Everyone has faced adversity at some point. For some people, they feel like their entire life is adversity. But there are more silent adversities that many people struggle with. My adversity was in a math class. A lot of people may not think that this even counts as an adversity. But they have never felt the strange loss that comes with underperforming when you have been good at academics your entire life. In 10th grade, I decided to take a completely new math class. This class was AP Precalc, and the class was taught by a well-respected teacher at my school. As the year started, I excitedly checked my first math grade. I got a 45. It was so incredibly low to me at the time, that I was pretty sure that was the first time I failed anything that bad. And all year long the grades keep getting lower and lower. On top of all the crushing mental defeat, my teacher had done almost nothing to help. Sometimes she didn't even know the answers to the questions she asked us! She was an incredibly rude person, a shining outlier from all my high school teachers to this day. One day I asked her for a retake since I was sick the day she gave everyone else a second retake. She said I already got more points than I deserved and that there was no chance. Every question asked would be answered in a sarcastic tone. By the time the second semester rolled around, I had begun to feel completely stupid. Recommendations came up and my teacher recommended me for on-level calculus despite knowing that I could handle AP level. This adversity will forever be a reminder that no matter what happens, it will always be up to me. It left me feeling angry, upset, and unable to even sleep. I could have just accepted that I would fail the class. But I refused to let it happen. I studied for entire weeks before every test. I studied so much that between the 9-week mark of the second semester and finals, I got my grades from 74 to 88. I put up with all her comments and rude behavior, keeping my eye on the end goal. I ended up getting a 5 on the exam and I graduated with AP Calc AB. My advice to anyone who experiences this type of adversity is to prove yourself wrong. You aren't dumb because you did bad. That does not define you. Work hard, and make sure that you remember what you are doing it for. Your motivations make a lot more things bearable. People will try to make sure you can't get there. Ignore them and prove them wrong.

Hi, I’m Chathurya. I usually go by Lucky. I come from Georgia. I go to school at Alliance Academy for Innovation, where I’m a rising junior. In case you aren’t aware AAI is one of the only schools in Georgia that has an aerospace pathway. As a result, I have spent two years of high school studying aviation. I believe this furthered sparked my interest in aviation. For two years, I learned about the aerospace industry. But when I first got interested in aviation was when we learned about the space race. It fascinated me that people could design things that gave us the ability to fly. It didn’t seem real. For me, that’s what aviation always exemplified. Doing the impossible and helping others while doing it. Aviation was better demonstrated by my travels. I have went to multiple space centers and have found it interest in aviation in real life outside of my studies. I hope to further my education in the field. I feel like I exemplify leadership qualities because I have integrity. I have very strong moral principles. I think that when a person breaks their morals they are failing as a person. My strong morals are shown when I work in teams. Another leadership quality I have is decision-making. When people can’t choose, I’m good at making a decision that benefits everyone. I’ve learned this about myself, because I often work in teams at robotics. Also in teams for other clubs as well. As a result, I learned how to work other people in a helpful way. Also I have gained certain professional skills that help me continue to be a leader. As a part of my experiences in many clubs(Skills USA, Robotics, Science Olympiad, FBLA, Academic Bowl) I have gained a lot of skills that make me a leader. I think these leadership qualities will translate into my life as I grow older. Also my various volunteering work with Sewa LEAD and VT Sewa also gave me leadership qualities. I think these types of experiences gave me a chance to prove that not only do I have leadership qualities, but I have also used them in action. In conclusion, I hope that my various experiences, my unique passion for aviation, and my leadership qualities make a candidate for this scholarship. I think that I can bring a better future to the field of aviation. Thank you for your time and your dedication to the field of aviation.

I would have everyone read flowers for Algergernon. I think it’s one of those books that encourages you to be kinder to people. On top of that, it teaches you about intelligence and how you can never truly change someone. From where I come from, being smart is everything. But I think books like that let us know just how much education divides us. They say intelligence makes you unhappy. But flowers for Algernon just makes us so intelligence makes you more human to some people. I think the way Charlie is able to talk about his disability reflects his inner turmoil and the view the world had made him have towards himself. It’s so rare to read a book that changes everything about how you view the world. I think having everyone read it would make people think a lot more about helping people. And really think about how we treat people with disabilities in general. I also like being able to experience this from Charlie’s perspective. On top of all of this, I would argue that Daniel Keyes metaphor for intelligence really makes it perfect. The dark, the light, and the keyhole. The split between Charlie and himself shows how intelligence can completely change a person. On top of all of this, it also shows how the lack of intelligence could deprive a person of basic life experiences. I think it’s a beautiful story and it really changes the course of your life. It made me a little less sad about one day not being as sharp as I am now.