As a woman in STEM, my decisions have been driven by ambition, determination, but mainly passion. I began to recognize who I wanted to be professionally when my family was forced to be separated due to immigration. The situation in my country, Venezuela, made me witness extreme poverty; people were looking for food in trash bags, but what impacted me the most and changed my perception of life was seeing how a healthcare that was once efficient and for everyone, started to decline. Many diseased people stopped getting the critical care they needed, many died and I felt the impotence of a whole community that was once united and healthy. This is why I chose a career in STEM. In this present world driven by technology, nurses continue the tradition of hands-on care and connections, nurses are vital for those who feel abandoned, for those who feel that their only friend is disease. Nurses continue to provide critical care that sometimes keeps getting devalued or minimized. I want to make everyone feel accompanied, no matter the obstacles they are facing in their lives at the moment, as a nurse I will make sure to provide the adequate care they need, no matter how basic or complex it can be. A career in STEM is going to help me achieve a better version of myself, but most important, it will help me make connections with individuals of different backgrounds. As a future nurse, I believe that everyone deserves a quality care, and this is the impact I want to make. I want to make every future patient of mine feel understood and safe, my personal experiences helped me understood that I want to help the ones in need, the ones that feel that quality healthcare is not available for them, the ones that don't feel deserved. As a future STEM professional, I'm already taking decisions with critical thinking. Women and men of science view the world in a different way than everyone else. For me, STEM is not a rational choice based on opportunities or interests; STEM will take me to limits I've never imagined before, it's a decision I've made based on personal experiences and aspirations. Even as a college freshman, STEM is already making an impact in my life, and I'm more than confident that I've made the right decision. Through innovation, passion, and advocacy, I aspire to contribute to a more inclusive field, where women are fully represented, and the weaker ones have an opportunity to be heard.

A memory from the past that helped shape who I am today was definitely leaving my country alone with my mother. Two women alone, we faced many dangers and many obstacles, we cried together the whole trip but we were there for each other, I will never forget how I felt when I just left my whole life in Venezuela, I was a weak and characterless person. When I arrived in this country I closed myself off to everything, I didn't want to talk to anyone and I just wanted to return. My parents taught me and made me see that it was the best for me, little by little I accepted it, here I have the opportunity for a better future; Today of course I miss my home, but I know it was the best and I hope one day to return to the place where I grew up for 14 years of my life, I no longer remember it with sadness, now I am happy because I know I have the opportunity to change my future and soon be able to return. My mother is my greatest inspiration since she was strong throughout the journey and was always protecting me, I know that she was just as afraid as I was being in an unknown place and adrift. When I graduate I want to help my parents as they have done with me all this time, I want to help people who need it and teach about the importance of gratitude. One of the things that not many people close to me know is that when I got here and started school, I began to develop anxiety crises, I felt very afraid to be surrounded by other people and not understand the language, I made mistakes but I knew how to get up and learn from them, this also helped shape who I am. Today I accept that I still have crises sometimes and I don't know how to handle them, but I know that there is no danger in being in public and little by little I am working on my shyness, my goal is to become a totally open person without fear of being she herself. That's why I want to complete my university studies, I want to prove to myself that I am capable, I know I am, but I want to achieve my goals. My 2 grandfathers passed away in Venezuela and I was not able to be there, I know they are watching me so I also want to make them proud. Winning this scholarship would be of great help since for me every penny counts, for me and my family it is almost impossible to think of paying for college without monetary aid, so I hope to be one of the two lucky winners.