“You smile the biggest when you are with animals.” For me, it started as a passion for animals when I was a child and my mom always says that even though I was so serious when I was younger animals were my soft spot, and even that is true to the present. I’ve always been drawn to science classes throughout my education from my elementary school  STAAR tests to my AP Biology Exam my Junior year. A childhood dream of becoming a zoologist when I was younger, evolved into a larger interest in all fields of STEM. Since then I’ve been introduced to more areas of science classes that have caught my interest and have shown me the diverse world of science and I’d love to explore them all.  This past year I’ve had so much trouble narrowing down what exactly I want to do as my profession, because of my adventurousness and how I enjoy experiencing things that I've never done before. While looking over the job I had previously thought of entering, a pattern appeared that I especially had an interest in entering male-dominated careers like aviation and piloting and of course STEM. "You'll get a job because you're a woman." As someone who wants to pursue a STEM field, this sentence has been said to me more times than I can count, and I find this phrase demeaning to me as a person. Am I defined by my gender rather than my abilities and aspirations? Does my intelligence not matter? Do employers only want women to increase diversity percentages? These questions grew a fire inside of me which only fueled my motivation to break the societal expectations within the STEM field. I hope to inspire young girls, like the one I once was, to know that she can also overcome challenges she doesn't understand yet, and reach her goals, no matter the obstacles. It’s not enough to just break through simple barriers, my goal is to show that women can join the workforce and excel in the positions given to them and that women can lead in any workplace. By doing so, I hope to challenge the outdated gender norms and redefine what success looks like in these fields. Women within these careers shouldn’t be defined by their gender but by their skills and unique perspectives on various subjects. By becoming part of the STEM community I want to strive to inspire my peers to pursue their dreams and not care if there are “limits” to what they can achieve. Through determination and hard work, I want to prove that women belong in all corners of the workforce, shaping the future alongside their peers. In the future, I want to make a difference in the world with my contributions and also highlight the importance of challenging stereotypes and breaking barriers within STEM. I want to be a part of a change in diversity that will come in the future that focuses on those who have potential and not their addition to a demographic percentage.  I’m committed to expressing my curiosity to science and desire to find new discoveries and I want to show how that's not just a little girl’s dream but a motivator for the next generation of leading names in STEM.  My goal is not only to succeed for myself but also to pave the way for the future of girls who will one day look to the fields of STEM and see endless possibilities.