During my senior year, I had the incredible opportunity to compete in the Project Invent competition with my engineering club-- Maker's. This national competition encourages students to create innovative solutions to real-world problems, which is why I joined the Maker's Club. I was eager to apply my classroom knowledge to practical challenges and make a tangible difference in someone's life. I was assigned a community partner named Shelley, a quadriplegic, and was tasked to solve a problem that hindered her day. A former artist, Shelley had lost her ability to perform basic tasks independently. This not only affected her daily routine but also her sense of autonomy. After several interviews, we concluded that a custom motorized grabber would serve her best. However, before this commitment, I had never used motors or inputs or even coded more than a surface-level, “Hello World.” The challenge ahead was daunting, but I was determined to learn everything necessary to help Shelley regain some independence. I embarked on a steep learning curve, diving into the world of sensor inputs, logic statements, and 3-D modeling. Each concept was equally fascinating and challenging. I spent countless hours poring over online tutorials, seeking advice from mentors, reading documentation after documentation, and experimenting with different designs. My initial attempts were fraught with errors, from code that wouldn't compile to wires that came undone. There were moments of frustration when the sensors wouldn't respond or the motors wouldn't turn, but each failure was a step closer to success. After countless hours of learning and failed attempts, I finally created my first usable prototype. It was as rough as they come, with wires loosely hanging and gingerly connected to the central Arduino and servo motors, but it worked. The prototype consisted of a lightweight aluminum arm with a claw mechanism at the end, controlled by a series of servo motors. I used a combination of pressure sensors and simple logic statements to create a device that could grasp and release objects with minimal effort from Shelley. When I first saw Shelley use my invention, I felt elated; I saw the past five months of innovating create an immediate impact on someone I had come to care immensely about. As she used the grabber to pick up something as basic as a glass of water for the first time in years, her eyes filled with tears of joy. This moment was a powerful reminder of why I had chosen to pursue engineering. I experienced how it felt to solve a problem from inquiry to resolution using both software and hardware integration; incidentally, I found that problem-solving is not just about applying formulas, but also applying innovation to improve the lives of others. The world is filled with people like Shelley - limited by common challenges, seeking solutions for everyday obstacles. The emotion of that day fuels my resolve to apply engineering to tangible solutions for people who are just one prototype away from an easier life. This experience has solidified my desire to pursue a career in computer science, where I can build a better world for others. Through Project Invent, I learned that engineering is not just about building machines; it's about building hope and independence for those in need.