This question has given me the opportunity to pause and reflect on my own future career journey. Ever since I was a little girl I always remember asking for microscopes and playing with medical kits. From that day on I knew deep down in my heart I knew I had a love for science. That passion has opened me to many experiences and opportunities. My interest in science has always been strong, and the prospect of achieving it as a career made my drive to succeed in the STEM program even stronger. This has led me to pursue Biomedical science at University of Cincinnati to become a future dermatologist. Lately it has been a new era for women. As little girls, our so-called outrageous dreams were always mocked, but now those little girls have turned into women and paved the way. Now girls grow up and we are hearing that we can be anything nevertheless be anything. However there are still little to no women in the STEM program. Why is that? As with any person working in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, women have just as much potential. Unspoken gender biases that everyone uses without realizing how harmful they can be to our community. It was always endorsed for boys to enter into STEM because of the work that is put into these courses. As an African American girl from a single-parent home, think of what it would be like to become a physician or physician assistant. Well that's me, I'm Niya Woods and I'm a second-year student at the University of Cincinnati. When I was a little girl for Christmas I received a toy microscope, that came with slides that I could examine. I was so intrigued and was learning that there is so much more than what meets the eye. I ended up losing the microscope and I remember being so devastated. Since then I have been wanting to feel like that little girl looking into a microscope for the first time. Growing up there was not a lot of media coverage or representation of African American women in the medical field. I took that as a challenge so one day in the future I can inspire a little girl or boy that anything is possible through hard work. Ever since then, I have always pursued science-based courses throughout my education. During covid sparked my interest in healthcare and progressed further. I applied to UC Biological Science with a certificate in Pre-Med to better prepare myself for what is yet to come. Since then I have been in many labs and have been surrounded by people who also want to be in the medical/health field. Being surrounded by people who encourage you when you are at your lowest is the best part of having a community. My academic year was not without some troubles, but that hasn't stopped me from doing what I love. My interest in dermatology has grown as I have learned more about the different types of skin, skin cancer, and cosmetics. Many African American patients do not receive the right care for their conditions because of the lack of representation in this field. In some instances, not all conditions can be treated in the same way, even if they appear the same on everyone. The analogy is like having a male gynecologist - he may have all the knowledge, but he will never understand what it is like to be in the woman's shoes. In spite of the difficulty of understanding science, I am open to becoming a PA for dermatology in general. In spite of poor grades or a broken home, I like challenges; I love proving that anything is possible. As an example, I want to show what is possible. As a young Black woman I know it is hard to find role models in this field. Therefore, I am on a mission to promote and create an outlook to not just black girls, but women, young and old. We all know passions start at a young age. I intend to make learning STEM a fun and educational experience for all. It is my belief that learning should never be regarded as a competition, but as something that everyone can benefit from and share. I want to make a program where everyone can share information. Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics should be inspiring for young girls regardless of who or what tells them otherwise. Rather than taking a class that is dominated by men, I want these girls and women to look in the mirror and say "I got this." It is not just men who can benefit from STEM, it is women who can evolve and create something bigger for themselves. My hope as a STEM student is that there will be many job opportunities for women in STEM in the near future. As far as this field is concerned, there should be no boundaries. Women should be capable of conquering anything. Just imagine someone like me can encourage a little girl to make headlines for the youngest NASA engineer. Or even the first women to create a whole new technology spectrum. I believe that STEM is a life changing experience for many. I believe that encouraging girls like me can open up a world of experiences that others may not have access to.

This question has given me the opportunity to pause and reflect on my own future career journey. Ever since I was a little girl I always remember asking for microscopes and playing with medical kits. From that day on I knew deep down in my heart I knew I had a love for science. That passion has opened me to many experiences and opportunities. My interest in science has always been strong, and the prospect of achieving it as a career made my drive to succeed in the STEM program even stronger. This has led me to pursue Biomedical science at University of Cincinnati to become a future dermatologist. Lately it has been a new era for women. As little girls, our so-called outrageous dreams were always mocked, but now those little girls have turned into women and paved the way. Now girls grow up and we are hearing that we can be anything nevertheless be anything. However there are still little to no women in the STEM program. Why is that? As with any person working in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, women have just as much potential. Unspoken gender biases that everyone uses without realizing how harmful they can be to our community. It was always endorsed for boys to enter into STEM because of the work that is put into these courses. As a young Black woman I know it is hard to find role models in this field. Therefore, I am on a mission to promote and create an outlook to not just black girls, but women, young and old. We all know passions start at a young age. I intend to make learning STEM a fun and educational experience for all. It is my belief that learning should never be regarded as a competition, but as something that everyone can benefit from and share. I want to make a program where everyone can share information. Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics should be inspiring for young girls regardless of who or what tells them otherwise. Rather than taking a class that is dominated by men, I want these girls and women to look in the mirror and say "I got this." It is not just men who can benefit from STEM, it is women who can evolve and create something bigger for themselves. My hope as a STEM student is that there will be many job opportunities for women in STEM in the near future. As far as this field is concerned, there should be no boundaries. Women should be capable of conquering anything. Just imagine someone like me can encourage a little girl to make headlines for the youngest NASA engineer. Or even the first women to create a whole new technology spectrum. I believe that STEM is a life changing experience for many. I believe that encouraging girls like me can open up a world of experiences that others may not have access to.

This question has given me the opportunity to pause and reflect on my own future career journey. Ever since I was a little girl I always remember asking for microscopes and playing with medical kits. From that day on I knew deep down in my heart I knew I had a love for science. That passion has opened me to many experiences and opportunities. My interest in science has always been strong, and the prospect of achieving it as a career made my drive to succeed in the STEM program even stronger. This has led me to pursue Biomedical science at University of Cincinnati to become a future dermatologist. Lately it has been a new era for women. As little girls, our so-called outrageous dreams were always mocked, but now those little girls have turned into women and paved the way. Now girls grow up and we are hearing that we can be anything nevertheless be anything. However there are still little to no women in the STEM program. Why is that? As with any person working in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, women have just as much potential. Unspoken gender biases that everyone uses without realizing how harmful they can be to our community. It was always endorsed for boys to enter into STEM because of the work that is put into these courses. As a young Black woman I know it is hard to find role models in this field. Therefore, I am on a mission to promote and create an outlook to not just black girls, but women, young and old. We all know passions start at a young age. I intend to make learning STEM a fun and educational experience for all. It is my belief that learning should never be regarded as a competition, but as something that everyone can benefit from and share. I want to make a program where everyone can share information. Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics should be inspiring for young girls regardless of who or what tells them otherwise. Rather than taking a class that is dominated by men, I want these girls and women to look in the mirror and say "I got this." It is not just men who can benefit from STEM, it is women who can evolve and create something bigger for themselves. My hope as a STEM student is that there will be many job opportunities for women in STEM in the near future. As far as this field is concerned, there should be no boundaries. Women should be capable of conquering anything. Just imagine someone like me can encourage a little girl to make headlines for the youngest NASA engineer. Or even the first women to create a whole new technology spectrum. I believe that STEM is a life changing experience for many. I believe that encouraging girls like me can open up a world of experiences that others may not have access to.

This question has given me the opportunity to pause and reflect on my own future career journey. Ever since I was a little girl I always remember asking for microscopes and playing with medical kits. From that day on I knew deep down in my heart I knew I had a love for science. That passion has opened me to many experiences and opportunities. My interest in science has always been strong, and the prospect of achieving it as a career made my drive to succeed in the STEM program even stronger. This has led me to pursue Biomedical science at University of Cincinnati to become a future dermatologist. Lately it has been a new era for women. As little girls, our so-called outrageous dreams were always mocked, but now those little girls have turned into women and paved the way. Now girls grow up and we are hearing that we can be anything nevertheless be anything. However there are still little to no women in the STEM program. Why is that? As with any person working in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, women have just as much potential. Unspoken gender biases that everyone uses without realizing how harmful they can be to our community. It was always endorsed for boys to enter into STEM because of the work that is put into these courses. As a young Black woman I know it is hard to find role models in this field. Therefore, I am on a mission to promote and create an outlook to not just black girls, but women, young and old. We all know passions start at a young age. I intend to make learning STEM a fun and educational experience for all. It is my belief that learning should never be regarded as a competition, but as something that everyone can benefit from and share. I want to make a program where everyone can share information. Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics should be inspiring for young girls regardless of who or what tells them otherwise. Rather than taking a class that is dominated by men, I want these girls and women to look in the mirror and say "I got this." It is not just men who can benefit from STEM, it is women who can evolve and create something bigger for themselves. My hope as a STEM student is that there will be many job opportunities for women in STEM in the near future. As far as this field is concerned, there should be no boundaries. Women should be capable of conquering anything. Just imagine someone like me can encourage a little girl to make headlines for the youngest NASA engineer. Or even the first women to create a whole new technology spectrum. I believe that STEM is a life changing experience for many. I believe that encouraging girls like me can open up a world of experiences that others may not have access to.

As an African American girl from a single-parent home, think of what it would be like to become a physician or physician assistant. Well that's me, I'm Niya Woods and I'm a second-year student at the University of Cincinnati. When I was a little girl for Christmas I received a toy microscope, that came with slides that I could examine. I was so intrigued and was learning that there is so much more than what meets the eye. I ended up losing the microscope and I remember being so devastated. Since then I have been wanting to feel like that little girl looking into a microscope for the first time. Growing up there was not a lot of media coverage or representation of African American women in the medical field. I took that as a challenge so one day in the future I can inspire a little girl or boy that anything is possible through hard work. Ever since then, I have always pursued science-based courses throughout my education. During covid sparked my interest in healthcare and progressed further. I applied to UC Biological Science with a certificate in Pre-Med to better prepare myself for what is yet to come. Since then I have been in many labs and have been surrounded by people who also want to be in the medical/health field. Being surrounded by people who encourage you when you are at your lowest is the best part of having a community. My academic year was not without some troubles, but that hasn't stopped me from doing what I love. My interest in dermatology has grown as I have learned more about the different types of skin, skin cancer, and cosmetics. Many African American patients do not receive the right care for their conditions because of the lack of representation in this field. In some instances, not all conditions can be treated in the same way, even if they appear the same on everyone. The analogy is like having a male gynecologist - he may have all the knowledge, but he will never understand what it is like to be in the woman's shoes. In spite of the difficulty of understanding science, I am open to becoming a PA for dermatology in general. In spite of poor grades or a broken home, I like challenges; I love proving that anything is possible. As an example, I want to show what is possible.