Hello, I'm Benjamin Bisconti and I hope you're doing well. I really appreciate that this scholarship exists to support Richard's legacy and he seems like an incredible man and a helpful member of society. I'm a 22-year-old from rural Pennsylvania and I moved out to California to go to university and pursue my dream of spacecraft engineering and propulsion research. I grew up with divorced parents and moved frequently in high school. I'm going to try everything I can to get a job a JPL and create wonderful technology to benefit the world. During my time in college, I started volunteering at a local elementary school for the after-school program. I've never been very well off and California really seems like a different world than I'm used to, especially with everything being so expensive and not having any help from my parents. Being out here on my own, I've really started to understand what life is like for less fortunate individuals. That is why I am seeking out this scholarship. I truly want to be able to make it through college and achieve my dream. After that, I want to give back to the community and help younger kids and homeless individuals everywhere in California. My family has experienced an incredible amount of hardship, including my sickness, my Mom's cancer, and my homelessness in which during college summers I do not have anywhere to go home to. With this experience, I will never forget what it feels like to be without residence and food. Therefore, when I achieve my dreams I want to make sure as many people as possible don't ever have to live like that. Furthermore, I appreciate the contribution of Richard's legacy because my goal is to continue to provide these opportunities for other less-fortunate students. Many see me at my expensive university and don't understand how I have to pay for college using loans and don't exactly have the required amount of money to eat as they do. This scholarship would help me fight to accomplish my dreams and through that accomplishment, I want to give back to others like me. Thank you for considering my application. I dream to follow in Richard's footsteps as seriously and selflessly as I can say. Ethics are the most important part of life to me, and I believe the world can be a wonderful place with the help of people like you. Thank you again.

A moment that defined my academic career was when my high school friend group and I built a raft together and went down the Susquehanna river. I was never sure if I really wanted to be an engineer. There were moments when it seemed like the best idea, but it was always quite unclear. When my crazy friend group got the idea to build a giant raft, I knew that it was for me. We had all been in engineering and design classes together throughout high school and were a great team. We conquered engineering competitions and lead our class to be one of the most successful and impactful years of the school. I think this was mostly imparted to our outlandish ideas that, no matter how crazy, we would try to make it work. Our friend group got together and started the plan. We settled in and made blueprints for a giant raft that we could float and control down the wide Susquehanna. One of our guys worked at a local car wash and started taking some empty barrels home for free (with a request to the higher-ups of course). Then we went to the hardware store and bought 2 by 4's and plywood. Throughout the summer, our invention began coming to life. We worked together to build the raft over the course of the summer, using the barrels for floatation and assembling the basic frame. The raft ended up being big enough to fit 8 high schoolers with life jackets and an adult. We made paddles and brought snacks. In the end, the date to set sail was approaching, and we were ready. One of the main guys in charge lived right by the river. In fact, his uncle's house had a gazebo right on the ridge. We had assembled it there and walked it down to the river together. This thing was massive. We painted it blue and red, the barrels were huge, it had a mast, and it actually floated. We got our life jackets on a prepared to board the raft and that's when we realized how cold the water was, but we had to continue for our whole summer had built up to this. With the river raging around us, some of us held the raft while others climbed on. We had 2 trained lifeguards on board and we were fully ready. It was an absolutely beautiful day once we all got on. The river slowed down and we smoothly drifted 3 miles to our assigned drop-off point. It was not without its shenanigans, but we made it, and it was a day I will surely never forget. That is why I want to be an engineer.