Given a problem, the underlying solution is always math. In all of STEM, math is fundamental. Chemistry would be magic without math to explain. Thinking about space would be pointless without math to explain. Thinking about anything scientific at all without math would be near-pointless because all of science is described using mathematics. I love math because it pushed our world into the age it is today. Computers, satellites, factories, cars, electricity, paper, it is all governed by math. Math is simply a language used to describe concepts that have a count. What is a liter? What is an astronomical unit? How does an engine work? You're telling me we strapped people to a missile and sent them into space? How is that even possible? With math, humanity has been able to do things that would send our ancestors to the ER. Math, to me, is what the world is. Math was used to make these clothes, math was used to make this keyboard, math was used to make this monitor. Math is everywhere. Our world simply would not exist as it is without math; even ancient Rome had mathematics. I love math because math is awesome. Given a problem, the underlying solution is always math. Given a question, the underlying answer is going to be mathematical. Math is the universal language that brings everything together. Thank the universe for math, because the world would be pretty confusing without it.

Created by Sir Isaac Newton in the 1600s, calculus is one of the fundamental mathematics of the modern world. Calculus is what allows us to model the wonders of the universe, from big to small, quantum to stellar. Calculus is essential in the STEM field as it opens the mind to the possibilities of the world. I am currently taking Calculus as a college class. I have no work in any scientific field. Even with this, it will be a vital working component of my career. Considering I am taking on astrophysics, my job will be to study the cosmos and understand how, why, when, and what. All of humanities most comprehensive studies on the world have included calculus to understand it. On a localized level, take the recorded distance of an object to a point over time. it's possible with calculus to determine the total displacement, the speed of the object at a given time, the acceleration, the jerk, snap, crackle, pop, all of it. On an expansive level, take the universe. All of math is humanities best efforts at explaining the universe, whether at a large or small level. If all of math is to explain the universe, calculus is the tool math uses to derive and explain it. With data, it's possible to see patterns. With calculus, it's possible to mathematically prove patterns and create equations to explain seemingly random events. The man who invented calculus, Sir Isaac Newton, is the man who invented Newtonian Physics, built a fundamental understanding of kinematics of motion, rotational motion, and created a working model of the gravitational effect of objects on each other. It's difficult with not much experience to describe the absolute necessity of calculus, but it's used in any STEM field possibly thought of. Calculus is not only important to the STEM field, but it has changed the world for the better. It has uses in all fields of engineering, all of chemistry, biology, mathematics; without Newtons calculus, there wouldn't be his laws of motion, no torque, no force, no work, there wouldn't be physics. Is calculus important in STEM? Yes. Is calculus the most important revolutionary mathematical principle? Arguably, yes. Would there be computers and satellites and modern boats and submarines and skyscrapers and rockets? Probably not. The point is calculus is important for STEM as STEM is important for the world. There would not be this level of innovation without it. Thank you, Conner Ripley, Future Astrophysicist

Coming from a family of low-income, college has always been in my sights. Working hard throughout high school and taking on the Early College program at Montcalm Community College, MI, has been my main priority, and it has been paying off. With my SAT scores, the college I plan on transferring to, CMU, will pay around 45% of my tuition. However, I still will have to pay for a large chunk of my education out of pocket; that is unless I get scholarships and grants. A large portion of my upcoming months will be dedicated to filling out scholarship and grant applications and trying to acquire funding for my education. Today is my first day applying for scholarships, this will be the first scholarship I wrote an essay for. Just applying for this scholarship is changing my future by potentially saving me $1000 that would come out of pocket, and can instead be used for food costs, gas, and maintenance costs. So where would the scholarship money go, and how would it benefit my future? The scholarship money would go to the cost of college textbooks and tuition. Central Michigan University is an expensive school for someone with little financial background. The tuition for an undergraduate student per year with less than 56 credit hours is $10,992 ("CMU Tuition..."). If I apply for their scholarship which pays for 45% of my tuition, I would be paying $6046 in tuition fees alone, not including the dorm fees and other payments. This scholarship would pay for 16.5% of my tuition fees given the above is true. $1000 may not seem like a lot, but it's easy to put in perspective how valuable it is. I, as a lifeguard at my current college, make $11.23 an hour. To get to $1000 with that pay rate, not taking into account living expenses, it would take 89 hours or 3.7 days of straight working. Given that it takes me around an hour to write a well-articulated essay, I'd save 88 hours to spend searching for more scholarships and be able to write even more essays. This scholarship would greatly benefit my future, both mentally and financially. It would pay for a great portion of my tuition and other fees and would be a great start to my scholarship-searching mission. I greatly appreciate this opportunity to fund my education, thank you. Cited: “CMU Tuition and Fees.” Www.cmich.edu, www.cmich.edu/admissions-aid/tuition-and-fees#undergraduate. Accessed 28 Sept. 2023.