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Abigail Leul

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General information

Hobbies & Interests

  • Drawing And Illustration
  • Community Service And Volunteering
  • Gaming
  • Animation
  • Crafting

Reading

  • Religion
  • Fantasy
  • Psychology
  • Mystery
  • Thriller
  • Suspense

I read books multiple times a week.

Bio

Meet Abigail Leul. She is a sophomore at UVA. Her parents are Ethiopian, and she was born in Sweden. She now lives in Virginia with her mother, father, and younger sister. She has taken all of the Dual Enrollment and Honor classes that her school offers and has kept an A in all of her classes. She often helps out around the classroom too. She graduated as Valedictorian with a 4.32 weighted GPA. Abigail was a member of the National Honor Society and participated in Adopt-a-Class. In this monthly activity, she and her group go to a lower school classroom to do crafts and activities with them. Abigail was also a tutor at the Next Generation Organization and in school. She also has competed in multiple competitions for Math and Fine Arts. She was also the Co-President and founder of the Art Club at her school. She is heavily involved in her Ethiopian church, leading Sunday School and mentoring the children. Abigail has also been part of Virginia Tech’s Black College Institute Pre-College Program, leading the Social Justice Group Project as the Artistic Designer, and is double majoring in Mechanical Engineering and Aerospace Engineering. Abigail has also been invited to multiple college events, such as the Cultural Connection Day at Virginia Tech and the High School Visitation Program at the University of Virginia. Abigail attended additional events, such as the Girls in Technology at the University of Maryland Global Campus. In her free time, she enjoys drawing and has sold commissions to further help raise money for her church.

Education

University of Virginia-Main Campus

Bachelor's degree program

2024 – 2028

Majors:
  • Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering

Christ Chapel Academy

High School

2010 – 2024

Miscellaneous

Desired degree level:
Master's degree program
Majors of interest:
Mechanical Engineering, Engineering, General
Medical school interest:
No

Career

  • Sunday School Teacher

    Religion · Ammanuel Evangelical Ethiopian Church

    Jan 2019 – Jan 2021

  • Sunday School Teacher

    Religion · Rehoboth Christ Church

    Jan 2021 – Present

  • Tutor

    Education · Next Generation

    Jan 2020 – Jan 2021

  • Activity Coordinator

    Hospital & Health Care · Aspen Hill Assisted Living

    Jan 2022 – Jan 2024

  • Tutor

    Education · Christ Chapel Academy

    Jan 2022 – Jan 2024

Miscellaneous

Dream career field:
Mechanical or Industrial Engineering
Dream career goals:
Engineer
Has nursing license:
No

Future Interests

  • Advocacy
  • Volunteering
  • Entrepreneurship
Byte into STEM Scholarship
If "change is the law of life," then I would rather live in anarchy. . . is what I would have said three years ago. I grew up in the shadows, avoiding unnecessary responsibility and pressure that would cause me to stand out. I faithfully maintained my routine until I was thrown into a leadership position at my church. The Amanuel Ethiopian Evangelical Church lost many of its teachers, preventing them from hosting a children's service. Naturally, an online service was created, and I was assigned the "Sunday School Teacher" role. I dreaded Sundays. My routine had to be adjusted to accommodate meeting preparations at nine a.m. This shift made me noticeably anxious at the end of each week. I became more concerned about their perceptions of me than about what I was supposed to teach them. Preparing the materials throughout the week also led to me having trouble balancing my school work with my church responsibilities. The students' engagement was disappointing, which made me even more nervous. After a year of teaching the children, I became more comfortable around them and got to know them better face-to-face. Before and after classes, we would talk about our lives outside of class, and I started seeing how much influence I had over them. They would ask me for advice on their everyday problems, genuinely considering what I said. I realized that if I did not work on myself, then I would not be able to be someone they should look up to. I should strive to be the best version of myself so I can help others become their best selves. I needed to find out what was holding me back from improving myself. After pondering the question, I identified my difficulty as one within my mindset: I was fixed on what everybody thought about me. I was constantly wary of my actions and overthought what I thought I did wrong. Because I was constantly on edge, I could not live in the moment. I began my self-improvement journey by focusing on enjoying time with the children, rather than worrying about others' opinions, and my confidence gradually rose. I organized a once-a-month gathering at a park to play soccer together. I would also often play their favorite games with them. As a result, we got more comfortable with each other. Rather than counting down the minutes until the meetings were over, I wished they could last longer. I connected with the children, who were more engaged than before. We became like a family. This change was also reflected in other areas of life, such as the classroom, where I became more involved with my classmates. After seeing the effect of changing my attitude, I realized how much my attitude affects my surroundings. You cannot have a negative mindset and expect positive results after all. This effect followed into my passions. I wanted to use the degree I was pursuing to evoke similar feelings in others and inspire them to free themselves from a negative mindset. I can achieve this through the collaborative nature of engineering. Engineers are often required to rely on each other and build upon others' ideas to succeed. Through collaborative experiences, the diverse mix of ideas, opinions, personalities, and people will benefit everyone involved and inspire others to follow suit.
Ward AEC Scholarship
I had little exposure to engineering growing up. I did not know what I wanted to be when I grew up and defaulted to computer science because most of the influences in my life had a career in computer science. However, I was introduced to mechanical engineering this past summer, which shifted my perspective. I was accepted into a selective pre-college program, where I had the opportunity to visit a research lab in the engineering department. I was surrounded by projects dealing with various subjects, but the project experimenting with converting gas-driven cars to electric cars stood out to me. I saw the processes used to develop the project to the point it was at, and I was fascinated by the ideation to enactment process of engineering. This experience kickstarted my interest in mechanical engineering as a major and career choice. The pre-college program also gave me a leadership opportunity with other prospective engineering major students in the Social Justice Project. As the Artistic Director of the project, I assisted in determining the unique approach to our project, communicated with different team members, ensured that everyone had a role, and created the assets used in the final project. My fascination with mechanical engineering also stems from my interest in math and creativity. Engineering requires you to think outside the box and challenge your brain to take different approaches, using skills developed in practicing math with a creative mindset. I had a taste for analysis in personal and school projects, such as when I programmed robots to navigate directed paths, and I also enjoyed this aspect of mechanical engineering. After dabbling in these interests, I wanted to explore them further and learn more about the fields surrounding engineering. I experimented with my interests by joining various clubs and programs. I joined the WiSTEM club, which showed me how to apply mathematical techniques to projects such as creating a mathematically sound first-floor layout to a building. I also attended Girls in Technology, a program that allowed me to see more projects revolving around engineering, where I was inspired by a project that used virtual reality sensors to visualize three-dimensional prototypes. I also participated in a pre-college program where I saw a research lab experimenting with converting gas-driven cars to electric cars. There, I was fascinated by the ideation to implementation process of engineering. Seeing other people’s intricate inventions drives me to create my own designs and enjoy each trial and error.
Joshua’s Home Remodeling Scholarship
My fascination with mechanical engineering stems from my interest in math and creativity. Engineering requires you to think outside the box and challenge your brain to take different approaches, using skills developed in practicing math with a creative mindset. Due to my fascination with mathematics, I have developed a skill in the field, and I have a reputation for consistently high grades in honors-level math, setting the standard for my classmates. Additionally, I had a taste of analysis in personal and school projects, such as when I programmed robots to navigate directed paths, and found that I also enjoy this aspect of mechanical engineering. After dabbling in these interests, I wanted to explore them further and learn more about the fields surrounding engineering. I experimented with my interests by joining various clubs and programs. I joined the WiSTEM club, which showed me how to apply mathematical techniques to projects such as creating a mathematically sound first-floor layout of a building. I also attended Girls in Technology, where I was inspired by a project that used virtual reality sensors to visualize three-dimensional prototypes. I also participated in a pre-college program where I saw a research lab experimenting with converting gas-driven cars to electric cars. There, I was fascinated by the ideation to implementation process of engineering. Seeing other people’s intricate inventions drives me to create my own designs and enjoy each trial and error. I was also selected to attend a selective High School Visitation Event at the University of Virginia. While I enjoyed the lectures and laboratory visits, the majors fair stood out most. I was privileged to speak with two graduate students who shared their experiences. They also offered advice regarding the general college process. These two students gave me a glance into the supportive culture at many universities. I have had additional conversations with undergraduate students and professors who shared a similar attitude. This experience encouraged me further to go into the engineering field. Pursuing a degree in this field will give me opportunities to research, study abroad, and have internships, which I want to take advantage of. The engineering field also offers a unique environment where I am allowed to be creative. I can also expand my experience in engineering by communicating with and being inspired by other engineers studying alongside me. At university, I will be surrounded by a culture that values innovation and will invest in those who have ideas but no means to actualize them.
Abigail Leul Student Profile | Bold.org