I grew up in an immigrant multilingual household, my mother, an immigrant from Brazil and my father, an immigrant from England, fluctuated between speaking English and Portuguese with me every day. Pivoting between two languages improved my developmental skills, and fostered a deep appreciation for my Brazilian heritage. My involvement within my culture created a strong sense of community, resilience, and appreciation for diversity within me. My fluency in Portuguese also made me confident when learning Spanish in school. Since beginning my journey to learn Spanish, I have completed AP Spanish Language and Culture, and I belong to the Spanish National Honor Society at my school. In addition to the Brazilian culture I experienced from my mom, my dad immersed me in his love of automotive technology. I was brought up spending lots of time watching my father restore vehicles we owned. Once I reached 16, I researched and found my own car, a 2006 BMW 330i. I began taking what I learned from watching my dad and began working on my own car. I quickly developed a passion for automotive work, devoting any free time to fixing up my car. Seeking to find an environment where I could learn more, I took advantage of my high school’s career center, and enrolled in advanced automotive courses to further my knowledge. As one of only three women in the class, I saw how important it is for women to pursue their passion in male dominated fields. I continue to learn new things about the automotive technology industry, to use that knowledge to reach my goal of becoming an international supply-chain manager for an automotive company. I want to be able to make a difference for women by attending UT Dallas and double-majoring in Global Business and Supply Chain Management and Analytics.

I never truly understood what it was like to be a young woman in a male-dominated field until I took advanced automotive courses through my high school’s Career Center Program. Going into the class, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I noticed that the class majority consisted of male students. During the first weeks of the class, several of the boys tried to intimidate me by blocking my car in the parking lot, throwing food and coins at my car, and making inappropriate comments. This intimidation didn’t dissolve my passion for the automotive industry which first began in my freshman year. I had finally learned how to replace the brake pads on my dad's Mercedes after watching him fix up his cars all these years. He taught me how to take the wheel off the car, disconnect the brake lines and sensor, remove the brake caliper, replace the pads, and reassemble it. I still remember his explanation of the star-shaped method when torquing wheel lugs. Remembering the thrill I got from understanding how a machine worked by stripping it down and reassembling it is what motivated me to deepen my understanding of automotive technology, despite the initial treatment I received during my automotive course. I came to the realization that being able to rise above the boys’ harassment and focus on bettering mine and other women’s education was my new found goal. I scheduled a meeting with my teacher to inform him about the boy’s intimidation. The next day each boy was pulled up to the front office and their parents called. The inappropriate behavior stopped and I received personal apologies from the boys. My perseverance led to me receiving the Student of the Second Nine Weeks award, which is given to students who are the overall best-performing and well-rounded. Resolving this conflict enhanced my abilities to advocate for myself and others to improve the academic environment for everyone. This year, girls now have a separate locker room. My goal is to promote a professional environment where women feel safe and invited to learn about their automotive interests, however big or small. I hope to make a difference not just for me but for every girl who has believed they were not as capable as their male counterparts. This scholarship would significantly alleviate the challenges my family and I are currently facing, especially with my father’s job loss; as my family is unable to financially support me during my time at UT Dallas, I will be putting myself through college. I have devoted my time to my academic studies and various clubs, received multiple awards for top student and my work ethic in my automotive courses. I did this while balancing shifts at Chick-fil-A for over two years, and receiving promotions. I understand what it means to be faced with hardships in school, at work, and especially at home. But, most importantly, I understand what it takes to surmount them, and the drive, ethic, and ambition necessary to do so.

I grew up in an immigrant multilingual household, my mother, an immigrant from Brazil and my father, an immigrant from England, fluctuated between speaking English and Portuguese with me every day. Pivoting between two languages improved my developmental skills, and fostered a deep appreciation for my Brazilian heritage. My involvement within my culture created a strong sense of community, resilience, and appreciation for diversity within me. My fluency in Portuguese also made me more confident when learning Spanish in school. Since beginning my journey to learn Spanish, I have completed AP Spanish Language and Culture, and I belong to the Spanish National Honor Society at my school. In addition to the Brazilian culture I experienced from my mom, my dad immersed me in his love of automotive technology. I was brought up spending a lot of time watching my father restore every vehicle we owned. Once I reached 16, I researched and found my own car, a 2006 BMW 330i. I began taking what I learned from watching my dad and began working on my own car. I quickly developed a passion for the automotive work I did, devoting any free time to fixing up my car. Seeking to find an environment where I could learn more, I took advantage of my high school’s career center, and enrolled in advanced automotive courses to further my knowledge. Going into the class, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I noticed that the class majority consisted of male students. During the first weeks of the class, several of the boys tried to intimidate me by blocking my car in the parking lot, throwing food and coins at my car, and making inappropriate comments. This was the first time I was in a male-dominated environment, and to experience this kind of harassment was almost discouraging enough to make me drop the class. However, visualizing and experiencing a hands-on learning environment further affirmed that this was something I still wanted to pursue. I came to the realization that being able to rise above the boys’ harassment and focus on bettering mine and other women’s education was my new found goal. Determined to stop the bullying, I scheduled a meeting with my teacher to inform him about the boy’s intimidation. The next day each boy was pulled up to the front office and their parents called. The inappropriate behavior stopped and I received personal apologies from the boys. Resolving this conflict enhanced my abilities to advocate for myself and others to improve the academic environment for everyone. My goal is to promote a professional environment where women feel safe and invited to learn about their automotive interests, however big or small. I hope to make a difference not just for me but for every girl who has believed they were not as capable as their male counterparts. I am applying to this scholarship as it would significantly alleviate the challenges my family and I are currently facing, especially with my father’s job loss; as my family is unable to financially support me during my time at UT Dallas, I will be putting myself through college. I have devoted my time to my academic studies and various clubs, received multiple awards for top student and my work ethic in my automotive courses. I did this while balancing shifts at Chick-fil-A for over two years, and receiving promotions. I understand what it means to be faced with hardships in school, at work, and especially at home. But, most importantly, I understand what it takes to surmount them, and the drive, ethic, and ambition necessary to do so.

I never truly understood what it was like to be a young woman in a male-dominated field until I took advanced automotive courses through my high school’s Career Center Program. Going into the class, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I noticed that the class majority consisted of male students. During the first weeks of the class, several of the boys tried to intimidate me by blocking my car in the parking lot, throwing food and coins at my car, and making inappropriate comments. Additionally, they would also shame women for their appearances and “lack” of knowledge. This was the first time I was in a male-dominated environment, and to experience this kind of harassment was almost discouraging enough to make me drop the class. However, visualizing and experiencing a hands-on learning environment further affirmed that this was something I still wanted to pursue. I came to the realization that being able to rise above the boys’ harassment and focus on bettering mine and other women’s education was my new found goal. Determined to stop the bullying, I scheduled a meeting with my teacher to inform him about the boy’s intimidation. The next day each boy was pulled up to the front office and their parents called. The inappropriate behavior stopped and I received personal apologies from the boys. My perseverance led to me receiving the Student of the Second Nine Weeks award, which is given to students who are the overall best-performing and well-rounded. Resolving this conflict enhanced my abilities to advocate for myself and others to improve the academic environment for everyone. This year, girls now have a separate locker room with more lockers and privacy. I came away realizing that the automotive industry has significant room for improvement in its representation of women. This experience was able to connect me to a community of young women who also wanted to see a brighter and more equal future in the automotive business. I now believe that implementing positive change and growth is a service I want to always provide to my community. My goal is to promote a professional environment where women feel safe and invited to learn about their automotive interests, however big or small. I hope to make a difference not just for me but for every girl who has believed they were not as capable as their male counterparts. I aim to begin my secondary education at the University of Texas at Dallas, and have many hopes for my future there. I will be double majoring in Global Business and Supply Chain Management and Analytics. After being recently accepted into the Davidson Management Honors Program (DMHP), I hope to utilize all of its professional events, from one-on-one mock-interviews to business panels from local organizations. Not only will it immerse me in a close, business-centered environment, it will also foster my confidence and leadership skills. Additionally, the DMHP ties into my goal to travel abroad as much as I can with their yearly opportunities to travel. Growing up in a multicultural household, exploring the world and its vast cultures has become a passion of mine. As I am fluent in Portuguese and have Spanish skills, I aim to take advantage of the opportunities abroad in Latin countries to further my fluency and achieve a minor in the Spanish language. I have high hopes for my future in business and the positive mark I will leave behind in the industry.