FACES OF THE FUTURE

“Growing up, I thought having Lamellar Ichthyosis was an embarrassing condition to have. Especially within the media, having clear skin was defined as the standard for “beauty”. I would always get many weird looks, questions, and comments about my skin, and because of that, I would cover up my true skin. However, this year I chose to change that. Showing my true skin was difficult because I was so worried about what others would think of me. On the other hand, I thought to myself that there are so many young kids with Ichthyosis that have no one to look up to, especially around their age.
As a Faces of the Future winner, I will be able to reach even more kids, teens, and young adults no matter how rare or general their skin condition is and teach them that this part of them is what makes them special and true beauty is about being yourself. I will be with them on their journey to embrace and love the skin that they're in. In the end, having a rare skin condition is something that I should not be ashamed of, and that this difference within me is already allowing me to make a difference in the world.”

“My passion is working on initiatives to increase the pipeline of minorities into the healthcare field. There is always something to be done to be developed into a competitive applicant for medical school. I honestly believe that this starts at a young age, to instill confidence in children that they can be whatever they want to be when they grow up. I would use the grant to kickoff mentorship programs in schools in low-income communities.
As a Faces of the Future winner, I plan to kick off a local school mentorship program in the low-income New Orleans area. I would definitely invest in minority STEM students with materials that will pique their interest in the field. Two of the main things that minorities lack are resources and access to information, and I definitely would work to change that with this grant.”

“I think what inspires me most is genuine human connection. I love the feeling of giving, being, sharing, and connecting with someone. There’s something about a genuine connection that makes you feel a sense of purpose and makes you feel at home. Given the tragedies over the past year, I constantly yearn for this connection in my relationships.
In the past two years of my Master’s Program, I have worked harder than ever to improve the health and well-being of those around me. I believe that being the winner of the Faces of Future program will put me in the best possible position to further my personal, academic, and educational goals.”

"In middle school, I dealt with internal and external insecurities, many of which I still battle today. For one, I was in an accelerated STEM program, and as one of the few girls in my class, there were times where I felt my ideas were unworthy or not good enough, so I simply just kept quiet. Alongside my acne insecurities, I had Imposter Syndrome, something that many female students and influential women face.
I started researching how prevalent the Imposter Phenomenon was and how this issue is a leading reason why gender disparities exist across multiple STEM disciplines, especially tech and engineering. As a Face of the Future winner, I will continue to use my platform to combat the Imposter Phenomenon in my own life as well as help others in my community see their full potential. It's not who you are that holds you back, but what you think you are not."

"As a proud first-generation college student and Korean-American woman in STEM, I believe that I am a part, a face, a body of the future—specifically, the culmination of someone who will contribute to the diversity of genders, races, socioeconomics, etc. This multifaceted inclusion is integral to reaching the needed representation and discourse behind ideas, especially in areas where there are disparities such as the engineering field.
I am tired of women and POC being cast aside in these conversations, and I am motivated to bring the change that I can to the status quo of STEM. In parallel, Neutrogena advocates these values within their mission for skin health, and my unique identity and efforts allow me to be a torchbearer for this cause."