An infamous pandemic took the lives of many, including the anchor and father figure of my youth club track team. Orlando McDaniel is the reason for my high tolerance to tedious pain, and my fast legs. “Trust the process, and never look behind you,” he says. “Once you’ve looked, you’ve already lost the race.” I did everything I could to satisfy Coach’s needs, and prevent myself from enduring a thunderous voice that rattled my body with fear. As a rookie, my times flourished, and I began to feel stronger than ever before. My accomplishments led to becoming a silver medalist in the 800 meters at the Junior Olympic Championships as an incoming freshman in the summer of 2019. The ending reward never felt better after seeing Coach Orlando with a big smile, and knowing I put every ounce of effort on the track. It was not until spring break of 2020 that I thought the world had stopped. Who would have known that one of my biggest influences in life would be gone so soon? All athletes have questioned their sport at some point in their lives, but the absence of a person who built me athletically from the ground up made me lose great amounts of hope in terms of reaching the goals that I had set for myself. I feared that without Coach’s guidance, my performance would become stagnant, and the lack of satisfaction from his approval would slowly reduce my love for the sport that I worked and spent so much time on. In response to this major setback, I learned how to transform the negative aspects of loss into energy and strength, and my physical activity slowly reverted back to normal. As my body neglect enlightened me of my degrading thoughts, I realized that dwelling on past experiences prevented me from progressing forward. Not only has Coach Orlando taught me to be patient, but also to give myself credit for my success. Throughout the past six years of running track, my subconscious definition of success was to make others proud, rather than being proud of myself, as well as celebrating the small things and reflecting on their contributions to my big accomplishments. During training sessions, it would have been much more gratifying to see and appreciate gradual improvement rather than putting up with the tension of a big meet that was months away. In spite of natural flaws that occurred throughout many past track seasons, I have now become a state bronze medalist and a USATF Youth national gold medalist in the 800 meters, and I will continue to strive for greatness, regardless of any obstacle that comes my way. With or without the physical presence of Coach Orlando, I will always have the greatest gratitude towards him. He constantly reminded me of my values, and to never take anything less than what I was worth. I am constantly reminded of my worth as a scholar student athlete, and my prolonged journey to more successes will never be forsaken, as an unforgettable track and field legend will persistently watch over me in spirit.

BTS's "Life Goes On", has the most powerful message I've heard from any song I've heard in my lifetime. It has especially related to my situation during the pandemic when I lost my track coach to Covid in March of 2020. As I run my races at each track meet, I hear my coach's voice in my head "Like an echo in the forest". Throughout my track and field career, there had been many times when I felt like my mistakes had let him down, and I felt undeniable guilt, especially now that he is not physically here to see it. But regardless of my coach not being there to push me to my limits, "Life Goes On", and later I had to realize that what I work so hard for is not only to please him and my loved ones but for my satisfaction. Yes, I will make mistakes, but "Life Goes On". There will be people who will not always be there for me when I need it most, but alas, "Life Goes On". This song highlights life's journey and the ups and downs that come with it. No matter what comes your way, Life must go on.

After discovering that math and science were subjects I excelled, I developed a strong passion for engineering and medicine. A large contribution to my choice of major was the Coronavirus pandemic, as many mutations of the virus rapidly evolved and the complexity of it gave the medical field many unanswered questions in terms of an effective solution. The topic became a big interest of mine, and I was fascinated by the convolution of different variants and their genetic makeup. Despite my love for deciphering medical problems, being a doctor was not of my greatest interest, and I wanted to study more than just the diagnoses of human diseases. I later found an article explaining the production of the Covid vaccine, and how bioengineers incorporated the DNA of the virus within the vaccine to build immunity in patients through synthesis and trial and error. The idea of taking something originally toxic to the body and engineering it to become beneficial was very captivating to me, and my aspirations of becoming a biomedical engineer grew immensely. However, enrolling in the engineering career pathway was a personal culture shock. Descending from a family of engineers, my imaginative vision of the engineering community was pictured as a diverse and unifying field. It was not until my freshman year of high school that reality struck, and I realized that history repeated itself to the present day. As I walked into my Intro to Engineering class on the first day of school, I realized that nobody looked like me. The feeling of isolation became more prominent as I found myself being the only African American girl in these engineering classes for four consecutive years. Additionally, my athletic background attracted stereotypes that anticipated that I was incapable of solving such rigorous math and science problems, and I was constantly discouraged by my peers listing the difficulties of managing the schedule of an engineering student-athlete. The issue was also brought to the attention of my close friends, as female representation was minimal within various STEM pathways. As juniors, we decided to come together and develop a club that provided a safe place for young girls to embrace their love for math and science. Our Women in STEM Club not only unifies a rare group of bright students but also enlightens them about many successful women in the STEM field such as Katherine Johnson and Florence Nightingale. We have also been lucky enough to have Wally Funk (the oldest person to fly space, and the first female FAA and NTSB inspector) share her story and inspire others. The officer position that I hold within this organization will kickstart my advocacy towards girls in the STEM field, as well as motivate me to apply my engineering skills, and continue to represent a growing community that will normalize equality within a gender-homogenous profession.

With efficient resources and education, I will utilize my STEM knowledge as guidance to help aid in equal health services for people of all genders and races. Many women and minorities feel unsafe when it comes to receiving medical care, as they have either personally experienced underservice, or have simply noticed trending headlines that display the unjust loopholes of medicine. They attempt to educate themselves on their bodily functions, whether it be their skin type or blood sugar. But alas, when they reach out for professional care, the solution that is provided to them derives from the default research of the white male. On the contrary, these incidents are not always dependent on a single individual with discriminatory beliefs, but more so a collective field that systematically shelters future professionals from the abundance of concerns that have not been acknowledged by ignorant medical organizations. Studying STEM will not only help me understand the fundamentals of medicine but will also allow me to impact the world by applying my studies to personal research on women and patients of color. Additionally, as an African American girl, I will educate other growing professionals on recognizing genetic differences in each individual that seeks care, and contribute to the gradual progression to equality within the medical field.

Being a student-athlete is a very brutal yet valuable experience. Not only has it taught me how to manage time and stay consistent, but also to push through lows and trust the process of building my journey to success. Many challenges accompany me, as I am expected to maintain good grades while also presenting maximum performance in my athletic environment. I must keep my head up at practice, even though I may not have done well on a test at school. I must retain countless information from rigorous courses, even after a physically exhausting practice the night before. The student athlete's life feels like a survival trial. I began to see some of my peers quit their sport out of exhaustion or for the sake of their grades, while others compensated their GPA to support their aspirations of becoming professional athletes. It was very rare to find others with both academic and athletic potential, and there were many outside factors of discouragement when it came to maintaining both. Despite misleading comments regarding the difficulty of becoming STEM majors, they do not alter my love for math and science, nor my pursuit of becoming a competitive track runner. Being a scholar athlete has tested my limits just as the real world will, as it has taught me to acknowledge and overcome challenges, as well as prepared me to pursue a STEM career and enter the real world with more wisdom and self-worth than others. Enrolling in the engineering career pathway was a personal culture shock. Descending from a family of engineers, my imaginative vision of the engineering community was pictured as a diverse and unifying field. It was not until my freshman year of high school that reality struck, and I realized that history repeated itself to the present day. As I walked into my Intro to Engineering class on the first day of school, I realized that nobody looked like me. The feeling of isolation became more prominent as I found myself being the only African American girl in these engineering classes for four consecutive years. Additionally, my athletic background attracted stereotypes that anticipated that I was incapable of solving such rigorous math and science problems, and I was constantly discouraged by my peers listing the difficulties of managing the schedule of an engineering student-athlete. The issue was also brought to the attention of my close friends, as female representation was minimal within various STEM pathways. As juniors, we decided to come together and develop a club that provided a safe place for young girls to embrace their love for math and science. Our Women in STEM Club not only unifies a rare group of bright students but also enlightens them about many successful women in the STEM field such as Katherine Johnson and Florence Nightingale. We have also been lucky enough to have Wally Funk (the oldest person to fly space, and the first female FAA and NTSB inspector) share her story and inspire others. The officer position that I hold within this organization will kickstart my advocacy towards girls in the STEM field, as well as motivate me to apply my own engineering skills, and continue to represent a growing community that will normalize equality within a gender-homogenous profession.

With the opportunity of attending an undergraduate program at My future college, I will use my education as guidance to help aid in equal health services for people of all races. Statistics show that black and brown women have higher rates of pregnancy-related deaths in comparison to white women. Patients of color are at higher risk of being prescribed topical skin treatments that are formulated for caucasian skin, as the lack of education on the complexity of melanin is a disadvantage for the patient, and could further damage healthy skin cells. The unjust loopholes in medical treatment derive from what is learned by professionals, and I find it concerning that given the history of medicine and its new technologies, the medical community has yet to discover how to properly treat all patients with care. As one of the top research schools in the world, I will utilize my resources to better healthcare processes, and become educated on the intricacy of patients, whether it be their skin color, blood type, or physical condition. Through the biomedical engineering program, I will attain the skills to alter the genetic makeup of vaccines, create safer forms of chemotherapy, or discover the different characteristics of various skin types and how they react to their surroundings. I will transform the lives of others through extra knowledge and comfort to assure that any patient is in good hands. My degree will help me change the world through its abundance of opportunity, and lead me to benefit a society stretched across the globe. With efficient resources and education, I will utilize my STEM knowledge as guidance to help aid in equal health services for people of all genders and races. Many women and minorities feel unsafe when it comes to receiving medical care, as they have either personally experienced underservice, or have simply noticed trending headlines that display the unjust loopholes of medicine. They attempt to educate themselves on their bodily functions, whether it be their skin type or blood sugar. But alas, when they reach out for professional care, the solution that is provided to them derives from the default research of the white male. On the contrary, these incidents are not always dependent on a single individual with discriminatory beliefs, but more so a collective field that systematically shelters future professionals from the abundance of concerns that have not been acknowledged by ignorant medical organizations. Studying STEM will not only help me understand the fundamentals of medicine but will also allow me to impact the world by applying my studies to personal research on women and patients of color. Additionally, as an African American girl, I will educate other growing professionals on recognizing genetic differences in each individual that seeks care, and contribute to the gradual progression to equality within the medical field.

An infamous pandemic took the lives of many, including the anchor and father figure of my youth club track team. Orlando McDaniel is the reason for my high tolerance to tedious pain, and my fast legs. “Trust the process, and never look behind you,” he says. “Once you’ve looked, you’ve already lost the race.” I did everything I could to satisfy Coach’s needs, and prevent myself from enduring a thunderous voice that rattled my body with fear. As a rookie, my time flourished, and I began to feel stronger than ever before. My accomplishments led to my becoming a silver medalist in the 800 meters at the Junior Olympic Championships as an incoming freshman in the summer of 2019. The ending reward never felt better after seeing Coach Orlando with a big smile, and knowing I put every ounce of effort into the track. It was not until spring break of 2020 that I thought the world had stopped. Who would have known that one of my biggest influences in life would be gone so soon? All athletes have questioned their sport at some point in their lives, but the absence of a person who built me athletically from the ground up made me lose great amounts of hope in terms of reaching the goals that I had set for myself. I feared that without the Coach’s guidance, my performance would become stagnant, and the lack of satisfaction from his approval would slowly reduce my love for the sport that I worked and spent so much time on. In response to this major setback, I learned how to transform the negative aspects of loss into energy and strength, and my physical activity slowly reverted to normal. As my body's neglect enlightened me of my degrading thoughts, I realized that dwelling on past experiences prevented me from progressing forward. Not only has Coach Orlando taught me to be patient, but also to give myself credit for my success. Throughout the past six years of running track, my subconscious definition of success was to make others proud, rather than being proud of myself, as well as celebrating the small things and reflecting on their contributions to my big accomplishments. During training sessions, it would have been much more gratifying to see and appreciate gradual improvement rather than putting up with the tension of a big meet that was months away. Despite natural flaws that occurred throughout many past track seasons, I have now become a state bronze medalist and a USATF Youth national gold medalist in the 800 meters, and I will continue to strive for greatness, regardless of any obstacle that comes my way. With or without the physical presence of Coach Orlando, I will always have the greatest gratitude toward him. He constantly reminded me of my values, and to never take anything less than what I was worth. I am constantly reminded of my worth as a scholar student-athlete, and my prolonged journey to more successes will never be forsaken, as an unforgettable track and field legend will persistently watch over me in spirit.

An infamous pandemic took the lives of many, including the anchor and father figure of my youth club track team. Orlando McDaniel is the reason for my high tolerance to tedious pain, and my fast legs. “Trust the process, and never look behind you,” he says. “Once you’ve looked, you’ve already lost the race.” I did everything I could to satisfy Coach’s needs, and prevent myself from enduring a thunderous voice that rattled my body with fear. As a rookie, my times flourished, and I began to feel stronger than ever before. My accomplishments led to becoming a silver medalist in the 800 meters at the Junior Olympic Championships as an incoming freshman in the summer of 2019. The ending reward never felt better after seeing Coach Orlando with a big smile, and knowing I put every ounce of effort on the track. It was not until spring break of 2020 that I thought the world had stopped. Who would have known that one of my biggest influences in life would be gone so soon? All athletes have questioned their sport at some point in their lives, but the absence of a person who built me athletically from the ground up made me lose great amounts of hope in terms of reaching the goals that I had set for myself. I feared that without Coach’s guidance, my performance would become stagnant, and the lack of satisfaction from his approval would slowly reduce my love for the sport that I worked and spent so much time on. In response to this major setback, I learned how to transform the negative aspects of loss into energy and strength, and my physical activity slowly reverted back to normal. As my body neglect enlightened me of my degrading thoughts, I realized that dwelling on past experiences prevented me from progressing forward. Not only has Coach Orlando taught me to be patient, but also to give myself credit for my success. Throughout the past six years of running track, my subconscious definition of success was to make others proud, rather than being proud of myself, as well as celebrating the small things and reflecting on their contributions to my big accomplishments. During training sessions, it would have been much more gratifying to see and appreciate gradual improvement rather than putting up with the tension of a big meet that was months away. In spite of natural flaws that occurred throughout many past track seasons, I have now become a state bronze medalist and a USATF Youth national gold medalist in the 800 meters, and I will continue to strive for greatness, regardless of any obstacle that comes my way. With or without the physical presence of Coach Orlando, I will always have the greatest gratitude towards him. He constantly reminded me of my values, and to never take anything less than what I was worth. I am constantly reminded of my worth as a scholar student athlete, and my prolonged journey to more successes will never be forsaken, as an unforgettable track and field legend will persistently watch over me in spirit.

An infamous pandemic took the lives of many, including the anchor and father figure of my youth club track team. Orlando McDaniel is the reason for my high tolerance to tedious pain, and my fast legs. “Trust the process, and never look behind you,” he says. “Once you’ve looked, you’ve already lost the race.” I did everything I could to satisfy Coach’s needs, and prevent myself from enduring a thunderous voice that rattled my body with fear. As a rookie, my times flourished, and I began to feel stronger than ever before. My accomplishments led to becoming a silver medalist in the 800 meters at the Junior Olympic Championships as an incoming freshman in the summer of 2019. The ending reward never felt better after seeing Coach Orlando with a big smile, and knowing I put every ounce of effort on the track. It was not until spring break of 2020 that I thought the world had stopped. Who would have known that one of my biggest influences in life would be gone so soon? All athletes have questioned their sport at some point in their lives, but the absence of a person who built me athletically from the ground up made me lose great amounts of hope in terms of reaching the goals that I had set for myself. I feared that without Coach’s guidance, my performance would become stagnant, and the lack of satisfaction from his approval would slowly reduce my love for the sport that I worked and spent so much time on. In response to this major setback, I learned how to transform the negative aspects of loss into energy and strength, and my physical activity slowly reverted back to normal. As my body neglect enlightened me of my degrading thoughts, I realized that dwelling on past experiences prevented me from progressing forward. Not only has Coach Orlando taught me to be patient, but also to give myself credit for my success. Throughout the past six years of running track, my subconscious definition of success was to make others proud, rather than being proud of myself, as well as celebrating the small things and reflecting on their contributions to my big accomplishments. During training sessions, it would have been much more gratifying to see and appreciate gradual improvement rather than putting up with the tension of a big meet that was months away. In spite of natural flaws that occurred throughout many past track seasons, I have now become a state bronze medalist and a USATF Youth national gold medalist in the 800 meters, and I will continue to strive for greatness, regardless of any obstacle that comes my way. With or without the physical presence of Coach Orlando, I will always have the greatest gratitude towards him. He constantly reminded me of my values, and to never take anything less than what I was worth. I am constantly reminded of my worth as a scholar student athlete, and my prolonged journey to more successes will never be forsaken, as an unforgettable track and field legend will persistently watch over me in spirit.

Enrolling in the engineering career pathway was a personal culture shock. Descending from a family of engineers, my imaginative visual of the engineering community was pictured as a diverse and unifying field. It was not until my freshman year of high school when reality struck, and I realized that history repeated itself to the present day. As I walked into my Intro to Engineering class on the first day of school, I realized that nobody looked like me. The feeling of isolation became more prominent as I found myself being the only African American girl in these engineering classes for four consecutive years. Additionally, my athletic background attracted stereotypes that anticipated that I was incapable of solving such rigorous math and science problems, and I was constantly discouraged by my peers listing the difficulties of managing the schedule of an engineering student athlete. The issue was also brought to the attention of my close friends, as female representation was minimal within various STEM pathways. As juniors, we decided to come together and develop a club that provided a safe place for young girls to embrace their love for math and science. Our Women in STEM Club not only unifies a rare group of bright students, but also enlightens them of many successful women in the STEM field such as Katherine Johnson and Florence Nightingale. We have also been lucky enough to have Wally Funk (the oldest person to fly space, and the first female FAA and NTSB inspector) to share her story and inspire others. Even as a relatively new club on our high school campus, we have gathered a group of 40 girls The officer position that I hold within this organization will kickstart my advocacy towards girls in the STEM field, as well as motivate myself to apply my own engineering skills, and continue to represent a growing community that will normalize equality within a gender and race-homogenous profession. As the minority representation within this field is scarce, I will provide diversity in the workplace, as well as advocate and inspire other girls that look like me to pursue this field of study. Through a biomedical engineering program, I plan to attain the skills to discover the different characteristics of various skin types (Color, texture, and sensitivities) and how they react to their surroundings. I will transform the lives of others through extra knowledge and comfort to assure that any patient is in good hands.