“Video games are a waste of time. You should spend more time studying, play a sport, and find something that you can make a career out of.” - My peers, teachers, and family The irony of these sentiments is that video games have shaped my success in more ways than I could have dreamed of. When I speak to the same people who’ve once belittled my passion, they are often stunned to find that making video games, applying the skills I’ve learned from making games, and even playing video games are exactly what they urged me to find all this time: My careers. One career in particular, no less, with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration: NASA. My journey across the void and into NASA began in 2021, when I was a professional gamer. Yes: I traveled across the US on sponsored flights, was ranked top 5 in the world in my game, and made enough money to consider playing video games my job. While I did not see this path as sustainable, I enjoyed the competition and forming rivalries, and of course I reveled in becoming the best in the world at something. However, what started as a ‘silly’ pastime of playing this game and making YouTube videos eventually led to me being contracted by the game’s publisher to create marketing material for its sequel as sole producer. My work garnered tens of millions of views across social media platforms, and I was even approached by a marketing agency for further work. Altogether, what I gained from my stint as a ‘pro-gamer’ was a diverse range of skills in marketing and communication that can be used anywhere I go, and above all, the confidence I needed to realize that if I truly gave my full effort and followed my heart, I could excel in even the most outlandish and unfamiliar places. I carried my drive into Oregon Tech when I enrolled in the Fall of 2022. Over the summer leading up to this term, I decided that I’d do what I’d always wanted to do as a child: Make video games. I had no experience with programming and no one to mentor under, but I wanted to pour the same level of effort I gave into playing video games as I did into making them. By the end of the summer, I had multiple prototypes, and an immense head-start for my academic journey in OIT’s Software Engineering program. One of these prototypes became a long-term project that I demonstrated in my interview with NASA, and was ultimately what got me the offer. This role called for experience writing C# code in the Unity game engine, exactly the skill-set I built by following my passion with sustained effort, embracing challenge, and accepting the possibility of failure. In the future, video games, and my experiences with them, will serve as my inspiration and motivation to continue working hard, exploring, learning, and pursuing a graduate degree to supplement my future endeavors. All of this, however, fails to encapsulate the most important thing video games have brought me, however: Joy. Joy in meeting and bonding with people, joy in finding awe in the art, stories, and music that games provide, and of course joy in the simple fun they provide. Video games have shielded me from life’s darker moments, connected me to communities where I’ve found myself as well as life-long friends and influences, and a greater purpose in life. By absolutely no means, has it all been a waste of time.

My family left Hawaii in pursuit of better educational opportunities for me and my siblings, and access to public higher education has granted me the ability to gain skills and knowledge that can be leveraged towards improving our standard of living while contributing to society. Such an opportunity should be available and accessible to everyone, regardless of physical or mental ability, class, race, or beliefs. My conviction for this has spurred me into serving my communities, which includes 40+ hours of community service in assisting local elderly and disabled individuals through volunteering with Store to Door, environmental clean-up with SOLVE Oregon, assisting with the organization of junior robotics competitions hosted at my university, and as a lobbyist supporting bills that have brought over a billion dollars in funding to public universities and community colleges around Oregon as well as the local semiconductor industry via the CHIPS Act. At the Oregon Institute of Technology, I have also served as the founding president of our Game Development Club where I lead a project to recycle electronic waste into arcade cabinets, as student ambassador and president of its student body, and now as an appointed member of its board of trustees. Through these roles, I have gained insights towards ways in which the university can better serve its communities while growing as a global opportunity for professional development in its vital engineering and medical programs. In my time as a student ambassador during my freshman year, I became connected with my university's diverse student body, and I learned of a large group of students who came from Oman to study under our renewable engineering program, where OIT was one of two viable universities that offered such a degree. To study here, their educational sponsor required that they uphold a certain amount of in-person class credits, a bargain that the university itself was not able to uphold due to insufficient funding and staffing. As such, these students were forced to study a different program at a different university, harming their own educational experiences, and depriving the world and our community of potential engineers that could have contributed towards improving our environment. I continued hearing accounts from other students studying in our other programs including paramedic education, medical imaging technology and more who also struggled to complete their degrees on time for similar reasons, and I felt ashamed as a representative of the student experience for the reality of what our students were going through. Something needed to change, and so I ran for student president on a mission to see that these experiences be known, and that they not be repeated. Throughout my service as student president, I was met with surprise in regard to these issues, but my detailed accounts, surveys, and analysis of university data were composed in such a way that administration understood and believed the problems, and they listened to my suggestions for solving them. This includes reforming our scheduling practices and working towards hiring new faculty to ensure that students will be able to take the classes they have been promised, and establishing a student advisory council so that administration can stay connected with the student experience. Furthermore, my team has also sponsored affordable and accessible meal programs, and sought ways to expand disability accommodations policies. Now, as a board trustee, I have a direct role in the university's finances and policy, and over the next few years, I will look to make college more affordable, and to continue supporting our programs while holding administration accountable so that more students can make an impact.

Kindness, acts of service, and sacrificing some of your own good fortune to help others are all parts of what an individual can do to make the world around them a better place. Being kind extends a positive influence to every person that you interact with in your daily life, and you will find that by being kind to others, the kindness of others will be attracted to you. During my time as a student, I've actively looked for ways that I can use my time to improve the lives of others as a volunteer, and public servant. In January 2023, I volunteered with a few local organizations in different roles. One was for a service that delivers groceries, prescriptions, and other necessities to disabled and elderly members of my community. Many of them had little to no contact with any friends or family, making my interactions with them some of the only socialization they may have for the week, and some also were left in care homes with visibly deteriorating health. During one of my regular drop-offs, a client nearly slipped while trying to meet me at the door, and though the whole situation lasted only seconds, watching him stumble and try to recover continued to replay in my head for hours. At that moment I truly realized how delicate the situations that many of these individuals found themselves in were, and how important my role was. A few months later my commitment ended, but I still volunteered with an environmental clean-up organization whenever I had the spare time. At Oregon Tech, I worked at the campus information center where I got to learn a lot about the student experience and the university's operations through personal interactions with staff and my peers. Recurring themes began to emerge that, through all the information channels I had access to, seemed solvable. These issues included the university's spending priorities, a lack of campus community, declining enrollment and retention, instructor and advising quality, as well as staffing and scheduling issues. Feeling as though I had the ability to make a change at my university in these areas, I became more active as a student advocate. Since 2023, I’ve lobbied twice at Oregon’s capitol in support of bills that have since passed providing more than a billion dollars to the state’s public universities and community colleges, as well as for funds to repair my university’s energy infrastructure, which supplies heat and electricity to its dorms. I was selected as student president for 2023-2024, a role that allowed me to finally take action on the issues I had seen and heard from members of the university. In that time, my team discussed and formed solutions with university administration through direct meetings and academic forums, collected new information through surveys and by analyzing historical data, and saw immediate improvements to our scheduling practices. According to our surveys, nearly half of students have had their graduation timing delayed by classes either not being available when expected, or overlapping with other required classes. Today, classes throughout the entire year are scheduled in advance so that students can plan ahead, and identify these issues earlier. Many of the other issues raised have been presented to administration and are on track to improve, and I will be keeping track of progress in my new position on the Board of Trustees at Oregon Tech from 2024-2026. In this role, I will continue to advocate for students at Oregon Tech and for public education across the state while promoting the importance of utilizing your capabilities to help others.

At this point in my life, it would be much harder to identify an area that has not been positively influenced by video games. My hobbies, skills, and studies all support my dream of becoming a game developer, my friends and fondest memories are all formed around gaming, I spent a gap year traveling to compete (and win!) in video game tournaments, and even my current job is in the video game industry. Game development is the one dream that’s always kept me moving forward through school, and I think I fully owe my drive and work ethic to my background as a competitive gamer. At my lowest and loneliest points, video games provided a way for me to escape or connect with friends who were farther away. I struggled with major depressive disorder throughout middle school and high school, but the ability to stay connected with others through my love for video games helped me stay distracted. Gaming also motivated me to put more time into art and animation, skills that I would put to use in my own game development projects many years later. Additionally, although it’s sometimes hard to openly admit, playing video games also helped me build my self-confidence. Within competitive gaming communities, I could always feel accepted for my love for video games, and even admired for my skills. People there often shared similar stories; we were all just a little bit weird for our overwhelming passions, but we embraced it, and we were willing to travel and meet up just for the sake of gaming together. Even during the 2020 COVID lockdown that coincided with my high school graduation, I was able to maintain a connection to others through my online relationships. First, video games offered me community and happiness, and in October 2021, a game released that offered a way to make them my living: Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl. Online tournaments for this game started popping up, and although my wins started off small, I was excited to see where I could go as a competitor. In December 2021, I fought through a qualifier tournament to be placed as the lowest seed out of 16 in the championships where we competed for $10,000. In this tournament garnering thousands of live viewers, I crawled through a grueling two-day bracket during my finals week and landed at 5th, beating names that I had recognized and known throughout my years as a competitive gamer. Although I didn’t win this tournament, I won the people’s hearts, and I was invited and traveled to many more tournaments thereafter. With my proven abilities and a distaste for quarantine-era online classes, I decided to take a break from school. By the summer of 2022, I achieved far more than I ever expected to, even shortly peaking as one of the game’s top 3 players. I truly felt as though I could do almost anything if I just set my heart on it, and this confidence led to me teaching myself how to code and make video games before re-enrolling in college in the fall to study software engineering. When the game’s sequel was announced, I was also invited to produce, film and voice its trailers, and of course I spent some time traveling and competing again to see some old faces. Video games provided me with relationships, an opportunity to prove myself, professional skills and opportunities, a drive for self-improvement, and motivation to pursue education. It might even be fair to say I owe my entire life to video games, and I wouldn’t change a thing if given a second chance.

Kindness, acts of service, and sacrificing some of your own good fortune to help others are all parts of what an individual can do to make the world around them a better place. Being kind extends a positive influence to every person that you interact with in your daily life, and you will find that by being kind to others, the kindness of others will be attracted to you. During my time as a student, I've actively looked for ways that I can use my time to improve the lives of others as a volunteer, and public servant. In January 2023, I volunteered with a few local organizations in different roles. One was for a service that delivers groceries, prescriptions, and other necessities to disabled and elderly members of my community. Some were left in care homes with visibly deteriorating health, and many of them had little to no contact with any friends or family, making my interactions with them some of the only socialization they may have for the week. During one of my regular drop-offs, a client nearly slipped while trying to meet me at the door, and though the whole situation lasted only seconds, watching him stumble and try to recover continued to replay in my head for hours. At that moment I truly realized how delicate the situations that many of these individuals found themselves in were, and how important my role was. A few months later my commitment ended, but I still volunteered with an environmental clean-up organization whenever I had the spare time. At Oregon Tech, I worked at the campus information center where I got to learn a lot about the student experience and the university's operations through personal interactions with staff and my peers. Recurring themes began to emerge that, through all the information channels I had access to, seemed solvable. These issues included the university's spending priorities, a lack of campus community, declining enrollment and retention, instructor and advising quality, as well as staffing and scheduling issues. Feeling as though I had the ability to make a change at my university in these areas, I became more active as a student advocate. Since 2023, I’ve lobbied twice at Oregon’s capitol in support of bills that have since passed providing more than a billion dollars to the state’s public universities and community colleges, as well as for funds to repair my university’s energy infrastructure, which supplies heat and electricity to its dorms. I was selected as student president for 2023-2024, a role that allowed me to finally take action on the issues I had seen and heard from members of the university. In that time, my team discussed and formed solutions with university administration through direct meetings and academic forums, collected new information through surveys and by analyzing historical data, and saw immediate improvements to our scheduling practices. According to our surveys, nearly half of students have had their graduation timing delayed by classes either not being available when expected, or overlapping with other required classes. Today, classes throughout the entire year are scheduled in advance so that students can plan ahead, and identify these issues earlier. Many of the other issues raised have been presented to administration and are on track to improve, and I will be keeping track of progress in my new position on the Board of Trustees at Oregon Tech from 2024-2026. In this role, I will continue to advocate for students at Oregon Tech and for public education across the state while promoting the importance of utilizing your capabilities to help others.

Around the globe, there are millions, if not billions of lonely individuals; people who lack direct connections, and those who lack a community or means to engage with one. Feeling seen is one of the most important things a person can experience; that someone else thinks about you, that people want to connect with you; feeling like you matter. Growing up, my house suddenly became very lonely. My sister left for college, my parents divorced, and my mom was a flight attendant, meaning she was only ever around half-time. That left my dad to take care of me and my autistic older brother, who I had difficulties forming a meaningful bond with. Video games were always something we could talk about, however, and they were a part of some of my warmest memories where my family was whole and together in one place. In the absence of a physical support system, I could connect with friends from afar, find new friends, or just share my enthusiasm for a certain game with others. Creating positive memories for other people is one of the reasons I am passionate about game development. Game development to me is a joining of art and technology; and I believe that is what first drew my interest, and what keeps me coming back. Drawings, animation, music, etc. are each individual components of a full game, and they are each opportunities for an artist to express themselves. For someone who can’t help but explore so many disciplines of art or get lost in the entire world of programming like myself, designing video games is the perfect way to channel your energy. As a lifelong artist and designer, I feel a strong desire to create and for my career to provide an opportunity for me to share my creative vision. Video games are a unique interactive experience that brings everything I value together, forming communities and drawing individuals of all backgrounds to a single point, transcending everything else to give members of these communities something to bond over. With such potential reach, I believe that games leave as much of an impact on society as any other creative medium. Making games boasts an opportunity to fill some part of the lonely void many are faced with, and it’s a motivation that I’m using towards projects of my own. My campus is very small and disconnected, but I feel that video games are an opportunity to bring my peers together. In 2022 I started a game development club, and with it, I want to build an on-campus arcade as a permanent space for people to socialize and have fun. In an industry dominated by studios treating games as a business, I want to make games that can be appreciated as an art and inspire a similar sense of awe, as well as games that encourage community connection. Making games is something I was meant to do, and I plan to provide the world a means of finding joy through them.

The day that Minecraft added command blocks and scoreboards was the day my journey to becoming a game developer began. Command blocks are, in a way, a light programming language: executing ordered instructions, storing data, moving data, and accessing and using that data. Although very far away from a proper formal language like Java or C, that fundamental similarity is what primed my mind for my studies as a software engineering student. Redstone, too, can express computer logic, and with all of the calculators, computers, etc. that people have built with it, it shouldn't be too hard to imagine how command blocks can be seen as a language of their own. Although of course limited by Minecraft's own limitations in various ways, I was still able to create things that were far beyond the vanilla experience. Above all, I created minigames that I played with my friends; but more satisfying than playing them was watching them be played. One was a game I cleverly named "Horace," named after a donkey of the same name because it sounded similar to "Horse." The objective was simple; ride the donkey, avoid getting knocked off to accumulate points, and knock the rider off using a variety of power-ups and spells. A simple minigame, but one that my friends loved playing, and the feelings that came from this experience resonate with my lifelong ambition of being a game designer. Today, I'm studying software engineering in college, and I always credit Minecraft as being the reason I was able to teach myself how to code and develop games so quickly. "Horace" gave me a taste of creating my own gaming experience, even if it was entirely made within the confines of Minecraft. With that taste came seeing my friends have fun, and the reward of impressing those around me, because at the same time, they had no idea what I was doing was possible even in Minecraft. The more I learn about programming and computer architecture, the more too I feel that this credit to Minecraft is well deserved. Minecraft exposes just enough of its inner workings and hints of how it was made to the players, as well as direct tools of technical creation like redstone and command blocks. Beyond that, I understood fundamentals like object-oriented programming and polymorphism immediately from the perspective of Minecraft: Chickens and cows are both friendly mobs, a cow is a cow, but a mooshroom is also a cow. Altogether, I might owe my entire career to Minecraft, and a donkey named Horace.

Around the globe, there are millions, if not billions of lonely individuals; people who lack direct connections, and those who lack a community means to engage with one. Feeling seen is one of the most important things a person can experience; that someone else sees and thinks about you, that people want to connect with you; feeling like your existence matters. Growing up, my house suddenly became very lonely as I went on to sixth grade. My sister left for college, my parents divorced, and my mom was a flight attendant, meaning she was only ever around half-time. That left my dad to take care of me and my autistic older brother, who I had difficulties forming a meaningful bond with. Video games were always something we could talk about, however, and they were a part of some of my warmest memories where my family was whole and together in one place. In the absence of support in my immediate circle, I could connect with friends from afar, find new friends, or just share my enthusiasm for a certain game with others. Creating positive memories for other people is one of the reasons I am passionate about game development. Game development to me is a joining of art and technology; and I believe that is what first drew my interest, and what keeps me coming back. Drawings, animation, music, etc. are each individual components of a full game, and they are each opportunities for an artist to express themselves. For someone who can’t help but explore so many disciplines of art or get lost in the entire world of programming like myself, designing video games is the perfect way to channel your energy. As a lifelong artist and designer, I feel a strong desire to create and for my career to provide an opportunity for me to share my creative vision. Video games are a unique interactive experience that brings everything I value together, forming communities and drawing individuals of all backgrounds to a single point, transcending everything else to give members of these communities something to bond over. With such potential reach, I believe that games leave as much of an impact on society as any other creative medium. Making games boasts an opportunity to fill some part of the lonely void many are faced with, and it’s a motivation that I’m using towards projects of my own. My campus is very small and disconnected, but I feel that video games are an opportunity to bring my peers together. In 2022 I started a game development club, and I want to build an arcade on-campus using the talents of my peers that will provide a permanent space for people to socialize and have fun thanks to our efforts. My vision also includes a party-game that can bring together a group of strangers somewhere like a campus and encourage people to mingle and make new friends. In an industry dominated by publicly traded studios treating games as a business, I want to make games that can be appreciated as an art and inspire a similar sense of awe, as well as games that encourage community connection. Making games is something I was meant to do, and I plan to provide the world a means of finding joy through them.

Creating games is the way I made my studies and interest in STEM a more personal endeavor, and it was the first step I took towards overcoming one glaring obstacle that stood in my way: Not knowing how to code. Growing up, I never had the proper support or environment that would lead to me becoming a proficient programmer, but I did have plenty of exposure to video games. Gaming was a way for me to make friends and bond with my family, and becoming a game developer was a dream that had its seeds sown early. As a creative kid, drawing and animating were ways that I felt I could get closer to such a dream even without access to a way of learning the technical aspects of game design. Eventually, however, I would have to face the reality that without programming, there would be no way that I could fulfill my complete vision of a video game. To force myself into action, I decided that no matter what, I would be majoring in software engineering, and I was going to make it work. Before I even attended my first class in the fall of 2022, I decided that I would give it my all over the summer and just force myself to learn something. If that even meant something as unglamorous as reading textbooks, sifting through language documentation, and filtering through tutorials, then I would do it; I had a goal, and if any of these things lead to me knowing more than I did before, then it was progress. The day I opened my first game engine was the first of many spent preparing for my studies and diving into new knowledge, and I loved every minute of the challenge. Everything was new and exciting to learn, and the satisfaction of seeing my creations take form and become playable was a feeling I’d never felt so strongly. Months later, I learned some basic fundamentals of object-oriented programming and programming patterns, learned how to code in C#, and I had some working prototypes of games with my own art and animations, just as I had always dreamed of. Through this experience, I had solidified that game development was my true passion; I went to sleep thinking about any programming challenges I had encountered, and I spent the following days excited to start tackling them. When school began again in the fall, I had breezed through my programming and math classes, and I still maintain a 4.0 GPA as I move into my junior year. Starting early built the fundamentals that I would later refine and use through my studies, and working hands-on with things like vector math and rigidbody physics in my projects made some of my classes feel like reviews of what I taught myself. I was also inspired to share the learning experience with others and find people who might have similar dreams or ambitions, and so I started a game development club. I am attending Oregon Tech while staying at home to save money and help out my family. Working and applying for scholarships is how I manage to afford tuition. With the support of the Whiddon Memorial Scholarship, I could continue through my degree undistracted by finances. After earning my degree, I would like to eventually give back to my community as a teacher or instructor, hopefully providing people the opportunities and learning experiences I wish I had when I was younger.

Dragons, monsters, man-eating plants? Overdone. Seen them all. A protagonist who's destined for greatness and unlocks some deep mystical power? Truly groundbreaking. How about a guild of adventurers led by a man with one noble ambition: Make friends, and cook monsters? Not every story needs to be a world-shattering adventure of epic proportions with a cast whose motivations and lore run so deep that they can each be deserving of their own spinoff series. Delicious in Dungeon is exactly not that: It's a silly, well-animated series that explores a fantasy world through the lens of a simple-minded explorer. Hundreds of series based on the common set of fantasy creatures and their derivatives have already been made, and hundreds more are likely to follow which will delve into the way these creatures fight amongst each other and how their hero will prevent the dark lord from conquering their domain. Delicious in Dungeon, however, is an obsessive exploration of how to best serve a giant walking mushroom, how to prepare a sentient slime for consumption, and shortcuts for harvesting mandrakes that, although safer, also reduce their texture and flavor. Ever wonder who refills the flamethrowing traps in a dungeon, or if their burning oil is food-safe? Ever imagined if you could use a massive dirt golem to host a garden and what quality its produce would yield? Delicious in Dungeon explores these odd corners of the fantasy realm that have yet to be seen, making it a refreshing experience considering my tired expectations of old-fantasy style shows. Watching Delicious in Dungeon is like something between the experience of watching the Lord of the Rings and Master Chef. The thought and care that goes into some of the dishes the characters prepare will have you excited for every next battle, and not just for the choreography and action, but also to see how they might cook a living set of armor or mythical kelpie. A level of care goes into imagining the textures that certain meats, herbs and vegetation might have relative to our real-world expectations, and an appreciable level of culinary expertise guides the process of preparation. It’s something that the nerds of the nerds can get lost in, and something that we all can find relatable: A love for food. Delicious in Dungeon is also a relatively short and sweet series that is currently awaiting its second season; a bite-sized show perfect for weekend-long consumption. A cozy tone, fun art-style, and quality animation make Delicious in Dungeon an enjoyable, comfortable series that’s easy to pick up, even for those less experienced with anime. Between my love for video games, cooking, and silly what-if scenarios, Delicious in Dungeon was made for me, and it’s something that my girlfriend and I got to wake up excited to watch and bond over every Thursday morning before I went and made breakfast.

I love math because it makes everything else that I love possible! I use my computer all the time for everything; gaming, work, talking to friends, etc., and math is what connects the raw components in my computer to me, its user. From understanding how to access, harness, and refine those materials, to manufacturing its parts, and of course imprinting the computer logic that ties everything together via Boolean algebra and chemical imaging, math is a part of every single step, and every single other area of STEM that brings it all together. In other words, there is no STEM without mathematics - there’s no anything without math! Even art, design, and architecture are founded on or supported by math. Proportions, composition, scaling - these are all concepts that can be expressed in numbers, and thus math. Math is how we understand and quantify the universe and our perception of it; it makes the seemingly incomprehensible completely understandable for our minds. Discrete mathematics deals with logic and proof, and we can trust what the math says because numbers don’t lie; math is absolute. Thus, if I love anything, and if math is always part of every equation, then I, and everyone else, have to love math, whether you like it or not!

Many of us dream of perfect lives where we work in a field we are truly passionate about in a role that satisfies us. We are told that such a life will make us happy, but not everyone chooses to stop and ask why they believe that life will do so. Some people rush to choose something and make it their lives, avoiding the uncomfortable question altogether. I wanted to avoid what can come from such a life: Time and money wasted chasing a blindly chosen or externally influenced dream, and regret over ‘what could have been’ if I did things differently. When I graduated high school in 2020, I hadn’t applied to a single college. My family always cryptically danced around the idea of paying for it, and when the time came, they wouldn’t be able to afford to send me anywhere to study. The idea of taking loans was off the table as well; I had a fear of debt that was reinforced by my family’s financial history, and I didn’t want to take the risk of studying something that I may or may not use and then be burdened to pay for it for the rest of my life. I chose to stay home, and to at least make some progress through community college. With classes being forced to move online during the pandemic, however, I saw a new opportunity for myself. Hedging my bets against going full-time in what I believed to be a worsened educational experience due to remote learning, I decided that my time and efforts would be better spent working, building new skills, and trying to find my own path to success. For a while, I got to be free of external pressure to follow anyone else’s path; we were in an unfamiliar time, and I had my own plans. I had time to reflect on my passions and hobbies, and I dabbled in various fields of study as a part-time student in political science, business, and even graphic design. Exploring my interests and values was a healing and clarifying experience for me, and if I hadn’t decided to trust my intuition to go at my own pace while testing things out, I would likely never have ended up on my current dream path: Being a game developer. Over my semi-break from school, I became involved in the game industry and made connections that lead to some jobs that helped make college affordable, while also creating opportunities for me when I finished. I was once again ready and excited to go back to studying because I knew that my degree would be something that would benefit me in the long-run. Even further, I took my learning into my own hands and taught myself how to code and make video games over the summer before my first classes, an experience that I used to breeze through my first couple years of studies so far. Since re-enrolling in college, I have not once doubted that my path was the correct one because I am simply happy following it, and I couldn’t see myself being happier doing anything else. I haven’t wasted a moment, and I chose my life for myself.

It's not often where I find myself with the ability to enjoy a novel–or any experience for that matter –entirely separated from the outside world and the constant nagging allure of my electronics. In an ironically fortunate circumstance two winters ago, I experienced a complete power-outage spanning a full week, providing ample time to pick up and truly appreciate a good book in spite of everything else. One of the books I read was titled "On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century" by Timothy Snyder, an analysis of the shortfalls of society in recognizing and appropriately responding to the approach of violent, tyrannical regimes. I found it particularly thought provoking due to a line about how the heroic acts we observe or read about in media always seem 'obvious.' It is very easy to insert ourselves into the past, recognizing what should have been done and performing the necessary protests in the face of tyranny. Unfortunately, it is not as easy to recognize that our hindsight and self-charitability cause us to assume that we would be able to correctly assess the morality of our given situations, and that success would naturally follow–or that we would be unfazed by the potential perilousness of opposing certain authorities. Even with the most charitable assumption that we, guided by some perfect moral judgment, are always on the right side of history, it is still undeniably exceptional to make the necessary sacrifices to be intolerant of and actionable on even the most gradual encroachment on civil liberties when we ourselves are not immediately threatened or directly called to action. I felt that Snyder’s analysis of this particular subject was a call-out against ‘lazy’ activists–it made me question exactly how much 'bravery' I was exhibiting on any given day. As much as I can feel satisfied by some personal sense of moral superiority, have I actually done anything other than simply maintain the status-quo? Being met with this humbling dissection of my thought process, I realized that I could be doing more; I was in fact not being particularly bold or heroic in a broad sense. Socially and politically, I was passive, and quiet. For my own future, I lacked initiative. After reading this book, I recognized that I needed to be more disciplined, and that my luxuries and liberties can only be enjoyed so long as someone is willing to uphold them. It would be hypocritical, then, for me to preach such a point and not practice it. I was disappointed by a lack of extracurricular activities on my campus and the quiet community, so I founded a game development club and created the opportunities I craved. I have always believed it to be important for everyone to be educated, and as such education should be accessible, so I’ve lobbied twice now at my state’s capitol in support of funding that will now support our public universities. I became student president, and through surveys, forums, and the formation of new committees to hold administration accountable, we have pushed changes that I’ve been told were years in the making–but only through my initiative were they finally being done. Through this book, I’ve made a conscious effort to reflect on my actions each day, and to set my goals a comprehensible distance ahead of me. If I want to improve at something, then I need to put in the direct practice and research. If something seems wrong or unfair, then I should say or do something. To see progress, I must be proactive, and my daily goals must shift accordingly.

When it comes to DIY learning, YouTube is certainly the king of all resources, and easily the single most important resource for my own education. As a software engineering student, the pool of content creators to learn from is almost never-ending, but in my journey to fulfill my childhood dream of becoming a game developer, Brackeys was the channel that I learned from the most. HackerRank and LeetCode also are classics amongst software students looking to practice their coding fundamentals because being able to choose from hundreds of challenges that directly relate to course material such as data structures and algorithms is too much of a good opportunity to miss. To speak in particular on YouTube, so long as you understand how to break a problem down into smaller, more search-appropriate parts, you can certainly find someone who offers a solution. When I enrolled at my university to study software engineering, I knew absolutely nothing about programming. There was less than half of a year between when I registered, and when the first day of class would be. I spent that time teaching myself how to make games through online resources, and by simply watching basic tutorials from channels like Brackeys, I began to write my first lines of code, which eventually evolved into my first game after only one month of learning - albeit, a month full of days where I spent at least ten hours each watching videos and reading direct documentation on C# from Microsoft's website, and from Unity, the game engine I had chosen. Starting early through YouTube has undoubtedly left me far ahead of the learning curve throughout my curriculum thus far. I credit online resources like YouTube, cppreference, LeetCode, and more for providing an opportunity to take my learning into my own hands. These resources, however, have also provided a window into the reality of the competitive industry I found myself in: The time we spend in class and on homework is not enough to truly master the material, and there are times where it is simply more efficient to search online for better explanations or exercises. Repetition is an absolutely necessary step for retaining knowledge and building upwards. Khan Academy is another resource that I especially utilized for math through elementary and middle school - like LeetCode, there are hundreds if not thousands of challenges with great depth into particular subjects and concentrations. Finding such an opportunity for practice might just be impossible in many physical academic settings, and in the event that you have a general question that someone has already answered online, you save potentially hours or even days trying to track down a tutor or instructor to ask them the same question. We live a at time where information is more easily accessible than at any point prior, and the greatest barrier to learning is often only figuring out how to best phrase a question into a search query. As a lifelong internet user, many of my personal hobbies have also been supplemented by online resources. Animation, 3d modeling, music production, etc. are all specific skills I would have never had the opportunity to learn without YouTube to find tutorials and references through. Knowing how to filter this vast ocean of information is its own skill, and I'm very glad that I started building it at a young age. I truly believe that with access to the free internet, anyone has the potential to unlock limitless learning - you just have to know how to navigate it.

Through my studies in software engineering at Oregon Tech, I look to be as prepared as possible for a successful career in the software or game development industries, and afterwards, I hope to one day become a high school teacher or instructor so that I can pass on the knowledge that I wish I had when I was younger. Being able to support my family and secure a stable future so that I can focus on my other passions is important to me, and I believe that I wouldn't have an opportunity to do so if it weren't for my education. This is also why I want to give back one day as an educator: I know first-hand how much of a difference it make with your future, and I'd love to extend the opportunity to others as well. Just because I am currently only a student, however, that doesn't mean I have to delay trying to make an impact. Currently, I am the president of the student body at Oregon Tech, and in just one year I have been able to leave measurable impacts on the university at large. This includes some redesigning of my major's course-map, providing data and coordinating with certain departments and leadership to establish new scheduling procedures and standards, and designing a student lounge to help foster a community at our campus. Last year, I also founded a game development club in hope of finding talent to create, share resources, and learn together. So far, I've also lobbied twice in my state's capitol in support of policy that will expand public education funding in Oregon, where it currently ranks 45th out of 50 states. Altogether, the quality of my own education of course is important, but I see my actions thus far as a way for my immediate community to benefit as well, and hopefully also for those who will follow. With my increasing advocacy and expanding efforts to learn and practice as much as I can, I unfortunately have become spread very thin. This means that while I've been working towards improving my university and keeping a 4.0, the side projects and extracurricular activities which have contributed so much to my learning have been on pause. With the support of this scholarship, I would be able to focus more of my time and attention towards my learning, and away from work less related to my growth. Now is the best time where I can dive into textbooks, experiment, and push my education forward, but when paying bills and expenses is a concern, it's very difficult to maximize my potential, hence why I am seeking and would be immensely grateful for the support of this scholarship. My wish is to be able to graduate debt-free so that I can settle down, own a home, and get straight back to serving my community as fast as possible. Whether it be by creating games for millions to enjoy, by teaching others how to do so, or supporting higher education through some other more direct means in leadership or politics, my goal is ultimately to help others and to always keep learning, and improving.

Since a young age, I've always been fascinated with video games and the 'magic' behind how they functioned, and the fantasy worlds within them. As a lifelong artist, taking after my mother's talents, I found the prospect of one day making a game with my own creative fingerprint to be an ambition that would motivate my artistic and academic endeavors. Video games to me were like all the best parts of every form of media and entertainment: They told stories through not just visual and auditory means - they were also interactive. Being able to insert yourself into the worlds the developers and artists crafted for the enjoyment of others brings an otherwise unachievable degree of immersion, and through the games I loved I found friends, communities, and now, through my studies in Software Engineering, potential paths to make them a career. Just as much as I was creative as a child, I was also curious about science as I saw it as a way to demystify the world around me; a way to understand the 'magic' of things I didn't understand. Growing up, I couldn't stop watching YouTube channels like Numberphile,Veritasium, and Vsauce who all kindled my curiosity in mathematics and science. Likewise, I also consumed my fair share of stop-motion and vector animation through the internet, and I made my first animation project when I was in the third grade. My parents saw my creativity and ability to learn anything I found a particular interest in, and they always supported and encouraged my endeavors, thus, I have them to thank for not letting my curiosity go to waste. As I grew older, however, I began to compare myself to others, and I started to feel the pressure of the expectations that once pushed me forward. Through middle school and high school, I had lost some of the confidence I had in my ability to learn and adapt, and it shook my vision of what my future could look like. The biggest hurdle, I felt, was learning to code. As much as video games had fascinated me, deciphering the language of computers was beyond my ability at the time, though some of my peers had at least an elementary understanding through their own parents or extracurricular activities that they were enrolled in. In retrospect, it's silly to think I that believed these disadvantages had set me miles behind the others and disqualified me from some 'race' that I had imagined in my head. I struggled for some time after high school in deciding what I wanted my career to be. I tried different majors, and even took some time off before I felt that I had hit a dead end, and I decided it was time that I just get over the past, and that I should try my hand at game development. I enrolled at Oregon Tech in Software Engineering in the Spring of 2022, which left me only the summer to prepare for my studies. During this time, I decided I would learn how to make games. Despite the short window, I had succeeded: I taught myself how to code in C# through the internet just as I had taught myself many other skills in the past, and I had developed several functioning prototypes complete with my own art, animations, and music, just as I had always dreamed of as a kid. Taking a step back, I realized I made progress towards a lifelong dream, and that I never lost my capacity to learn. Now, I again move forward with confidence, forever focused on my own improvement.

I've always seen video games as a merging of art and technology, and as a lifelong artist and self-described 'nerd,' developing and designing games is my natural calling. I fell in love with gaming at a young age, likely around the same time that I first started picking up markers and crayons. It's no coincidence that some of my earliest memories of creating art were when I would compose printer-paper picture books bounded by office staples based on the characters and worlds of the games I played. I was so young then that, even though I had stories to tell, I had no idea how to read or write. Regardless, I did get these stories told -- I just had to subject my father to the semi-coherent ramblings of a three-year old so that he could transcribe them. As I grew older, video games stayed an important part of my life. Through the many challenges I had with having ADHD, divorced parents, and altogether feeling alone in a world that would often treat me harshly, video games served as an escape where I could explore and interact with the beautiful creations of people who wanted to develop something that could bring others joy. Video games kept me motivated to refine my skills in art and storytelling, and even in mathematics and science. Dreams of being an indie developer instilled an opportunistic, entrepreneurial spirit within me - and where I see opportunity, I provide the effort necessary to seize it. Without video games, I wouldn't be the person I am today, and they certainly provided the comfort and joy I needed to keep moving forward. I know that I am not alone in my experience. Whether I'm meeting others who are equally passionate about creating or simply playing games, I know that these communities are a product of the creative outlet that I have dedicated my life to. Within these communities I meet people who too found games as an escape or motivator to keep pursuing the things that bring us happiness; e.g. art, programming, storytelling, and so much more. Through gaming, we found and maintained our passions, and we found each other. I know that by pursuing game development, I can impact and inspire others in the same way that video games did for me. If I had 24 more hours in the day to use in any way that I could, at least two of them would probably go to sleeping, but most of them would surely go towards practicing my crafts. I regretfully did not begin learning how to program until college, and while I'm in school I hardly have time to draw, read, or work on my own projects. With an extra 24 hours, I could go back and make up for the time that I lost. After that, I could also spend time volunteering and running my Game Development Club again, and I'd definitely have the capacity to dedicate more of my attention towards caring for my friends, family, and community as student president at Oregon Tech. Creativity and self-expression are two sides of the same coin, and before you can truly begin to self-express, you must understand your "self" itself. Thus, I feel most creative after reflecting on my thoughts, emotions, and experiences. Reflection behind a hot cup of tea and a journal gives me time to make sense of the world around me. As the connections between myself, my thoughts, my experiences, and my environment are revealed through this process, art, storytelling, and game development are how my creativity can be shared.

Three years from now, I will be pursuing a graduate degree in Computer Science or Artificial Intelligence. Problem-solving is my passion and purpose, and AI will no doubt bring the biggest disruption to global industry and everyday life for the working class since the industrial revolution. The United States is neither economically nor socially prepared for the coming job displacements across a diverse range of industries from manufacturing, to advertising, and even the arts. The truth is that computers are far superior to humans in pattern recognition and data analysis than humans ever will be on their own, and they have already been capable of unattainable levels of productivity and will continue to push humans out of the workforce. It is therefore important for me to not only learn how artificial intelligence works, its current limitations, and what has been done in the field of machine learning before my own time, but also what must be done within our society to prepare for the future. Following the completion of my Bachelor's degree in Software Engineering with a minor in Applied Mathematics, I look to immediately begin my graduate studies, hopefully at a leading research university like MIT, Stanford, or Carnegie Mellon. With this scholarship, I will be able to fully focus on my contributions to the field through academic research without distraction from debt, or time wasted paying for school. Once I enter the workforce, I'll support my parents who have sacrificed much of their own financial freedom in an effort to put me and my siblings through college. From there, I'll continue to push the field of AI and advocate for the economic changes that will be necessary to prevent the complete exploitation of the working class and fortification of the already, under current conditions, insurmountable wealth gap. In my time as a student and now student body president at the Oregon Institute of Technology, I have gathered considerable experience lobbying at the state capitol and speaking to legislatures about current issues such as the underfunding of public education. I hope to become a more familiar face in our nation's political sphere as I continue my academic and professional journeys, and I will certainly be advocating for at minimum a universal basic income, expanded social services, and even greater funding of public education so as to offset the future loss of employment opportunities in Oregon, and beyond. Artificial intelligence is one of many keys to a potentially utopian, or dystopian future. What makes the difference is who is willing to advocate for the public rather than private corporations or powerful, wealthy individuals, and who can shed light on how this technology can be used for, or against the public. As the cost of living continues to rise, and as enrollment in higher education stagnates due to unreturned investments and unaffordability, now more than ever is there a need for educators, and the educated, who will unveil and dismantle the system that keeps the lower and middle class in a ceaseless struggle to find security and purpose in this world. My plans for the future as a student, researcher, educator, engineer, and political advocate are all part of one greater plan to brighten the futures of everyone else.

Torn between the desire to continue growing intellectually or fitting in with my peers and wishing that I 'have to' didn't stand out, I know very well the social and emotional struggles of being a young, gifted student. It is unfair that greater-than-expected scores in math and reading are often used to generalize one's ability to succeed in other areas of life, most particularly in cognitive and especially social development. To be told that you are gifted, to be separated from your 'lesser peers' and to be taught that test scores, aptitude, and projected future success are the most important standards by which to measure yourself and others is a dangerous philosophy that only hinders the potential of early academic achievers. Often, it establishes an implicit hierarchy that results in bipartisan isolation between gifted and non-gifted students, dampens one's ability to recover from failure by setting such a high expectation of continued success, and sets a precedent that these students don't need help growing—they only need to be stimulated. My experiences have strongly influenced who I am today, and I can only consider myself lucky to have been able to break free from the limitations imposed on me as a 'gifted student' and recover from the social hardships I faced. Burnout, bullying, loneliness, pressure, and the importance of learning from failures are not stressed enough in the programs gifted students are placed into. Altogether, the social and emotional needs of gifted children are neglected in favor of crushing academic rigor. I know not of a single one of my gifted peers that has not struggled or does not continue to struggle with social anxiety, or feelings of inferiority among peers and the broader, more socially adjusted population. I know not of a single one of my peers that, after experiencing or being threatened with failure, has not wept at the thought of their artificially propped-up identity of superiority crumbling before the eyes of their teachers, classmates, and parents. Children simply are not latently capable of seeing the bigger picture of life which will make their individual failures ultimately insignificant. Gifted children are still children, and they are equal to all others in the assistance required to navigate the world they were born into. Without being constantly fed emotional rewards for their academic abilities or injected with a delusional sense of entitlement to success, a gifted child may have nothing left to feel satisfied. Early childhood depression, delayed social development, and emotional immaturity all damage one's ability to succeed and recover from the inevitable shortfalls and failures necessary to continue growing and realize one’s potential. It is therefore imperative that we reconsider the priorities when it comes to serving gifted children: Teach them the merit of trying and failing, and alleviate the pressure of success so that their lives can be more satisfying in broader ways. If the fear of failure is necessary to make their academics stimulating and therefore meet their intellectual needs, then begs the question of where their priorities are being taught to reside. When I finally freed myself from the shackles of measuring my accomplishments by numbers and letters, I began to make my greatest strides in intellectual enrichment, and academic success naturally followed suit. As Theodore Roosevelt once said, "Comparison is the thief of joy." Allowing myself to focus on my health and happiness over forced academic success also allowed me to discover that I had ADHD, an ailment that certainly made my experiences as a gifted child more difficult—and one that very commonly affects gifted children while going undiagnosed until adulthood. When returning to college after a burnout-induced break, I found myself academically reborn: I was finally excited to pursue my education, and the thought of potentially "failing"—or rather underperforming to my own expectations—no longer scared me away from trying to succeed. Though I am a software engineering major, one of my first returning classes was a psychology course where—thanks to necessary encouragement from my professor—I wrote several research papers on ADHD and read multiple academic journals on the disorder, gifted children, and the failures of our current educational system regarding serving them emotionally and socially. I do not shy away from the idea of pursuing a minor in psychology or an additional degree down the road, as I would like to research and educate how we can best serve gifted children. In my day-to-day life, I encourage my peers and others to be kind to themselves and not let labels set expectations for their success and therefore control their life satisfaction. I aim to be successful in my field, thereby emerging as an example of a gifted child that took a different path, and who is prepared to contribute to the education of our youth and re-establish our education system's approach to gifted children.

By behaving in a way that redefines what it means to be selfless through genuinely compassionate acts and showing a willingness to make personal sacrifices for the growth of others—and in addition to all technical feats wherein he will innovate within his field—my future self will stand as an example of the merit of hard work without denying systemic inequality as the financially successful often do; thus, as additionally supported by his continued acts of volunteerism and generosity—thereby enticing others to emulate his persona—my future self will be an inspirational, industry-leading first-generation business owner in the world of game development.

As an untraditional, second-generation college student of Native Hawaiian descent with a particular interest in game development, there are hardly any role models for me to look up to or footsteps to follow. While many of my peers get to enjoy the benefits of families that worked hard to set them up for academic success or a clearly defined path to financial, mental, or social stability, I always had to find my way on my own, and it took a long time for me to find my passion. Although it cost me a lifetime of uncertainty and anxiety, pools worth of tears, and a backbreaking degree of effort dedicated to the mere hope that I'd find my way eventually, I ultimately found my calling by wresting control of my future and embracing a childhood dream. During a break from college which began in 2021, fueled by my dissatisfaction with online learning environments, mental fatigue compounded by undiagnosed ADHD and depression—and yet a burning desire for progress and challenge—I took to the internet to teach myself how to code and make games. It's difficult to express the joy I felt when everything naturally fell into place as I worked on my first game, and I worked for over ten hours per day, months straight, chasing this never-ending satisfaction I was experiencing. I would go to sleep exhausted, but wake up invigorated by the prospect of taking another step closer to my dreams and unlocking the magic of computers that I had always sought to understand. Despite the battles I had with myself and those who tried to define my future for me, I embraced that computer-science, particularly game development, was my passion. As a lifelong artist with a need for creative expression and an obsessive problem-solver always hungry for a challenge, the combination of these two great motivators was a natural calling. Despite my personal struggles and nearly flunking my high school senior year, I eventually paved my own road to success and I now have a 4.0 GPA at the Oregon Institute of Technology while balancing work, volunteering, involvement with student government, and being the founding president of a Game Development Club. My goals include maintaining this performance and earning a degree in software engineering with a minor in applied mathematics while continuing to seek out additional challenges. Through my club and personal projects, I am actively working toward my goals while also providing ample academic and professional opportunities for my peers. I’m proud of my school and grateful for the staff who have helped me on my journey, and, having founded my club with the mission to provide such opportunities, I see it as an excellent way to give back to the faculty I respect and appreciate, as well as my fellow peers who seek to better their futures. Currently, I am leading a project to build an arcade at my university with repurposed e-waste and electronics, combining the efforts of our academic programs and other clubs, showcasing the creative productions of my own club, and of course providing some fun on-campus activities. Outside of school, I have also participated in 22 hours of community service so far this year, and I hope to continue my volunteering efforts at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, as well as through earth-day activities. Having been inspired by STEM at a young age and currently benefiting from my pursuit of the field, I hope to make an impact by being an inspiring figure for young scientists, engineers, creative game developers, and future leaders.

It's not often where you might find yourself with the ability to enjoy a novel - or any experience for that matter - entirely separated from the outside world and the constant nagging allure of our electronics. In an ironically fortunate circumstance this winter, I experienced a complete power outage spanning more than three days providing ample time to pick up and truly appreciate a good book. One of the books I read was titled "On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century" by Timothy Snyder, a novel particularly relevant in the current era. The book was an analysis of the shortfalls of society in recognizing and appropriately responding to the approach of violent, tyrannical regimes. I found the novel particularly thought-provoking due to a line about how the heroic acts we observe in media or read about from history always seem 'obvious.' The 'right things to do' by moral standards and by the measured results of such actions, including the questioning of authority, rebelling against violence and injustice, and disregarding 'clear' propaganda, are in fact "obvious" and in a way an unexceptional expectation of what must be done to combat tyranny. What is exceptional, however, is the actual decision for people to act in such difficult circumstances, and less obvious is how exceptional it is to maintain the courage to uphold one's morality and to be intolerant of even the most gradual encroachment on civil liberty when not immediately responsible or threatened. What we take for granted when picturing noble acts of bravery and the 'obvious' accolades that follow them is how brave an individual must have been in that particular moment to be owed such honor. It is easy to deceive ourselves in retrospect that the right decision was always clear from the beginning, and just as easy to imagine ourselves as heroes making those same decisions in such moments. This analysis of history made me question exactly how much 'bravery' am I exhibiting on any given day? Am I simply maintaining the status quo? Am I being exceptional? Being met with a humbling dissection of the thought process that promotes lazy activism or even disbelief of the gradual worsening of my conditions made me realize that I could be doing more; I am in fact not being particularly bold or heroic. I always claimed to be an ally of social justice, but I would allow for moments of tyranny or prejudice to passively encroach on my environment and social sphere, disregarding them so as not to be personally bothered. What I humbly accepted after reading this book was that I must be more disciplined, and that I must recognize that my luxuries and liberties can only be enjoyed so long as someone is willing to defend them. Broadly, I've come to give more foresight to situations where I have direct control over my future, and to be more cautious of the implications of my inaction socially, academically, and personally. This novel altogether motivated me to seize any opportunity that crosses my path and has expanded my view of what I believe to be achievable. My goals have shifted towards making the most of my education, and to pursue what will bring me and my community the most long-run value. After reading this novel, I began performing community service on a weekly basis, became involved in student government, and started surrounding myself with additional academic readings, lectures, and exercises so as to make the most of each day and avoid growing complacent with my trajectory. In every moment lies an opportunity, sometimes you just have to find it.

As an untraditional software engineering student of Native Hawaiian descent with a particular interest in game development, there are hardly any role models for me to look up to or footsteps to follow. While many of my peers get to enjoy the benefits of families that worked hard to set them up for academic success or a clearly defined path to financial, mental, or social stability, I always had to find my way on my own, and it took a long time for me to find my passion. Although it cost me a lifetime of uncertainty and anxiety, pools worth of tears, and a backbreaking degree of effort dedicated to the mere hope that I'd find my way eventually, I ultimately found my calling by wresting control of my future and embracing a childhood dream. Ever since I was young, I always wanted to be a video game developer. Inspired by a fascination with what seemed like magic behind a TV screen and within my cherished childhood consoles, I had a burning desire to unlock the secrets of technology and to create my own mesmerizing, interactive worlds of imagination. However, I faced difficulties in a lack of support from my family and friends. Even if they took my aspirations seriously, it was impossible to find an answer to how I could even take the first step towards accomplishing this dream. I hoped that my high school education would lead me in the right direction - but unfortunately, it only pushed me farther away due to lackluster computer science education and an ever-creeping feeling that my ambitions were childish or unrealistic. I graduated high school in 2020 and began with community college during the era of online learning as a business major. Dissatisfied with the quality of education I was receiving and struggling with at-the-time undiagnosed ADHD, I made a difficult decision to put a pause on my academics to instead focus on working to save up for college, to take care of my mental health, and explore different fields that might interest me. I took a risk by stepping away from the trend of my peers who followed their trajectories out of high school, but I truly believe I would never have been nearly as successful as I am now if I chose to do the same. During my break from college, fueled by academic dissatisfaction and a burning desire for progress and challenge, I took to the internet to teach myself how to code and develop games in the Unity Engine. It's difficult to express the joy I felt when everything naturally fell into place as I worked on my first game, and I worked for over ten hours per day, months straight, chasing this never-ending satisfaction I was experiencing. I would go to sleep exhausted, but wake up invigorated by the prospect of taking another step closer to my dreams and unlocking the magic of computers. Through my struggles, I paved my own road to success and I now have a 4.0 GPA for my second consecutive quarter at the Oregon Institute of Technology while balancing work, volunteering, being the founding president of a Game Development Club, and involvement with student government. Furthermore, I've learned to never doubt myself or my judgment of how to make effective use of my time again. Computer programming is where I find the most joy, and I'm excited to advance my learning as a future developer. I hope to inspire others throughout my journey, and I'm currently trying to test the limits of my capabilities by taking on new challenges every day.

As an untraditional software engineering student of Native Hawaiian descent with a particular interest in game development, there are hardly any role models for me to look up to or footsteps to follow. While many of my peers get to enjoy the benefits of families that worked hard to set them up for academic success or a clearly defined path to financial, mental, or social stability, I always had to find my way on my own, and it took a long time for me to find my passion. Although it cost me a lifetime of uncertainty and anxiety, pools worth of tears, and a backbreaking degree of effort dedicated to the mere hope that I'd find my way eventually, I ultimately found my calling by wresting control of my future and embracing a childhood dream. Ever since I was young, I always wanted to be a video game developer. Inspired by a fascination with what seemed like magic behind a TV screen and within my cherished childhood consoles, I had a burning desire to unlock the secrets of technology and to create my own mesmerizing, interactive worlds of imagination. However, I faced difficulties in a lack of support from my family and friends. Even if they took my aspirations seriously, it was impossible to find an answer to how I could even take the first step towards accomplishing this dream. I hoped that my high school education would lead me in the right direction - but unfortunately, it only pushed me farther away due to lackluster computer science education and an ever-creeping feeling that my ambitions were childish or unrealistic. I graduated high school in 2020 and began with community college during the era of online learning as a business major. Dissatisfied with the quality of education I was receiving and struggling with at-the-time undiagnosed ADHD, I made a difficult decision to put a pause on my academics to instead focus on working to save up for college, to take care of my mental health, and explore different fields that might interest me. I took a risk by stepping away from the trend of my peers who followed their trajectories out of high school, but I truly believe I would never have been nearly as successful as I am now if I chose to do the same. During my break from college, fueled by academic dissatisfaction and a burning desire for progress and challenge, I took to the internet to teach myself how to code and develop games in the Unity Engine. It's difficult to express the joy I felt when everything naturally fell into place as I worked on my first game, and I worked for over ten hours per day, months straight, chasing this never-ending satisfaction I was experiencing. I would go to sleep exhausted, but wake up invigorated by the prospect of taking another step closer to my dreams and unlocking the magic of computers. Despite the battles I had with myself and those who tried to define my future for me, I embraced that computer-science, particularly game development, was what I truly wanted to do. As a lifelong artist with a need for creative expression, as well as an obsessive problem-solver always hungry for a challenge, the combination of these two great motivators was a natural calling. Through my struggles, I paved my own road to success and I now have a 4.0 GPA for my second consecutive quarter at the Oregon Institute of Technology while balancing work, volunteering, being the founding president of a Game Development Club, and involvement with student government.

As a self-motivated and hard-working software engineering student, I am committed to pursuing my passions in computer science and game development. Academically, my goal is to learn as much as possible from my undergraduate program and to potentially continue my studies through AI and graphics research in graduate school. These fields can of course be applied to game development, and I hope to start my own business or to contribute to society technologically, and culturally through my own independent projects and research. My ultimate goal is to demonstrate that STEM studies can be rewarding and fulfilling for those with a creative, artistic background such as myself, and to also push the limits of computer science research and the gaming industry. My love for computer science began when I was young; fascinated by the endless possibilities of technology, I always aspired to harness its capabilities through creative endeavors such as game development. Software engineering is about problem-solving, innovation, and making a difference in the world, and it greatly benefits from an ability to be creative. When thinking outside of the box, programming and problem-solving are expressions of creativity at their core. I am excited to learn more about the ways that software engineering can help solve complex issues, and I am passionate about applying my skills to make a positive impact on society. Beyond my passion for computer science, I am also a lifelong artist and aspiring game developer. Games have always been a source of inspiration and entertainment for me, and I am thrilled by the potential that the industry has to offer. I aspire to create games that are not only fun but also push the boundaries of what is possible in game development. I believe that the combination of creativity and technology can result in extraordinary outcomes, and I am excited to explore this synergy in my future endeavors, especially with AI research being at the forefront of technological innovation. I believe that the key to my success is to continue pursuing my interests and never lose sight of my passions. By taking advantage of the resources and opportunities that are available to me, I am confident that I can achieve my goals and make a meaningful contribution to the world of computer science and game development. I am excited to explore the possibilities that await me and to push the boundaries of what is possible in both fields. As a future developer, researcher, business owner, and possibly even educator, I ultimately wish to inspire future innovative, creative minds to make their own contributions to the industries that motivated me to work hard every day. My computer science goals and non-computer science goals are not separate entities, but rather complementary aspects of my overall mission. By combining my passions for technology, artistic expression, and game development, I am confident that I can make a significant impact on the world and inspire others to pursue their dreams with a creative mind and eye. I am excited for what the future holds and am committed to using my skills and knowledge to make a difference.

Calculus, and mathematics in general, is in essence, the foundation of STEM as a whole. Science, technology, and engineering are all fundamentally tied to mathematics in that mathematics makes each of these individual fields comprehensible. Without math, it would be impossible to understand and model the relationship between forces in our universe, to perform the computations that make harnessing electricity that makes all modern forms of technology possible, and of course to engineer otherwise more complex problems into smaller, more solvable ones. In particular, calculus is absolutely necessary for demonstrating the relationship between kinematic forces and properties. Derivatives and integrals allow for the analysis of the relationship between position, velocity, and acceleration, as well as lengths, areas, and volumes. Fundamentally, any form of engineering that relies on physics, or even more generally, any field of study that requires consideration of related variables or rates of change is built on calculus. Any form of optimization too is built on a core calculus concept of extreme values and the interpretation of graphs of derivatives. As one could potentially see by now, it may be harder to find any field, study, or discipline that doesn't use these concepts somewhere. Even the arts can use calculus! The crews for your favorite TV shows and movies ultimately track the movement of their cameras on paths that can be drawn mathematically, and even if they themselves aren't doing the calculations, the crews are provided the ability to create such productions with ease, and you the viewer are able to enjoy these productions as a result of someone else's understanding of calculus. How might you be able to know how quickly to turn a camera as a car accelerates past a certain curve or stretch of road? Believe it or not, it's calculus! The key to innovation, abstract thinking, and the ultimate progress of the sciences and even the arts is calculus. Math is capable of making otherwise impossible-to-comprehend relationships and patterns noticeable, and perhaps even trivial should you come to understand how to harness its power. If you wish to be someone who thinks outside of the box, or if you're simply someone who loves finding solutions to any sort of problem - you should absolutely learn to be a friend to calculus. The greatest lesson it can teach us is that any observed relationship can be the point of entry for understanding something - literally - exponentially more vast than what we can immediately observe. It's the language of optimization, and without it, how could a stock analyst predict the future of any particular company, or a doctor the long-term effects of their medications? How might we be able to create more efficient vehicles and manufacturing processes? How could we create more visually stunning, complex films and effects without understanding the core of what it is we wish to optimize? How could we be sure that our simulations of physics, space - the orbits and trajectories of our planets - are ultimately accurate without being sure of each measurable variable's role in our calculations? Without calculus, how can we be sure of anything; that some unknown force isn't acting upon what we believe to be understood? STEM is built on calculus, the arts are friends of calculus, and the luxuries and optimized experiences we often take for granted can all be argued to be a result of calculus as well. In the end, calculus is the key to the universe, to expanding the reach of our imagination and ingenuity, and to making the world a better place whether you recognize it or not.

I've benefitted greatly from the support of others in my life who've chosen to show me kindness and generosity, and I've always felt a need to spread the influence of this kindness to anyone I'm able to reach. Whether it be my immediate friends and family, my peers, or the greater community around me, I fully believe that I'm only where I am today because of the willing sacrifices and efforts of other people. There have been many times when I've also felt lost or been in need when it comes to my own future or sense of security, and I've always been fortunate enough to have a friend or stranger kind enough to share their kindness or wisdom with me. These people have given me kindness that I oftentimes feel undeserving of. My parents also worked hard to support me and my siblings even through their own struggles, and seeing their ability to continue giving in times when they may only have so much time and energy left for themselves, as well as the kindness I've received from others, inspires me to give my all to the people around me. As a full-time engineering student and part-time worker with ADHD, it can in fact be difficult at times to find the energy to give to others when it may feel that I'm being stretched thin, but I don't let that stop me. Every week I participate in a volunteer program from a nonprofit whose mission is to provide cheap, affordable groceries for the disabled and the elderly. Over 90% of our clients live alone, are low-income, and are unable to retrieve their groceries for themselves. My role is to deliver to some of our clients and also to serve as a monitor for their home life and well-being because many such clients lack a friend, family member, or guardian to check in on them. Part of what motivates me to participate in this program is the genuine appreciation that these clients express to me; some have stated how without the company and volunteers like me, they simply wouldn't be able to survive. Moments like that remind me how impactful a single act of kindness can be. At my university, I do everything that I can to serve my peers and the institution itself. As a student ambassador and committee member, I frequently represent the needs and voices of my peers at faculty meetings that may decide the fees students will pay, how these fees will be budgeted, and the state of the academic program that I represent. There have been moments when my peers and I have been unhappy with the direction of the program and the quality of its instruction, and due to my willingness to speak up, changes were made to its structure that have since satisfied our concerns. I owe my platform to not only those who trust me to serve as their voice, but also those that have benefitted me in my own life that resulted in the knowledge and leadership abilities that I use to serve my community. Furthermore, as the founder and president of the Game Development Club, the largest club related to the computer/ software engineering program at my campus, I provide professional development and skill-building opportunities to my institution and club members through coding workshops, group projects, guest speaker invitations, and fundraising events. I've also been nominated to be the next student president by the current seat, and while my list of responsibilities is overflowing, I'm always willing to find new ways to serve my community.

I remember when I thought I knew it all when I was younger - I thought that I'd never have to look at a 'sine' or 'tangent' when I was an adult, and what was even the point in these abstract word problems anyways? Fast forward to actually being an adult, and I'm grateful that I decided to pay attention in those younger days. As I'm pursuing a degree in software engineering and a future in the field or the industry of video game development, it's ironic that I'd come to be a counterargument to my childhood woes. It's especially ironic considering that the younger version of me always had dreams of being a game designer and that he thought he could get away with never doing trigonometry or having to think about a derivative! I love math because it taught me to be a logical thinker, and the effort that I put into it pays off for me every single day in my personal projects and studies. Real life tends to be a lot more complex than we're capable of immediately comprehending or abstracting, and part of being an engineer is finding ways to break problems down into smaller, more simple ones. The more ways you're able to think about a situation, the more angles you have at your disposal to find a solution! Math is beautiful in that it's capable of explaining and simulating so many odd situations and properties of the universe and even our day-to-day lives, ultimately breaking down seemingly magical forces and relationships into something you can write down with a pen and some paper. From finance, to physics, to electricity, to game design and computers, math is the foundation. Math is so fundamentally important to my studies and interests that I'm even pursuing a minor in Applied Mathematics with a focus on discrete mathematics and numerical methods, and I'm excited to be able to use this knowledge to be a better developer. Without math, we'd never have the things that we come to rely on and many of the things we simply take for granted as luxury and entertainment. Food storage, agriculture, power and electricity, the manufacturing of clothing, medical practices, any sort of gadget we use today, and even optimal athletic techniques exist, can be explained, or are optimized from the pursuit and study of mathematics. Such a diverse range of fields, studies, inventions, and interests are fundamentally linked by their relationship with mathematics; it's truly the key to understanding the universe and unlocking the potential of anything and everything. At the end of the day, I'm someone who enjoys a challenge and solving problems. While math itself no doubt has its own endless supply of word problems and dreaded exams, those problems will come back as solutions to things you'd never have guessed to be so closely related to math. Math solves your problems as long as you're willing to solve its problems, and just like any relationship, love should go both ways. Math loves and does so much work for us, and so we should all love math back!

I remember when I thought I knew it all when I was younger - I thought that I'd never have to look at a 'sine' or 'tangent' when I was an adult, and what was even the point in these abstract word problems anyways? Fast forward to actually being an adult, and I'm grateful that I decided to pay attention in those younger days. As I'm pursuing a degree in software engineering and a future in the field or the industry of video game development, it's ironic that I'd come to be a counterargument to my childhood woes. It's especially ironic considering that the younger version of me always had dreams of being a game designer and that he thought he could get away with never doing trigonometry or having to think about a derivative! I love math because it taught me to be a logical thinker, and the effort that I put into it pays off for me every single day in my personal projects and studies. Real life tends to be a lot more complex than we're capable of immediately comprehending or abstracting, and part of being an engineer is finding ways to break problems down into smaller, more simple ones. The more ways you're able to think about a situation, the more angles you have at your disposal to find a solution! Math is beautiful in that it's capable of explaining and simulating so many odd situations and properties of the universe and even our day-to-day lives, ultimately breaking down seemingly magical forces and relationships into something you can write down with a pen and some paper. From finance, to physics, to electricity, to game design and computers, math is the foundation. At the end of the day, I'm someone who enjoys a challenge and solving problems. While math itself no doubt has its own endless supply of word problems and dreaded exams, those problems will come back as solutions to things you'd never have guessed to be so closely related to math! Math solves your problems as long as you're willing to solve its problems, and just like any relationship, love should go both ways. Math loves me, and so I love math!

My interest in computer science began at a young age. I always felt a natural pull to what felt like a mystical quality in technology, especially in video games. The way that computers seemed to 'magically' draw images on screens and process thousands of calculations every single second was something I craved to understand. Regretfully, it wasn't until I was in college already that I had finally actually gotten around to pursuing this interest. Growing up, I felt that my interest in technology failed to garner the approval that I was seeking from other people. This caused me to avoid taking the desire to learn about technology very seriously, especially because when I told people that I wanted to make games, they didn't seem to take me seriously either. After becoming exhausted from trying to please others over taking care of myself and dealing with ADHD and mental health, I decided it was time to give this dream a shot. I took some time off of school to satisfy my own goals and aspirations. I was already 2 years into college and so taking on this journey felt risky, but ultimately, it was the right decision. I never would have thought that I'd find so much enjoyment in challenging myself in the field of technology, but the problem-solving process - the gradual understanding of these machines that at one point felt magical - it was like I'd become acquainted with the child within me once again and I was finally satisfying his dreams. Once I receive my degree, my goal is to pay off my mother's medical debt and to once again take a chance on my ambitions: Develop video games. I'd like to open my own studio one day, but I don't mind at all the prospect of working for someone else in-between then, even if it's not in the gaming industry. I find the engineering process to be incredibly personally rewarding, and anything in the field of computer science is exciting enough for me. I especially would like to leave a positive impact on the world by being part of some sort of team that I believe is working to deliver a product or service that benefits people; computer science has brought a great amount of joy into my life, and I'd want for my future in the field to be spent sharing this joy with others. I feel that I am the best candidate for this scholarship because I'm working hard towards these goals every single day. I've established a Game Development Club at the Oregon Institute of Technology Portland-Metro campus, and it's grown into the school's largest computer science club. I provide professional and skill-building opportunities for my peers and club members, and I spend my free time taking on coding challenges, developing my personal projects, and tutoring others to sharpen my own skills and knowledge. I care deeply about my friends, family, and peers, and I want to leave a positive impact on the world.

Growing up, I had difficulty with avoiding comparing myself to others. My peers were always highly competitive, and I wanted to make the people around me proud; I felt a constant pressure to perform so as not to disappoint those that believed in me. This ceaseless stress naturally led to me burning out by the end of my high school education, and I went from a star student to failing a class for the first time in my life. Going into college, things weren’t shaping up to be much better; I started off with community college to test the waters for what I wanted to major in, and I realized that I had lost sight of the things that motivated me to work hard and study. Not being particularly engaged by the things that I was studying, it was clear that I wasn’t going to be happy, much less succeed on my current trajectory. It was a difficult decision, but I ultimately opted to take a break from school to instead focus on work and catching up on the years that I had spent seemingly pointlessly grinding away at an uncertain future. Years later I’ve come to realize this was the correct decision, but at the time, stepping away from school and struggling so hard to stay motivated while my peers progressed through their degrees felt like failure to me. I’ve since learned to focus on my own path and to not compare the steps that I’ve taken to the steps of my peers—I ultimately know what’s best for my own happiness, and I’ve come to find a path that I find fulfilling. I believe that one cannot grow without having experienced struggle and setback, and that certainty can only be found after having tested the limits of what you know. It was at times terrifying and extremely lonely deciding on the path I had chosen, but I feel that because I took this risk, I have a much greater familiarity with my own needs and aspirations, how to find the best value from my education, and an ultimately greater security with my future trajectory. Failing is a necessary part of growth; without coming face-to-face with failing a class and contemplating if college was truly worth it, I may have at best continued on a path that would ultimately be unfulfilling and having learned nothing about myself or what I actually want to do with my life. Today, after taking nearly a year off from college, I’ve since found a passion for coding, engineering, and game design and completed my Fall term with a 4.0 GPA with the winter term shaping up to maintain this level of success, as well as having secured multiple interviews at large tech companies. I love what I do in and out of school, I’m excited for what the future holds, and I have my failures to thank for giving me strength.

Influence can be a person, a thing, an idea, a moment in time - everything we ever perceive and experience, whether it be positive or negative, is an influence. The decisions we make, and even our unconscious behaviors are products of our experiences, and so it is important to always aim to leave a positive influence on everyone we meet. I influence people in my community to work hard, to believe in themselves, and to always strive for greater heights. At the Oregon Institute of Technology, I founded the Game Development Club in the hope of inspiring others to express their creativity and to bring together students with a common goal and interest. So far, I've accomplished growing this club to be one of the largest at the Portland-Metro campus, and I will be hosting workshops for aspiring game developers to learn how to develop their first game, offer guest-speaker opportunities from industry professionals, and raise funds for my club to visit professional game development conferences like E3 or PAX. One of my goals is to provide my club with extensive professional and skill-building opportunities, but the most rewarding feeling is seeing the members' expressions of joy as they crack into their first projects. I struggled through my adolescent years until my second first year of college with depression, ADHD, self-esteem issues, and failing to find the motivation to pursue my studies. I eventually realized my hardships came from me believing that I would never be able to achieve my childhood dream of developing video games, and that I wasn't even 'smart enough' to learn how to code. One Summer's day after playing OMORI - a game that left a particular emotional impact on me - I decided it was time to stop letting my dreams stay dreams. That same day, I started developing my first project. The next week, I had gone from not even knowing a coding language to creating something that I was proud of, and I spent the rest of my Summer developing games for what must have been no less than ten hours every single day. That moment led to me pursuing Software Engineering at OIT, and of course naturally to founding the Game Development Club. All it took was a single spark - a single moment of influence - for me to find joy and passion in something that I was always hesitant to pursue. My goal in my major is to equip myself with a greater skillset so as to better accomplish my dream of creating games that will inspire others. My club serves as an intermediary step that will also hopefully spark a similarly important moment of inspiration in its members or those who see the fruits of our efforts. Receiving this scholarship would simply bring me great joy. To see that others believe in my dream as much as I do would motivate me even further to pursue it, and I would strive every day to share this joy with others.

(Video also submitted) It wasn't until I was a young adult that I considered the possibility that I might have ADHD, and after hearing stories and experiences from others that I connected with, I finally started on a path that lead to me learning to love, forgive, and understand myself. The journey that ensued resulted in the healing of past trauma and the finding of a powerful drive that I had suppressed and been ashamed to let lead me. Looking back, I can smile at how far I've come, and find humor in having used to think I was ever incapable of the milestones I now set every day. I knew I was always a bit different from the other kids when I was a child, and they certainly didn't hesitate to let me know either. Being fixated on nerdier things like video games and computers and less so on athletics, I was exposed to bullying throughout my adolescent years. Though I tended to excel academically compared to the average kid, I still felt inferior among my peers. My ADHD often prevented me from starting assignments even when I knew they were important, and as the bullying got worse, I found it more difficult to focus in school. Eventually, I struggled to find a reason to wake up in the morning and walk out into a world that seemed like it hated me. I was trapped in a vicious mental cycle of self-hate, deteriorating motivation, and the lack of executive ability to do the things that would fix my problems. I didn't believe that I was capable, nor deserving, of anything but failure and isolation. I just couldn't understand why I was the way I was. I had a 4.2 GPA going into my high school Jr. year despite my depression and my condition, but the trauma I had experienced led me to believe that no matter what, I wouldn't be enough. I let my efforts go to waste by not applying to college, and I barely made it through my Sr. year thanks to the COVID shutdown which resulted in the automatic passing of my entire class. At the time, I had been failing most of my classes and hardly even showed up. I didn't realize it, but my ADHD caused me to feel fatigued at all times of day, and combined with my depression, impulsivity and lack of executive function, I couldn't pursue the things I even managed to recognize as a priority. After finally seeing a doctor after my first year in college, I was diagnosed with ADHD, and everything began to make sense: I struggled to execute on my opportunities, I was more sensitive, more impulsive, all because of my condition. I took the rest of the year to follow treatment, travel, and try the things I'd always prevented myself from doing. Over the summer, I taught myself how to code and make video games. I wanted to do this since I was a kid, but was afraid to out of fear of failure, and a feeling that something so "nerdy" was something to be ashamed of. I've tirelessly pursued this passion since, and I am now enrolled at the Oregon Institute of Technology to get my bachelor's in software engineering. I am set to complete this term with straight A's for the first time in years, and I'm proud of how far I've come and excited about where I'll go. I hope to create games that will spark joy and inspire others, and this scholarship will help me do so. Thank you for listening.

My love for problem-solving and desire to express my creativity are best satisfied in the field of computer science. As an ambitious lifelong artist and a general nerd, with an eye for design and a knack for breaking down problems and finding solutions, software engineering and video game design should have been the most obvious choice for me. However, as it turned out, it would take a couple of years in and out of school wrestling with different majors and interests until I finally realized that. It always felt like I had to choose between the two halves of my brain that felt drawn to different pursuits; the creative side wanted to do art, graphic design, and animation, while the analytic side felt neglected unless it was being used in math, science, or business. Altogether, I knew I wanted to pursue something that could utilize my full potential, and nothing I had tried felt as though it would allow me to reach it. Between my different ventures, I knew that I wanted to serve and inspire others, but I couldn't figure out how to do so in a way that best suited my abilities. The non-liberal arts pursuits that I had tried lacked the creative outlet I was craving, but when it came to the arts, creating images and models lacked the impact I was looking for, and the stimulation needed to quench my thirst for challenge. After trying so many different paths, I realized I had left one stone unturned that could combine all of my desires: coding. The child within me always wanted to become a video game designer, but not knowing where to begin, and always being encouraged to pursue other more traditional careers by my teachers and family, I felt like I wasn't capable of doing so, nor did I feel that it would be a worthwhile effort. Regardless, being at the end of my rope and having nothing left to lose, I jumped into the world of coding one summer's day with no prior experience, no one to guide me, and only myself to keep me motivated. As it turned out, it was a match made in heaven. For that entire summer, I spent no less than ten hours per day, every single day, in front of my computer absorbing every bit of knowledge I could find on coding and video game design. From the moment the sun was rising to the moment when it felt like my body was about to give out, I would be up solving problems, implementing new ideas, and reading documentation to figure out how I could even further apply my brain to the art I was creating; it was everything I was looking for. I've loved video games ever since I was a kid, and some of my greatest creative inspirations come from them. I shared so many precious moments with friends bonding over the worlds within them, and they fulfill such an important part of the lives of all sorts of people all over the world. They sparked my love for solving puzzles and exploring fantastic abstract concepts, and I realized that this was a pursuit where I could finally inspire others and express my creativity while also constantly applying my mind. I could create the worlds and characters I had always dreamed about, all while pondering the math, physics, and AI needed to bring them to life. That coming fall, I enrolled at the Oregon Institute of Technology, and I've been studying software engineering ever since, with my only regret being that I didn't start earlier.

It took all of my adolescent years before I finally learned to love myself and see my worth. Having battled the feeling of loneliness and isolation since middle school, I spent all of my youth wondering when life would become something worth living. My friends and family tried their hardest to comfort me and help me understand that I was loved, but my mind convinced me otherwise. I rationalized the reasons why bad things would happen to me, and why I wasn't deserving of love. I never would have guessed that through all the pain, there would be a time and place where I could see a brighter future. Despite what I had felt about myself in my adolescent years, I was generally an excellent student, and even at that time, a part of me felt that I was smart and capable. However, without proper guidance and treatment, the darker part of my mind spoke louder, which shrouded my potential and made me feel worthless. I was bullied through middle school and high school for being skinny, for being a nerd, for not being as athletic as the other kids, for being afraid to talk to girls, and I felt like less of a person for it. My academic performance started to slip as I lost sight of the purpose of the effort I was giving to life, of just getting out of bed and walking into a world that would constantly beat me down. Waking up every single day hating myself and wishing that things would end was a nightmare that I would never wish upon anyone, and I sympathize with those who struggle to find their own direction and happiness. Knowing the things I could have done when I was younger, the risks I was fully capable of taking and succeeding through, the opportunities and scholarships that came and went -- it fills me with regret that I couldn't find the love and confidence within myself to seize them. Regardless, I've arrived at a better place, and I know now that by taking care of myself and my mental health, I'll never miss the opportunities that are yet to come, that I am capable of so much more than what I used to believe, and that I am deserving of love. The biggest step that I took for myself regarding my mental health was seeking treatment for my depression in 2018. It lead to me finding a counselor that finally made me realize that other people were wrong about me, and that I was fully capable of guiding myself and making the right decisions for my own happiness. I just had to believe it. Although I still had my bouts of depression, beginning treatment helped me understand myself, and that first step lead to many more along the long path of betterment. I found out that I had ADHD in 2021, and ever since then, my mental health has been in the best place it has ever been. I found the medication that works for me, I began to understand myself better, and I took some much-needed time off of school to travel and pursue the things I'd always wanted to try. I taught myself to code, and I rediscovered my passion for technology and mathematics, a passion that I had lost sight of in my adolescent years through my roughest and most challenging stretch of depression. Nowadays, I maintain my mental health by spending time being mindful and reflecting on my thoughts and feelings. I consider if the things I'm saying to myself are irrational, if they do more harm than good, and I also recognize that my failures, mistakes, and shortcomings are not indicative of my value as a person. I spent much of my life chasing goals that either other people promised would be fulfilling, or out of a desire to please them disregarding the things that I wanted to do. I eventually came to realize that I would never be happy following someone else's path, and I needed to stop running from the fear of failure if I wanted to achieve the dreams I once felt were beyond my grasp. I see now that the people who once hurt me are themselves hurting within, and to cope with it, I was made their victim. I sympathize with those in my situation, and I hold empathy for those who caused me pain. Everyone struggles with their pursuit of happiness in their own ways, and not everyone is equipped to deal with it or is lucky enough to have an environment or support group that can help them in a meaningful way. My goal now is to inspire others to pursue the things that they always wanted to do. I was afraid to embrace the idea of becoming a programmer or a game designer because I thought for a long time that I wasn't smart enough, because I was scared to fail, and because I lived with the trauma of the bullying I experienced when I was younger. My mental health and self-esteem held me back for so long, and ever since I started chasing my dreams by teaching myself how to code and make games, I've found the reason I needed to wake up every day. I want to create art through games that will fill young people around the world with awe, I want to spark the same firey fascination with fantastic imaginary worlds and computers that was lit within me when I discovered the joy that existed within them. I want to instill a curiosity for imagination, creativity, and problem-solving so that people around the world can see that life is worth exploring. Hopefully, the games I create will touch generations and places far away from me, and that I can satisfy their search for inspiration and the daringness to take risks, just like the younger me had always been struggling to find within himself.

It took all of my adolescent years before I finally learned to love myself and see my worth. Having battled the feeling of loneliness and isolation since middle school, I spent all of my youth wondering when life would become something worth living. My friends and family tried their hardest to comfort me and help me understand that I was loved, but my mind convinced me otherwise. I rationalized the reasons why bad things would happen to me, and why I wasn't deserving of love. I never would have guessed that through all the pain, there would be a time and place where I could see a brighter future. Despite what I had felt about myself in my adolescent years, I was generally an excellent student, and even at that time, a part of me felt that I was smart and capable. However, without proper guidance and treatment, the darker part of my mind spoke louder, which shrouded my potential and made me feel worthless. I was bullied through middle school and high school for being skinny, for being a nerd, for not being as athletic as the other kids, for being afraid to talk to girls, and I felt like less of a person for it. My academic performance started to slip as I lost sight of the purpose of the effort I was giving to life, of just getting out of bed and walking into a world that would constantly beat me down. Waking up every single day hating myself and wishing that things would end was a nightmare that I would never wish upon anyone, and I sympathize with those who struggle to find their own direction and happiness. Knowing the things I could have done when I was younger, the risks I was fully capable of taking and succeeding through, the opportunities and scholarships that came and went -- it fills me with regret that I couldn't find the love and confidence within myself to seize them. Regardless, I've arrived at a better place, and I know now that by taking care of myself and my mental health, I'll never miss the opportunities that are yet to come, that I am capable of so much more than what I used to believe, and that I am deserving of love. The biggest step that I took for myself regarding my mental health was seeking treatment for my depression in 2018. It lead to me finding a counselor that finally made me realize that other people were wrong about me, and that I was fully capable of guiding myself and making the right decisions for my own happiness. I just had to believe it. Although I still had my bouts of depression, beginning treatment helped me understand myself, and that first step lead to many more along the long path of betterment. I found out that I had ADHD in 2021, and ever since then, my mental health has been in the best place it has ever been. I found the medication that works for me, I began to understand myself better, and I took some much-needed time off of school to travel and pursue the things I'd always wanted to try. I taught myself to code, and I rediscovered my passion for technology and mathematics, a passion that I had lost sight of in my adolescent years through my roughest and most challenging stretch of depression. Nowadays, I maintain my mental health by spending time being mindful and reflecting on my thoughts and feelings. I consider if the things I'm saying to myself are irrational, if they do more harm than good, and I also recognize that my failures, mistakes, and shortcomings are not indicative of my value as a person. I spent much of my life chasing goals that either other people promised would be fulfilling, or out of a desire to please them disregarding the things that I wanted to do. I eventually came to realize that I would never be happy following someone else's path, and I needed to stop running from the fear of failure if I wanted to achieve the dreams I once felt were beyond my grasp. I see now that the people who once hurt me are themselves hurting within, and to cope with it, I was made their victim. I sympathize with those in my situation, and I hold empathy for those who caused me pain. Everyone struggles with their pursuit of happiness in their own ways, and not everyone is equipped to deal with it or is lucky enough to have an environment or support group that can help them in a meaningful way. My goal now is to inspire others to pursue the things that they always wanted to do. I was afraid to embrace the idea of becoming a programmer or a game designer because I thought for a long time that I wasn't smart enough, because I was scared to fail, and because I lived with the trauma of the bullying I experienced when I was younger. My mental health and self-esteem held me back for so long, and ever since I started chasing my dreams by teaching myself how to code and make games, I've found the reason I needed to wake up every day. I want to create art through games that will fill young people around the world with awe, I want to spark the same firey fascination with fantastic imaginary worlds and computers that was lit within me when I discovered the joy that existed within them. I want to instill a curiosity for imagination, creativity, and problem-solving so that people around the world can see that life is worth exploring. Hopefully, the games I create will touch generations and places far away from me, and that I can satisfy their search for inspiration and the daringness to take risks, just like the younger me had always been struggling to find within himself.

It took all of my adolescent years before I finally learned to love myself and see my worth. Having battled the feeling of loneliness and isolation since middle school, I spent all of my youth wondering when life would become something worth living. My friends and family tried their hardest to comfort me and help me understand that I was loved, but my mind convinced me otherwise. I rationalized the reasons why bad things would happen to me, and why I wasn't deserving of love. Despite what I had felt about myself in my adolescent years, I was generally an excellent student, and even at that time, a part of me felt that I was smart and capable. However, without proper guidance and treatment, the darker part of my mind spoke louder and shrouded my potential. Waking up every single day hating myself and wishing that things would end was a nightmare that I would never wish upon anyone, and I sympathize with those who struggle to find their own direction and happiness. Knowing the things I could have done when I was younger, the risks I was fully capable of taking and succeeding through, the opportunities that came and went -- it fills me with regret that I couldn't find the love and confidence within myself to seize them. Regardless, I've arrived at a better place, and I know now that by taking care of myself and my mental health, I'll never miss the opportunities that are yet to come, that I am capable of so much more than what I used to believe, and that I am deserving of love. The biggest step that I took for myself regarding my mental health was seeking treatment for my depression in 2019. It lead to me finding a counselor that finally made me realize that other people were wrong about me, and that I was fully capable of guiding myself and making the right decisions. I just had to believe it. Although I still had my bouts of depression, beginning treatment helped me understand myself, and that first step lead to many more along the path. I found out that I had ADHD in 2021, and ever since then, my mental health has been in the best place it has ever been. I found the medication that works for me, and I took some much-needed time off of school to travel and pursue the things I'd always wanted to try. I taught myself to code, and I rediscovered my passion for technology and mathematics, a passion that I had lost sight of in my adolescent years through my roughest and most challenging stretch of depression. Nowadays, I maintain my mental health by spending time being mindful and reflecting on my thoughts and feelings. I consider if the things I'm saying to myself are irrational, if they do more harm than good, and I also recognize that my failures, mistakes, and shortcomings are not indicative of my value as a person. Taking time to meditate and exercise breathing techniques are some of my favorite methods for separating myself from stress and negativity. I surround myself with people who bring me up, and I recognize the negativity that people send towards me often comes from a pain or sadness within them. I recognize that I cannot let their pain hurt me, and to not let them put me down to make themselves feel better. I constantly remind myself of these things, and I continue to pursue what I find fulfilling. That is how I maintain the peace that I have found.

Ever since I was young, I had always been fascinated by video games as a medium of art, storytelling, and entertainment. For many young adults such as myself, video games have played an extremely important role in our lives; they provide us an escape, an opportunity to discover a new world while the one we live in becomes more known than unknown, a means by which to form meaningful connections and bonds, and a way to express ourselves. In addition to my fascination with the art of coding and development, I am equally enthralled by the problem-solving, math, and science that makes up the other half of what software and video game development mean. Finding solutions through the manipulation of a computer's wiring is a fulfilling and valuable pursuit as the modern age is increasingly defined by what we are capable of doing with technology: Applications that let us stay connected, ones that monitor our health, embedded systems that make up our roads, satellites, cars, etc. There are infinite possibilities when it comes to software engineering, especially with the emergence of advanced AI and machine learning. The promise of contributing to a more technologically advanced, but perhaps healthier, physically and intellectually enriched society, is what makes my future contribution to the world of technology so exciting. There are endless unknowns to explore beyond our world, and technology always finds a way to bring us new ones to explore. I work hard every single day in and outside of school to gain new knowledge and skills regarding my passion for video game development and coding. My journey began one summer's day with a leap of faith into the world of coding with no knowledge of where I should even start. I decided that I was tired of waiting for opportunities to be delivered to my door or for someone to hand the knowledge that I desired down to me, so I sat down, fueled by a burning passion for learning and desire to challenge myself, and worked day and night to understand this world that I was always afraid to explore on my own. While my friends and family were enjoying their summer on sandy beaches and among each others' company, I worked no less than ten hours straight, from sunrise to sunset, every single day to teach myself how to code with C# and develop video games. Ever since that day, my mind has always been buzzing with things I need to learn, problems I need to solve, and constant excitement for the degree I am currently pursuing. My parents are greatly supportive of my pursuit and they work hard to support my older sister who is pursuing her master's in art history, my older autistic brother who will likely need our family's support for his whole life, and myself, recently diagnosed with ADHD. The financial burden that school brings us is crushing at times, especially as my father's job begins to slow down during this recession, and my mother, a flight attendant who had to withdraw from her retirement account to pay for life-saving surgery, spends days and weeks at a time away from home. In between the time I spend studying on my own and for school, I am also working to sustain myself and help where I can with tuition. This scholarship would be of great value to me and my family, and I will one day return this value tenfold to those who supported me, and the future beneficiaries of my career in software or video game development