Feminism is an empowerment movement to achieve gender equality. Feminism is often looked down upon because of many fixed mindsets of individuals, however, feminism is important in all aspects- this includes how much someone gets paid, safety, and protection. There have been many instances where women have had to fear for their lives due to scary probabilities, resulting in many women fearing to simply go out at night, or go anywhere in public alone. Additionally, many women are frowned upon for expressing themselves through clothing or art and are constantly shamed for it. A person that inspires me is Serena Williams because of how big of an impact she had in the sports industry. Personally, I'm not that big on sports, but I remember having a project on her and instantly felt inspired. It is a known fact that women in sports don't get that much attention unfortunately when compared to men's sports, but the fact that Serena Williams captured so much attention is amazing! This impacted my view on feminism because even though I was never huge on sports, I realized how badly we need this movement. This world has been built to heavily disadvantage women from all over and make us believe that we are inferior or weaker than the other gender. Throughout my earlier years of life (elementary-middle), I recall being called derogatory words for simply wearing leggings or shorts. The older I got, I come to a realization of how even in schools men have an advantage in expressing themselves. Many girls have been dress coded for simply wearing spaghetti straps, leggings, etc. However, many boys have not been dress coded even though the majority wear hoodies or shirts with disturbing and sexual images- yet they don't get called out; rather they get praised and rubbed off as 'not a big deal. Women have had to deal with these issues ever since school, a place where a child should feel safe in. As many can see, many issues affect females on a daily- it is gotten to the point where it almost seems impossible to win. Though I have not personally joined the feminist movement due to schoolwork and additional duties, I plan on making women's voices heard and recognized. I plan on increasing diversity as a whole in workplaces, media, etc. I am a firm believer that diversity and inclusion are very important and necessary for the greater good. Once I get into college, I will be majoring in Computer Science- which is a field that is mainly dominated by men. I believe that being a girl and joining that field will definitely be challenging, but will overall be worth it.

Social media has taken a toll on the majority of newer generations. People, especially minors, seem to not understand that what goes on the internet stays on the internet permanently. The media is a way to communicate our thoughts and share experiences in hopes to find people with similar interests. Over the years, the media has turned into a much darker and more toxic community. Of course, there's not much we can do, since practically everyone uses it now. We see people expressing their opinions in ways that they could get in trouble with if they were to express these comments in real life. I believe this has given people a more 'victimized' mindset. By this I mean, people who disregard other people's feelings or opinions online, feel a sense of superiority or power because they may feel like there will be no consequences to their actions and so forth. People who believe this may get a victimized mindset when it comes to real life because if they were in a situation where they were in the wrong and they have no other choice but to apologize, they may feel as if their power is being taken away and try to find a way to prove that they were right. This quote relates to me because I see a lot of people in my generation feel as if they are entitled to everything they say, no matter how harsh or uncalled for it may be. I mainly see people act out this way online, not as much in real life but it still definitely happens. These kinds of people feel as if they can do anything without any sort of consequence, which is overall concerning since there is a vast majority of people who feel this way- which could lead to an overall toxic community- which is, of course, the media.

I've had to live my whole life believing that I did not matter to anyone. My mental health has been declining ever since Elementary School since I've been degraded over my mother having a disability. Even though I've managed to keep pushing through the annoying thoughts of not being good enough, it still eventually creeps up on me. It got so bad to the point where I would self-sabotage close relationships with people I care about over since I believed that they would leave anyway. Isolating myself from family, friends, and things I enjoyed doing has been an ongoing cycle I've been experiencing for a while now. Of course, I'd like to believe I'm doing much better since I've been accomplishing so much, but deep down I know that I'm going to need to face the problem and overcome it. Which is the problem of course- I don't know what the problem is. I did not come here to just rant about my problems of course; even though I've had many days where getting up would drain me entirely, I've been slowly but surely climbing out of this cycle in hopes of a better future for myself and my family. Mental health has influenced everything in my life- whether it be good or bad, it has shaped me into the person I am today. To this day, I still believe that mental health should be something society should talk about more often and not degrade others when it comes to this topic. Not everyone has similar experiences and it can be hard to sympathize or understand what someone is going through, which is why people may believe that mental health is not that important to discuss. Mental health has impacted my relationships in good and bad ways- I've made many mistakes, such as pushing people away. However, I believe I've gotten much better by setting boundaries and trying my best to communicate my feelings rather than not saying anything. With that being said, my future goal in life is to pursue STEM- specifically Computer Science; so I can provide for myself and the people I care for the most. I'm not the best at expressing my emotions upfront and I want to be able to give the people who gave so much to me, something in return in the near future. I have a long ways to go and maybe my goals will change, but one thing that will never change is my dedication to strive for success and prosperity.

The STEM major I want to pursue is Computer Science and possibly mathematics as well. Technology is constantly evolving which excites everyone; mainly because a phone may add a cool new feature. Anyway, technology is so much more than just a bigger phone, rather it is a way that helps people in their personal, working, and outside lives. From having accessible communications such as phones or laptops to having the ability to walk again with prosthetics- the possibilities are truly endless. I've always been interested in pursuing STEM ever since Middle School. I have a much more personal aspect of why I want to pursue this career. My mother has been suffering from a chronic illness that causes her to struggle with simple day-to-day tasks such as walking, standing, and even putting on clothes. Many may wonder, why not pursue the medical field? It was initially one of my choices, however thinking into the future, I want to be able to provide for my family and eventually get to the point where I will be able to provide for my mother as soon as possible. Becoming a doctor takes a lot of time. Besides, I've always wanted to pursue STEM so I believe this will be the best choice for me. Money has always been tight in my family, but recently I've been noticing a lot more since college is the next step in my life. It's no surprise that tuition fees are practically skyrocketing and people like me who do not have that kind of money need scholarships or anything else that could potentially help further our education. To conclude, I believe that STEM as a whole is very important to society since it helps individuals from all backgrounds, as well as makes life easier and enjoyable; which is something I want to be a part of in the near future.

Ever since I was little, my dad has pushed me to love math. He taught me to not be afraid of numbers, and rather find a rational way to overcome them. Present day, I've continued to do this. Math has always been one of my strong suits because I love the patterns involved in equations, functions, graphs, you name it! I think of math as a puzzle or a riddle- it's challenging, but once you understand it all the pieces start to connect. This relates to math because once I start to practice more and truly understand what certain equations mean, I gain a better understanding of what the equation means as a whole. The majority of people tend to dislike math or show no interest in math because there "serves to purpose". I disagree with this statement because, for one, math is all around us; the cars we drive around, the laptops we use for school, the roof over our heads- almost everything consists of some kind of math. Of course, not everyone wants to pursue STEM- but for those who do, understanding math is crucial because of how frequently used it is in everyday situations, even if it's as simple as calculating how much you have to pay for groceries. To sum things up, I've always been a passionate math lover. Yes, some math equations are complicated, however, once I overcome and understand the equation, I gain a much better understanding and thus advance further. Even though I've had to overcome many difficult mathematics, I'd like to proudly say that math is still one of my strong suits.

Technology has always been inspiring to everyone since everyone has been very dependent on them. A piece of technology that personally inspired me has been prosthetic technology. People who were unfortunate enough to lose legs or arms get to have a second chance to start again and gain something they once lost, or potentially never had. Though I've never personally met someone with a prosthetic, I've known people who are very close to me who may qualify to get one. My mother, for one, is disabled and struggles daily with simple day-to-day tasks, such as getting up in the morning, putting on clothes, walking; the list goes on. As technology advances, I believe there will be more good to be expected shortly. Having the ability to completely transform people's lives by doing what was deemed impossible in the past is truly breathtaking and proves that humanity is not all that bad. Technology that has helped people live their lives better has inspired me to become a better person to the people around me because it's an eye-opener that not everyone has the same advantages as you, which is something I can relate to. Money has always been tight in my family since my dad is the only one who provides income for our family. My mother has a chronic disease that sadly can't go away and has been dealing with it for years now. With that being said, earning scholarships will truly change my life for the better. I want to pursue my education to make the world a better place. I'm not saying that just to say that, I truly want to help people who struggle the same way my mom does. I believe technology will provide the ability to make that a reality, which is why technology inspires me.

I've always been fascinated by math. Ever since I was young, my dad would tell me to not be afraid of the numbers and to focus on the challenges facing me. Ever since then, I've been really strong at mathematics. I plan to take math in college because I was to pursue STEM, specifically computer science. The world is constantly evolving; which is both scary and exciting. This nervousness about what will happen next keeps me motivated to keep learning and to keep pushing forward regardless of the unfortunate financial circumstances I've been facing my whole life. I believe I deserve a scholarship because we need people in the world who want to innovate and create new things that could benefit society. With that being said, I believe I'd be a perfect match. Throughout school, mathematics has always been a favorite of mine. I believe the reason why I believe this is because that math always has an exact answer- well most of the time anyway. I find it interesting how you can use math for so many uses in the real world, regardless of what many people think. Math is crucial in the world, especially if you want to reach for big life goals. My personal goal is to, of course, successfully graduate from college with Majoring in Computer Science and potentially Mathematics and a minor in a language class. Taking these classes would mean the world to me because for one taking these courses would sincerely pique my interest, and they would provide many career opportunities shortly. I plan to support my family the way they've supported me but better. Thank you so much for considering me, I appreciate having the opportunity to gain a scholarship to help further my education.

The STEM career I plan to pursue is Computer Science. I've always been fascinated by computers in general since my generation practically grew up with computers. Additionally, I've already taken a coding class to get insight into what could be in store for me. Though it was quite difficult, I continued to push through. In the end, I did pretty well. I want to pursue this career path because people are becoming much more dependent on technology, which means that more people are needed for big companies such as Apple or Amazon. Taking this into consideration, learning Computer Science can lead to having a good job opportunity in the future, which overall is a big deal to me. Money is tight at the moment, so I do not have many options. However, I'm sure that once I gain as many scholarships or any other possible options, I'll be able to support myself and my family in the long run.

For the majority of my high school life, I had no idea what I wanted to pursue. Until recently, I've found some interest in computer science and want to understand its complexity of it. I've grown up with technology since I was very young, so it's clear why technology fancies me and the majority of my generation. With that being said, I've always had a passion about wanting to understand things in depth; which is why I want to study computer science as either a major or minor. I've already taken a programming class as I took a dual enrollment class. It was one of the harder classes I've taken, however, I believe this experience has got me more comfortable with coding in general. It's fascinating how so many elements are made up in a computer system that I'd honestly like to learn more. I am mixed, my dad being white and my mom being Hispanic. I believe that having more women, especially women of color, in computer programming as well as any other field, is needed. Having different cultures and backgrounds come together and create new ideas for the computing industry is something that would not only be revolutionary but also amazing. Although many young women like myself do not have the opportunities many others may have- sufficient amounts of money. Due to financial circumstances, I may not have the chance to pursue my passions. I'm hoping that applying to this scholarship could turn things around for me so I could study computer science further and gain more knowledge about this topic that interests me very much.

Throughout my life, I've always had to face hardships. Whether it be bullying, or not being taken seriously by others, I've always had to deal with these problems alone. Diversity has always been an important factor to me because my mom is Mexican and gets treated poorly by many people around her. Not only that but she is also disabled, so it makes things worse on her end. My father is the only member in our family that provides for this family, so money is tight at the moment. I've always imagined myself going to college and getting a degree that would get me lots of money so I could be the one to provide for my family. It took a couple of years, but I believe I've finally figured out what I wanted to do- Computer Science. I've already taken a course for Web Development at a free duel-enrollment opportunity I had with Wake Tech, and though the process was difficult, it nonetheless fascinated me. I want to continue to expand my knowledge about coding and what it exactly means. I remember making my website for the first time- I never would've guessed that I could do it. My fascination for computer science has grown since then, and I plan to attend college and major in it. I am also thinking about minoring in something else, like psychology or language. I'd like to represent my family when going to college and taking these classes because I come from low-income roots. Having the opportunity to potentially receive a Scholarship for something I plan on doing shortly is overall exciting to me. I believe the more minorities there are at college, the more united people will become. I also believe that diversity is essential when it comes to a workspace because then every side is shared. By that I mean, there is more than one lens to consider- not everyone came from a two-story house with no worries in the world. Having minorities matters because it helps represent their heritage or community. I want to represent my Mexican roots once I get a good-paying job and demonstrate that Hispanics have just as much potential as any other American. Representation is very important to minorities because it shows our side of the story and enlightens others about our lives and what we've been through. People born with a golden spoon in their mouth don't understand the struggles we've had to go through ever since we were young because they were fortunate enough to be financially stable. So, having multiple perspectives at a workplace, school, or anywhere really is important because it allows us to come together better and see all sides of the story, rather than a fixed lens.