I first discovered what I want to do for the rest of my life because of a packet of M&M’s. Two years ago, I attended the Engineering Round Robin held by the Society of Women Engineers at the University of Illinois, and conducted an experiment that mimicked the way engineers develop coatings for medicines using a small packet of the popular candy. After combining flour, sugar, and vegetable oil to create pill coatings for the M&M’s, we tested our design by dropping the “pills” in soda and observing the length of time required for the coating to dissolve.

Testing out different combinations of materials and thinking about how engineers manufacture medicines was unbelievably fun, and by the end of the day, I knew exactly what I wanted to be: a bioengineer. As it turns out, bioengineering was the perfect way to combine my love of learning and science with my desire to make people’s lives easier. Engineering provides opportunities to not only conduct research and make new discoveries, but also to create solutions to problems already facing the world.

I have become even more determined to pursue a bioengineering degree, with a specific concentration in biomedical engineering, as this year I was diagnosed with Type 1 (Juvenile) Diabetes. Through this eye-opening experience, I’ve met children as young as five who are facing a lifetime of dealing with a frustrating and disruptive condition. Currently, treatment of diabetes often requires daily injections that can range from uncomfortable to painful and control of the disease necessitates meticulous monitoring of diet. These difficult realities can be particularly stressful for parents of young children or patients in low income situations.

Even so, I have found a surprising upside to this otherwise challenging diagnosis. I have been exposed to fascinating technology, including my new continuous glucose monitor and insulin pump, which will aid tremendously in my diabetes management. I have found the medication and technology associated with the disease incredibly interesting; however, there are serious drawbacks to every form of diabetes management, even the most advanced.

As a biomedical engineer, I would conduct research into improving treatments or developing technology to aid in managing diabetes, improve cost efficiency of current technology to help families struggling under monetary burdens, or even work on identifying a potential cure. I will take advantage of any undergraduate research opportunities available to gain experience in the field and garner connections to professions in the medical world. Ultimately, I would love to take the knowledge I gain from this avenue of study to pursue a career in medical technology design or medical research.