When I was a young child, my interest in math was apparent. I would always finish my assignments before school was let out and received A's on all my tests and homework. The opportunity of going to college on full scholarship was presented to me late in high school by my Chemistry teacher. Coming from a country that provided very little educational opportunities, I knew that this was my chance to be the first in my family to attend and graduate college.  
     At Fayetteville State University, I entered the Mathematics program.  There I excelled academically and became a tutor as a Chancellor's scholar. As a Chancellor's scholar I had the pleasure of meeting various mathematicians like Dr. Guanghua Zhao, Dr. Bo Zang, Dr. Kenneth Jones, and my mentor at that time, Dr. Leo Edwards. Under the direction of these educators, I was able to have a better understanding of mathematical concepts. I also attended various seminars/workshops that dealt with programs such as Maple, which is a program that engineers, scientists, mathematicians, teachers, and students can use that provides many avenues for presenting and deploying solutions. The Chancellor's scholarship helped me excel academically because a minimum GPA of 2.8 had to be maintained as a freshman and sophomore and a minimum GPA of 3.0 was needed for juniors and seniors. By excelling academically, I was able to receive many awards and honors. The list of awards I have received are as follows: Chancellor's Scholarship, Chancellor's List Awards, Dean's List Awards, English Merit Award, Yearbook Award, Academic Achievement, Outstanding Achievement Award, Community Service Award, Outstanding Scholar Award. Even though many of the math courses in the curriculum were challenging, I overcame those challenges and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a 3.68 GPA.

  After entering the workforce for a few years, I decided to return and pursue my Master's Degree in Applied Mathematics and attend the University of Agriculture and Technology at Greensboro, North Carolina. I was fortunate to obtain a job as a Teacher's Assistant under the direction of Dr. Barbara Tankersley. As an assistant, I tutored and sometimes filled in for several Calculus classes and provided office hours. Being a Teacher's Assistant was very helpful because it sharpened my mathematical skills and made me feel confident about the correctness and quality of my work. Being able to help students understand different math concepts was very fulfilling.

  Now that I am a Graduate working in the research and development sector is of interest to me. I find that research is a necessity. Without research, there would be no advancement. Without advancement, we would be at a standstill. I hope to do research that deal with the environment because I believe that many people are unaware of the catastrophes that can occur if the environment is out of balance. I am also hoping to see and show results a mathematical data. What I have read about the PRISM, Polar Radar for Ice Sheets Measurements, program has grasped my attention. This program is an ongoing research project that deals with polar ice and its effect on global climate changes such as changes in sea level. It is very important to obtain and be able to relay information about the conditions of the ice sheets to and from the rovers and the personnel at distant locations as well as airborne units. Synthetic Aperture Radars, SARs, are used by the rovers and airborne units to provide 2-D pictures of the ice very similar to those from the Airborne AWACS and satellite imagery. The rovers are located ground level on the polar ice sheets. These rovers have to endure very rigorous polar conditions and be able to tow the radars safely. By having done research for the PRISM project, I would like to make people aware of the project by writing publications in Spanish and English. I plan to contribute my skills wherever needed. Furthermore, I plan to continue to work in the field of research, pursue more internships and projects that deal with environmental issues, and quench my thirst for knowledge.