I remember it like it was yesterday, sitting in my third-grade classroom with Wings of Fire: Book 6, Moon Rising. I stumbled upon the series in my school library while looking for Harry Potter and thought the dragons on the cover looked cool. I had no idea this series would spark a love of reading that would stay with me forever. I was born with a cataract in my left eye, and to this day, I have undergone six eye surgeries to remove it and correct my vision. While I recovered, my mom and grandma would read to me for comfort. Dr. Seuss, Pinkalicious, and one oddball book I still remember called Totem Tales filled those moments. I would play with stuffed animals and listen to them read, and when I was able to see, I would read to myself. I would also go to the library with my grandma on Sundays and help volunteer, making little drawings for the guests, who accepted the scribbles of a six-year-old very graciously. I loved the smell of the library and being surrounded by so many books. It felt like endless opportunity, and I wanted to read them all. In kindergarten, with the help of my mom, I founded my own platform, Abby’s Kids, to increase literacy awareness and encourage other kids my age to read. I am still active in it today, and I have donated over 2,000 books to local schools and organizations to help reduce barriers to reading and literacy. My love of books showed me how powerful reading can be, but Abby’s Kids taught me that access to those opportunities should not depend on where someone lives or what resources their family has. COVID hit right before the end of my fifth-grade year. Being stuck at home all day gave me more time to read, and I found solace in fictional characters and worlds that made me feel less isolated. Books became a refuge from the world during quarantine and a place to go when I was scared. They reminded me that even when I felt alone, there were stories and characters that could help me understand experiences beyond my own. As I entered high school and started taking on extracurriculars, I found myself with less and less time to read, especially as I began taking advanced classes and working a part-time job. However, I still carve out reading time whenever I can, and I have found friends who share my passion for books. The books I have read growing up have taught me to be patient, kind, caring toward others, and resilient. Most of all, they have taught me how stories can connect people. Those lessons have shaped my goal of continuing to expand Abby’s Kids and making reading more accessible to young people. I want every child to have the opportunity to find a book that gives them comfort, sparks their imagination, or changes the way they see the world, just as books have done for me.

I’ve always been told math is the language of the universe, of science, and one that I’ve spoken fluently. But to me, math is more than that. It’s not just a language, it’s a lens, a whole new way to see the world. When words fail to explain something, math fills in the gaps. What language can’t fully describe, math can show. It can take something complicated and break it down into patterns, relationships, and numbers that suddenly make it understandable. I love that there is a certain certainty to math. The world can feel chaotic and unpredictable, but math can reveal the structure underneath it. It lets me look at something I don’t understand and ask, “Why?” and then actually find an answer. I tested into the Talented and Gifted program in elementary school, but never truly got support that kept up with my ambitions; I mostly just received extra work. Packets of word problems felt more like labor than actual stimulating education. While my class was learning multiplication, I had been doing it since I started school. On a YouTube channel from my childhood, there’s even a video of me doing the same algebra on a chalkboard at seven that I later did in middle school. This language that I had always loved began to feel dull and repetitive. Then, seventh grade came. My teacher, Mrs. Owens, taught me that math wasn’t all just problems in a textbook. She showed me how it applied to the real world, from buying groceries to calculating how much fuel a rocket needs. That year reignited my love for math and sparked my love for engineering: math, science, and art all coming together to create something real. Now, as an aspiring aerospace engineer, I take advanced math classes and have found friends who feel the same way about math as I do. We aren’t all the same. Not all of us adore geometry or solve quadratic equations in our sleep, but we all share a common language: math. And for me, that language is more than a way to find an answer. It is a way to understand the world, uncover what lies beneath its complexity, and imagine what might be possible next.

Growing up, I considered myself a Christian, but faith wasn't always a consistent part of my life. My family moved between a few different churches over the years, and we never attended regularly. During COVID-19, we stopped altogether. When we finally returned, one of our worship leaders noticed me singing in the congregation and invited me to join the worship team. I began singing backup vocals, helping with children's church, and attending youth group each week. For the first time, faith became something I actively participated in and built a community around, not just something I passively did. During one service, I heard the story of Queen Esther. What stayed with me wasn't just her faith, but her bravery—risking her own life to defend people who couldn't defend themselves. Her story taught me that faith isn't passive. Sometimes it requires courage and a willingness to use whatever position you hold to help others. That lesson mattered as I became more involved in my community—volunteering, working with children, and founding my own youth literacy organization. My faith taught me that helping others isn't something I do only when convenient—it's a responsibility I choose to embrace. My faith hasn't always been easy to hold onto, though. When I started working, I was scheduled on Sundays and could no longer attend church regularly. Leadership changes within my church also challenged my understanding of what I believed, and for a time, I drifted from God. Eventually, I recognized how distant I'd become and started rebuilding, in small, intentional ways. I read a few verses each morning and listen to worship music or Christian podcasts on my commute. I learned that faith isn't something I inherit or maintain through routine, or something one settled church gives you. Having moved between congregations growing up, I had to learn that it's something I choose and nurture for myself, wherever I am. I'm pursuing a career in aerospace engineering, a field where the decisions I make will affect real people's safety, and where the pressure to cut corners—on cost, on schedule, on someone else's warnings—is real. Faith won't design a rocket for me, but it will shape how I respond when I'm the engineer who notices a problem no one wants to hear about, or when a deadline tempts a team to sign off on something that isn't ready. Esther's story is, at its core, about someone in a position to raise a concern who chose to raise it anyway, at personal cost. That's what I want to carry into a control room or a design review—the willingness to be the person who speaks up, even when silence would be easier. Many people see science and faith as incompatible, but I see them as answering different questions. Science gives me the tools to understand the universe and build new technology; my faith helps me decide how I should use those tools. Aerospace engineering carries enormous responsibility, and I want to approach it with integrity, humility, and respect for the people my work will affect—the passengers, the crews, the communities beneath every flight path. My definition of success isn't only what I accomplish technically. It's whether I remain someone who uses her abilities to serve others while doing it. Esther taught me that having the ability to help someone creates a responsibility to act. As I build my career, my faith will keep reminding me of that responsibility, giving me the courage to pursue ambitious goals without losing sight of what matters most.

Many people raised by single mothers describe them as their inspiration, their idol, their beacon of strength and hope. For me, my mother has inspired me to break cycles of trauma passed down through generations. I have pledged to myself that it stops with me. I've been the daughter of a single mother since I was three. My dad was incarcerated, leaving just me and my mom. I don't remember much of my early childhood—I feel like I never really had one. The men in my mom's life came and went, trying to fill the gaps to build a perfect family: A house in the suburbs, a kid, a cat—all that was missing was a father. When I was eight, my brother was born. His father left before my brother turned two. I never really had a stable father figure or a stable family, so I grew up without knowing what either was supposed to look like. So I grew up faster than I should have, changing diapers and making bottles for my brother while all my other friends played with Barbies and watched cartoons. I learned how to take on a responsibility that was never supposed to be mine. More men came and went. There was only one that I ever felt comfortable calling "Dad," and he left too. But my mother deserves credit too. She earned her MBA while raising me and working three jobs. She taught me to care for my community through volunteering. I never had to worry about money, and for that I am very grateful. But while I had a mother, I never really had a "Mom." Yes, I had a maternal figure in my household, but I could never confide in her, share interests, or learn how to be a person from her. I never felt safe enough to. 17 years of emotional manipulation and instability have left me with a less than desirable relationship with my mother. So I kept growing up. I applied for jobs the day I turned 16, and have been working part time for over a year. I want to go to college and study aerospace engineering, build the life and family I never had, and become the mom I never had. My experience as the daughter of a single mother taught me resilience, responsibility, and how to care for others through leadership and service. I've become a role model in my community and school through pageantry and volunteering. I've created my own platform focused on youth literacy awareness so I can provide children with the support and encouragement I wished I had growing up. My goal isn't to leave my past behind, but to build my own future and forge my own path. As much as I hate to admit it, growing up fast forced me to keep going and hold myself to high standards so I can build the life I never had and finally break the cycle.

I wanted to be an astronaut—once. Ever since I was little, I've been enraptured by the stars, space, and planets beyond Earth's horizon. I dreamed of going to the Moon, to Mars, and answering every question humanity has asked about what lies beyond our exosphere. But partial blindness in my left eye kept my dreams grounded. As I got older, I fell in love with coding, robotics, and the inner workings of technology that rockets (pun intended) humanity into space. One of my favorite hobbies is astrophotography, which allows me to connect my fascination with space to the stars above me. Now, as a high school senior pursuing aerospace engineering, I aim to specialize in propulsion systems and inspire other young women to fall in love with STEM. Beyond my love for space, I dedicate a large amount of my time to leadership and community service. My involvement in pageantry for over 15 years has allowed me to develop skills in public speaking, advocate for causes I support, and connect with people from all over the country. I even founded my own nonprofit dedicated to spreading awareness about illiteracy and empowering youth. I dedicate myself to growth through every aspect of my life, whether it be through preparing for a competition, studying for one of my IB classes, or volunteering in my community. These experiences remind me that STEM is not just about knowledge, but collaboration, communication, and making a difference through the work you do. My career goal is to become an aerospace engineer with a specialization in rocket propulsion. Propulsion fascinates me because it is what truly transforms ambitious engineering ideas into reality, making exploration beyond Earth possible. Spaceflight presents numerous complex engineering challenges, from sustainability to safety, and I aim to make myself a part of the next era of innovation in space exploration. As humanity prepares to begin construction of a moon base, there will be many incredible opportunities for engineers to create systems to transport materials—and eventually humans—outside of our planet. In addition to contributing through my career, I wish to make every aspect of STEM more accessible and inclusive to everyone. Despite women having made incredible breakthroughs in numerous STEM fields, we remain underrepresented in the big picture, especially in engineering. Throughout my experiences, I have been able to learn the importance of mentorship. I hope to be able to use my platform in the future to encourage young women to pursue their passions. Diversity and equality lead to innovation where all voices are heard. By combining creativity with advocacy, I aim to create a future where discovery is encouraged, and every young woman who looks at the stars can see an opportunity in STEM.

Supernova | Stage | Mnemonic | Connections Wings | Pomodoro | Audience | Rocket Planet | Blurting | Meteor | Wordle Curtain | Leitner | Strands | Crossword Yellow: (Supernova, Rocket, Planet, Meteor) Space - I have loved space for as long as I can remember. I've always been so fascinated with the stars, and since I was 10 I've wanted to become an aerospace engineer to build rockets and make something I've created part of space. Green: (Strands, Wordle, Connections, Crossword) NYT games! - I recently have gotten reobsessed with all the NYT games. I absolutely love sharing my scores with my friends. It's always a fun way to start my day and wake up my brain! Blue: (Stage, Wings, Curtain, Audience) Parts of a theater - I have been involved with theater and performing arts since I was in kindergarten and this year participated in my high school's rendition of the Wizard of Oz. It was one of the best experiences I have ever had, being able to work with so many new people, and working to create something bigger than ourselves. It was such a magic experience and I'll be participating again this year! Purple: (Pomodoro, Leitner, Mnemonic, Blurting) Study Techniques - As a 4.0 GPA student taking an AP and IB class this year a sophomore, studying is of great importance to me in order to maintain my grades. Over the last few years I have narrowed down the best techniques that work for me studying!