As a child, I was often caught trying to take apart my toys. I was just so fascinated and infatuated with learning how things worked. It was definitely not my parent's intention when they gifted me those toys, but they understood my interest. They began to purchase me STEM related toys and circuit sets, which helped my interests flourish. I spent hours building my own games, circuits, and other projects. Although I've outgrown the toys over the years, I still had this innate interest in how things worked. Eventually, this led me to realize my passion for engineering. Throughout my middle school years, I dove deeper into engineering research and stumbled upon biomedical engineering. I fell in love with this subject and the idea of being able to improve people's quality of life through biomedical engineering. Growing up with multiple family members with health conditions gave me a strong sense of respect for all aspects of the medical field. I was always interested in the medical field, but I really wanted to pursue engineering. As I took a closer look into biomedical engineering, I realized how well engineering and the medical field work together. Many medical devices are designed and produced by biomedical engineers. I was amazed by the developments biomedical engineers were making in the medical field, and I felt inspired at large. Biomedical engineering is changing the world in ways I could have never imagined. Artificial organs are one aspect I was very interested in. I thought it was crazy that we are working towards something so important as organs being man-made. Artificial organs would be able to save so many people's lives, all thanks to biomedical engineering. This research also sparked my interest in prosthetics. I loved the fact that I would be able to build something that could genuinely change someone's life, and alter the trajectory of it for the better. Nothing could replace the feeling of knowing you have helped someone tremendously. I want to be able to make people's lives better firsthand through biomedical engineering. As I worked toward my goal of becoming a biomedical engineer I have taken several engineering courses in high school. The courses consisted of hands on learning such as building trebuchets, robots, model cars, and even my own designs. One of my favorite tasks was completing the robot kits provided by the engineering teacher. I was able to build them pretty quickly and help others build theirs. I have become extremely familiar with CAD having numerous Onshape assignments learning how to use several different tools and CAD techniques. My school offered an engineering internship at Lawrence Technological University which I was selected for. At this internship I learned wiring and coding for microcontrollers. We did several projects with Arduinos and exploring each part of Arduinos and how they work. We also learned about the importance of resistors in a circuit. We were also taught how to solder with a soldering iron. we learned 6 different types of solders and even soldered our own projects which consisted of led lights buttons and resistors. I attended this internship twice a week and I'm so glad I was able to be apart of the class.

As a child, I was often caught trying to take apart my toys. I was just so fascinated and infatuated with learning how things worked. It was definitely not my parent's intention when they gifted me those toys, but they understood my interest. They began to purchase me STEM related toys and circuit sets, which helped my interests flourish. I spent hours building my own games, circuits, and other projects. Although I've outgrown the toys over the years, I still had this innate interest in how things worked. Eventually, this led me to realize my passion for engineering. Throughout my middle school years, I dove deeper into engineering research and stumbled upon biomedical engineering. I fell in love with this subject and the idea of being able to improve people's quality of life through biomedical engineering. Growing up with multiple family members with health conditions gave me a strong sense of respect for all aspects of the medical field. I was always interested in the medical field, but I really wanted to pursue engineering. As I took a closer look into biomedical engineering, I realized how well engineering and the medical field work together. Many medical devices are designed and produced by biomedical engineers. I was amazed by the developments biomedical engineers were making in the medical field, and I felt inspired at large. Biomedical engineering is changing the world in ways I could have never imagined. Artificial organs are one aspect I was very interested in. I thought it was crazy that we are working towards something so important as organs being man-made. Artificial organs would be able to save so many people's lives, all thanks to biomedical engineering. This research also sparked my interest in prosthetics. I loved the fact that I would be able to build something that could genuinely change someone's life, and alter the trajectory of it for the better. Nothing could replace the feeling of knowing you have helped someone tremendously. I want to be able to make people's lives better firsthand through biomedical engineering. .This fall I will be attending Grand Valley State University majoring in biomedical engineering with and emphasis on mechanical engineering. With the college education I receive I hope to become not just a biomedical engineer but to be a representation of queer African American women in STEM. It would be an honor to be a role model or just a person to look up to in general. There's nothing more motivating than seeing someone just like you in a position you dream of being in because it means you could do it to.

As a child, I was often caught trying to take apart my toys. I was just so fascinated and infatuated with learning how things worked. It was definitely not my parent's intention when they gifted me those toys, but they understood my interest. They began to purchase me STEM related toys and circuit sets, which helped my interests flourish. I spent hours building my own games, circuits, and other projects. Although I've outgrown the toys over the years, I still had this innate interest in how things worked. Eventually, this led me to realize my passion for engineering. Throughout my middle school years, I dove deeper into engineering research and stumbled upon biomedical engineering. I fell in love with this subject and the idea of being able to improve people's quality of life through biomedical engineering. Growing up with multiple family members with health conditions gave me a strong sense of respect for all aspects of the medical field. I was always interested in the medical field, but I really wanted to pursue engineering. As I took a closer look into biomedical engineering, I realized how well engineering and the medical field work together. Many medical devices are designed and produced by biomedical engineers. I was amazed by the developments biomedical engineers were making in the medical field, and I felt inspired at large. Biomedical engineering is changing the world in ways I could have never imagined. Artificial organs are one aspect I was very interested in. I thought it was crazy that we are working towards something so important as organs being man-made. Artificial organs would be able to save so many people's lives, all thanks to biomedical engineering. This research also sparked my interest in prosthetics. I loved the fact that I would be able to build something that could genuinely change someone's life, and alter the trajectory of it for the better. Nothing could replace the feeling of knowing you have helped someone tremendously. I want to be able to make people's lives better firsthand through biomedical engineering. The financial burden of turion has always been a concern for getting a higher education. Without the help of scholarships I would not be able to attend college. This scholarship will help relive some of the financial burden college can put on me as a student. With less stress of dealing with financials I'll be able to focus on academics and becoming the biomedical engineer I dream of being.

As a child, I was often caught trying to take apart my toys. I was just so fascinated and infatuated with learning how things worked. It was definitely not my parent's intention when they gifted me those toys, but they understood my interest. They began to purchase me STEM related toys and circuit sets, which helped my interests flourish. I spent hours building my own games, circuits, and other projects. Although I've outgrown the toys over the years, I still had this innate interest in how things worked. Eventually, this led me to realize my passion for engineering. Throughout my middle school years, I dove deeper into engineering research and stumbled upon biomedical engineering. I fell in love with this subject and the idea of being able to improve people's quality of life through biomedical engineering. Growing up with multiple family members with health conditions gave me a strong sense of respect for all aspects of the medical field. I was always interested in the medical field, but I really wanted to pursue engineering. As I took a closer look into biomedical engineering, I realized how well engineering and the medical field work together. Many medical devices are designed and produced by biomedical engineers. I was amazed by the developments biomedical engineers were making in the medical field, and I felt inspired at large. Biomedical engineering is changing the world in ways I could have never imagined. Artificial organs are one aspect I was very interested in. I thought it was crazy that we are working towards something so important as organs being man-made. Artificial organs would be able to save so many people's lives, all thanks to biomedical engineering. This research also sparked my interest in prosthetics. I loved the fact that I would be able to build something that could genuinely change someone's life, and alter the trajectory of it for the better. Nothing could replace the feeling of knowing you have helped someone tremendously. I want to be able to make people's lives better firsthand through biomedical engineering. This fall I will be attending Grand Valley State University. I will be majoring in Biomedical engineering with an emphasis on mechanical engineering. I'm looking forward to attending college because it is my next step in my journey to making the world a better place via STEM. I can't wait to be involved in the revolutionary advancements in the field of biomedical engineering as a woman of color.

As a child, I was often caught trying to take apart my toys. I was just so fascinated and infatuated with learning how things worked. It was definitely not my parent's intention when they gifted me those toys, but they understood my interest. They began to purchase me STEM related toys and circuit sets, which helped my interests flourish. I spent hours building my own games, circuits, and other projects. Although I've outgrown the toys over the years, I still had this innate interest in how things worked. Eventually, this led me to realize my passion for engineering. Throughout my middle school years, I dove deeper into engineering research and stumbled upon biomedical engineering. I fell in love with this subject and the idea of being able to improve people's quality of life through biomedical engineering. Growing up with multiple family members with health conditions gave me a strong sense of respect for all aspects of the medical field. I was always interested in the medical field, but I really wanted to pursue engineering. As I took a closer look into biomedical engineering, I realized how well engineering and the medical field work together. Many medical devices are designed and produced by biomedical engineers. I was amazed by the developments biomedical engineers were making in the medical field, and I felt inspired at large. Biomedical engineering is changing the world in ways I could have never imagined. Artificial organs are one aspect I was very interested in. I thought it was crazy that we are working towards something so important as organs being man-made. Artificial organs would be able to save so many people's lives, all thanks to biomedical engineering. This research also sparked my interest in prosthetics. I loved the fact that I would be able to build something that could genuinely change someone's life, and alter the trajectory of it for the better. Nothing could replace the feeling of knowing you have helped someone tremendously. I want to be able to make people's lives better firsthand through biomedical engineering. This fall I will be attending Grand Valley State University. I will be majoring in Biomedical engineering with an emphasis on mechanical engineering. I'm looking forward to attending college because it is my next step in my journey to making the world a better place via STEAM. I can't wait to be involved in the revolutionary advancements in the field of biomedical engineering.

As a child, I was often caught trying to take apart my toys. I was just so fascinated and infatuated with learning how things worked. It was definitely not my parent's intention when they gifted me those toys, but they understood my interest. They began to purchase me STEAM related toys and circuit sets, which helped my interests flourish. I spent hours building my own games, circuits, and other projects. Although I've outgrown the toys over the years, I still had this innate interest in how things worked. Eventually, this led me to realize my passion for engineering. Throughout my middle school years, I dove deeper into engineering research and stumbled upon biomedical engineering. I fell in love with this subject and the idea of being able to improve people's quality of life through biomedical engineering. Growing up with multiple family members with health conditions gave me a strong sense of respect for all aspects of the medical field. I was always interested in the medical field, but I really wanted to pursue engineering. As I took a closer look into biomedical engineering, I realized how well engineering and the medical field work together. Many medical devices are designed and produced by biomedical engineers. I was amazed by the developments biomedical engineers were making in the medical field, and I felt inspired at large. Biomedical engineering is changing the world in ways I could have never imagined. Artificial organs are one aspect I was very interested in. I thought it was crazy that we are working towards something so important as organs being man-made. Artificial organs would be able to save so many people's lives, all thanks to biomedical engineering. This research also sparked my interest in prosthetics. I loved the fact that I would be able to build something that could genuinely change someone's life, and alter the trajectory of it for the better. Nothing could replace the feeling of knowing you have helped someone tremendously. I want to be able to make people's lives better firsthand through biomedical engineering. This fall I will be attending Grand Valley State University. I will be majoring in Biomedical engineering with an emphasis on mechanical engineering. I'm looking forward to attending college because it is my next step in my journey to making the world a better place via STEAM. I can't wait to be involved in the revolutionary advancements in the field of biomedical engineering.