My journey began ten years ago when I realized that "making things" was the key to solving real-world and outer-space problems. At the ripe age of eight, I set a definitive goal: to become an aerospace engineer for NASA. While my ambitions were clear, my path was laden with obstacles that would have deterred even the most seasoned warriors. Growing up in a low-income, single-father household and navigating life on the Autism Spectrum, I faced tests that few expected me to pass. However, I met these challenges with a precise, calculated game plan. I decided to "lock in"—leveraging my neurodivergent perspective and my passion for problem-solving to engineer my own success from the ground up. Throughout primary school, I sought out every available engineering class, camp, and club, maintaining near-perfect grades. I viewed every technical challenge as a puzzle waiting to be solved. As I entered secondary school—the arena where every move counts toward my future legacy—I treated each grade level as a new challenger in a high-stakes jousting event. Freshman year was the first of these challengers. I laid a strong foundation for my academic career, effortlessly securing a 4.0 GPA. Sophomore year proved slightly more formidable as the coursework intensified, but I adapted my strategies and maintained a 3.7 GPA. However, junior year was the "boss battle" that nearly brought me to my knees. The quests were long, the advanced mathematics were grueling, and the sheer volume of assignments was a heavy beast to carry. I felt the weight of my exhaustion, but I knew that if I wanted to honor the promise I made to my eight-year-old self, I had to solve the problem of my own burnout. I adjusted my focus, refined my study habits, and learned to manage my sensory and cognitive load more effectively. By treating my own mind like a complex machine that needs tuning, I overcame the beast, pulling through with a 3.8 GPA. Now, I face the final frontier—a two-headed beast consisting of my senior year and the West Virginia University application process. While I have heard many fighters fall to the "Senioritis" plague during this final stretch, I am actively fighting it off. I am not just working for a diploma; I am working for a seat in the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources. My history of overcoming financial hardship and social adversity has prepared me to succeed at West Virginia University. I plan to bring my unique "builder" mindset and my resilience to the Mountaineer community, proving that a neurodivergent student from a modest background can lead the way in STEM. I am eager to collaborate with fellow students in the labs at WVU, applying the same tenacity I used in secondary school to solve complex equations of flight and orbital mechanics. The gates of the university are the final hurdle between my childhood dream and my professional reality. I am locked in, I am focused, and I am ready for the games to begin.

Being from the heart of Appalachia has taught me discipline and creativity in ways many people don't expect from West Virginia. What it means to grow up in the state to me is that while resources may seem scarce beyond the beauty of the beautiful Appalachian Mountains, trees, and the open night skies, anybody can take the little bits of things and turn that into something truly special. I've come to believe that major milestones are simply the cumulative result of mastering lesser goals in life. Going off of the whole idea of "Big success comes from the little actions," there are several very successful people who were originally from West Virginia, such as popular comedian Steve Harvey, who came from the very scarcely populated city of Welch, West Virginia. Harvey, describing the city as "very poor," had little to no resources for an individual to achieve success. Harvey's father, Jesse, was a coal miner in the area, and as Steve grew up, he actually had a normal blue-collar job, even dealing with homelessness in the 90s. However, Steve took what he had and proved everybody wrong, as he is considered today as one of the most successful comedians of all time, hosting several comedy shows, sitcoms, and game shows since the turn of the millennium. Little actions can come together, similarly to how people come together, a common practice in West Virginia. If there's one thing that's purely unique about the people of West Virginia, it's that the people in any given city, whether it's Morgantown or Weston, everybody knows everybody. I also see us as a friendly, warm-welcoming environment for everyone, and we look out for one another. Lastly, the term discipline is a term that I've taken with high standards. Growing up with a single father and not a lot of opportunities, being disciplined to me means that I create my own and take advantage of my opportunities with a hard work ethic, a never-give-up mentality, and a feeling of pride in the work I put into my goals and future, consisting of an aerospace engineer/designer for NASA. Tying everything together we've expressed to this point, growing up in West Virginia has ultimately given me my hard-working ethic and discipline. While there aren't a whole lot of resources to succeed here, I've been able to take advantage of the resources to begin my success at an early age, with a direct line of sight for my planned career not so far away from me, and I have nobody else to thank but the wonderful state of West Virginia and my father for providing the launchpad and rocket fuel to take my life to whole new velocities.