me through my final semester of high school. She said, " Choose a career that is impactful, a career that reflects your values and priorities." With that in mind, I started doing extensive research, taking multiple career personality quizzes and an embarrassing amount of YouTube videos about "a day in the life of a..." and that's how I stumbled on STEM Learning's video "What do you want to do - STEM Careers." It definitely wasn't love that first sight, but eventually it became a match made in heaven. My name is Nickayla Myers, I am an immigrant from Jamaica who is currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering. Civil engineering is the oldest principle of engineering and aims to improve public infrastructures used in the daily life of others. The purposefulness of this STEM degree was the driving factor for me. This was a field that would create, improve and innovate society. However, I was about to embark on an academic journey that was not travelled by many who looked, or actually sounded like me. Using the Bureau of Labor statistics, I found out that only 14% of women are employed in the civil engineering area, and even less individuals with black racial ethnicities. This was a little disheartening, the odds were against me. However as my Jamaican mother says, "if you want good, your nose haffi run'" meaning, if I wanted to achieve my goals, It would take hard work and sacrifice, but the most important part, would be to start. So I did, I enrolled in community college, where I earned my civil engineering associate degree as the only female graduate in my graduate class. Upon graduation, I received multiple job offers, this made me realize that this field is an untapped resource that is not talked about enough in the black community, I wanted to change that. To do so, I first want to become a living example of a female black engineer. Because of financial and immigration circumstances, I was unable to further my education for a year. With the assistance of my family, as of Fall 2021, I was able to start my Sophomore year at Georgia Southern University in the Civil Engineering program. I intend to acquire this degree and eventually become a spokesperson for STEM careers. I want to share this opportunity with high schoolers who are not aware of their options. I believe that diversity is needed in all career fields, especially in STEM. To advance our society using technology, engineering and mathematics, a diverse team is needed to ensure all are represented.