As a Christian working in computer engineering and security, I have the opportunity to integrate my faith with my profession in meaningful ways that can positively impact society. By grounding my work in Christian ethical principles such as integrity, honesty, and respect, I can help shape the development of technology that upholds these values. This ethical approach involves designing and implementing technologies that prioritize the dignity and rights of users, focusing on aspects like user privacy and data security. In the field of network security, my role extends beyond protecting systems to safeguarding individuals from cyber threats. This responsibility reflects the Christian imperative to care for and protect others. By enhancing security measures and creating robust defense mechanisms, I am actively contributing to a safer digital environment. Furthermore, educating communities about cybersecurity risks and prevention strategies can empower individuals, particularly those who are most vulnerable to digital exploitation. This educational outreach is a form of service and stewardship, key aspects of Christian living. Advocacy for accessibility in technology is another significant area where I can live out my faith. Ensuring that digital tools and systems are accessible to all, including those with disabilities, aligns with the Christian values of inclusivity and compassion. Every individual, regardless of their physical capabilities, should have equal access to technology and the benefits it brings. Working on accessibility features in software and hardware demonstrates a commitment to breaking down barriers and fostering a more inclusive society. My professional behavior and leadership also serve as platforms for witnessing my faith. Demonstrating virtues like kindness, patience, and generosity in the workplace can have a profound impact on my colleagues and the overall culture of my organization. These behaviors model a way of living that honors God and respects others, which can inspire similar values in those around me. Lastly, I can leverage my expertise in computer engineering and security to directly tackle social issues. Whether it's developing technology solutions for nonprofit organizations, contributing to projects that address social injustices, or using my skills to protect vulnerable populations, these actions embody the Christian call to serve and uplift the marginalized. Such initiatives not only solve practical problems but also demonstrate how technology can be a force for good, reflecting the principles of my faith. In these ways, my eventual career in computer engineering and security becomes a conduit for my Christian faith, allowing me to make a positive difference in the world while living out my beliefs. Each day offers new opportunities to blend my technical skills with my spiritual values, creating a fulfilling and impactful professional life.

Truth is a concept that dominates discussions and reflections across cultures and religions, particularly in today's world where "personal truths" are widely recognized and explored. This exploration of truth is deeply personal, often intersecting with our spiritual journeys and beliefs. Personally, the journey has been complex and evolving. After seven years of identifying as a Christian, I find myself continually grappling with the nature of my faith and my relationship with God. Initially, my spiritual journey seemed straightforward—believing in God and participating in church life appeared to be enough. However, as time passed, I realized that my faith was heavily influenced by those around me—my fellow church members and church leaders. Their perceptions and affirmations of my faith inadvertently became the yardstick by which I measured my own spiritual standing. This reliance on external validation made me question the depth and authenticity of my personal relationship with God. The biblical scripture in John 14:6, where Jesus proclaims, "I am the way and the truth and the life," is a cornerstone of Christian doctrine that I have always held dear. Yet, despite this assurance, the subsequent promise in John 8:32, "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free," seemed elusive. The 'freedom' spoken of, which I interpret as liberation from the undue weight of others' opinions and an unshakable connection with God, felt just out of reach. This reflection brings to light a critical aspect of Christian faith—that the truth offered by Jesus is not just a mere suggestion but a definitive declaration. Jesus emphasized that He is the sole path to truth and life, negating any relative interpretations of truth that might contradict His teachings. This exclusivity is affirmed in James 1:17, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." The constancy of God, as highlighted in this passage, underscores a fundamental tenet of Christianity: God’s nature and His truth are unchanging. As a follower of Christ, acknowledging this unalterable truth is crucial. It requires a commitment to not only recognize Jesus as the ultimate truth but also to follow Him diligently, as He is the definitive route to eternal life. This commitment is not merely about external conformity or seeking approval from our religious communities but is about a deep, personal conviction and relationship with God. Navigating this path involves a continuous process of self-examination and reorientation of our faith practices to ensure they align more with God’s expectations than with societal or communal pressures. Ultimately, what truly matters is the state of our soul and its eternal destination. Without a sincere and personal trust in Jesus as the only source of truth, there is a risk of drifting away from the essence of our faith. This journey towards embracing and living out the truth as defined by Jesus is not only liberating but also transformative, guiding us towards a deeper, more authentic spiritual life.

With the widespread availability of information and technology, it's all the more important to use discernment when obtaining knowledge. I love learning new things and using that knowledge as a way of being closer to God or doing God's work. In high school, I had many interests in all things, music, technology, engineering, drama, reading, and more. However, when I started going to church where the Pastor spoke the truth directly from the Bible without adding or taking anything away from it, I was able to know God and believe in Him, although all my life I had been an Atheist. When I was solidified in my beliefs, I cast many of my interests aside, of all the things I wanted to know for the sake of knowing, to learn more about Jesus. Since 2017, when I started my faith journey, I have read the Bible 14 times cover to cover, and each time I read the Word of God, I discover new things that God wants me to know. My belief in God has changed the direction of my life for the better, I decided to stay local to attend college to continue my faith life at the church where I first believed in God. Of all the goals I have for my life, the most important one is to return to the Father's house in heaven. My faith life prefaces and dictates the things I spend my time learning. One of the things I am passionate about is sharing my faith on the street, and sharing the knowledge of the Bible. When our church gathers in New York City to preach the Word to souls, we often meet people who don't speak a lick of English, however, our church is international, having people who speak English, Spanish, Korean, Chinese, Tagalog and being connected to churches in Bulgaria and Poland. This reinvigorated my love for languages and learning new languages to communicate my faith with one more person. So that as it says in Revelation 5:9, So God, we pray. We pray right now for the spread of your gospel, your grace and your glory to every tribe and language and people and nation in the world. I study engineering knowing that a job in software engineering will allow me to effectively spend my time outside of work to preach the Word of God and to use my time for the glory of God. Whether that be serving Him within the church or taking care of the souls that He sends my way. My life's work for the glory of God relies on the knowledge of the Word and also being able to effectively preach the Word in different languages.

Pain is not always physical, it can manifest itself in the mind and leech to every part of the body and every part of life, whether that be relationships, career, or even getting up in the morning. For most people, mental illness strips away their daily freedom as an individual. Although our generation is heavily focused on self-care and getting the help they need, some were never exposed to that environment and have internalized stigmatization against mental health. My father, born in 1978, met my mother in the United States in 2001; however, after having me, they very quickly grew apart from one another. My father traveled to many different countries building up businesses while my mother stayed here in the United States to work. My mother, born in Mexico and having faced a difficult life of toil, prohibited me from having a phone or my own room, I was never allowed to talk back or be a difficult child. The times when my father would come to visit from his trips, he would bring back foreign and handmade dolls for me. As I grew older, my father and mother agreed to alternate weekends with me, the times when I would be with my father was a stark difference from my mother. He always made me laugh and taught me things about the world that I never knew about, he could even strike up a conversation with any stranger on the bus and make a new friend. He encouraged every interest I had and told me to never quit anything that I set my mind to. For a large part of my life, he was my role model and I had a deep respect for him. Upon starting high school, we stopped talking as much, and I had less time to spend, and he started traveling again. The few times I saw him, it was like meeting a stranger. At some point, I started going to church and would tell him about what I'd learned every few months when we would see each other. He was no longer a boss starting up businesses across the world but worked down the shore at a fishery, he drove an old beat-up car from 2001 that would stall on the highways all the way home. In 2020, I started to realize things were different. It was the times being stuck in traffic after getting Starbucks together, that he would peer out the window to observe the helicopter flying by. He would ask me if I thought they were after him, but I didn't understand. Or when, his friend of a friend's wife was hit by a car and hospitalized, that he thought someone who was after him had done it. It was the small accusations that made me feel uneasy and wondered why he had become paranoid after so many years of knowing him. It was in 2021 when I got a desperate and anxious call from my uncle during one of my classes. He was crying and screaming at my father and told me I had to do something to help him. Immediately I left in the middle of the lecture and rushed to his apartment. When I got there, the apartment reeked of death and I saw my father standing before me. If I had not known he was there, I wouldn't have recognized him, he was 6ft tall and 90 lbs, his legs and arms were bone thin and his face was sunken in and his eyes bulging. I was horrified, this is what Schizophrenia does. It takes over your life and changes someone to be a completely different person; it was at this point that I fully could understand that my father needed help, he had stopped eating, drinking, and taking care of himself. He couldn't sleep yet couldn't get out of bed most days unless it was to anxiously check the window. My father since 2021, has been hospitalized four times and refuses to believe that anything is wrong. He fears that he is a bad person, that he can't do anything right, and that all he did was mess up. With each hospitalization, he becomes more and more hostile to himself and others and develops new physical symptoms such as pneumonia or stomach ulcers from lack of water and nutrients. But he refuses to admit he needs help and feels the need to be dishonest about how he truly feels. Mental health is such an enormous part of our lives, but some people cannot will themselves to go to therapy and get help when they need it. At this moment of submission, my father is still hospitalized, and every day I am anxious for him and I know that I have only been able to get by by the grace of God. I know that many people don't have many answers for me since my father refuses help, but the one thing I can do is pray. I pray to God that no one has to go through what my family goes through, but it is ignorance to say that it hasn't or will never happen to another person. I hope that our society and our generation can welcome the older generation to think of their mental health as just as important as their physical health. My goal for my career is the same, the goal I have set I will continue to do, and included in that goal, I want to bring more awareness to the destigmatization of mental illness, which just like any other illness, we need to admit we need help and that asking for help is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.

The world may prepare parents to see warning signs of depression in their children, that many children are likely to go through mentally challenging times as they are aging. However, no one prepares children to protect their parents from the same thing. I was watching my father wither away before me and the world weighing down on me because I had no idea what to do. After some difficult events in my father's life, he became anxious about the people around him and I hardly ever got to see him. It was gradual, it started as a few anxieties-filled words, then the self-isolation, then not eating. I could not understand what was going on, after some encouraging conversations I thought it would get better, I thought a few words were enough. It was not. One call from my uncle was enough to make my heart drop to my stomach, my father was in the hospital, and my whole body tensed up in fear, but my uncle said I was not supposed to know. My father did not want help from anyone, especially me because I am his daughter; parents should not need their children to care for them like this. After a few weeks of him being there, he was released, and I could tell that nothing was going to change. His words did not speak as loud as his body language, his eyes were always dull with aching emotions coursing through his mind even while saying: "I'm fine." Since my parents are separated, he went back home with my uncle, where I thought they could be there for each other while I was away at college. Every phone call felt like I was talking to the shell of a person, barely there, I felt powerless. Everyone around me noticed the change in my father and while they tried to help, he would not accept it. Everyone said it was up to me that I was the only person who can help him. I tried so many times to do something, but he would never let me in; he never wanted me to see him "like that." Sitting in the engineering department of my school, I received a call from my uncle; he was yelling and crying from frustration, it had been two weeks since my father ate or taken medication. I left my campus early to see him, and maybe I could just talk to him again. When I arrived, my uncle was outside pacing, we called our Pastor and I remember the pain in her voice even after speaking to him that she worried he need to go to the hospital if we cannot get him to eat or take medication again. While we were outside, the front door was opened slowly and I could see my father standing there, his bones were bulging from his skin, his clothes loose and sagging, his cheeks completely hallowed with deep dark circles under his eyes. I could not recognize him. My father was so nervous to take medication that he did not want to take it anymore, but he felt that any food he ate was not safe to eat, that food would somehow hurt him. At every move I made, he flinched, yet barely breathing. We made the resolution that he had three options: eat, take the medication, or have to go to the hospital again. It took three hours for him to agree to step outside to eat food at a cafe around the corner. We ordered and he said he can't after taking one or two bites and walking out. When we arrived back, my father was hiding away in his room, and when I got there, I asked if he could please just take the medication so that we would not make him go to the hospital if he did. Absolutely defeated at being presented with a less desirable option, he took the medication to his mouth, for a few seconds I thought he would take it. Though he shook his head and said something is telling him not to. At this point in the situation, I was so overwhelmed, that I yelled at him, breaking into tears that he was going to die if he does not do something about it. This memory is so painful to me still, because at that moment he was in shock, I had never cried in front of him, never yelled at him, never done anything emotional with him. He stood still, unblinking eyes, stuttering "you've never been like that before-" In his state, my uncle and I guided him to the car, a silent car ride the entire way to the hospital, waiting for hours. They accepted him in and got him dressed in the hospital garb, after an hour of staying there he looked at me, face still colorless and thin; "you won't leave me here, right?" A face of complete fear and dread was plastered on him, fear that he would never see me again. I never knew I would be in this situation; I never knew how to handle emotions with my parents. No one in my life ever told me that I would be the only one to care for my parent's mental health as a 20-year-old. It was a learning lesson, that anyone is at risk for depression and anxiety, whether they be your parent or another family member, or a friend. I never want anyone to go through what I or my father went through; that is why talking about mental health is so important, before it becomes too big of a problem. I am one of the fortunate people that still has my father today, and I can see him getting better although still struggling with anxiety. In the long battle of depression, although feeling alone; we ought to make sure everyone knows they are never truly alone.

In high school, I planned things out to the maximum level I could, I always wanted everything to be step after step and my goal was to become a musician in a pit orchestra. I used to practice obsessively for hours and hours each day because I was working toward that goal. I was in several music related clubs and organizations and worked my way up the leadership positions in those clubs. I solidified my decision in my head after completing a research project on my prospective career. However, after joining a club called "Girls Who Code," my entire perspective on what I wanted to pursue had changed drastically. Rather than practice my instrument everyday, I was coding and learning to debug. Everyday I would skip my free periods to go and sit with the physics and chemistry teachers to ask them questions about coding or engineering. Because of this sudden passion, I joined the Robotics team and that first year I became the Lead Programmer and later becoming the Captain. From there I completed a program with Girls Who Code over the summer at Morgan Stanley and was able to get more exposure to the field, where I then decided to pursue Computer Science. Yet, I changed my decision again to pursue Computer Engineering because of my love for coding, but also the love I later developed for hardware and electrical work. Throughout my experience being on the Robotics team and in Girls Who Code, my advisors, who were also the physics and chemistry teachers, really guided me to pursue STEM as a woman. They always encouraged me to overcome the gender barrier and to rise above those who believe women cannot pursue STEM. Creating and programming tools is such a powerful skill that I am grateful to have gotten to learn, over the course of the next few years at Stevens Institute of Technology, I plan on doing much more in the STEM field!