Hearing gunshots throughout the night, watching drug exchanges occur right in front of me, or seeing another teenager on the news deceased due to gang violence was my regularity. As a child, I grew up below the poverty line, relying on government assistance to live. In the community I lived in, crime was normalized, and I became accustomed to it from a young age. It made it worse that I never had a father figure growing up because he was in jail throughout my whole childhood. When I was ten years old, my mother broke out of the poverty cycle and moved us to the suburbs to get me and my older brother out of the violent area. It was already too late for my brother as he had joined a gang and was taking part in criminal activities. Being in this crime-ridden community made me realize that I wanted different for myself; however, seeing my father and brother take part in it first-hand fueled a fire in me for change. After moving, I remember never really fitting into the primarily white middle school that I attended. No one had curls that coiled naturally like mine or melanin in their skin. Even though this was a challenge, I knew I wanted to show everyone around me how intelligent I was. My mother got her high school diploma while raising my brother, who she had at sixteen. My father was born in Puerto Rico and dropped out of middle school in sixth grade. This is why I always put my best foot forward in school. Despite people making fun of me for looking different, I knew they could not take my wits away from me. In high school, I was my class's salutatorian and participated in various clubs and activities, including DECA, Medical Careers Club, National Honors Society, and was a varsity volleyball captain. I took steps to become a well-rounded individual, the opposite of what I saw growing up. As the first member of my family to go to college, I am proud to be furthering my education. It is my responsibility to break the cycle in my family. I knew I wanted to make a difference in the criminal justice system as I watched the very city I grew up and my family all be sucked into the cycle of crime. I just completed my first year at Anna Maria College, majoring in forensic criminology. In a world where crime rates continue to pose significant challenges, the importance of forensic criminology cannot be overstated. Forensic criminologists are crucial in identifying perpetrators, preventing future crimes, and promoting societal safety and security. This field not only satisfies my intellectual curiosity but also aligns with my commitment to making a noticeable difference in the world by contributing to the understanding and resolution of criminal matters. I aim to build my way up as an investigator and eventually be a detective for cold cases. I will use scientific developments to help the loved ones who have lost someone and have not received justice. In addition, I plan to create an organization dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted individuals through DNA testing and other scientific advancements. I want to reform the criminal justice system, prevent future injustice, and leave my mark on people’s lives with what I do with my future career. I cannot wait to make a difference in my community and build the life I crave for myself despite the many challenges I have faced.

My eyes were opened to the great depths of STEM in elementary school, and I have been intrigued ever since. In fifth grade, I went to an elementary school consisting of students who were English language learners living below the poverty line. Despite falling under these categories, I continued attending school, eager to learn. That year, I was nominated to attend the National Youth Leadership Forum: Pathways to STEM to represent my elementary school. This program consisted of a six-day program in Boston where I would participate in problem-solving, delving into the world of medicine, discovering how to program a robot, performing dissections, and, most importantly, learning about crime investigation. The time spent in this program will stick with me forever. It allowed me to gain more knowledge on topics I would not have had the opportunity to learn about and lit a fire in me to make a difference in the field of science. That one achievement was only a stepping stone for me because it recognized me as a young leader and gave me a deeper understanding of crime investigation, influencing my desire to pursue a career in forensics. I just completed my first year at Anna Maria College, majoring in forensic science. My first year has been insightful because I have been able to take forensic classes, and I have made many connections in the STEM realm that will help aid me with my future career. In a world where crime rates continue to pose significant challenges, the importance of forensic science cannot be overstated. Forensic scientists are crucial in identifying perpetrators, preventing future crimes, and promoting societal safety and security. This field not only satisfies my intellectual curiosity but also aligns with my commitment to making a noticeable difference in the world by contributing to the understanding and resolution of criminal matters. My goal is to build my way up as an investigator and eventually be a detective for cold cases. I will use scientific developments to help the loved ones who have lost someone and have not received justice. In addition, I plan to create an organization dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted individuals through DNA testing and other scientific advancements. I want to reform the criminal justice system by contributing to the field of science to prevent future injustice and leave my mark on people’s lives with what I do with my future career. As the first member of my family to go to college, I am proud to be furthering my education. Despite the pressure and fears I have faced entering the unknown, I know it will be rewarding in the end. It is my responsibility to break the cycle in my family and do something that I have not seen anyone in my family complete. My single mother, who does everything to get food on the table and keep a roof over my head, cannot afford to help me with college. However, this pushes me to use all my resources and available scholarships to aid my goals. Attending college has been extremely exciting for me because it was once something my mother considered impossible for herself; however, I am helping to make it a reality for her. By doing so, I will be able to work toward my passion for solving cold cases and helping wrongfully convicted people through DNA testing. It has never sat right with me that people do not receive the justice they deserve. I cannot wait to make a difference in my community and the criminal justice as a whole with the use of science.