Insulin Pumps and CGMs: How I decided to become a Biomedical Engineer by Annalise

Insulin Pumps and CGMs: How I decided to become a Biomedical Engineer by Annalise - February 2024 Scholarship Essay

When I hugged my younger sister after she came home from the hospital, it was like hugging a skeleton. I was filled with so much grief. She had been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. The disease is severe, rare, and incurable. She struggled with the pain of the frequent injections, and the implications of being diagnosed with such a terrible disease. Every day I was hurt watching her suffer, wishing I could take her place. All I could do was let her squeeze my hand when the prick came, and love her unconditionally.

Over the next few months, she was able to gain access to tools like a Continuous Glucose Monitor and an Insulin Pump. I was filled with gratitude for these devices as I watched them change her life. These devices gave her freedom. She could eat food without getting an injection, and see her blood glucose levels without having to squeeze fresh blood from her tiny fingertips.

It was then that I realized that people make whole careers out of designing these things. Engineering isn’t just inventing the typical things that come to mind, things like bridges, cars, or computers. It can be about inventing things that can change, and even save lives. That’s when I knew that Biomedical Engineering was what I wanted to study.

Biomedical engineering is a fascinating intersection of many different types of science with engineering and mathematics skills. These engineers develop everyday things like my sister’s insulin pump, prostheses, artificial hearts, MRI machines, and so much more. These help healthcare professionals from around the world more effectively diagnose and treat both short-term and chronic ailments.

Learning and service are some of my core values and always have been. This is why I want to study these principles and gain these skills. I am doing this because I want to use my talents and abilities to bless the lives of those who need it. Technology has the potential to change the lives of those living with disabilities of all kinds, as well as those who are not. The world needs more service-minded engineers, and I aspire to work to use the technology and resources we have to help those in need.