I didn’t see the value of coming from a family of 5 sisters until I grew older. All that seemed to come out of it was arguments and unsatisfying compromises. However, I failed to realize that my large family taught me the ideal of always thinking about others and ways to improve our support system. I may have grumbled and sighed scrubbing all the dishes and mopping the floors, but I intrinsically felt gratified that I, along with my mother and sisters, would all enjoy the clean kitchen together. Thus, my daily actions in life naturally became considerate of others, which is an effective framework to live by, especially when striving for ambitious goals. I will be forever grateful that my background has ingrained the mindset that I must prosper with the purpose of supporting others. The STEM field is where I saw I could make the most impact on causes larger than myself. It began with my entry into the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition my sophomore year of high school. This nationwide contest challenged high school students to create solutions to a significant community problem. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, my team designed biodegradable masks that were as effective as commercial ones but eco-friendly. Our innovative product, along with our novel testing method, earned us the $15,000 reward. Staying true to my values, I chose to donate the prize back to the school. No amount of money could replace the joy of seeing new scientific equipment and laptops benefiting all students. Furthermore, my goal of being the valedictorian of the Class of 2023 was to honor the hard work of my single mother and the capabilities of the Black community. Besides news sources such as CNN, Good Morning America, and ABC celebrating my eventual achievement of my twin sister and I as valedictorian and salutatorian, comparable news sources such as Black Enterprise, Ebony, and The Grio recognized it as a triumph for the Black community as well. I aim to continue making significant impacts on others around me as I study biomedical engineering at Yale University. I want to develop devices for patients like my father who yearn for functional independence taken from them by neurological disorders. Furthermore, I hope to take my athletic commitments at Yale University to the next level and qualify for the 2028 Olympics in Track and Field to represent my parent’s home country, Haiti. Since they were immigrants, I have the opportunity to either represent the US or Haiti. I ultimately decided to represent Haiti internationally as I did recently at the Under 20 World Championships. The small country already lacks representation but needs positive media now more than ever as they face serious political issues. My success on the track will serve to uplift this community, continuing my life mission to use my overall success to support others. Concedingly, aiming to always achieve at the highest level has made it challenging for me to be a continual learner. I always set my mind to accomplishing one thing and will keep attempting the same thing regardless of how many times I fail. This persistence can be beneficial, but evidently limiting. A fitting example is when I am writing code for a program and I am getting the same error code. My instinct is to search for the minor bug causing the issue in my code instead of simply starting from scratch or trying a different approach. This flexibility would have saved me countless hours in my computational classes. Athletically, it has impacted my coachability. If I won a race with a running technique that isn’t the most efficient, it's almost impossible for a coach to convince me otherwise. This stubbornness, however, has likely prevented me from setting personal bests in my next races. Failing to be a continual learner has had its evident setbacks in my life, but I am working on simple ways to improve this aspect of myself. I have begun to exercise what I learned at a mindfulness class at Yale, which is to automatically label my negative reactions. For example, if someone suggests something new to me and I reject it, I immediately ask myself why I rejected it. This forces me to actually consider the advice given instead of disregarding it out of habit. I have also learned to step away from whatever isn’t working at the moment to have time to debrief on the issue and perhaps attempt it in a new way. Although not perfect yet, implementing these simple strategies will help me embrace new ideas and perspectives that will help me improve, not just for myself, but for those I aim to serve.

With just a nebulizer, styrofoam mannequin head, and an iPhone at home, you can evaluate the effectiveness of a mask against the COVID-19 virus. This innovative testing method was one I devised for my entry into the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow National Competition my sophomore year of high school. The COVID-19 pandemic was at its height that year, with glaring death toll numbers continuing to climb across all news stations. School was pushed online as the whole world went into lockdown. The most overlooked victim of this all, however, was the environment. The disposable masks piled up landfills, silently breaking down into toxic chemicals that pollute the soil and water.  By the time I reached sophomore year, I had already transitioned into a huge “STEM-y"—that is, pursuing everything and anything STEM available at my high school. Whether that was completing advanced placement science and math courses, enrolling in research programs at local universities, or organizing science fair activities as STEM Honor Society President, I loved the hands-on, problem-solving approach to conquering life’s challenges. Thus, when the opportunity to enter the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest rolled around, I jumped at the chance, eager to stop sitting on my hands and do something meaningful during the lockdown period. I decided to address the escalating issue of mask pollution, as the demand for face coverings continued to rise with the ongoing progression of the pandemic.  This project entailed engineering biodegradable masks that were just as effective in protecting against the virus, cost-efficient to replicate the mass reproducibility, but, as the name suggests, far more eco-friendly. I went through dozens of prototypes fabricated from thin sheets of bamboo, cotton, and hemp. It was one thing to meticulously weave together materials for a 4x9-inch face covering, but I had to test each prototype for its breathability and performance against droplets. I developed a testing apparatus that consisted of a mannequin head carved out to fit the tube of a nebulizer through its mouth. I replaced the nebulizer fluid with tonic water that allowed the droplets from the mask to be more visible on my iPhone camera against the contrasted background.  My project made it to the final rounds of the contest, garnering the $15,000 reward, which I gave back to the school community. It even reached the interest of engineers at the National Institutes of Standards of Technology and US Food and Drug Administration. I spent another year collaborating with these two research scientists on a case study, proving my testing methods were as accurate in filtration efficiency as the Aerodynamic Particle Sizer (APS) system used to test commercially available face coverings. These findings would be eventually presented at the Summer Biomechanics, Bioengineering, and Biotransport Conference in Maryland.  Through this experience, technological innovation became my new passion. I am currently in my second year studying biomedical engineering at Yale University while also competing on their women’s track and field team. I hope to pursue an MD/PH.D. where I can contribute to developing medical breakthroughs, especially in neurotechnology. I am steadily working towards this goal through my research at Yale’s NeuroProbe lab, where since my first year, I've been contributing to the development of an implantable brain device designed to help manage symptoms of acute brain injuries. I can only imagine continuing to use technology to tackle the most pressing health issues in the future.

One morning, my quick little routine came to a halt. I loved plopping my favorite fruits and milk into the Nutribullet and pressing the cup for a delicious breakfast. But unexpectedly, the motor refused to start. It seemed destined for the trash unless my 12-year-old hands could fix it. After hours of probing and watching YouTube tutorials, I found the frayed fuse and revived my old kitchen friend. I did it. That hands-on problem-solving experience became something I loved, later helping me salvage broken computers and electronics I found in the trash. I sold them on OfferUp, earning extra cash, which was especially helpful coming from a single-parent home. Moreover, it drew me toward STEM, where I routinely applied critical thinking to solve challenges and push the boundaries of what’s possible—a principle I struggled to embody throughout high school due to self-doubt. During this time, I often imagined a ceiling to my potential. I was the middle child of five daughters, raised by my single mother when my father became severely ill. Just as it takes repeated trials to prove a scientific theory, I had to show myself again and again that I could achieve more than I believed, proving I could make a significant impact. This realization began with my entry into the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition in my sophomore year. My team aimed to address the COVID-19 crisis by designing biodegradable masks that were effective and eco-friendly. Our project earned a $15,000 prize, which we donated to the school. It also caught the interest of engineers at the National Institutes of Standards and Technology and the FDA, leading to a year-long collaboration and a presentation at the Summer Biomechanics, Bioengineering, and Biotransport Conference in Maryland. Track and field also became a way to push my limits. Starting in my sophomore year, my dedication paid off as I broke school records, won back-to-back New York State Championships, earned All-American honors, and qualified for international competition finals. I am grateful to have been featured on CNN, ABC, the Sherri Shepherd Show, and 20 Under 20 Young Innovators Changing the World, where I had the opportunity to share my journey of pushing boundaries both athletically and academically, hopefully inspiring young girls in STEM as well. I am currently in my second year studying biomedical engineering at Yale University while competing on their Women’s Track and Field Team. I plan to pursue an MD/Ph.D. where I can contribute to medical breakthroughs, especially in neurotechnology. I want to be the beacon of hope to patients like my father whose bodies have succumbed to complete paralysis, helping them regain movement or even the ability to speak again. I’m working towards this goal through research at Yale’s NeuroProbe lab, where since my first year, I’ve been contributing to the development of an implantable brain device designed to manage symptoms of acute brain injuries. Being selected for this scholarship will allow me to dedicate more time to lab work and continue being the voice for women athletics in Yale Women’s Athletic Council. More importantly, it will grant me the opportunity to empower future patients and young girls, showing them that they, too, can do it.