Age
18
Gender
Female
Religion
Christian
Church
Nondenominational
Hobbies and interests
Robotics
Reading
Coding And Computer Science
Community Service And Volunteering
Babysitting And Childcare
Science
Engineering
Government
Coaching
Food And Eating
STEM
Math
Writing
Reading
Young Adult
Mystery
Romance
Academic
Classics
Science Fiction
I read books multiple times per week
Anna Burckart
3,175
Bold Points1x
Nominee1x
FinalistAnna Burckart
3,175
Bold Points1x
Nominee1x
FinalistBio
I am currently a high school senior in Raleigh, NC, and I want to get my doctorate in biomedical engineering. My primary goal in life is to help people, which is why I want to improve medical devices to improve people’s quality of life.
I am a National Merit Scholar Semi-Finalist, an AP Scholar with Distinction, and the top of my graduating class. I have received two regional NCWIT Aspirations in Computing High School Awards, and I have been recognized for my academics, leadership, and service by the ACSI.
I participate in the FIRST Robotics Competition as my team’s president, programming lead, and electrical lead. I am very passionate about encouraging more women to join STEM activities, as I have struggled with being the only woman in a male-dominated space. I have grown the number of women in our robotics program, and I am also a Code.org Computer Ambassador, where I encourage more women to do computer science.
Leadership is extremely important to me. I lead in many of my clubs, including the Student Leadership Academy at my school, where I serve as the Service Team Leader. I am also the Director of Attorneys of my school’s YMCA Youth & Government program, where I have won the Model Attorney award.
I also do community service. In the past four years, I have served over 200 hours of community service. I am the R&D team leader of the teen board of the nonprofit Addis Jemari, which works to end generational poverty in Ethiopia. Over the summer of 2024, I took a trip to Ethiopia, where I was able to serve alongside the nonprofit to help the children within the program.
Education
North Raleigh Christian Academy
High SchoolGPA:
4
Miscellaneous
Desired degree level:
Doctoral degree program (PhD, MD, JD, etc.)
Majors of interest:
- Biomedical/Medical Engineering
Test scores:
1520
SAT36
ACT1430
PSAT
Career
Dream career field:
biomedical engineering
Dream career goals:
Coach
North Carolina Football Club2022 – Present2 years
Sports
Soccer
Club2017 – 20225 years
Soccer
Varsity2022 – 2022
Public services
Volunteering
Futsol — Coach2021 – 2023Volunteering
Addis Jemari — teen board member2023 – PresentVolunteering
Raleigh Dream Center — handing out food and working in the warehouse2021 – Present
Future Interests
Advocacy
Volunteering
Philanthropy
Entrepreneurship
North Carolina Scholarship
I remember the feeling of when my friend told me the story of how he almost died. It was a random Tuesday morning at seven in our before-school class. He had been diagnosed with diabetes four years prior and had been reliant on an insulin pump since his diagnosis. However, in the middle of the night, his pump malfunctioned, and it continuously pumped insulin into his body during the night to a dangerous level. Luckily, he was fine; however, I thought about what might have happened if he was not fine. His story about his almost death resonated with me, reminding me of the importance of medical devices functioning perfectly. A simple malfunction in a medical device could have tragic consequences on the health and safety of the people who rely on the medical devices.
During Career Day at school, I talked to a man who sells medical devices, and he told me about how life-changing working with medical devices is. When I held a small pacemaker for the first time, I knew I wanted to be involved in creating small life-saving devices. I want to innovate better solutions so that no one has to worry about their device malfunctioning. I want to improve the devices to improve the lives of those who rely on them. Holding the pacemaker in a random classroom on the first floor, I decided biomedical engineering was for me.
My friend's story and many others have encouraged me to enter the field of biomedical engineering. So many people rely on medical devices to live, and if the devices malfunction, it can cause devastating consequences. Therefore, I plan to go to college for biomedical engineering, and I will use my degree to work to improve the lives of people who rely on medical devices to live. I want to create a better tomorrow where people do not have to panic about their devices. I envision a world soon where getting a medical device does not need to be stressful. Not only would the devices be improved, but the cost would not be financially stressful for those who cannot afford it. Another friend with diabetes told me about the financial hardships of having diabetes, and I want to make sure that no one struggles to attain the necessities that keep them alive by innovating the devices to become more affordable.
Therefore, with my biomedical degree, my education will shape a future without worry about malfunctioning medical devices and the costs associated with medical devices.
Joanne Pransky Celebration of Women in Robotics
I wake up to the sound of sizzling bacon and the smell of maple syrup that enters my room through the crack of the door, signifying the last day of school for the week. Since my mom left when I was five, my dad and I have had a tradition of eating breakfast together every Friday morning. Every Friday, he makes me two golden, fluffy pancakes drenched in maple syrup and three pieces of bacon made the exact way we like it, slightly crispy. I quickly hop to my feet, my body suddenly invigorated by the sound and smell. I slip on my bunny slippers for warmth and rush out of my room, down the hall, and into the kitchen. The silver fridge door is open, concealing the appearance of the chef. The door closes, and the sight saddens me.
"Good morning, Sport," the robot greets me, using the nickname my dad gave me when I was six. The robot was about a foot taller than me. It had large dead eyes, a painted smile, and a satellite dish on its head.
I don't respond to the thing before me. While I knew that my dad had been sent to war earlier in the week and the robot had taken my dad's place as my guardian, I had held onto the hope that my dad would return on Friday for our tradition. Friday had always been my beacon of hope in dark times, but today, Friday had failed me. My dad is still gone, and I live with an impersonal machine. I sit at my usual spot at the table, which is set for one rather than two.
“One stack of two pancakes with syrup and three pieces of slightly crisp bacon,” says the robotic voice as the metallic hand places a plate of steaming pancakes and sizzling bacon before me.
I glare at the ‘Kiss the Chef’ apron wrapped around the robot. It is my dad's favorite apron, the one that I got him for Father's Day three years ago. “You’re not my dad,” I state angrily, pushing the plate to the center of the table. My stomach growls, and upon further inspection, the pancakes are fluffy and golden, and the bacon is made just like my dad used to cook it.
"Eat up," the robot commands as it places a glass of orange juice before me. I check the glass for critiques, but as if reading my mind, the machine points out, "No pulp."
"Whatever," I mutter with a scoff, running to my room to prepare for the last day of this awful week.
When I storm out of the house after getting ready with my stomach still growling, I throw my backpack over my right shoulder. I stare at the sky as I walk down the driveway, wishing on the invisible stars that my dad will return and kick the impersonal robot wearing his apron in our kitchen out of the house. As I turn to walk down the sidewalk, I hear yells and horrible screeching noises until darkness. Pitch darkness. Loud sounds. Then silence.
When I wake up, my head throbs, and my left leg tingles. I move my right hand to clutch my painful head, but my hand doesn’t obey my brain. I try moving my left hand, but my limbs refuse to cooperate again. I grunt as my eyes flutter, taking in the bright surroundings. I’m in a white room on a white hospital bed. Large, horrifying medical devices surround me. A heavy white sheet covers the lower half of my body, and my wrists are fettered to the sides of the hospital bed. I try to move my fingers, but my whole body feels numb as it refuses to obey the signal from my brain.
A door opens, and a middle-aged woman in a white lab coat walks in with two young women in blue scrubs behind her with clipboards, who are already taking notes. "How are you?" the older woman in the lab coat asks as she sits next to me on a chair and begins reading charts on a screen.
"What happened?" I reply, my voice shaky. My lips feel numb. I close my eyes, finding the room too blinding for my headache.
"Five years ago, you were hit by a car on your way to school," the woman answers bluntly. "You were taken to our labs for," she pauses and continues, "experimental treatments."
"Five years ago?" I repeat, opening my eyes to stare at the woman. I try to move my body slightly, and my fingers wiggle. My lower body refuses to move. "Where's my dad?" I ask.
The woman frowns, her eyes suddenly solemn. "I'm afraid your father is still at war," she tells me softly. "But your robot has stayed in the waiting room since you were first admitted."
"What?"
The woman nods to one of the women in blue scrubs. The woman in blue scrubs on the left nods and walks to the door. She leaves for a few minutes and returns with a worn-down robot that rolls slowly behind her.
The robot's eyes, which I once found emotionless, come to life as the robot sees me. "Sport!" the robot exclaims, wheeling toward me and throwing its metallic arms in the air.
"Hi," I say shyly.
"What's the prognosis, Doc?" the robot asks the woman in the lab coat.
"We had to replace her left leg with a prosthetic leg," the woman replies, removing the white sheet to reveal my new metallic leg. "She has wires running through her blood vessels that lead to her heart."
My heart beats rapidly as I stare at my new appendage.
"It's incredible," the robot's voice responds, its eyes looking at me. "What do you think, Sport?"
I examine the robot's metallic body. It had changed from years of waiting in the hospital for me to wake up. "Now I'm just like you," I reply positively.