My perspective on education transformed at the beginning of high school when I taught English to a fifth-grade class at a local government school in Vadodara, India. They had just a handful of old textbooks and two outdated computers that the school of over 500 students shared. I remember feeling shocked when I learned that many of them did not know how to spell their last names. I developed original lesson plans and tests that taught the alphabet, spelling and grammar, and daily vocabulary, tutoring each student, as necessary. Prior to this experience, I had taken for granted how education had shaped me as a student and a thinker. Realizing how blessed I was growing up with access to quality primary schooling, advanced technology, and materials to supplement my education, I decided to always impart the knowledge that I gained to help others. I plan to major in neuroscience. My grandfather died just three months after his Stage IV Glioblastoma diagnosis during my junior year of high school, and my grandmother has had Progressive Supranuclear Palsy since I was in elementary school. Seeing how their conditions have impacted them over time has fueled my desire to better understand these diseases and how they materialize. I am currently working on my senior capstone project mentored by Dr. John McDonough at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense. This project will evaluate the nerve agent intoxication sign mitigation abilities of two oximes, MINA and SwRI-80, following organophosphorus nerve agent exposure in ES1KO and KIKO mice. Nerve agents are an increasing threat in chemical warfare. The results of this research will play a critical role in determining nerve agent therapies since such treatments could serve as protection in the case of a widespread military or civilian attack. My grandparents were not exposed to chemical weapons, but the cognitive impact of their diseases is not totally dissimilar to such weapons. I aim to work towards finding effective treatments and cures for such diseases. It would have made a huge impact on my family, and I know there are many others across the country and the globe that can benefit from this type of research. I aspire to one day open my own lab for research. Earning a neuroscience degree will significantly solidify the next layer of my education, allowing me to develop into the person and scientist I want to become.

Although I do not remember much of my childhood, memories of me playing chess with my dad are some of the few crystallized moments in time that will forever be engrained into my mind. Chess had always been his favorite activity growing up, and he wanted to share his passion for the board game with me. I was only six years old when I played my first game, and I didn't understand the appeal. The seemingly unextraordinary game, played with chiseled wood pieces of differing sizes and extensive rules, was lost on me. My dad would start out by letting me win, and even at six years old, I was extremely competitive and wanted to beat him. However, I caught on that he was going easy on me, and immediately shifted gears. I became determined to win on my own accord, no matter how long that would take. I practiced playing chess on my own, using websites that let you play against a computer. I slowly built my skillset, and as I kept winning, my confidence grew. After a few years, I challenged my dad to another match. I remember feeling the anticipation rise as I moved my bishop three spaces diagonally, only to feel defeated when I realized that I had left my King unprotected. Upset that I had lost, I got up to leave, but not before my dad told me that he was proud of me. More importantly, he said that he didn't let me win this time. Chess has taught me resilience. No matter what circumstances get thrown at you, you need to be able to adapt and continue on with your plan. With every setback, you gain more knowledge and you learn from your mistakes, which is more valuable than never stepping outside your comfort zone in the first place. I also learned that there is wisdom in thinking ahead. In chess, it is not enough to simply think about your next move; you must instead think two or three moves ahead since you have to plan out your line of attack. I have learned that the same applies in life. It is not enough to think about your short-term goals. You must also start making long-term goals and investments that will benefit you in the future. I plan to major in neuroscience. My grandfather died just three months after his Stage IV Glioblastoma diagnosis during my junior year of high school, and my grandmother has had Progressive Supranuclear Palsy since I was in elementary school. Seeing how their conditions have impacted them over time has fueled my desire to better understand these diseases and how they materialize. I am currently working on my senior capstone project mentored by Dr. John McDonough at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense. This project will evaluate the nerve agent intoxication sign mitigation abilities of two oximes, MINA and SwRI-80, following organophosphorus nerve agent exposure in ES1KO and KIKO mice. Nerve agents are an increasing threat in chemical warfare. The results of this research will play a critical role in determining nerve agent therapies since such treatments could serve as protection in the case of a widespread military or civilian attack. My grandparents were not exposed to chemical weapons, but the cognitive impact of their diseases is not totally dissimilar to such weapons. I aim to work towards finding effective treatments and cures for such diseases. It would have made a huge impact on my family, and I know there are many others across the country and the globe that can benefit from this type of research. I aspire to one day open my own lab for research. Earning a neuroscience degree will significantly solidify the next layer of my education, allowing me to develop into the person and scientist I want to become. The lessons I have learned from chess have helped shape my desires in my career. The search for oximes that can effectively treat nerve agent intoxication has been going on for decades. When new data is discovered, scientists must adapt and alter their methods in their experiments to accommodate the new findings. More often than not, the results of these studies show that the oximes are not effective in treating nerve agent intoxication, meaning scientists face insignificant results frequently. This takes a lot of drive and persistence since it is not easy to constantly be met with insignificant results and still keep going. Even with my current capstone project, I have pushed through and have learned to adapt to the new data processes. I have also learned to think two to three steps ahead - it is not enough to simply perform the experiment. One must also consider the application that the results will have, as well as what further research will need to be done following the conclusion of the exam. I played my dad in chess last weekend. We make it a habit to play at least once a week, just to keep the competitive spirit alive. I am able to beat him all on my own now, each victory reminding me of all the lessons I have learned from this extraordinary game using extensive rules and chiseled pieces of wood of differing sizes.

Since I was seven years old, I loved reading with a fiery passion. I would spend all my free time with my nose in a book, my eyes carefully analyzing, taking in the beauty and complexity of each individual word of the text. I would have visions of the events in my books, and later even had visions of scenarios I would create all on my own. Often, these visions and ideas would come to me in dreams. I would wake up and quickly write down as much as I could remember of my dreams, as I wanted to grasp onto every moment and keep them from crumbling away from my memory. In second grade, I started writing little snippets of the words and phrases that materialized in my brain when I visualized these scenarios, and in third grade, I started fitting them together, like pieces of a puzzle, into coherent sentences. Then, in third grade, I started writing short stories with chapters and rough sketches, and themes. Writing had become an alternate universe for me to escape to, all in my mind. Towards the end of my junior year in high school, when COVID-19 placed everyone on lockdown and no one was leaving their house, I began having vivid dreams about different scenarios just like when I was in elementary school. Sometime in early-April of 2020, I woke up at 4 AM and feverishly wrote down every single idea that came to my mind in a notebook. I spent the next couple of days organizing through my ideas and rearranging them to form a plot. I have been writing a novel based on these ideas since last April. The plot of my novel revolves around two girls that the audience later finds out are related. One girl struggles with finding herself and embarks on a mission to track down her birth mother who abandoned her as a baby. The other girl struggles with mental health and has a group of friends that allow me to touch on different important issues such as drug addiction, death of family members and the grieving process, abusive relationships, family dysfunction, and more. My goal is to finish this novel and hopefully have it published before I start college this fall. I believe that in today’s media, there is an epidemic of misinformation. Mental health disorders are written off as overreactions and are simultaneously romanticized since people think there is fun in struggling with their mental wellbeing every single day. Abusive relationships are either ignored since people believe what goes on in someone else’s family is “their business,” or the blame is placed on the victim rather than the abuser. Those that struggle with drug addiction are seen as broken, dirty, and less of a human. Additionally, drugs such as vapes, alcohol, and marijuana are becoming more appealing to children, even as young as elementary schoolers, through their peers and the media. I am writing about each of these issues from an honest viewpoint, and have even found comfort in writing about these topics, as many of them have stemmed from my own life. I have had friends and family members struggle with drug addiction, I have lost loved ones, and I have struggled with mental health for most of my life. However, I am extremely careful to ensure that I am not incorporating a single line of misinformation in my writing. I believe there needs to be more accurate information about a wide variety of issues circling in the media since misinformation spreads like wildfire and is one of the most damaging factors that is contributing to the chaos of our society today. Additionally, I wanted there to be another positive voice for youth all around the globe. There is a lot of toxic positivity circulating, meaning there are those who believe the key to happiness is to force yourself to think positively and be happy all the time. I believe that this does more harm than good since it does not allow the person to properly process their thoughts and emotions during any given event. Through this book, I want other youth to be able to think that no matter how bad things seem at the moment, they will get better, and happiness can be achieved, but it is important to feel all of the negative emotions as well since that is in the end, what makes us all human.

My earliest memory of my childhood is a rather upsetting one. I was in preschool, only four years old, and I was playing on the playground during recess. At the time, my imagination was running wild, and my favorite games to play were those that involved a make-believe scenario. On this specific day, we were supposed to be setting up a pretend ice-cream shop. I was excited to play with the other girls in my class until I made my way to the designated secret play spot under the slide and found everyone already playing without me. I was confused. Had I done something wrong? My four-year-old self searched her brain for anything that had gone wrong earlier in the day, maybe something she had said or done that made the other girls dislike her or not want to play with her. She was always nice to everyone, so what happened? My four-year-old self slowly walked up to the other girls and asked if she could play with them. One of the girls scrunched up her face. Another looked at her other friends and giggled. A third looked at the floor and did not say anything. "Sorry", one of the girls said, "but we don't want to play with you." The girl who had giggled earlier said, "It's because your skin is different. It's darker. It's weird." Four-year-old Shraddha was confused. She had never noticed anything strikingly different about her skin compared to everyone else's. It was all the same color, just different shades, right? The girl who giggled held her arm out, motioning for four-year-old Shraddha to do the same. She did. To Shraddha, the arms looked almost the same. But to everyone else, it was different. It was weird. As I have grown up in a predominately white-area all my life, I have noticed that although I see everyone as equal, not everyone sees me the same way. Throughout elementary and middle school, kids made fun of me at school for my "weird-smelling" food. I started to throw away my mom's homemade Subji and Paratha and go hungry during lunch since I became too self-conscious to eat my food and admit that I liked it. In middle school, I would never wear shorts or short-sleeved shirts, since girls and boys both would laugh that I had too much hair on my arms and legs and would constantly ask why I didn't shave them. I never thought that shaving would be of so much importance to kids who were twelve and thirteen. I begged my mom to stop oiling my hair, a common practice to maintain hair growth and health in India, since no one would want to be near me since my hair was "smelly." It wasn't until my sophomore year of high school where I truly stopped trying to hide parts of me that made me Indian. On the other hand, I was constantly under inspection with my Indian relatives. Aunties would comment that I had both lost too much weight and had gained too much weight in the same sentence. My uncles would talk about how I did not know Hindi or Gujarati anymore because I spent too much time around English-speaking kids. I felt that I was always too Indian around Americans, and too American around Indians. My grandparents taught me Hindi and Gujarati as a child, but as I aged, I started losing vocabulary in both languages, making holding steady conversations with relatives in India a struggle. I feared losing touch with my culture, but I reassured myself through Bharatanatyam, the oldest form of classical Indian dance, that I was not any less Indian growing up in the United States. I started learning Bharatanatyam when I was five, connecting with and gaining a deeper appreciation for my heritage while learning life skills: time management, persistence, and discipline. For the past twelve years, I have practiced and mastered facial expressions, intricate poses, and hand gestures that tell stories of Hindu deities and the complexities of life. My Arangetram, the debut performance that signifies the end of my training, was supposed to be held in the summer of 2020 but was postponed due to COVID-19. I have reached out to my friends and asked them to attend. Both my Indian and American friends were ecstatic and assured me that they would be there. My American friends excitedly asked if they could borrow some of my traditional Indian clothing for the event. I have found that Bharatanatyam has helped me maintain a balance between my Indian and American identities. I have learned that I do not have to choose between being Indian and being American, since I am proudly both. Instead of rejecting my culture and parts of myself, I fully embrace them, and I have surrounded myself with people who would never make me feel like I am lesser. My confidence has strengthened, and I am no longer the timid girl who was devastated on her preschool playground. I have grown and seen that the best ice-cream shop is where everyone has a welcoming seat at the table.

Prior to school closures, I was extremely overwhelmed, juggling seven honors/AP classes, band, AP exam studying, and involvement in ten clubs/honor societies. I was relieved during the initial quarantine, hoping to rest and calmly complete my work. However, the lack of social interaction and daily structure led to a period of disorder and plummeting mental health. I found myself staying in bed for days at a time, only getting up periodically to stretch my legs. My eating schedule became irregular; on some days I would eat three meals and on others, I would not eat at all. It took me four to five months to completely get myself back on track, and have learned that although it may not always seem like it, I am strong and I am capable. I have the power to completely change my life for the better. I resumed my work and decided to expand my skills, keeping myself occupied. I successfully completed a nine-week internship with the Baltimore County Department of Health, developing a weekly staff newsletter tracking the department’s handling of COVID-19, and a calendar tracking the testing done by location. The previous summer, I completed a six-week internship with them, creating an original monthly newsletter for the department and an educational display about public health and hygiene. I also aided in creating an informational brochure about Lyme disease and measles and assisted in organizing vaccination data/records, presenting my work to my supervisors each summer. Additionally, I took a public speaking course with Sophia Learning at Capella University, ending with a 94% average. I became an Ambassador of Words of Thanks, a nonprofit dedicated to sending letters of support to courageous healthcare workers across the country. I was humbled and saddened to learn that over 1,000 US healthcare workers treating COVID-19 patients have died since the pandemic’s onset. I am extremely thankful that none of my family members have passed away from COVID-19, and that the few relatives that had contracted the virus have since then recovered. I have friends who have lost family members, including grandparents, parents, and even siblings, and being there to support them has made me realize how important the people in our lives are. We are human beings made up of memories and experiences and bonds, and those bonds give life meaning. Humans are naturally social creatures, so we will go on about our busy days and try to do many things at once, and we often overlook the little things in life, such as completing a crossword puzzle with your grandparents or watching a show with your siblings or eating breakfast with your parents. I intend to go about life with a more purposeful approach since I know nothing is guaranteed and anything can be taken away in an instant. The class of 2021 has had their entire senior year ripped from them. I, like many others in my grade, have worked extremely hard during the first three years of high school, letting all the more "fun" activities take the back seat. We were all under the impression that we would be able to go all out during senior year, and now that probably will not happen. However, I refuse to be miserable during the year of high school that is supposed to be the most fun. I have connected with old friends over FaceTime and have rekindled our friendships. I have weekly movie nights with my friends using applications like Netflix Party and Zoom. I have started playing chess with my dad again since we both used to love playing it when I was in elementary school. I bake with my sister, our fridge filling up with brownies and pastries and banana bread. I call my cousins and grandparents weekly and we try to get outside as much as possible. My senior year is unconventional, and COVID-19 has completely changed what I had planned, but I know that the lessons that I have learned over quarantine have shaped me. I am a completely different person than I was back in March of 2020. And to me, that is a major accomplishment.

My perspective on education transformed at the beginning of high school when I taught English to a fifth-grade class at a local government school in Vadodara, India. There were only two outdated desktop computers for the entire school of over 500 students, and their textbooks were falling apart. I developed original lesson plans and tests that taught the alphabet, spelling and grammar, and daily vocabulary, making sure to spend time tutoring each student, as necessary. Realizing how blessed I was growing up with access to quality primary schooling and materials to supplement my education, I decided to always impart the knowledge that I gained to help others. Prior to this experience, I had taken for granted how much education had shaped me as a person, student, and thinker. School was always easy for me, and I rarely thought about how lucky I was to have access to quality reading materials and the latest technology. Since this experience, I have considered knowledge to be sacred. It has immeasurable potential, and I feel a strong desire to be in such a place where knowledge is abundant and there are no limits as to what one can learn. Since I taught in that classroom, I have gone from seeing education as just another item to cross off my to-do list to looking forward to my classes and finding ways to apply what I learn to my life. I now aspire to learn as much as possible, since I realize that education is a blessing that allows me to improve the lives of others. I plan to major in neuroscience. My grandfather died just three months after his Stage IV Glioblastoma diagnosis during my junior year of high school, and my grandmother has had Progressive Supranuclear Palsy since I was in elementary school. Seeing how their conditions have impacted them over time has fueled my desire to better understand these diseases and how they materialize. I am currently working on my senior capstone project mentored by Dr. John McDonough at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense. This project evaluates the nerve agent intoxication sign mitigation abilities of two oximes following organophosphorus nerve agent exposure in ES1KO and KIKO mice. Nerve agents are an increasing threat in chemical warfare. This research plays a critical role in determining nerve agent therapies since such treatments could serve as protection in the case of a widespread military or civilian attack. My grandparents were not exposed to chemical weapons, but the cognitive impact of their diseases is not totally dissimilar to such weapons. I aim to work towards finding effective treatments and cures for such diseases. It would have made a huge impact on my family, and I know there are many others across the country and the globe that can benefit from this type of research. Earning a degree in neuroscience with significantly solidify the next layer of my education and will allow me to develop into the person and scientist I want to become.

My perspective on education transformed at the beginning of high school when I taught English to a fifth-grade class at a local government school in Vadodara, India. There were only two outdated desktop computers that the entire school of over 500 students shared, and they only had a handful of textbooks that were falling apart a. I remember feeling shocked when I was teaching the students to write their names and I learned that many of them did not know their last names, let alone how to spell them. I developed original lesson plans and tests that taught the alphabet, spelling and grammar, and daily vocabulary, making sure to spend time tutoring each student, as necessary. Realizing how blessed I was growing up with access to quality primary schooling and materials to supplement my education, I decided to always impart the knowledge that I gained to help others. Prior to this experience, I had taken for granted how much education had shaped me as a person, student, and thinker. School was always easy for me, and I rarely thought about how lucky I was to have access to quality reading materials and the latest technology. Since this experience, I have considered knowledge to be sacred. It has immeasurable potential, and I feel a strong desire to be in such a place where knowledge is abundant and there are no limits as to what one can learn. Since I taught in that fifth-grade classroom, I have gone from seeing education as just another item to cross off my to-do list to looking forward to my classes and finding ways to apply what I learn to my life. I now aspire to learn as much as I can, since I realize that education is a blessing that allows me to improve the lives of others. I plan to major in neuroscience. My grandfather died just three months after his Stage IV Glioblastoma diagnosis during my junior year of high school, and my grandmother has had Progressive Supranuclear Palsy since I was in elementary school. Seeing how their conditions have impacted them over time has fueled my desire to better understand these diseases and how they materialize. I am currently working on my senior capstone project mentored by Dr. John McDonough at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense. This project will evaluate the nerve agent intoxication sign mitigation abilities of two oximes following organophosphorus nerve agent exposure in ES1KO and KIKO mice. Nerve agents are an increasing threat in chemical warfare. This research will play a critical role in determining nerve agent therapies since such treatments could serve as protection in the case of a widespread military or civilian attack. My grandparents were not exposed to chemical weapons, but the cognitive impact of their diseases is not totally dissimilar to such weapons. I aim to work towards finding effective treatments and cures for such diseases. It would have made a huge impact on my family, and I know there are many others across the country and the globe that can benefit from this type of research. Earning a degree in neuroscience with significantly solidify the next layer of my education and will allow me to develop into the person and scientist I want to become. I do not wish to be remembered for who I was, but I wish to be remembered for what I did to help those around me. Since my teaching experience in India, I have signed up for various tutoring and mentoring programs in my school and community, and even online, to share my knowledge with others and aid them in reaching the skill level in English, math, or science, that they desire. I have helped students raise their grades from Ds to consistent As and have worked with students to become adjusted to their difficult classes, especially during the COVID-19 crisis and with schools being virtual. I believe that education is the driving force towards success. There is no replacement for quality education, and it shapes how one’s brain processes information and functions in the future. Between working towards a neuroscience degree focusing on toxicology and imparting my knowledge to others through mentoring and tutoring, I believe that I am doing my part to make the world a better place.

I plan to major in neuroscience. My grandfather died just three months after his Stage IV Glioblastoma diagnosis during my junior year of high school, and my grandmother has had Progressive Supranuclear Palsy since I was in elementary school. Seeing how their conditions have impacted them over time has fueled my desire to better understand these diseases and how they materialize. I am currently working on my senior capstone project mentored by Dr. John McDonough at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense. This project will evaluate the nerve agent intoxication sign mitigation abilities of two oximes following organophosphorus nerve agent exposure in ES1KO and KIKO mice. Nerve agents are an increasing threat in chemical warfare. This research will play a critical role in determining nerve agent therapies since such treatments could serve as protection in the case of a widespread military or civilian attack. My grandparents were not exposed to chemical weapons, but the cognitive impact of their diseases is not totally dissimilar to such weapons. I aim to work towards finding effective treatments and cures for such diseases. It would have made a huge impact on my family, and I know there are many others across the country and the globe that can benefit from this type of research. I would use this grant for my college fees and projects. I plan to not only go into neuroscience but also become a research scientist. I aspire to have a continuation of my senior capstone project throughout college, and maybe even expand my research base and explore different groundbreaking technologies that have advanced neuroscience research. In the world we live in, technology is evolving at rapid paces. Being able to design and build machines and other tools is essential, especially if we as a planet are to enhance and upgrade our knowledge base in the medical field. It is my goal to one day establish my own research laboratory and work to progress research in the neuroscience field, specifically to treat neurodegenerative diseases. This grant would help give me an advantage since money is most often the main constraint in achieving such groundbreaking goals.

My perspective on education transformed at the beginning of high school when I taught English to a fifth-grade class at a local government school in Vadodara, India. The school was a place of education for children in the local area that would otherwise not be sent to school or receive an education at all. There was no English department at this school, so these children would not have otherwise learned English. There are many languages spoken in India, as each state has its own language. However, English is the primary language for business, and many children at this particular school expressed interest in starting some sort of business when they are older, especially since they were from a generally low-income area. There were only two outdated desktop computers that the entire school of over 500 students shared, and they only had a handful of textbooks that were falling apart at the seams. I remember feeling shocked when I was teaching the students to write their names and I learned that many of them did not know their last names, let alone how to spell them. I developed original lesson plans and tests that taught the alphabet, spelling and grammar, and daily vocabulary, making sure to spend time tutoring each student, as necessary. Realizing how blessed I was growing up with access to quality primary schooling and materials to supplement my education, I decided to always impart the knowledge that I gained to help others. Prior to this experience, I had taken for granted how much education had shaped me as a person, student, and thinker. School was always easy for me, and I rarely thought about how lucky I was to have access to quality reading materials and the latest technology. Since this experience, I have considered knowledge to be sacred. It has immeasurable potential, and I feel a strong desire to be in such a place where knowledge is abundant and there are no limits as to what one can learn. Since I taught in that fifth-grade classroom, I have gone from seeing education as just another item to cross off my to-do list to looking forward to my classes and finding ways to apply what I learn to my life. I now aspire to learn as much as I can, since I realize that education is a blessing that allows me to improve the lives of others. I plan to major in neuroscience. My grandfather died just three months after his Stage IV Glioblastoma diagnosis during my junior year of high school, and my grandmother has had Progressive Supranuclear Palsy since I was in elementary school. Seeing how their conditions have impacted them over time has fueled my desire to better understand these diseases and how they materialize. I am currently working on my senior capstone project mentored by Dr. John McDonough at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense. This project will evaluate the nerve agent intoxication sign mitigation abilities of two oximes following organophosphorus nerve agent exposure in ES1KO and KIKO mice. Nerve agents are an increasing threat in chemical warfare. This research will play a critical role in determining nerve agent therapies since such treatments could serve as protection in the case of a widespread military or civilian attack. My grandparents were not exposed to chemical weapons, but the cognitive impact of their diseases is not totally dissimilar to such weapons. I aim to work towards finding effective treatments and cures for such diseases. It would have made a huge impact on my family, and I know there are many others across the country and the globe that can benefit from this type of research. Teaching in India was an extraordinary experience that forever changed how I value knowledge. I aspire to combine my passions for neuroscience and philanthropy in order to improve the lives of others, significantly solidifying the next layer of my education and allowing me to develop into the person and scientist I want to become.

My perspective on education transformed in the beginning of high school when I taught English to a fifth-grade class at a local government school in Vadodara, India. There were only two outdated desktop computers that the entire school of over 500 students shared, and they only had a handful of textbooks that were falling apart. I remember feeling shocked when I was teaching the students to write their names and I learned that many of them did not know their last names, let alone how to spell them. I developed original lesson plans and tests that taught the alphabet, spelling and grammar, and daily vocabulary, making sure to spend time tutoring each student, as necessary. Realizing how blessed I was growing up with access to quality primary schooling and materials to supplement my education, I decided to always impart the knowledge that I gained to help others. Prior to this experience, I had taken for granted how much education had shaped me both as a person and a thinker. School was always easy for me, and I rarely thought about how lucky I was to have access to quality reading materials and the latest technology. Since this experience, I have considered knowledge to be sacred. It has immeasurable potential, and I feel a strong desire to be in such a place where knowledge is abundant and there are no limits as to what one can learn. Since I taught in that fifth-grade classroom, I have gone from seeing education as just another item to cross off my to-do list to looking forward to my classes and finding ways to apply what I learn to my life. I now aspire to learn as much as I can, since I realize that education is a blessing that allows me to improve the lives of others. I plan to major in neuroscience. My grandfather died just three months after his Stage IV Glioblastoma diagnosis last year, and my grandmother has had Progressive Supranuclear Palsy since I was in elementary school. Seeing how their conditions have impacted them over time has fueled my desire to better understand these diseases. I am currently working on my senior capstone project mentored by Dr. John McDonough at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense. This project will evaluate the nerve agent intoxication sign mitigation abilities of two oximes following organophosphorus nerve agent exposure in ES1KO and KIKO mice. Nerve agents are an increasing threat in chemical warfare. This research will play a critical role in determining nerve agent therapies, since such treatments could serve as protection in the case of a widespread military or civilian attack. My grandparents were not exposed to chemical weapons, but the cognitive impact of their diseases is not totally dissimilar to such weapons. I aim to work towards finding effective treatments and cures for such diseases. Continuing my education will allow me to develop into the person and scientist I want to become.

As a female Indian American student in the Science and Mathematics Academy, I have seen firsthand the challenges of pursuing higher education in a heavily male-dominated field. My experiences in STEM and the scientist I want to become is reflected by Dr. Lydia Villa-Komaroff. A role model to myself and millions of other girls, she is a molecular biologist who switched her major from chemistry to biology after an advisor told her that women did not belong in chemistry. She faced difficulties due to being a Mexican American, and there were not many role models for her that were not Caucasian men. Her most notable discovery was that there were bacteria that could be engineered to produce human insulin, a significant medical breakthrough. Both my maternal grandfather and paternal grandmother have had or currently have neurodegenerative diseases. My grandfather died last December, three months after his Stage IV Glioblastoma diagnosis, his brain tumor the size of a grapefruit. He was gone before I even had a chance to fully process his diagnosis. My paternal grandmother has had Progressive Supranuclear Palsy since I was in elementary school, and I have seen her condition deteriorate firsthand as my grandparents live with us. She spent over eighteen years working in a factory where she was exposed to toxic chemicals, so it is possible that exposure contributed to her diagnosis. Neither of these vicious disorders have cures, and there are very few treatments that have been effective. Since my grandmother was diagnosed, I became determined to understand the complexities of the brain and how these diseases can manifest and spread. I want to work towards finding treatments and cures for such neurological diseases, and better understand how and why such diseases materialize. I am currently working on a neuroscience research project. I am being mentored by Dr. John McDonough at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense (USAMRICD) for my senior research capstone project. This toxicology project will evaluate the effectiveness of two oximes in mitigating signs of nerve agent intoxication following exposure to organophosphorus nerve agents: sarin, cyclosarin, or VX in ES1KO and KIKO mice. The mice are given a dose of one of three nerve agents and are rated for toxic signs and given one of two oximes 15 minutes later. The mice are then given a second toxic sign score after another 45 minutes, and the statistical differences are analyzed. This research plays a critical role in determining nerve agent therapies, which is growing in importance as nerve agents become an increasing threat in chemical warfare. Such treatments could serve as protection in the case of a widespread military or civilian attack. Although my grandparents were not exposed to chemical weapons, the cognitive impact of their diseases are not totally dissimilar from such weapons. Studying neuroscience, with Dr. Lydia Villa-Komaroff as my role model, will significantly solidify the next layer of my education and help me to develop into the person and scientist I want to become.

My role model is my paternal grandmother. She lived in India and moved to the United States with my grandfather and dad in 1972 so that her family could have a better life. She worked full time in a textile factory and then came home to cook dinner for over twelve people (their family sponsored relatives who were immigrating from India). She would also take care of my dad and later my aunt, all in the same day. She loved singing and had her own side business for that in India. She worked in the textile factory for over eighteen years, so it is possible that excessive exposure to those toxic chemicals in little protection could have contributed to her condition today. My grandmother was diagnosed with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy when I was in elementary school, so I only have a few memories of her before her condition worsened: her smiling and rolling her eyes sarcastically as my brother danced on the kitchen table; her scolding me for putting stickers on my freshly-painted walls; us walking around our neighborhood. I often find myself trying to recall a time when she was able to talk and laugh with me outside of those crystallized moments in time, only to find that I cannot remember. This vicious disorder does not have a cure, and there are very few treatments, if any, that have been effective. Since my grandmother was diagnosed, I became determined to understand the complexities of the brain and how these diseases can manifest and spread. I want to study neuroscience and go into a field that will allow me to work towards finding treatments and cures for such neurological diseases, and better understand how and why such diseases materialize. To get a head start on my career goals, I am currently working on a neuroscience research project. I am being mentored by Dr. John McDonough at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense (USAMRICD) for my senior research capstone project. This toxicology project will evaluate the effectiveness of two oximes in mitigating signs of nerve agent intoxication following exposure to organophosphorus nerve agents: sarin, cyclosarin, or VX in ES1KO and KIKO mice. The mice are given a dose of one of three nerve agents and are rated for toxic signs and given one of two oximes 15 minutes later. The mice are then given a second toxic sign score after another 45 minutes, and the statistical differences are analyzed. This research plays a critical role in determining nerve agent therapies, which is growing in importance as nerve agents become an increasing threat in chemical warfare. Such treatments could serve as protection in the case of a widespread military or civilian attack. Although my grandmother was not exposed to chemical weapons, the cognitive impact of her disease is not totally dissimilar from such weapons. I want to continue her legacy by being as caring, determined, and hardworking as I can possibly be. Studying neuroscience, specifically molecular and cognitive neuroscience, will significantly solidify the next layer of my education and help me to develop into the person and scientist I want to become.

I have been studying Bharatanatyam, the oldest form of Indian Classical Dance, since I was 5 years old. This is a very expressive and intricate dance form that is indigenous to Tamil Nadu. Studying this dance has given me a new appreciation for the art form, and I have practiced tirelessly, both in and out of formal rehearsals, to perfect hand gestures, facial expressions, and difficult poses. My arangetram, which is the debut performance that signifies the end of my training, was going to be held this summer but has been pushed to next year due to COVID-19.