Being a Samoan girl living in Hawaii can honestly be rough. It often feels like opportunities are limited with being on an island. Most people around have to work multiple jobs just to stay afloat, with prices rising higher and higher for everything from groceries to gas to homes. I've seen this struggle with my own parents, even more so today. It's because of this that encouraged me to pursue engineering. You will always need an engineer in the future, and they get paid well, meaning I can provide for my family just as they've provided for me. Being a high school junior, I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do. My parents were raised in (Western) Samoa. My mother was born in Anchorage, Alaska, before moving to the village of Sale'imoa. My father was born and raised in Tapu'ele'ele. Both had come to Hawaii in hopes of a better life. Both have sacrificed a lot for me and my siblings. They left the island they grew up in for one heavily influenced by Western culture and worked tirelessly day and night to provide for us. Nevertheless, my parents did everything for me and my siblings to remember our roots, continuing to teach us Samoan values. Values such as humility, faith, family, and, most importantly, service. Therefore, I want to honor those values by showing service to others. I've already done it in small ways by helping out with events at the YMCA. I love the little kids, even if they're rowdy. It always warms my heart when I inspire a little one in some way, shape, or form, like a little girl who wants to be a singer because she heard me. It's them who inspire me to continue in service, even if I get exhausted of working for free. To be honest, I don't read as much as I used to when I was younger. I realized that growing up with the rise of technology has me cooped up on my phone. But that doesn't change the fact that stories can still have an impact. Although it's not technically a story, what really inspired me to pursue engineering was a video I watched in eighth grade. A man named Mark Rober was having trouble keeping squirrels out of his bird feeders. After many failed attempts to keep them out, he ended up making a game out of it. Rober had created an entire obstacle course for the squirrels, with the prize being their favorite snacks. That had changed my way of thinking indefinitely, opening up possibilities I never considered. It amazed me to think that this man could just imagine something as silly as a squirrel obstacle course and just create it. It was that concept that drove me through high school. Having the power to imagine something, a distant concept or idea, and materialize it into something tangible was the magic I fell in love with. It was that moment I truly realized the power of imagination. What attracted me towards the idea was the fact I had a big imagination ever since I was young. And, to think, I could actually build what was in my mind's eye and make real ideas I thought could only live as fantasies—that was the greatest thing I've ever learned. It's a lesson I hope to share through whatever work I do in the future, from "How do I take care of my family?" to "What idea can I create that helps others?"—whether that be building environmentally friendly cars or designing water systems for communities.