My dog, Ollie, lives like a prince. He is five-year-old goldendoodle with a vocabulary that includes, “walk, park, mama, and bedtime.” My family got Ollie during quarantine, so he is used to our undivided attention. As a puppy he woke early, so I was up at five-thirty every morning to play with him. By 8 o’clock most mornings we were both played out and ready for a nap. He would curl up in my lab and we would rest. Ollie is much bigger now, but he still thinks he is a lap dog. He enjoys keeping me company by chewing a bone in my lap while I do homework.
I wish I could take him everywhere I go. I think he would love to see what my life is like. If I could, I would take him to school to see the robotics lab. He could chase my team’s robot down the hall, and our robot could throw balls down the hall for him using our robot’s launching mechanism. I love robotics almost as much as I love Ollie, but don’t tell him I said that. Robotics is where I get be creative and solve problems. It has shown me my passion for engineering and science. Over the past four years, my robotics team has won five awards for our design and presentation skills.
I would also take Ollie to come play tennis with me. This year is my second year as team captain, and he could be my captain in training. Although he may not be good about organizing events and planning workouts, he could help pick up balls and be our mascot for the day.
Our next stop would be the Salem Public Library for a Read to a Pet event. I am on the Teen Advisory Board (TAB) at the library, and I help make events like this happen. As a board member I have planned murder mystery parties, game nights, improv workshops, and more. I love being a member of TAB because I am able to give back to a institution that has helped me become who I am. I have participated in library events since I can remember, and I am constantly checking out books for both leisure and research. I don’t know that Ollie would be especially into the books, but I am sure that he would love he love to find a cozy place and to rest while I read.
I love Ollie, just like you loved Otto. And although Ollie and Otto may never understand all that I do in a day, I hope they would be proud of my life and career. This fall, I will start my freshman year of college studying medical device engineering. I want use technology as a force for good, helping developing countries provide affordable the medical care. My variety of interests and problem-solving mindset will help me to find creative solutions to global health issues and change lives through scientific innovation.
(Disclaimer: I have a 3.89 GPA, BOLD required me claim a 3.5 GPA to apply. I take rigorous classes and work hard to excel in school.)
P.S. My favorite Taylor Swift lyric is “Never be so polite, you forget your power. Never wield such power, you forget to be polite.”
Some people would say that I have had a challenging life. I don’t think I have. Yes, I have gone through some hard times but so has everyone else. I think it’s the way I handle these situations that makes it seem like I haven't had a difficult life. I have enjoyed my life and everything I have done. I do regret not having as much of a childhood as I could have. I have been playing sports since I could walk. I started in a Mexican soccer league as a goalie, as a girl. I got a lot of bloody noses, which might be the reason my nose is a little crooked. I then moved to baseball, I played once again on a boys team. I held my own and continued to have one of the best batting averages on my team until I decided to stop playing the sport in my Freshman year. It was a hard decision to make considering the amount of time I put into the sport which was about ten years. I made the right decision for myself considering that me and my team never won a game and that the coach wanted to be our friend instead of a coach. I ended up losing friends I have had since kindergarten because of this decision. It hurt, but it also helped me realize that they were never truly friends if they were able to dismiss me that fast. During the time I was still in baseball I started basketball. Me and my team were really good, we won the championship and the championship. We even went to Vegas for a tournament. It was an amazing experience. My dad was also my coach and to this day as a senior in high school having played sports my whole life, he has been my best coach. I also played basketball for ten years, and I also stopped playing after my Freshman year because I had stopped liking the sport after five years but I didn’t know how to tell my dad. I joined a volleyball club when I was in third or fourth grade, I can’t entirely remember but I have been playing for a few years now but I haven’t had as much success in volleyball as I did in basketball. I did play all throughout high school and even made varsity. I also won two championships with my club team. In my sophomore year of high school I decided to play tennis, which was the sport I replaced softball with. After never ever picking up a racquet before I had made it to districts in my first year. It was fun and the community of the sport was something I didn’t know I needed. But looking back at these experiences I realized I never really had a typical childhood. I don’t remember ever watching cartoons like some of my other friends. I watched whatever the hotel provided. I didn’t get to have sleepovers with my closest friends because I was always at a tournament, I didn’t and still don’t have a best friend. I have been the friend who has to walk behind the others on a two person sidewalk. I don’t regret it because I had experiences that no one else had, or may ever have. I think this might be the reason why I still watch cartoons or have sleepovers, because I never got to do it before.
