The memories of a thriving Venezuela are long gone. The country is now behind technologically, computer devices are very hard to afford, and the education system has been continuously decaying. So, to work towards my goal of becoming an engineer to help society and improve lives, I knew I had to migrate to the United States. In 2017, with Venezuela’s rising insecurity, and with over 500% inflation compared to the year before, the opportunity presented itself when my mom decided to leave the country, just the two of us. I arrived at the United States in September 2017 and I’m a senior at Forest Park High School now. I want to pursue a degree in computer engineering because I believe computers and technology are the future and can help society in many ways. They allow us to work, communicate and learn. They also facilitate and open the door to many other things such as software development, art design, architecture, and engineering. I plan to continue expanding my knowledge on computers so that I can design and build computer devices that can further help society. I grew up in Venezuela with my mom, dad, and three older brothers. My parents always provided all we needed and pushed us to do our best at everything we could. Growing up in Venezuela, I could say I was privileged because I had access to the internet, computers, and electronic devices since the day I was born, perhaps that’s how my interest in computers developed. I remember that while I would play games online I often wondered how those websites worked. So I decided to build a website, and one month later I completed an HTML website. I researched by watching YouTube videos and I was able to complete the site just by using the windows notepad. The website was never published because domains and hosting were too expensive, and it was a basic HTML website. However, it was more than that for me. It was when I first discovered my interest in computers. In the United States, when I was 13, my mom could finally afford to buy me a smartphone, and over the course of a year, I ended breaking a couple of them. I’ve always been considerate and resourceful; I thought the best way to fix the phones I broke was by doing it myself. I bought the parts I needed, looked at a couple of YouTube videos, and fixed the phones with the tools I had laying around. I felt accomplished and I discovered my interest in computer hardware, which was deeper than the one I had in software. To pursue my interest, I continued fixing phones every time a family member or a friend needed help fixing their phones. A couple of years later, in 2019, at 15 years old, I went a step further and assembled my own computer. The computer devices we use daily that allow us to communicate, learn and entertain such as our phones, computers or laptops can be very expensive. By studying computer engineering, I believe I can help society by building and designing lower-cost devices that would be more affordable for everyone. A degree in Computer Engineering would help me achieve this goal and better prepare me to make the most of my journey from Venezuela to the United States.