My commitment to inclusion and strengthening my community isn't just an idea; it's my life's driving force. Raised by a single mother, I learned early the value of resourcefulness and making a difference. My mom, one of the most hard-working, intellectual, and caring people, raised me herself, making endless sacrifices. I hope to repay her by becoming successful later in life. This upbringing instilled a strong work ethic and a desire to help others. One of my most significant endeavors has been partnering with Sourcewise to create a non-profit program teaching technology skills to local seniors. This took immense effort to launch. Every Saturday, a dedicated group of high school students, myself included, visited a senior living center. We secured funding for tablets, removing financial barriers. The program's impact exceeded expectations; we empowered older adults to navigate devices, use essential apps, and connect with family through video calls—a vital lifeline for many feeling isolated. I've seen firsthand how the digital divide fuels loneliness. Our program actively closes this gap by fostering digital literacy and connections between seniors and volunteers. (https://www.instagram.com/p/C4JtOkJPriG/?igsh=ODRlNTU1NTQ4YQ%3D%3D) Beyond the senior community, I addressed an issue within my school: a chaotic peer tutoring system. My experience as a peer tutor revealed such disorganization, such as taking two months for students to find help. This sparked Scholarly, an app and website designed to simplify peer tutoring for the entire school district. Scholarly makes getting help or becoming a tutor incredibly easy: login, post a request, wait for acceptance, and meet. Its flexibility is crucial for students with jobs or transportation issues. The district is still processing it legally, but it will hopefully be available soon. This project taught me: if you don’t like how something is done, fix it yourself. (https://thescholarly.app/) I also raised nearly $600 for a local charity by running the popularized “Senior Assassin” for my high school. The charity is called Cecilia’s Closet. The organization’s purpose is to provide resources for those most in need, such as school supplies and clothes for the underprivileged. I have volunteered with them since I was 10 years old and believe wholeheartedly in their mission to serve the community. (https://morganhilltimes.com/morgan-hill-teen-gives-back/) My educational goal is a Master's Degree in Computer Science. I'm driven to improve existing technologies and create my own, aiming to help people. Projects like the Digital Literacy Program and Scholarly provided invaluable practical experience, serving as my initial steps into creation and startups. My commitment to inclusion and community will continue through college and beyond. A Computer Science and Engineering degree will equip me with advanced technical skills to develop innovative solutions for societal challenges. I envision leveraging technology to address accessibility, education, and social connection on a larger scale. My dream is to work for a large computer company for experience, then launch my own company, dedicated to creating impactful, technology-driven solutions for those in need. Later in life, I plan to work as a high school teacher, inspiring students the same way that my teachers inspired me.

My commitment to inclusion and strengthening my community isn't just an idea; it's my life's driving force. Raised by a single mother, I learned early the value of resourcefulness and making a difference. My mom, one of the most hard-working, intellectual, and caring people, raised me herself, making endless sacrifices. I hope to repay her by becoming successful later in life. This upbringing instilled a strong work ethic and a desire to help others. One of my most significant endeavors has been partnering with Sourcewise to create a non-profit program teaching technology skills to local seniors. This took immense effort to launch. Every Saturday, a dedicated group of high school students, myself included, visited a senior living center. We secured funding for tablets, removing financial barriers. The program's impact exceeded expectations; we empowered older adults to navigate devices, use essential apps, and connect with family through video calls—a vital lifeline for many feeling isolated. I've seen firsthand how the digital divide fuels loneliness. Our program actively closes this gap by fostering digital literacy and connections between seniors and volunteers. (https://www.instagram.com/p/C4JtOkJPriG/?igsh=ODRlNTU1NTQ4YQ%3D%3D) Beyond the senior community, I addressed an issue within my school: a chaotic peer tutoring system. My experience as a peer tutor revealed such disorganization, such as taking two months for students to find help. This sparked Scholarly, an app and website designed to simplify peer tutoring for the entire school district. Scholarly makes getting help or becoming a tutor incredibly easy: login, post a request, wait for acceptance, and meet. Its flexibility is crucial for students with jobs or transportation issues. The district is still processing it legally, but it will hopefully be available soon. This project taught me: if you don’t like how something is done, fix it yourself. (https://thescholarly.app/) I also raised nearly $600 for a local charity by running the popularized “Senior Assassin” for my high school. The charity is called Cecilia’s Closet. The organization’s purpose is to provide resources for those most in need, such as school supplies and clothes for the underprivileged. I have volunteered with them since I was 10 years old and believe wholeheartedly in their mission to serve the community. (https://morganhilltimes.com/morgan-hill-teen-gives-back/) My educational goal is a Master's Degree in Computer Science. I'm driven to improve existing technologies and create my own, aiming to help people. Projects like the Digital Literacy Program and Scholarly provided invaluable practical experience, serving as my initial steps into creation and startups. My commitment to inclusion and community will continue through college and beyond. A Computer Science and Engineering degree will equip me with advanced technical skills to develop innovative solutions for societal challenges. I envision leveraging technology to address accessibility, education, and social connection on a larger scale. My dream is to work for a large computer company for experience, then launch my own company, dedicated to creating impactful, technology-driven solutions for those in need. Later in life, I plan to work as a high school teacher, inspiring students the same way that my teachers inspired me.

I am a graduating senior at Ann Sobrato High School. I view being raised by a single mother as a strength, rather than a weakness. Helping my mom with everyday tasks and juggling school gave me a much stronger work ethic than most. As time progressed her responsibilities dwindled which left a void in my heart, one that I have filled by helping others in need. I began by creating my volunteer program with Sourcewise (a non-profit organization that focuses on the well-being of seniors in my community). Every Saturday, I, and a group of high school students I recruited go to a senior living center to help older adults learn how to use technology. The Digital Literacy Program was created as a way to bridge the digital divide but has grown into something much more. Every week I see not only my volunteers teaching seniors, but the seniors teaching the volunteers life lessons and passing on their wisdom. The most important things that we teach our seniors are digital safety, how to connect with their family by using video calls, and how to schedule doctor appointments which are overwhelmingly becoming digitalized. The joy that this program brings has exceeded all expectations. I also programmed an app and website called Scholarly which is designed to simplify free peer tutoring. I did this because my school's peer tutoring is extremely confusing and a very minimal amount of students know how to get help or become a tutor. Scholarly's flexibility is extremely important for students who can't stay after school for peer tutoring because they have jobs or need to take the bus. Scholarly makes peer tutoring extremely simple for students with just 4 steps 1. Login to Scholarly with a student Google account 2. Post a request with what you need help with 3. Wait for a tutor to accept 4. Meet at a specified location or Google Meets If students want to become a tutor they just need to talk with their counselor, who will then upgrade their account to tutor status. My school's staff has complete oversight of all schedules, requests, request options, and reports. My school district has accepted my program and it's going into effect soon. Website: https://thescholarly.app If you want to try it out here is my admin password for staff Email: burbankandrew@gmail.com Password: CXWpyGWMDDtmb3m I am currently running an independent fundraiser for Cecilia's Closet (a non-profit organization for the less fortunate). I have raised over $500 so far. I am also working on AI reading glasses to help people with visual impairments. I am doing this to both, help people and enhance my experience with hardware and AI. This scholarship will help ease the stress on my mom and I. Because she is a single mother money has always been very tight, and every scholarship I can get will help greatly. My goal after I pay off my student debt is to start a company that will help people in need. My Digital Literacy Program and Scholarly have been my way of gaining priceless experience in the realm of start-ups. Every scholarship I can get will be less student loans that I need to pay off in the future and allow me to help people sooner.