My name is Simeon. I am active in my community, I make good grades, and I have been in many leadership positions, but that alone still wasn’t enough. My story may not be the most unique or memorable, but it’s who I am, and it’s a stepping stone to who I will become. I want to become more than just someone who is a good student, but someone who will be behind the chemicals used in our food, medicine, and the environment we live in today. To begin, picture it like this: you're at work, doing your job, making sure you and your patrons are safe while also ensuring they are following the rules set at my work facility, and then suddenly you hear “Shut up,” followed by a racially motivated slur, continued with a flurry of targeted discriminatory phrases toward both your character and your race. A rush of emotions hit me. Oh so vividly, I remember both anger and frustration filling my mind almost immediately. Questions arose that had me wondering, “Why me?” or “I was just doing my job.” But in that moment, I had to first calm down and then reevaluate the situation. Learning from my past experiences, I learned not to act out of my emotions. Instead, I navigated the interaction by kicking them out and, if needed, having staff/security escort them out in order to keep the situation strictly professional. I said all this to say that this experience, although unfortunate, is what motivated me to truly find what I want to do for the rest of my life, which is not constantly working in customer service. Additionally, I found that I can use my education to help give back to my community — the people in my family, my friends, and my church. To the very people that I love, I want them to have the access they need to the medication that can save their life. I'm surrounded by people who suffer from diabetes, including myself, and it hurts seeing people in that community lose their life because of it. So this is why I discovered my interest in chemical engineering. This is because I would be able to help those who need their medicine daily, especially the ones in my community. Chemical engineers are the ones that helped me not be bound by my illness but allowed me to thrive and receive the care I continue to need. Although I did not realize it, chemical engineers kept my life‑saving medicine in pharmacies, making sure that I and many others had resources available and safe for us to use. This allowed me to manage my disease without fear of putting my health at risk. Finally, I will create a future that fosters growth in others. My vision is simple: I want others, namely the ones in my community, to continue to have access to the resources that will allow them to grow and progress in their life. Through my coursework, learning more about chemistry, biology, and process engineering, I can finally learn how medications are created by using these newly found skills. I will ensure that the life‑saving medication that I use continues to help and support others.

I am someone who has always been driven by my curiosity and also my desire to help others, but I didn’t fully understand what that meant for my future until I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Managing my diabetes was a struggle for me, and at first I wasn’t sure what life would look like. With time, I was able to learn how to navigate my life by adjusting, making sure my levels were stable. Pursuing chemical engineering is my passion; this being heavily influenced by me being a type 2 diabetic. At first, I wasn't sure if I truly wanted to major in this but with research I discovered that chemical engineers develop the skills needed to bring meaningful change. I've learned that being a chemical engineer aligns with my want to help people. This contrasts with how little I actually understood about my food choices and how it truly affected my body. I didn't realize that a combination of both my eating habits and my genetics would cause me to develop type 2 diabetes. This reflects my desire to help others, not just those with diabetes but those with other chronic diseases. Discovering that chemical engineers play a huge role in our pharmaceutical companies and in the process of making new medical devices furthered my curiosity and desire to be the one who makes that change. Now, I'm sure this is a career I will thrive in because I know the work I do will impact those around me in a meaningful way. Having diabetes helped me overcome many challenges and setbacks that I’ve encountered. During my early years of being diagnosed with diabetes, I have learned important skills such as self control and discipline. Figuring out how much to eat, what to eat and discovering what foods increased my blood sugar helped me focus on the things I want in life, and ultimately led me to discover that I wanted to pursue this career. I can't say it was always easy for me, because throughout my journey I was met with highs and lows, literally. Handling endless corrections with my blood sugar and spikes with certain foods, I felt exhausted. It took me months to figure out a system, but with the help of my endocrinologist and at home support, I was able to achieve my goals. A meaningful change I would like to make is to further help those in the diabetic community. So that others will know that it’s possible to manage and thrive with this life changing condition. I’ve learned that by letting go of certain habits, little by little, can help reshape a life. When you identify the source of your illness, any restriction, no matter how small, is progress. My goal is to be the guide for those who are suffering with this disease while also creating and upgrading medical devices used for diabetes to ease their pain and symptoms. This ensures that those who are going through a similar journey as me can better manage and control their diabetes, so that they do not have to suffer the way I did.

Managing my diabetes was a struggle for me, and at first I wasn’t sure what life would look like. With time, I was able to learn how to navigate my life by adjusting, making sure my levels were stable. Pursuing chemical engineering is my passion; this being heavily influenced by me being a type 2 diabetic. At first, I wasn't sure if I truly wanted to major in this but with research I discovered that chemical engineers develop the skills needed to bring meaningful change. I've learned that being a chemical engineer aligns with my want to help people. This contrasts with how little I actually understood about my food choices and how it truly affected my body. I didn't realize that a combination of both my eating habits and my genetics would cause me to develop type 2 diabetes. This reflects my desire to help others, not just those with diabetes but those with other chronic diseases. Discovering that chemical engineers play a huge role in our pharmaceutical companies and in the process of making new medical devices furthered my curiosity and desire to be the one who makes that change. Now, I'm sure this is a career I will thrive in because I know the work I do will impact those around me in a meaningful way. Having diabetes helped me overcome many challenges and setbacks that I’ve encountered. During my early years of being diagnosed with diabetes, I have learned important skills such as self control and discipline. Figuring out how much to eat, what to eat and discovering what foods increased my blood sugar helped me focus on the things I want in life, and ultimately led me to discover that I wanted to pursue this career. I can't say it was always easy for me, because throughout my journey I was met with highs and lows, literally. Handling endless corrections with my blood sugar and spikes with certain foods, I felt exhausted. It took me months to figure out a system, but with the help of my endocrinologist and at home support, I was able to achieve success with managing my levels. A meaningful change I would like to make is to further help those in the diabetic community. So that others will know that it’s possible to manage and thrive with this life changing condition. I’ve learned that by letting go of certain habits, little by little, can help reshape a life. When you identify the source of your illness, any restriction, no matter how small, is progress. My goal is to be the guide for those who are suffering with this disease while also creating and upgrading medical devices used for diabetes to ease their pain and symptoms. This ensures that those who are going through a similar journey as me can better manage and control their diabetes, so that they do not have to suffer the way I did.

Managing my diabetes was a struggle for me, but it taught me how to apply discipline when changing my habits. Over time, this habit has shaped how I see the world and it taught me that with consistency I can achieve anything. That discipline is what drives me to work to grow my business, building my entrepreneurial mindset. Pursuing chemical engineering is my passion. This passion is heavily influenced by the growth I have gained while managing my diabetes. Discovering that chemical engineers develop an innovative mindset reflects my drive to become more than just a chemical engineer, but someone who constantly evolves. I've learned that being a chemical engineer also aligns with my want to help people. Learning how little I understood about my health pushed me to want to understand more and the science behind it. Drawing me to the conclusion that If I can't help myself, how can I help others? This drives me to continue my work to help others, while also taking steps to further my business. Juggling school, work and my social life it can be hard to find the time, but because of my health journey I'm able to manage. I have planned on continuing my entrepreneurial career using the skills I will develop as a chemical engineer. Like problem solving, critical thinking and making important decisions in stressful environments. These are important because it reflects values needed when pursuing your business adventure. Currently, I plan to start my crochet business back from scratch. Learning from my past mistakes allows me to navigate this new adventure paired with the future skills I will learn keeps me motivated. This is the reason, I know, I will be successful because sometimes you need to start over and reflect on what worked and what didn’t. Taking this approach will allow you to reshape your business and it pushes you to be better. This is why I believe I will succeed, because when you're able to sit back and reflect on what works and what doesn't allow you to constantly move forward in the right direction. Success, to me, is not always about monetary value but is shown by committing to the goals I have set for myself. Managing my diabetes taught me discipline and that is what pushed me to want to become a chemical engineer and entrepreneur. This is why funding is essential to helping me with my entrepreneurial goals by relieving my financial burden. So that I won’t have to stress over one more thing.

Managing my type 2 diabetes was a struggle for me, and at first I wasn’t sure what life would look like, but I held onto hope grounded in faith. With time, I was able to learn how to navigate my life by adjusting, making sure my levels were stable. Living with this condition created the space for me to discover who God wanted me to be. Pursuing chemical engineering is more than just a passion; it’s rooted in my experience living with diabetes, and the purpose God has for me. That journey shaped me into a leader, a problem solver and someone who is not afraid of a challenge. At first, I wasn't sure if I truly wanted to major in this but with research I discovered that chemical engineers develop the skills needed to bring meaningful change. I've learned that being a chemical engineer aligns with my want to help people. This contrasts with how little I actually understood about my food choices and how it truly affected my body. I didn't realize that a combination of both my eating habits and my genetics would cause me to develop type 2 diabetes. This reflects my desire to serve others the way I feel called to, not just those with diabetes but those with other chronic diseases. Discovering that chemical engineers play a huge role in our pharmaceutical companies and in the process of making new medical devices furthered my curiosity and desire to be the one who makes that change. Now, I'm sure this is a career I will thrive in because I know the work I do will impact those around me in a meaningful way. Having diabetes helped me overcome many challenges and setbacks that I’ve encountered. During my early years of being diagnosed with diabetes, I have learned important skills such as self control and discipline. Figuring out how much to eat, what to eat and discovering what foods increased my blood sugar helped me focus on the things I want in life, and ultimately led me to discover that I wanted to pursue this career. I can't say it was always easy for me, because throughout my journey I was met with highs and lows, literally. Handling endless corrections with my blood sugar and spikes with certain foods, I felt exhausted, but I held onto hope. It took me months to figure out a system, but with the help of my endocrinologist and my family. I was able to achieve my goals through perseverance and God’s grace. These experiences shaped me into someone who strives to live with resilience, patience and grace. A meaningful change I would like to make is to further help those in the diabetic community. So that others will know that it’s possible to manage and thrive with this life changing condition. I’ve learned that by letting go of certain habits, little by little, can help reshape a life. When you identify the source of your illness, any restriction, no matter how small, is progress. My goal is to be the guide for those who are suffering with this disease while also creating and upgrading medical devices used for diabetes to ease their pain and symptoms. This ensures that those who are going through a similar journey as me can better manage and control their diabetes, so that they do not have to suffer the way I did. My journey with diabetes has defined my character, deepened my faith, and inspired my goals, and it will drive the impact I hope to make as a chemical engineer.