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Tamara Aguetse

635

Bold Points

1x

Finalist

Bio

Breaking STEM barriers as a Black woman with a side of vanilla ice cream.

Education

North Plainfield High School

High School
2019 - 2023

Miscellaneous

  • Desired degree level:

    Bachelor's degree program

  • Majors of interest:

    • Computer Science
  • Not planning to go to medical school
  • Career

    • Dream career field:

      Law Practice

    • Dream career goals:

    • Front Desk Receptionist

      Liccardi Ford Lincoln Dealership
      2023 – Present1 year
    • Team Member

      Qdoba Mexican Restaurant
      2022 – 20231 year
    • Team Member

      Playa Bowls
      2021 – 20221 year

    Sports

    Tennis

    Varsity
    2021 – 20232 years

    Track & Field

    Junior Varsity
    2019 – 20201 year

    Research

    • Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians

      Johnson and Johnson — Project Leader and Designer
      2022 – 2023
    • Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians

      North Plainfield High School — Team Leader
      2022 – 2023

    Public services

    • Volunteering

      Local Library — Youth Advisor/Volunteer
      2019 – 2020
    Healing Self and Community Scholarship
    My sister watched for my reaction with large, watery eyes. Depression wasn't a topic I hadn't heard of before--I'd seen it pop up in comment section arguments or schoolwide bullying interventions. I just didn't expect it to be so close to me in the form of my bubbly younger sister. It came to me quickly, masked in the shape of laughter and playful punches on the walks home from school. The part that hurt the most following this revelation would be the expectation for her to be the "strong Black woman". The fact that she would need to push her emotions to the side to continue playing this character that wasn't allowed to be sensitive. To be hurt. To feel. There wasn't much I could do financially as a junior in high school, so I did what I knew best: I opened an Instagram account. On the first day of its life, I made it clear that I was a Black woman. I wanted it to be a safe space for other girls like myself to vent their frustrations about anything and everything. No expectations or any stigma were hanging over our heads--just long entries about the day's toil and hopes for tomorrow. It's something small, but it meant everything to me, my sister, and the audience I curated. Creating such a space wouldn't entirely solve the issue, but I figured it would be a start. To be strong is to be vulnerable--one cannot exist without the other.