“In fifth grade, I was in my school's leadership club. I remember my principal headed the club. He was extroverted and always encouraged everyone at school to get outside their comfort zone.

I remember the leadership club was to go on a field trip to the University of Texas at Austin. The field trip was going to be for the UT Explore day where different university clubs gathered to do activities for school-aged children. I remember being excited just to go on a field trip because we were a Title 1 school, and we rarely went on field trips.

I remember when we got to the UT campus, we were on Deen Keeton and there were so many buildings and, in every building, there was a different demonstration. I remember we saw the race car team where they talked about the torque required to propel the tires forward, and the chemistry department, where they made a foamy substance blow up. I remember they explained it was the temperature difference that caused the reaction.

But the club that stood out most to me was the Audio-Visual (AV) Club. They showed us different infrared cameras and how the temperature of our breath could determine the health of a person. I remember being fascinated by how technology could make a difference in the health of a person.

I remember when we got back to the bus to leave the UT campus, I wanted to come back. I had never been so excited about science before, and I had so many questions. So, I made it my mission to return. I was accepted into UT Austin, and I graduated in May 2021. I am now working with UTeach to become a certified Life Sciences teacher for grades 6-12.

I want my students to be excited about science like I was that day on my leadership field trip. I hope I can be like my elementary school principal and encourage my students to get outside their comfort zone and explore. I want to be the difference.”