I have been an active leader in my community by being a Resident Assistant at Michigan Technological University. I got chosen for this job out of hundreds of other students because of my leadership qualities, by showing responsibility, and my ability to be there for others. For each year there are hundreds of students that apply for this position and only about 30-50 actually get the position. I am extremely grateful of this position and how it has made me an active leader in my community. By being a resident assistant, I get the opportunity to build a community between 30 residents from all different backgrounds. I get the privilege to know each resident individually, help them develop real-life skills, offer advice, and be a role model for them. At Michigan Technological University most students are over five hours away from home, so it is a large adjustment for them, not only because of the high school to college transition but also moving away from home. With this, some students need the extra boost and care from others which where a resident assistant can help! I take pride that my residents look up to me and view me as a leader. I have learned so much about myself and others by being in this position. I am grateful that I can be an active leader in this way and create a positive community for my residents.

I am pursuing a degree in STEM so I can contribute towards advancing the medical field. I am passionate about helping others and contributing to major advancements. By pursing a degree in STEM, specifically Biomedical Engineering, I can help patients with rare medical diseases and contribute towards the continual advancement that the world makes in the health industry. I have always enjoyed the medical field, and when I found the field of Biomedical Engineering, which uses engineering principals and the medical field jointly, I knew it was for me. Ever since, I have learned and grown in the field and my passion for advancing the field. This passion and contribution I can make have made me excited to pursue a degree in STEM. As a woman in STEM there are several obstacles I can face while pursuing my degree. I am the minority at my university as my class is over 70% male. This can make it difficult for my voice and ideas to be heard. While my university does an amazing job trying to break the gender gap, there are still times between peers where my ideas are not heard. It can be intimating being the only female in a classroom and trying to get ideas across. Not only can it be hard for our ideas to be heard, but the mental aspect of actually speaking up can be difficult too. Mentally, building up the courage to speak up when someone is wrong or you have a different idea to try can be difficult for women in STEM. This is the major obstacle I believe I will continue to face while pursuing a degree in STEM.