Last year in my senior year of High school early August, My mother was dislodged with breast cancer. At the time, the doctors did not know how severe it was. The moment I came home from my summer internship, my parents sat me down and slowly told me about the cancer my mother has. I remember that scene very clearly. I thought that was it. I was going to lose my mother. Caused not to long ago I lost my grandmother due to liver cancer in 2021. My grandmother was living in our house due to her illness. As our family do our best to take care of her, however it wasn't enough to save her. I have slowly watched my grandmother fade away. Her warming smile and fresh glowing color on her skin all slowing fade. Her skin loses it color as she became more pale and her smile faded due her being in pain. I personally already experience watching my grandmother slowly dying due to cancer. Not only was it the cancer that caused her to suffer, but also caused the family to suffer as well. As my grandmother was dying, she also was slowly forgetting who we were. Her loving 60 years husband, her wonderful three children, and six grandkids. There has been many moments where I hold her hand, wishing that she'll wake up. To see her smile again. To see that spark in her eyes again. But she never did. I lost her on August 1st in 2021. As I learned later on that my mother is dialogged with cancer, I thought I was going to go though this very painful process again. I just can't lose my mother. I needed her more than anything. I prayed to God and beg please to not take my mother. I prayed and prayed. As I was entering my Senior year in high school year. I was told by my mother to not tell my brother or anyone else since she wanted to tell them herself. I hold this heavy burden on my shoulder that felt heavier than the world. I'm very close to my brother (in college at the time), not telling him, breaks my heart even more. I was working part time at a restaurant and going to school as well. I watch my mother going to doctor's appointments and going through a surgery in hope it will get rid of the cancer. I watch her suffer in my home, where they had to drain some blood out of her. Where she was heavily sleeping often. My father is a very wonderful man. He helped so much and I do my best to help as well. Often time I was lay next to my mother and comfort her while she's in pain. I would bring up comforting songs her to hear. Pull up Bible verses to comfort her, for that God is with us. Even when we suffer, we still have our faith in our Lord. Some time later, my mother was showing good signs from recovering and the doctors said that she is healing wonderfully. The doctors are confident that she will be cured. Now my mother is free from cancer for a few months. I am forever thankful to God for the gift He gave me. As I go through these experiences. I learned to love your family and friends, because you never know if you have tomorrow with them. Love them with all of your heart, take advantage of your time with them. God gives us a wonderful gift.

My passion is to find discoveries and create a new prototype that would serve people for the greater good. I fell in love with coding during high school, learning about JavaScript and Python. I enjoyed my senior year physics class; I enjoy experimenting and doing lab results. I also enjoyed taking photos with my camera and seeing the pictures through the camera’s lens. I do not have just one passion, but I have multiple passions in science. That includes computer science, engineering, physics, and math. I found this incredible opportunity for me to join an excellent program at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in Imaging Science. This program gives me an opportunity to learn all my passions, and I do not have to end up just choosing one. The best part is that Imaging Science is one of a kind in the world. No other college has this except RIT. However, I want to spread awareness about Imaging Science since it’s not well known and the beauty of it around the world. Why am I passionate about imaging science, you might ask? I believe that Imaging Science is the future. Everything requires an imaging process, including drones, VR/AR, cameras, telescopes, and even future AI and robotics with computer vision. I love learning, building, and discovering. This program gives me all the opportunities to do just that. More specifically, I am hoping that I can use this degree for computer vision. To build a new and better program, such as medical imaging, face detection, hand tracking, and others. I am currently in a class where I can apply and use my STEM education to help others. I am in a class called "Freshman Imaging Project" where I can solve a real-life issue, and I work with my team to create a better solution for our clients. So our clients work at the museum where they have historical artifacts that are sensitive to human touch or light, and they still want the audience to be able to see the artifacts and learn about them. We're currently working on something called Digital Twin, where my team and I are building a prototype where we have an imaging system that has the ability to look exactly like the artifacts with as many details as we can. We split up into two groups, one for a 2.5D demo (2D flat with a texture on it, making 2.5D) and a 3D demo. Our groups work together by researching, experimenting, and creating different prototypes and demos of our project. We are working toward finalizing our prototype for our clients. Additionally, as I continue learning about my degree, I am hoping to use it to build and research AI and robotics to create a more productive world. Then later, I am hoping to earn my Master's and Ph.D of imaging science and at some point become a professor for an Imaging Science program.

I fell in love with computer science back in high school, when I first started learning Python and JavaScript. By the time I took the class, it was just one woman left and me, and I was also the only deaf woman in the room. That made things even more challenging, but it didn’t stop me. Even when coding felt like learning an entirely new language, I stayed determined because something about it pulled me in. I struggled a lot at first, but every time I finally got a piece of code to work, I felt this rush of excitement. I loved seeing something cool appear on the screen—something I built with my own logic, my own hands, my own mind. With each small success, my determination grew. The more I learned, the more curious I became, and the more I wanted to keep going. Now, my goals in computer science have expanded. With my major in Imaging Science at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), I’m learning to build and code in MATLAB and OpenCV. I want to dive deeper into computer vision so I can apply my coding skills to AI and robotics—teaching machines how to “see,” whether that’s head detection, hand tracking, or other forms of perception. These skills are becoming more important every year, especially with the rise of self-driving cars, intelligent robots, and VR/AR systems. I want to be part of that future, contributing to the technology that will shape how people interact with the world. Outside of computer science, I also dream of creating my own business someday—especially a tech company. I want to build something that brings positivity into the world, something that makes imagination feel real. I picture using technology to bring stories to life through holograms, VR/AR rooms, and other immersive experiences that inspire people and make them feel something good. A way where people can be inspired and see the good in technology. You might wonder how all of this connects. To me, it fits together naturally. With my skills in coding, imaging, and technology, I can build worlds where people interact with stories in ways they never have before. I want to create a magical place where technology and imagination blend—where people can step away from reality for a moment and experience something meaningful, uplifting, and unforgettable. A way where it can completely change the way we see the world.

My passion is to find discoveries and create a new prototype that would serve people for the greater good. I fell in love with coding during high school, learning about JavaScript and Python. I enjoyed my senior year physics class; I enjoy experimenting and doing lab results. I also enjoyed taking photos with my camera and seeing the pictures through the camera’s lens. I do not have just one passion, but I have multiple passions in science. That includes computer science, engineering, physics, and math. I found this incredible opportunity for me to join an excellent program at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in Imaging Science. This program gives me an opportunity to learn all my passions, and I do not have to end up just choosing one. The best part is that Imaging Science is one of a kind in the world. No other college has this except RIT. However, I want to spread awareness about Imaging Science since it’s not well known and the beauty of it around the world. Why am I passionate about imaging science, you might ask? I believe that Imaging Science is the future. Everything requires an imaging process, including drones, VR/AR, cameras, telescopes, and even future AI and robotics with computer vision. I love learning, building, and discovering. This program gives me all the opportunities to do just that. More specifically, I am hoping that I can use this degree for computer vision. To build a new and better program, such as medical imaging, face detection, hand tracking, and others. I am currently in a class where I can apply and use my STEM education to help others. I am in a class called "Freshman Imaging Project" where I can solve a real-life issue, and I work with my team to create a better solution for our clients. So our clients work at the museum where they have historical artifacts that are sensitive to human touch or light, and they still want the audience to be able to see the artifacts and learn about them. We're currently working on something called Digital Twin, where my team and I are building a prototype where we have an imaging system that has the ability to look exactly like the artifacts with as many details as we can. We split up into two groups, one for a 2.5D demo (2D flat with a texture on it, making 2.5D) and a 3D demo. Our groups work together by researching, experimenting, and creating different prototypes and demos of our project. We are working toward finalizing our prototype for our clients. Additionally, as I continue learning about my degree, I am hoping to use it to build and research AI and robotics to create a more productive world. Then later, I am hoping to earn my Master's and Ph.D of imaging science and at some point become a professor for an Imaging Science program. With the assistance of finance, this would put me on the path to achieving my goals.

Why I Pursue STEM and Hope to Make a Difference as a Woman By Samantha Hand Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve had a natural curiosity about the world around me. I would run outside to explore and make new discoveries, constantly asking questions like what, when, where, and how things worked. My parents couldn’t always answer them, and neither could my teachers—so I turned to books. I read non-fiction books, especially about science and technology, always wanting to know more. Learning quickly became an addiction, especially when it came to understanding the world I live in. As I grew older, I found it difficult to stick to just one subject. I wanted to learn everything—biology, physics, math, animals, machines, AI, and more. I might not be an expert in any one area yet, but my passion for learning has never faded. In my senior year of high school, I realized how deeply curious I was about technology and its power to improve lives. Innovations like AI, VR/AR, and biotechnology are changing the world—helping people walk again, connect across distances, and experience life in new ways. What excites me most is that technology isn’t just science—it’s art, too. Film and video games, for example, use storytelling and design to connect people emotionally. Technology makes that magic happens; it turns dreams into reality. I’ve come to understand that I want to be part of that. I want to create technology that makes a real difference in people’s lives. That’s why I’m majoring in Imaging Science at RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology) which includes art, science, math, and technology. It is one of a kind and RIT is the only college that offers Imaging Science as a major. I can choose to work with life changing technology and experts such as VR/AR researchers, computer vision scientists, satellite imaging experts, and drone and camera hardware engineers. As I began to focus on this path, I also noticed something that inspired me even more: there weren’t many women in the spaces I was entering. In my high school computer science class, there was only one other girl. That moment opened my eyes. If I pursue and earn a STEM degree, I can be part of changing that. As a deaf woman, I can inspire young girls to chase their dreams in science and technology—to believe they belong in those fields just as much as anyone else.