I have been volunteering for a food pantry and enjoying it very much. It is terrific to work with other volunteers who care about people with food insufficiency. We all work very hard to bring in food to the pantry, maintain our food inventory, and get the food to the people who need it. I have been working at this pantry for several months. In fact, as much as can afford to work there. I also have another part time job which I need to keep in order to help pay for college. However, they always need people to work at the food pantry so I try to sign up to help out as soon as I know I will have free time. It's very exciting when we get big donations from companies and farms. Sometimes big trucks come in with a lot of produce that we need to unload quickly and put in bins. For example, we recently had a farm bring in a huge truckload of potatoes. We also had a farm provide the pantry with hundreds of eggs. It's quite satisfying to see people's faces when they pick up food from the pantry. Many people look relieved because they know they will be able to feed their families for another week or so. They come in with worried faces and leave more relaxed. Many are able to actually smile, which makes me feel happy. In the future, I plan to keep volunteering at the pantry and I also plan to volunteer at the local hospital to get experience caring for patients. I plan to go to medical school after I get my degree in biomedical engineering. I believe that I can be the kind of doctor who really listens to his patients and works hard to provide them with the best treatments. I think my experience and knowledge from getting my biomedical engineering degree will help me understand the latest technologies that may help my patients, such as advanced imaging and diagnostic technologies. I will be the type of doctor who will research and explore the latest treatments and technologies to help my patients get the best care. As a student, I would like to contribute to technological breakthroughs in biomedical engineering to help advance medical therapies and healthcare. Overall, I believe that in time, my substantial ability to focus, as well as my skills in problem solving plus my experience in helping people in need, will allow me to become a very successful doctor who will never forget that the patient comes first.

I love math and science, especially when it comes to solving problems. I find it enjoyable to analyze data and graph the results of experiments. I also like designing equipment and machines so I am majoring in engineering. In addition, since I love biology and want to go to medical school after college, I am majoring in biomedical engineering specifically, which will be good preparation for medical school. As a potential biomedical engineer, I am excited about designing new and improved imaging and diagnostic equipment to make the identification of health issues easier and faster. In high school, I always did well in my science classes and I enjoyed writing scientific reports on scientific studies we did in class. Moreover, I have consistently been very interested in how things work including how the human body works. In fact, I enrolled in anatomy and physiology at a community college while still in high school to learn more about the human body. I did well in this area of study and I discovered that I can learn detailed information quickly, which will help me as a biomedical engineer, as well as in medical school, and later when I become a doctor. In fact, I am very interested in helping people become more healthy. I have learned from working in the service industry and as a volunteer at a food pantry, that I enjoy making people feel better. When I served them food or helped them provide food for their families, it gave me satisfaction to see them smile or look relieved. I believe that as a biomedical engineer and a doctor, I will be able to make people happier since they will get good healthcare and will feel better, which is very motivating for me. I look forward to improving many patients' well-being. I am excited to use my talents and skills to improve medical care. I believe that many people need better care and I want to provide that for them. I think I will be a great engineer and doctor because I am hard-working, detail oriented, and I can focus well on problems. In addition, I am a good listener and I like people. I believe that the combination of my problem-solving skills and people skills will allow me to deal well with the serious medical issues that many people face. Fortunately, I will have the ability to listen carefully to their concerns and help them decide on the best treatments.

Three years ago, my father had a heart attack. It was a shock because he had never had any problems with his heart before. He had to have emergency triple bypass surgery and I realized that many people must have heart disease and not even know it. I want to help patients get earlier detection of their diseases. I am majoring in biomedical engineering at the University of Iowa and I plan to help improve imaging and diagnostic technology. I will get my degree and then apply for medical school, and I believe that my degree will be excellent preparation. My aunt died recently of melanoma. Her cancer spread very rapidly, which the doctors did not realize until it was too late. I feel that improved imaging could have helped the doctors treat her more quickly and efficiently. I believe my unique experiences with my father and my aunt will make me a better doctor because I saw first-hand how scary it was for my father and aunt to realize that their diseases had progressed so far without their knowledge. I want to eliminate that terrible shock for patients and help them take care of themselves and treat their diseases earlier. In fact, I believe that I have developed more empathy for people who have diseases that are related to being overweight or related to not taking optimal care of themselves in some way. My father needed to eat more healthy foods and my aunt used tanning booths. Some doctors have less sympathy for patients that they think should have taken better care of themselves, but I believe that everyone could improve the way they take care of themselves. Therefore, I will not judge or lay any blame on patients but instead I will stay positive and help them become healthier. I have been working during college at an engineering company on campus and I have been doing volunteer work for Habitat for Humanity and a food pantry. It is difficult to work during school, but fortunately my jobs have had fairly flexible schedules. I try not to work right before any exams so that I can focus on studying, but have had to work fairly close in time to some exams. I have had to stay up very late at night to study for those exams. I'm usually very tired after studying so late, but it has been feasible. However, I am worried that it is not great for my health. So far, I have been very fortunate to perform well in school and at my jobs.

Two years ago, my father had a heart attack and triple bypass surgery because he had major blockages in the arteries of his heart. After the surgery, my mother used eighty hours of care giving leave she had acquired to take care of him at home. I helped take care of him by giving him his medication and by cooking some of his meals. When my mom went back to work, her boss let her go even though her boss told her to take the time off to help my dad. My mother received unemployment, but it was not enough money to support my family, so we applied for food benefits. We did many things to save money including shopping at second-hand stores, eating less expensive food and free school lunches, buying generic medication, and foregoing vacations. My father told me I needed to get all A grades so I could get a scholarship to go to college because he couldn’t afford to pay for college anymore. He also thought I should go to medical school because I enjoyed science and taking care of him. I worked hard in school, performed well, and I was able to get a job at a local fast-food restaurant to help pay for my clothes and food. My high school had few opportunities for college preparation such as advanced placement (AP) classes, so I attended a local community college (Kirkwood) in my junior year of high school to help me prepare for college and medical school. I decided to enroll in anatomy and physiology and nutrition at Kirkwood even though my school counselor discouraged me from taking these classes at the community college, however, my high school paid for these classes, and I enjoyed them. A scholarship will help me pay for college at the University of Iowa and achieve my dream of becoming an engineer and a doctor. My first dream is to get a degree in biomedical engineering and learn how to improve imaging and diagnostics to help detect diseases sooner. I would also like to improve imaging and diagnostics to decrease the likelihood of mistakes made during healthcare practices, since better imaging will improve the accuracy of disease detection. In addition, it will eliminate unnecessary procedures because it will clarify whether surgery is required. For instance, it will help distinguish between benign growths and tumors. My engineering background will help me understand how the imaging and diagnostic equipment and technology works as well as how it can be modified to make it better. My medical background will help me apply new technologies to improving disease detection, and I will be able to help optimize medical treatments. Helping patients get better care will help people in society become more healthy, happy, and productive.

I enjoy helping people and making them happy. I knew I needed to improve my social skills so I decided to work on improving my interactions with people from diverse backgrounds. I began by working on my customer service skills at a fast-food restaurant during high school. There I learned to be helpful and polite even in a fast-paced environment where some customers were tired, hungry and grumpy. It made me happy to help my co-workers and see the the customers enjoy their food and feel better. Next, I did some volunteer work for Habitat for Humanity while in college. I interacted with many adults working to build a house to shelter homeless people. I had not worked with so many adults before, but I found it rewarding to bring them the supplies they needed to be successful at building a sturdy house. I could see how important it was for them to be building something so useful and I felt great to be a part of their hard work. I learned to listen carefully and be more efficient and sensitive to their needs for the construction project. I have also been volunteering at a food pantry by stocking food and helping distribute it to people who are food insufficient. I work with many adults in this job as well and it has been very satisfying to watch how passionate these people are about helping other people have enough food to eat. These adults are very empathetic and caring and I am happy to help them do their best to help other people stay healthy. I can see that the work is very satisfying to them and that makes me feel good too. I have learned to help out in any way that I can to get the job done so that they can get the food to the people who need it the most. Finally, I have been developing my skills for helping people by informally tutoring some of my fellow students in chemistry. Many of the students I know are struggling in chemistry and I assist them with their homework problems and practice exams. These students are very serious about working hard and doing well in school so it is very satisfying to see them improve in their studying and problem-solving skills. I have learned to be patient when they are frustrated. I feel rewarded when their grades improve and when they feel satisfaction in the work they have done to be their best at chemistry.

Success looks like being able to acquire knowledge and skills to help people become healthier. My goal is to become a medical doctor and this scholarship opportunity will help me achieve this goal allowing me to pay for college much more easily. Although I have taken out loans and can take out more loans in the future, knowing that I have so much debt hanging over my head makes it harder to focus on my studies and do well academically. I am currently majoring in biomedical engineering at the University of Iowa, which will be excellent preparation for medical school. I am very excited about learning how I can improve medical technology and treatments. I plan to give my patients the best medical care possible, and I will volunteer at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) while in college to learn more about medical care. Staying in college will allow me to have access to many volunteering opportunities that will help me get into medical school. Success for me will be doing well academically, graduating with my biomedical engineering degree, and getting good enough grades to be accepted into medical school. This scholarship opportunity will help me stay in college and finish my degree. I am currently working at a company on campus to help pay for college, but although it definitely helps, I need more support to pay for school. I am excited about acquiring new skills that will help me take care of patients. I will be successful if I make important connections in college through interacting with professors, advisors and mentors that will help me achieve my goals. I will also be successful if I make useful connections with other students that are in my classes studying similar educational material. Forming good study groups with other students will help me perform well and be well-adjusted in college. Social interactions in college will allow me to learn more about diversity and other cultures, which will help me interact better with my patients as a doctor in the future. Finally, success for me will involve gaining important interactions with the public obtained from experience volunteering at charities including a food bank that I have worked with to provide food to people who are food insecure. College has opened my eyes to these opportunities that help me learn about people from all different walks of life and has exposed me to the struggles of many people to survive and stay well. I am learning to be more empathetic to many challenges that people face, and I believe this will make me a better doctor. This scholarship opportunity will give me the chance to participate in more volunteering experiences because I won't have to work as much to pay for college. I would like to do well in school and get as much volunteering experience as possible. This will increase my chances of being accepted into medical school since volunteering experience is something that medical schools look for when considering potential candidates. Medical schools are looking for candidates who are well-rounded, socially adept, and empathetic. This opportunity will allow me to enhance these beneficial qualities in myself.

Most of my classmates avoided him. His movements and sounds made them uncomfortable, but he always smiled at me and I felt like we were friends. Jason was in school with me for years, ever since elementary school. He had a hard time getting around and doing schoolwork. He had a special teacher that helped him and I could tell that she cared a lot about him. As the years went by, he was in fewer of my classes but I always saw him in the school halls so I waved at him and said hello. He seemed to appreciate that. He didn't appear to have many friends but he did participate in many school activities including chorus. I also heard that he was good at art and with computers. I found out that he liked to play video games so I started playing games with him online and discovered that he was really good at many games. Some of my friends played with him as well after I started interacting with him. He seemed even happier when I would see him in the halls at school. I never saw him anywhere but school so I didn't know much about where he lived or anything about his family members. I was curious but I wanted to respect his privacy and it was difficult to get a chance to talk to him. I heard he was hard to talk to and never said much. One summer day, I received an invitation to a birthday party for him in the mail. I was very surprised and heard that many of my other gaming friends received them as well. We talked about whether we were going to the party. The invitation said it was for video games and a movie at the mall. There was a great movie playing that was very popular. I wanted to go. Most of my friends said they were going to the party and my mom said she could take me since I didn't have my driver's license yet. His house was far away so we had a hard time finding it, but it was very nice inside and Jason was excited to see me. We played video games while we waited for other friends to show up. No one else came to the party. We waited in vain and I felt bad for Jason. He remained cheerful though and opened my present. He loved it. It made him very happy. His mom took us to the movie and we had a great time. I was very glad that I went to his party. Making him happy was one of the best things I've done for other people.

I always thought that low-income families lived in big cities, but I am from a low-income family living in rural Iowa. My parents have worked hard all their lives and have had some unfortunate circumstances that have created financial hardships for our family. My mother lost her science research job recently and my father can't work due to health issues. Two years ago, my father had a heart attack and had to have emergency triple bypass heart surgery. My mother has run out of unemployment support, and is looking for work, but she's sixty-one years old and is having a hard time finding a job due to her age. I have been working different jobs during high school and college and have taken out loans to help pay for college. This scholarship would be very beneficial to me because I would not have to incur so much debt that would take me a long time to pay back. I am majoring in biomedical engineering because I am interested in helping create new tissues and organs for patients who have experienced injuries, birth defects or disease. I want to work on improving the processes of creating new tissues and organs so that these patients can live normal, healthy lives. I have chosen my career in engineering because I have always enjoyed math and problem solving, and I also enjoy biology and other sciences. In addition, I have taken college courses in anatomy and physiology, and I am interested in the human body and how it functions. I want to improve people's lives using innovative technology and I believe that I possess the necessary talent and determination that will allow me to achieve my goal.

I'm a freshman at the University of Iowa and I'm majoring in biomedical engineering because I think it will be excellent preparation for medical school. I want to become a medical doctor because I have enjoyed taking medically oriented classes like Anatomy and Physiology, which I enrolled in at the local community college while still in high school. While studying these subjects I discovered that I excel at learning the various parts of the body and different functions and pathways involved in bodily processes. I'm not sure which branch of medicine I want to pursue, but I think I would like to become a surgeon. I would like to help cancer patients have better chances of survival because I have lost many family members to cancer. In fact, my aunt died of melanoma that metastasized to her brain and I believe that earlier and more targeted surgery could have saved her. As a biomedical engineer, I would like to work on improving imaging and diagnostic technology to increase the chances of earlier detection of diseases like cancer. On the other hand, I may want to help patients with heart disease. My father didn't realize he had a heart attack until he discovered that he had major blockages in his arteries. I believe that better imaging could have revealed his heart disease sooner. He had an excellent heart surgeon that I admired greatly and I would like to be as good a surgeon as she is. I'm in a pre-med club in college, have volunteered with Habitat for Humanity through this club, and I plan to volunteer at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics to get experience helping patients. I think I will enjoy taking care of patients because I helped take care of my father after his triple bypass surgery. I realized how important it is for patients to get the right medications and do important physical therapy after surgery, which his doctor recommended. Because my father trusted his surgeon and had great respect for her, he followed all of her advice and I believe it was a major factor in his recovery. I would like to be a doctor that receives that much trust and respect from patients and I will work hard to earn their trust and respect. I enjoy working with people and I believe that I will get great satisfaction from improving their lives. I am a good listener and problem solver, and once I set my mind to accomplishing a task, I focus very well and get the job done. That is why I think I will be a good doctor who will be able to help many patients throughout my career.

My mother always encourages me to try my best at whatever I am pursuing. She tells me that if I have tried my best then that is all that really matters. When I wanted to participate in track at school, she made sure I had good running shoes and she encouraged me to practice running as much as possible, and when I wanted to do wrestling, she bought me wrestling shoes and came to my wrestling meets. Even though I wasn’t the best athlete, she told me she was proud of me and knew I could do well. When the pandemic came along, I couldn’t participate in sports so easily since my father had heart surgery and found out he was diabetic. My mom took time off work to take care of him and I helped her cook meals for him. She was brave when my father had his surgery and she helped me be brave even though I was very afraid that he might die. She has taught me to take one day at a time and be grateful for every day that we are given. I shifted my focus in high school from sports to getting straight A grades because I decided that I wanted to go to medical school. My mom told me that I could do anything that I wanted to do if I worked hard enough. She had done well in high school and college and ended up getting a PhD in Biochemistry. I knew that she had loved science and had enjoyed medically oriented research. I want to get an advanced degree like she did and help improve healthcare and medical treatments. I am inspired by her research accomplishments and the way she pushed herself to do well. Sometimes I push myself too hard and she helps me get a better perspective by telling me stories about how she struggled with classes, but just kept going. She never gave up even when someone told her she wasn’t good enough. She has taught me to believe in myself like she did. In addition, I am the person I am today because my mother encouraged me to be kind to other people. For example, in high school she brought me to a birthday party for a student in my class who had special needs. Other kids made fun of him, and I was the only one who showed up for his party. He and I had fun together and I was glad that I went to his party. My mother took me to many interesting activities when I was growing up that exposed me to a wide range of kids I interacted with. She wanted to show me how diverse the world is and how interesting different groups and cultures can be. I learned not to be afraid of making friends with kids from different backgrounds and it has helped me interact with students in college. I have found a diverse group of students to study with that are serious about doing well because it means so much to them just like it is very important for me to do well. I want to help people through science and medicine by doing my best and becoming a doctor. My mother helps me see myself accomplishing these goals.

My career education and career goals are to receive an engineering degree at the University of Iowa and then become a doctor. In college, I plan to major in biomedical engineering to learn how to improve diagnostic or imaging technology. I have joined the college of engineering and an early entrance academy at the University of Iowa, which will help me achieve my goals of graduating and going to medical school. I have also joined the honors program at the University of Iowa because I think it will give me access to important academic and career opportunities including scholarships and internships. I plan to take many engineering courses as well as courses that will prepare me for medical school. I am hoping to find mentors that will help me decide which courses will help me the most, and what career opportunities I should pursue. I have started an internship with an engineering firm on campus, and I will ask my mentors and supervisors for letters of reference for future engineering jobs and for medical school. I am living in the honors dormitory as required by my academy and I have joined study groups that will help me with my academic and career plans. I have also joined an engineering and a pre-med club to make connections and find career opportunities. During the school year, I plan to go to attend tours for pre-med students at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics to familiarize myself with what to expect in medical school and in my career. I will also try to work in the hospital as a volunteer to learn about taking care of patients and I would like to work in a laboratory doing research on a model of disease to learn more about scientific research. After medical school, I plan to do my residency and fellowship, and then decide on a specialty. By working with doctors, I will discover what interests and skills I possess and how they are best suited for a particular specialty. I would like to get experience working in a laboratory because I might like to have my own research laboratory after I become a doctor. My career goals include providing medical care in a specialty clinic. I would like to use my engineering knowledge gained from college to improve medical technology that I will use as a medical doctor. The research laboratory I think I would like to have would be one where I can study improvements in imaging or diagnostic technology and the effects of those improvements on disease detection in animals, since earlier detection of disease corresponds with better treatment success. I want to have a laboratory located near the clinic where I will treat patients. If I decide not to go to medical school, my career goal will be to have a biomedical engineering-related job working for a successful company. I will find a beginning engineering position and work my way up to a more senior engineering position. My goal is to become a chief engineer so that I can lead many projects. This scholarship would help me pay for room and board and for supplies I need to purchase for my college coursework. I am currently working, and I have taken out a loan. I don't want to incur any more debt than I have to in order to graduate. This scholarship would help me focus more on school and would help relieve my anxiety towards paying a significant amount of my college bill by myself, which would make it easier for me to reach my goals.

I am passionate about pursuing a degree in biomedical engineering because I want to combine my skills in building and creating machines with my math skills and my desire to improve healthcare. Two years ago, my father had a heart attack and discovered that he has blocked arteries. He had no idea he had a heart problem until he had trouble breathing and some chest pain. He had several tests before the doctors could determine what was wrong with him and he almost walked out of the hospital thinking he could come back later and have tests run. I want to help improve medical imaging and diagnostics so that patients like my father can have their health issues detected sooner, which will improve their chances of getting the best treatments. Fortunately, my father stayed for all his tests and had immediate heart surgery that saved his life. I learned that patients need encouragement to have all the tests done that they need for a proper diagnosis, and I would like to become a doctor who encourages his patients to get the treatments they need after I receive my biomedical engineering degree. In fact, I feel that my engineering degree will be excellent preparation for medical school, and I enjoy helping people and want to help give patients the most advanced medical care possible. I believe that I can contribute to medicine by improving imaging equipment, for example, I think that would be very satisfying. In addition, I was brought up by parents who love science and engineering. My father is constantly building new machinery in his shop and both of my parents have science degrees. They have given me a love for mathematics and science that I want to keep applying to my pursuit of my engineering degree. My mother also performed biomedical research and inspired me to pursue a degree related to biomedicine. My mother helped improve medical care through her research and I would also like to improve medical care because I was brought up to enjoy helping people. For instance, I helped care for my father after his heart surgery and I enjoy helping my grandmother take care of herself. I have learned that I have important skills and talents that I can apply to improving treatments and medical care for other people. I enjoy math and science and I am good at solving problems, which will be very useful in the pursuit my biomedical engineering degree at the University of Iowa, and I am excited to become a biomedical engineer.

I grew up in the small Iowa town of Oxford located in a rural area outside of Iowa City. My parents are older than most parents of students my age. They have worked hard all their lives and unfortunately, two years ago my father had a heart attack and triple bypass surgery because he had major blockages in the arteries of his heart. He found out that he had heart disease because he had some chest pain and trouble breathing. After the surgery, my mother used eighty hours of care giving leave she had acquired to take care of him at home. I helped take care of him by giving him his medication and by cooking some of his meals. When my mom went back to work, her boss let her go even though her boss told her to take the time off to help my dad. My mother received unemployment, but it was not enough money to support my family, so we applied for food benefits. We did many things to save money including shopping at second-hand stores, eating less expensive food and free school lunches, buying generic medication, and foregoing vacations. My father told me I needed to get all A grades so I could get a scholarship to go to college because he couldn’t afford to pay for college anymore. He also thought I should go to medical school because I enjoyed science and taking care of him. I worked hard in school, performed well, and I was able to get a job at a local fast-food restaurant to help pay for my clothes and food. My high school had few opportunities for college preparation such as advanced placement (AP) classes, so I attended a local community college (Kirkwood) my junior year to help me prepare for a pre-med major at college. I decided to enroll in anatomy and physiology and nutrition at Kirkwood. Although my school counselor discouraged me from taking these classes at the community college I enrolled anyway and received all A grades. My high school counselor had told me not to take these courses because he said they were too difficult, and he told me that most high school students received C grades after taking them. I knew that I would prove myself capable of doing well and that I could help myself prepare for medical school. When I asked my school counselor about helping me find college scholarships, he said I had to be a high school senior to get help. Because high school classes were no longer intellectually challenging, I applied for an early entrance scholarship at the University of Iowa which I received, and I am majoring in biomedical engineering because it is excellent preparation for medical school. My scholarship covers tuition but not room and board, so I took out a loan and I am working (doing an internship) at an engineering firm while in college to pay for the rest of my college expenses. I am also applying for additional scholarships. My family’s lower income and lack of support from my high school counselor did not stop me from succeeding academically, and I know that if I keep working hard, I will achieve my dream of becoming a doctor. The adversity I have faced has made me more determined to reach my goals of graduating from college with an engineering degree followed by medical training to help people like my father who is also diabetic. I plan to help patients with health issues including heart disease get better health care by improving processes for disease detection and treatments.

If I could have everyone in the world read just one book, it would be "Call of the Wild" by Jack London because I think this book shows the reader how strong a dog's spirit can be. It also shows the reader how resilient dogs are and how they can recover from bad treatment and still love humans. Dogs are amazing and will protect humans that they love because they bond with us even if we don't deserve their love. However, we can't forget that dogs are also animals and have a connection to wild animals. They should not be punished for chasing squirrels, barking at birds, or running after deer. They are part of nature and hear the "Call of the Wild" whether humans can understand that or not. Dogs are beautiful animals that have a kinship with wolves, which play an important role in nature. People should not be afraid of wild animals like wolves just because they hunt and kill other animals. Dogs understand this killing instinct but have chosen to rely on humans for survival because they love us and want to be our companions. We should feel very honored that dogs are so loyal and loving. Many dogs are abandoned because they are not convenient to take care of or do not fit exactly what the owner wants in a dog, but the owner should look at the great characteristics of the dog and adapt their expectations to fit the needs of the dog. I think the "Call of the Wild" shows that dogs should be appreciated for their wonderful spirits and unique abilities.

A couple of years ago my father had a triple bypass because he had major blockages in the arteries of his heart. He had had a heart attack but had not been aware of it. Then he started having trouble breathing and that’s how my family found out he needed heart surgery. After the surgery, my mom took eighty hours of caregiving leave she had acquired to take care of him at home. I helped with his medication and meals. When my mom went back to work, her boss fired her even though her boss had previously said many times that my mom should take the time off to help my dad. My mom went on unemployment, but unemployment was not enough money to support us, so we applied for food benefits. I could tell my mom was scared because she felt that she was too old to find another research job. We had to do many things to save money including shopping at second-hand stores, eating less expensive food and free school lunches, buying generic medication, foregoing vacations, and exchanging fewer Christmas presents. My mom found second-hand shoes for us for under ten dollars and T-shirts for three dollars, but my twin sister and I were okay with that. My father told me I needed to keep up my grades so I could get a scholarship to go to college because he could no longer pay for it. I worked hard in school, and I was able to get a job at a local fast-food restaurant to help pay for clothes and food. I maintained my 4.0 grade point average and went to a local community college because my high school would pay for it, and it would help me prepare for a pre-med major at college. Although my school counselor discouraged me from taking classes at the community college I enrolled anyway and received all A grades. When I asked my school counselor about scholarships, he said I had to be a senior to get any help. I am now enrolled in college at the University of Iowa in an early entrance program. I am majoring in biomedical engineering because I want to improve medical imaging and diagnostic equipment. I received a scholarship to pay for tuition, but I am required to live in the honors dormitory, and I must pay for room and board. I took out a loan and I will work in college, but I will also keep trying to get more scholarships. Low income and lack of support from my school counselor have not stopped me from succeeding, and I know that if I keep working hard, I will achieve my dream of becoming a doctor. I plan to help people with health issues like heart disease get better health care by helping them receive earlier diagnoses and by improving their medical treatments.

Some intentional choices I make to live sustainably in my daily life include riding my mountain bike instead of driving my car, drinking filtered tap water instead of bottled water, recycling cardboard, pop cans and bottles, and reusing plastic containers instead of buying new ones. Riding my bicycle helps decrease fossil fuel pollution that contributes to greenhouse gases that have been causing global warming. Recycling cardboard instead of burning it or throwing it away reduces greenhouse gases by eliminating air pollution as well as landfill waste that can produce other greenhouse gases contributing to global warming. Recycling cans and bottles also decreases greenhouse gases resulting from the production of new materials needed to make the cans and bottle not produced from recycled materials. By drinking filtered tap water, I don’t have to buy bottled water and by not buying bottled water, I don’t have to throw away empty plastic bottles that may not be recyclable in my state (even though they should be). Another choice I have been making is to ride the bus when I need to go long distances instead of driving my car. Buses can transport many people who would have driven their own cars, which collectively produce a substantial amount of fossil fuel emission that one bus alone does not produce. My university has a free bus I can ride all over campus and the city where my university is located offers free bus rides all over the city, so it’s a very easy choice to make. I am also in the process of buying an electric bike that will help me travel longer distances using battery power. My ebike will use electricity for charging, and there will be no fossil fuel emissions produced from my bike, so it will not contribute to air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. I also walk to many places instead of calling for a taxi or uber when the buses aren’t running, and I bring cloth reuseable bags everywhere, so I don’t need to use plastic bags for groceries and other items. Many plastic bags are not recycled and end up in trash and in landfills, or even rivers and lakes where wildlife can ingest them or become entangled by them. I think it’s important to reduce my carbon footprint because there is so much waste of materials everywhere I look. I see garbage on the streets and in parking lots that will eventually get picked up and put in the landfill where more greenhouse gases will be produced. Much of the waste could have been recycled. Many people don’t care about how much waste they produce, and I feel like I need to try to make a difference. Greenhouse gases contributing to climate change need to be reduced before nothing can be done about climate change. Climate change is causing longer droughts, worse wildfires, worse storms, increased flooding, and rising sea levels. Due to this, many people are losing their homes and some of them are losing their lives. The government and charities are giving aid to the victims of these disasters, but there are more and more disasters, and funding is harder to come by. Insurance companies are also less willing to pay for damage caused by disasters. I want to make a good example of not wasting and not polluting so that my example might rub off on other people including friends and family members. I believe that every bit of decrease in my carbon footprint makes a difference, and every time I influence others to reduce their carbon footprints, it helps reduce climate change.

My favorite character that resonates the most with me from “The Office” is Jim. He likes to make people laugh like I do. He also thinks routine work and stupid rules are boring. I like the way he lightens the mood at his workplace and entertains his coworkers. Dwight takes himself too seriously and it’s great the way Jim makes fun of it. Dwight is very ambitious and so is Jim so there is tension between them, but Jim offsets this tension with humor. Otherwise, it seems like Dwight would become more aggressive and they would have a serious fight. By using humor, Jim diverts Dwight away from his feelings of anger over not being promoted at work. Watching how Jim deals with Dwight has made me realize that I don’t have to give people like Dwight the satisfaction of competing with them. People like Dwight just wait until you make a mistake and then try to use it against you, but if you stay one step ahead of them, they can’t bother you. Jim always knows what Dwight is up to because he is smarter than Dwight. By making fun of Dwight, Jim knocks Dwight’s ego down a notch and he distracts Dwight, so he is not in total control of everything in the office. Jim never does it in a mean way and that helped me understand that you can poke fun of people in harmless ways without getting too personal. In addition, Jim doesn’t take his boss too seriously because he realizes that Michael is kind of an idiot. After watching this show, I understood how sometimes people end up working for supervisors who are not that intelligent, which can be very frustrating. I have also experienced this at work, and I try not to let it bother me. Michael gives Jim instructions that are a waste of time and Jim thinks it’s funny instead of getting upset. This has inspired me to see the humor in frustrating situations. I like the way Jim jokes with Michael and gets Michael to like him. They both like to make people laugh so they discovered that they have that in common. I appreciate how Jim always finds ways to relate to the people he works with. He is very non-threatening and most of his co-workers like him. He is also very thoughtful, and he cares about his coworkers’ feelings even if it is not obvious. Jim is one of the smartest people working in his office, but he doesn’t flaunt it, which I admire. He is also hard-working and that made me realize that people who work hard don’t have to be in a bad mood. Jim makes working in the office fun and I would like to be like him when I work in an office.

My father had a heart attack a few years ago, but my family didn't know he had heart problems until he was having difficulty breathing and my mom brought him to the University of Iowa Hospital emergency room. He had to have emergency triple bypass heart surgery, which saved his life. I helped take care of him after his surgery, and I realized that I wanted to become a doctor and help other patients get well. I was a sophomore in high school when this happened. My mom stayed home from work to help my dad recover for a couple of weeks. When she went back to work, her boss fired her so she received unemployment and we had assistance paying for food. I realized that other people must have experienced similar circumstances and needed assistance as well. I thought about how important it is to take care of your health and pay attention to your body's warning signs. I want to be the kind of doctor who listens carefully to my patients and encourages them to have regular checkups. My father's health crisis has made me realize how much stress affects people's health and how working too hard can be very unhealthy. Exercise and periods of rest are incredibly important for wellness. Since both of my parents couldn't work for a while, my family had to spend a significant portion of savings to support the family. I also got a job at a local restaurant to help out. To help pay for college, I have had to take out a small loan and will probably have to increase that loan to continue attending school at the University of Iowa. I plan to go to medical school after college so I will owe even more money, but I feel like it is worth it because I will be a successful and caring doctor. I understand how people are struggling and don't always take care of themselves. I can help them realize how important their health is, and I can encourage them to get the best treatments. I want to help patients at all income levels get optimum healthcare because I know what it is like to worry about money all the time and feel like working is more important than taking care of yourself. I can help my patients realize that their wellness is critical for themselves and their families, and I will encourage them to take the right steps to maintain their health. Taking care of my father has made me aware of how much I can support a person's journey toward wellness to make a big difference in their life.

Tom Holland is my favorite Spider-Man actor because he played the role of Spider-Man extremely well. He was young enough to be a high school student and he seemed more naive than other Spider-Man actors, which made him more believable. He was also very funny and charming, which made him very likable. He makes the audience laugh, but he can also be very serious. Tom seems to be very comfortable with his character, Peter Parker and he is easy to watch on the screen. He appears to be very athletic so the viewer can believe that he has superpowers and great strength, but he can also act nerdy at times like an awkward teenager. He is good-looking, but not too good-looking, which is more believable and he is humble and not conceited. He also seems very smart, which fits well with the Spider-Man role. He has a great smile and the audience feels like they know him and can understand what he is going through. It is easy to relate to his character. He is strong in a subtle way that is very interesting and he interacts well with the other characters in the show. Overall, his great acting makes him the best fit for the character of Spider-Man.

My favorite Netflix series is Ragnarok, a new twist on the legend of Thor who in this story is a teenager growing up in a small town. The scenery in the show is terrific because it takes place in Norway and the town is nestled in the mountains by the ocean. Thor has many friends including some gods who appear human, and the town is dominated by a company run by a family of immortals called giants. In fact, the main conflict of good and evil in the show is between the gods and the giants. The giants are evil because their company is polluting the local fjord and they will do anything to cover up their illegal activities. Thor is very likeable because he makes some very human mistakes (even though he is a god) and he is not the brightest student in his high school. However, he is smart enough to figure out what the giants have been hiding. Thor lives with his brother Loki and his mother who are also very likeable. Loki is constantly torn between wanting to help his brother and wanting to find out how he belongs in his family since he is quite different from his brother. Their mother takes every crisis in stride and holds the family together since their father has passed away. She is very practical and is not bothered by her sons’ often strange behavior. In some ways, she is too busy providing for the family to deal with their problems, however, she is always very supportive of them. The characters in this series are well-developed and even the giants have some good qualities. The viewer ends up liking the giants in some ways, and even Thor is conflicted by his feelings for one of the giants. The series is good at making the viewer realize that good and evil is not black and white but is much more complex. I like the way the show presents greed as the source of all the giants’ evil. Their need to keep their company profitable drives them to take many negative actions that hurt the local townspeople. Their wealth is what gives them power whereas Thor and Loki have been growing up in a struggling household with little extra money. Thor is interesting because he has emotional ups and downs and can be very vulnerable, but he is also strong and powerful, especially when he uses his hammer. Loki is interesting because he has both male and female characteristics and he is both selfish and generous. Overall, the show is well done and very entertaining because it includes both thrilling and comical components, and it keeps the viewer guessing as to what will happen next in the show.

I am a freshman at the University of Iowa and I am considering getting a degree in Biomedical Science. I am part of an early entrance academy and honors program due to my academic achievement (3.9 GPA) in high school and at a local community college. I have always loved science and math and I have taken many science classes including biology, chemistry and physics that were challenging but also very interesting. I found that I had a lot of fun doing high school research projects and I enjoy writing science reports. In college, I am currently taking calculus and chemistry and I also finished an anatomy and physiology course at Kirkwood Community College recently. This scholarship would help me pay for room and board at the University of Iowa since I am required to live in the Honors dormitory for the early entrance academy. I am interested in performing biological research at the University of Iowa where they have many science research laboratories. I think doing research related to neurology would be very interesting and I plan to apply for many research jobs to gain as much experience as possible in a laboratory. I am also joining science clubs to find out about other opportunities. I would like to do a science-related internship in the summer at the University of Iowa or a local science research company. After graduation, I plan to find a job at a research company such as a pharmaceutical company where I can get more experience doing science. I may decide to go to graduate school or medical school as well. If I continue to maintain a high grade point average then I will seriously consider going to medical school because I am very interested in the science behind medical research. I would like to direct a research laboratory in the future, and I think it will be easier to get funding if I am a medical doctor or if I finish an MD/PhD program. I would like to design unique experiments and use my creative abilities to produce novel research that will help me make important discoveries in science. I believe that I have the talent, creativity, determination and intelligence to be very productive in scientific research. I think studying biomedical science at the University of Iowa will help me decide what area of science I want to focus my efforts on when I perform future research, and I am sure that I will continue to love science no matter what science-related career path I choose.

I am a college freshman at the University of Iowa where I am majoring in biomedical engineering. I have joined an early entrance academy, and I am also in the honors program because my grades (3.98 GPA) from high school and a local community college were high enough for my acceptance into these programs. In high school I took an introductory engineering course and loved it. I also enjoyed my science and math classes, which led me to decide on an engineering major for college. I would like to learn how to improve imaging technology to help patients achieve better diagnoses of their health issues. University of Iowa also has a medical school, which will give me more opportunities to work with doctors and engineers to gain experience in biomedical engineering. I am hoping to work in a university laboratory or at a local company where I might receive an internship. I have been accepted into the college of engineering at the University of Iowa, which will help me get the support I need to succeed. The college of engineering provides tutoring and other services for students to encourage them to do well. In addition, the academy and the honors program will provide support to help me achieve my goal of graduating with an engineering degree. To begin with, I am taking two engineering courses this semester as well as calculus and chemistry. I expect to find these courses challenging and rewarding. I have also joined an engineering club so that I can meet more engineering students with whom I can share important engineering information to keep current and well informed. I am excited about the engineering program at the University of Iowa because I believe it has a very good rating and success rate. After I graduate with my engineering degree, I plan to work for a company that focuses on imaging technology. I would like to stay in the Midwest, but I realize that may not be possible and I should go where the best jobs are located. I also have an interest in medicine and may decide to pursue a medical degree. I have learned that studying biomedical engineering is excellent preparation for medical school, and that students with this degree have very good success rates for acceptance into medical school. However, I think I will always have an engineering perspective no matter what I choose to do in life because I love determining how things work, building and designing machines, and I enjoy problem solving. I also enjoy working with computers and performing research. There are many interesting opportunities for engineering students at the University of Iowa, and I look forward to studying there for four years while working diligently towards my goal of becoming a biomedical engineer.

My favorite fall drink from Starbucks is their hot chocolate with whipped cream because my mom would always take us to get this drink after we would go to local pumpkin patches to pick out the best pumpkin we could find for Halloween. We would also get this drink after picking apples in a local orchard so I associate this drink with fall and having fun. I loved going to the pumpkin patches because they would also have fun games to play and my friends and I would go on hayrack rides and explore haunted mazes and barns. It was even better if we won prizes. My mom would take us to many Halloween parties as well and we would get this drink as much as possible afterwards. It would help us warm up if the parties were outside and it was especially fun if we were able to wear our Halloween costumes to the parties. My friends and I also liked getting out faces painted. Now I am too old for childish games and activities, but I still like picking out pumpkins and picking apples and I continue to buy hot chocolate from Starbucks in the fall because it brings back good memories and there's nothing better for warming up on a cold fall day. I plan on getting a pumpkin for my dorm room and I hope to pick some apples soon with friends. Fortunately, Starbucks is near my dorm so I can buy hot chocolate often there this fall. I'm sure some mornings while walking to class, I will get cold so it will be nice to warm up with this drink. I hope my mom will visit me at college and we can get this drink together and reminisce about past Halloween parties that she brought me to including some on this very college campus where fraternity boys wrapped me up with toilet paper to make me a mummy. They also painted my face and gave me candy. Another party at this college allowed children like me to dress up and knock on office doors at the memorial union building to get candy. It was quite fun and my mom took me to get hot chocolate from Starbucks after I received so much candy that my Halloween bag was very full. Thinking about Halloween will prompt me to buy this drink to help me remember having fun with my mom and my friends.

My parents are older and have had some health issues. My father built our home and a shop that he works in. He used to do computer work part-time until the arthritis in his spine made it too painful to work standing up, which was required for the computer jobs he performed. My mother worked full-time as a science researcher, and she supported the family for many years until the covid pandemic occurred. At that time, she was working for a small, local company that lost a significant amount of business during the pandemic, so they had to let her go. I was fourteen when this happened, and I couldn’t understand how her company lost so much money. My mom was feeling lost because she had no advanced notice and had not been prepared to get another job. She had to file for unemployment, and she started having health problems. Unemployment was not enough money to support us, so we applied for food benefits. I could tell my mom was scared because she felt that she was too old to find another research job. We had to do many things to save money including shopping at second-hand stores, eating less expensive food and free school lunches, buying generic medication, foregoing vacations, and exchanging fewer Christmas presents. My mom found second-hand shoes for us for under ten dollars and T-shirts for three dollars, but my twin sister and I were okay with that. We had previously worn name-brand clothing like most of the kids at school, which helped us fit in. Now we were looked down upon, but we found new friends that were more like us. Other families were struggling too. I became much more aware of the problems that other people experienced and I understood them better. My father told me I needed to keep up my grades so I could get a scholarship to go to college because he could no longer pay for it. I worked hard in school, and I was able to get a job at a local fast-food restaurant to help pay for clothes and food. I maintained my 4.0 grade point average and went to a local community college because my high school would pay for it, and it would help me prepare for a pre-med major at college. Although my school counselor discouraged me from taking classes at the community college I enrolled anyway and received all A grades. When I asked my school counselor about scholarships, he said I had to be a senior to get any help. I am now enrolled in college at the University of Iowa in an early entrance program. I received a scholarship for tuition, but I am required to live in the honors dormitory, and I must pay for room and board. I took out a loan and I will work in college, but I will also keep trying to get more scholarships. Low income and lack of support from my school counselor have not stopped me from succeeding, and I know that if I keep working hard I will achieve my dream of becoming a doctor. I plan to help people get better health care by improving therapies and medical treatments.

I agree that our generation has many aspects in common with the "greatest generation" and I have great hope that our generation will solve some of the problems that have been created before we were born. My generation faces climate change, mass shootings, pandemics and many complex issues that the "greatest generation" did not face, but they showed the world how hope and democracy can save the world. We must fight for a better world as they did. Some of our grandparents were from the "greatest generation" and were able to influence us and set a great example. Some lived through very scary times like the Depression and survived. We have heard their stories and know that it is possible. We are waiting for good leaders to lead us through our bad times. Who will be our Roosevelt? Will it take a completely different person to lead us? We are tired of promises of making our country great again and realize we have to do it ourselves. It's time for our generation to put forth our leaders. We understand the world of today better than any other generation because we are more aware. We are the generation of the Internet and social media and we will use it to make this world a better place.

My Barbie Dream House is located on San Juan Island north of Seattle. It has three floors with many windows and a beautiful wooden spiral staircase. There are ten bedrooms with walk-in closets and there is a large fireplace made of stone in the house. The kitchen is very big and modern with many appliances. There are five bathrooms including a spacious bathroom with a spa tub off of the master bedroom. A large space in the middle of the house serves as a family and entertainment area. The house has a deck that goes around the outside of the house on the second and third floors. A glass elevator on the outside of the house brings people from the first to the third floor. There is a swimming pool and hot tub in the yard below and a helicopter landing pad nearby. There is a waterslide from the second-floor deck to the swimming pool. A large patio area near the pool includes a fire pit and a stone pizza oven. A three-door garage is attached to the house and the basement of the house includes a bowling alley. Outside the house, there is a paved space for RV parking and a path down to the ocean where there is a dock for a large boat. In addition, there is a boathouse and guest house on a little beach below the house.

Math is important because it describes many important processes such as the growth of organisms, the flow of water, weather patterns, and the decay of radioactive elements. In fact, any patterns in nature are based on math including fractals and the golden spiral based on the golden ratio. Numbers used in math allow people to measure time and distances, make phone calls, have addresses, and keep track of pages in books. Math is important for counting, computing, and building. Without math there would be no money system, no computers or smart phones, and no cities. Engineers use math to design and build roads, bridges, buildings, cars, and airplanes to name a few things. Mathematical formulas help people calculate angles, velocities, densities, areas, and volumes. Math is required for banking, statistics, score keeping, and data analysis. Scientists use math to make chemical solutions, measure changes, and predict outcomes. In fact, math helps people make sense of the world and create new things. Math is ordered and makes people think logically. It is important for intellectual development, and it teaches us how to solve problems. It is a universal language that is understood around the world, and it is used to communicate critical knowledge and ideas. I love learning math because it is more black-and-white than other subjects that are based on opinions or different perspectives. Math doesn’t change with time due to popular ideas evolving. Math is clear, defined and organized. I love solving equations because it is like solving puzzles and it’s fun. I can remember numbers and equations well, so it is easy for me to learn math. In fact, I have loved numbers and counting ever since I was a small child. I love learning math to solve equations for science and engineering classes because I enjoy science, and I plan to become an engineer. I have fun designing and building structures using math, and I love using math and computers to analyze data. In addition, graphing is fun, and it is interesting to learn how mathematical equations produce different graphs. I also enjoy learning new equations to solve unique problems, and I am amazed at how much I can do with math. I loved learning how to combine algebra with geometry to solve problems and I am intrigued by the complexity of trigonometry. Every new level of math brings new surprises and challenges, but also helps me see how powerful math is for performing important calculations. I love learning math because I know I will use math my whole life for my career and in everyday activities. Therefore, the more math I learn, the better my life will be.

My mental health is important because without it most I might not be able to do many important things including eating properly, performing well at a job (or at school), taking care of family members (or pets), or taking care of my physical health. In addition, my mental health is important for me to be able to sleep well because when I have too much anxiety, I stay up too late worrying about any problems or issues that I might have. Moreover, my mental health is important for me to socialize well with my friends who may not want to be around me if I am depressed or have too much anxiety. They may feel uncomfortable because they don't know what is wrong or don't know what to say to me. My mental health is important to me because I know that if I don't take care of it, I could get very sick. People who don't take care of their mental health can become depressed and end up in a downward spiral that is hard to get out of without help. Some people who don't take care of their mental health end up in the hospital or develop a drug or drinking problem. I maintain my mental wellness by exercising and eating well. I also take vitamins and supplements. Going for walks with my dog in the country puts me in a good mood and helps me relax. I try to eat well by having salads and lean protein, and by not eating too much sugar or junk food. I also spend time with my friends doing fun things like swimming, bike riding, and fishing. At home, I relax with my family by watching movies and playing video and board games with them. I talk to my parents about any issues I have that I am worried about and I talk to my grandma on the phone. She gives me good advice, and she always tells me just the right thing to make me feel better when I am upset. To relax, I play with my dog at night because she loves to play and makes me laugh, and I try to get enough sleep even if I have to go to sleep early. Overall, I make an effort to take care of myself physically, have enough fun, and get enough rest and relaxation to maintain my mental wellness.

I will be a successful medical doctor who has helped many patients get well.

Calculus is important to the STEM field because it can be used to solve many mathematical problems. It is also important for learning how to think logically when developing skills that require using calculus to solve problems. It enhances problem-solving skills in many ways. It also promotes intellectual maturity because it requires complex thinking. Calculus makes solving many problems easier because solving various problems with algebra or geometry would be very difficult or impossible. It is used to calculate volume and pressure, and it helps find the best solutions to problems that are related to continuous change. It is used by engineers to determine rates of change and areas of objects. It is used in every technical discipline including computer science, chemistry and engineering. Engineers use calculus to design many structures including bridges and buildings and they use it to calculate heat loss in buildings. It can also be used to calculate voltage or current through a capacitor. Chemists use it to determine the rate of a chemical reaction and physicists use it to calculate the center of mass of an object. It can also be used to determine population growth or how fast a disease is spreading. It is very universal and can be found in many applications. Some of the applications that use calculus include motion, harmonics, electricity, heat, and acoustics. Almost every technical field uses calculus because it is so useful. It can be used to predict the outcomes of many models of continuous change. Calculus is the foundation for understanding many complex concepts including thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, statistics, robotics and electronics. Calculus gives scientists and engineers the ability to model and control systems and calculus is used in every branch of science. Many concepts in science can not be learned or understood without learning calculus. Calculus can even be used to chart the orbits of planets and stars and to determine the positions and paths of protons and electrons. Many concepts in physics require an understanding of calculus. It helps physicists describe space, time and motion. The theory of relativity developed by Albert Einstein depends on using calculus to describe its principles. Other complex theories have also used calculus because it has so many applications. Advanced applications include the study of power series and Fourier series. Overall, important applications of calculus can be found in all science engineering, and technology fields. It is crucial for the STEM field.

Ever since I was very little, I have loved Mickey Mouse. My mother bought me many Mickey Mouse stuffed animals and plastic figures. I was fascinated with Mickey Mouse and he was one of the few characters that I loved as a child. I have also watched many Mickey Mouse cartoons, even some of the really old ones. I like the newer ones better, but it was interesting to see how much he has changed. Disney is about imagination and fantasy. I always wanted to go to Disneyland, but haven't been there yet. I know that Disney is about making children happy though and I think that is wonderful. Mickey Mouse made me very happy because he is so funny and cute. I imagined him doing many things including driving in cars, being in parades and waving to many people. He is always happy and that made me happy. Disney is also about entertainment and there are so many cool characters in Disney. I think Disney embodies some of the best things about the United States including invention, enterprise and creativity. My parents went to Disneyworld and described some of the interesting rides and things to see and I would like to go there sometime. They said Epcott Center was especially cool and since I like science, I am looking forward to seeing it. Disney makes some of the best movies that are always fun to watch. I am also happy that Disney owns Marvel because I like Marvel characters including Iron Man. He was always my favorite superhero and I had several action figures of him while I was growing up. There are so many Marvel movies made by Disney, it is amazing and really fun. Now that many of the Marvel characters are interacting in movies, it is very exciting. Disney never stops coming up with new ideas and never disappoints me. My parents also love Disney movies including Marvel movies so they appeal to many generations and they make my parents feel young again. Disney is loved worldwide and it provides a good image of the United States for the rest of the world. Many countries have Disney merchandise, parks and other Disney-related things that they love. They have also tried to emulate Disney because it must be very popular with the people of other countries. Disney shows people worldwide how fun and creative our country can be.

I overcame adversity when I was in middle school and my teachers did not recognize my abilities. I was not put into the more advanced classes like some of my friends even though I worked harder than they did and had academic abilities, especially in math. In high school, I took two math classes freshman year to catch up so I could major in engineering in college. I worked hard and received A grades in all my classes. I knew that I needed scholarships to get into college because my parents could not afford to pay for college. I also began to think about going to medical school after college. Recently, I was advised not to enroll in classes at a local community college because they might be too difficult for me. I received A grades at the community college where I studied anatomy and physiology. I thought about taking classes at the local university. My father called the University of Iowa to see what classes I could take there in my senior year of high school. They recommended that I apply for an early entrance academy that came with a scholarship. I wrote an essay and interviewed with a committee and was accepted into the academy with a scholarship that will pay for my tuition. I will major in biomedical engineering and pre-med. I hope to learn about diagnostic and imaging technology and I want to improve this technology to help patients get better treatments. I want to become a doctor who will provide the best care for patients so that I can give back to society. I have learned that focusing on my goals and not letting other people hold me back can allow me to achieve success in my life. Because I did not give up on pursuing opportunities, I have more confidence in myself and more determination than ever. I am more willing to try new things and work hard. For example, I found a job at a local restaurant and have worked hard enough to buy myself a truck that I can drive to work and school. I am currently searching for jobs that will give me experience more related to the degrees I plan to receive, and I have applied for several internships. I am not afraid to be rejected because I know I can keep trying and I won't take rejection personally. I know there are many opportunities available for me, I just have to keep looking for the right ones.

I am from a small rural town in Iowa. I have a twin sister and older parents who taught me to love rock and roll, including heavy metal. I also have a dog. Other family members live in Montana, Oregon, and Washington state. My family drives almost every summer across the country to see my grandmother near Seattle. My interests include fishing, motorcycles, trucks, playing video games, and music. I recently saved enough money from working at a fast-food restaurant to buy my own truck, so I don’t have to borrow my parents’ vehicles to go to school or work. I have studied hard in high school and received all A grades. I plan to major in biomedical engineering at the University of Iowa because I like math and science. In fact, I have taken many math and science classes in high school to prepare for college. I have also been taking courses including anatomy and physiology at a local community college to work towards my future plan of going to medical school. I have been accepted into an early entrance academy at the University of Iowa where I will live in the honors dormitory as required by the academy. I received a scholarship from the academy to cover tuition, but I still need to pay for room and board. Therefore, I need another scholarship. I will get a Pell Grant of about 5,000.00 but that will not cover room and board. I also need to buy a computer for my studies. I will keep working through college to help pay for my expenses. I am hoping that I will not have to take out any loans, but, if necessary, I will. I am majoring in biomedical engineering because I want to help improve healthcare for patients everywhere. I am interested in improving diagnostic or imaging technologies to make healthcare more accessible and affordable. Better imaging and diagnostic technology could lead to earlier detection of illnesses including cancer and heart disease, which would save more lives. After I finish college, I plan to become a doctor and provide the best care for my patients that is available. I will do a residency and a fellowship after college that will help me choose my specialty. I plan on applying to many medical schools throughout the Midwest. I hope to connect with doctors at the University of Iowa hospitals and clinics by volunteering to help with patients or by working in a research laboratory on projects that translate to improved patient care. Heavy metal to me means being able to scream along with a song if I feel like it. The first heavy metal music I heard was Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath. My parents love this music and play it very loud sometimes. I learned to love it too. I also love the music from Metallica and Godsmack. I think it is important to play heavy metal music loudly because it helps you release your feelings. To me heavy metal music is about making a statement of importance like the song “War Pigs” by Black Sabbath. It really makes you think and feel how evil war is, and it is just as relevant now as it was when the song was written. Another band that I consider to be heavy metal is Alice in Chains. I love their song “Rooster” that is also about war. Heavy metal music addresses the most emotional and disturbing themes and allows the listener to feel the pain that the singer expresses and releases. It’s a way for the listener to release their pain too. I love the fact that it is great when you play it loud, and you can be as loud as you want when you sing to it. To me, heavy metal music means a connection to my parents and issues that were, and still are, important to them, as well as connecting to my own emotions and issues that are important to me now.

To me, generational wealth is the wealth that is passed down through families from generation to generation like from my grandparents to my parents to me. My grandfather left us a little money and a few things that we treasure that are worth some money like the artwork he collected. I plan to achieve generational wealth by going to college at the University of Iowa and majoring in Biomedical Engineering. I have been accepted into an early entrance academy there and I plan to finish my degree and then become a doctor. I know that if I work hard I can make enough money to pass down to my children and my grandchildren. I found out recently that by working part-time at a fast food restaurant I could make enough money to buy a truck. I discovered that it is possible to save a substantial amount of money by being careful about spending and I plan to do this throughout my life. I would like to help my grandchildren like my grandfather has helped my family. My father had heart surgery recently and hasn't been able to work so the money that my grandfather passed down to us has made it possible for us to live on the small income that my mother receives from working. I can see that even when someone works hard they can get into a situation where they have a fairly low income. I plan to go to medical school and do my residency in a medical field where I can make enough money to save for my children and my grandchildren in case they have a situation where they can't work and need money. I realize now that health emergencies are more common than I thought and I want to improve health care through my biomedical engineering studies and by becoming a doctor. I believe that I can help enhance medical technologies by being involved in making better diagnostic or imaging equipment for example. I believe that I have good ideas and I have great capabilities for doing science that will help me be productive in my areas of study. I have worked hard in high school and achieved all A grades. I have also attended a local community college to take more medically oriented classes that I have done very well in so I know that I can be successful when I work hard and keep focused. I want to pass down the wealth that I may receive due to hard work during my medical career to help my family for generations to come.

My Aunt Cory died of melanoma and she suffered. She had a mole on her back that she didn't know was malignant until it was too late. Although it was removed along with one of her lymph nodes, the cancer spread. It moved to her brain. She was given a new treatment but unfortunately, it didn't work. She blamed herself for using tanning booths too much and she felt bad for putting her family through the agony of watching her get worse. She was very brave and tried everything she could to fight her cancer. My Aunt Cory was so fun, she loved life and she would make us laugh. She loved me and my sister very much because we were special to her. She couldn't have her own children. She took care of my grandmother and they were very close. Aunt Cory loved animals and she was very giving and kind. She would make up games for my sister and me to play when we were with her and we always had so much fun. She was very creative. After she died, it felt like a big hole was now present in our lives. Nothing would ever be the same. Seeing that little could be done for my aunt made me angry, I wanted to be alone more and I wondered how the world could be so cruel. How could this happen when we have so many medical advances? Why didn't her treatment work? How could such a good person die like that? My grandmother was heartbroken and it scared me. My father suffered silently and I wanted to be closer to him to share his pain. I felt like I had to do something so I told my grandmother that I would become a doctor and try to improve medical treatments for people with cancer. I told my grandmother I would help make it so that other people didn't have to die like that. I have studied hard and received A grades in all my classes in high school so that I could receive early entrance to college this fall. I will major in Biomedical Engineering, which is a good major to help me get into medical school. In college, I hope to help design better diagnostics and better medical imaging to help people get improved treatments earlier when the treatments will be more effective. I want to be involved with better clinical trials and new technologies that will help doctors discover cancers earlier and I want to find ways to improve immune responses to cancers so that patients can help their bodies fight cancers. It's what my aunt wanted her body to do. I decided not to be bitter that she died, but to work hard instead to make things better for other people who suffer from cancer. It's what my aunt would have wanted.

I love math because it is like a puzzle to be solved. It also helps me understand how to describe the physical world through formulas and equations. Math helps me make sense of a chaotic world because it shows me that there are important patterns in nature. It brings order into my life, and it is very satisfying to me when I solve an equation. Math is useful in many ways and I need to use it to do almost any science, which I also find stimulating. Math is used in biology, chemistry and physics and so much more. Math is found everywhere in nature including in the symmetry of flowers and the geometry of trees. I love seeing the math that can be found all around me. My goal is to get a degree in Biomedical Engineering, and math will help me design new instruments and produce new technologies to improve healthcare. I enjoy creating new things using math and I want to improve people's lives by helping them get better medical care through better diagnostics or medical imaging for example. When I learned to love math so many more opportunities opened up for me because I wasn't held back from intimidation. Math has helped me pursue my dreams.