My name is Derek Torbett and I am currently a freshman at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University studying Space Physics. Like Kalia, I am a straight A student with a 4.0 GPA, and I am extremely ambitious when it comes to my goals. Part of the reason I have such a strong drive towards the difficult things in my life was because I was on my high school swim team for 2 years. In the beginning, I quickly realized just how difficult swim was, and I knew I had to adapt in order to stay on the team. Every practice, I put in my all, and by the end of my time on the swim team, I was competing in the event that I wanted from the beginning: the 100-meter butterfly. Being on the swim team made me realize that the things I thought were difficult are actually not that bad. Up to this point, competitive swimming was probably the most strenuous thing I have ever done, both physically and mentally. Additionally, during my senior year of high school, I volunteered at St. Mary's Food Bank in Phoenix Arizona. I volunteered there with my friends several times, and it was a blast. I really felt like a part of this community that helps the less fortunate. It was really great to see the people I was helping disperse food to, all of them were so incredibly grateful. Embodying Kalia's drive to fully apply herself to all aspects of her life, I too put in my all for volunteering. This scholarship will help me tremendously by allowing me to not stress as much on finances, and instead focusing on pursuing my dreams. I have an older sister who has just completed college, and a twin sister who is in college at the same time as me, so my parents can't really afford to support all of us as much as they would want to. Additionally, my school is quite expensive, with a cost of attendance of around $66,000/year. I have big plans after my undergrad degree in Space Physics. I want to eventually get a PhD in astrophysics and get my dream job at CERN in Switzerland. If I don't end up there, there are still so many exciting things for me to do during my career. Going down the theoretical physics research route, I will be able to chip away at unlocking the secrets of the universe, and in turn, progressing the field of science and technology. Imagine a future where new discoveries in physics allows for a new type of rocket engine, one that is capable of light speed travel, or faster. Humanity will be shot towards the stars, further advancing discovery and innovation. All in all, I am honored to have the opportunity to apply to The Kalia D. Davis Memorial Scholarship, and am deeply inspired by her story. I know she was a very strong individual who never slacked off and always did her absolute best. I will continue on my journey in life always striving to make an impact on others just as much as Kalia did.

My name is Derek Torbett and I am currently a freshman at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University studying Space Physics, which is what my school calls astrophysics. It's twin degree, astronomy, is very similar for the first 2 years of study, and I am and will be taking a lot of astronomy related courses. I decided to study Space Physics because it gave me a lot more options than just having an astronomy degree. With a BSA in Space Physics, I will not only be able to get astronomy related jobs, but can also go into theoretical physics research, engineering, and many more fields. For as long as I can remember, I was always interested in space and the idea of getting to explore it one day. In my early childhood, I would always read books about space and it got me so excited to learn more. I would also watch shows on TV that explain how the universe works. I understood very little, but seeing how much stuff is out there made me crave knowledge of the universe. In high school, when it was time to pick what degree I will study in college, I almost settled on aerospace engineering, because I thought that was the best way to make a lot of money and do something somewhat related to my passion of space. However, when I found out I could study astrophysics and astronomy, and still have the opportunity for engineering if I really wanted to, I was so excited. The thing about space is that there is a seemingly unlimited amount of questions to be answered. Some of those questions, when answered, can sprout even more questions. What is the meaning of it all? Why are we here? Are we the only lifeforms in the universe? If there is life out there, what would it be like? Its such an exciting time to be alive, as humanity is on the brink of a new age of space exploration and colonization. In addition to the philosophy of the great expanse of space, I am also deeply fascinated by the complex physics of everything. On of the coolest things I learned while studying at Embry Riddle was how astronomers figure out what the chemical makeup of other planets or stars is. By just measuring the wavelength of light coming from the particular planet, you can see what atoms or molecules are present in that atmosphere using light spectroscopy techniques. Understanding every aspect of physics is the key to unlocking the secrets of the universe, and yet, the field of physics is not yet complete. Ideally, in 10 years time, I could see myself in a national lab working towards the Holy Grail of physics: a unified field theory. Currently, there is no way to connect the world of quantum physics to classical physics. If we someday get the solution to unify the quantum and classical worlds, the potential for new innovations are astonishing. Imagine a world where gravity is fully understood, and we have found a way to harness its potential, being able to produce our own gravity. Or, a radical new device using new advanced physics to produce free and clean energy. In summary, I was drawn into the world of physics and astronomy by its beauty, and I stay because of its potential to change the lives of everyone on Earth. The people who make the greatest differences are the ones who question everything, and I will become one of the greats, always challenging the narrative and pushing humanity towards the stars.

Several years ago, around the beginning of high school, I was in a deep mental slump. I hated how I looked, I neglected my health, and was fully consumed by cheap sources of dopamine. On top of this, I no longer had the drive to do a career with STEM, something I thought my whole childhood about, and instead thought about easier alternatives. I even declined invites to hanging out with my friends and chose to play video games or scroll online for the night. Today, I am proud to say that I am a much better person than I was in early high school. I am pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Space Physics, with plans of getting a PhD in Astrophysics after completing my undergrad. I am in much better health, both physically and mentally, and my social life has never been better. Now you might ask, what changed? Well for me, it all took off for me when I discovered healthy ways to cope. I began my journey in the gym roughly five years ago, and used it as an outlet for stress and shame. I used to be very underweight, and I felt very ashamed of it due to getting bullied for it in school. So I went to the gym to fix this problem, and it took a while, but eventually I did. The gym taught me discipline, and once I got comfortable with it, I started focusing on other aspects of my life to improve, such as my social anxiety at the time. I think part of the reason I had social anxiety was because I was ashamed of how I looked, and once I got more comfortable with how I looked, it faded away, but not completely. To solve this, I tasked myself to interact with people more often then I would usually. This could be a simple interaction, such as complimenting a stranger as they walk by me to class. Little things like this slowly built up my confidence to talk to and meet new people. I can't say I'm the most social person on the planet now, but if 14 year old me saw how I act today, he would be astonished. More recently, I started meditating to improve my mental health. At first, I thought meditation was just something that hippies swear by, I didn't really believe in it. However, meditation has by far been the greatest thing for me to help shape my goals, relationships, and understanding of the world. It has allowed me to sit with my thoughts with greater focus, something I have never really been able to do before. One of the first things it taught me was that I have been living life too fast. I was always looking forward to the next "exciting" thing, and never truly appreciating the moment that I'm in right now. I realized that my focus on the people around me were distracted and neglected if I had something more exciting to do in the future. Learning to exist fully in the moment has allowed me to put better care in my conversations with people. Another thing I learned from meditation was how lucky I am to have the opportunities that I do. I realized that not everyone gets to go to college and study something that they are passionate about. I feel incredibly grateful to be alive and doing what I love. With this, I also realized just how beautiful it is that everyone else has their own passions that could be entirely different from my own, but that they feel so strongly towards. I will never be able to truly know just how they feel about those passions. The last thing about meditation that I learned was simply that it is another great way to manage stress. It made me realize that the things that bothered me the most in my day to day life were really not worth stressing over. All in all, taking care of my mental health has made significant improvements in my determination to complete my goals, my relationships, and my general understanding of the world. Having a strong mind makes it vastly easier to complete the hard tasks that I need to do in order to succeed. It also brought me much closer to those around me, and enabled me to make new connections with people that I wouldn't have normally made. Also, I have a much better understanding about my ego and psyche, as well as the lives of everyone else.