CAREER GOALS & ASPIRATIONS
RESEARCH STATEMENT
Engineering has always been a pursuit of mine; it is the closest career to my lifelong dream of being a professional innovator and inventor. My passion to help patients led my interests to the marriage of healthcare and engineering. Clinical researchers experiment with new therapies and potential treatments and practitioners provide direct patient care. My mission is to augment the scope of care that clinical researchers and practitioners can provide for their patients by presenting said scientists with advanced technology.
To bring this dream to fruition, I am majoring in Mechanical Engineering and minoring in Math. Before I venture into the world of industry, I will earn my Ph.D. in Bioengineering and learn to perform research. I am interested in investigating the effects of advanced medical machinery on surgical success percentages. I aim to optimize medical devices, innovate current surgical tools (such as increasing AI and robotic use in operating rooms) and improve prosthetics. With the proper tools, can diagnosis be made earlier and more accurately? Will surgical success rates will increase? Would people stay healthier for a longer period? I want to provide hospitals with the equipment they need to provide more effective patient care with the intent to close the health gaps and dismantle health disparities that result in more people of color dying from treatable conditions every year.
​
My academic and professional journey is a long one that will produce many struggles along the way. I know that entering this predominantly white, male field as a black woman I will face challenges. As someone who pushes myself to do my best, I believe that I am ready for the adversity I will inevitably face. I am not deterred but motivated to continue to learn and succeed in my field with the help of professors and advisors to guide my path. One day I hope that the technology I innovate ensures the safety of families around the world. In the fight against health disparities, I aim to illustrate that all people are valuable and no one is disposable; people in underserved communities have just as much a right to not only survive their ailments but live fruitful and joyous lives in spite of them.
WHO IS ?
Nicole Attram
In the following sections I will go into depth regarding who I am, what I stand for and what I aspire to do. So... who am I?
KEEP SCROLLING
REPRESENTATION& VISIBILITY
DIVERSITY STATEMENT
Black women have often been termed strong and independent. I believed that to be a good thing; I aimed to be so strong that hurtful words and actions no longer affected me. Campus showed me how detrimental that belief was. I sacrificed meals and sleep to complete school work. I found it difficult to ask for help, telling myself I could push through it. I ignored my depression and anxiety until they incapacitated me.
​
During the pandemic, I took the time to genuinely access my health. I saw my therapist more often and things were starting to get better. The virtual semesters were difficult academically as I continued recovery. I had not learned yet how to manage the anxiety and depression, not to mention the stress of not only COVID and but also Black Lives Matter and the election. Eventually, I saw a psychiatrist. She diagnosed me with symptoms of depression, social anxiety, and OCD. After beginning a treatment plan, I felt like myself again. I registered with my university's student disabilities program and I began to perform much better in my courses.
I was in a great place by the summer of 2021, I felt ready to re-enter campus life. Unfortunately, at the start of the fall semester my mental state took a decline again. I dropped courses, having overwhelmed myself with activities. I took a step back and reduce my responsibilities so that I could focus on my health, academics, and research.
There was once a time I thought I wasn’t going to live to see my future, despite my aspirations. I never thought I would be happy. I have come so very far from that time and I refuse to stop now. Progress may not be linear but I am committed to the process of managing my conditions and improving my quality of life.