My passion for STEAM, specifically the Science, Technology, and Math elements, came from my parents. My father worked in data analytics, making his own programs for his company's customer data, requiring computer literacy and a good understanding of math. My mother worked in jewelry, though the retail side, but her large collection of gems and crystals made me fall in love with the science behind them. My reason for choosing to pursue STEAM in college is to reach the Crystallography field, where I can study my greatest passion as a career. I am in love with minerals. Unlike my mother, I do not have much of an appreciation for the retail side. I do not favor cut stones, or polished crystals. I love the samples exactly as they form in the ground. My love for minerals comes from their beauty, both the obvious and the hidden. All minerals are different from one another, with stunning colors, reflections, and formation shapes. Hercynite forms in a perfect 3D rhombus shape, appearing as a galaxy with its rainbow assorted blobs of rainbow colors. Nickellothameyerite has not just an impressive name, but an almost unreal appearance. Caramel orange color stones that form like rock candy. But at their atomic structures, minerals are still just as beautiful. Their atoms are arranged in exact patterns that repeat over and over, making them form into certain geometric shapes. But they do not always present perfect repetition. Actually, it's quite rare. There are many different types of defects that can be present in mineral structures. These defects can change the color of a mineral, such as added Iron in a sample of quartz making it purple, also known as Amethyst. Inclusions, other pieces of minerals inside a larger crystal, can make some amazing optical properties. Inside feldspar, hematite and magnetite can form in a grid pattern. From a certain angle, one can view the two inclusion minerals scattered around: the bright orange of the thin hematite and the perfect triangles of the magnetite. From another angle, they form an iridescent lattice of every color of the rainbow. I want to dedicate my life to these studies, as the world of minerals is already large and ever-growing. By earning this scholarship, I can have an easier time paying for my education that will help me reach my goal. I plan on using my knowledge from the Chemistry and Geological Science fields in order to study ways that mineralogy and crystallography can be used in the medical industries. The tiny formations of magnetite in our brains, the crystalline structures in kidney stones, and the toxic properties of some minerals. These are all areas I would want to explore with my education to try and make progress in our understanding of medicine and human conditions.