“Your Dad never should have gave you electronics that young..” is something I repeatedly heard growing up, but didn’t understand, because I, Savanah Fields, was excellent with them. There was nothing that could hinder my curiosity from learning all about the ins-and-outs of the technology I could get my hands on. Tablets, laptops, phones, computers; I yearned for knowledge. Mostly due to my ADHD, it makes sense now why I had such a drive to know everything I could, especially since technology is insanely logical. Regardless though, computing came naturally to me. I’ve always been very analytical (foreshadowing!) and eager to learn. Once I understood the binary rules, commands, and functions that devices run, I started learning how to bypass them. My favorite hobby when I was 12 was to help solve my family’s technology problems- I was soon known as “Mini Tech Support”, next to my dad. Now, this passion manifests by me taking the Cybersecurity (previously “Cloud Computing and Hardware”) class at my local skills center, for the second half of my high school years. Starting with “basic” I.T. skills, my desire for understanding was fulfilled. At the beginning of every day, I looked forward to leaving my home school at 11 AM to jump back into my real interest: technology. Currently, I’m halfway into my studies in Data Analytics; a course I’m taking and paying for myself, separate from my school work. Looking back on it, my ambition and drive for knowledge never ended, and I’m beyond grateful for that, because its enabling me to go further beyond what I ever thought I could do. As a person of color in the field of technology, I have one main goal: Helping solve sampling bias in women’s POC healthcare. This issue is extremely important to me because not only am I a woman who faces discrimination and ignorance in the healthcare field, but because my mom is too. My sister is, and my grandmothers are. My female friends are, and relatives. We ALL have the collective experience of waiting months for a doctor’s appointment, just to be told to drink more water, and irrelevantly asked if we’re on our periods (I’ve gone into the ER for a broken arm, and was baffled on how that mattered). It can take months, if not YEARS, for our concerns to be heard, and then understood. This leads to women being diagnosed with health issues at a much slower rate, comparative to men, ESPECIALLY if you’re a woman of color. While we’re at it, let’s not forget how this leads into MANY more (white) men being tested and included in healthcare studies, which often makes the results seem like these men are more prone to certain things, when really, there wasn’t enough women to even it out. This is something I learn about in my Data Analytics course, and having an understanding of at least part of the reason why women are so underrepresented and treated worse in the healthcare department, only makes me more determined to help solve it. I can make these changes by taking my own surveys, samples, and gathering data, with the intentions of including more women, especially of color, and making sure their voices are heard. I do this not only for the people around me, but for the betterment of society.

“Your Dad never should have gave you electronics that young..” is something I repeatedly heard growing up, but didn’t understand, because I, Savanah Fields, was excellent with them. There was nothing that could hinder my curiosity from learning all about the ins-and-outs of the technology I could get my hands on. Tablets, laptops, phones, computers; I yearned for knowledge. Mostly due to my ADHD, it makes sense now why I had such a drive to know everything I could, especially since technology is insanely logical. Regardless though, computing came naturally to me. I’ve always been very analytical (foreshadowing!) and eager to learn. Once I understood the binary rules, commands, and functions that devices run, I started learning how to bypass them. My favorite hobby when I was 12 was to help solve my family’s technology problems- I was soon known as “Mini Tech Support”, next to my dad. Now, this passion manifests by me taking the Cloud Computing and Hardware class at my local skills center, for the second half of my high school years. Starting with “basic” I.T. skills, my desire for understanding was fulfilled. At the beginning of every day, I looked forward to leaving my home school at 11 AM to jump back into my real interests: technology. Currently, I’m halfway into my studies in Data Analytics; a course I’m taking and paying for myself, separate from my school work. Looking back on it, my ambition and drive for knowledge never ended, and I’m beyond grateful for that, because its enabling me to go further beyond what I ever thought I could do. As a woman in the field of technology, I have one main goal: Helping solve sampling bias in women’s healthcare. This issue is extremely important to me because not only am I a woman who faces discrimination and ignorance in the healthcare field, but because my mom is too. My sister is, and my grandmothers are. My female friends are, and relatives. We ALL have the collective experience of waiting months for a doctor’s appointment, just to be told to drink more water, and irrelevantly asked if we’re on our periods (I’ve gone into the ER for a broken arm, and was baffled on how that mattered). It can take months, if not YEARS, for our concerns to be heard, and then understood. This leads to women being diagnosed with health issues at a much slower rate, comparative to men. While we’re at it, let’s not forget how this leads into MANY more men being tested and included in healthcare studies, which often makes the results seem like men are more prone to certain things, when really, there wasn’t enough women to even it out. This is something I learn about in my Data Analytics course, and having an understanding of at least part of the reason why women are so underrepresented and treated worse in the healthcare department, only makes me more determined to help solve it. I can make these changes by taking my own surveys, samples, and gathering data, with the intentions of including more women and making sure their voices are heard. I do this not only for the people around me, but for the betterment of society.

I’ll never forget the view from the office overlooking Tilth Alliance’s Rainier Beach (and Urban Wetlands) farm. On sunny days, the serenity was breathtaking, from the definitely-over 20 ft. bean pole, adorned with orange flowers in mid-July, to the Children’s Garden in it’s entirety, consistent of different kid’s seeds from different weeks of camps, all coming together to create a unique vision. Blooms around the farm never ceased to calm me while I worked an internship there as a Summer Camp Educator over the summer. Working for Teens in Public Service, my appreciation for community service grew deeper and deeper, especially being able to give back to my own communities. Although, this isn’t where it started. It started when I was 14, volunteering at my dance studio for a summer and school year, as a Teacher’s Assistant (TA). Dance is my passion, but my family doesn’t come from much, so I did everything I could to stay. It’s my home. Even though my hours outside of my “work-study”, spent TAing, occasionally counted towards my tuition, I did it because I wanted to give back and help push the next generation of dancers. I wanted to be the teacher I never had when I was younger, because that was the guidance I wanted as a student every day. Now, I use my leadership skills to run my high school’s newspaper as Editor in Chief. Even here, I still provide service to my community. I love to write and inspire articles that have to do with representing our student body, so everyone’s voice can be heard. Whether it’s opinions on new rules and school events, or interviews in the News section on how the current cyberattack on our district is affecting our teachers, students, and staff, I ensure that our school community has the ability to not only speak up but feel seen, by whoever picks up the next issue in the stack. In my future, I have plans of becoming a Data Analyst. Beginning of my senior year, and I’m already halfway through my courses, so I can’t wait to see what opportunities I’ll be offered in college. If I could start my own charity, it’d be to serve families and children who are in financial need of assistance in housing. Growing up, my family moved a lot, rental to rental, and it all blurred together. We were lower-middle class, and there were times when we didn’t eat. Times when we had to leave the oven heated for warmth. MANY times when we had to apply for financial aid, for everything. Summer EBT cards became my best friend, helping buy groceries when my dad was often laid off from work. I understand this struggle, so volunteers would assist in achieving food for families, partnering with food banks. They’d also assist in providing easier access to Medicaid/Medicare. My mom is disabled (Multiple Sclerosis), so not only does she need Medicare to help pay for her medical needs, but my sister and I need Medicaid so we can afford basic healthcare too. All of these struggles, on top of accessing affordable housing, is burdening. I understand every perspective listed, so it would mean beyond the world to me to be able to continue my community service in these ways; it’s my calling.

“This sucks.” I muttered while gazing at the turquoise sky ahead of me. Clouds race each other across the endless blue canvas, the wind ushering them. Sitting in the folding chair next to me, my Púsha hears me, but intentionally stays quiet. He formulates the right thing to say, because he knew I was disappointed. “Well, it’s experience”. The folding table, adorned with a black tablecloth and my handmade cosmetics, specifically lip gloss, neatly organized in clear, plastic trays, sat quietly. In the large city of Tacoma, WA, the Tacoma Sunday Market is placed on 917 Broadway, a hidden gem of downtown. Filled with vintage and jewelry vendors, my stand didn’t quite match the others, but I liked that. It allowed me to be uniquely me. Present, there was music playing and people bustling around the streets, being quick to walk their dogs through the patio-like plaza, trying to not get distracted by the market. Though, many were drawn to the brands around me, and it gave me a sense of hopelessness. “I guess this just isn’t my kind of audience.” A long pause ensured. I had preferred silence compared to negativity. “At least now I know”. Thoughts like these though slowly creeped in, turning negative as the more stratus clouds passed and my Grandpa’s sleep fell deeper. Eventually, he woke, and ran to get something from the car. I sat, patiently reading my book, when a lady rushed up to my booth. Sleek brown hair in a low pony, she seemed like my kind of person. “Hello! Feel free to browse, I’m doing a buy-one-get-one-free offer right now, and you’re welcome to try out any samples to your left.” As I spoke, I noted how she was attentive to my words, before inspecting my products. Soon, she was sampling, and next, she was buying. That day, I made my very first “real” sale, and a connection with a genuine customer. My Púsha, a.k.a. my “partner-in-crime” for my business needs, was elated and congratulated me when he got back. “I made him proud!” and that thought stuck with me. Business is hard like this. “No matter how much effort, energy, and expense you put into it, it doesn’t matter if it can’t amount to sales” is what I always hear, and it’s nothing but downing. Yet, I keep trying. Why? Constant disappointment was all I felt I was getting out of this, so why keep subjecting myself to it? My drive to be successful, even just once, was shooting up past the clouds every time I “failed”. But why keep going? What if I just don’t make it? I wondered this a lot, but then it clicked. Not only was it because I had grit, my determination to make this work, but along the way, I realized I had a mission. Defining this was my key to the door of what I had wanted all along: an audience. “We’re Savvy Day Cosmetics, est. 2023 by two people and a dream. Big goals of ours include: 1. Accessible makeup for ALL. 2. Affordable makeup for ALL. 3. High-quality makeup for ALL.” Read the gradient-green paper, held up in a clear, plastic frame, at my next market. THIS was what I strived for, and I wouldn’t be here today with more sales than I had ever imagined earning if it wasn’t for the grit, determination, drive, ambition, and need I had to be on top, to set the standards for the beauty industry. My passion to better the industry drove my grit, and my grit drove me along the highway of excellence.

1. Discipline. “I’m quitting, this is it.” I whispered under my breath for the thousandth time in my ballet class. Motivation can only get you so far, but discipline is the real kicker. At least that’s what I tell myself, and so far, it hasn’t faltered. I learned discipline from dance by persistence, because there’s no “cheat sheet”. How can I be happy with my performance, or anything, if I can’t troubleshoot it from the root when problems arise? In life, I guarantee you that this can apply to anything: bad habits; consistent problems; troubling relationships. To dig deep shows that not only you care, but there’s a reason you do all this work. I have discipline to show my sister that if I can make it out, so can she. I have discipline to prove to myself that beyond a surface level, if I have anything, it’s work ethic. If I can hone this skill to gift to my future self, I know she’ll take it to the grave. 2. Financial management. “How does your mom need gas money, again?” is the question that resides in not only my head, but my dad’s head, constantly. Being disabled by Multiple Sclerosis, my mother is a strong person but it took away her ability to work, right before I was born. With her only source of income being her check in the mail for existing, it doesn’t seem like much. Yet, this money disappears whenever she “needs” it. My dad and I always share moments of exhaustion when we spot another bottle of vodka under the sink, because he doesn’t drink anymore, so she overcompensates for it. To pay it forward to my future self, I recognize how growing up in a low-income household has shaped my view of money, and how stingy your environment enables you to be with it. My dad, being our provider, has taught me how to be financially smart, and for me, it starts with scholarships, which is where this one comes into play. Not only will this scholarship help take the burden off of both of us so I can go to college, but it’ll open me up almost all of the internships in the Data Analytics field that require you to be in college to even apply. This will segue me into a job in my desired field, which will kickstart my career. 3. Staying true to myself in a sea of similarities. One thing I have always struggled with in life is not giving into peer pressure to be alike. So much so, that I’m currently focusing my college essay on that topic. To share a snippet of my feelings, being a mixed girl in this world isn’t close to easy. I’ve faced exclusion from both the black and white communities my whole life, and it was difficult to grasp not only “why didn’t they want me?”, but why it’s so crucial for my own mental health to stay true to myself, no matter how different I may be. When I was younger, I used to stare at white girls all the time, envious of their straight, beautiful hair. My “frizzy”, “untamed”, and “nappy” hair, was nowhere close in competition to theirs. Envious yet again, I’d wonder why I couldn’t relate to any of the other black kid’s experiences. It was like having the “Lite” version of a video game. Yet, at the end of the day, if I can consistently hold myself to these standards, I know my future self will be beyond grateful for the work I’ve pushed so hard for.

Financial misfortune. Ever since my mom got diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, she can’t work anymore. Ever since my dad became an HVAC union worker for Local 66, he hadn’t been to work in a long time due to being laid off. Even though he has just recently gone back, it's still hard to recover from as a whole household. Regardless, for education such as my dance tuition, I work to help pay it off. I work to help my family afford basic groceries, I work to help make sure my younger sister ends up in a better situation than I am now. I work for everything I have and can afford on my own, even though I’m still a minor. Yet no matter how much I try, some things still just need more. For example, it feels like my dance tuition keeps racking up every time it's paid off, and I can’t climb out of the “financial despair hole”. Sinking, sinking, sinking. Like quicksand. As of this year, I’ve figured out that I’m going to college to become a Data Analyst. I’m 16 right now but already working on getting my certificates to support me getting an entry-level job in the field when I graduate, working extra to be able to afford the monthly payments towards them. I’m passionate about pursuing a degree in STEM because I’ve always been passionate about the Science and Technology fields particularly. In my formative years as a child, I’ve been interested in biology and direct Earth sciences ever since I can remember, from weather science like clouds to astronomy and how stars are made, my curiosity never peaked, evident in my constant high scoring on anything science-related in school. Combating this, on the other hand, was technology. I’ve grown up with it ever since my dad put a controller in my hand at a young age. He taught me almost everything I knew, so I’ve only continued to add on from there. My passion for both subjects is strong, which is why I considered biotechnology. But then, I was introduced to data analysis. I fell in love with it as the criteria and traits a data analyst was expected to have matched me perfectly. Being a logical person, organized, and taking joy in nitpicking and being meticulous, it sounded like an enjoyable job that I’d be happy with for as long as I work in that field. This turn of events led me to now working towards the Google Analytics Certificate, and so far almost completed one out of eight courses. This scholarship will help me pay tuition for a year of data analytics at my local college; if there are leftover funds I plan on spending it on more educational resources to help me along the way. I also intend on only going to my local college for a year so I can complete Year Up, a free job training program for IT students, so that I can transfer to a college afterward that is a better fit for me, to complete my Bachelor’s in Data Analytics. I am confident and secure in my plan, and no matter what happens, I am determined and eager to continue moving forward in my journey as a woman in STEM, inspiring other young girls in my community that perseverance pays off no matter the situation.

I come from a diverse family, being mixed and having a wide variety of culture, being Native American, African American, and Scandinavian. Being genderfluid and pansexual as well, my whole identity sets me apart from the majority and discrimination isn’t uncommon. No matter what though, I’ve always kept pushing through because I would rather be myself than anyone else, I don’t want to live a lie but I’ll live through my identity proudly. As part of my internal identity, stuff that might not be as obvious, I’m an athlete and an artist, making me a dancer, something I’m very passionate and strong about, let alone being a photographer which has brought much joy to myself and those around me. I plan to give back to my community in my photography specifically. I want to be able to not only showcase my art but to also be able to show the world in a (literal) different light. In the future, I hope to be able to do more activism with my work and highlight the unseens or unspoken-about aspects of the world’s, or at least my community’s, problems. Poverty, pollution, climate change, and fast fashion are all topics I plan to cover because they’re important and incredibly real yet not talked about enough. I want to spark conversation with my photos and inspire an act to change. The type of photos that make headlines, news articles, magazines, and internet news, those are going to be my photos because I’m determined to start on a path to changing the world by doing something I love. When I was younger, I always had an interest in making a change. Forced to mature in my “tween” years, I started seeing stuff like how people like me (yet also vastly different), had the opposite of an “advantage” in most parts of life. Discrimination and its effects opened my eyes, I began recognizing how comments made about myself and others like me weren’t really just comments, and how it’s more than just a bias. I believe that that is where my interest in change began, growing widely to other topics as well, and that even making a small difference is still a difference. If I can make a change through my pictures, using them to evoke emotion and urges to act upon global issues that should be more cared about, then that would be just the first step in how I plan to give back to my community.