Throughout my academic career, I have consistently strived for excellence, balancing rigorous coursework with a passion for extracurricular activities. However, as I’ve pursued my interests and taken on leadership roles in both robotics and choir, I’ve faced challenges in managing my time and maintaining the balance required for success. In the past, my days were often consumed by 12-hour schedules, bouncing between robotics meetings, choir rehearsals, and the demands of my studies. I prided myself on my academic performance, maintaining A’s and B’s, and the weight of extracurriculars made me feel like I was becoming a well-rounded person. For when adulthood and my time in college came as an undergraduate freshman, I would have no trouble migrating into an independent lifestyle. However, the more I look into my possible future in college, the more I start to see a harsh reality for me. As I go into my first year of college, the levels of imposter syndrome I will feel are already impending me as a student. Everyone else strives to refine their learning skills, and I am alone on the struggle bus still figuring out what I should be doing correctly for a high GPA. I am going to college on a scholarship as well, which means that I have to have a certain GPA balance I have to maintain. My schedule is bleak and not stimulating as it once was in high school, but the constant dread of not being able to finish the race at a good pace is what I fear the most. The majority of the first year is a balance of trial and error. Shockingly, I wasn’t aware about the amount of failure of tests and mastery assignments I will be given in my first year which will majorly impact my GPA. If I am not capable of keeping my scholarship, I will have a bigger gap of attendance when I start this incoming fall and my family will not be able to help me with this problem. My head will be drowning before I have even learned how to swim. Recognizing that I needed to regain control, I reached out to my friends and mentors, seeking advice and strategies to manage my workload and to find more financial aid. Resourcing scholarships and applying to them is the least of my worries, but actually obtaining them is what I want to achieve. Not having to worry about the financial burden and stress of my bills could help me improve more in my classes. I could utilize my resources more such as office hours, study halls, and tutoring for my classes, rather than having a stack of jobs that will only cover half of my tuition for the year. Through the support of my financial awards, I want to learn how to prioritize effectively, break down complex tasks, and stay disciplined in my approach to learning.

Often when people get to know me in my community, they often get bug eyed and shocked whenever I tell them that I will be the first electrical engineer they will know in 4 years. Born in Detroit, Michigan, I adored my city and my people. I was surrounded with people who looked like me, but it became a whole different scenario when I was exposed to robotics for the first time. Despite my predominantly black team, all of our peers were white and privileged kids who were always guaranteed good materials. It made me realize how much of a gap I had from me and the rest of the people in STEM. There are times where I myself have been privileged as a low-income student. I got to see the world from a different perspective. I was the first in my family to travel outside the U.S., perform live on multiple stages in choir, and the first to start college. Now, it feels like an imposter is wearing my skin. It is quite hard to believe the assets you are capable of in a predominant white space. Seeing yourself as your own representation is inspiring, but it’s a harsh reality. Yet, I have to remind myself of the honor of making it this far. That it’s not impossible because of the barriers closed around you. Opening a door for yourself, is a door opened for many generations. My robotics coach has taught me this, and he has continued to inspire me day after day with his resilience and motivation. I also tidy up more on my engineering skills, that it is okay to fail and prototype once more when you challenge yourself. It is all a part of the natural world of becoming an engineer, and also to make sure that I can teach these aspects to a generation that will look more like me someday despite the odds. Looking ahead, I am eager to apply these skills in a new environment, where I know the challenges will be even greater. As a future Wolverine at the University of Michigan, I am confident that the work ethic, time management strategies, and resilience I’ve developed will serve me well as I pursue my degree. My goal now is to continue learning, refining my skills, and preparing for the demands of a Wolverine education to finally pursue my career in Electrical Engineering. I am excited about the opportunities that lie ahead and am committed to using every challenge as an opportunity for growth, both academically and personally.

Often when people get to know me in my community, they often get bug eyed and shocked whenever I tell them that I will be the first electrical engineer they will know in 4 years. Born in Detroit, Michigan, I adored my city and my people. I was surrounded with people who looked like me, but it became a whole different scenario when I was exposed to robotics for the first time. Despite my predominantly black team, all of our peers were white and privileged kids who were always guaranteed good materials. It made me realize how much of a gap I had from me and the rest of the people in STEM. There are times where I myself have been privileged as a low-income student. I got to see the world from a different perspective.I was the first in my family to travel outside the U.S., perform live on multiple stages in choir, and the first to start college. Now, it feels like an imposter is wearing my skin. It is quite hard to believe the assets you are capable of in a predominant white space. Yet, I have to remind myself of the honor of making it this far. That it’s not impossible because of the barriers closed around you. Opening a door for yourself, is a door opened for many generations. So, I decide to go the extra mile, refine my skills, and remind myself that I am shooting for the stars. I often still help out with the freshmen in my high school robotics team as a mentor. I also tidy up more on my engineering skills, that it is okay to fail and prototype once more when you challenge yourself. It is all a part of the natural world of becoming an engineer, and also to make sure that I can teach these aspects to a generation that will look more like me someday despite the odds. Looking ahead, I am eager to apply these skills in a new environment, where I know the challenges will be even greater. I am confident that the work ethic, time management strategies, and resilience I’ve developed will serve me well as I pursue my degree. My goal now is to continue learning, refining my skills, and preparing for the demands of a Wolverine education. I am excited about the opportunities that lie ahead and am committed to using every challenge as an opportunity for growth, both academically and personally.

Often when people get to know me in my community, they often get bug eyed and shocked whenever I tell them that I will be the first electrical engineer they will know in 4 years. Born in Detroit, Michigan, I adored my city and my people. I was surrounded with people who looked like me, but it became a whole different scenario when I was exposed to robotics for the first time. Despite my predominantly black team, all of our peers were white and privileged kids who were always guaranteed good materials. It made me realize how much of a gap I had from me and the rest of the people in STEM. There are times where I myself have been privileged as a low-income student. I got see the world from a different perspective.I was the first in my family to travel outside the U.S., perform live on multiple stages in choir, and the first to start college. Now, it feels like an imposter is wearing my skin. It is quite hard to believe the assets you are capable of in a predominant white space. Yet, I have to remind myself the honor of making it this far. That it’s not impossible because of the barriers closed around you. Opening a door for yourself, is a door opened for many generations. As a first generation college student, financial aid will be one of the hardest challenges to overcome. Awarding this scholarship for me will help me be relieved of the financial burden I might experience during the fall semester. It will assist in me focusing more on my studies, rather of how my bill will be paid of during the winter season.

Leadership comes in many different sizes and forms, but it could be the very tradition that makes you stronger. Being a part of a FIRST robotics team, there are certain values that you must uphold for yourself. One of them is Impact: how to make a change to the world you live in. This value has been of great importance to me as I continue on into higher education, and with a drive for curiosity and character, I want to pass on the tradition to my peers that your environment shouldn’t hinder your greatness. Many students in our robotics team come in with no training in programming, building, or anything with robotics components. I was one of them, during my sophomore year of high school, who just joined driven on pure curiosity. As a rookie team, we were often challenged with one of the biggest components of robotics: experience. Our coach was the only active adult on our team, and he did whatever he could in each department of our team, from mechanical, to business, and to the design team, to fill in where we could. There were only 2 kids who also knew the true fundamentals of FIRST robotics, while everyone else had just joined that year to make it better. It was hard for us with our first year of competition. We made a well-rounded robot for the challenge, but it came back with more thorns than roses. As the days led on, we realized that we needed to become better. Stronger than the previous year. We realized that without money or connections, we can still make it through the fight. I took on the dedication with the rest of my team to train and work hard on our STEM skills, such as making prototypes over the summer, familiarizing ourselves with new materials, and I taught all of the new members about the basics of robotics. That it is not just a competition of robots filled with frustration and pride, but it’s all about our trial and error. During the 2023 season we didn’t get it just right, but for the 2024 and 2025 season has shown our exponential growth as the small team of 20 we were. From district competition, to going to states, and even shooting to go to FIRST robotics Worlds competition during 2026. Having no prior connections or donations with money didn’t hinder us, but our ability to try and expect failure. No one wants to lose, but someone has to be in last place. I tell my team that we learn from our falls, dust ourselves off, and keep going. For the 2026 season, I will be watching as an undergraduate from the University of Michigan, having high hopes and wishing good luck to my friends who will be still in high school. Looking back, it would’ve been easy for a couple of kids from Detroit to give up and not dream big, but I was determined to see us go far. Our team may be small, but once you look inside we are all valuable gems striving for innovation and character growth in STEM.

While overlooking my decision, I realized that Electrical Engineering was an interest of mine during school. Being on my high school’s robotics team increased this wonder, and I soon became the Electrical Lead of my team. This influenced my choice to pick electrical engineering as my career, and further my expertise within robotics and automatons. Although I have never seen another engineer who was black or a woman, I wanted to specialize in this field because this broad topic could help me understand so much. If I didn’t know anyone who was the first, I wanted to be the first. When I was first introduced to electrical engineering, it was within my robotics team in FRC. I had never touched anything electronically ever that wasn’t a smart device, so I was quite nervous about joining the team. I thought everything in engineering had Yet, it felt like I was thrown into a field of opportunity, and learned whatever I could get my hands on. From circuits to electronic components, I wanted to learn it all from my team. I was able to break through the barriers of my inexperience to become an expert on my team, and eventually, I was nominated as the Electrical Lead. This position led me to teach others how to connect components and use tools for wires, so it could lead us to having a better season. This service taught me how to deliver patience and compassion and the values of those attributes. Whatever I invest myself into, I always find a way to invest into the community that uplifted and raised me from where I was. As a black woman, we often don’t find ourselves among the big crowds of success. It makes us have this imposter phenomenon that we do not belong, even though we have all of the credentials for it. Yet, It takes empathy, generosity, and courage to take the stand up and be the first. To be there for your community, so you will always a reminder for the next generation of who you can become. I always find myself to be for the community that has raised and protected me. For preserving and keeping my life as precious as it can be, I want to give back and help organizing a more efficient and cleaner world as much as possible. I also want to be a reminder for my community that there is always a career for you when you are young, gifted, and black.

Hello, My name is Olivia Flood and during the fall, I will be taking the first steps to pursue my degree in electrical engineering to become a licensed electrician for my community. My education has not always been the driving point for me and my future, but the love that was cultivated around me in church. Growing up within my church community, I was put in the forefront for helping and servicing the community members that congregated at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church either before, during, and after the event. Some days I was put on clean up duty, and other times I would help deliver food to the kitchen. During fundraisers and special days for youth day, I was always there to lend a hand and volunteer to service my community. This experience in my youth strengthened my need to assist and volunteer more into the future when I started to branch out into my individuality. From volunteering to help out struggling teams in robotics, to passing out gifts and treats from the National Honor Society, from performances from fundraisers as a Detroit Youth Choir member, and to assisting with food drives around Thanksgiving for families who are suffering from food insecurity. Community service taught me how to deliver patience and compassion and the values of those attributes. Whatever I invest myself into, I always find a way to invest into the community that uplifted and raised me from where I was. It takes empathy, generosity, and courage to take the stand to give back to the community. I always find myself to be for the community that has raised and protected me. For preserving and keeping my life as precious as it can be, I want to give back and help organizing a more efficient and cleaner world as much as possible. This scholarship will help me and my academic journey through the University of Michigan to help with my tuition, housing, or other necessities I will need to pay for. Fulfilling my goal of having a perfect education will be complete with having scholarships to aid my financial barrier during my journey. I am a dedicated student with a hard work ethic and a prospering future. This will aid not only me in the future, but it will also aid everyone in the potential future. Everything I will do for the next four years will be in the faith of my skills, wisdom, and compassion. Owning my electrical engineering degree will not only be my career goal, but another way to assist with my community. I want to light the way for a better future for myself and for everyone who has supported me.

Discovery is what first got me into robotics the most. I was curious and driven to figure out everything I could about robotics as a rookie during the 2022 season of robotics. I was hardly experienced in anything at the time, and now I am more prepared than ever to go into my undergraduate freshman year at the University of Michigan. When learning about electrical terminology, I was clueless. It got more confusing when it was competition time. Me and my partner had to wire a perfectly working robot in time to get practice time and figure out bugs. Nevertheless, my curiosity drew me to push pass the barrier. We both created the idea to have clean wiring for our robot so it was easier to see if wires got loose or damaged during matches. As I improved, my coach, Leon Pryor, gave me the Electrical Lead title to show his faith and perseverance for me. The drive to discover more about my field helps me coach my fellow teammates but also learn from my own mistakes and create less of a risk of the robot breaking down during competition time. It was the overall journey of me learning how to do electrical work, and making all of the components fit like pieces on a robot satisfied me and made me feel important. I was important on my team, where I was soon positioned as the Electrical lead on my team for 3 years, up until the graduating year of 2025. I choose to make not only an impact into our team, but into Detroit’s robotics community as well. As our coach is also a founding member of the Motor City Alliance, we often help out in the Michigan Engineering Zone to help out smaller or underdeveloped teams to bring them closer towards having a ready robot to playtest. I offer my assistance through helping with designs, critiques, tips about how to handle equipment, and more. This knowledge that I share to my community impacts their learning and what they can bring to the table. This also let me to have interest in Electrical Engineering, as I would be immersed fully into the components of circuits, voltage, and more concepts that I will be hands on with at my university. I felt the confidence within a male-dominated field that I was not only able to lead my team into getting multiple awards, but I could be a role model to the next female engineer who wants to be exactly like me growing up.

At some point in their childhood everyone wanted to be on TV. I think that realization never came to me when I was younger. However, the opportunity came when my choir, the Detroit Youth Choir, chose to go on America’s Got Talent. It was a competition between talent, personality and determination. When all 52 of us were chosen to go, I was glad that I was chosen to go at the age of 12. However, that meant I had to shoulder more responsibility than I could handle at my age. When we first settled into the hotel in the Dolby Theater, our days were longer than I wanted them to be. Rehearsals went from 2-day practices to all week practices with longer schedules and attendance. I was confused at the changes in lyrics, choreography, and placements. They claimed it was all for television, and because of our age range and the story we had as talented kids from Detroit, some things had to change. I didn’t expect to be shown like everyone else, but I was confused why everyone else didn’t look in sync. It was long time training and practicing with the new choreographer and vocal coach, and unfamiliar faces to me at 12 years old. The difference between the dance movements we did at home versus the movement we did on national television was something new and different, brighter and more energetic to match the songs. I wouldn’t say I was sheltered while growing up, but I clung to the peers that would help me with the new changes and experience while far away from home. We were all nervous about our experience, and we chose to stick to ourselves. I observed this behavior among us, I eventually opened the wall I had around the situation. It was a moment to take the challenge and into an opportunity. I managed to take care of myself for 2 months without my parents there telling me what to do. When we had school days there, I completed my work to the fullest and asked for help when I didn’t understand the work provided. Sometimes, I would also help my peers younger than me to be a tutor for them. I took my homesickness and exhaustion and channeled it toward my work ethic and the balance of being a student and a performer. That way, I saw wins from both sides with my grades and the personal achievements I shared on America’s Got Talent. I was always called mature by the adults who interacted with me, but this blessing on my shoulder taught me more about how to balance the time within the day, and how to complete things to the fullest. When we came back from home, I not only came back a 2nd place AGT winner, but also a better student for years to come.