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"How has your journey with CF shaped the problems you want to solve and the impact you hope to have on others?"

My older brother and I are both diagnosed with CF. Growing up, I wanted to do everything he did. When he took his pills, I wanted to take pills. When he used his nebulizer and lung treatments, I wanted to do that, too. I felt special when I was admitted to the hospital because my brother had done that as well. He was my model, and the only person in my life, even to this day, that knows what CF is like. He made me feel like everything we did every day, the dozens of pills and hours of therapies and constant doctors appointments, was normal. So when I watched the characters on TV or had playdates with my friends, I wasn't seeing myself. No one else had to take insulin and enzymes when they ate, and their parents weren't constantly reminding them to do everything that comes with CF. They got to be normal kids, and suddenly I wasn't normal anymore. I will change that for the kids that don't see themselves represented in the world. I will show the world new, unique normals to make kids like me feel less alone. I am pursuing a degree in Literature and Writing Studies with an interest in creative writing, so that I can publish books and screenplays that tell the stories that aren't usually told. As a queer woman with a chronic illness, I understand how much representation means to the countless communities who aren't usually shown in the media. And as a writer, I know the power that stories have to educate and spread awareness for people with important yet quieted voices. I deserved to see myself represented outside of my living room when I was younger. But now, that younger self, still in me somewhere, can help me achieve this for all the other kids that deserve to see themselves too.