I am currently a Junior at Iowa State University and I have lived with type 1 diabetes for the past fourteen years. This experience has shaped many aspects of how I’ve approached my education and how I envision my career. Managing diabetes is not easy, and I’ve learned that it requires constant decision making and a strong support system. I’ve also seen firsthand how healthcare outcomes are influenced not only by medical care, but also by systemic issues like financial burdens and resource accessibility. That perspective is what led me to pursue my degree in statistics with minors in data science and healthcare management. Ultimately my career goals are focused on improving healthcare quality and access. Last summer I had the opportunity to work as a Clinical Analytics intern at a healthcare consulting company called Vizient. During my internship, I led a project aimed at helping hospitals utilize data analysis tools. These tools track critical measures such as readmission rates, infection rates, and even instances of hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia. Through this work I saw how data can uncover systemic issues that are otherwise difficult to detect. More importantly, I learned that meaningful improvement in healthcare begins with understanding patterns and disparities within the data. This summer I will continue building on that experience through an internship with a non-profit hospital system. I will work with both the project management and care quality teams to further explore how data can be used to improve healthcare quality. My experiences during college and at my internship have presented many challenges and pushed me outside of my comfort zone. When I face a setback, what keeps me grounded is trusting my abilities. I have learned that growth often requires stepping into situations where I feel uncertain or unprepared. Public speaking has always been one of my biggest challenges, and for a long time I avoided situations that required it. Recently, I chose to push myself by taking on a leadership role within the Data Science Club at Iowa State University. Now I regularly speak in front of this group and help lead skill workshops. This is something I once would have avoided. This experience has shown me that I can build my confidence by expanding my comfort zone, and this is a skill I will carry with me as I begin my career. If I could make one meaningful contribution to my field, I would focus on expanding preventative healthcare in underserved communities. Through my education I have learned that socioeconomic factors often play a larger role in health outcomes than clinical care alone. In the context of diabetes, factors like food insecurity can increase the risks of developing a chronic condition. It can also make it much more difficult to manage symptoms, as I have experienced personally with Type 1 diabetes. One solution is produce prescription, where clinics partner with local farms or markets to give patients regular access to fruits and vegetables. This proactively addresses the root causes of disease and helps mitigate inequality. The healthcare industry has a substantial opportunity to improve preventative care, and this is something that I would like to contribute to during my career. Ultimately, my goal is to use my education in data science to help make the U.S. healthcare system more proactive, equitable, and effective. I have experienced the challenges of managing a chronic condition, but I have also seen how the right tools, resources, and support can make that burden lighter. I want to be part of creating that experience for others, especially for communities who have been overlooked.