Sydney G. is a junior at the College of William and Mary, where she is pursuing a Biology major with a Hispanic Studies minor. Here’s more about what motivates this Paliwal Club of 100 STEAM Scholar.

What is your professional dream?

I want to work in either biomedical sciences or environmental public health.

What does being in the Paliwal Club of 100 mean to you? 

It means being a part of a collective of women who are able to pursue their dreams while being surrounded by others with the same devoted mindset.

Women are underrepresented in the S.T.E.A.M. (science, tech, arts or math) fields and music industry. How can we change this? 

Outreach and access!

Seeing other women in STEAM become successful is ultimately what drives the new generation. Representation matters and it’s important to lead by example starting with the younger ages. But representation without access means nothing.

That’s why I think this scholarship is great because it allows women in STEAM the opportunity to obtain a partial financial sum that can fuel their dreams.

What are some of the challenges you have faced along the way?

Imposter syndrome has been the most difficult thing for me to overcome. I spent a lot of years feeling that I didn’t belong in my field of study (biology) and that everyone was smarter than me.

How will this grant from the 1,000 Dreams Fund help you reach your goals?

It will help me further my pseudophosphatase research, which will set me up for graduate school and job applications in the coming years.