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Hobbies and interests
Art
Writing
Business And Entrepreneurship
Crocheting
digital art
Graphic Design
Animals
Anime
Calligraphy
Baking
Conservation
Advocacy And Activism
Engineering
Biochemistry
Reading
Academic
Adventure
Art
Childrens
Crafts
Environment
Magical Realism
Fantasy
I read books multiple times per month
Tinashe Sandy
5,185
Bold Points1x
Nominee1x
Finalist1x
Winner![user profile avatar](https://static.bold.org/profilePictures/10000044318d115020a2a54f28aeefb08caf7915ac.webp)
Tinashe Sandy
5,185
Bold Points1x
Nominee1x
Finalist1x
WinnerBio
Hi, my name is Tinashe Sandy! I'm 18 and a freshman at the University of South Florida. I like reading, learning, crocheting, animals, and art. I believe that we can make the world so much better with stronger infrastructure, community, and innovation. Originally, I wanted to become an environmental engineer but after learning to crochet and falling down a research rabbit hole I chose to pursue biochemistry to design sustainable textile fibers. I published an animal fact and coloring in April of 2022 and donated 20% of the book's profits to the World Wildlife Fund. I did a small independent research project at my high school. I'm working on making more research, art, and educational materials in the near future! :)
Education
University of South Florida-Main Campus
Bachelor's degree programMajors:
- Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology
Minors:
- Biotechnology
Frank W. Springstead High School
High SchoolMiscellaneous
Desired degree level:
Master's degree program
Graduate schools of interest:
Transfer schools of interest:
Majors of interest:
- Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering
- Architectural Engineering
- Environmental Design
- Biological/Biosystems Engineering
- Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology
Career
Dream career field:
Design
Dream career goals:
synthetic biology
Children's book illustrator
Manage Pixels LLC2022 – Present2 yearsSelf publishing coloring book
My own2022 – Present2 years
Sports
Tennis
Junior Varsity2023 – Present1 year
Research
Biological/Biosystems Engineering
Independent — lead researcher and creator2023 – 2024
Arts
Un humanitarian fund
Graphic Art2021 – 2021
Public services
Volunteering
IEmpower Club — Volunteer helper doing presentations on reducing domestic violence2022 – 2022Volunteering
Un humanitarian fund art gallery — create art for an art gallery to raise money for the un humanitarian fund2022 – 2022Volunteering
SALT foundation — Giving the homeless clothes and hygiene projects, sorting donated clothes and preparing the shower.2024 – PresentVolunteering
Ability tree — Volunteer to watch and and play with kids2022 – Present
Future Interests
Advocacy
Volunteering
Philanthropy
Entrepreneurship
Ultrafabrics Inc. Scholarship Award
WinnerI would describe my interest in sustainable textile fibers as an "if you give a mouse a cookie" situation. My sister gave me a crochet kit as a gift before my junior year of high school. Then I decided I needed more yarn to practice. Then I decided I needed a yarn collection. After that, I realized that most yarns I could afford were unsustainable, so I wanted to learn how to make yarn. Which eventually led to me working towards a career in making sustainable textiles.
The issues I found with my yarn are universal in nearly all parts of the textile and fashion industry. The most common synthetic fibers like polyester and acrylic are made from petroleum-based plastics and are damaging to the environment during production and as non-biodegradable waste. Cotton despite being natural is still not a great sustainable alternative (cotton production uses 25% of all insecticides and 11% of all pesticides used globally while requiring 29 tons of water per kilogram of cotton.) Many other natural fibers have similar issues or are simply more expensive. Not to mention the carbon emissions from transport during processing, manufacturing, and to the store are an issue for any fiber that isn’t sourced locally. Many textiles and clothing items go through multiple countries just to make it to the consumer. With those issues in mind, the journey to make yarn began.
My main goal was to find a cost-effective natural textile fiber that could be produced close to the consumer (which was just me at the time) using fewer resources. Currently, my focus is on bacterial cellulose as a possible solution. Cellulose is a core component in most natural plant fibers and bacterial cellulose aligns with my goals. Companies such as Nullabor and Modern Synthesis already create textile products from bacterial cellulose. However, bacterial cellulose is still a relatively new material, and processing bacterial cellulose into yarn without expensive machinery or possibly harmful chemicals wasn’t on the table. Which led me to focus on sustainable textile fibers as a career path. There is a lot of room for improvement for sustainable and versatile solutions involving bacterial cellulose. Eventually, I would also like to branch out into designing other textile materials and maybe even single-use plastics through scientific research.
From crochet to a career, I aspire to make the planet a better place long term. I hope to dedicate myself to the creation of thoughtfully designed materials that are sustainable in every way.
Sikora Drake STEM Scholarship
There are a lot of things I imagine when I think of my future, the career I want, and how I want to contribute to society as an african American, and woman. Two of the most important things I imagine in that are innovation, and inclusion.
To start, innovation is one of the main reasons I'm pursuing my dream career in the first place. I want to be an environmental engineer and create a future that is not only beautiful but sustainable and hopeful. A world with cities full of greenery, art and well built infrastructure for all it's citizens. Urban farming, green roofs, clean water, walkable cities, good transportation systems, good environments for children and the elderly and so much more can be achieved with innovation. Humanity is constantly going above and beyond do better and better. Despite recent developments and fear for the climate, our planet, and the future of young people like me I still think humanity as a whole is capable of overcoming these issues. I believe that environmental engineering is the best way for me to help with that in the future.
Not only that, but many of these things cannot be achieved without inclusion. Accessibility for disabled and marginalized communities is so important to many fields including engineering. Knowing how to create building and infrastructure that is are and accessible to everyone is incredibly important for a better future. I personally happen to have ADHD and autism so I'm particularly interested in both mental and physical disabilities and the accommodations needed for everyone to thrive within society. It's so important to encourage diversity so everyone's perspective on even the littlest things can be represented and accounted for. Including the many perspectives bipoc, and lgbtq+ communities can add to the conversation through their personal experiences and ideas. Some things seem small but mean the entire world to marginalized communities and you can almost always tell when marginalized groups are an afterthought. Which is why engineering and design everything matters and that makes inclusion matter so much more.
At the end of the day, I prioritize a better almost dreamlike future for myself and everyone around me. To create an innovative and inclusive workplace is the first step to creating a better future for all. Every group big and small should be included and given a chance to thrive. I hope my pursuit of environmental engineering will truly result in something good. I hope that as I do it I can also inspire others of marginalized groups who are similar to me to pursue these things too.