My story begins when I was about seven years old and received my first desktop computer as a birthday gift. It ran Windows XP, a somewhat incomplete operating system that made me fall in love with technology for the first time. Although I had not yet chosen what I wanted to be when I grew up, something in that computer piqued my interest in technology and the future. I had many questions about it: how was it made? How could I communicate with people all around the world using that device? How could I surf the web? And the most important question of all is why? Why did I feel an overpowering urge to understand all this? Fortunately for me, from that moment forward, I instantly knew what I wanted to be: a computer scientist. And that is how a STEM career started for me. My uncle, who unfortunately passed away in 2020 from COVID-19, was a well-known businessman and computer programmer in the Dominican Republic (where I was born). While living in the Dominican Republic, I informed my uncle about my sudden interest in computer science, and he willingly answered all (or most) of my questions. My uncle only reinforced my previous beliefs and made me understand how magnificent the STEM field is. Many years passed, and before turning 17, I was on my way to becoming a computer scientist. At that time, I only lived with my mother and two sisters. I graduated from a Dominican high school at age 16 as a valedictorian. Of course, my family was very proud of me, but I was only focused on moving forward and following my dreams. Shortly after my graduation, we moved to the United States. Here, my mother officially married my stepfather, and we were happy. Despite not being able to attend college for a whole year due to not having a social security number, I never gave up on following my dreams. I studied hard on my own, and after a while, I was able to enroll in a community college. Unfortunately, I shortly learned that the way I look, my skin color, and my gender are important to other people. I learned that I am part of a minority group and that many African American and Hispanic women (or women in general) are highly underrepresented (and underpaid) in STEM fields. And then, a sudden frustration took hold of my body. I could not understand why there was a gender disparity in the field I had worked so hard to be a part of. After doing some research, I concluded that it might have been due to my gender. Sadly, women who feel pressured because of their gender are less likely to complete their STEM degrees. And I can say that I experienced this, but still are moving forward. Notwithstanding these setbacks, I will not let them prevent me from pursuing my dreams. After obtaining my bachelor's degree, I plan to use what I've learned to aid other women and girls in STEM (or any other area) who are feeling the same way I was. I want to tell them that they are not alone, that their voice is valued, and that they should move forward and finish their degree (if they feel empowered to do so). I want to share my experience with others, regardless of gender, so they know they are not alone. I want (and will) to create websites, conduct conferences, develop programs, and do what I can to make people feel comfortable, respected, and appreciated.

My name is Sharina Batista. Originally born in the Dominican Republic, I am a senior student at Fort Hays State University, where I plan to get an online bachelor's degree in computer science. As part of a minority group, I decided to study computer science despite knowing that Latinx only account for approximately 8% of the tech workforce. I decided to do this because when I was around six to seven years old, my uncle —who, at the time, was a computer programmer — taught me about the importance of inventing things. Of course, this was very new to me since most Dominicans (children, particularly) do not realize that most of the objects they use are made using programs. And our education is not the best either, but still, the idea of becoming a programmer piqued my interest. My uncle briefly explained to me that typically, there are two sides to most computers: the front and back. Regular users employ the front of the computer to be helped by it, whereas programmers use the back of the computer to invent new things for the frontal side — in order words, the back side is for makers, and the frontal side is for consumers. Although the term computer does not strictly apply to personal computers — as there are many other types of computers, such as calculators, smartphones, tablets, and so on — at that young age, I became fascinated with the idea of being able to create programs for my personal computer. It should be noted that both my uncle and grandfather had very high expectations for me, which is why I had no choice but to study as much as possible so that I could graduate as a valedictorian in my country. Shortly after meeting their expectations, I moved to the United States with my mother and sisters and started going to a community college at age seventeen. My stepfather —my mother's current husband— helped me pay for school, but unfortunately, he has not been able to continue to help me since 2020. So, since 2020, I have practically been on my own financially, as my parents also need me to contribute $500 monthly in order to live with them. I am currently doing my best to graduate next year without being in a lot of student debt. I do not have a job yet, and my tuition and student expenses are too much for me. I am running out of options, and I do not want anyone to go through the same things as me. I feel undesired, a stranger. I want education to be accessible to anyone, regardless of their financial status. There are students who, like me, are unable to make ends meet and need to resort to loans and borrowing money to have an education. And, clearly, if there is no money, there is no education. Why, then, do many high school graduates start working almost immediately after graduating? Because they cannot afford college. Who wishes to live in a country with limited access to education, where college graduates need to spend ten or more years paying their student loans while having a mediocre salary? I am here to change all that. If I can graduate as a computer scientist, I will make education more accessible to our country. I will hold conferences, award scholarships, and more importantly, make programs designed to help people (students) continue their education at no cost. Evidently, I will need help to do this, but it is my desire to create a no-cost online university available to anyone with access to a computer. Degrees would be awarded to those who can successfully graduate from it, and there would be numerous areas of study in which to major. Perhaps this is an absurd dream, a dream no one can expect to come true. However, I know how intriguing computer programming is and what it has done and continues to do. I wish to empower people to be makers and not consumers. As a result, I profoundly know that I just need your help to make it happen.

When my mother remarried and decided to move to the United States with me and my sisters, I did not know what we were venturing on. I was seventeen and had recently graduated from high school as a valedictorian in the Dominican Republic. When we arrived here, I could not enroll in college because I did not have a social security number, but after six tedious months, I was finally able to attend SCF in Bradenton, Florida. College did not go as expected, at first, since my English was not the best. I did make some friends and was a straight-A student, but despite this, I severely struggled to start a conversation with a stranger (or anybody, in general) because I was afraid that I would make a mistake when talking in English. However, I eventually overcame this fear and accepted I was not perfect. Shortly after, my parents decided to move to California because my stepdad had gotten a job there, and I had to stay in Florida until our house was sold. All my classes were switched to an online format, and after six months, we were all in California. During our period in California, everything deteriorated. My stepfather could not continue to pay for my education, which I understood. I got a job at KFC and was able to pay my college tuition by myself, which I was proud of. I could not and cannot receive financial aid because my stepdad's income is above average, but because he has several debts, he is and was unable to help me. A few months after COVID-19 first struck, I lost my job (due to COVID-19) and obtained a Summa Cum Laude associate's degree. I was a step closer to becoming the first female computer scientist in my family. A year after, I was accepted into California State University, Fullerton, and thought everything would be perfect! I was wrong. To begin with, I could not attend CSUF because I did not have a vehicle and could not commute daily. Secondly, I was not receiving any financial aid and was informed by CSUF's financial-aid office that it was my parents' responsibility to help me pay for school due to their income. I told them that we were in debt, but it did not help. So, I decided to renounce my dream of becoming a computer scientist and kept my job as a UPS store associate to help my parents with their expenses. When then moved to North Carolina, where I currently reside. Although many things have changed and my world was upside down, I am still here, living. I was able to enroll in an online university to complete my bachelor's degree from home. I have not had a chance to get a job yet, but I will as soon as I get my driver's license. My parents are not helping me pay for college, but they still expect me to help them with their expenses, and that is OK! I am on my way to becoming a strong, independent woman, and although I love my parents, I do not need their help in that aspect. In summary, you can always find a way to get out of a particularly stressful situation. You will have to be strong-willed and quite determined to accomplish your dreams, but it is not impossible to do. I have learned that, at the end of the day, the only person I trust my problems with is myself, and that with hard work and a strong will, you can achieve anything you put your mind to.

I was born in the Dominican Republic, a Caribbean country characterized by its amazing beaches, adventurous experiences, and fascinating culture. Being Caribbean has brought diversity into my life. I can share my history, culture, and food with other people who may not be aware of the beauty of the Caribbean. Although not particularly affluent, my country has given me many opportunities to further my education. We even have a public university, la Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo, which provides free education to individuals from low-income families. Another example would be hospitals: they offer free healthcare services to anyone in need. Despite this, many Dominicans choose not to study or attend college. For example, as a teenager, many of my classmates became pregnant while attending school in Dajabon, a small province near the Dominican Republic–Haiti border. As a result, these girls were expulsed from school and were unable to continue their education. Other provinces, too, experience a similar problem. I think this occurs due to the relatively scarce access to technology these provinces have, along with the inadequate sexual guidance offered to Dominican girls. Most of my female classmates in Dajabon had no access to a computer or the Internet. On top of this, their parents had them at a young age (under 18 years old), which only influenced their behavior. With little interest in education, these girls become pregnant. This underlying issue ought to be addressed. My family, for instance, has always stressed how important it is to go to college and get a degree. My grandfather, a Dominican man who was born into poverty, became a successful engineer after attending our public university and graduating with a degree in civil engineering. He is the most intelligent person I know, and thanks to his guidance, I am now where I am. So, by using my degree in computer science (which I will obtain next year), I plan on making several programs that educate Dominicans (particularly underage girls) about the importance of having an education. There are many opportunities out there for them to take advantage of. Moreover, I would love to go back to my country and present at conferences emphasizing how education can help individuals secure better jobs. It is also important to offer appropriate sexual guidance at Dominican schools in order to avoid teenage pregnancies. In the future, I will be working on all of this. Finally, being Caribbean has made me see how diverse cultures can be, and how important it is to handle problems within a particular culture. I am proud to be a Dominican and would love to share my journey with other individuals in my community (and other communities). I desire to make education accessible to everybody and will use my degree to make this possible.

One common mistake beginners make when investing is having unclear investment goals, and unfortunately, this is one of the mistakes I made as an investor. Since there are many styles of investing —value investing, growth/technical investing, day trading, and real estate investing— beginners frequently fail to develop a functional plan that satisfies their investment goals. In fact, many of them do not have a clear sense of where they are going with investments, and as a result, fail to diversify their goals. For instance, when I first started investing as a part-time hobby, my only objective was to make money in the short run. So, I tried day-trading, and not surprisingly, quit after having lost money. For starters, I did not know what I was doing and simply followed advice from the so-called social media gurus. I failed to develop an investment strategy, and, above all, my knowledge of investing was very scarce. So, the best advice I could give and encourage novices to follow is this: "if you don’t know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else," which is from a book by David P. Campbell. Remember to list your goals as an investor, and never fail to design an investment portfolio. In addition, do not make the same mistake I did: attempt not to follow dubious advice from social-media investors; they will try to sell you their investing course, and most of the time, it will be fraudulent. Finally, making money in the short run is never easy, so do not get in this area in the hopes of becoming wealthy in a couple of days — this is not likely to happen.

1. Please tell us a bit about yourself and what specifically motivates you. If you could do anything with your life, what do you imagine you’d do? My name is Sharina Batista, and I am from the Dominican Republic. I moved to the United States with my family three years ago to study and expand my knowledge in the computer science field. I have satisfied my desire to become a better student after having a constant 4.0 GPA in college. My passion for computer science emerged when my uncle first introduced me to it in 2007 when I was six years old. Since then, I have never been able to keep my hands off a computer. I am motivated to be in this field because of the ability to create programs that help other people and solve universal problems. I also wish to become a professional computer scientist or cybersecurity analyst. I have always struggled with deciding which colleges and universities to attend due to their high tuition rates. For this reason, many students do not attend prestigious universities despite their intelligence and achievements (for me, it was Duke University). In other countries, students attend four-year universities for a low cost or even free. In Spain, for instance, medical education is as low as a thousand euros a year. As a result, if I had the chance to do anything with my life, I would want to create a tuition program that would cover full college tuition for any student, regardless of their gender, status, nationality, and sexual orientation. 2. What excites you about STEM? How do you feel you could make a positive impact on the world through a job in information technology? I am immensely excited to be in a healthy environment where other women can share their experiences and knowledge in STEM. As a Hispanic woman pursuing a STEM career, I understand that there is still gender misrepresentation in the workplace, which I know I will have to confront in the future. However, this will not keep me from sharing my knowledge and experience with other women. I want my voice, my story, to be heard, just as many other voices are being heard at this exact moment. By having a job in information technology, I will help stop prejudice and some common beliefs regarding women in STEM. I also aspire to design programs that will help other people. Finally, I want to fight for women's rights and gender equality. All of this will make our world a better place. 3. Please describe the greatest challenge you’ve had to overcome and how you managed to get past it. About three months ago, I had to quit my job in California as a UPS store associate and renounce my dream of attending California State University, Fullerton. I worked part-time while going to college and planned to attend CSUF in the spring. Since my parents are in debt, I had to pay my college expenses from my savings (as always). A few weeks later, after getting accepted into CSUF and registering for classes in the spring, my parents informed me that we were moving to North Carolina — and this shattered my world. I had paid my admission offer, had won a three-thousand-dollar scholarship, and had a future in California. Despite knowing this, my parents decided to move, with no consideration for my future. As a dependent student, I did not know what to do. Since I did not have any relatives in California or financial stability, I decided to move and renounce the life I had created there. I lost my scholarship, my job, and in a way, my future there. Shortly after arriving in North Carolina and with a few belongings, I felt suicidal. The people here and the overall environment feel different from what I had seen and experienced in California. I tried applying to colleges here to continue my education. Unfortunately, I was then notified that my tuition had tripled due to being an out-of-state student. I could not go to college. I had lost my job. I had lost my friends. On top of that, my parents were in the middle of a separation. Notwithstanding these challenges, I kept going — I shared my story and was heard and supported. For the first time in my life, I had someone rooting for me. I am now attending an online university (Fort Hays State University) to get my bachelor's in computer science. I have made new friends, and although we have not had the chance to meet yet, it is still on the list. I am trying to get a remote job. In the end, this is why I think people are the key to success. Having connections, having someone there for you can make you overcome the greatest challenges you may face.