I always wanted to make a difference. Going into engineering I was afraid of engineering being focused solely on technicals, but GCSP has taught me that it's so much more than that. I've grown throughout the program, and every experience has made me better suited to solve all 5 goals, but especially in health. 

An interesting paradigm shift took hold of me through the program, which is that everything is much more connected and transferrable than I would have expected. When it comes to improving health, my research component has an immediate benefit, but what of the others? Well, my interdisciplinary component, taught me to rely on others and to think outside the box. To solve a problem, it's always better to work together. Entrepreneurship? Well, to solve a problem you first have to understand a problem. That's at the heart of making an innovation. I've learned many unspoken rules and techniques for getting involved with start-ups, pitching ideas, and prototyping from FSE 301. It's made me better at communicating unique ideas, and I hope to apply these skills as I eventually apply to Venture Devils for the latter half of 2018. Entrepreneurship and learning how to adapt solutions has vastly increased my own problem-solving abilities. Another important requirement to me was the global component - the Grand Challenge theme of Health is a global one, and it's exceedingly dynamic. Health may have different challenges in one region, and within those regions are people of a certain culture, perspective, or methodology of engineering. It takes an biomedical engineer to adapt to different medical obstacles - devising diagnostic systems or treatment tool, but it takes a GCSP scholar to interact with the individuals being affected and truly optimize the execution of any engineering strategies. My ability to acheive this was aided by my experience my global component, most notably COM 263 for helping me understand different communication strategies.

Notably, my service learning experience has definitely contributed to most of the success in my academic career. It was because of the GCSP requirements that I was encouraged to pursue EPICS. From the network I subsequently developed, I become inspired to do more. I went on to become a Fulton Ambassador, lead camps for E2, and gradually took on more leadership roles until I was the president of the Biomedical Engineering Society and an IMPACT awardee for my graduation. The Grand Challenge Scholars Program gave me that momentum to move forward and try out new things - and all the skills I've learned and refined over these past few years are going to be vital for my success forwards in my professional pursuits. This program has inspired me not just to do more, but it has given me the tools to do so.