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Karen Gijan

1,845

Bold Points

3x

Nominee

1x

Finalist

Bio

Hello! I'm Karen, a high school senior from Texas with a passion for biology, technology, and coding. My journey into the world of STEM began with Girls Who Code during my sophomore year, where I discovered the power of creativity in coding. This experience inspired me to launch FiloCode, an online program aimed at teaching coding to youths in third-world countries. Through FiloCode, I'm working on hosting our second class and have secured funding to provide technological equipment to our students. My interest in biomedical engineering stems from a deep fascination with how living organisms work and a desire to improve health and tackle diseases. I aspire to be at the forefront of medical innovation, combining biology and technology to create advanced treatments and medical devices. This passion is also driven by personal experiences, including the loss of my grandpa due to inadequate healthcare access in rural areas, which fuels my commitment to addressing healthcare inequity. In addition to FiloCode, I co-founded Edukasyong Pangkabataan with my sister to support students facing educational hardships. I'm also involved with 4.teens.helpers, an online platform that provides free opportunities to first-generation, low-income (FGLI) students worldwide, helping them navigate their college and career journeys. Outside of my academic and extracurricular pursuits, I enjoy drawing and listening to music. I'm excited to continue expanding my knowledge and making a positive impact in the world through biomedical engineering and educational equity.

Education

Acellus Academy

High School
2022 - 2025
  • GPA:
    3.9

Miscellaneous

  • Desired degree level:

    Doctoral degree program (PhD, MD, JD, etc.)

  • Majors of interest:

    • Medicine
    • Visual and Performing Arts, General
  • Planning to go to medical school
  • Career

    • Dream career field:

      Medicine

    • Dream career goals:

      Physician

    • Freelance Designer

      2021 – Present3 years
    • Private Tutor

      2022 – Present2 years

    Sports

    Badminton

    2022 – Present2 years

    Volleyball

    Club
    2019 – 20201 year

    Research

    • Biomedical/Medical Engineering

      StudentMD — Student Researcher
      2024 – 2024
    • Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions

      Seattle Children's Hospital — Participant
      2023 – 2023

    Arts

    • Cards4kindness

      Design
      2020 – 2022

    Public services

    • Volunteering

      Sterling Municipal Library — Teen Volunteer
      2021 – 2023
    • Volunteering

      TeleShadowing — Executive Member - Social Media Committee
      2023 – Present
    • Advocacy

      Edukasyong Pangkabataan — Co-Founder
      2023 – Present
    • Advocacy

      4_Teens — Organization Founder
      2022 – Present
    • Volunteering

      cards4kindness — Graphic Designer
      2020 – 2021
    • Volunteering

      Sterling Municipal Library — YA Instagram Reviewer
      2020 – 2020

    Future Interests

    Advocacy

    Volunteering

    Entrepreneurship

    Alexander de Guia Memorial Scholarship
    As a child, I never dreamed of living in the United States of America; I was content with my simple and happy Filipino life. So when the news came that we were immigrating to America in two weeks, I was lost. As a nine-year-old, I didn't know what to feel. I still vividly remember my sister bawling her eyes out on the bus on our way to Manila. I thought, "Should I be crying as well? But for who...for what?" From our trek to NAIA to our final destination, IAH, I never understood why we had to leave our simple and happy Filipino life; I loved the Philippines and life there wasn't that bad. Then came the official start of my American life; middle school. The first few months were the toughest; I sat alone in the cafeteria, walked by myself in the hallways, and didn't utter a single word because my English wasn't perfect. I dreaded going to school every day. I remember crying every night because I wanted to go back to the Philippines; I wanted to be with my childhood friends; I wanted to go to the school where I didn't sit alone and people didn't ignore me; I wanted to go back, but I failed to realize that I was only thinking of what I wanted to do. Seeing me like that every night, wailing helplessly, my parents eventually sat and talked with me. The first thing my dad said was "Anak, even I miss the Philippines. If we could, we would surely stay back home and live there for the rest of our lives, but life isn't that easy." My mom then explained to me that our family business wasn't doing well and we hit rock bottom, financially. We were extremely lucky that my aunt's appeal to petition us to immigrate to America came at the right time. My parents said that their savings were almost gone and they relied on my grandpa and aunt to fund my sister's and my education. With that conversation, I realized how selfish I was as a daughter. Although everything was overwhelming for a nine-year-old, I'm disappointed in myself for living lavishly while we had difficulties financially. My parents have been doing their best to give me and my sister a better life, and a better future, but I failed to see that because I was only preoccupied with the life I wanted to live. Now, as a high school junior, I'm doing my best to be a better version of myself. I'm planning to pursue a career in the medical field as a physiatrist. As a physiatrist, I want to help patients with certain disabilities and chronic pain illnesses to live a more functional and pain-free life without having to undergo extensive and expensive surgery. I also plan on pursuing something in the arts as a minor because I want to share the joys of colors with the world. Although we have lived a decent life, financially, we are still a family who earns just enough to live. We are a low-income household and my older sister is currently in college, so this scholarship will be able to ease part of my college tuition. I want to help my parents and not be a burden to them; I want to be a daughter who's able to give them the life that they deserve as parents who have sacrificed for the better of their children, not because I'm obliged to, but because they deserve that; and the first step to that path of success will be this scholarship.
    Bold Meaning of Life Scholarship
    Life is like a dream that we are all living in. The concept of life is not yet to be determined. We just live our lives to the fullest. We are blessed to be living, that's why we need to cherish every moment of our lives and think of it as a blessing and not a curse. For life is not forever, it is not extended nor deducted. Our life ends in the blink of an eye, whether we want it or not, it's not for us to decide. Life is a dream full of sorrow and darkness, but each day we find the courage to keep fighting. This is the meaning of life. We fight for what we want and live happily until our last breaths. As a person who has lived for quite a long time, I have encountered many events. My overview of life wasn't the best. I have questioned the essence of living each day. It is hard to live a life where you don't know what your purpose is. I always thought that I had to follow someone's orders to get through life. However, it was only recently that my mindset has changed. It was as if my eyes were fully opened to view what my purpose was in this world. At that moment, I exactly knew that I had to follow what I wanted to. What was in my heart and mind was the true meaning of life. Living wasn't about finding your purpose. It was always about exploring your purpose. We must learn to listen to our hearts and minds to find the meaning of our lives. We live life to learn, be free, and be happy. Living is not forever, which is why we don't find the purpose, we explore the purpose.