I chose to pursue a degree in cybersecurity because of my interest in technology and the increases vulnerabilities that it's experiencing since everyone is technology based. From an early age, I was fascinated by coding and securing my own systems, especially when I realized how often technology is taken for granted with its unexpected threat. My curiosity about being able to use data and protect it from threat threat actors made me interested in seeing out systems for different devices and platforms work. Computer Science became the natural path for me, as it aligns with my skills in problem-solving and critical thinking, while also allowing me to contribute to the protection of sensitive information that many people rely on in their daily lives. This degree will also give me a versatile role in using my skills in all things relating to protecting information and programming systems. Throughout my studies, I have been particularly drawn to the technical aspects of cybersecurity, such as ethical hacking and risk assessment. From my first cybersecurity class, I learned how attackers exploit vulnerabilities to gain access to systems, as well as developing strategies to defend against such attacks. This interest has led me to dive deeper into areas like encryption codes, and incident response, which I believe are crucial to effectively safeguarding systems against evolving threats. My coursework from the cybersecurity class and my coding classes that involved managing data and accessing files by using complex commands, has further my decision to pursue this field. I am passionate about finding innovative solutions to complex security challenges and helping different industries with their needed security demands that is at risk everyday. Post-graduation, I hope to apply the knowledge and skills I gained during my education to real world challenges, especially in the field of machine learning. I am particularly interested in using machine learning to help secure devices and other products that require strong protection. With technology evolving quickly, there are always new security challenges, especially with the rise of connected devices and products. I want to be part of the solution by developing systems that can detect and respond to security threats effectively. By focusing on these areas, I aim to help create a more safer and secure product that people can rely on. Ultimately, my long-term goal is to specialize in cybersecurity at a strategic level, potentially working in a leadership role within a company that is in a manufacturing focused area.

I’m a computer science major with a humanitarian minor and soon changing to computer engineering. I am interested in gaining experience in different things within my major that consist of data analyst, machine learning. For my future career I plan to have a job in something relating to machine learning and even software development, but I didn’t want to finalize my decision since I haven’t experienced or thought about other things my major offers. My interest in machine learning and handling data within the security field has grown, since I discovered other job opportunities that will not only make me financially stable, but give me a sense of enjoyment to continue on. With this in mind, I plan to use my skills to help the medical field and other organizations that need improved technology security to enhance their productivity . The university I am currently attending has definitely challenged me and given me the resources to other opportunities that I should highly consider being a part of. This is why I plan to continue my education because I crave an ongoing learning environment. To be able to tackle my my intended goal, I just joined a research to gain more knowledge about what I want to do and to gain an academic accomplishment. With this scholarship, I plan to use it to put towards my tuition at Miami University which is very pricey for an out of state student. At the moment, I’m not sure if I am able to afford the rest of my tuition, leaving me very dependent on scholarships that are posted each month. For the incoming term, I would like to continue on at Miami to be able to continue on with engineering and take a machine learning class that could give me the exact experience I need for my potential internship next summer and career overall. By using this scholarship, I'll gain crucial skills in machine learning and other coding languages, positioning me for a better academic background for when I go to graduate school. This investment fits perfectly with my career goals in artificial intelligence, driving both academic growth and an impact in society. I would contribute to increasing diversity and inclusion by promoting an environment where everyone feels welcomed, included and respected, regardless of their background or identity. This means that I would be open to equal opportunities that ensure all voices are heard when holding group activities, so there are a lot more opinions upon decision making. When it comes to the CSE department, where a lot of group related projects are established, it would be good to include individuals from different backgrounds so that their perspectives and insights can help contribute to the activity. Throughout my daily life, I plan to make everyone feel valued and respected, since I come from a background with a lot of diversity and I know how it can affect others with a lack of diversity and inclusion within their community. Within a certain organization I'm in, I help to plan out events that are for either fundraising or meeting new people, which has proven to be helpful in bringing about more people to be part of. It has so far been great to have anyone and everyone be part of a growing community of people with different backgrounds who aren't excluded in any way.

I’m a computer science major with a humanitarian minor and soon planning on switching my major to computer engineering to be more hands on. I am interested in gaining experience in different things within that versatile major that consist of artificial intelligence, machine learning and hardware. For my future career I plan to have a job in something relating to machine learning and even software development, but I didn’t want to finalize my decision since I haven’t experienced or thought about other things my major offers. My interest in AI and handling data within the security field has grown, since I discovered other job opportunities that will not only make me financially stable, but give me a sense of enjoyment to continue on. With this in mind, I plan to use my skills to help the medical field and other organizations that need improved technology security to enhance their productivity . The university I am currently attending has definitely challenged me and given me the resources to other opportunities that I should highly consider being a part of. This is why I plan to continue my education because I crave an ongoing learning environment. To me, leadership means guiding and motivating others toward a shared goal while expressing an environment where everyone feels valued and empowered. In my role as fundraising chair for the National Society of Black Engineers or during group projects in my coursework, I lead by example, ensuring my ideas about events or ways to tackle a problem connect with the team’s goals. Effective communication is critical to this, and I make sure to form ideas clearly and listen actively to understand and incorporate the perspectives of others. This approach strengthens trust within the team, encouraging innovation throughout the whole process. With the Resilient trait, it allows me to navigate the pending challenges of both academic and personal life. When faced with difficult situations, such as unexpected setbacks with overloaded assignments or tough exams, I maintain my composure and find ways to distress the situation. I view these obstacles as an opportunity to learn and grow, so that throughout my time in my academic journey and soon to be future career, isn't to overwhelming . My persistence through these moments reflects a mindset that fuels long-term success, helping me stay motivated even when the journey is tough. Being unselfish and having a strong work ethic are key parts of my leadership style. I always make sure to support and help my peers, putting the success of the team above my own personal achievements. This means I take the time to mentor others and work together to achieve our shared goals. I stay dedicated to giving my best effort in everything I do, whether it’s preparing presentations, working on coding projects, or completing assignments. My focus and determination drive me to stay on track and reach my goals, while also encouraging those around me to work hard and strive for excellence.

In the beginning of my freshman year of college, I had a hard time adjusting to the college life which hurt me academically. I experienced troubles in my Calculus class I took that fall semester that I failed, giving me a not so impressive GPA. At that time, I noticed that my studying habits weren’t the best where I would lose my retention at times and I would experience a lot of anxiety that left me to forget some of the stuff that I studied for hours. There was a lingering feeling in the back of my mind that something was wrong with me and that I needed to speak to someone about it, which I did on and off. After the semester was over and winter break hit, I made a plan to improve my study habits and speak with a close family member and therapist about my issues that may affect my academics. I would definitely handle things differently because I tend to bottle up things inside me until it starts to take a toll on me mentally. From this experience, I learned that it’s a part of life to fail and at some point everyone is going to fail at something and it’s up to us to learn from our mistakes to gain a better outcome. I plan to use my education to give back to my community by developing technology solutions that improve access to essential services, like healthcare, and strengthen security of data throughout all fields. Data throughout the world is a big issue that needs constant protection and detection from attacks. I also aim to mentor and inspire young students from underrepresented backgrounds to explore careers in technology, empowering the next generation and supporting them in considering a field in the tech industry or direct them to resources that can better help them achieve passion.

I’m a computer science major with a humanitarian minor and soon planning on switching my major to computer engineering to be more hands on. I am interested in gaining experience in different things within that versatile major that consist of artificial intelligence, machine learning and hardware. For my future career I plan to have a job in something relating to machine learning and even software development, but I didn’t want to finalize my decision since I haven’t experienced or thought about other things my major offers. My interest in AI and handling data within the security field has grown, since I discovered other job opportunities that will not only make me financially stable, but give me a sense of enjoyment to continue on. With this in mind, I plan to use my skills to help the medical field and other organizations that need improved technology security to enhance their productivity . The university I am currently attending has definitely challenged me and given me the resources to other opportunities that I should highly consider being a part of. This is why I plan to continue my education because I crave an ongoing learning environment. My journey into AI and machine learning began with hands-on projects during my computer science studies, where I actively engaged in developing solutions to complex algorithms and applications to complete an assignment. For instance, I created different models where I accessed different types of data to predict outcomes based on the data that was given, which required understanding data preprocessing to achieve a more organized data with methods that handle it differently. AI helped me gain ideas on how to either start the process or give useful definitions to conclude my issue. These types of projects not only deepened my understanding of supervised learning but also taught me how to better implement algorithms and evaluate results using accuracy and precision. I aspire to make a significant impact in the AI field, particularly by merging my interest in healthcare and security. I envision developing machine learning algorithms that can analyze vast amounts of medical data to improve personalized treatment plans, making healthcare more effective and accessible. Simultaneously, I aim to work on projects that better data security, ensuring sensitive medical information is protected from cyber threats. By creating technology that enhances both productivity and safety in critical areas in the healthcare and other industries where I hope to contribute to the well-being of society while also addressing technological challenges that AI can bring about. My interest in data security was further expressed when I took a cybersecurity class that went into the ways AI is transforming the field. The course provided a straightforward overview of how machine learning algorithms are being applied to detect and prevent cyber threats. We discussed topics such as how AI-driven systems can analyze vast amounts of network traffic in real time to identify potential intrusions, and how these systems adapt to new threats by learning from previous attack patterns. This class introduced me to the concept of anomaly detection in cybersecurity, sparking my curiosity and motivating me to explore it through hands-on projects.

I’m a computer science major with a humanitarian minor and soon a double major in physics. I am interested in gaining experience in different things within my major that consist of data analyst, machine learning. For my future career I plan to have a job in something relating to machine learning and even software development, but I didn’t want to finalize my decision since I haven’t experienced or thought about other things my major offers. My interest in machine learning and handling data within the security field has grown, since I discovered other job opportunities that will not only make me financially stable, but give me a sense of enjoyment to continue on. With this in mind, I plan to use my skills to help the medical field and other organizations that need improved technology security to enhance their productivity . The university I am currently attending has definitely challenged me and given me the resources to other opportunities that I should highly consider being a part of. This is why I plan to continue my education because I crave an ongoing learning environment. With this scholarship, I plan to use it to put towards my tuition at Miami University which is very pricey for an out of state student. At the moment, I’m not sure if I am able to afford the rest of my tuition, leaving me very dependent on scholarships that are posted each month. For the incoming term, I would like to continue on at Miami to be able to continue on with computer science and take a machine learning class that could give me the exact experience I need for my potential internship next summer and career overall. By using this scholarship, I'll gain crucial skills in machine learning and other coding languages, positioning me for a better academic background for when I go to graduate school. This investment fits perfectly with my career goals in artificial intelligence, driving both academic growth and an impact in society.

That picture on the wooden shelf tucked away in the corner of my room is of someone I knew. I look at this picture from time to time whenever I am dusting the bookshelf or grabbing a comic, of this man who inspires me to be a better version of the man he once was. He lies there in a photo as a memory forever etched in my childhood as a man that has given me guidance, support, and unconditional love. I was not his child, but it did not stop him from becoming a part of my life. Ever since I was an infant, this man was one of the father figures I could always turn to while my biological father was absent. He made me feel deserving of the world when I felt alone or not good enough. He influenced me to be more open with others, not just family. I hold this man accountable for preparing me to forgive my real father. Certain situations made it rather hard to forgive my biological father, but as our relationship improved it became easier once I noticed a change. Unbeknownst to me, there were often issues between the father figure and my mother. However, this never stopped him from his usual routine. His presence affected me in such a positive way that I am grateful for the people in my life whether I speak to them frequently or not. For example, his own mother whom he had a strained relationship with, became a bonus grandparent. He always treated her with the utmost respect regardless of their past relationship. I was later told that my presents assisted with bridging the gap in their tarnished relationship. This motivated me to repair the broken relationship with my biological father and hold on to current relationships even tighter. The kind where a troubling situation occurs and the person materializes out of thin air with just a phone call. This idol of a man also served as a means for transportation, especially when my mother had to work late. From my first haircut, little league baseball games, recording violin recitals, spending the day at a theme park, Friday night movies to bonding over pizza and video games; all the things a little boy wishes they could do with their dad. His willingness to drop what he was doing to support my mother and I just shows testament to his unconditional love. During the beginning of my junior year, I struggled in two of my classes. Moving to online class instruction following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic definitely made things more difficult. Trying to construct complex Spanish sentences and solve difficult mathematical equations over a screen made me feel stressed. Meeting my teachers’ standards often seemed like a more difficult task compared to being in a classroom where I could easily ask for help. I began to realize my future was at stake and that frightened me. Thinking of how disappointed he would be in my academic performance reminded me of the future he once envisioned for me. He did not want me to live my life as he once did; working at the city’s Water Filtration Plant as a laborer. He inspired me to make him and myself proud by starting with, improving my grades and ensuring my last year is as successful as the rest of my high school career. The greatest gift he gave me was his time and patience. His untimely passing is not an excuse to stop striving to achieve my goals, plans and wishes I have for my life. I wish he was here today to see what I have accomplished thus far and all the other accomplishments I hope to achieve in the future. That picture that lies on that shelf is a reminder of what life was and all the possibilities it can be.