My leadership ability, professional experience, relentless pursuit of improvement, and desire to positively impact my community make me a woman of excellence in engineering and beyond. Before college, I dedicated seven years to playing basketball, where my leadership skills were evident as I consistently served as team captain. I prioritized academic responsibilities, ensuring homework assignments were completed before game time. Last semester, I eagerly rekindled my passion for basketball by joining my school's Women’s Basketball Club team. My experience as a longstanding team captain has ingrained in me the values of leadership, teamwork, and accountability, which I eagerly bring to every aspect of my life. Over the past 4 years, I have been actively involved in volunteer, community service, and leadership experiences that have enriched my personal and professional growth. Serving as the Region 5 Texas Zone Chair and TAMU NSBE Chair Emeritus for the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), as well as being a member of the Xi Psi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated has allowed me to prioritize scholarship and service within my community. Additionally, being honored as the Miss Black & Old Gold Pageant Queen for the Pi Omicron Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, has allowed me to represent and uplift my cultural heritage while advocating for social change. My parents are my role models. As a child, my mother’s quest for a degree fascinated me. Her family viewed higher education as an afterthought, causing her to do the same as an adult later. My mom would frequently come home from her full-time job, make a full-course meal for her family, and later become fully invested in her studies. Her work ethic intrigued me as I crawled my small body into our home office. I plopped down on the couch behind her as she studied at the desk. I’d ask her if she was done and would blissfully drift to sleep before I could even hear her answer. To this day, her two degrees overlook me as I study to chase a degree of my own, just as she once did. Professionally, completing four internships at Toyota North American Motors and one at Oncor Electric Utility (in 3.5 years) has equipped me with invaluable skills in organizational planning, technical operations, and project management. I’m currently interning for the largest transmission and distribution electric utility company in Texas and taking a full courseload of summer classes. These internships have provided me with extensive experience in organizational planning, training development, technical operations, and project management. I have spearheaded initiatives such as creating training documents, processes, and pilot launches and performing evaluations on printed circuit boards (PCBs). These experiences have equipped me with invaluable skills and knowledge that I am eager to apply in my future career. After graduating from college, I aspire to work as a project manager in the business and engineering fields. I am passionate about leveraging my engineering expertise to develop innovative solutions for the mobility, power, and sustainability industries. Additionally, I am committed to promoting diversity and inclusion within the field, advocating for underrepresented voices, and fostering an inclusive environment for future generations of black engineers.

One day, my mother ingrained a random fact into my younger self: “By the time you are five years old, you are already who you are destined to be.” I later understood that 0-5 were fundamental ages in becoming autonomous before thinking about adulthood. From our first memories, we shape our passions, interests, and values that form who we ultimately become. My mom is my role model. As a child, my mother’s quest for a degree fascinated me. Unfortunately, her family viewed higher education as an afterthought, causing her to do the same as an adult later. My mom would frequently come home from her full-time job, make a full-course meal for her family, and later become fully invested in her studies. Her work ethic intrigued me as I crawled my petite body into our home office and plopped down on the couch behind her as she studied at the desk. I’d ask her if she was done and would blissfully drift to sleep before I could even hear her answer. To this day, her two degrees overlook me as I study to chase a degree of my own, just as she once did. My mom is the reason I wanted to become an engineer. She took me to work in the summer of 6th grade and let me shadow an electrical engineer at her company. This summer, I’ll complete my second internship with that company and 5th internship since starting school. Words can never fully express how proud I am of my mother. Her style, confidence, drive, beauty, brains, and compassion embody everything I wish to be. To me, she is the epitome of black girl magic. My mother instilled in me the value of reliability. Her admiration for my accomplishments proved this. I received many awards for academic excellence, scholasticism, and leadership while attending college. In high school, I was honored to be the only student to receive an award amongst my peers. I noticed the parallels between acquiring this and receiving a similar award roughly 12 years prior. With every ceremony I attended, my mother would hand me flowers with one arm and hug me with the other, celebrating my achievements as if they were hers. These are mere anecdotes of my motivating factors and the 21 years of love, support, and selflessness I’ve received from my mom. I owe all that I am to her, and I can’t thank her enough for the sacrifices she made for me. When I finally accomplish my goals, I promise that I will do everything in my power to show them how appreciative I am. Although I profess my love and gratitude to them daily, I’d love to give her something to support my feelings. Whether paying off my mother’s student loans or buying my mom a retirement home, I’d love to help in any way I can. My mother motivates me daily to chase my dreams and “secure the bag,” as the young folks say. To some, “diversity” may be a word. But, to me and minorities alike, diversity is a message of equality and perseverance in the name of science, business, or societal advancement. With this in mind, I know that I will be successful because my goals are fueled by forces much more significant than myself. I will make myself and my parents proud, serve as a role model to all the little black girls pursuing engineering, and combat racial and gender wealth disparity.