From a young age, my interest in crafting, drawing, sewing, working with symmetry, textures, and volumes, combined with my curiosity in design gave me the desire to participate in the summer program Design Immersion Days at SCI-Arc. This program seeks to introduce architecture and design to high school students through critical thinking, manipulation of models, and digital software. Professors of the program heavily emphasized creativity and encouraged students to get wild with their ideas without considering the construction feasibility. Thinking out of the box with no physical, economic, social, or material boundaries was exciting yet the lack of regard for the structural integrity of the design left me unfulfilled. The following year, I circled post-calculus: engineering on my course selection sheet. Right away our class was thrown into a construction project; the goal was to build a forty-centimeter-tall tower that could hold the weight of a 2.6kg textbook using thirty-pieces of spaghetti. The analysis of the project was intended to teach lessons in theoretical design and practical construction through a trial-and-error process. My groupmates and I quickly got to work researching the tensile strength and design of trusses. Our first attempt consisted of a tower with a hexagonal base and a load-bearing central column. The rationale behind this design was to build a tower with a wide base. Our group soon realized that the spaghetti was much too bendy and snapped under little pressure. For our second attempt, I proposed that we cut the spaghetti into smaller pieces and design a skinnier tower. This would result in less bending of the spaghetti and give the tower a greater chance of resisting more force. Surely, this technique was the key. Our group managed to successfully build a tower that could hold the textbook. It was rewarding to be one of the few groups that succeeded, and the opportunity to manipulate materials and problem solve my way through this challenge solidified my interest in engineering. In college, I hope to combine my creativity and laws of physics to find solutions to modern infrastructure as a civil engineering major.

“Huge swaths of the 4th largest US city remained underwater and some places in Houston may be uninhabitable for weeks or months to come” reported CNN. Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas in my hometown of Houston on Friday, August 25th flooding hundred thousand of houses, destroying local businesses, and disrupting lives. During the aftermath of the hurricane, in an upsurge of solidarity, communities mobilized, and volunteer groups formed to aid those most affected by the storm. I set out with the intent to be involved in the rebuilding of my community. Our neighborhood recreational center opened its door as a supply warehouse. As donations arrived from neighboring states, I sorted items in individual boxes such as canned foods, clothing, and cleaning supplies. Additionally, I put together kits containing essential items for families to pick up. I gathered supplies making rounds in the neighborhood to drop off bleach, gloves, and buckets. During this time, our community center also served as a shelter. Often my mom and I cooked hot meals and brought them to the shelter which contributed to the immediate relief effort. As water in homes began to empty out, I led a team of volunteers to clean out homes. Water had remained stagnant for days in houses causing structures to mold. I emptied out closets full of mildew, ran countless washing machines, cleared rotten food products from fridges, dried books, carried furniture, while others demolished sheetrock. I delegated tasks to others to insure everyone engaged which facilitated teamwork and sped up the rebuilding process. Yet, it felt strange to tear down friends and neighbors’ homes. Throughout this experience, I felt immense pride to be part of this human movement that contributed to the revival of Houston. Not only was I able to help others’ lives, but they also greatly enriched mine. Hurricane Harvey brought out altruism in each of us, it was incredible to see such tremendous giving, an unprecedented outpour of generosity.

I am a Formula 1 devotee. Every race Sunday at eight in the morning the words “Its lights out and away we go” resonate through my veins; the excitement that I feel as I wait for the riveting overtakes into Turn 1 is unparalleled. Thursday is press conference day. It feels like I am getting a behind the scenes insight at the massive Formula 1 machine and its moving parts as drivers conduct media interviews, reveal their forecast for the weekend, and announce contract changes Friday is free practice day, or as I call it: engineering day. Men and women in team uniforms scurry about the paddock with fuel samples, front wings, and tires. Over the years, it has been rewarding to see a growing number of female mechanics and engineers. Saturday is qualifying day. Drivers get three tries at the fastest lap, racing at astronomical speeds, their lives at play. The anticipation ascends as the clock ticks out. Adrenaline builds up, my eyes are captivated by the action and the risk taken by the drivers. Sunday is race day. Tension is at its maximum. Weeks’ worth of preparation come down to this moment, this 60-lap race. In the pit lane, team mechanics’ moves are synchronized to the wire, as to not waste a second. As the victor crosses the finish line, its team rises in excitement. What I love the most about Formula 1 is the combination of individual talent and teamwork, both need each other to succeed.

“Huge swaths of the 4th largest US city remained underwater and some places in Houston may be uninhabitable for weeks or months to come” reported CNN. In 2017 Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas in my hometown of Houston on Friday, August 25th flooding hundred thousand of houses, destroying local businesses, and disrupting lives. During the aftermath of the hurricane, in an upsurge of solidarity, communities mobilized, and volunteer groups formed to aid those most affected by the storm. Fortunately, my house was spared any damage, and I set out with the intent to be involved in the rebuilding of my community. Our neighborhood recreational center opened its door as a supply warehouse where people could pick up food, dry clothes, cleaning items, and water. I ensured shifts and gathered supplies making rounds in the neighborhood to drop off bleach, gloves, and buckets. As water in homes began to empty out, I joined a team and emptied out closets full of mildew, ran countless washing machines, cleared rotten food products from fridges, dried books, carried furniture, while others demolished sheetrock. It felt strange to tear down friends’ homes. Throughout this experience, I felt immense pride to be part of this human movement that contributed to the revival of Houston. Not only was I able to help others’ lives, but they also greatly enriched mine. Hurricane Harvey brought out altruism in each of us, it was incredible to see such tremendous giving, an unprecedented outpour of generosity.

I jump off the tumble track, shake my legs out, and ready myself in the corner. I clench my toes deep into the carpet, take my first step, run, hurdle, round-off, jump back, crash. I had suffered from a concussion. I could not go upside down, could not flip. Every sharp movement of the head left me dizzy and disoriented. No days went by without feeling like a spectator looking on from the sidelines as my teammates succeeded. I felt stuck. Still, my practice hours had been significantly reduced giving me the time to explore other interests and rediscover myself. At school, I joined the WISE (Women in Science and Engineering) club; it strengthened my enjoyment of STEM and gave me a new perspective on movement, kinematics, and gymnastics. Combined with my physics classes, I gained the ability to look at my sport through a different lens. Comprehending the movements not as robotic, but as fluid motions driven by gravity and mass, led to a better understanding of my body, and allowed me to set healthier boundaries both physically and mentally. Acceptance and patience were my most powerful tools. Expanding my curiosity allowed me to regain confidence in myself and return to training with an appeased mind but a tenacious attitude. This experience has allowed me to gain in maturity and take a step back to acknowledge the process and the team that helped me achieve the immense satisfactory feeling when I finally succeeded the skill that failed me months prior.

My passion for crafting sewing, and design has sparked my curiosity in structures and materials. One of my class projects consisted of building mini catapults using popsicle sticks with the goal of hitting the opposing team. The ability to explore the mechanics of physics through the manipulation of a model was exciting. Repetition and perseverance were the key to my partner’s and I success. Despite several hurdles in our design, we pushed through and built the most accurate catapult. While at university, I see myself conducting research on sustainable energy and the built environment. I am especially interested in smart cities and geospatial data analysis and their effect on urban planning and energy efficiency. I am inspired to build infrastructure based on technology with sustainable materials; in the future I hope my designs can respond to the needs of smart cities and increase the quality of life and economic growth. I first learned of smart cities while researching which field of engineering I wanted to focus on during university. What drew me to smart cities was the use of sensor technology and data analysis to optimize the use of limited resources and in turn reduce energy waste. I have witnessed various natural disasters in Houston such as the catastrophic winter storm which left thousands of habitants with no running water or electricity. This exposed major structural weaknesses in Texas’s energy grid, addressing these issues would have prevented damage. I want to stay curious regarding energy as it will become an increasing topic of discussions as limited resources become sparse, global warming intensifies, and society shifts towards renewable energy. Smart cities may be a first step to solving these complex issues, indeed they present many environmental advantages, such as a smaller geographical footprint. Yet, I hope to address the disadvantages of smart cities, including their power source, which remains fossil fuels, and find solutions to replace cities power supply origins. Additionally, I would like discover ways to improve and make our existing infrastructure ecological and energy efficient in effort to reduce the carbon footprint and decrease the vulnerability of urban areas to natural disasters.

I shake my legs out, and ready myself in the corner. I clench the carpet deeply between my toes, take my first step, run, hurdle, round-off, back tuck, stick, finish. The satisfaction that I feel as I land a skill is unparalleled. I started competitive gymnastics when I was twelve. Despite training for years, it has never felt like second nature to me, it has always been a challenge and has remained a hobby. I have such a deep passion for gymnastics that I thoroughly enjoy training rigorously 12 hours/week, 52 weeks/year, watching hours of Olympic footage, and keeping up with the latest gymnastics news on social media. Discipline and hard work are at the core of the sport; however, its driving force is the constant pushing of limits and the rush of adrenaline that comes with flipping. Over the years, I have moved out of my comfort zone and up from the low-bar to the high-bar and level three to level seven. My most proud achievement was being state silver medalist on bars in 2021 following my recovery from a concussion. As elected team captain of my gymnastics team, I ensure that my teammates feel motivated, supported, and cared for. During the off season, I have the responsibility of integrating new gymnasts into the team; ensuring no one is left out. Wanting to share my passion for gymnastics with others, I became a camp recreational coach over the summer in the mornings while continuing to train in the afternoons. I organized obstacles courses, taught basic kicks and skills, and monitored lunch time. Working with young kids by helping them develop balancing and motor skills has allowed me to find greater meaning in this sport. I hope to be able to continue coaching and keep gymnastics apart of my life.

“Huge swaths of the 4th largest US city remained underwater and some places in Houston may be uninhabitable for weeks or months to come” reported CNN. In 2017 Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas in my hometown of Houston on Friday, August 25th flooding hundred thousand of houses, destroying local businesses, and disrupting lives. During the aftermath of the hurricane, in an upsurge of solidarity, communities mobilized, and volunteer groups formed to aid those most affected by the storm. Fortunately, my house was spared any damage, and I set out with the intent to be involved in the rebuilding of my community. Our neighborhood recreational center opened its door as a supply warehouse where people could pick up food, dry clothes, cleaning items, and water. I ensured shifts and gathered supplies making rounds in the neighborhood to drop off bleach, gloves, and buckets. As water in homes began to empty out, I joined a team and emptied out closets full of mildew, ran countless washing machines, cleared rotten food products from fridges, dried books, carried furniture, while others demolished sheetrock. It felt strange to tear down friends’ homes. Throughout this experience, I felt immense pride to be part of this human movement that contributed to the revival of Houston. Not only was I able to help others’ lives, but they also greatly enriched mine. Hurricane Harvey brought out altruism in each of us, it was incredible to see such tremendous giving, an unprecedented outpour of generosity.

I am a Formula 1 devotee. Every race Sunday at eight in the morning the words “Its lights out and away we go” resonate through my veins; the excitement that I feel as I wait for the riveting overtakes into Turn 1 is unparalleled. Thursday is press conference day. Drivers conduct media interviews, reveal their forecast for the weekend, and announce contract changes. It feels like I am getting a behind the scenes insight at the massive Formula 1 machine and its moving parts. As a naturally curious person, I love learning everything about a topic when it has piqued my interest which results in deep dive internet searches of past world championship cars and hours of reading driver's wikipedia pages. The Netflix show Drive to Survive furthered my interest in the sport as it exposed the dynamics of team principals and their drivers and tension that arise. Friday is free practice day, or as I call it: engineering day. Men and women in team uniforms scurry about the paddock with fuel samples, front wings, and tires. Over the years, it has been rewarding to see a growing number of female mechanics and engineers. Formula 1 encompasses many of my passions as it is an encounter between athleticism and high performance engineering. Perhaps one day I could be one of those women walking the paddock carrying fuel samples or being head mechanic. Saturday is qualifying day. Drivers get three tries at the fastest lap, racing at astronomical speeds. The anticipation ascends as the clock ticks out. Adrenaline builds up, my eyes are captivated by the action and the risk taking by the drivers, lives are at play. The sheer speed of these engineering wonders is breathtaking; it is difficult to believe at times that they reach speeds up to 230 mph. Sunday is race day. Tension is at its maximum. Weeks’ worth of preparation come down to this moment, this 60-lap race. In the pit lane, team mechanics’ moves are synchronized to the wire, as to not waste a second. As the victor crosses the finish line, its team rises in excitement. What I love the most about Formula 1 is the combination of individual talent and teamwork, both need each other to succeed.

I jump off the tumble track, shake my legs out, and ready myself in the corner. I clench the carpet deeply between my toes, take my first step, run, hurdle, round-off, jump back, crash. Next thing I know I am on the floor, flat on my back. I started competitive gymnastics when I was twelve. Despite training for years, it has never felt like second nature to me, it has always been a challenge and has remained a hobby. I have such a deep passion for gymnastics that I thoroughly enjoy training rigorously 12 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, watching hours of Olympic competition footage, and keeping up with the latest gymnastics news on social media. Discipline and hard work are the foundations of gymnastics, yet the driving force of the sport is the constant pushing of limits; that challenge excites me and keeps me motivated and enthusiastic about practice. Although it seems as if every bodily movement is robotic an automatic, every turn requires me to visualize and focus on all parts of the movement. On that day, my mind and my body were disconnected. I suffered a concussion. I could not go upside down, could not flip. Every sharp movement of the head left me dizzy and disoriented. When I finally stepped out on the floor again, fear took over and I was petrified. Before the hours leading up to trainings, I felt the apprehension build up. Most practices ended in disappointment, failing to achieve the back tuck; it was a major setback. Realizing that my frustration only aggravated my situation, I looked for ways to control my reaction to the circumstances. I took up running which allowed me to relieve tensions and practice mindful breathing, listening to Spotify’s Fun Run playlist. Running felt freeing and empowering. It gave me an opportunity to reflect beyond a trick that had no life-or-death implications and the courage to take a risk and overcome the mental block. At school, I joined the WISE (Women in Science and Engineering) club; it strengthened my enjoyment of STEM and gave me a new perspective on movement, kinematics, and gymnastics. Through experimental activities and collaboration, I was able to apply the concepts of my physics textbook to my gymnastics. When doing the back tuck, the body rebounds backwards into the air and rotation causes the hips to pull over allowing me to land on my feet, leaving little room for falling. This scientific analysis was reassuring, it boosted my confidence in my abilities and diminished my fears of injury. Gymnastics is an extremely competitive sport, my biggest competitors are my teammates. We learn from the same coach, practice the same number of hours; we are on a level playing field. I regularly compared myself to them, measuring my success in terms of theirs. Acceptance and patience are my most powerful tools. Everyone learns in different ways and at different paces. I needed to allow myself to be guided by my progression. Win or lose on the competition floor, I realized I am my biggest competitor. Every day when I step into the gym, the classroom, the world, I am trying to be a better version of myself than I was last time no matter the scope of improvement. Gymnastics constantly pushes me beyond my comfort zone; when I ready myself in the corner, I am still afraid, but I do not let the fear stop me. Getting out of my head and practicing gymnastics with my heart led to the immense satisfactory feeling when I finally landed the back tuck.

Keep going! Keep going! Turn your wrist! Throw the batter! French crepes have connected my family for generations. Helping my mom piece together my great grandmother’s recipe as her personal taster has brought us together and unlock the secret behind the regional delicacy. Hosting crepe parties in Houston, Texas with our friends has allowed me to share my cultural identity and broaden my circle of friends. While their taste is divine, it’s what French crepes represent that really matters to me. They’ve been a portal to understanding my heritage and preserving a connection to French culture and traditions.