I have aspirations to impact and improve the lives of my community through fostering sustainability. Engineering is the way to foster physical changes to improve society. During three shadowing experiences this summer, I learned firsthand how Mechanical Engineers improve communities through creative solutions, such as improving waterways, adding solar panels to schools, and improving road materials. Problems plague every community, and having the background to provide solutions would be exciting. I would take great pride in dedicating a career to the profound responsibility of taking charge and implementing change. Our elementary school community garden thrived for years but became neglected when the world shut down in March 2020. Though I was young, inexperienced, and knew little about gardening, I was compelled to dive into the garden's tangled web of problems. At first, we found some awesome volunteers to help support our mission throughout the school year, but their participation dwindled as the summer approached. This led to a vulnerability in the garden's sustainability. The garden lacked consistent watering due to bug infestations and lacked a viable compost system. As a result, it was not a welcoming home where you could connect with nature and produce a harvest. I used my networking connections and asked professionals for suggestions on how to solve these problems, but they came up empty-handed. I knew something had to be done, so I founded an Engineering Club at the elementary school. I’ve learned that people closest to problems generally have the best ideas. I worked with curious younger students, who pushed me further as an engineer and a leader. I introduced the watering issue to the students, and we worked together to narrow down ideas and innovations, sorting out the near-impossible and daring ventures. Engineering brought this diverse group of students together and allowed them to produce something incredibly sweet and rewarding. After countless failures, we devised one final plan to save our garden. We developed a solar-powered drip irrigation system connected to a supply of rain barrels. We automated the watering process for a section of our garden, allowing for sustainability throughout the summer without requiring volunteers. This helped re-energize our remaining volunteers to pull weeds and gave them a new tool against the bug infestation. I introduced Near Field Communication (NFC) technology and Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software to the club, and we created stake-like objects that were scannable by all cell phones. Upon scanning the stake, the volunteers' phones automatically took them to a website displaying information about what insects and fungi are harmful to the plant and how to take preventive actions. We thought about other ways that solar power could be used in a garden and set up several cardboard collection drives. We then used solar-powered paper shredders to turn boxes into the perfect compost for our garden! In the summer of 2023 and 2024, we donated 200+ pounds of food to Project Share. One of the best outcomes from student suggestions was adding a meditation space in the garden. The club members designed a stone slab walkway & volunteers can connect while watering, checking for pests, and refilling the compost bin. This was the finishing touch that restored our garden. I was incredibly proud of taking on this challenge, but I was even more grateful for the priceless leadership skills that I learned. This garden project planted a seed inside me to pursue future endeavors as a mechanical engineer and create a more sustainable future. Technologies continuously change, but these experiences ensured my engineering mindset will also be able to adapt.