My name is Victoria Bosompem, a Junior biology major at Savannah State University, aspiring to become a immunologist. Growing up, my parents instilled a drive and determination that I still operate into this day. My mother’s dedication to serving others in healthcare, and my father’s background in science has influenced my morals and values. I hold myself in high regard with academic excellence, philanthropy, and spiritual wellness which continues to inspire me today. My parents inspired me to be resilient, persistent, and committed to elements in my life. In January 2025, I began accumulating lab hours as a student research assistant in Dr. Takayuki Nitta’s molecular biology lab at Savannah State University. In summer 2025, I interned at Mercer University School of Medicine under Dr. Mohammed Abdelsaid, PhD, where I created my first research poster as the primary author and will present it at the Emerging Researchers National Conference in March 2026. I was also recently accepted into the NUTGAP Nutritional Biology Internship at the University of California Davis for summer 2026. These experiences have strengthened my professionalism and motivated my career path. In 2020, I was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease called Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS). HS is a chronic skin condition characterized by painful boils or abscesses that develop in areas of the body that sweat. HS affects 1 in 100 people around the globe and is prominent in the black and African American community. Within my five years of having HS, I have learned to tolerate it and wish to conduct research into this disease. During the fall semester of 2025, I was hospitalized for two days due to HS and had to have a boil lanced. At that time in my undergraduate career, I was taking microbiology and human anatomy and physiology. While in the hospital, I heard the nurses using terms that I had learned in my classes. I asked them what type of tissue was visible in my wound, and hearing their explanation brought me comfort and reignited my passion for science. Being able to view the results of my own cell culture and see both gram negative and gram positive bacteria made me extremely happy and further confirmed my love for the field. With my passion for science, a goal I have is to utilize my Bachelor of Science degree from Savannah State and enter into an PhD program for Immunology. I would conduct research on T-cell maturation stages in the thymus. T cells are immune cells crucial for attacking and destroying pathogenic bacteria, but they also can attack the cells that belong to the human body, known as auto-immune diseases. This specific goal of mine can tremendously impact thousands of people with HS, especially in the 21st century. Throughout my entire life, I have immersed myself in academics, leadership, community involvement, wellness, and career advancement. Influenced by my parents and other adults I made relationships with, have shaped my morals and values composed of success. I strive to be a mentor and a role model for other African American women and men on my campus and even outside of Savannah State. I am excited to contribute to the microbiology field and I am determined to continue my education at Savannah State. Achieving this goal will contribute to the science field, and improve the lives of many, including students at Savannah State who shares this condition. Receiving this scholarship is more than financial help. It is a vital piece that forms my purpose, affirming every setback I have faced that is guiding me to comfort others in the future.