Tivett's Story

My passion is S.T.E.M.

Science was always something big in my childhood and family as I grew up. It was like a shadow that followed my life. Every year it was something different. In middle school it was an advanced science class like Robotics and Biology. In high school it was Advanced Placement Computer Science, Physics, and now, Chemistry. Science was the blood rushing to my fingertips, the seizures my cousin Jazmin got, the steroid induced premature birth my brother faced. I started to live, breathe, and see science everywhere. Once I started to see connections, I couldn't stop - my friends would complain when I would show them how things we learned in class corresponded with our daily surroundings. I mastered the science within every element of life. It forced its way into my heart and thanks to it, I can make something out of it and connect with others.

My father used to take electronic devices from his house, take them apart and put them back together when he was a little boy. As the daughter of a soon to be Physician Assistant and Electrician, I was bound to do something science related. To be a young Latina girl, I want to be able to build and create work and not be overlooked because of my gender, name, or my race. I wish to be picked for jobs and schools because of my work and my determination, not because I fit a profile they want. Smith’s college S.T.E.M. summer program is held in a setting where everything is fair. It provides a security of being judged on my work and provides a pre-college experience to start adapting to the college mindset.