I believe Calculus is important in the STEM field since although the various concepts of math may be difficult when taking the time to learn and understand the concepts, one will find the overlaps these concepts have in their major and work ethic in a future STEM career. Having gone through the highest level of math pathway in high school and continuing into more complex concepts in college, I realize the importance of learning Calculus and applying it to my major in Computer Science through problem-solving. During high school, I eventually took AP Calculus AB in my senior year and the class size was small being composed of eight students in total. However, our small class was determined to do well and work together to learn and pass the exam. The course soon became my favorite class as I looked forward to learning the lessons from the teacher and collaborating with my peers to complete problems and exam preparation. I found gratification in solving complex problems and performing on the assignments and assessments given to us. Hence, my experience in taking AP Calculus not only was an opportunity to work extra hard to earn AP credit in college, but it also motivated me to collaborate and learn from others as we tackled new concepts. In the STEM field, the fundamentals of calculus are imperative to applying the logical math needed to innovate or complete processes of an occupation. However, working with such vast concepts with various methods of approach requires people to work together to come to solutions or breakthroughs within the field. Thus, calculus offers a window into developing the work ethic qualities for the STEM field by fostering skills in problem-solving, collaboration with peers, and applying mathematical concepts to real-life scenarios or devices. Meanwhile, I have begun to take higher-level math courses in colleges simultaneously with my other required classes for my major I noticed the overlap between these courses that contributed to my understanding and application of these concepts and skills. For instance, whilst taking discrete math, computer science, and calculus courses during a quarter, there was an interlinked concept between all three classes. The common concept involved proof statements where defining and giving a variable, depending on the statement, the output or result would be determined by these parameters. I worked with these concepts whilst writing if, else, while, and loop statements for code, making proof statements and truth tables for discrete math, and proving solutions in calculus with given formulas. Even if not all the concepts of calculus apply to every career or major, there are parts of mathematical reasoning and proofs that are used to justify rules or results we desire to achieve or work within the STEM field. Additionally, learning subjects within calculus that may seem tedious contributes to the bigger picture of practicing methods and engaging your mind toward recognizing similar material, knowing how to plan/approach problems, and working towards a solution in the future. Overall, I believe students in STEM must recognize the importance of calculus since even if on a transcript or degree plan, these courses may appear as a completed requirement, the concepts and skills they take from them will contribute toward their future academic and career endeavors. Therefore, calculus is important in the STEM field since it allows students to develop the essential work ethic skills that will benefit their ability to continue learning and growing in their career path.

As I intend to continue pursuing higher education at the University of California, Riverside, my future goals are to apply my values of education and growth to excel in a study within the STEM field, take hold of opportunities, and branch into the community to enhance my well-being. I plan to major and obtain a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science to land a future career as a Computer System/Tech Analyst, Software Developer, or within Cybersecurity as I have developed a passion for wanting to learn about computers/technology and programming/coding. Additionally, I am determined to pursue a Master's Degree for my major and branch this field into an FBI position since I would like to contribute to the evolving technological world and potentially help others within the justice system. I also plan to participate in rewarding programs provided at the university, including the University Honors Program, work-study, and internships, along with other extracurriculars that would foster my interests and apply skills from my major. In addition, my personal goals are to continue practicing a growth mindset and discovering more about myself as I navigate life independently at university. Throughout my college journey, I strive to maintain an organized schedule, consistently exercise/workout, join extracurricular clubs, continue journaling, and make new friends and memories. Thus, attending university with the support of this scholarship would assist my goals in discovering resources and opportunities to explore the real world, learn concepts for a substantial career, and foster a well-rounded lifestyle. Meanwhile, the William A. Stuart Dream Scholarship will assist me in pursuing my education goals by offering funds I would dedicate toward covering the costs of college and other academic resources. For instance, any scholarship funds I receive will cover housing/dorms, books and supplies, daily living necessities, and involvement in extracurriculars, such as my membership in the National Service Fraternity: Alpha Phi Omega. Additionally, I am aware financial aid alone may not meet all the expenses as the costs of attending university and I could encounter unexpected costs in the future. I am also expected to find ways to cover the costs of college on my own so I plan to continue applying for more scholarships and looking into internships and work-study positions that could support me along with any other aid I receive. I also would rather not borrow loans unless as a last resort since I plan on pursuing my master's degree straight after my bachelor's. Hence, as I am expected to incur future expenses while attending UCR, I am motivated to apply to more rewarding and beneficial scholarships, like this one, so I may work towards fully covering my education. Thus, this scholarship would provide encouragement and motivation for a career-minded woman as it will assist me in navigating through the rewards of pursuing my career in STEM and be a significant step toward my goals by inspiring and fueling discovery while I navigate my academic career. Therefore, I look forward to continuing my education and developing my skills, eager to push myself beyond my limits, overcome challenges, and pursue my passion for a career in STEM as the William A. Stuart Dream Scholarship would offer a significant step toward my future goals and success at UCR.

As a new school year approaches, so do new possibilities, especially regarding classes, workload, and other personal or outside activities. Though all these tasks can pile up, if students start practicing beneficial habits beforehand, it can aid and prepare them in the long run for the demands or requirements of school and life. Therefore, the best back-to-school tip for students is to have a productive and organized routine. Since students are expected to be ready for school, attend classes, participate in extracurricular, complete schoolwork, and engage in other activities, planning the day can make all the expectations more manageable. For instance, falling into a rhythm of what each day is like and setting aside time increments for things like homework, studying, free time, etc., creates a balanced schedule. In addition, a routine helps students stay organized when managing items or work. For instance, students can work more productively by having a well-kept workspace and supplies/resources to keep track of and effectively complete tasks. Overall, a new school year is bound to bring forth more obstacles and responsibilities, but if students strive to establish a productive and organized routine, they can enhance their performance and management of the school.

From elementary to high school, I have consistently heard from numerous teachers that listening is considered one of the hardest or weakest skills for people. According to them, through academic audio tests or when socializing with others, the ability to listen tends to fall short of expectations. I consider myself a good listener, but I will admit there are times I zone out or find myself not particularly wanting to listen in certain situations. However, there is more to listening than the surface idea of being present when someone speaks. Listening means being involved and attentive toward what's communicated while exemplifying appropriate forms of reaction and understanding. Although listening can be repetitive, I have learned to view it from a more beneficial perspective by adopting its principles of learning and connections. For instance, I demonstrate active listening at school by keeping my mind open to interest and wanting to learn so I can focus and continue to excel in my education. I also listen to others like my friends and family by holding onto consideration, respect, and value for their words and expressions so we maintain strong bonds. Though I implement these skills or thoughts when listening, I know my listening capabilities aren't always going to be perfect; however, it's something I can continue to improve and expand. Overall, I believe listening is an important life skill, and I want to do my best to demonstrate and learn from it to a full extent. Thus I will continue to practice active listening by having a well-rounded mindset since it serves as an opportunity for wisdom to be passed down and spread among others.

People are attentive to the events of life that stand out the most or are considered monumental to them. However, people often overlook the simplest things in life as they become taken for granted. Although extravagant and outgoing experiences are preferable or enjoyable, the smallest moments hold much more meaning people often take for granted. For a while, I even disregarded the small moments I experienced as I lost touch with their significance and only focused on the 'bigger picture.' Eventually, I became more attentive to cherishing the simple moments and feelings I shared with others and myself. At first, I was not aware if I had 'simple pleasures' in my life since I am always busy with tasks at school and home. However, when opening myself to my surroundings, I discovered small hobbies I liked dedicating time to since they made me feel content and relaxed. Thus, some of my simple pleasures include: listening to music, exercising, going outside, or spending some time conversing with friends. First, when listening to music, I always like to focus on the variety of sounds and lyrics, deciphering each part and putting them back together as I ponder my admiration for the song and its composition. Second, when exercising or going outside, both activities give me a sense of refreshment and perseverance as I enjoy staying fit and observing the outdoors. Lastly, when I'm engaged with my friends, whether it involves an activity or conversation, I always feel uplifted by their presence. Overall, my simple pleasures in life are composed of whenever I take the time to share moments with myself and others. Therefore, I have learned happiness can come from the littlest things and go a long way to carrying a positive impact and making my day.

Life is a constant cycle of events keeping humanity occupied during every moment with all of our time devoted to going along with its ride. However, people overlook the subject of self-care or time spent to take care of ourselves and our health overall. Thus, there is a lack of self-care as we're sidetracked by the long-term occupation of life, whether it's school, jobs, etc. I have experience implementing self-care, but sometimes I struggle to address the topic or get preoccupied and disregard it. Though I have learned how imperative self-care is to a person's health and well-being since it affects aspects of our daily lives. Therefore, I strive to practice self-care by scheduling time spent doing healthy and content activities because I want to establish a well-rounded mindset. Beforehand, I didn't know much about self-care, and it felt as if I never had the time for it. I then realized self-care is something you choose to make time for and incorporate into your existing schedule. Thus I have gradually integrated self-care into my life and practiced it by setting aside moments of break or relaxation for activities that uplift my mood. For instance, I'll spend time listening to music, watching relaxing videos, conversing with friends, or doing small hobbies that make me feel content and give me a sense of freedom from the repetitious daily life of schoolwork. I also found doing regular healthy routines like exercising or maintaining hygiene contributes to my development of better self-esteem. Thus practicing self-care has had an immense impact on my life by helping me establish a healthy mental and physical state. Therefore, I continue prioritizing self-care because I know I matter and deserve to attend to or care for myself after all the pressure and rigor life has put on me.

Throughout my life, I have continued to traverse the path of education, and soon I am to embark on another new journey in college. During my time on this formative path, I've never been sure of what I want to do or where I plan to go once I reach the end. I have always focused on excelling in my education and having new experiences that kept me distracted from thinking about where my path would lead. However, after having many moments of reflection, my overall goal is to pursue education to progress in life while living it to the fullest. Thus my vision would impact the world positively in the future as I intend to hold a motivational representation for others on the importance of life and education. First, my goal in life is to strive to receive a good education while taking the time to make memories and live life to the fullest. School has been the most formative part of our lives, and though academics are rigorous, all the hard work and effort contribute to essential skills and knowledge. Education is a powerful tool a person can acquire and implement through every aspect of life. Thus I plan to continue pursuing my education, attend college, achieve a career and apply what I've learned to support myself. Furthermore, though I'll ensure devotion to my studies and education, I want to incorporate adventurous and memorable times. There is more to life than constantly occupying yourself with work; it's important to spend time exploring new things and making new experiences since time passes by swiftly. Thus, I plan to take the time to connect with others to form relationships, go to various places to explore, and try new activities. Therefore, I intend to achieve my goal regarding my education and life overall because I want to establish a well-rounded lifestyle for myself full of growth and memories. Lastly, I see my vision of my goal to life having a positive impact on the world because I seek to inspire others to pursue their education while also taking the time to enjoy life for themselves. I hope to advise others on how education is imperative to our future since they are the building blocks toward success and remind others how significant it is to make memories since people should cherish every moment of enjoyment. Overall, though the impact of my vision may seem minimal, I want to have a positive influence on others and express the importance of creating a balanced lifestyle so people can find contentment with themselves.

Patience more or less is a complicated characteristic to master or acquire. A majority of people only have a limited amount of patience as we constantly seek to get through each part of our lives swiftly and efficiently to get a move on what's to come. Though I have some patient tolerance, I wouldn't label it as something fully achieved or implemented. Nonetheless, patience is important to me because it keeps people well-grounded. In addition, whenever I think of patience, I often refer to the line: "patience is a virtue" since it plays a vital role in our everyday lives. Life seems to constantly center around time, where people are always waiting for or wanting something to be done at a reasonable pace. Nonetheless, there are still times when we are required to have the patience to get through the day. For instance, I have to apply a lot of patience when attending classes, completing schoolwork, withstanding interactions, or simply waiting for something. I'll admit there are many times when I felt my patience ran short, and I would just outburst or want to give up on a situation. However, I learned it's better to have patience since I have observed that it withholds through any process and produces preferred outcomes. Thus, being patient is significant to me, because I have made it through prolonging tasks and reached desired results as a result of choosing to practice and implement patience. Gradually, my patience has grown less short and stubborn, but instead more open and attentive, improving my management with school and encounters with other people. Therefore, I will continue to appreciate being patient and developing this skill as it has taught me not to constantly rush through everything but to take life each bit at a time.

try to have a positive impact on the world by motivating and comforting those around me. During this generation, the youth or other students like me are given more pressure and hardships from society since we are expected to do so much to guarantee or establish a future for ourselves. Thus I believe, despite all these burdens life puts on us, we should spread positive concepts and be there for one another as we embark on this journey together. Hence, when I notice fellow students or people struggling to get by, I find we can relate to their situations with the universal context of how tough life can be. I think to myself, it is worth offering some ideal support to them, even with just small interactions. Thus, when I get the opportunity, I encourage or motivate others to keep striving to improve, work hard, learn, overcome their obstacles, and do many other things gradually with time and effort, because I want others to reach their full potential. I also take the time to comfort or be there for others if they aren't doing or feeling well physically or emotionally because I want to help them as much as others have helped me through dark times. Therefore, I try to have a positive impact by spreading and encouraging people to spread support to others. I overall intend to gradually help fellow youth get through life while bringing out the good or best aspects of themselves. In essence, we all live together in one world, and we should devote the time to leave positive impacts on one another and uplift the crucial process of life.

When I was in middle school, there was a moment my mom and I shared where she revealed something I have continued to remember to this day. During the weekend, I was in my room doing my school work before my mom came to check on me and suddenly asked if I wanted to hear my birth story. I agreed, being curious about the day I was born as she began to tell me the events leading up to the hospital and her beginning labor. However, she then told me how there was a complication as she tried to give birth to me, and the doctors had to do an ultrasound to see what was wrong. When they observed the ultrasound, she said it showed the umbilical cord had managed to get tangled and wrapped around my neck, preventing me from coming out. Though I shouldn't have been able to breathe, the ultrasound revealed my small hand wrapped around the umbilical cord, preventing me from choking. My mom then had to get a c-section, and eventually, I was born a healthy baby with no further problems. Afterward, my birth story led me to appreciate myself more and feel grateful that I was born with the chance to live. The story continues to hold a heavy impact on my life and remains astonishing to me that somehow, as a baby in the womb, I had the intuition to prevent myself from possibly dying. I also have consistently pondered the thought that the incident potentially carried on a wise characteristic I've always had or I was given a miracle for a reason/purpose to live. Overall knowing my birth story has shaped me by being a reminder or motivation to continue pursuing further in life and cherishing every moment or experience.

From a young age, my parents consistently demonstrated actions and behavior for me to observe and learn how to be independent by doing things on my own. Thus, as I grew up, my parents rarely had to beckon me to do my homework, clean my room, maintain my hygiene or manage other tasks as I would naturally attend to them daily without much obligation. It seemed as if taking care of myself and doing what was necessary became part of me, so I continued to be more independent as I progressed through life. Moreover, to be independent means not having to depend on others, whether for livelihood, subsistence, or any essential task. Furthermore, independence is the ability to overcome, complete, assess or handle situations in life without constantly relying on others to pave them for you. To be independent and independence itself are important characteristics to acquire because a person can only progress and succeed in life through themselves with their capabilities as there won't always be someone at their convenience. Finally, independence has had an immense impact on me and is significant to my life because it has become one of my strongest traits used to get through numerous obstacles. For instance, being independent has helped me get through school, including rigorous classes, assignments, and exams, since I relied on my effort and hard work to complete them and score high marks. Independence has also allowed me to overcome and resolve my predicaments or tough times by being strong-minded, developing into a form of resilience within me. Overall, being independent is a significant aspect of a person's life since the more accustomed someone is to independence, the more plausibly they'll be able to progress through and establish a good life for themselves.

During my sophomore year, the Covid-19 pandemic drastically affected my life, with school online-based and me left at home struggling to adjust. Throughout the entire year, I went through affliction as I always felt burnt out and in a negative state of mind. However, I managed to pull through and remain optimistic by communicating with others and viewing positive aspects of media. First, when I'm going through tough times, I find the most comfort in conversing with others. I usually contact my friends or classmates through social media since they relate to my situations and share sincere words. I also enjoy interacting with others because I feel less alone as they share similar perspectives and want to bring out positivity in each other. Although I had preferred isolation when pondering hard times, I have realized my friends and close peers are always there and will continue to support me. Lastly, when going through tough times, I uplift my mood by viewing positive icons from online media. For instance, I listen to k-pop music since I have discovered songs carrying positive messages and themes that help me calm down during emotional or intense situations. I also watch videos, like unboxings, room decor, vlogs, etc. since I find content in viewing calm, aesthetic, and lifestyle media. Overall, listening to and watching positive setting media has helped me develop a growth mindset and realize I should take each bit of life at a time. Meanwhile, I'm aware there will always be an endless amount of tough times throughout life however, I've learned it's alright to experience them as it is part of our growth. Therefore, despite impending hard times, I know there are sources I'll seek for support and comfort because I want my life to be full of more optimistic moments.

Beforehand I had never really taken much time to say or think 'I love myself' since it's a concept that often drifts away from me. Though, after I met my significant other, they have always told me how much they love me for who I am, making me realize I should have more acceptance for myself; now I continue to implement more self-love into my life. Hence, the first thing I love about myself is my personality, but mostly its independent, hard-working, and wise side. I have always been independent when it came to anything, whether it involved school, home, or other aspects of life. Though I may be reserved, my independence has allowed me to progress and learn how to support myself efficiently. It has made me accustomed to always working hard, building up knowledge, and being resilient. Thus, I'm thankful to have a persona with an independent characteristic since even though it may be rigorous, it's helped me overcome many obstacles both physically and emotionally. Lastly, the second thing I love about myself is my smile because it holds much emotion and looks beautiful whenever I experience true happiness. However, previously my teeth went through the long process of braces, making me feel self-conscious of my smile. Though, after getting them off, I have grown to love my resulting smile and its appearance. When looking back at photos of myself, my smile reminds me how much I should enjoy expressing myself and the bright moments in life. People have also commented that my smile is contagious and spreads warm emotions, making me less shy about displaying it. Thus, I love my smile since it represents many heartwarming memories, can uplift others' moods and looks naturally beautiful when I feel positive emotions.