Ward AEC Scholarship

My name is oliver owen and i have lived on the island of kauai for my entire life. My dad is a contractor on kauai and ever since i was young i knew i wanted to follow in his footsteps with something along the lines of construction. I have worked construction and always enjoyed it, but i always felt that there was something missing. When I was just working for the money, I started to feel this empty hole in my life that money couldn’t satisfy. These next two experiences show how this hole was filled and how my life was changed. In the summer of last year i was invited to go on a missions trip to Mexico to build houses for less fortunate. It was the best trip i've ever been apart of. We spent a couple weeks building very simple homes for these families who were living cardboard boxes before. Even though i had worked some very extravagant houses in my life, I felt that this house was the most meaningful to me and to them. I have never felt this amount of pure joy and satisfaction in my life than when we were able to give the keys to this house over to this family. This experience changed my view and outlook on my career. Before this I only wanted a job that would pay well and make my life more pleasant. But afterwards I felt that I had a calling to use my gifts to help these kinds of people. On August 8th 2023 the horrific fires of Lahaina on Maui were set ablaze. I was shocked to hear this news. I was used to hearing sort of thing happening overseas and around the world but never heard of anything this devastating within our community. We had many family and friends directly impacted by this fire so as soon as we could we went over there with a contracting organization. We spent about a week over there helping out building numerous tiny homes for the victims of the fire. We worked grueling 10-14 hour days. In a normal construction day this would have been an exhausting week but knowing that we were working to help our community motivated us throughout the week. This experience helped me realize that our community was also struggling and needed help. Both of these experiences were similar yet very different. We were able to help families by building homes in both situations. We were able to bless families physically and emotionally, showing these families that there are people who care and want to help them. In Mexico everything was different and we had no idea how harsh the political climate and living situation was for them. They had nothing, this home we had built was one of the only things they could call their own. Whereas on maui these people had a life about as similar to myself as you can get and it was all taken away within minutes. It was heartbreaking to see these families who once had a home, car and business and seeing all of this stripped away from them. My dream is to become an architect so that I am able to help in these kinds of situations. Although laborers are very important, I feel that I have a call to become an architect where I can help in these sorts of situations. I can help in a practical manner by designing efficient, cheap and lifelong homes that people can raise their children in and grow old in. Mahalo for your time Oliver

I imagine that I’m probably a lot like the other applicants you’ve had the opportunity to consider. I can’t say that I’m necessarily smarter, possess significantly more integrity, or that I’m sure I work harder than anyone else aspiring to apply for this scholarship. However, if you have any belief that past behavior is a good predictor of future outcomes, I can say with confidence that I like my chances. My mother had the first of my seven siblings when she was 15. She was HIV-positive before I was born. I never had the opportunity to meet my biological father. I was 6 when my brother Jerome was killed. I was 10 when my mother passed away. I spent my childhood being raised in federal housing by my grandmother. My siblings were spread out and I saw them rarely. Several have been incarcerated. When I finished elementary school I was lightyears behind my classmates. I guess this is the part where I explain how tough it was and why my experiences make me special but that’s not the path I choose. My mother never finished school and she certainly didn’t pursue higher education. She engaged in activities that ultimately ended her life. But my mother’s journey isn’t an excuse for me. It has helped shape who I am. It has reinforced the importance of education. I yearn for a different life. I chose the STEM pathway. I chose to be an engineer. Without my mother’s hardships, I may not have found my true determination. For 13 years my grandmother was my guardian. She operated in a very different space. Her focus wasn’t on academics but instead preventing me from following my mother’s path. Rather than raising me to break the cycle with excellence, she locked me down and taught me that everything outside of the door was dangerous. But her view of the world allowed me to open my eyes and my heart so widely. Without my grandmother, I would never have been able to see this world through my unique lens. In my elementary school years, teachers could see how my struggles at home were affecting my academic performance. My grades were very low. Year after year, the teachers decided to promote me to the next grade. Their attempt to give me breaks resulted in a horrific academic foundation that affected me through middle and high school. I had to learn to work twice as hard as my classmates to make the same grades. When they had three hours of homework I had six. I would have to go online and try to teach myself enough basics to complete assignments. I'm so blessed to have had this experience. It has taught me how to break down challenges into manageable parts and 'eat the whale one bite at a time. Through these challenges, I found a love for engineering, and how I could connect and learn from diverse groups. I learned through engineering that I am not alone and that it's okay to ask for help and be a team player. Engineering has pushed me to be the best version of myself and to inspire others. I want to become an engineer and then take what I've learned and give back. I hope to become a teacher during my engineering career. I want to give hope to minorities in STEM and remind them that they have the aptitude, and I hope to be the opportunity so they can become the most successful version of themself. I want them to feel loved and appreciated.