“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” – Walt Disney. Achievements are realized dreams. They are the culmination of perseverance, hard work, and resolution. A dream takes dedication and determination, and in the end, achieving a dream is ultimately gratifying. One of my long-term dreams is to leave my mark somewhere, and by the time my high school career is complete, I will have achieved that. When COVID-19 hit, life came to a screeching halt. Many of the activities that I was involved in were put on hold or canceled. Completely homebound, I felt more compelled than ever to find a way to stay involved, volunteer, or help somewhere, somehow. And then, an opportunity was presented to me that would become my greatest high school achievement. Our high school had received a grant to renovate its Upper Learning Commons. Knowing that my college and career goals were to pursue a career in design, my drafting teacher reached out and invited me to join the design team. She felt this would be an excellent opportunity for students to be involved, provide input, and lead the activities. The purpose of the project was to redesign the space into multiple distinct learning environments for students to personalize and maximize their learning. I eagerly accepted. Not only would this give me the chance to fill my activity void, but it would also give me the extraordinary opportunity to apply the skills and creative ideas I have acquired so far and allow me to leave my first design related mark on the world. And so, I grabbed my pencil, paper, and tape measure and got to work. The team and I were able to make special arrangements to have our first and only in person meeting at the design site. I took on the role of lead designer. I oversaw measuring the space and creating a three-dimensional model. I measured the dimension of every wall, door, and window. I also made sure to factor in the little details like where the electrical outlets and ethernet ports were located. After our initial meeting, I spent many hours sketching and creating a three-dimensional rendering of the space. Once completed, I met with the interior design team to incorporate their layout. Throughout the process, we had weekly status meetings with our supervisor for mentoring and timeline goals. Along the way, we also had to make sure we were staying within the budget and create and deliver a formal presentation to the School Board Budget committee for approval. Now that our design and budget was approved, we can begin to secure the materials and furniture for the project. The design team and I will be on campus soon to participate in the actual redesign work and see the project come to life. By the time the space is unveiled, the team and I will have spent hundreds of hours researching, collaborating, designing, budgeting and building. Come this September, students will enjoy a redesigned area where they can explore new environments to help them learn better. This project has reinforced my passion for design and has given me the tenacity and courage to dream about achieving even bigger goals to leave my mark on the built world as an Urban Technologist. For all these reasons, this design project represents my greatest high school achievement. In my future career, I plan to design cities to make them better and more efficient for communities and people, just like I did with the Upper Learning Commons project. I plan on implementing solar panels, green spaces, and improved road layouts in urban places to limit carbon emissions and to create a greener and healthier earth. Our earth and people need a brighter outlook with progressive and livable solutions for a healthier future. The best way we can achieve this is through sustainable energy.

Imagine a world where everyone cared about the environment. Where the air is clean. Where skyscrapers become alive with beautiful green rooftop parks. Where entire subdivisions have solar panels and windows, and the downspouts filter reclaimed water for landscape irrigation systems. Ever since I was seven, my “everything” has been sustainable energy. Climate change and catastrophic natural events are upon us. My generation will need to take an active role in trying to limit and reverse the effects of climate change. In a perfect world, my vision would be a self-sustaining planet free of carbon emissions. My dream is to enhance traditional cities by supplementing the built world with eco-friendly alternative materials. Materials that will not only erase the carbon footprint of newly sprawling areas, but further help to resolve our planet's energy issue. We need a commitment to utilizing this bold technology in the designs of tomorrow. In my future career, I plan to design cities with solar panels, green spaces, and improved road layouts to limit carbon emissions and create a greener and healthier earth. Coal-fired power plants account for forty percent of the world's energy needs and create a huge carbon footprint. Converting to eco-friendly energy-saving technology will dramatically limit air pollution. Less pollution means better air quality, and the lives of people within their communities will be vastly improved - especially in denser urban areas. Additionally, materials like metal siding - which is inefficient and subject to corrosion - can be replaced by fiber-cement siding that is rot, insect, fire, and storm-resistant. As a cheaper alternative to brick, it creates a robust structure that limits energy waste. Recycling materials will also have a substantial impact on communities. Glass, plastics, and paper can be reprocessed into flooring and other building materials. Adding recycled tires to the tarmac to build roads would make our streets more durable. Rubber in the roadway would allow for its expansion and contraction with fluctuating temperatures and keep the integrity of our infrastructure solid and from crumbling as it does now. These solutions are all possible. We simply just need to implement them. In my career, I will do everything I can to change traditional city-systems by integrating revolutionary technology. Our earth and people need a brighter outlook with progressive and livable solutions for a healthier future. The best way we can achieve this is through sustainable energy.

Weather can be unpredictable. But there was nothing foreseeable about April 17th, 2020, not the weather, not anything. What should have been a mild spring day, turned out to be unseasonal and wholly transformative. It was day thirty-six of COVID quarantine and thirty-six uncertain days since I went to school in person or even left my house. At first it seemed we would only be home a few days and then it quickly morphed into nobody was sure. Our teachers were assigning work but many of the students seemed to be giving up. The whole world seemed disenchanted. I felt discouraged. It was hard to find my stride. It didn’t seem like my school, my state, nor anyone had a contingency plan for dealing with the raging virus; including me. As a junior in high school, I was wholeheartedly enjoying my classes, extracurricular activities, and social life. At the very least, secure and sheltered in place with me, I had my family. For a long time since before I could remember, this was new. My older brother was in college and mostly moved out. My younger sister and brother were suddenly on hiatus from their classes, extracurricular activities, and social lives too. Even my dad that we hardly ever saw because of his twelve-hour workday, was home. My mom on the other hand, who was the family manager, was also locked in. Here we were, twenty-four-seven, seemingly strangers, yet somehow related. So, we plugged along. We had been at our remote studies for a few weeks by now and my siblings and I had laid claim to our new learning environments. My older brother found refuge in a revamped walk-in closet, my younger brother and sister each took over a quiet corner in our basement, and I set up shop in the old toy room. In the middle of this whirlwind, I began to take stock of my new reality. I really had nothing to complain about. People were out of work, hungry, sick, and in numbers I cannot comprehend, dying. A crushing fear overwhelmed me. Would any of us get sick? It was certainly a time for grace since none of us had fallen ill. Suddenly, isolation didn’t seem so bad and there was no other place I would rather be than safe at home with my new found family. On the eve of that fateful April 17th, I laid in my bed thinking about how this pandemic brought life to a screeching halt. Not just for me, but the world. I wasn’t alone. Everyone was grappling with life in their own way. For me, I realized that as busy as we were, years had gone by since my siblings and I simply hung out unencumbered by our academics, responsibilities, or the calendar. So, in the morning I figured I would suggest a game of two-on-two basketball. As scary as the world seemed, I felt fortunate to be together, healthy, and I fell asleep. I woke up the next day and tossed on my shorts. But plans changed. Mother Nature tossed us a curveball and delivered a foot of snow! The perfect kind of packing snow you can play in too. Bewildered, but not questioning it, we looked at each other and holler, “Let’s go!” As refreshing as the snow felt on my face, the air was equally invigorating. Bonded by the chilly temperature and a mission, we ran around in the snow like little kids and built a snowman. There were no words, just laughing and lots of snow rolling to make a magnificent snowman. It was huge and perfect. Then even though our snowman was done, we weren’t done in the snow. Instead of two-on-two basketball, we had a two-on-two snowball fight. Snowballs whizzed across the yard and I remember thinking how it had been half my life ago since we played in our yard. Wet and freezing, we crowded back around our snowman for a quick picture to capture this rare weather and family event. Back inside all warmed up, it occurred to me. If it wasn’t for the unseasonal snow, or the raging pandemic, this defining moment in my life may not have occurred. The snow was a gift. My family was a gift. For as much as the virus seemed to take away, in that moment it gave back. It was the stuff that magic moments are made of. The ones you can’t learn about in a classroom. The ones your parents preach about but don’t register until they slap you in the face. Like the snowball that hit me square on, I was humbled by the absolute love I have for my family. It had always been there, but this day made me realize how extraordinarily lucky I was to have them. What a difference twenty-four hours can make. I felt wiser and stronger – altogether appreciative. At the time of my writing this, it is day three hundred and eighteen of quarantine. By now the uncertainty hasn’t really changed, it has sadly become a numbing normal. With over 400,000 deaths, something has changed for me. I am even more thankful that we have managed to stay healthy. The picture of us crowded around the snowman sits next to the TV we watch every day. It serves as a daily reminder of this time, the loss, and everything gained. It is January now and seasonally snowing. I woke up thinking about the unimaginable suffering of people that have lost their jobs, their homes or their loved ones. I still find it hard to wrap my mind around everyone’s loss. I take solace in the bright white snow gently falling, and I am humbled by what I have learned; a regard for family, life, and a consideration for those devastatingly impacted. Like the snow that will come and go, I am hopeful this virus will too. Thankfully, my lessons learned and family are here to stay.