William L. Keltz Engineering Scholarship

To be an engineer is to use your knowledge to best help the world. The field of engineering extends beyond the bounds of math and science, it reaches to solve basis for human existence and the future life on earth. Engineering allows us to ponder the intricacies of the world with limitless possibilities. It's letting our mind wander to the unthinkable, while feeling small and insignificant against the vastness and complexity of the universe around us. It's letting innovation and unthinkable ideas guide our actions into building a better world. Specifically, engineering allows me to connect my love for discovery and exploration, to my creativity and yearn to help the people around me. Engineering is appealing because it combines creativity and problem solving for the betterment of systems, organizations, communities, and culture; it’s the process of asking questions and applying knowledge and information learned to build a sustainable future. Furthermore, becoming an engineer fosters a growth mindset and teaches a person how to persevere through the unknown, forcing them to critically contemplate the world. Engineers cannot remain stagnant in their thinking, they need to be forward thinkings that are scared of failure and asking what is next. Throughout high school I have begun to realize the impact that adverse situations have on my life. I come from a diverse background, my parents work and live at a school for kids under the poverty line. I also work with higher-income families through my role as a summer camp counselor and math tutor. Furthermore, my family is biracial with my dad's family coming from Palestine and my mom's originating form Ohio. Through all of the challenges and experiences I gained from high school, one thing that became clear is that my career and future would be centered around working to help the individuals around me. Engineering will combine my interest in science and math with my passion to helping those in need. I hope that my high school experiences extend my ability to help people by connecting me to a wider variety of diverse people. I hope my diverse experiences throughout high school connects me to people that I can help, and can hopefully mentor me. I have my entire college future and work life beyond high school ahead of me. I wish to impact the world through my unique diverse background and drive to learn and create inventions to help people. I hope to combine my interest in both engineering and Arabic to help a wider variety of people succeed in their physical, educational, and personal lives.