I’ve been playing tennis for almost as long as I’ve known how to walk. At my first tennis camp, even the smallest camp shirt hung down to my knees. Today, I am a top varsity player and team captain. Unfortunately, my town has only one indoor tennis facility, and turnovers in coaches were commonplace. It wasn’t until my freshman year when I met a coach for my high school team that I realized the true value of having a dedicated coach: Coach Ming. Coach Ming volunteered as a coach for the tennis team. He has a full-time job, yet he was at every practice after school. When I met Coach Ming, he not only helped with regular practices, but he stayed afterward to do even more drilling for kids who wanted more practice. Also, he planned clinics on the weekends for even more training. Unfortunately, COVID shut down my freshman tennis season early, but Coach Ming, realizing that outside was a safe place to get together, quickly reinstituted practices during the week and weekend. Additionally, during the winter, our local indoor facility closed to the public for two years because of COVID, but Coach Ming found a place forty minutes away that was open to the public. He arranged groups to go to that facility for training. He did all this work for free, solely for the love of the game and enthusiasm to pass on that love to young players. Coach Ming is tough; he doesn’t take it easy on players. He wants each player to succeed, and sometimes is very loud when correcting kids. Although intimidated many times, I knew that Coach Ming only wanted what was best for me. Coach Ming helped me develop my tennis skills, but he quickly realized that my weakness was not my physical game, but rather was my mental game. In my sophomore and junior years, despite his belief that I could be a singles player, I was a doubles player instead. He saw that I played much better in practice than in actual matches. I would get nervous during actual games, causing me to tighten up and lose my form. Despite his frustration with my performance, he did not give up on me. He worked extra hard in the months leading into my senior year tennis season. He continued to push me during drills, stressing that I needed to have better muscle memory in my form. He knew that, if I had that memory, my body would naturally have good form even when I was nervous. Tennis is a game of points; just because you might lose one does not mean you are defeated. You patiently fight until the end, through games, sets, and matches. From Coach Ming, I learned about being committed and having a strong work ethic and positive attitude. Like he did not give up on me, I did not give up on myself. I pushed myself through every practice with him, and I was positive that I could have a good senior season. We just finished our regular season. I’m happy to say that I made Coach Ming proud. I played singles, and I finished undefeated! After graduation, I hope to continue using the lessons from Coach Ming about dedication, commitment, and hard work. I will be coaching at local tennis camps this summer, and I hope to be as effective as Coach Ming. And while I know that college will be a challenge, I hope to utilize the mental strength instilled in me by Coach Ming and succeed as an engineering student. Game, set, match!

I remember my parents telling me that, by sixth grade when I was enrolled in advanced math classes, they couldn’t help me with my homework since it was too hard! From a young age, I’ve been gifted in math. In addition, I’ve always enjoyed problem-solving and designing. I realized that engineering requires all these things. Therefore, I focused my education, extracurricular activities, and hobbies on learning about engineering. For education, I’ve been enrolled in four years of architecture in high school where I discovered that architectural engineering merges creativity and math. During a presentation by architects who reviewed students’ designs, I realized I could integrate math and design in a way that positively impacts communities. Other classes that I took to pursue these engineering and design interests were Video Media Tech, Computer Graphics, and Computer Graphics and Engineering. Throughout, I’ve developed skills in computer-aided design (CAD). I’ve also challenged myself with difficult math classes. In fact, one of the hardest math classes was Advanced Honors Pre-Calculus, which was recommended to me by teachers for tenth grade. I stepped up to the plate, but because of the pandemic, my school changed its schedule so that year-long courses would be taught in one semester and Honors Pre-Calculus moved faster than usual. I saw a level of difficulty that I had not yet experienced, and I often would spend up to five hours a day completing homework. My efforts were worthwhile, as I managed to earn an A. Needless to say, my parents were of no help with this class! For extracurricular activities, I am a member of an internationally competitive robotics team called Centre County 4H Robotics, which is organized through FIRST Robotics. On that team, I use my engineering skills to build parts of the robot. I’ve also used my CAD skills to design decorative aspects of the robot. And since I enjoy a good challenge, I became involved in other ways. I was the drive coach, head of mechanical sub-teams, engineering notebook organizer, and treasurer. In these roles, I learned that a leader must be a manager, cheerleader, listener, and team player. As treasurer, I learned about business. In addition, I learned the importance of service and outreach. Our team participates in events to bring robotics to the community, including presentations at local schools and events. The team also participates in charity events. I have learned how an interest like engineering can be used to help others. As for additional extracurricular activities, I attended a Penn State architectural engineering camp, and we were able to build a model of a home with a unique environmentally friendly design. My idea was to include solar panels that could shift to reveal skylights. As a hobby, I enjoy digital art. It helps me to de-stress after full days of activities and school. Digital art is something I see as an escape from all my obligations. When my homework is done, I am quick to reach for the stylus to start a digital art project. The smooth glide of the stylus over the screen separates me from the world that is otherwise sharp and choppy. The lines I draw dance across the glass canvas of my iPad, unafraid of losing their footing. Sketches, line art, colors, and effects are layered and intertwined in a way that is impossible in the physical world. I am about to enter Penn State’s engineering program and intend to choose between architectural and mechanical engineering. My parents were always proud of my math skills, and I hope to continue to make them proud by becoming a successful engineer.

I’ve been playing tennis for almost as long as I’ve known how to walk. At my first tennis camp, even the smallest camp shirt hung down to my knees. Today, I am a top varsity player and team captain. I am even a coach at those same tennis camps, helping teach new kids with shirts to their knees. Tennis tells my story of one of my most unique attributes: resilience. Tennis is the only sport that I’ve ever been interested in playing, developing a passion for the sport at a young age. Since then, I’ve devoted significant time and energy to improve. I’ve had to be dedicated to the sport because it is a physical sport, requiring endurance, agility, and explosive energy. Tennis has taught me resilience because I’ve had to overcome both exercise-induced asthma and a hip injury that required emergency surgery. And although it didn’t affect tennis specifically, I’ve also had to overcome partial deafness. Because tennis is a mental sport, resilience also has helped me to overcome other roadblocks to my training. Because of turnovers in local tennis coaches and limited indoor facilities, especially during COVID, I’ve had inconsistent training. However, I remained dedicated and enthusiastic about the sport, even driving three days a week forty minutes away to continue my training during COVID. Using the characteristic of resilience, I’ve kept a positive attitude about tennis. Despite the various barricades, I pushed through. I did not give up, no matter how the odds were stacked against me. I turned challenges into opportunities to improve. While jumping between so many different coaches left me without an organized training plan, I now am able to experiment with the array of techniques and strategies, providing me with a more extensive arsenal to improve my game. Through COVID, I worked on my physical fitness during the lockdown, making up for my physical impediments. Further, by sticking with tennis, I learned other life lessons. I learned humility. While I have had my share of losses, I accept them with humility, knowing that I had played my hardest. I also learned patience. Tennis is a game of points; just because you might lose one does not mean you are defeated. You patiently fight until the end, through games, sets, and matches. Through tennis, I’ve also learned compassion. The team is dedicated to community service. We ring the Salvation Army bell each holiday, collect donations for the Ronald McDonald House, and volunteer at Special Olympics tennis events. Additionally, I’ve volunteered at local summer camps, teaching tennis to younger players. I also expanded my community service to church and robotics events, the National Honor Society, Toys for Tots, and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. I’ve learned how important it is to give back to the community to help others who are less fortunate, either physically or financially. Today, I am a captain, top varsity player, and camp coach. As captain, I am a role model for the team. As a varsity player, I helped our team win the district championship. As a coach, I work at summer camps, teaching the future tennis generation. After graduation, I hope to continue to use the lessons learned through the sport to help me to succeed as an engineering major in college. And further, my instilled dedication to community service will continue. I especially hope to continue to volunteer for the Special Olympics, as well as my other community service activities. Resilience has helped me turn challenges into opportunities, and I hope to continue this not only in my career, but also with service to improve my community.