The depth and the constant new generation of information invigorated my curiosity from a very young age. In turn my education was something I took very seriously, but I never realized how this love was not an option for many young African American women. As I grew older I realized how much I take for granted especially when I stumbled upon Mary McLeod Bethune's story in the National Women's History Museum. She was a trailblazing educator while also being a massive civil rights leader, showing her unwavering commitment to equality and academics. She became an educator after her childhood while still advocating for African American voting rights which illuminates the resilience and determination she had to make this world a better place. She educated so many young minds, and ultimately helped so many more which really ignited a passion within me. Bethune’s achievements towards collective action and change, made me want to do something that long lasting within my career. Going to college for an undergraduate biomedical engineering degree encompassed all of the qualities Mary Bethune showed me such as leadership, overcoming challenges, and furthering an education. Her efforts and advancements she made for the African American community serve as a beacon of inspiration for me as someone who is striving to make a positive impact on as many lives as I can reach. Generating new ideas that can affect people's lives in a positive manner has always been what I knew I wanted to incorporate into my future career and education, and Bethune’s story spurred that on even further than it had already developed. Once I found these traits in her that I wanted to achieve in the modern day, I saw that engineering gave me that path directly with my added love for the sciences. The combination of Mary Bethune's added courage to make a difference, and my decision to go into STEM created a decisiveness in me finally. I had always had a feeling of being lost, since I didn’t know what my calling in life was. After hearing about her endeavors, and more stories similar to hers, this feeling quickly changed. I finally decided to go into biomedical engineering to create prosthetics and other artificial organs in order to help those in need. In addition to my career path, my other life long goals like running a marathon and developing a community around myself come with a lot of the values she exudes. Accepting everyone, always advocating for those who are less fortunate, and ultimately respecting everyone are all things she demonstrated which I bring into my daily life, and all my challenges ahead. Through her example, I am reminded that I can provoke great change in the world, and that helping people around me is something I should strive and reach for.