The day I saw the 2018 FRC World Championship was life changing. I, like many other children was asked what job I wanted I just said engineering. While I was always interested in technology and had taken to the coding activities I did in school, I still wasn't sure if engineering was what I wanted to pursue for the rest of my life. But, when I went to the world championship something clicked in my head. I became obsessed with watching the robots move and execute tasks and knew I wanted to do that myself. Watching such grand feats of engineering showed me what science and engineering really were: tools that could be used to open doors and improve people’s lives. Science and engineering are making life better for people across the globe by opening doors. As science advances, our understanding of the world advances with it, as well as what we once thought was possible. Whether it be for the betterment of humans, the planet, or creating opportunities for the youth of tomorrow, science and engineering are continuing to create new paths to build upon what we have and create new possibilities. Many of the world's greatest issues are being completely recontextualized by advancements in science. For example, the meat industry has been notoriously plagued with issues due to unsustainable practices that are driving both the climate crisis and resource shortages. However, through science and engineering humanity has found ways to grow meat from cells, creating a much more sustainable and ethical way to supply the world with meat. This idea also is a large driving factor in addressing many global issues we face with climate and energy. One of the biggest issues behind the climate crisis is that it would simply be difficult to supply a world without fossil fuels. But through science and engineering, we strive closer to fixing these issues in new ways, through smarter grids, the improvement of renewable technologies, and even finding strides in replicating the energy production of the sun through nuclear fusion. All these examples are mostly up-and-coming, but they were practically unimaginable in the past, and it shows how science and engineering completely changed the foundational idea of what we thought we could do. But my time on my robotics team has also allowed me to experience and see firsthand how science and engineering improve the world on a personal level. Through robotics I found a passion and a calling. I discovered that I loved to code and realized that in engaging with robotics, I found a viable career path that I wouldn’t have had if robotics hadn’t developed as a technology up to that point. I have seen the same experience through my peers as well; lives have been transformed because science opens new doors for interests and creativity. Science and engineering aren’t just innovating the world, but they’re also innovating the young minds who are responsible for building the future. Science and engineering improve lives because they transform ideas into solutions. From medical breakthroughs and renewable energy to robotics and artificial intelligence, these fields continue to create opportunities that were once unimaginable. As technology continues to advance, science and engineering will remain among humanity's most powerful tools for building a healthier, more sustainable, and more connected world.

My family has taught me about Black History for as long as I can remember. My grandfather is a part of the Pan-Africanism movement, so growing up, I was frequently taught both the African and American values that make up our culture, as well as what we as a people persist through while living in this country. Every week in elementary and middle school, I would learn about the values and history of African Americans: how we’ve been falsely taught that we have no history, convinced that the white supremacist oppression is our culture, and that we shouldn’t strive for more or better. I learned about how American society was built to oppress Black people through dehumanizing us as property, deeming us as criminals after the Civil War to keep us in the position of slaves, and the use of keeping us in poverty to ensure we can’t succeed. But just as I learned about Black struggles, I learned about Black success as well. Through my grandfather I learned about the many firsts that came from our African ancestors as the first people, which included archery, math, medicine, art and so much more. I was also taught about some of the greatest Black figures in our own country from engineers like Elijah Mccoy to activists like Ella Baker. My family made sure that just as I needed to be aware of the challenges Black people have faced and what I need to expect to face, I also need to be just as aware of the strength and power that lies within the Black community. These lessons about Black people instilled in me two important qualities, perseverance and conviction. As I learned about my history it became obvious that I couldn’t expect the world to hold my hand, especially as a Black man. Challenges that will be outside my control will always arise, and there will always be people who will use their power to see me fail just because of the color of my skin. When these challenges occur, I have been taught to meet them head on, because otherwise I am allowing myself to be oppressed and I’m not living up to my potential. Struggle strengthening was a frequent lesson I was taught, so I know I can’t just try to avoid challenges just because they’re hard. Additionally, the stories of Black figures taught me the importance of conviction. Then even more than now, if you were Black you were expected to be nothing and stay in your place, but those with values and aspirations didn’t accept this. Frederick Douglas taught himself to read to rise above slavery, and inventors like Carver and McCoy didn’t “stay in their lane” with their revolutionary agricultural and industrial innovations. So, with this in mind, I see no reason why I should not do the same. As a Black student in college, I have the full expectation for myself to push myself to achieve the most as I can. I aspire to be an innovative robotics engineer whose work makes strides in using robotics to optimize the world to address the climate crisis. Therefore, I can’t afford to strive for less or allow my own conviction to falter, and I will use the lessons I was taught to shape my own future as a Black man. Receiving this scholarship will greatly benefit me as while my tuition has been paid for all four years at the University of Michigan, I still must pay for room and board all four years. Doing so would be a burden on my family, so I hope to use the money from this scholarship, to pay for my housing and meals to bring me one step closer to my goals.