Bereket Temesgen, born in Ethiopia and now living in Boston, is a first-generation sophomore undergraduate studying optical engineering and computer science at the University of Rochester. Bereket’s work on cancer diagnostic tools stems directly from the challenges they observed in Ethiopia’s healthcare infrastructure, where access to advanced diagnostic technology is limited. Driven by a passion to bridge this gap, Bereket’s project recently earned recognition at a Medtronic-hosted competition, highlighting the potential impact of polarimetric imaging on early-stage cancer detection.