My long-term goals are to be able to bring change to the world through my chosen career and to create a comfortable life for myself and my future family, the same way my parents fought to give me one. I'm currently majoring in electromechanical engineering technology, an industry of automation, and I've learned that the more we progress as a society the more we rely on our continuous technological advancements. I'd love to be a part of the constantly growing change that aims to help future generations to come. My background isn’t the easiest to speak on yet it has undoubtedly played a large role in who I am today and in turn, deserves recognition. It’s what has constructed my ways of thinking, it has instilled a drive for more in life within myself, and it is what has influenced and inspired me to pursue a career in technology. To understand how I’ve gotten to where I am now, it’s important to acknowledge my beginnings. For the first half of my life, if there was one thing I knew, it was that we were very poor. My parents did everything they possibly could to keep food on the table for my brother and me as well as a roof over our heads but it wasn't always enough. There would be days that we went without food, winters we went without heat, nights we went without lights. My family lived like that for so long that I had grown accustomed to the lifestyle and believed it to be normal, but it was through this lifestyle that I learned how to make do with what I was given. I believe this to be the start of my love for technology. To me, the world of technology is simply a world of problem-solving and making life simpler with limited resources. So to speak, the world of technology is the basis of what I was built on. By the time I had finished high school and had been exposed to technology classes, my parents had built a better life for us. My parents showed me what I do and don’t want for my life, which I will always be grateful for. One of the most important values they taught me was to keep fighting even when times are rough. They taught me that eventually, no matter how long it takes, you’ll reach your goal with enough dedication. Through their fights for a better life, they instilled in me the courage that I need to pursue a degree in automation engineering. My name is Tatiyana Timmons, I am a third-year student at Murray State University and I am a black female pursuing a degree in a field that is dominated by the white male. I attend classes where I am the only one who looks as I do, with my head held high because there is never a doubt in my mind that I am not where I am meant to be. In the future, I truly hope to go further than my parents have, to then have my children go further than myself. I wish to not only continue to pursue a career I'm passionate about in technology but also make a difference with technology combined with my own skill set that has been built into me since childhood. Being granted this scholarship would allow me to focus more on school itself rather than the stress that comes with the cost of school. It would allow me to continue to fight for my dream of making the world a little bit better for all.

For as long as I am able to remember, my life has had structure. Paying extra close attention to the way I colored, making sure to never stray outside of the lines. Breaking my toys apart so that I may then reconstruct them. One of my fondest memories as a child was being able to sit and help my father with his projects. Whether it was putting together furniture or fixing broken appliances, anything he’d allowed me to assist with, even if it was just me holding a flashlight so that I could observe. The way in which the world operates has fascinated me since a child, it operates with the most complex structure I’ve ever witnessed. Although I wasn’t sure of which path to take as a child to better understand it, I’ve always known that I needed to do something to help humanity and the world as much as possible for others as well as my own sake. In my search for my own path in life, I discovered a love for technology. It all started with a coding class only for girls. We worked in teams and throughout the school year we were able to create a website for a non-profit organization. As side projects we would program robots using our own developed coding. It was through these assigned projects that I happened upon my passion for working with technology of all sorts. These classes lead to my own research, as well as the discovery of fluid power and my fixation of it. The structure and uniqueness of it opened a completely new world of possibilities that piqued my interest and influenced my decision in majoring in electromechanical engineering technology. My hopes have always been to make the world a better place in any way I am capable of. I’d love the opportunity to help as many people as I am able with the work and ideas I develop. If I’m able, my plans are to bring as much ease and peace as I possibly can through fluid power and technology. In doing so, I hope to gain the chance to better dissect the complexities of our structured world. My plan towards this goal is to obtain my bachelor’s degree in electromechanical engineering technology to then go on in pursuit of a career which allows my efforts and dedication to be of assistance in our realities. Above all else, I hope to be an example to the generations to come. I hope to show young children who may look like me or have grown up in similar situations as me that there in fact are hopes of doing whatever it is they dream of. That they should never let anyone, or anything hold them back. Currently, I’m a college student enrolled for my second year of college. I’ve been accepted into the National Society of Leadership and Success, with plans of using what I learn to become a better leader for generations to come. I’m a part of the Emerging Scholars Institute through Murray State, dedicated to assisting minority students throughout their academic career. I also take part in the NFPA as Chief Communications Officer and I participate on the Murray State dance team known as the Radiant Racerettes. All of these organizations promote my leadership skills and open many possibilities for me to be a better leader and better the world we all live in using fluid power and technology.

What I am most passionate about is being the change that the world needs. I am determined to bring change to the world using technology in ways that technology hasn't been used before. The first step in becoming a part of that change is getting the proper education. I plan on majoring in computer science and gaining the skills of a computer programmer. I want to help in as many ways as I can, one strand of code at a time. For the first half of my life, I lived in poverty and believed that it was normal. My parents did everything they possibly could to shelter my brother and I from the truth of our lives, but poverty isn't something that can be easily hidden. My parents did almost everything they possibly could to keep food on the table for us, as well as a roof over our heads, but it wasn't always enough. There would be days we went without food, nights we went without lights, and cold winters we went without heat. Those were our circumstances for a major part of my life, and during that time the one thing I thought about most was how I needed to go to college so that I may give my future family a better life than the one I was raised in. Eventually, my parents decided that enough was enough and went back to school. They would go to school during the day and work at night. Both parents fought through college like this to get their degrees and obtain jobs to take care of my brother and me. To this day they inspire me so much and I'm so grateful to them for fighting for my future. I'd love to go to college not only for my future but to show my parents just how much I appreciate them. I plan to continue what they started to prove to them that their sacrifices were all worth it. During high school, I would always work extremely hard to maintain the best grades, and somewhere along the line, I discovered a love for programming and robots. I now plan to pursue a career in computer sciences and I'd love to become a software developer, using technology in a way that changes the world. There's no doubt that technology is rising in the world each day. My goal is to be a part of the rise and use technology to make the world a better place. With my work ethic and dedication, I truly believe that change is possible. I hope to one day be a role model to other generations to come. I want to prove to everyone that it doesn't matter your background, race, or beliefs, anyone can do anything if they set their minds and hearts in the right place. I want to make it known that anyone can rise from anything if they truly wish to, and anyone who does the fight for what they want will always have my support.

For the first half of my life, I lived in poverty and believed that it was normal. My parents did everything they possibly could to shelter my brother and I from the truth of our lives, but poverty isn't something that can be easily hidden. My parents did almost everything they possibly could to keep food on the table for us, as well as a roof over our heads, but it wasn't always enough. There would be days we went without food, dark nights we went without lights, and cold winters we went without heat. Those were our circumstances for a major part of my life, and during that time the one thing I thought about most was how I needed to go to college so that I may give my future family a better life than the one I was raised in. Eventually, my parents decided that enough was enough and went back to school. They would go to school during the day and work at night. Both parents fought through college like this in order to get their degrees and obtain jobs to take care of my brother and I. To this day they inspire me so much and I'm so grateful to them for fighting for my future. I'd love to go to college not only for my future, but to show my parents just how much I appreciate them. I plan to continue what they started to prove to them that their sacrifices were all worth it. During high school I would always work extremely hard to maintain the best grades and somewhere along the line I discovered a love for programming and robots. I now plan to pursue a career in computer sciences and I'd love to become a software developer, using technology in a way that changes the world. There's no doubt that technology is rising in the world each day. My goal is to be a part of the rise and use technology to make the world a better place. With my work ethic and dedication, I truly believe that change is possible. I hope to one day be a role model to other generations to come. I want to prove to everyone that it doesn't matter your background, race, or beliefs you have, anyone can do anything if they set their minds and hearts in the right place. I want to make it known that anyone can rise up from anything if they truly wish to, and anyone who does fight for what they want will always have my support.