During high school I have taken up a variety of interests and hobbies that have shaped parts of my personality and even influenced my plans for my education and eventual career. One of my main interests at the moment is sports and more specifically football. I enjoy watching football, playing it and even analyzing the statistics of the game and the players who participate in it (I am an avid user of the fantasy football app). Playing football has had a huge impact on me and it taught me that hard work pays off and that persistence and determination outweigh all other factors. I also have a lot of hobbies that stem outside of school sports. I love solving puzzles in my free time, and for years I’ve had a passion for art and design. I love doing brain teasers that give a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment once finished and I love drawing and I'm constantly either doodling or sketching and attempting to perfect this craft and create wonderful masterpieces. These hobbies and interests, although vastly different and varying, have led me to decide my educational and career path which is earning a degree from Texas A&M and becoming an engineer and starting up my own firm. I know engineering is one of the hardest degree paths but football has taught me I can persevere through anything. My love for puzzles and design have aspects that have directly led me to choose engineering as I would be able to create wonderful inventions, designs and processes that may be difficult to fabricate, but would give so much fulfillment to myself and others once complete.

Inspiration and success can come from anywhere. I’m writing this short essay to give a little bit of backstory behind the drawing I submitted and why I chose to draw it. Throughout his life, legendary boxer, Mike Tyson, has had an unparalleled love for a quite overlooked animal, the “memeable” and lowly pigeon. He has been taking care of and finding enjoyment in pigeons since before he even started boxing. Furthermore, his love for pigeons is what caused him to start boxing. As a child Mike wasn’t some big brute the children on the street watched out for, he was actually an overweight sweet boy who was bullied and picked on constantly. Mike never took a huge stand against the bullies until one day when he came home and found one of his pigeons’ head ripped off. After this, Mike finally decided to take a stand, he loved his birds and considered the murder of his pigeon a crime against his family. Mike found the bully who killed his pigeon and proceeded to throw the first punch he had ever thrown in his life to end the bully’s torment. Without Mike’s drive to obtain justice for his beloved pigeon and without that punch, Mike Tyson might have never stood up for himself or become one of the greatest boxers the world has ever seen. When I first heard this story I was amazed that such a seemingly mediocre and humorous animal could be the reason for such success. Mike’s story has shown me that inspiration can come from anything that is important to you even if it may seem silly at first. I made this artwork as a way to illustrate my thanks towards Mike Tyson for giving me a new outlook on where real success comes from.

When I first started thinking about what field I would like to pursue as a career and degree all I knew was that I wanted to bring my ideas to life and be able to help others. I spent hours searching through websites and catalogs trying to find what major would fit my passion. In school, I have always been exemplary at math and science and although I do not consider math and science my passions I appreciate the fact that they allow us to create amazing things. Many teachers told me throughout my years in high school that I should take my aptitude for math and science as well as my passion for helping others and strive for a career in engineering. The idea of engineering turned me off at first because I had little knowledge on it and assumed that the careers within engineering consisted of doing mind-numbing calculations and other monotonous tasks, but after researching and asking around, I learned that an engineer's job is not to just do random math and science all day, but to use these subjects as a tool to create and design. Taking in this new information I realized that Mechanical Engineering perfectly fits my goals for a major. As a student I know it will be a challenge to get this degree, but that is part of the reason I'm interested in this career in the first place. Mechanical Engineering is a high-paying major with a career path that has a multitude of diverse opportunities. As an engineer I would like to have a career doing projects or working with companies that matter to me. I would be able to use my skills as an engineer to build a career in which I design and generate ideas to help society and better people's lives while also participating in projects that I have personal interest in. I already have some thoughts and Ideas on how I could positively impact the world through engineering. My dad has been in a wheelchair since I was a little kid, and although his wheel chair allows him to move much more freely, he has health issues and circulation problems because of his chair. I would love to design a wheelchair that allows for movement and improves circulation throughout the lower body in order to not only help out my dad but to improve the lives of anyone who is wheelchair bound.

Most people have only small recollections of their childhood. Bits and pieces of events that pop up in our head randomly and leave just as quick as they had come. We’re all affected by these memories, they make up a part of our personality and affect every small and major decision we make within our lives whether or not we even consciously remember them. Some memories though are here to stay and no matter how much you try the details within them remain vivid in your mind. It was Thanksgiving, and just like every other year my brother and I traveled up to Lockhart to visit everyone on our dad's side of the family. We entered our grandparent’s house and like usual were greeted by a barrage of greetings and hugs. Something felt different though as we walked into the house. We walked into the bedroom and I could immediately tell something was wrong. Our dad was sitting in some kind of weird chair with wheels and he looked more frail and pale than his usual self. He had tears in his eyes and after he hugged us from his chair he sat each of us down on the bed. He told us that he had an accident a few months ago and had been in the hospital ever since. While doing his job working construction he had fallen from a roof and fell two stories to the ground. His spine was broken and he nearly died and stayed close to death during his next few weeks in the hospital. This was a lot of information for young me to cope with. I was able to see my father less and less after Thanksgiving, as he was not capable of taking care of me and my brother by himself anymore and had to take frequent trips to the hospital. The time we got to spend with him was not as enjoyable either, I felt sad as at the fact that I now had to ride in circles around the driveway with him watching from the door instead of riding alongside him around the neighborhood. I was angry, it felt unfair that other kids had no complications and were able to go anywhere with their dads while I had to deal with the pains and struggles of having a disabled, wheel-chair bound father. These memories played a part in who I am today, and even though I was angry about my dad's accident then I feel blessed now. I realized that I was lucky to still have a father after what happened and I learned it was a miracle that he even survived the fall in the first place. My father is still in a wheelchair to this day and he’s even had to get both of his legs amputated recently but I'm just glad he is still here. Through these experiences I learned to be grateful for what I have and learn to embrace change no matter how negative the situation may seem. Through this adversity I’ve experienced I’ve been inspired to help others. I would like to have a career in engineering helping others by making incredible innovations and I would also like to help people mentally and spiritually and teach them to be grateful for every wonderful thing we have in our lives. This scholarship would help fund my education and would allow me to spend less time paying off my own personal debts and more time helping others get through their problems.

When I first started thinking about what field I would like to pursue as a career and degree all I knew was that I wanted to bring my ideas to life. I spent hours searching through websites and catalogs trying to find what major would fit my passion. In school, I have always been exemplary at math and science and although I do not consider math and science my passions I appreciate the fact that they allow us to create amazing things. Many teachers told me throughout my years in high school that I should take my aptitude for math and science and strive for a career in engineering. The idea of engineering turned me off at first because I had little knowledge on it and assumed that the careers within engineering consisted of doing mind-numbing calculations and other monotonous tasks, but after researching and asking around, I learned that an engineer's job is not to just do random math and science all day, but to use these subjects as a tool to create and design. Taking in this new information I realized that Mechanical Engineering perfectly fits my goals for a major. As a student I know it will be a challenge to get this degree, but that is part of the reason I'm interested in this career in the first place. One of my goals academically is to not only be able to pass my engineering courses and obtain a degree for it, but to be able to excel in class, maintain a high gpa and be in the top of my class. Mechanical Engineering is a high-paying major with a career path that has a multitude of diverse opportunities. As an engineer I would like to have a career doing projects or working with companies that matter to me. I would be able to use my skills as an engineer to build a career in which I design and generate ideas to help society and better people's lives while also participating in projects that I have personal interest in.

For me, Texas has never been just a mark on the map where cowpatties and barbed wire thrive. What being a Texan means to me is all about being part of a community, a community that is full of hope, full of fellowship, and full of opportunity. Since I was young, I have been proud to be known as a Texan. I take pride in being part of a culture that doesn’t judge you based on how you talk, what your IQ is or what your heritage is but on your compassion for your community. I enjoy walking through my school and my community and sharing my time with fellow Texans who all feel the same way about this great state that I do. Although we aren’t perfect, I feel that us Texans always strive to do better. Texans are some of the most hardworking people on earth. We strive every day to make ourselves better and never fail to help someone in need when they can’t do something themselves. Generosity has been passed down in our culture and there is always a fellow Texan willing to help out if you let them. I’ve lived in Texas my entire life and have grown up around these ideals and the spirited people who spend their days trying to live up to them and I have not yet been given a reason to even think about leaving this great state and community.

One of my favorite hobbies is drawing, I've been very interested in art since I first picked up a crayon in daycare. In the past year I became inspired to do something about my passion and have started writing and drawing my own manga-influenced comic. I am very proud of the art and story I have so far and have even sent it to some publishers and artists to obtain helpful criticism. I have most of the story line fleshed out but of course its very time consuming to draw. I have been working on it consistently in the past year and I hope it pans out to where I am able to finish it and hopefully get it published. I believe my passion for art is here to stay and will continue to influence my life.