I have always been a hands-on type of person, which is why the major that I am most interested in pursuing is Engineering. Throughout middle and high school, I have taken advantage of the lab spaces that my school in Turtle Lake, Wisconsin has to offer. As a small district, we are lucky to have what we have, including, 3D printers, a laser engraver, a CNC mill, and a vinyl printer, along with two fully equipped shop spaces: one for metals and the other for woods. I have enjoyed working with all of this equipment, along with the software required for the design portion of the projects. With that being said, I think a degree in engineering is the next step to take my love of making things to the next level. Along with that, I have always loved to tinker. I recently purchased a snowmobile with a bad engine as a project. After swapping the motor and doing some other work to it, I was able to sell it for profit. At the time of writing this, I have put in close to 2000 hours in the last two years at my current and main job. Said job is for a telecommunications company in the city of Amery, Wisconsin. This is a manual labor job, where 60-hour weeks are not uncommon in the long hot summer. To most kids my age, that is unthinkable, but for the last two years, it's just what I do. Though I did sacrifice many of my precious teenage hours, I told myself early on that if I try to get ahead in life now, it will be easier in the future. Getting up every morning and throwing on my boots for the day has taught me many lessons. One is that persistence is very important. Working within a team to get things done efficiently is another lesson I learned. I ran my own crew all of last summer, so I was given a huge responsibility to make decisions in order to get things done in the most efficient manner. Throughout my junior and senior years, I participated in the youth apprenticeship program that my school offers. Getting to leave school early to go to work and learn is great. Since the ground freezes in the winter, I am able to shadow the technicians and learn about troubleshooting, and customer service. Working a lot during my time in high school has greatly and positively affected my character as a whole. My family circumstances are far from picture-perfect. I don’t recall a time when my parents got along well. When I and my sister were younger, we would switch off from mom’s to dad’s houses close to equally, but that abruptly stopped due to reasons that I am still unsure of. My father had a rough childhood, abuse from his stepdad was not uncommon. This trauma caused him to lash out, and he was eventually diagnosed with bipolar disorder. My dad and I got along great when I was a preteen, and in my early teenage years, but a few months back there was a situation that resulted in me not talking to him much anymore. My early childhood living with my mother was great, she had a good job doing transcription for a well-known clinic. Her position was eventually terminated, and she lost that job. Ever since then, her income hasn’t been enough to comfortably support her, my sister, and me. She always figures it out though, and I hope she is able to gain financial freedom eventually.

At the time of writing this, I have put in close to 2000 hours in the last two years at my current and main job. Said job is for a telecommunications company in the city of Amery, Wisconsin. This is a manual labor job, where 60-hour weeks are not uncommon in the long hot summer. To most kids my age, that is unthinkable, but for the last two years, it's just what I do. Though I did sacrifice many of my precious teenage hours, I told myself early on that if I try to get ahead in life now, it will be easier in the future. Getting up every morning and throwing on my boots for the day has taught me many lessons. One is that persistence is very important. Working within a team to get things done efficiently is another lesson I learned. I ran my own crew all of last summer, so I was given a huge responsibility to make decisions in order to get things done in the most efficient manner. Throughout my junior and senior years, I participated in the youth apprenticeship program that my school offers. Getting to leave school early to go to work and learn is great. Since the ground freezes in the winter, I am able to shadow the technicians and learn about troubleshooting, and customer service. Working a lot during my time in high school has greatly and positively affected my character as a whole. My family circumstances are far from picture-perfect. I don’t recall a time when my parents got along well. When I and my sister were younger, we would switch off from mom’s to dad’s houses close to equally, but that abruptly stopped due to reasons that I am still unsure of. My father had a rough childhood, abuse from his stepdad was not uncommon. This trauma caused him to lash out, and he was eventually diagnosed with bipolar disorder. My dad and I got along great when I was a preteen, and in my early teenage years, but a few months back there was a situation that resulted in me not talking to him much anymore. My early childhood living with my mother was great, she had a good job doing transcription for a well-known clinic. Her position was eventually terminated, and she lost that job. Ever since then, her income hasn’t been enough to comfortably support her, my sister, and me. She always figures it out though, and I hope she is able to gain financial freedom eventually. I do have many personal goals. Completing some of the smaller ones is something that I need to work on to prepare myself for the hard work and dedication it will take to reach some of the major goals in my life. One of those major next steps in my life is completing a bachelor's degree. Obviously, that is what writing this essay is all about, which I think is a great first step to that goal, and also another goal of achieving financial freedom at a young age. After living the way I have with low-income people for the majority of my life, I want to be different from my family’s ways. I want to give back to my community by donating, volunteering, and being a part of my community in many different ways.

My family circumstances are far from picture-perfect. I don’t recall a time when my parents got along well. When I and my sister were younger, we would switch off from mom’s to dad’s houses close to equally, but that abruptly stopped due to reasons that I am still unsure of. My father had a rough childhood, abuse from his stepdad was not uncommon. This trauma caused him to lash out, and he was eventually diagnosed with bipolar disorder. My dad and I got along great when I was a preteen, and in my early teenage years, but a few months back there was a situation that resulted in me not talking to him much anymore. My early childhood living with my mother was great, she had a good job doing transcription for a well-known clinic. Her position was eventually terminated, and she lost that job. Ever since then, her income hasn’t been enough to comfortably support her, my sister, and me. She always figures it out though, and I hope she is able to gain financial freedom eventually. I have always been a hands-on type of person, which is why the major that I am most interested in pursuing is Engineering. Throughout middle and high school, I have taken advantage of the lab spaces that my school in Turtle Lake, Wisconsin has to offer. As a small district, we are lucky to have what we have, including, 3D printers, a laser engraver, a CNC mill, and a vinyl printer, along with two fully equipped shop spaces: one for metals and the other for woods. I have enjoyed working with all of this equipment, along with the software required for the design portion of the projects. With that being said, I think a degree in engineering is the next step to take my love of making things to the next level. Along with that, I have always loved to tinker. I recently purchased a snowmobile with a bad engine as a project. After swapping the motor and doing some other work to it, I was able to sell it for profit. I also own a truck and a car that I enjoy doing maintenance on and upgrading. I enjoy learning how things work and how to make them better than factory. I do have many personal goals. Completing some of the smaller ones is something that I need to work on to prepare myself for the hard work and dedication it will take to reach some of the major goals in my life. One of those major next steps in my life is completing a bachelor's degree. Obviously, that is what writing this essay is all about, which I think is a great first step to that goal, and also another goal of achieving financial freedom at a young age. This is a big one for me. After living the way I have with low-income people for the majority of my life, I want to be different from my family’s ways. I want to keep challenging myself to earn more, save more, invest more, and make the right decisions with my money. Another goal of mine, though I am pretty happy here at home, is to find happiness through a combination of relationships with other people, and inner peace. This is a huge goal for me, and I'm sure for many people. Showing kindness toward others and showing generosity and compassion in my daily life is a way I will make this goal a reality.

I have always been a hands-on type of person, which is why the major that I am most interested in pursuing is Mechanical Engineering. Throughout middle and high school, I have taken advantage of the lab spaces that my school in Turtle Lake, Wisconsin has to offer. As a small district, we are lucky to have what we have, including 3D printers, a laser engraver, a CNC mill, and a vinyl printer, along with two fully equipped shop spaces: one for metals, the other for woods. I have enjoyed working with all of this equipment, along with the software required for the design portion of the projects. With that being said, I think a degree in engineering is the next step to take my love of making things to the next level. Along with that, I have always loved to tinker. I recently purchased a snowmobile with a bad engine as a project. After swapping the motor and doing some other work to it, I was able to sell it for profit. I also own a truck and a car that I enjoy doing maintenance on and upgrading. I enjoy learning how things work and how to make them better than factory. My family circumstances are far from picture-perfect. I don’t recall a time when my parents got along well. When I and my sister were younger, we would switch off from mom’s to dad’s houses close to equally, but that abruptly stopped due to reasons that I am still unsure of. My father had a rough childhood, abuse from his stepdad was not uncommon. This trauma caused him to lash out, and he was eventually diagnosed with bipolar disorder. My dad and I got along great when I was a preteen, and in my early teenage years, but a few months back there was a situation that resulted in me not talking to him much anymore. My early childhood living with my mother was great, she had a good job doing transcription for a well-known clinic. Her position was eventually terminated, and she lost that job. Ever since then, her income hasn’t been enough to comfortably support her, my sister, and me. She always figures it out though, and this has brought me to a goal of wanting financial freedom at a young age. I feel that completing as many scholarships as I can is a great first step. The reasons I have for wanting to attend college go right along with my interests. I love working with my hands and mind on physical problems. I think that a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering will give me many opportunities for jobs that allow me to do just that. I think that the classes will be very challenging, which will be great for me. Moving a decent way away from my hometown is also something that I am excited about. I have been very independent for the last four years, and my whole life, and I think living away from home will be beneficial. Along with that, a larger city will have numerous opportunities as opposed to the small town setting that I am accustomed to. I will use the networking skills that I have gained from working to put myself out there for any job or career that presents itself to me. The atmosphere of college life regarding sports, clubs, academics, and the city lifestyle draws me in as well.