My experience with mental health has honestly been a roller coaster. I remember it got pretty bad when I was in my previous relationship. It was my first relationship, and it was incredibly difficult. I not only got cheated on more times than I can count but was also verbally and emotionally abused. I was manipulated and lied to in ways I couldn’t even think of. I had a close and very jealous friend during the time who also turned her back on me and spilled some of my secrets to my parents, which ended our 10-year friendship. During this time, I fell into a deep depression, which made it hard for me to focus on my studies and even at home. I stopped eating much and spent hours lying in bed in the dark. I went to therapy at my school during this period, but my perception of time was so messed up that I had forgotten what day and week it was. The counselor was surprised and realized that I was in a really bad place. Unfortunately, the pain of the relationship only worsened over time, and I eventually ended it. My mental health was very unstable. One day, he decided to break up with me, and I felt a sense of freedom. He had a bad habit of letting me go and then pulling me back in when he felt I was too far away. But when he broke up with me, I decided to stop letting him pull me back in. When I finally decided to walk away, I told myself that I wouldn’t be with anyone else. Two years later, I met someone else and am still with him now. I gained more weight because I started to enjoy the color pink and realized that my worth wasn’t based on someone else’s opinion. My mental health has shaped me in many ways that I never imagined. It almost led me to take my own life, but I decided to be patient and allow myself to change. I also became more empathetic towards others. I have a sister who struggles with mental health and has even attempted suicide in the past. I look at people who struggle with their mental health with love and understanding. I never judge anyone who’s going through a difficult time, especially a bad relationship. I always offer a helping hand and listen because sometimes that’s all someone needs, and it could even save a life.

I am a fan of Sabrina Carpenter because I love how girly and feminine she is. Her music has honestly made me more feminine. Her career has impacted me to be more outgoing, loving, and free! Her outfits from her previous tour were my absolute favorite, and they gave me a lot of inspiration to bring in more color and pop in my life. In addition to me and my friends, all love to listen to her. I was never a huge fan of pop music as I got older, and when I began to listen to her, she brought that love for pop music back. I honestly really like how creative she gets with her music videos and how they correlate with her lyrics in the songs. Some of the outfits that I bought for myself were inspirations of hers, such as the red checkerboard pants. I bought a pair for myself. I had gotten millions of compliments from other women. That’s how I knew that she was a huge inspiration to me in my life. Her music impacts all of us. The next time that she has her concert, I will be attending because I want to make sure that I can see her on stage in my lifetime.

My name is Shelby Stringer, I am a 21-year-old college student who is currently going to school for Engineering Tech for automation/robotics. My personal experience with robots is quite vague but I do love to build small prototypes that resemble machines now. My dad was my biggest inspiration growing up because he was able to build anything out of nothing. You could give him household items and he could create a masterpiece. He was also my role model because he is currently a computer engineer so talking to him about the stuff I learn from my robotics club or coding class was easy because he understood every single piece from it. My aspirations and goals in life are to finish getting my bachelor's degree and then obtain my master's. I have a hunger for knowledge and I want to advance it. I believe life is all about learning since we are humans who are constantly put in situations where we have to not only depend on each other but learn from the experiences that we each encounter. I aspire to be a black woman in the engineering field who represents us in a healthy and positive way. I know that we can very much do almost anything, not only for black women, but all women. We are often looked down on in this field since it is male-dominated. However, that does not mean we cannot make a change and expand our horizons to become a part of a community that should be filled with all types of humans that have the drive, determination, and brain power to change the world with new technology, inventions, roads, buildings, etc. I believe I deserve this scholarship because I not only want to be able to save money for books, classes, and material but to allow people to hear and read my story. The majority of us students apply for these scholarships to save and not pull out any loans from the bank and even though that is one of the reasons, it isn't the most important. It would be a cliche statement. My real reason for applying and believing that I deserve this scholarship is my desire for others or whoever is reading this to see what I have to say. I want them to put themselves in my shoes and feel my passion for building and programming new machines/robots that could help the world, not hurt it. I want them to see that I will use my education and contribute to the STEM, community by being a woman in the future to be a positive influence on others including young girls. I want to teach and show my future daughters that they can in fact do anything they want if they set their mind to it- even the hard stuff.

Ever since I was a child I had always had a dream of either becoming a fashion designer or an actress. Both are equally as great, I mean being in the limelight with millions of people knowing your name and face was an incredible feat! I wanted to have some fame. Some notoriety. I wanted to be a bright light in such a dim world. However, as I began to grow older I noticed how damaging fame could be to one person. Sure it was nice to have money, popularity, and a name but I wanted to do more for the world. One person who helped influence that, was my father. He was a musical kid himself growing up, but he then later became a computer engineer for big companies like Hewlett Packard, AT&T, T-Mobile, I mean the list goes on. I was near the end of my freshman year of college and I remember the community college I am currently attending now, had a robotics club. I had gone to my first meeting and that was when it hit. That was when I knew that being in the spotlight wasn't necessarily for me but working in the field of tech and innovation was. Even though fixing computers wasn't necessarily my dream either my dad was still already a huge impact enough, because he enjoyed the tech world and I did too. I remembered buying my first Arduino kit and going off to those robotics meetings, working with a bunch of other kids with brilliant minds all trying to study and understand the tesla car and its sensors. I want to pursue a degree in STEM because I have a true admiration for cars and robots. How we as humans can turn nothing into something from some metal scraps in a junkyard and get it from California to New York with little to no problems. I have a fascination with the outline and idea of a robot and how it can function with the help of a computer system. How it can interact with people and help them assess their daily needs. I think I can truly make some cool inventions in the future that can change the world and the people residing in it. Although the path to this kind of success in mechatronics and automation is very difficult I know that the main obstacle I will encounter and face in the STEM field will be the fact that I am a woman, and to put the cherry on the top of this sundae, a woman of color. This has always been a male-dominated field and the idea of any woman working side by side with any man can be quite intimidating to them. Regardless of the fact that I might get discriminated against because of the color of my skin and gender, I will still push through and help normalize this generation, that women can be just as great as men in whatever field they decide to work in. I'm going to be that kind of change in this world. That even though I am a woman of color, I can still be equally as great as the opposite sex in anything I do. Once that is completed, I will finally feel as if I have reached my dreams. Not just the dream of being an engineer but the dream of being the bright light that shines in a dim world.

I am pursuing a mechanical/electrical engineering degree in the automotive industry because I want to see more women of color like me working in this field. I have a love for cars in general from the engine to understanding the kinematics of how a vehicle can maneuver. I am fascinated with understanding how we as humans can build something from nothing and get it from Texas to California with little to no problems if done right. Besides, the admiration I have for Henry Ford and Karl Benz's designs and bright ideas, I truly want to see more young women like me working side by side with men but also not having the feeling and toxic mindset that we are the weaker link and not able to achieve as much as the opposite sex. Everyone in any workplace should feel equal, comfortable, and respected regardless of their background, age, race, or gender. Salaries and respect should not be changed because I am a woman working in a male-dominated field. Apart from more women working in this field, diversity is just as important as gender. People of different races should also feel comfortable in the workplace. Everyone in this world are unique in their own ways and deserves a chance to feel safe when they go to work. I enjoy being side by side with people I share similarities with because me and that individual or group of individuals can have a connection which results in a better work ethic and communication. However, I also admire working with people I am different from because I can learn more about them and find new and smart ways to connect and operate with them as well. Diversity is important because no one should feel left out or behind because they are different ethnically or racially. Making workplaces more diverse, makes the world feel more like a community to where everyone feels safe to work with one another as a team without being discriminated against or judged. Diversity is important because many people from everywhere have gifts and talents that are meant to be shared in this world to make a difference in the future, it would be a shame if companies turned someone down because of the color of their skin, their unique name, or the place that they come from. It's not right, it's not fair and at the end of the day, we all bleed the same.

My name is Shelby String and I am a 20-year-old sophomore at Collin County Community College. I have a passion and love for music which was what composed the majority of my childhood. I remembered it like yesterday when I was in my family's small baptist church in Shreveport, Louisiana. It was filled with beautiful singing voices from my aunts and instruments of all kinds sitting on the stage; gleaming in the lights. I also remembered seeing the huge smile on my aunt's face when she glided her fingers on the old and dented church piano as she sang away with the rest of the vocalists. I was in awe and begged my parents to let me play. Then at the tender age of 10, I discovered that I actually had a singing voice myself and knew from that day forward that music was truly a passion of mine. My father was also a musical influence of mine growing up because he would play his infamous trombone upstairs in our old home. During that time, it annoyed the heck out of me, begging him to stop as I was trying to watch tv, but as I grew older I truly appreciated it because it has made me do the same with my guitar as I play songs by Metallica and Jimi Hendrix at the loudest volume in my room. He even introduced me to musical legends such as Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, the Gap Band, etc. Besides my musical childhood, I also have a love for the automotive and engineering field. I love learning about car engines, the parts of a car, and how it maneuvers. I plan on making a positive impact by showing other women of color like myself that they can make it in a world where we aren't treated as equally as our male counterparts. Whether that be roles, salary, gender, etc. I am going to be in the STEM field that uplifts and shows other women that just because society sees us as the weaker link that does not mean we cannot achieve as much as a man can. I want to work with other women and hopefully, if I have daughters, teach them they are just as strong, smart, and one of a kind. That they can be successful and shine a bright light in a world that tries to dim it.

My name is Shelby Stringer, I am from Dallas, Texas and I am currently a sophomore at Collin County Community College. I want to further my education and transfer off to a 4-year university, later hoping to obtain my master's degree in Computer Science/Engineering. I want to further my education and finish attending college because my education is so very important to me. I struggled in school from 1st grade up until around 8th to 9th grade. I tried my hardest to comprehend and study but nothing really ever seemed to work. Eventually, I started tutoring and buckled down by working twice as hard as I usually do and that was when I noticed that my grades and confidence in my work started to change in a positive way. I ended up with straight As from sophomore year until graduation, resulting in multiple school acceptance and honors letters. After that, that was when I knew that college was for me and that if I put my mind to it then I would succeed. I accomplished so much in high school so why not continue it in college. Even though I am still finding my perfect position in the STEM field I want to make something of myself and make a change in this world with my desired major being Computer science/Engineering. I plan to make a positive impact in this world with my education by obtaining this degree and showing other women that you can rule in the STEM field or any field that they desire. I know that this career choice is mostly male-dominated so I plan to show young girls and women that they can be as equally as great. I strive to be a role model and an advocate to help and motivate other people in general whether that is male or female, to get their education so they can make an impact in this world and fill it with their ideas and creativity. I want to help convince young kids in their families who don't have any relatives that attended university to break the cycle and be the first one in their family to obtain an education and make a change.

My name is Shelby Stringer and I am a 19-year-old Sophomore at Collin County Community college in Dallas, Texas holding a dream and a huge amount of textbooks in my hand. I am attending this school to obtain my associate's degree then eventually transferring off to a university for my last 2 years, later hoping to attend a graduate school. I find everything in the STEM community amazing. From flying cars to robots that can dance and do the two-step. The STEM field is a broad and exciting path to creating new things that could make a great impact on our future. I am quite interested in the STEM field because it all starts with one of my role models- my father. I always looked up to my dad growing up because he was considered to be very smart and had a love for technology and that was something I had always dreamed of. He had decided to become a computer engineer when he had attended Louisiana Tech University and that's when I knew that I wanted to follow in his footsteps years later. However, in the beginning, for the longest time, I was dedicated to the medical field. It wasn't my dream, it was more of my mother's dream. I thought that was the field for me but instead I was unhappy because I knew working with patients for the rest of my life was not the life I wanted to live. In addition, I was also choosing to become either a doctor or a nurse. It was stressful and caused me to have multiple breakdowns. So one day, I decided to muster up the courage to face my truth and choose my real passion, the STEM community. For years, I had a love for math and science so that was when I started to dabble into robots, cars, coding, Arduino, etc. I even joined the robotics club at my school and eventually became a PR officer. I am interested in obtaining this degree because I love to think and solve problems for real-world situations and get creative so that's when I knew that the STEM field was perfect for me because it all fit into my criteria. I plan on making a positive impact in this world because I want to be a good influence on young girls and women. I want to let them know that even though this is a heavily male-dominated field, that does not mean we women cannot balance things out and make a change in this world as well. I also see myself as having a positive impact because I want to create and design robots for people with disabilities. For instance, robots to be an assistance to people with restrictions such as the deaf and blind. I knew that following in my father's footsteps was a great idea but most importantly taking the courage and stand to choose my happiness and to do something that I love that could positively affect someone's life and future.

My name is Shelby Stringer and I am a 19-year-old Sophomore at Collin County Community college in Dallas, Texas holding a dream and a huge amount of textbooks in my hand. I am attending this school to obtain my associate's degree then eventually transferring off to a university for my last 2 years, later hoping to attend a graduate school. I find everything in the STEM community amazing. From flying cars to robots that can dance and do the two-step. The STEM field is a broad and exciting path to creating new things for our future that could make a great impact. I am quite interested in the STEM field because it all starts with one of my role models- my father. I always looked up to my dad growing up because he was considered to be very smart and had a love for technology and that was something I had always dreamed of. He had decided to become a computer engineer when he had attended Louisiana Tech and that's when I knew that I wanted to follow in his footsteps years later. However, in the beginning, for the longest time, I was dedicated to the medical field. It wasn't my dream, it was more of my mother's dream. I thought that was the field for me but instead I was unhappy because I knew working with patients for the rest of my life was not my cup of tea. In addition, I was also choosing to become either a doctor or a nurse. It was stressful and causing me to have multiple breakdowns. So one day, I decided to muster up the courage to face my truth and choose my real passion and that was the STEM community. For years, I had a love for math and science so that was when I started to dabble into robots, cars, coding, Arduino, etc. I even joined the robotics club at my school and eventually became a PR officer. I am interested in obtaining this degree because I love to think and solve problems for real-world situations and to get creative so that's when I knew that the STEM field was perfect for me because it all fit into my criteria. I plan on making a positive impact in this world because I want to be a good influence on young girls and women. I want to let them know that even though this is a heavily male-dominated field, that does not mean we women cannot balance things out and make a change in this world as well. I also see myself as having a positive impact because I want to create and design robots for people with disabilities. For instance, robots to be an assistance to people with restrictions such as the deaf and blind. I knew that following in my father's footsteps was a great idea but most importantly taking the courage and stand to choose my happiness and to do something that I love that could positively affect someone's life and future.