I believe in Servant Leadership; allowing my love of helping others to guide me in contributing to my community and setting a positive example to those closest to me. One of my favorite parts of each week is Sunday mornings spent as a Buddies program volunteer leader. The Buddies program partners me with a special needs student providing them a full inclusion experience in Sunday school classes with their peers, Vacation Bible School (VBS) in the summer, and navigating sometimes challenging church experiences (e.g., crowded worship, loud classrooms/sanctuary, peer interactions). This program broadened my perspective and grew my interest in understanding psychological disorders and how I can best support those impacted. My buddies' special needs range from social anxiety with little support needed to non-verbal autism needing my constant attention and physical guidance. I treasure every minute spent learning from each of these kids. Through this experience, it honed my desire to design, build, and contribute for the benefit of others. Whether it be a small toy, facility enhancements (increased accessibility), or medical equipment that can improve quality of life, that is how I want to drive my future positive impact on my community and the world post-graduation.

My goal is to leave this world better for having been a part of it. As someone diagnosed with ADHD and anxiety as a child, I am seeking the best possible education, opportunities, and resources to increase ease of access to what the world has to offer for those with disabilities both seen and unseen. I intimately understand the impact simple tools and accommodations can have on a person's experience and success (e.g., handheld fidgets to focus attention, noise-cancelling ear plugs for quiet test taking). One of my favorite parts of each week is Sunday mornings spent at Cottonwood Creek Church (Allen, TX) as a Buddies program volunteer leader. The Buddies program partners me with a special needs student in kindergarten through middle school providing them a full inclusion experience in Sunday school class with their peers. I started volunteering with the Buddies program the summer before 9th grade including during Vacation Bible School (VBS). My buddies' special needs have ranged from social anxiety with little support needed to non-verbal autism needing my constant attention and physical guidance. I treasure every minute spent learning from each of these kids. Through this experience, it honed my desire to design, build, and contribute for the benefit of others. Whether it be a small toy, facility enhancements (increased accessibility), or medical equipment that can improve quality of life, that is how I want to drive my future positive impact on my eventual university community and the world post-graduation. My other profound joy is making others happy! One of my most enjoyable recent volunteer activities was with Minnie's Food Pantry in Plano, TX this past summer. They treated each person in line to receive assistance with dignity and a big smile. We danced and sang our way through sorting food items; keeping that same cheerful attitude when we interacted with those pulling up in their cars for food boxes. I am happiest when helping others or researching, brainstorming, designing, and building a vision and tangible outcome including simple life hacks aiding my mom to clean house to elaborate set designs, lighting schemes, and costumes for school plays and musicals. My dream is to pair engineering with my love of psychology to better understand how people think and behave. This will inform my future designs and creations to be successfully used by their target audience(s). This scholarship will offer financial support to attain the requisite education and experiences in a community-oriented environment where I can thrive.

I have a confession to make... I am obsessed with human psychology - how people think, behave, and the impact of psychological conditions. I like to read it, study it, question it, pull it apart, and piece it back together again. As someone diagnosed with ADHD and anxiety as a child, I researched my own diagnoses, various accommodations that would make me more successful in life and school, and how I could best understand and interact with others. I intimately understand the positive impact simple tools and accommodations can have on a person's success. I am happiest when researching, brainstorming, designing, and building things ranging from life hacks helping my mom clean our home as a small child to elaborate set designs and costumes for school plays and musicals. Engineering in this regard has been a constant part of my daily life – how can I design a better experience or tool. My hope is to pair engineering with my love of psychology to better understand how people think and behave to influence the successful adoption and use of my future designs and creations by the identified target audience(s). Learning how material things, regardless of size, are designed, created, tested, and used is the perfect intersection of engineering and psychology. Some scenarios I have pondered range from life-saving to aesthetically pleasing including the likeliness of military servicemembers in stressful wartime scenarios to press the correct button based on the colors used and proximity to the user, ceiling height and desk design in a high school classroom contributing to a student feeling comfortable in their environment, and external building colors, design, and structure contributing to someone’s perceived vibe of a city (e.g., bright and vibrant colors make a city block feel more lively). You cannot determine the outcomes of these scenarios without contemplating both how the physical aspects are engineered and the way the brain processes and feels about these inputs. This codependency is fascinating and has impacts on many fields such as city planning, architecture, and product marketing. You must understand the overall theme and feel that a city planner is trying to achieve for an engineer to then advise on the materials, colors, building heights, proximity, and even green spaces as part of the plan. Architects consult with engineers when determining size, scale, bearing weight, and purpose of a structure (e.g., a school). It would be advantageous to also understand how students attending the school will feel when in the building. Will the structure and design impact a student’s ability to be productive and desire to return each day? Are there new and interesting classroom accommodations for enhanced inclusion of students with disabilities (seen and unseen)? A final example of engineering and psychology intersectionality is product marketing. Knowing the needs of the target consumers, ease of use, attractive product design and packaging, in addition to how the product makes users feel is a valuable combination when determining how and to whom best to advertise (e.g., TV vs social media vs billboards, age demographic, color theory, seasonality, etc.). I am so excited about the positive impacts engineering paired with psychology can have on our society from usability and safety to the ease of access for daily activities.

I have a confession to make... I am obsessed with human psychology - how people think, behave, and the impact of psychological conditions. I like to read it, study it, question it, pull it apart, and piece it back together again. As someone diagnosed with ADHD and anxiety as a child, I researched my own diagnoses, various accommodations that would make me more successful in life and school, and how I could best understand and interact with others. I intimately understand the positive impact simple tools and accommodations can have on a person's success. I am happiest when researching, brainstorming, designing, and building things ranging from life hacks helping my mom clean our home as a small child to elaborate set designs and costumes for school plays and musicals. Engineering in this regard has been a constant part of my daily life – how can I design a better experience or tool. My hope is to pair engineering with my love of psychology to better understand how people think and behave to influence the successful adoption and use of my future designs and creations by the identified target audience(s). Learning how material things, regardless of size, are designed, created, tested, and used is the perfect intersection of engineering and psychology. Some scenarios I have pondered range from life-saving to aesthetically pleasing including the likeliness of military servicemembers in stressful wartime scenarios to press the correct button based on the colors used and proximity to the user, ceiling height and desk design in a high school classroom contributing to a student feeling comfortable in their environment, and external building colors, design, and structure contributing to someone’s perceived vibe of a city (e.g., bright and vibrant colors make a city block feel more lively). You cannot determine the outcomes of these scenarios without contemplating both how the physical aspects are engineered and the way the brain processes and feels about these inputs. This codependency is fascinating and has impacts on many fields such as city planning, architecture, and product marketing. You must understand the overall theme and feel that a city planner is trying to achieve for an engineer to then advise on the materials, colors, building heights, proximity, and even green spaces as part of the plan. Architects consult with engineers when determining size, scale, bearing weight, and purpose of a structure (e.g., a school). It would be advantageous to also understand how students attending the school will feel when in the building. Will the structure and design impact a student’s ability to be productive and desire to return each day? Are there new and interesting classroom accommodations for enhanced inclusion of students with disabilities (seen and unseen)? A final example of engineering and psychology intersectionality is product marketing. Knowing the needs of the target consumers, ease of use, attractive product design and packaging, in addition to how the product makes users feel is a valuable combination when determining how and to whom best to advertise (e.g., TV vs social media vs billboards, age demographic, color theory, seasonality, etc.). I am so excited about the positive impacts engineering paired with psychology can have on our society from usability and safety to the ease of access for daily activities.

Have you ever had a moment where you knew nothing would ever be the same? I sure did - returning from my 2020 spring break vacation to a new Covid-19 pandemic reality. Pre-Covid, I was an energetic, extroverted kid with a strong group of friends. Friendships forged over two short years since moving from California to Texas. When my school transitioned to a virtual setting, I could feel a curtain of isolation being pulled across my world. When classes wrapped for the year and summer vacation was upon us, it felt like that curtain became a solid boundary shutting off social interaction and growth. I sat in my room with no one to talk to; isolated and slowly sinking into a hole of anxiety and self-consciousness. Internet research into psychology/how the mind works, life hacks, and very entertaining fox videos became my daily companions. When the option to return to in-school learning with social distancing was offered, I jumped at the chance. I desperately wanted face-to-face interaction with other students. Great in theory, scary in practice. The social anxiety and uncertainty that developed over the summer of isolation continued to grow as those six feet of required social distance from my mask-wearing classmates felt like the Grand Canyon. I could see them but couldn’t get too close - physically or emotionally. By the end of my freshman year, distancing and mask-wearing stopped but my struggles to connect with peers persisted. Church was the one place with consistent interaction while volunteering with the Buddies program (special needs inclusion for elementary/middle school kids) but was only once a week. I felt anxious, stressed, and lonely, but recognized the need to make a positive change. I asked my mom for help; requesting therapy to improve my situation before it continued its downward spiral. She told me that was a brave choice and found a therapeutic environment where I could reflect and grow. Two years of therapy later, my perspective and coping strategies improved substantially. I communicated more with teachers leading to improved study skills and increased self-confidence in my abilities. Social encounters with peers in fine arts (choir and theater) were easier through our common interests. My theater experience reinvigorated my love of design, building, and executing a vision; costumes, lighting, and set elements. Success achieved through the tech theater program built a brand of dependability, leadership, and expertise. People knew my name and that I was a capable team member when given a goal. I was selected for two leadership roles my junior year as Assistant Electrician for Puffs (fall play) and Assistant Shop Foreman for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (school musical). Singing in choir is a creative outlet I’ve enjoyed since elementary school. Even when I struggled to connect and communicate with peers verbally, I could always sing and find emotional release. I ran for a choir officer position in May 2024 and was elected as co-counselor for my senior year (making sure the student perspective is understood). The confidence to engage with friends, old and new, has sparked a desire to keep aiming higher – advocating for myself and the kind of life I want to live despite how challenging it can be. The pandemic did teach me one thing - we get one shot at this amazing life, and I’m going to make the most of it!