What I value most about myself is my caring character. My parents tell me that I’ve always been caring and sensitive to others since I was younger, and even though I don’t remember that, it seems to be true because that is still who I am today! Caring for others, and them conveying that they feel the care and support I give to them is such a satisfying feeling. It feels amazing to know that you are being cared for, so making people feel that feeling is such a beautiful thing! Asking someone if they are okay, having a conversation about their mental health, and even just listening and paying attention to them are all acts of care, and doing that for people is beneficial to both you and the person. The person feels the care and you are making the world a better place, one person at a time. In my perspective, I love to talk to my peers and loved ones, and help them get through whatever situation they are in. Listening is a skill that I am proud to say that I have, and when I listen and talk to people on sensitive subjects, I get a positive response in return from them, and they feel that I care for them. I also love to cook and bake. In the words of Princess Tiana, “the key on a man’s heart is through their stomach,” and I agree not only for men, but for everyone. An act of love like simply making a meal or dessert for someone shows that you care, and that’s why I value my caring character. I definitely love it when my great-grandmother makes food and says that she was thinking about me when she made it, so I do the same for other people so they know that I care for them. Being caring and sensitive could also be applied to myself and my own life. I think now that I'm older, I’m learning that I have to not be afraid to put myself first. However, growing up and living in a Caribbean household does not teach that, especially to a woman. I’m still working on self-care and putting myself first, but at just the start of that journey, I already feel a difference. I think being a caring person to people and to myself will help me in my life journey because it will bring more positivity to my life. As a Black woman attending a PWI, positivity is very much needed to stay happy. For example, instead of overachieving in school for my family to be happy, I can instead do my schoolwork and study regularly and then use the extra time (if I have it) to do something for myself like skincare or a hot bath or even take a nap! Caring for other people is important to be a good person in this world (which is becoming a rare find), but it is also important for me to care for myself so that I am happy just as much as someone else is happy when I show that I care for them. Especially now that I am in college, and at such a young age of 17, I need to overdose on happiness to enjoy my life journey, and having a caring heart for myself and the people around me is where it starts.

My favorite scientist, hands down, is Marie Maynard Daly. She dominated the STEM field as she was the first Black woman to earn a PhD in chemistry in the United States. She was a biochemist and changed the world with her research on the links between increased risk of heart attacks, high cholesterol, and clogged arteries. I plan to pursue biochemistry, and she is a big inspiration to me.

I am passionate about biochemistry and pharmacology. What inspired me to pursue a degree in biochemistry is my love of chemistry, biology, and my professional goal to become a pharmacologist. Growing up around people who work in the medical field has sparked my interest in medicine. With my mom being a nurse, I can ask her many questions about how she treats her patients in the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit, but her knowledge is limited. "Why does ABC treatment help with XYZ illness?" "What properties do the compounds in it have, and how do they help fight against XYZ illness?" I love to "go to the source," and that is part of what inspired my passion for biochemistry. I want to learn what makes up treatments that my mother and other health care professionals use for their patients and how they affect the human body. As a biochemist, I can gain much lab experience researching chemical compounds and their effects on living things. When I move on to the impact of drugs on humans when I study pharmacology, my transition will be smooth because I will have a strong background from my studies in biochemistry. My interest in pharmacology stems from researching drugs and their effects on humans to create better treatments. There are so many different illnesses and diseases that do not have cures or adequate treatments, such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, and muscular dystrophy, to name a few. I am drawn to pharmacology because my passion is to research, create, treat, and hopefully develop a cure for illnesses and diseases with no sufficient treatments. Biochemistry will help me get there as I will study the biological processes at the cellular and molecular level, which will give me a great start in understanding the effect of chemicals/chemical compounds in drugs on humans. Being part of helping the medical realm advance inspires my interest in biochemistry and pharmacology. I attended a predominantly white school at the beginning of my freshman year of high school. I was always determined in school and at the top of my class. I never thought I would encounter an issue regarding my education because I always had the materials I needed to succeed. Little did I know that going to a predominantly black school was a significant part of why I had a great support system. At this new school, I did not have an advantage because racism played an important role in how the school operated. When I wanted to have extra work or study guide materials, most teachers would not give them to me. I did not have a great support system at that school and had to take on extra responsibility. I struggled with taking on extra responsibility because I was not very independent. I had to learn how to be strong, and it was hard to do that at first because I would feel defeated and discouraged. I learned how to be independent and hardworking because of my mom. She is a black nurse, so she deals with racism every day from other healthcare workers and patients. I learned from her that not everyone would support you in your path to success. Especially as a black woman, I had to learn how to be my voice because I will be the only person available to advocate for myself a lot of the time. Through my mother's example, I learned and became a strong, independent, and hardworking woman and succeeded academically during my time at that school.