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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?"

At first, I did not think about the kinds of problems I wanted to solve in life. As a junior in high school, I imagined becoming a math teacher and football coach, helping students one classroom at a time. That felt meaningful and realistic. However, after experiencing hospitalizations, extensive testing, second opinions, and a wide range of emotions, my perspective began to shift. My journey with Cystic Fibrosis changed not only how I see my future, but also the kinds of problems I want to dedicate myself to solving. My journey with CF began at fifteen, with an official diagnosis at seventeen. The night I was diagnosed, I searched for answers about what my life would look like. One sentence stayed with me, that with advances in medicine, patients could live into mid adulthood. That realization was difficult to process at first. In the weeks that followed, I felt fear, anger, and frustration. Over time, those emotions faded and were replaced by curiosity. I began learning about CF in depth. I studied how the body works, how enzymes affect health, and how genetic treatments are being developed. I also attended a medical speaker event where researchers shared how they approach complex diseases. Hearing them speak made it clear that many conditions, including mine, still have unanswered questions. That experience helped me understand CF not just as a diagnosis, but as an ongoing scientific challenge. This journey shaped the problems I want to solve. I am drawn to challenges at the intersection of medicine and engineering, especially those that involve improving how diseases are understood, treated, and managed. Living with CF has shown me that there are still gaps between research and real life, and I want to help close those gaps. I also want to contribute to solving problems where patients do not fully fit existing explanations, because I have lived that uncertainty myself. My perspective as someone with CF is something I now see as valuable. It allows me to understand both the scientific side of disease and the human experience behind it. Patient care was already familiar to me because my mother works in oncology, and medicine was often part of conversations in my home. My diagnosis turned that background into purpose. The impact I hope to have on others comes from that combination of experience and perspective. I want to help develop solutions that are not only scientifically advanced but also meaningful in everyday life for patients. I also want to help ensure that patients feel understood, not just treated. My journey with CF has taught me that the most important problems are those that affect both the body and the person living within it. That is where I hope to make my impact.