I want to pursue a degree in STEM because I have always been interested in the biological functions of the human body. I want to use that knowledge to help relieve people of their diseases, which is why I want to become a physician assistant. During my time at Emmanuel, I have taken biology and chemistry courses that have strengthened my love for the STEM fields. I have found new interests such as being a lab researcher and a biology scientist that I didn’t consider before, and it is something that I will consider when making my final decision on the profession I want to have. Additionally, I work at Boston Children Hospital which has given me the hands on experience I need to familiarize myself with the healthcare system. I work in the surgical unit where I register patients for their surgery and I'm with them in every step of the process until they get discharged. It has made me gain new skills that can prepare me for future work in healthcare. Also, going into a STEM field such as medicine, I want to be an example to my Latino community that we can become anything we want just with hard work and dedication. I want to help educate young minorities about the possibilities that are out there. As well as providing the healthcare necessary for them to achieve, many minorities in the United States lack access to healthcare. This is why many young women fall prey to becoming teen moms. By educating them they will have more options to be protected and have a chance to build a career. So that for future generations we can have more Latinos in STEM fields Higher education will prepare me to have a positive impact on addressing race relations because once I am a licensed physician I want to be a part of organizations that help integrate more Hispanics into STEM fields. I know and saw the struggles of being a Hispanic in America from how my family and community lived. Everyone had to work multiple odd jobs to provide for their families, and due to all the time they put into working, they weren't able to learn English fluently. Many parents are still struggling to provide for their kids because they are learning to adapt to living in a new country. This causes a negative impact on the child, where they join a gang, go to jail, or remain in poverty which is a common generalization of Hispanic minorities. I don’t want that for my community, I know that we can become something more. Hispanics only make up 5.8% of the medical field, this shows that we need to step up. By going into a STEM field such as medicine, I want to be an example to my community that we can become anything we want just with hard work and dedication. I want to help educate young minorities of the possibilities there is out there for them. As well as providing the healthcare necessary for them to achieve, many minorities in the United States lack good healthcare. This is why many young women fall prey to becoming teen moms, they don't know that there are contraceptives they can access that are free. I want to give them a chance at life so that for future generations we can have more Latinos in STEM fields. .

My name Is Valerie Novoa and I am currently a sophomore at Emmanuel College in Boston, Massachusetts. I am a first-generation Latina, ethnically I am from Colombia and El Salvador but I was born here in the United States. I am pursuing a degree in biology with a concentration in health sciences in order to become a physician assistant. At the moment I am working three jobs in order to help my father pay for my tuition. One of these jobs is working at Boston Children's Hospital, which has given me the opportunity to interact with patients going into surgery and get to know how the hospital functions. Juggling having to work three jobs and go to school full time has been challenging, yet I know in the end it will be worth it when I obtain my degree. I am grateful mostly for my parents who even though they are immigrants, were still able to provide for me. Especially since they sacrificed their education to raise me during their teenage years. So much of my work ethic is from seeing them always work to provide food on the table and a roof over my head. Since I was a child, they always enforced getting an education and doing good in school. Higher education will prepare me to have a positive impact on addressing race relations because once I am a licensed physician I want to be a part of organizations that help integrate more Hispanics into STEM fields. I know and saw the struggles of being a Hispanic in America from how my family and community lived. Everyone had to work multiple odd jobs to provide for their families, and due to all the time they put into working, they weren't able to learn English fluently. Many parents are still struggling to provide for their kids because they are learning to adapt to living in a new country. This causes a negative impact on the child, where they join a gang, go to jail, or remain in poverty which is a common generalization of Hispanic minorities. I don’t want that for my community, I know that we can become something more. Hispanics only make up 5.8% of the medical field, this shows that we need to step up. By going into a STEM field such as medicine, I want to be an example to my community that we can become anything we want just with hard work and dedication. I want to help educate young minorities of the possibilities there is out there for them. As well as providing the healthcare necessary for them to achieve, many minorities in the United States lack good healthcare. This is why many young women fall prey to becoming teen moms, they don't know that there are contraceptives they can access that are free. I want to give them a chance at life so that for future generations we can have more Latinos in STEM fields. I want to pursue a degree in STEM because I have always been interested in the biological functions of the human body. I want to use that knowledge to help relieve people of their diseases, which is why I want to become a physician assistant. During my time at Emmanuel, I have taken biology and chemistry courses that have strengthened my love for the STEM fields. I have found new interests such as being a lab researcher and a biology scientist that I didn’t consider before, and it is something that I will consider when making my final decision on the profession I want to have. Also, going into a STEM field such as medicine, I want to be an example to my Latino community that we can become anything we want just with hard work and dedication. I want to help educate young minorities about the possibilities that are out there. As well as providing the healthcare necessary for them to achieve, many minorities in the United States lack access to healthcare. This is why many young women fall prey to becoming teen moms. By educating them they will have more options to be protected and have a chance to build a career. So that for future generations we can have more Latinos in STEM fields.

Being Latin-American was difficult for me. There were issues in my life surrounding my identity that impacted me. I had to prove to my community that I was Hispanic enough but at the same time, I couldn't hide my American side. I couldn't risk pronouncing a word in Spanish incorrectly or else I’ll be called a “gringa”: Foreigner from the United States. This is an insult to Latinos, plus knowing Spanish is a big part of Latin culture and without it, you have this language barrier that inhibits you from communicating with others in your community and family members. I felt like an outsider in my community and I was too “Americanized”, I felt ashamed for calling myself an American because I desperately wanted to be a part of my Colombian and Salvadoran heritage. It wasn't just about accepting that I was American that was difficult, it was also the stereotypes that were thrown at me because I was Hispanic. I would constantly hear that Latinas are supposed to be curvy, maids, and teen moms. Having to hear those expectations that society had of me made me angry but also insecure. I wasn't built like a typical Latina on TV or in my family, this made me even more of an outsider. Yet, what made me more upset was that I wanted to become a doctor but there was no representation of Latinos in STEM. I didn't see any Hispanic women in the medical field, and I asked myself, “How can I be a doctor if no one like me has become one? ”. I felt hopeless yet it motivated me to get good grades and get accepted into Emmanuel College. I want to be the role model that I didn't have growing up and represent Latinas in STEM. As I grew up I came to understand the issues I was dealing with as a child, and although I still deal with them, I now have a sense of confidence in my identity as being Latin-American. I will use my education to give back to others who are underrepresented by addressing race relations. Once I am a licensed physician I want to be part of organizations that help integrate more Hispanics into STEM fields. I know and saw the struggles of being a Hispanic in America from how my family and community lived. Immigrant parents struggled to raise their kids and it caused them to join a gang, go to jail, or remain in poverty which is a common generalization of Hispanic minorities. I don’t want that for my community, I know that we can become something more. Hispanics only make up 5.8% of the medical field. By going into a STEM field such as medicine, I want to be an example to my community that we can become anything we want just with hard work and dedication. I want to help educate young minorities of the possibilities there is out there for them. As well as providing the healthcare necessary for them to achieve, many minorities in the United States lack good healthcare. This is why many young women fall prey to becoming teen moms, they don't know that there are contraceptives they can access that are free. I want to give them a chance at life so that for future generations we can have more Latinos in STEM fields.

My name Is Valerie Novoa and I am currently a sophomore at Emmanuel College in Boston, Massachusetts. I am a first-generation Latina, ethnically I am from Colombia and El Salvador but I was born here in the United States. I am pursuing a degree in biology with a concentration in health sciences in order to become a physician assistant. At the moment I am working three jobs in order to helo my father pay for my tuition. One of these jobs is working at Boston Children's Hospital, which has given me the opportunity to interact with patients going into surgery and get to know how the hospital functions. Juggling having to work three jobs and go to school full time has been challenging, yet I know in the end it will be worth it when I obtain my degree. I am grateful mostly for my parents who even though they are immigrants, were still able to provide for me. Especially since they sacrificed their education to raise me during their teenage years. So much of my work ethic is from seeing them always work to provide food on the table and a roof over my head. Since I was a child, they always enforced getting an education and doing good in school. I know and saw the struggles of being a Hispanic in America from how my family and community lived, everyone had to work multiple odd jobs to provide for their families. This causes a negative impact on the kids, it leads them to joining a gang, going to jail, or remaining in poverty which is a common generalization of Hispanic minorities. I don’t want that for my people, I know that we can become something more. Hispanics only make up 5.8% of the medical field, this shows that we need to step up. By going into a STEM field such as medicine, I want to be an example to my community that we can become anything we want just with hard work and dedication. I want to help educate young minorities of the possibilities there is out there for them. As well as providing the healthcare necessary for them to achieve, since many minorities in the United States lack adequate healthcare and are unable to access it. One of the reasons I want to pursue a degree in STEM besides helping my community is because I have always been interested in the biological functions of the human body. I want to use that knowledge to help relieve people of their diseases, which is why I want to become a physician assistant. During my time at Emmanuel, I have taken biology and chemistry courses that have strengthened my love for STEM. I have found new interests such as being a lab researcher that I didn’t consider before. Additionally, going into a STEM field such as medicine, I want to be an example to my Latino community that we can become anything we want just with hard work and dedication.

There were issues in my life surrounding my identity that impacted me. Being Latin-American was difficult for me, I had to prove to my community that I was Hispanic enough, but at the same time, I couldn't hide my American side. I couldn't risk saying a word in Spanish wrong or else I’ll be called a “gringa”: Foreigner from the United States. Knowing Spanish is a big part of Latin culture, and without it, you have this language barrier that inhibits you from communicating with others in your community and family. I struggled with pronouncing things correctly and I felt like an outsider, I was too “Americanized”. I felt ashamed for calling myself an American because I desperately wanted to be a part of my Colombian and Salvadoran heritage. It wasn't just about accepting that I was American that was difficult, it was also the stereotypes that were thrown at me because I was Hispanic. I would constantly hear that Latin women are supposed to be curvy, house makers, and teen moms. Having to hear those expectations that society had of me, made me angry, but also insecure. I wasn't built like the Latin women on TV or in my family, which made me feel even more of an outsider. But I was angrier, I wanted to become a doctor. But all around me, I didn't see any Hispanic women in the medical field. I asked myself, “How can I be a doctor if no one like me has become one? ”. I felt hopeless, yet it motivated me. In high school, I worked to get good grades and into college because I want to be a role model that I didn't have. As I grew up I came to understand the issues I was dealing with as a child, and although I still deal with them, I now have a sense of confidence in my identity as being Latin-American. In the future, I want to be a part of organizations that help integrate more Hispanics into STEM fields. I know and saw the struggles of being a Hispanic in America from how my family and community lived. Everyone had to work multiple odd jobs to provide for their families, and many parents are still struggling to provide for their kids because they are learning to adapt to living in a new country. This causes a negative impact on the child, where they join a gang, go to jail, or remain in poverty. I don’t want that for my community, I know that we can become something more. Hispanics only make up 5.8% of the medical field, this shows that we need to step up. By going into a STEM field such as medicine, I want to be an example to my community that we can become anything we want just with hard work and dedication. I want to help educate young minorities of the possibilities there is out there for them. As well as provide the healthcare necessary for them to achieve, many minorities in the United States lack good healthcare. This is why many young women fall prey to becoming teen moms, they don't know that there are contraceptives they can access that are free. I want to give them a chance at life so that for future generations we can have more Latinos in STEM fields.

Being Latin-American was difficult for me. There were issues surrounding identity and stereotypes that impacted me. I had to prove to my community that I was Hispanic enough, but at the same time, I couldn't hide my American side. I couldn't risk saying a word in Spanish wrong or else I’ll be called a “gringa”: Foreigner from the United States. Knowing Spanish is a big part of Latin culture, and without it, you have this language barrier that inhibits you from communicating with others in your community and family. I struggled with pronouncing things correctly and I felt like an outsider, I was too “Americanized”. I felt ashamed for calling myself an American because I desperately wanted to be a part of my Colombian and Salvadoran heritage. It wasn't just about accepting that I was American that was difficult, it was also the stereotypes that were thrown at me because I was Hispanic. I would constantly hear that Latin women are supposed to be curvy, house makers, and teen moms. Having to hear those expectations that society had of me, made me angry, but also insecure. I wasn't built like the Latin women on TV or in my family, which made me feel even more of an outsider. But I was angrier, I wanted to become a doctor. But all around me, I didn't see any Hispanic women in the medical field. I asked myself, “How can I be a doctor if no one like me has become one? ”. I felt hopeless, yet it motivated me. In high school, I worked to get good grades and into college because I want to be a role model that I didn't have. As I grew up I came to understand the issues I was dealing with as a child, and although I still deal with them, I now have a sense of confidence in my identity as being Latin-American. Higher education will prepare me to have a positive impact on addressing race relations because once I am a licensed physician I want to be a part of organizations that help integrate more Hispanics into STEM fields. I know and saw the struggles of being a Hispanic in America from how my family and community lived. Everyone had to work multiple odd jobs to provide for their families, and due to all the time they put into working, they weren't able to learn English fluently. Many parents are still struggling to provide for their kids because they are learning to adapt to living in a new country. This causes a negative impact on the child, where they join a gang, go to jail, or remain in poverty which is a common generalization of Hispanic minorities. I don’t want that for my community, I know that we can become something more. Hispanics only make up 5.8% of the medical field, this shows that we need to step up. By going into a STEM field such as medicine, I want to be an example to my community that we can become anything we want just with hard work and dedication. I want to help educate young minorities of the possibilities there is out there for them. As well as provide the healthcare necessary for them to achieve, many minorities in the United States lack good healthcare. This is why many young women fall prey to becoming teen moms, they don't know that there are contraceptives they can access that are free. I want to give them a chance at life so that for future generations we can have more Latinos in STEM fields.

Higher education will prepare me to have a positive impact on addressing race relations because once I am a licensed physician I want to be a part of organizations that help integrate more Hispanics into STEM fields. I know and saw the struggles of being a Hispanic in America from how my family and community lived. Everyone had to work multiple odd jobs to provide for their families, and due to all the time they put into working, they weren't able to learn English fluently. Many parents are still struggling to provide for their kids because they are learning to adapt to living in a new country. This causes a negative impact on the child, where they join a gang, go to jail, or remain in poverty which is a common generalization of Hispanic minorities. I don’t want that for my community, I know that we can become something more. Hispanics only make up 5.8% of the medical field, this shows that we need to step up. By going into a STEM field such as medicine, I want to be an example to my community that we can become anything we want just with hard work and dedication. I want to help educate young minorities of the possibilities there is out there for them. As well as provide the healthcare necessary for them to achieve, many minorities in the United States lack good healthcare. This is why many young women fall prey to becoming teen moms, they don't know that there are contraceptives they can access that are free. I want to give them a chance at life so that for future generations we can have more Latinos in STEM fields. I want to pursue a degree in STEM because I have always been interested in the biological functions of the human body. I want to use that knowledge to help relieve people of their diseases, which is why I want to become a doctor. Also, going into a STEM field such as medicine, I want to be an example to my Latino community that we can become anything we want just with hard work and dedication. I want to help educate young minorities about the possibilities that are out there. As well as provide the healthcare necessary for them to achieve, many minorities in the United States lack access to healthcare. This is why many young women fall prey to becoming teen moms. By educating them they will have more options to be protected and have a chance to build a career. So that for future generations we can have more Latinos in STEM fields. As a Latina, I not only represent minorities but women as well. In 2019 less than 23.6% of women were accounted for working in natural and applied science occupations. That number should be greater, and although more minorities and women are graduating from college and entering STEM fields, it’s still not enough. I want to contribute to the percentage of Latina women in STEM fields so that other underrepresented minorities can see the odds are in their favor. By diversifying STEM fields, Latinos will be more inclined to pursue a career in medicine and not doubt themselves as I once have.

I'm interested in majoring in a STEM field, specifically biology or pre-medicine. I’ve always been intrigued by the complexity of the human mind and body. This curiosity and passion only grew as I continued to explore science courses in high school and do internships. I have taken AP Biology, Anatomy, and AP Psychology in an attempt to learn more about the different systems in the human body and mind. I want to know how they function differently from diseases, and how they are impacted by environmental factors. It fascinated me how little we have yet to discover about the human body in order to cure it of lethal diseases such as cancer. As my interest in medicine and biology grew, I decided to apply for an internship at Dana-Farber. This past summer I was part of the Dana-Farber Workforce Development program, where I was able to learn about various medical professions and their role in a hospital setting. During my internship, I got the opportunity to shadow my supervisor as she conducted a meeting on how to meet the demand for processing medical records for patients, showing me that every role in a hospital is important. A lot of times, I toured the hospital and saw different sections of it. When I visited the cancer patients in the children's wing, I saw how the doctors were interacting with their patients in the waiting area with their families. It made me realize that I wanted to be just like them, a pediatrician. I was motivated by the doctors as they were able to make the kids laugh even though they were going through difficult times. It inspired me, I was able to see a different side of the healthcare system, as they truly cared for their patients. My future career plans related to my biology major is to go to medical school after I finish undergrad. During my time at Emmanuel College, I aspire to be in the pre-med program that they provide as it will better my chances of getting into medical school and scoring high on the MCAT. Not only that, I will be able to take rigorous courses that will expand my knowledge and interest in medicine. I hope to become a pediatrician after I graduate from medical school. These goals that I have idealized have come from my background in taking previous college-level courses to prepare me for what is to come. I have taken AP Biology, AP Psychology, and Anatomy to further my interest in medicine by learning about how the human body and mind function. These courses have taught me how to manage my time, prepare presentations, perform labs, and properly study for exams. These skills have been engraved in me and will be utilized to achieve my goals. Becoming a pediatrician takes years of school, hours of studying, and dedication, and I'm ready to tackle that journey.