At ten years old, I understood the fear of leaving my home to burn. The Woolsey Fire scorched over 96,000 acres of the Californian coast. The Palisades Fire torched another 23,000 in 2025. My family and I were evacuated during both events, and in their aftermath I supported my community by delivering supplies, listening, and offering comfort to those who had lost a sense of safety. Wildfires have always posed a palpable threat to me, and many other Californians. I have many friends who have lost homes, belongings, schools, and even family members to those fires. Those experiences taught me that progress begins not only with action, but with empathy. I vividly remember standing in my best friend’s room as smoke crept down the hillside and flames crested the ridge, holding her as she feared losing everything. That helplessness is something I never want others to endure. It is why I choose to engineer, not simply to build, but to protect, adapt, and imagine better systems. It is also why I am determined to create a new firefighting system. For my Senior Capstone Project, I explored unconventional approaches to public safety by designing a sonic firefighting system that uses sound waves to disrupt a fire’s oxygen supply. While still an emerging field, the project pushed me to question assumptions, engage with incomplete research, and design solutions driven by accessibility and impact. As I have progressed toward my dream of being an engineer, I have realized that advancements are often utilized to benefit one rather than help many. I hope to counter this challenge through my own engineering, using it to assist, not hinder, others. This is another reason I took on my firefighting project. I have devoted myself to finding an affordable and accessible solution by keeping my budget under $150. My project advisor, a former NASA engineer, has guided and supported me, and will continue to provide advice throughout the process of developing and testing my project. I plan to present the completed project to a board of engineers, faculty, and family in May. In university, I hope to deepen this mindset, learning across disciplines, collaborating with people who challenge my thinking, and continuing to ask “what if?” My goal is to develop solutions that improve society not by following established paths, but by reimagining them. Engineering, to me, is a responsibility to think creatively, act compassionately, and leave communities stronger than I found them.

I was two when I realized that I was not, in fact, a dolphin. One moment I was waddling toward the surf, giggling; the next, I was tumbling beneath the waves, a blur of limbs in a Size 2 wetsuit. In that instant, I realized that the ocean is far greater than I am. When I finally stood, shaken, I smiled, turned, and walked back into the sea. From that day on, I have loved the water, from how it numbs my fingers to how it hurls me into the sand and pulls me from shore with currents too strong to resist. I love how it sparkles with the beauty of something divine and how it reminds me that the only way to enjoy it is to move with it. Even following my involvement in L.A. County Junior Lifeguards, the most meaningful lessons were taught by the ocean. First, when you sprint into icy salt water at 8 a.m., facing six-foot walls of surf, your instincts shout turn back. Yet a lifeguard must act despite fear. That courage resurfaced later during my engineering class's CubeSat proposal project. The challenge felt as daunting as a towering wave, but I took it head-on, becoming Proposal Lead and refining all forty-two pages with relentless precision. The easy choice was to stay on shore and let the current pass, but instead, I chose to ride it. Second, even the strongest swimmer can be dragged under if they panic. Every lifeguard learns that the sea’s deadliest predator isn’t the shark; it’s fear. When the current barrels you over and your lungs burn for air, only calm can guide you back to the surface. Engineering has tested me in the same way. Challenges like gender bias and perceived inexperience can feel like getting slammed by unrelenting surf. As the only woman in my aerospace class, I often faced skepticism and dismissal. But I used that underestimation as fuel, channeling it into determination. That persistence carried me to a summer engineering internship, the only one awarded in my class. Lesson Three: Adaptability over Familiarity. The ocean is never the same twice. Morning calm becomes afternoon chaos; each wave draws patterns that vanish before the next. To meet it, one must be just as flexible. I learned this again when I transitioned from homeschooling to a high school of a thousand students. Suddenly, I was navigating social tides and academic swells for the first time. It was disorienting, but like riding a current, I adjusted, adapted, and eventually began to thrive. I grew up beside the sea, studying its moods with a lifeguard’s focus, but I discovered beyond currents that the ocean mirrors my own nature in calm, chaos, strength, and persistence. It has taught me courage amid fear, composure in crisis, and grace through change. I am myself because that two-year-old girl found joy in the water’s chaos. Now, whenever life tumbles me, I remember what the ocean taught me: rise, breathe, and dive back in.

I was seven years old in Vacation bible school. I remember walking to the field. I remember looking up at my counselor, Ella; I remember her smiling down at me as she held my hand. I remember her cheering me on as I slipped and down the inflatable slide; I remember her listening as I complained about my scratched finger. Now, ten years later, I am devoted to providing that protection and unwavering, caring love to the children of my community. I am wholeheartedly devoted to my community's well being, especially when it comes to providing safety and support. Firstly, I have taken up an active role in my community Church, volunteering with the worship band in the hope that I might spread the joy I have found in my faith, as well as serving as a counselor in Vacation Bible School, where I was able to look after a group of 2nd Graders, the same way that Ella was to me, all those years ago. I consider it a priveledge that I was able to care for those kids and give them my support, time, and devotion. Additionally, growing up on the coast, with my father serving as an L.A. County Lifeguard, water safety has been a central priority throughout my life. When I was young, I witnessed many of my friends being scared to swim in the deep end, or let the ocean waves touch much higher than their knees. I saw first-hand the fear that water can cause, and how it can limit children's confidence and joy. As I grew older, I decided to act on it, by volunteering with "Stop Drowning Now," an organization that prioritizes water safety. Through my involvement, I have been able to visit elementary schools to teach young kids about water safety. I have also taken up a position as a certified lifeguard at my local Y.M.C.A., which has been an excellent experience, where I have been able to not only prioritize water safety, but also remain alert to any signs of bullying towards youth. I am able to ensure a safe and welcoming environment, to intervene if I do see any signs of in-person bullying, and to provide a safe space for the victim. I understand that cyberbullying is just as serious as in-person bullying, and signs of it may not present themselves as easily. Through my involvement with my church, and caring for the youth, I have learned to spot these signs, recognizing any emotional shifts that may occur as a result of this bullying. I have always and will always do my best to assist anyone in this situation, whether that means talking to them myself, listening to what they have to say, and offering them a shoulder to lean on, or directing them to a trusted adult. It is my priority that everyone, especially young children, feel safe, welcome, and loved, and that no bullying affects their joy. As I enter higher education, financial need is a significant concern for me. I am devoted to my academics, and I do my best to take every opportunity that presents itself to me, but affording tuition, books, and housing, poses a serious challenge. My family is incredibly supportive of all of my efforts, but as the price of college continues to rise, so do our worries. Receiving this scholarship would greatly assist in allowing me to pursue my higher education with the same passion and devotion I have worked to express over past years, while still prioritizing service and protection of my community, especially the youth.