Coming in with 9 gold medals and 21 world championships, breaking 16 world records, and holding 4, my childhood hero, and still my hero, the one and only Katie Ledecky! As you have probably already guessed, Katie Ledecky is by far my favorite athlete to cheer on from Team USA. Growing up, I used to dream of being a gold medal athlete, especially in swim as that was what I competed in at a young age, however the only role models were Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte, and while yes they are legends of their own and will always be held a level above the rest, I just could never relate to them. Then the 2012 olympics rolled around, and 8 year old me who was obsessed with the idea of winning a gold medal in swimming turned on the games and saw who would become my role model for years to come, a 15 year old Katie Ledecky. From that day on she would be my inspiration, even when I went from swimming to weightlifting to lacrosse and so on, she would stand to be my hero and the one I cheered on. Even losing hope in my dreams of a gold medal, I still went out of my way to watch everyone one of her events, even missing icon Ilona Maher's game out of fear that I might miss Katie Ledecky's events. While swim is not necessarily the most entertaining of sports to watch, especially as someone in rec league rugby, Katie Ledecky will remain to be my favorite to watch, especially as she continues to beat her own world records.

Born into it, but still converted. I was born into a church that believes in God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost. I grew up in the religion, but growing up in it, I never could truly comprehend that it was true. I struggled to believe that there was a greater being who created the universe as we know it. It just didn't seem possible to me, yet I followed blindly. In 4th grade, my dad was diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer. It hit me like a truck, and I found it hard to believe that if God truly loved us, why would he burden us with such trials, why couldn't he just make things right. I found myself doubting more and more that there was a greater power who could make things right. I watched for 5 years as my dad battled cancer, and eventually lost to it. It was at this time I didn't believe at all. How could a father above who loves us, allow me such a pain. I had prayed for my dad to be healed, I had faith, I continued to go to church even though I didn't fully believe it, part of me wanted to. I prayed for answers, why would he do this, and why my family of all families. Following my dads death, I lost a grandma, my great grandma, and my best friends mom. All to some disease, and I found myself angry with myself. Why would I put faith to get nothing in return. At last I stopped going to church for several months, but then I just felt empty and broken. Living no longer felt right and I considered ending everything, but then out of the blue, my friend called me. I answered concerned she might be in trouble only for her to say that she was crocheting and then she had a need to call me. She didn't know why, I didn't tell her, but she saved my life that night. After that, I went back to church, and eventually I received a calling in the church. As I was getting a blessing for that calling, I felt an extra set of hands laid on my head, and I could feel a presences to the right of me, but after the blessing, there was nobody there, but I could feel it still. While there is no scientific explanation for it, I just knew it to be my dad in spirit. I can't explain it, but he was there and since that day I have been converted. I have full faith in my Heavenly Father above and know him to be real. I may have been born into religion, but I have also been converted as well.

"No no no NOOOOOO NO AAAAHHH" The sound that would constantly wake my parents late at night in the summer of 2010 as my sister and I would be battling for dominance of who is better in the coconut mall or champion of rainbow road. My sister and I used to play Mario Kart Wii together till the early hours of dawn. One more memorable time being in an intense competion in the Flower Cup at around 11:40 pm. Starting off in the Mario circuit, my time to shine. It didn't matter how many mushrooms or shells my older sister held, once I took first it was over. This round went by like nothing for me, however her cries of disappoint probably meant that it felt much, much longer for her. Then after securing one victory, it was on to the coconut mall, my sister's favorite track of them all. She knew every turn, every shortcut, it felt almost unfair to be racing her on such a track. The race was a close one, but alas I came in second as I always did on this track. However the next track would be one my sister thought to be an equalizer, little did she know I had practiced this track in hopes to one day utterly defeat her on it. This would be the day, I was sure of it. She took the lead for the first lap, and I let her hold it on the second lap, and then I let her have it. It was like I used a nitro boost how quickly I overtook her spot and then put such great distance between us that not even a blue shell could've saved her. And let me tell you, she tried the blue shell, and the lightning, and the ink. None of it had enough of an effect to change the game. I was up, I had two victories and she only had one, but then came the equalizer, the track of my 6 year old self's nightmares. Wario's Gold Mine. This track was my greatest enemy, no matter how many times I played, I just couldn't figure out this track. My sister however, she understood the track. Much better than I ever would. We raced, almost immediately I lost all lead and fell to 8th. I just couldn't seem to stay on the track, but my sister she moved as graceful as can be, getting in first and staying in first while I cried out in anguish accepting my defeat. After taking my loss, I knew I wouldn't be able to beat my sister till we were much older, and she played less. Late nights like these with my sister, and my dad would forever be engraved into my memories as some of the best times of my life. And for that, I am eternally grateful for Mario kart Wii for the ability to make these memories. Especially as time would go on, my sister and I would drift apart, and my dad would pass away, but I'll always have those late night memories with my family.

My past is a mess, my future uncertain; however there is one thing I know, and that is robots. The one thing I want to do with my life, is to make other peoples lives better, preferably through the use of robots. I am currently a freshmen studying mechanical engineering, but from fifth grade till now, one thing has remained constant, my passion for robots and my desire to be an engineer. I started learning about robots in fifth grade G.A.T.E. when I built my first lego robot. Then I decided to do robotics in middle school when I was introduced to the VEX robotics competition. Which I competed in from seventh grade to my senior year of high school, and if my college had a VEXU team, I would be competing today. Unfortunately they don't and I haven't found a professor who wants to support me in starting one. In high school I was introduced to First Robotics, which I competed in for all four years of high school. Now what does this have to do with anything? Well, through out all this time, I found myself constantly referring to the engineering process and studying problems trying to figure out how I could fix them. Then the time came to graduate, and everyone was stressing about what major they would go into, where they would go for college, but not me. I knew I wanted to be an engineer and to have the ability to work with robots. Now I also knew I would be stuck at home just to attend college because I couldn't afford tuition and housing anywhere else, but it was a sacrifice I knew I needed to make in order to chase my dreams. Now I have never been more certain that I am doing the right thing. When I graduate I want to be able to work with a company to help improve the average persons lives. From something as simple as improving the Roomba to a self recharging car that can drive on its own. I may not know exactly what field it is that I will be entering, but I do know I'm going to change lives for the better, and help people in need. Not to mention, I'm a great leader with out of the box ideas and experience in things from customer service to first aid to improvising. I'm a great asset as is, and I'll only become more valuable with time and more experience. I know no matter what I'll do I'll have a positive impact, and that I am going to engineer the future.

My world shattered and broke apart time and time again, yet I still fight. During my freshmen year of high school, I lost my dad to stage 4 prostate cancer. He had been sick for 5 years before his passing. While he was fighting cancer, I fought in every way I could to make him proud. From fighting to earn a spot at nationals in weightlifting to competing on a world level in robotics. I fought for it all and when he passed my world shattered, but that's what pushed me to fight harder. At the time of his passing, I was preparing to try out for flag football and getting ready for my first high school robotics competition. My flag football coach told me to not try out and just take a spot as a team manager. My robotics team told me they didn't need me anyway and take the whole season off. I may have lost my dad but I did not lose the lessons that he taught me. He taught me that when life knocks you down, you get back up and hit ten times harder. I went to try outs for flag, in fact I ran 4 miles every day in preparation. I not only made the team but I dominated my competition, catching the eye of the JV coach. I went to the robotics comp as our main driver and I went to the semifinal round. In December, just a little over a month after losing my dad, I ended up with a concussion and received the news that my great grandma and my grandma both passed away on the same day. My world was truly rocked in that moment. Then in the process of taking care of my concussion, we had an accidental finding of a brain malformation that should've ended my football career. Life seemed to be enjoying beating me down to the ground. However, I refused to stop training and working to be the best I could. I kept my grades up, I kept working on my robot, and I started working to pass concussion protocol. I ended my football season as one of the best players, receiving an award for my improvement and commitment to the game. I ended my robotics season not as well, having lost in quarterfinals at state, but we made it to states which was an incredible achievement as the rookie all freshmen team. Shortly after that is when covid struck. I kept training for the next flag season and preparing for the next robotics season. During covid I lost other friends and extended family, but not once did I ever give up on myself or on anyone around me. I kept fighting. Everything I did was in honor of those I lost. I was able to return return to the robotics scene my junior year, getting eliminated in the quarterfinals but managing to win the create award. I did not compete in flag due to the coach cutting me, but I did join the bowling team instead. I fully committed to bowling, I took lessons, got my own ball and practiced daily. Senior year came around and it started off kicking me down when my grandma was hospitalized. In November she passed and that shattered my world once more. I wanted to give up on everything in that moment, in fact I almost did. I skipped school, didn't work as hard in robotics and stopped practicing for bowling. I was ready to give up on everything completely, when I remembered, that when life kicks you down you get back off, shake off the hit and return it tenfold. I was late to get back into robotics, but I never gave up. I not only worked for my two teams, but I also took the freshmen team under my wing. I never stopped fighting. Even when I was the only member of my team to show up to states, even when I had no chance at finals I wasn't going to give up. My team didn't win states and my other team in a different competition didn't win anything, but my freshmen team did. They gave some of their credit to me, though it I believe it was all them. They said they learned a lot from watching me work 8 hours a day on my robot, my frc robot, and their robot and how even when nothing worked I never stopped. My last robotics season didn't quite end how I had hoped but I know my dad would've been proud that I kept fighting, even when I was going to give up. And I never will stop fighting.