Ever since I was in the 5th grade, I wanted to become an engineer. Engineers are the people who can push humanity forward by solving problems both large and omnipresent, and small and at times overlooked. Growing up, though, I noticed that a lot of the issues Latinos in my community dealt with often got overlooked or understated. At times, it felt like the issues Latinos across the country had to deal with were not treated as issues all Americans had to face. Although discouraging at times, it has served as a major motivating factor for me to pursue a degree in STEM to solve issues that felt like no one wanted to address. Today, I am currently attending Texas Tech University to garner that degree and not only pursue my goal, but represent ‘mi raza’ in a field where we are often underrepresented in. ​ My pursuit of engineering is largely energized by my wanting to help my community as best as I can and as soon as possible. At Texas Tech, I am currently majoring in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Civil Engineering with a focus on structural analysis. At Tech, I became a sponge and soaked up as much as I could on Engineering Design and Graphics, Data Analysis with Python and AI Applications, as well as Materials Science. As of writing, I am currently working on research regarding the effects of dust suppressants used on a major road by my neighborhood and how potential misuse may have led to increased flooding. If true, I hope to use the data to design a spray nozzle that can allow dust suppressants to still work effectively, without leading to runoff or flooding on roads. ​ Aside from my academic and professional pursuits, I have also worked diligently empowering others to pursue a higher education in STEM. Prior to entering university, I convinced many of my friends to pursue a higher education despite what society expects of Latinos. I acted as a math tutor for many of my peers in both our high school and dual credit classes. Today, all of them are now pursuing a higher education with the same goal of making our community and the world as a whole a better place. ​ There is an alienation all Latinos share. If our English isn’t good enough, we are treated as foreigners. If our Spanish isn’t good enough, we are no longer treated as Latinos. We have to be perfect to survive. This alienation has made too many of the issues we deal with at times overlooked. I hope to better represent my people in the field of STEM and solve the issues no one wants to. Winning this scholarship will not only relieve the financial strain of attending university but will also increase my ability to do more for us all and make the world a better place. Not just for Latinos, but for everyone.

Our mortality and our reaction to it are what make us human. Some try to move on from it, others try to hold on and fight it till their last breath, and some, like Kalia, are allowed to give back in spite of death. Reading about her life reminded me a lot of my own. She worked hard not only for herself but for others as well. Although I am not as effective as she was when it came to work, I still try my best. I stay on my goals and try to help others along the way. Currently, I am trying to become a mechanical engineer. For me, engineering became a pathway for me to make the most positive change for society. I want to change the world for the better. One issue I am currently trying to help solve is that of textile waste. I run 432 Vintage, which is a small online business focused on providing quality and affordable vintage clothing as a better alternative for consumers as opposed to fast-fashion trends that are destroying our environment. As an engineer, my main goal would be to create technology that reduces the environmental impact of clothes, as well as more effective manufacturing techniques that make the whole process of producing textiles less water and energy-intensive. I also plan to continue and grow 432 Vintage beyond a small online storefront and make it into a genuine competitor to major fashion brands. Despite Kalia's death and the deaths of others who shared her outlook, ethics, and passions, winning this scholarship may help me change the world for the better and inspire the next generation of hard workers and pioneers to do the same. Winning this scholarship would also push me to succeed academically, not just for my sake but for the sake of Kalia as well. Her memory and who she was would live on and help humanity forward. Although Kalia is no longer with us, her determination, will, and kindness live on in us all. Because of this, we must preserve her memory through our actions and carve a path forward not only for ourselves but for the lives of others as well. Winning this scholarship will help me on my mission to achieve just that and will push me to succeed academically for both my sake and the sake of Kalia. If I don't win, my main hope is that whoever does creates the kind of change Kalia would have wanted for us all.

Each year, 92 million tons of textile waste gets produced as a direct result of fast-fashion trends, and inefficient manufacturing practices. The dumping of this waste has led to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions, chemical pollution in our oceans and waterways, and soil contamination that is destroying land and ecosystems across the globe. This issue has served as a major force behind my goal to change the world for the better, and a goal that I am actively taking steps towards accomplishing through both my business and my academic journey. Currently, I run a small online business called 432 Vintage, that focuses on selling quality and affordable vintage clothing as a means of fighting textile-waste by offering consumers an alternative to fast-fashion trends. On top of this, 10% of every purchase made goes straight to charity. As a direct result of this business model, 432 Vintage has been able to raise hundreds of dollars in charities that directly support my community such as, West Texas Food Bank, Keep Odessa Beautiful, The Education Foundation of Odessa, The Odessa Crisis Center, and many more. Not only that, but we also helped fund the planting of over 200 trees across the globe with the aid of the Arbor Day Foundation and Team Trees. Although I am proud of all the help 432 Vintage has done for both my community and the world as a whole, it is simply not enough. Engineering proved to be a path for me to continue in my mission by not only allowing me to grow my business, but to also develop and design better manufacturing techniques that reduce textile waste from one of its largest sources. One process in dire need of change is the dyeing of clothes. For one, much of the dyes used utilize chemicals that can leech into soils and waterways, destroying land and resources. On top of that, current dyeing techniques are extremely water extensive. For instance, the average textile factory requires about 50-100 liters of water per kilogram of fabric produced just to dye them. Using less water extensive dyeing techniques as well as less harmful chemicals, can allow for a cleaner world and lower the impact of textile waste. Next week I will be starting college at Texas Tech University. There I will study the tools necessary to design and develop the technology necessary for me to create the kind of change humanity needs. The path ahead is not an easy one, but I am nevertheless excited to see what the future holds for me. Winning this scholarship can allow me to study without the pressure of student loan debt on my mind and allow me to focus more on solving the issue of textile-waste and its subsequent consequences. I am determined to change the world for the better, and I have already taken small steps in doing so through 432 Vintage. Hopefully this scholarship may aid me in my next few steps forward.

Bowing towards my God, I began to weep. I wept because I knew in following him, I'd lose the love and support of those I hold dear. This realization is a daily part of my life. The adversity I face today is the freedom and acceptance I seek. The freedom to practice my faith without fear or worry, and to be accepted for who I am. My family is largely Catholic, and my dad served in the military during the Gulf War. One day, my mom walked in on me praying, and the people who loved me and raised me turned into strangers almost immediately. My dad adorned my room with crosses and excerpts from the gospel. They forced me to talk to a priest. My dad burned my Quran and other religious texts that were gifted to me and made me watch. They made me block my Muslim friends and threatened to pull me out of school. My parents put me through psychological torture for about a week. One day, while they tortured me in my room, I heard the voice of Allah and he told me, "apostatize...I have plans for you, my child." I did what he said. The torture ceased. Going through this adversity has been a large motivating factor behind what I want to do as an engineer. I wanted to be an engineer for as long as I can remember, but the experience itself made me want to change the world for the better. I want to change the world not only to prove to myself that I can, but to prove to my parents that, despite what they did to me, I never submitted to their will and only to the will of God. I forgave my parents for what they did to me. I love them both. Especially my mother. Islam tells us in one of the Hadiths, "Paradise lies beneath your mother's feet." Despite everything, I still love her. I hope that in changing the world as an engineer, I may inspire others going through similar hardships to persevere through it all, and that this path that God laid out for me may be fruitful for both my life and the lives of those I love. Despite not being accepted by my parents for my faith, nor having the same freedoms allotted to us in our constitution, I never let my hardships define me, only motivate me forward. I hope that by winning this scholarship, it may help me on my academic journey and allow me to be less financially reliant on my parents. If I don't win, my main hope is that it goes to someone in more need than I. After all, "with hardship comes ease." Allah has a plan for me, and I will follow it nevertheless.

Of the 100 billion garments produced each year, 92 million tons end up in landfills. Much of this being driven by the textile industry and fast-fashion culture. I want to build a future where textile-waste and fast-fashion trends no longer exist, and I want to create a much cleaner world for us all. I plan to do this through both the technology I hope to create as I venture into engineering, as well as my brand, 432 Vintage. The textile industry alone accounts for roughly 10% of global greenhouse emissions according to reports done by the United Nations. Much of this is due to the added demand placed on manufacturers from fast-fashion trends and fashion companies that have grown complacent to them. The resulting waste from overproduction has the ability to contaminate waterways, our soil, and ecosystems at large. Not only that but making clothing can at times be extremely water extensive. For instance, to make a single pair of jeans it requires an estimated 7,500 liters of water. This is due mainly from inefficient dyeing techniques that often exploit workers as well as our environment. One way I want to solve these issues is by using more organic based materials as an alternative to plastics, thus, leaving less of an impact on our environment and natural ecosystems. I would also attempt to make less water extensive dying techniques that are more cost effective for manufacturers as opposed to the traditional dying techniques used today. On top of all this, I plan to use my business, 432 Vintage as a means to bring awareness to the issues we face today when it comes to textile-waste, alternatives that step away from the fast-fashion culture my generation has entrenched itself in, and slowly aid in a transition towards a more environmentally conscious consumer. Textile-waste is one of the biggest issues we face today and is an issue we often overlook. Humanity and the environments that surround us are slowly dying as a result of our own excess and arrogance. Bringing an end to textile-waste is the future I want to build. A future where some of the most beautiful places on earth aren't littered by overproduced clothes from a SHEIN factory. A future where workers are not exploited for the sake of profit and cost-effectiveness. A future where we remember where our clothes came from. I am determined to achieve this future for us all and I know that I will change the world for the better by doing so. Winning this scholarship will aid me on my journey towards achieving such a goal and help in creating a brighter future for us all.

As of writing, more than 13,000 children have been killed since the start of the war in Gaza, 25,000 injured, and another 25,000 are currently hospitalized due to malnutrition. Not only that, but global emissions have reached an all-time high and continue to rise as time passes. Legacy--in my eyes, at least--is not the attainment of wealth, power, or status, but rather what we choose to do in the face of injustice and hardship. The choices we make and their impact on the world make up our legacy. Some try to fight injustice, some remain silent when confronted by it, and others cause it. The legacy I want to leave behind is one of hope. I want to change the world for the better. It is a goal that has been within me for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I used to be a big fan of superheroes. One of my favorite superheroes was Superman. The Superman I liked was the one who fought injustice at all costs, fueled solely by a will to power to overcome all struggles in the hopes of a better tomorrow. As I grew up, I began to realize that Superman's will to power is in everyone to a certain extent. My parents reinforced this in me and have helped me overcome many obstacles. My parents have helped me heavily on my journey to becoming a Mechanical Engineer by being there for me when the road felt hard. The Injustices we face today have only motivated me further. As a Mechanical Engineer, my main goal would be to create technology that can combat not only textile waste but also Global Warming at large. I currently run a small online business that focuses on reducing textile waste by offering quality vintage clothes a second chance at life. As I began operating my business, textile waste became extremely apparent to me. For example, according to a study done by the UN, it takes around 3,781 liters of water to produce a single pair of jeans. Each year, an estimated 2.16 million pairs of jeans are produced while 83% of which never get worn. This is the same as wasting 6.78 billion liters of water each year for a single article of clothing. As an engineer, I would create fabric that leaves as minimal of an environmental impact as possible, while also allowing for a transition to better manufacturing processes when it comes to the textile and fashion industry. Not only that, but I plan to use my business as a way to change the current fast-fashion culture that has a stranglehold on my generation and is leaving devastating environmental issues on our planet for the sake of trends. I am not too concerned about what my legacy will be. Rather, I am afraid of what my generation's legacy may become. I hope that in my pursuit to change the world for the better, I may offer inspiration to those who seek to do the same and overcome any obstacles that they may encounter. Nevertheless, I have hope for the future and hope for humanity. After all, there is a Superman within all of us. The question is whether we choose to listen to him.

One of the many challenges I had to overcome was organizing a series of pop-up events with local small businesses here in Odessa, Texas. I hosted a pop-up event once a month throughout much of 2024, which required months of preparation and planning while maintaining operations for my clothing brand, 432 Vintage. 432 Vintage is a small business I started that focuses on selling quality vintage clothing at an affordable cost while funding charities that support our community here in West Texas, as well as protect environments across the globe. I got the idea to host monthly pop-up events as a way to physically interact with my community and support my brand's growth. Organizing events with other businesses started off quite rough. Many were not too interested in hosting us, and many of them often ghosted me whenever I reached out. Despite these initial setbacks, I was still able to organize pop-ups that not only helped my business grow but also increased the general traffic for the businesses that hosted us. Thanks to these events, we were also able to raise close to one thousand dollars' worth of charity in 2024 alone. Had I given up on the idea of doing pop-ups and stuck to selling the clothes I found, solely online, I doubt that I would have been as successful with my business compared to where we are now. I also learned a lot from the experience as a whole. Doing each event required a certain level of leadership and communication when it came to collaborating with other businesses, just to keep events on track and allow us to create the impact and visibility necessary for success. After each event, I always learned a little more about not only myself but my customer base as well. Even if the outcome of the event ended up being profitable or not, I still learned something new. Currently, I am trying to become a mechanical engineer and apply what I learn at Texas Tech University back into my business and use it as a means to help not only my community here in Odessa, but the world as a whole. One of the biggest issues humanity faces today is textile waste. Currently, it is estimated that the world produces 92 million tons of textile waste each year. Not only that, but the textile industry alone accounts for around 10% of global emissions. These statistics left me so awestruck that it was what inspired 432 Vintage to begin with. As an engineer, I plan to create technology that could revolutionize the textile industry as we know it today and help bring an end to textile waste as a whole. Despite the challenges I faced when it came to my business, I never once let it get me down. Whenever there was a setback, I always adjusted and communicated with businesses to ensure success. Due to this, 432 Vintage has proven to become quite successful and has helped in raising a lot of money to directly support not only my community here in Odessa but the world as a whole. I plan to continue these efforts in the future and hopefully change the world for the better. Winning this scholarship can help me in my mission to help bring an end to textile waste and fund the education necessary for me to do so.

Changing the world for the better is an objective of mine that has become paramount to nearly everything I do. It has pushed me to create my own small business, raise hundreds of dollars to charity, and motivate me to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering. Despite how bleak and disheartening humanity's struggles may be on television, there is a fire within me that pushes me to fight against these issues and carve a path forward for us all. As stated earlier, I created a small business called, "432 Vintage." The main goal of 432 Vintage is to sell quality and affordable vintage clothing as a way to combat textile-waste and global warming caused by the fast fashion industry. Although small, 432 Vintage has accomplished a lot when it comes to fighting both issues and has created a strong knit community here in Odessa, TX and even appeared in a local news article. One accomplishment that I and those that follow us online are most proud of is the planting of over two-hundred trees in association with the Arbor Day Foundation and Team Trees. Not only that, but we also raised hundreds of dollars towards local charities that benefit my city such as: West Texas Food Bank, Keep Odessa Beautiful, The Crisis Center of Odessa, and many more. I also took part in many volunteer events, and I have over 50 documented volunteer hours through Texas Scholars and the Odessa Chamber of Commerce. I plan to continue my efforts as I enter into college and help those in need more effectively. Currently, I am trying to become a Mechanical Engineer in hopes of not only helping my community in Odessa and West Texas at large, but the world as a whole. I plan to one day create technology that can combat textile-waste and global warming more effectively and motivate others to do the same. I carry a deep love for both this world and humanity and I am determined to do everything in my power to improve it. Winning this scholarship will allow me to attend college without the stress of student loan debt looming over me and my ambitions. I am determined to change the world, and I hope this scholarship may help me in doing so. If not I, then I hope someone else who shares the same fire that I do when it comes to saving our planet.

Just Northeast of Junction, past the Llano River, stands a small graveyard called, “Little Mexico Cemetery.” There, my great-great grandfather was buried. When my mom asked where my dad was going to take us to visit, she thought he was joking about heading to “Little Mexico.” When we saw the entrance, we realized he wasn’t. My great-great grandfather, Severo Enriquez was run off his land by Texas Rangers in 1905 and was forced to sell his ranch and land for pennies to the state. Had Severo refused, him and his family would have been lynched and their land taken anyways. Learning his story and seeing the segregated graveyard, showed me how integral it was for me to succeed for the sake of both myself and my family. It inspired me. Junction, TX is a small town with a population of around 2,500 people. Junction is a pretty place to hunt and fish, has a serene state park connected to the Llano River, and really good barbecue. Despite Junction’s charm, the leftovers of segregation can still be seen today. On our way through town we saw confederate flags being waved on a handful of vehicles and buildings, and we also got strange looks from a handful of the locals. Once we went over the river into Northeast Junction, the land became arid, and the roads that were once well paved were either in disarray or just dirt. Not only that but the economic gap between both areas proved to be stark in comparison. The locals call Northeast Junction, “Little Mexico” due to the high Latino population. During the turn of the century, Severo Enriquez found Junction home. He was a rancher and owned and worked on his own land. He won this land thanks to a familial inheritance from a land grant gained working on the railroad near Piedras Negras and Eagle Pass. He eventually married my great-great grandmother, Tecia Enriquez shortly after he acquired it. In 1905 Texas Rangers went to Severo hoping to drive him off and take the land back. The Texas Rangers gave him an ultimatum that went along the lines of, “Leave or Die.” Severo accepted their terms but stayed in Junction, and later died in 1949 alongside his wife. Today, Severo’s land is under the control of the Kimble County School District. I have no interest in taking back Severo’s land, nor do I believe that he would have wanted that. Junction has a poverty rate of around 16% which is above the current national average. If Severo’s land is being used to uplift that community of Northeast Junction out of poverty, I am glad it is being used for it. What I learned from Severo’s story is that in order for true justice to be brought to my family, it is my duty to ensure that I achieve success for the sake of those wronged. I am currently planning to attend Texas Tech University in hopes of attaining a degree in Mechanical Engineering to progress humanity forward. Seeing My great-great grandfather buried under dried out dirt that was allotted to him solely on the color of his skin did not demotivate my ambitions but only fueled my desire to achieve success for both myself and my family as a means of gaining justice. In this pursuit, I hope that I may inspire others to overcome the generational boundaries placed upon them, in order to achieve greatness. If considered for this scholarship, it would make the financial burden of college a lot less, and help me focus more on my academic pursuits.

Currently, I am the owner and cofounder of 432 Vintage, which is a small business focused on selling quality and affordable vintage clothing across the United States. Not only that but 10% of all purchases made by customers go towards charity. Because of this, we have been able to plant 100 trees in association with the Arbor Day Foundation and have raised over half a grand to help fund multiple charities that serve our community. Helping my community has taught me the importance of networking with others to achieve goals and help bring attention to important topics and issues West Texas faces. On top of this charity, I have been a member of Texas Scholars Society, NHS, and AVID throughout my high school academic career and I have over 50 documented volunteer hours. I am planning to attend Texas Tech University to become a mechanical engineer–a career that is only 8% Latino–and create technology that combats textile waste and change the world for the better while also opening up a physical storefront for 432 Vintage while still maintaining our 10% charity rule. Winning this scholarship can help me achieve my mission and inspire others to change the world as well.

Currently, I run 432 Vintage, which is a small online business that focuses on selling quality and affordable vintage clothing across the United States. Charity has always been a significant part of our business, and as a direct result, 432 Vintage has been able to raise a little over half a grand in charity with a goal of $700 by the time I graduate from Odessa Collegiate Academy. Much of this charity comes from 10% of all purchases made by customers and occasional donations from those in our community. Achieving over half a grand in charity was not easy, and there were times when I questioned if it could be possible. Despite this, I continued forward, focused on the single goal of helping not only my community, but the world as a whole. The idea of doing charity came from a disgust I had not only for the inflated vintage clothing market but for the fashion industry as a whole. Clothing has gradually become less about individual expression and more about following trends to fit in. Not only that but simply making and transporting clothing is extremely wasteful and hurts our environment. Charity in my eyes offered me a chance to give back to my community and separate myself from the status quo that the fashion industry put us in. At first, sales were extremely slow and it was frustrating for me to see only $10 raised over only half a month. As 432 Vintage’s presence online grew, however, so did our charity and we were able to meet our donation goals. One of my favorite accomplishments that 432 Vintage was able to do was help plant 100 trees in association with the Arbor Day Foundation as a direct result of the 10% charity rule. It gave me a kind of hope for the future and showed me that despite all of humanity’s flaws, we could unite under a singular goal. It gave me faith in our future and faith in God. I am confident that we will be able to reach our $700 charity goal by the time I graduate from high school. To truly help the world we need to do a lot more than simply charity. Because of this, I am pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering at Texas Tech this coming fall, with hopes of creating technology that changes how the fashion industry works. For instance, an artificial durable and biodegradable fabric, manufacturing techniques that minimize leftover fabric, or less water extensive dying techniques for clothes. Technology like this can heavily reduce textile waste and promote a cleaner and healthier earth. I hope that this scholarship will help me on my journey to change the world for the better by helping me fund my education at Texas Tech this coming fall. I hold a deep love for our earth and humanity despite our flaws. 432 Vintage offered me a pathway to help us all while allowing me to separate my business from the status quo the fashion industry has placed on us all. My business’s charity has helped many people and I am certain that as I continue the business, it will help many more. The road that lies ahead will not be easy for me but I am determined to travel it. My faith in humanity and God prevails over all doubt and evil. There is nowhere else to go but forward now, and I pray that whoever reads this may help me along the path.

Cafe de Luna was busy the entire day but was still somewhat serene and unobtrusive. My pop-up event with them proved to be a success, and the owner was glad to see new customers brought into the cafe. It was one of many small steps for me towards my current goal to change the world for the better. Currency, I run 432 Vintage, a small online business focused on selling quality and affordable vintage clothing across the United States. Our main goal is to fight against the fast-fashion industry and textile waste produced on masse by it. Not only that but 10% of all purchases made, go straight towards charities focused on promoting the general welfare of those a part of our community and protecting environments across the globe. As a direct result of this 10% charity rule, 432 Vintage has been able to donate over half a grand throughout my senior year alone to charity and plant 100 trees in association with the Arbor Day Foundation. In doing all this, I hope to create a cultural shift in the fashion world away from micro trends propped up by the fast-fashion industry and push towards a space focused on individual expression as opposed to subservience to certain trends. Vintage clothing offered the perfect opportunity for me to pursue this change and I took it. Vintage clothing is always in demand due to its higher quality and it is one of the many fashion motifs that combat fast fashion as a whole. Not only that but starting my business also made the market more competitive here in West Texas and allowed thrift stores to lower their prices so that those in need of clothes could get it much easier. Although I am proud of what my business has already accomplished and how it has helped my community, it simply will not be enough to bring an end to the fast-fashion industry. In order to bring an end to fast fashion it must also be through technological alternatives. This is why I am currently planning to attend Texas Tech University this coming fall in the pursuit of a degree in Mechanical Engineering. With it, I plan to create cleaner manufacturing processes within the textile industry as a means of reducing its carbon footprint and creating a fabric that is both durable and biodegradable at the same time. Changing the world will not be easy, then again who said it would? For me, changing the world is not only a goal but a destiny at this point in my life. I have a deep love for both the world around us and those who find it home. Textile waste is one of the biggest issues we must face, and I am determined to bring an end to it. An end is driven by both technological progress and cultural change. I hope that this scholarship may help me accomplish my destiny and help me change the world for the better.

The Quran burned in front of my eyes. Tears shed as I begged my dad to stop. It was no use. My parents found out I was Muslim and forced me to apostatize my faith. They subjugated me for being me–a person they did not want. I eventually forgave my parents for what they did to me and I am currently living in hiding of my true self once more. I have not lost faith however, if anything my faith in God has only strengthened. My faith in Allah is the one thing guiding me forward. Currently, I am on track to attend Texas Tech University to pursue a degree in Mechanical Engineering with a goal to change the world for the better. A goal in which I am already pursuing through my business, aand the culture I seek to create from it. As of right now, I am the current owner and cofounder 432 Vintage. The main objective of 432 Vintage is to sell quality vintage clothing at an affordable price and push a culture that values individual expression as appose to trends pushed by the fast-fashion industry. Not only that but 10% of all purchases made go straight to charity. As a direct result of this 10% charity, my buisness has been able to donate hundreds of dollars to help support our local community here in Odessa, Texas, and even plant a total of 100 trees in association with the Arbor Day Foundation through Team Trees. As our business’ popularity continues to grow, so does our charity. For me however, charity is simply not enough, especially when it comes to changing the world for the better. The textile industry alone produces around 10% of all global emissions. Not only that but it is estimated that over 92 million tons of textile waste is produced each year globally. My main goal as an engineer is to create technology that can reduce our textile-waste and develop cleaner manufacturing practices when it comes to the production of clothing. By selling this technology to major companies like Nike, Coach, Louis Vuitton, and Addidas; could lead to a cleaner world in which textile waste is no longer an issue and the industry’s carbon footprint can be greatly reduced. Wining this scholarship can help me achieve this goal of mine by helping me to pay for my academic journey. Not only that but it can allow me to rely less and less on my parents and open the door for me to practice my faith in peace without fear. Changing the world for the better is a mission that God has given to me and I am determined to follow his will. I plan to continue my business through college and continue my efforts to change our current fashion culture, and I will maintain the 10% charity rule over in Lubbock, Texas. Changing the world is not a hope nor an aspiration for me, but a future soon to come and a future that whomever reads this I personally seek to invite.

Living in Odessa, TX can be harsh and unforgiving. Anyone not native to the city often says that the air is thick and its people are rude. Their judgment of Odessa can be true, but they often overlook what makes Odessa charming. Despite our perceived rudeness, we always get together for those in need and organize events that push our community forward. I have learned this through volunteering across the city, seeing people help me through my struggles, and my business ventures. Currently, I have close to 60 hours of documented volunteer hours with Texas Scholars and the National Honor Society. One of my favorite volunteer events was the 2024 HEB Feast of Sharing. In it, I worked as a server for all those who came to eat and every single bit of it was served for free. I ended up losing track of time and volunteered there for over 5 hours; working solely towards helping my community in every way possible. All walks of life came to the event, and each person there had a story equally as complex as the next. It placed me into a profound sonder. My business has offered me a similar feeling as well. As the current owner and cofounder of 432 Vintage, I learned pretty quickly that taking part in and organizing events became integral to my business’ success. The main focus of 432 Vintage is to sell quality vintage clothing for an affordable price. Affordability became a major principle for the business due to how I saw the reselling market hyperinflate the price of clothes in thrift stores. Making the clothes I sell as affordable as possible allows me to force my competitors to lower their prices substantially to stay competitive, while also alleviating the local thrifting market here in Odessa and West Texas at large. Ensuring an affordable thrift store ensures that those in need can spend less on clothes and more on other needs. Events became a way for my business to be heard. Each one has introduced me to both customers and businesses who each had stories to tell. Of course, this feeling of sonder not only came from helping others and as a byproduct of individual success but also through hardship. I am Muslim. I did my Shahada during my sophomore year of high school, and I have never felt more whole in my life. Unfortunately, it was a decision that my parents did not support. They subjugated me and forced me to apostatize my faith. My father burned a Quran that was gifted to me and made me watch. They served me pork almost every single day. They hung crosses and scripture on my walls as if it were something out of the movie Exorcist. My parents currently think I am Catholic, but I am not. I lie to them every day. Despite what they did to me I was never alone. I made friends with many people who offered their stories, and it offered me a glimpse into what it means to exist. I forgave my parents for what they have done, and I pray that Allah may do the same. I hope one day that I can inspire my community to grow and help those in need as I plan to do the same through my business and future endeavors as an engineer. I have helped my community in multiple ways already and I pray that by winning this scholarship I may hopefully find freedom to practice my faith at Texas Tech University instead of living in fear of being caught and subjugated once more.

Growing up, engineering was always instilled in me. Engineers move the wheel of progress for better and for worse. I wanted to be an engineer to change the world for the better and this single goal has served as a major part of my life and my ambitions. I did not grow up in a low-income household but my parents did. Both of them grew up living paycheck to paycheck, saw and experienced abuse, and lived through nights filled with the sound of gun violence bellowing through the streets. My parents made sure not to allow me to experience this life and have always pushed me to succeed. The work my parents have done has allowed me to enjoy a comfortable suburban life filled with opportunities to explore the field of engineering. Going to college and becoming an engineer became my way to pay back my parents for pushing me to succeed and as a means to improve the lives of those not as fortunate as me.  As an engineer, I plan to create technology that aids in our fight against issues like climate change, textile waste, unaffordable housing, and weathering of major infrastructure. Creating technology like this can ensure political and cultural change toward a better society. A society that keeps our world healthy, our environment stable, and offer opportunities for the overlooked and disenfranchised.  In this pursuit, I hope that I may inspire the next generation of engineers, creatives, and entrepreneurs to help solve issues we face today and ones we may face in the future. I hold a deep respect and love for humanity, and pushing us forward is the sole ambition I have. To succeed even a little in this venture would allow me to die a happy man. I am determined to change the world for the better and help inspire others to do the same. We face many issues today yet, I hold faith in both myself and the rest of humanity to work towards a solution to these problems. I hope that this scholarship may help me through my first semester of university at Texas Tech this coming fall and alleviate the weight that student debt will have on my academic pursuits. If it is not awarded to me, I hope that the money goes toward someone who has shared the same struggles as my parents when they were my age and helps the same disenfranchised and overlooked that I seek to aid as I become an engineer.

The first man who, having enclosed a piece of land, thought of saying ‘This is mine’ and found people simple enough to believe him, was the true founder of civil society. How many crimes, wars, murders; how much misery and horror the human race would have been spared if someone had pulled up the stakes and filled in the ditch and cried out to his fellow man: ‘Beware of listening to this imposter. You are lost if you forget that the fruits of the earth belong to everyone and that the earth itself belongs to no one!’ But it is highly probable that by this time things had reached a point beyond which they could not go on as they were; for the idea of property, depending on many prior ideas which could only have arisen in successive stages, was not formed all at once in the human mind. It was necessary for men to make much progress, to acquire much industry and knowledge, to transmit and increase it from age to age, before arriving at this final stage of the state of nature. Let us age, before arriving at this final stage of the state of nature. Let us therefore look farther back, and try to review from a single perspective the slow succession of events and discoveries in their most natural order. (Modern English translation of A Discourse on Inequality by Jean-Jacques Rousseau is by Maurice Cranston for Penguin Classics. Cranston also wrote the introduction and notes for that same edition. Not only that, but Cranston translated much of Rousseau’s work throughout his career.) A Discourse on Inequality is one of the most quintessential pieces of Enlightenment-era French literature. It outlined many issues with social inequality and its origins. After analyzing A Discourse on Inequality, I have grown to find that much of humanity’s understanding of civil society and its logical consequences are not as clear-cut as many would have wished them to be.  Not even Rousseau could catalog its beauty and horror fully in his entire iconography let alone this book. Despite this, Rousseau attempted to find an answer to these questions through his discourse. In his search, he discovered that the first notion of individual property gave way to the consequences we see in moral inequality. Those consequences are ideas like wealth, status, and power as well as how they possibly developed through our history. This idea is best put forth to the reader in the second part of his discourse. In the beginning of part two of A Discourse on Inequality, Rousseau states, “The first man who, having enclosed a piece of land, thought of saying ‘This is mine’ and found people simple enough to believe him, was the true founder of civil society.” In other words, the idea of individual property and ownership led to the creation of the modern world. It created countries, kingdoms, chiefdoms, tsardoms, and nationhood as we know it. This newly created civil structure gave way to hierarchy, status, wealth, and order. A newfound inequality. An inequality allowed by humanity’s own incompetence that arguably can never be reversed nor changed. Rousseau openly wishes someone could have warned humanity against such ideas at the exact moment the idea was formulated. He writes, “How many crimes, wars, murders; how much misery and horror the human race would have been spared if someone had pulled up the stakes and filled in the ditch and cried out to his fellow man: ‘Beware of listening to this imposter. You are lost if you forget that the fruits of the earth belong to everyone and that the earth itself belongs to no one!’” Humanity has fought over these concepts of wealth and power for thousands of years. We are fighting over those same issues now, and we most likely will fight over them long after as well. This suffering is a direct result of moral inequality.  Of course, property took a very long time to be thought of. In his discourse, Rousseau often refers to early man as a savage. The only inequality that the savage must face is their environment and whatever genetic inadequacies they may have. Moral inequality on the other hand is an unnatural creation made by humanity. Rousseau staunchly believed that property and the breakage of natural law are the sources of modern moral inequality. Although being an unnatural inequality, Rousseau found it to be a necessary development in human history. Rousseau reiterates this principle in part two by stating, “It was necessary for men to make much progress, to acquire much industry and knowledge, to transmit and increase it from age to age, before arriving at this final stage of the state of nature.” That state of nature being where we are today in terms of all we have created as a means to combat natural inequality. This state of nature is humanity’s progress at present. Rousseau believed that in this current state of nature, it would be impossible to fully understand this newfound moral inequality without looking at our history. Rousseau states in his last sentence of that first paragraph, “Let us therefore look farther back, and try to review from a single perspective the slow succession of events and discoveries in their most natural order.” This is one of the main topics of part two of his discourse. Part two’s main goal is to reiterate his beliefs of moral inequality, how this newfound inequality possibly developed, and why. A development that was slow and without a purpose other than a means to combat the natural laws we face today. A development that “was not formed all at once,” but through independent and slow means. A Discourse on Inequality is one of the most important pieces we have from the Enlightenment and brought on ideas that questioned the status quo of the time. How Rousseau wrote the first paragraph of part two of A Discourse on Inequality allowed him to express his thoughts on moral inequality and its causes in summary while also allowing his readers to understand his disgust with many of the issues caused by moral inequality and introduce his idea that the development of this newfound inequality was necessary to combat the hardships and dangers brought on by natural inequality.  It is an opening to his analysis of our early development; a development relative to our necessity to combat natural inequality and the new inequality it created.

My Spanish class was filled to the brim with classmates, yet, I never felt more alone. My parents wanted to disown me for following Allah. They openly told me that they would have preferred me coming out as gay as opposed to a muslim. In that depressive stupor, Salma comforted me and helped in strengthening my faith that others so desperately wanted to rip away from me. I plan to pay this generosity forward by following Allah in all things. When my parents found out about my faith, they made me burn my Quran in our backyard fire pit and made me block a lot of muslim friends and classmates on social media. I was forced to apostatize my faith or else I would be taken out of school. On top of that, I had to go to church with them every single day and adorned my bedroom walls with crosses and scripture as if I were possessed. I did what they wanted to, but I never let any of it make my faith falter. Salma was there through it all and I got away with not blocking her on my phone. She helped me remain sane throughout those torturous weeks. In my eyes, it felt like I was living in a mad world where my freedoms were taken away. I keep in contact with Salma often despite her moving to Austin for college. I thank her a lot each time we do text. I plan to pay her generosity by following God in everything I do. Allah has helped me heal from the torture my parents inflicted on me and forgive them for it. I have heard his voice in prayer and in my times of need and my faith has granted me so many blessings. I hope that as I attend Texas Tech University, I can exercise my freedom of worship even more. A freedom that, although being a proud American, I can not exercise freely right now. Despite being alone in that Spanish class, Salma helped me find peace. A word from which she is named after. I plan to maintain this peace in my life as I bring a close to my high school academic career and begin my next chapter of life at Texas Tech. I also plan to pay the generosity Salma gave me forward by following Allah and exercising my faith no matter what. I hope that winning this scholarship could allow me to pay for it all and help my academic ambitions.

Community events are important and can help facilitate local awareness to issues and help bring a community together. Organizing events is integral to my business growth as a business owner and allows me to give back to my community through charity and engagement. One of my favorite events is pop-ups we do with a small cafe called Cafe de Luna. I currently own and operate 432 Vintage which is a small online business that focuses on selling quality vintage clothing at an affordable price. I do monthly pop-up events as a means of generating money while also connecting with my local community. Cafe de Luna has been a place where we have held the most pop ups at. My experiences holding pop ups there are vast and exciting. I remember one time when the event began to slow down, I played monopoly with complete strangers in my community while occasionally managing my clothes as customers walked in. This was quite fun, and I even shared it to 432 Vintage's Instagram story. Aside from community engagement like this, I also donate 10% of all profits made from my events–as well as all profits I make in general from my business– to charity. As a direct result of my business’ efforts, we were able to plant 100 trees across the United States in association with Team Trees and the Arbor Day Foundation, as well as donate hundreds of dollars to local charities that serve my community such as: West Texas Food Bank, Keep Odessa Beautiful, and the Crisis Center of West Texas. As time passes, I plan to help my community further through even more charity. As of writing, my next event with Cafe de Luna will be on March 29th. I hope that the event can get good turn out to help drive sales for both my business and the Cafe’s while also allowing me to donate more towards my community. Currently my business is planning to help support The Education Foundation of Odessa with a starting goal of $100. I plan to continue holding events as I enter university. Although I own a pretty well-off business, I will still need help when it comes to paying for college. I am planning on attending Texas Tech University this fall in hopes of getting a degree in mechanical engineering. In order for me to do so sadly, it is estimated that I will have to pay around $26,000 a year. This price tag has proven even more daunting due to both of my parents having large debts as a result of their divorce. My mom currently owes close to $200,000 to the bank since she did not want to sell our home to pay for my dad’s side of the divorce. The events I have had with Cafe de Luna have connected me with my community in ways I would have never imagined, and it has allowed me to help those in need through charity. 432 Vintage has proven to be quite successful in my eyes, but it simply won’t be enough to help me pay for my current ambitions as I leave for university. I plan to continue my events in college with the same joy and spirit Mr. Carter had in the time he spent on this earth. I hope that this scholarship will help me achieve my goals both as a businessman and a future engineer.

Around 57% of all clothing produced on Earth ends up in landfills, on top of that, the textile industry alone contributes around 10% of global carbon emissions. As an engineer, I hope to create technology that can help in our fight against global warming and textile-waste, and both are issues I am currently trying to help fix through my online business. At a young age, I have always had an interest in the field of engineering. Engineers are the people that create the technology necessary to solve issues. Engineers are able to spin the wheel of progress faster than any other career on the planet. Climate change was always in my thoughts growing up and its effects have become more apparent to me each year. Engineering offered me a way to help solve the problem and change the world for the better and it is why I am hoping to become a Mechanical Engineer. As time passed, sources of climate change began to enter my vision. I learned about textile waste thanks to my business 432 Vintage, which is a small online shop focused on selling quality vintage clothing at an affordable price across the country. Much of my inventory is based on what I am able to find at a thrift store. One day I saw workers grabbing clothes from bins and asked what they were going to do with them and said that they were going to throw them away since they have been out of style for a while, and no one was buying them. Seeing these workers throw these clothes away disgusted me and it resulted in me donating around 10% of all my profits to charity as a means to fight against both textile-waste and climate change. As a direct result of my business’ charity, we have been able to plant around 100 trees across the United States with the help of the Arbor Day Foundation and also help funded ocean cleanup projects in the Pacific thanks to the Ocean Conservancy Organization. On top of this, we have also help fund organizations that help my community here in Odessa, Texas and West Texas at large. I plan to continue these efforts as I enter college and hopefully while working as an engineer. As I begin my journey towards becoming a mechanical engineer, I hope to create solutions to problems like this beyond simply charity and cultural change. Changing the world will not be easy however, and the cost of college will affect my journey heavily. I currently am planning to attend Texas Tech University and pursue both a bachelor's in science with a focus on engineering and a master's degree in mechanical engineering shortly after. In order for me to do this however, me and my family will have to play close to $26,000 a year just to pay for it all. This price tag has proven to be more daunting since my parents amassed large amounts of debts due to their recent divorce. Nevertheless, I am determined to change the world, and I am already taking steps to do so through my business 432 Vintage. I hope that this scholarship will aid me in achieving this goal of mine and help me create the future humanity so desperately needs to save.

Only around 8% of all United States mechanical engineers identify as Latino. This statistic has motivated my education and kept me focused on my goal of becoming an engineer. As an engineer, I plan to change the world through the technology I seek to create and motivate people in my community to venture into careers that have underrepresented us. Currently, I am attending Odessa College while taking high school classes. I have worked tirelessly in every course I have had and even appeared on Odessa College’s Dean’s list multiple times. I am planning to transfer my credits from Odessa College to Texas Tech University’s College of Engineering and pursue a master’s degree in mechanical engineering. Growing up, engineering has always been a field I wanted to be a part of and pursuing it has been a life goal of mine since the fifth grade. Engineers are the people who have pushed humanity forward and have created massive cultural change as a result of what they made. As an engineer, I know I will change the world for the better and create technology that will help in humanity’s fight against climate change and help lower emissions across different industries like agriculture, manufacturing, and textile. I hope that through my efforts, I can help motivate underrepresented minorities in my community to also pursue STEM fields and create a paradigm shift within those fields towards diversity. Putting diversity in a field like engineering, can allow for new ideas to be brought to the table, and much more inclusive work environments. Although I am confident in my ability to change the world for the better, I will need help for me to start. Currently it is estimated that I will have to pay close to $24,000 a year just to attend Texas Tech University. My parents are currently divorced and both of them amassed large amounts of debt as a direct result of it. My mom currently owes close to $200,000 since she did not want to sell the house and opted to refinance it under her name. Both of my parents said that they would help me out, but my biggest fear is increasing the large debts they already have. If chosen for this scholarship, it could help lower the cost of college for both me and my family and allow me some peace of mind for the first year there. I am determined to change the world and help my community thrive and I hope that whoever reads this may help me in doing so.

Of the 100 billion garments produced each year, 92 million tons end up in landfills. This endless cycle of waste exacerbates Climate Change and depletes much of Earth’s natural resources. The main goals my business has is to change the wasteful nature of fast fashion, give back to our environment and our community through charity, and create a new fashion culture that values individual expression above fast-fashion trends. 432 Vintage is a small online business I operate that focuses on selling quality and affordable vintage clothing across the United States. I have run the business for almost 4-5 years and have worked tirelessly selling and documenting the garments I have found in thrift stores across Texas. All of it being shared via Instagram and Depop. I have also made sure to donate 10% of all profits made from each sale to charities that help my community as well as our environment. As a direct result of these efforts, we have donated hundreds of dollars to charity and even planted 100 trees in association with Team Trees and the Arbor Day Foundation. On top of charity, I have helped promote small businesses in my community through pop-up events that bring attention to these small businesses. As 432 Vintage grows, I hope to bring attention to the current issues within the textile industry and create the infrastructure to build and create the cultural change necessary to end it. I plan to continue my efforts through college as I venture to garner a degree in Mechanical Engineering and create technology that can help reduce textile waste and resource depletion beyond just cultural change. I also plan to improve my media further and create a website dedicated to spreading awareness about the issues textile waste creates while also helping those interested in buying the garments I have found. I have made a large impact on my community thanks to my business which is a privilege that I am forever grateful for. I have donated hundreds of dollars to charity in hopes of helping the community that has given me so much already. As my page grows, I am determined to create a large cultural impact and change the world for the better. I hope that this scholarship will help me with my aims as I attend university and help me build the infrastructure necessary to create the cultural change I am trying to create.

36.6 Billion tons of CO2 are produced each year from burning fossil fuels. Climate Change is one of, if not the biggest issues my generation must face. Currently, I am pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering in hopes of creating solutions to this man-made problem we now face and helping to diversify the field as a whole despite all the challenges I have faced up until now. Currently, only around 8% of all Mechanical Engineers identify as Hispanic or Latino. I hope that by becoming an engineer, I may inspire people in my community who share my heritage and passion to do the same. Having diversity in the field can allow newer ideas to be brought to the table while also creating more inclusive work environments. The role engineers have in our day-to-day lives is extraordinarily large, and ensuring more diversity in this field may very well be integral to society’s progression forward. I hope to create technology that can help humanity as a whole. At a young age, I have always wanted to change the world for the better. Engineering offered me a pathway to achieve that mission far better than any other field on earth. As an engineer, I plan to work tirelessly to fight climate change through any means necessary. I have excelled in pretty much every engineering class I have taken, and I hope to pursue a master's degree in mechanical engineering at Texas Tech University's college of engineering, and help move humanity forward. The road that I have traveled has not been easy and neither will the one that lies ahead, unfortunately. In order for me to attend Texas Tech University however, I must pay over $24,000 a year just to live and attend classes on campus. Both of my parents recently divorced, and it has made this price tag all the more daunting for me. Both of my parents have amassed large amounts of debt as a direct result of the divorce, and my biggest fear is adding on to it. I hope that by winning this scholarship, the cost of college may be lowered–even if it is only by a small amount. I know that I will change the world and I know that I will inspire others in my community to do the same. I hope that whoever reads this may help me along the way to achieve this grand mission of mine.

My dad served in the 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion as an “Iron Horse Marine.” His experiences in the Marine Corps have influenced his music and writing and what I have grown to value in life because of what his work means to me as well as how he raised me growing up. My dad currently has six books published on counseling and multiple unfinished manuscripts under his belt. In each of them, he uses his experiences in the military as a source of inspiration and uses it to explain concepts quite often. My dad also plays music often and has been a part of a myriad of bands and worked with several Tejano Grammy winners. My dad is a creative and an entrepreneur in the purest sense of their definitions. His journey as an artist has always been a motivating factor in my life. His experiences and memories of being in the Marine Corps helped him push these ideas forward. I remember when I was little, my dad would often take me with him to watch him play music at bars and dance halls for a captive audience. Seeing him making money off of his work was inspiring for me. Even if it was just a few dollars, he was doing what he loved and that's all that mattered to him. Because of him, I am venturing to become a mechanical engineer to change the world for the better and do the things I love. My father taught me to find freedom in risk. My dad’s entrepreneurial exploits have inspired me to venture to do my own. During the middle of the Covid-19 Pandemic, I founded 432 Vintage which focuses on selling quality affordable vintage clothing across the United States. As a direct result of the business, we have brought attention to multiple small businesses here in the Odessa area, we planted a total of one hundred trees with the help of the Arbor Day Foundation, and I have donated hundreds of dollars to multiple charities across the United States. Like Dick and Rod Lodges, I hope to use Entrepreneurship as a means to conquer the many challenges that await me in life, and I plan to use the lessons and experiences I have learned from both my father and 432 Vintage and apply them to my future career as an engineer. I hope that this scholarship may aid me on the journey of becoming one and aid me on my mission to change the world for the better.

My family’s heritage has always motivated me. Both of my parents grew up in the ghetto and worked hard to make it out. That mindset of fighting one’s circumstances and allowing one's voice to be heard in our society has always been instilled in me because of them. Despite growing up in a time when our people were looked down upon, my parents gained successful jobs that surpassed the expectations set for my people. As of writing, my mom is the current director of community development for the city of Odessa, while my dad is the director of CCMR for ECISD. It took both of them years of their lives to accomplish such a feat. Both worked tirelessly to succeed in life, and they have made sure that I try my best to pursue the same. Currently, I am trying to become a Mechanical Engineer. As of writing, only around 8% of all Mechanical Engineers in the United States are Latino. I hope that in pursuing an engineering career, I may inspire others in my community who share my heritage and culture to do the same and work towards breaking barriers while helping create solutions that humanity faces now. The road that lies ahead of me–although admirable–is not an easy one. I got accepted to Texas Tech University and in order for me to attend, it is estimated that I must pay close to $26,000 a semester. My parents also just got divorced, unfortunately, and both of them have amassed large debts as a result of it. For instance, my mom currently owes close to $200,000 to the bank since she did not want to sell the house. Although both of my parents support my dreams, it is uncertain for me if they will be able to help me financially through college. My family’s heritage has always been a motivating factor in my life thanks to the tireless effort and work that they had to endure for me and the rest of my family. As I begin my college journey at Texas Tech this upcoming Fall, I plan to carry their principles with me. The road that lies ahead for me is not an easy one–then again who said it would be? Nevertheless, I hope that this scholarship will aid me on my journey through college as well as help me towards my goals as an engineer.

Humanitarian service is hands down the biggest way to create a lasting impact for us all. Currently, I am trying to become a mechanical engineer in hopes of creating technology that can help both humanity and our environment. I am also on my way to graduate with my associate's degree from Odessa College while also getting my High School diploma at the same time in May of 2025. After I graduate, I plan to transfer to Texas Tech University and start working towards creating such a change. I have taken multiple engineering courses with both Odessa College and my high school, and I have excelled in every single one through tireless effort. Despite only 9.4% of all engineers in the U.S. being Latino, I hope that my efforts may inspire others to venture into the field while bringing new ideas to the field as a whole. I hope that I may create technology that can help humanity fight major issues we face today like climate change, clean drinking water, and improved provisions of food. Although engineers can make a lot of money, I do not see it as a major reason why I wanted to go into the field. Engineers have the ability to create large meaningful humanitarian change faster than any career on the planet and are a major driving force for progress. I seek only to make the world a better place through the technology I seek to create. A lot of my family has told me that they support my goal to be an engineer, but not my reasons for wanting to be one. My mom often tells me that I could be making more money as a petroleum or weapons engineer, and she is true. However, it is not what I seek to do in life. I have respect for those kinds of engineers but for me, it is only contributing to humanity’s problems. Although I love my mom and have a deep respect for her, it is hard for me to find freedom and bliss in money when some have nothing or are in the process of losing something. I love humanity, and I am willing to do everything in my power to improve our welfare through action instead of bureaucratic inaction. I hope that this scholarship may help me on my journey to do so as I turn the page to the next chapter of my academic career at Texas Tech.

Global Warming is one of, if not the biggest challenges my generation must face. It is slowly killing all life on earth and the subproducts of it are already affecting us today. My main goal in life is to change the world for the better, which is why I am trying to become an engineer. As an engineer, I will create technology that will help humanity fight against climate change and I am determined to do so in spite of all the adversities and challenges I have faced till now, as well as the many challenges that lie ahead. I grew up in Odessa, Texas, and living here you find out quickly that the oil industry plays a major part in our city’s identity. It is estimated that around 40% of the United States oil supply comes directly from the Permian Basin which Odessa stands on. Due to this environment, I have always had a fascination with engineering as a whole, and many of the schools I attended wanted us to venture into engineering as a career. Currently, I am on track to get both my high school diploma and my associate's degree from Odessa College around the same time, and from there I will transfer to Texas Tech and work towards becoming a Mechanical Engineer. The road to achieving such a feat was not easy though. Shortly before my Freshman year of high school, my brother was diagnosed with cancer and had a tumor the size of a half-dollar coin on the side of his neck. It was difficult dealing with this while preparing for school and there were multiple times I questioned if I would still have him as a brother by the end of the month. Shortly afterwards my mom and dad started having relationship issues. They began to argue for hours on end almost every day and it proved difficult to do my schoolwork while they fought. They divorced around my junior year of high school which took almost a year to get finalized. Despite all these challenges, I never once let them take hold of me and stray me away from my path. I excelled in my classes and was part of Odessa College’s dean's list for multiple semesters. On top of that, I have undergone multiple engineering projects thanks to UT Austin’s “Engineer Your World” Curriculum in association with my high school. On top of all this, I even had time to open an online business that sells vintage and second-hand clothing while donating 10% of all profits to local charities. My favorite result of this charity was when it started creating actual progress against climate change. As a direct result of my business’ success, we planted one hundred trees in association with the Arbor Day Foundation which is enough to absorb over 53 tons of CO2 Emissions per year. The reason why I am trying to get into a STEM field such as engineering, is because I want to change the world for the better. Despite the challenges, hardships, and adversity I have faced thus far; I never once let it take hold of me and set me off my path. I have excelled in almost all my classes and currently, I am on track to receive both my high school diploma as well as an associate degree from Odessa College. I hope that whoever reads this may consider me for this scholarship. I know I can change the world, and I cannot wait to prove it to you.

I have been raised by comfortable people. For a large part of my life, my parents have always advised my brother and I to, “stick to what works.” Although such a mantra came from a place of love, I never could listen to it–I craved change. This crave has driven me to pursue a career in Mechanical Engineering. Currently, I am on track to receive my Associates Degree in STEM and I hope to later transfer over to Texas tech where I plan to get both my Bachelors and Master’s Degree. While attending Texas Tech, I would do everything in my power to start an engineering career as soon as possible to produce the positive change I so dearly seek to create for all of us. Instead of sticking to what works, I instead stick to what needs to be changed or improved. I grew up in a household that was quite comfortable with the status quo. My parents would often tell me and my older brother to, “stick to what works” and would often label those seeking change as, “complainers” or even, “a waste of time.” My parents grew up with quite rough lives and worked hard to get to the position they are at now. They found success in each of their industries through hard work and determination. They often tell me, “why change what is already good?” Despite this thinking, they have always supported my passions whether they agreed with me or not. Engineering became a sort of exercise and meditation on change for me. In middle school I took PLTW classes as a means to exercise my brain when it comes to the field of engineering and I honed this in even more when I started High School. One of the classes I took in highschool was Engineering Your World, which is an accredited college class with the University of Texas at Austin. In Engineering Your World, we made multiple projects focusing on different sects of the Engineering field. We also made a team website focused on showcasing each of our projects as well as the datasets and findings we gathered during the process. We were also tasked with presenting our projects to the entire class. During one of the projects we were tasked with designing a tower meant to withstand simulated earthquakes at different wavelengths. My team presented our data to one of UT Austin’s coordinators. Currently, I am taking Intro to Engineering with Odessa College and I love every second of it since we are doing research into the process as a whole as well as looking at equations and formulas revolving around basic engineering principles. I have been raised by comfortable parents who have worked hard to achieve where they are right now. However, I am not content with the path most traveled and I seek to create a positive change for all of humanity. Engineering is my passion and I have done so much on the path of becoming an Engineer.

In an era marked by rapid technological advancement and societal change, the synergy between groundbreaking scientific discoveries and transformative leadership plays a pivotal role in unlocking a future where once-impossible ideas become tangible realities. This dynamic partnership is not only essential for human development but also for the broader progress of society as a whole. Historical examples abound, highlighting the profound impact of this synergy, with notable figures such as Henry Ford and innovations like the Bessemer Steel Process standing out as key milestones in our journey. Henry Ford, while not the inventor of the automobile, revolutionized its accessibility. The technology for the automobile had been in existence for nearly four decades before Ford introduced the Model T in 1908. What set Ford apart was his visionary approach to manufacturing and pricing. By implementing assembly line techniques, he drastically reduced production costs, allowing him to sell the Model T at a price point that the average working-class American could afford. This decision did not merely cater to consumer demand; it democratized personal transportation and fundamentally altered the fabric of American life. By enabling families to own cars, Ford's leadership fostered mobility, reshaped cities, and ultimately contributed to the rise of suburban living. Had he not combined his innovative spirit with a commitment to accessibility, our society would likely look very different today, with fewer people experiencing the freedoms and opportunities that personal vehicles provide. Similarly, the creation of the Bessemer Steel Process in the mid-19th century represents a landmark achievement in materials science that catalyzed significant industrial progress. Sir Henry Bessemer developed this revolutionary method for mass-producing steel, which was crucial for building infrastructure such as railways and skyscrapers. Before the Bessemer Process, steel production was labor-intensive and costly. Bessemer’s approach streamlined the process, making steel production faster and more economical. His ability to collaborate with various industrial partners and investors was a testament to his leadership prowess, as he successfully established several steel mills that became cornerstones of the Industrial Revolution. The widespread availability of affordable steel resulted in not only taller buildings but also more durable and reliable construction, which helped cities grow and urbanize at an unprecedented rate. The interplay between scientific discoveries and transformative leadership is vital in our rapidly changing world. This relationship is key to unlocking innovative solutions and driving human progress forward. The contributions of individuals like Henry Ford and Henry Bessemer exemplify how leadership can harness scientific advancements to benefit society as a whole. Their legacies remind us that the combined efforts of visionary leaders, scientists, and engineers are crucial for shaping our current trajectory and will continue to influence the future of humanity in profound ways. As we look ahead, embracing this synergy will be essential for navigating the challenges and opportunities that lie before us.

My grandfather, Daniel Enriquez was born in Del Rio, Texas but grew up in California. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War alongside his two brothers. His main duty in Vietnam was to act as a "tunnel rat" and clear tunnels made by the Viet Kong. My dad would often tell me stories of how my grandpa Dan acted when he returned home from the war and the battles my grandfather took part in. My grandfather sadly died when I was about two or three years old, but before he died, he left me two gifts: toys to play with and a note I received on my 18th birthday. The most I remember of my grandfather was seeing him in the hospital a few weeks before he passed away and his funeral. My dad told me that before my older brother and I were born, the war never left my grandfather. I remember my dad telling me a story about how my grandfather had to be restrained and sedated by nurses because he was cussing and threatening to kill the Asian doctors. Despite this story--and many others like it-- my grandfather came to his senses when my older brother was born. Before Grandpa Dan died, he gave me a large chest filled with toys, stuffed animals, and baseball cards to play with. As for the other gift, I did not know of its existence until my 18th birthday. My mom kept it as ordered by my grandpa, and she handed it to me shortly after we celebrated my birthday. The note was short, only three sentences long. It read, "I love you very much mijo. I will always love you. I hope you enjoy these toys. I love you, Grandpa." When I first read it, I was overwhelmed. I did not know how to react. I cried in my room when I was reading it because I knew that this was the last thing he would ever give to me. My grandfather fought for our country willingly in a war that was impossible to win. For that, I thank him. Although I only knew him for about three years of my life, he had left an incredible impact on it. I am forever grateful for the two gifts he gave before he left us. I hope that as I walk the stage for graduation in honor of all the sacrifices he made for this great nation, he may look proudly at me from paradise and that the work I do in his name will change the world for the better.

Living in Texas, one learns at a young age that having a strong community is integral to success. In understanding this, I have always had an appreciation for our local food bank and I have learned through my work and charity with them, to think like a humanitarian when it comes to the social issues we face in this country and that there is more than one way to fight the problems we face in our community. As stated earlier, I believe that having a strong community is integral to one's success. This allows people to trust in local government and others a lot more, creating the social capital and support structures necessary for individual success. Due to my belief in this, I volunteer quite often at our local food bank as well as donate to their charity. What I have learned from volunteering there, is that although our nation faces many social issues both on a small scale and a large scale, we must always look at it from a Humanitarian's point of view. Humanitarians hold a deep love for humanity to the point where they will do anything in their power to reduce the suffering of others no matter how daunting the issue may be. When I first started volunteering with West Texas Food Bank, I felt that the work I and other volunteers were doing was not enough. I felt that food scarcity was always going to be an issue in the United States and that are combined efforts were in vain. One day however, I was scrolling through Instagram and stumbled on the food bank's social media account and one of the posts on it was a collection of stories of people using the food bank's services to help them in their daily lives. That post showed me that even though the problem still exists we cannot stop doing our best to fix it. I also learned that there is more than one way to fight the issue. For instance, I always donate about 10% of all the money I make to help the food bank--as well as other charities in my community-- to help fund their efforts. I also began using social media as a way to bring attention to the issues we face as well as events and the efforts of charities as a means to inspire others to help in their community the same way West Texas Food Bank's social media inspired me to continue my own efforts with them. I use my business' social media account as a means to bring as much attention to these issues as possible and as a means to incentivize others to do the same. Overall, I understood that having a strong community is integral to a person's success since it helps create support structures for those in need through trust. I also learned through my volunteer work at West Texas Food Bank that when it comes to social issues, we must all think like Humanitarians and fight problems no matter how large they may be. I also learned that there is more than one way to fight these issues such as charity and spreading awareness to others. I hope that this scholarship may help me continue my efforts against the social issues and injustices I seek to face as I venture into college.

The West Texas winds are harsh and unforgiving. Hidden within those winds stands the small city of Odessa, Texas. Odessa has taught me a lot about myself and put me through various hardships. Yet, despite these challenges, it has fueled my determination to succeed as a Mechanical Engineer and change the world for the better. Odessa is one of the biggest oil towns in the United States, and this fact shapes the community in many ways. The schools here naturally emphasize STEM-related majors, which has influenced my educational journey. However, I didn’t know what I wanted to do until around the 5th grade. My parents emphasized the importance of valuing the lives of others above my own, teaching me the significance of “paying things forward.” This foundation nurtured my love and appreciation for humanity. From an early age, I wanted to make a positive impact, and I recognized that pursuing a career in engineering was a pathway to achieve this goal. As I grew older, I encountered significant hardships. Near the end of my junior year of high school, my parents divorced, and the financial implications of college became increasingly apparent. For a time, I struggled with feelings of hopelessness; however, I ultimately chose to focus on my ambitions rather than dwell on my circumstances. My determination to pursue engineering strengthened. I excelled academically, engaged deeply in my studies, and pushed through challenges. I was proud to be accepted into both Texas Tech University and the University of Texas of the Permian Basin, which proved to myself and others that I could rise above my difficulties. Since that 5th-grade moment when I first envisioned my future as an engineer, my goal to change the world has been my driving force. My experiences in Odessa, along with the support from my parents, have instilled in me a commitment to bettering the world through innovation and compassion. Even in the face of adversity, including my parents’ divorce and looming college expenses, I refuse to let these challenges deter me. Instead, they motivate me to work harder every day. I hope that this scholarship will assist me on my journey to college and support my mission to change the world for the better through engineering. The West Texas winds are harsh and unforgiving. In those winds stands the city of Odessa. A city that has taught me a lot and instilled in me the discipline and knowledge to change the world.

The daycare was always loud and chaotic, buzzing with the sounds of kids playing and their joyful screams echoing throughout the playroom. In all that craziness, I found my little oasis. I played with wooden blocks, building towers and structures that felt like they were going to touch the sky. From a young age, I felt a strong pull toward creating things. I’ve dreamed of being an engineer for as long as I can remember, and that dream has been my constant guide as I navigate my education and future. As a kid, I didn’t really know what being an engineer meant; I just knew that I loved building and solving puzzles, even if they were made of blocks. That all changed when I hit middle school. My parents, seeing my passion for creating and inventing, enrolled me in UTPB STEM Academy. This place was a game changer. The academy was all about preparing students like me for careers in the STEM fields—science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. At STEM Academy, I dove headfirst into Project Lead The Way (PLTW) classes, and I thrived. Each project sparked my excitement and pushed me to think critically and creatively. I loved when a design came together or a solution clicked. After middle school, I continued my journey at Odessa Collegiate Academy, an early college high school with a similar focus. It felt like a perfect fit, and the curriculum challenged me while keeping me motivated. Right now, I’m on a path to earn my Associate's degree in STEM at Odessa College, and the next step is to transfer to Texas Tech University for a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. Each day brings me a little closer to my goal, and even though there are financial hurdles to jump over, I keep pushing forward. I remind myself why I started this journey and all the dreams I have for the future. I’m reaching out for help through this memorial scholarship, hoping the judges see the potential in me to become a Mechanical Engineer. With your support, I’ll be able to focus more on my studies and less on the financial strain of college. I want to contribute positively to the world, just like Charles and many others who aren’t with us anymore. Their memory drives me to make a difference and improve the lives of others one day. This dream of mine sparked in the playroom with those wooden blocks, is far from being just a childhood fancy; it’s a real path I’m determined to follow.

The Cafe was calm and cozy as I set up my pop-up. As time passed, crowds of people walked in looking at the clothing I was selling, as the owner of Cafe de Luna looked at me from afar with a big smile. Currently, I run 432 Vintage, a small online business focused on selling vintage clothing at an affordable rate. Not only that but 10% of all profits go towards charity. I have done a lot for my community through charity towards those in need and pop-up events that help bring attention to small businesses. I hope to continue my efforts long into the future despite the parameters set by current social norms. As stated before, 432 Vintage donates 10% of all profits to charity as well as help in spreading attention to other local small businesses. As of writing our most recent event was with Cafe de Luna which is a small Korean-style cafe that has found Odessa Texas home. Each event we have held with Cafe de Luna has always drawn attention to the cafe and has brought them new clientele. As of writing this, we have raised almost $500 in charity and are on track to reach the goal of $700 by May 2025. Nowadays, I think people have become less inclined to help in their community due to financial and social reasons. People have become much less inclined to support their community despite the connectivity the internet has brought us. Currently, the United States is facing a major social capital issue due to a myriad of reasons. One of the goals I have with my business is to create opportunities for people within my community to connect and support others. Pop-ups like the ones at Cafe de Luna are a good place I use to create these opportunities. Not only that but I hope that me doing charity with my business, will inspire others to do the same. I think that I am a positive force within my community due to how I use my business as a tool to create positive social change within my community. I have donated hundreds of dollars to charities and promoted small businesses like mine through pop-ups and other events. I also hope to use these events to improve and change the current culture we have within the United States which has caused a major decline in our social capital.

The gentle, rhythmic hum of my nebulizer filled the air, a constant reminder of the battle I faced each day in my small, cluttered room. This machine had become an unwelcome companion, tethering me to a reality shaped by asthma—an invisible foe dictating much of my life. As a child, I longed to be active, to run freely, and to play sports like my friends. However, the shadow of my condition loomed large, preventing me from participating in PE classes and activities that sparked my interest. I remember the disappointment that washed over me each time I had to sit on the sidelines, my heart racing with a mix of envy and longing, while my peers chased one another around the playground. Those struggles were marked by more than just fleeting moments of exclusion; they left me facing deep wells of anxiety and helplessness. When the laughter of my friends echoed in the distance, I often felt like a ghost. The slightest exertion would trigger an asthma attack, leaving me gasping for breath, a sharp reminder of my limitations. Childhood dreams of athleticism faded, replaced by a deep-seated frustration that clawed at me. In time, my asthma transformed from a burden into a motivating force. The treatments and steroids became part of my daily routine, though they came at a cost. There were nights when the medications stirred vivid nightmares, nightmares so palpable that I woke in a cold sweat, unsure of reality. Hallucinations danced in the corners of my mind, influenced by a concoction of drugs and fatigue that wrapped around me like a heavy blanket. It was a delicate balancing act—managing my health while trying to maintain my sanity and sense of self. I refused to let these challenges dim my aspirations. Fueled by a determination to rise above my limitations, I turned to martial arts. It was during those classes that I discovered a newfound passion. I trained tirelessly, ultimately achieving the coveted black belt in Taekwondo. Each kick became a testament to my resilience, a way to channel my struggles into something positive and powerful. This journey led me beyond martial arts; I even started a small business aimed at uplifting my community through vintage clothing and charity. It was a venture born from creativity and determination, allowing me to contribute to something greater than myself while providing additional financial stability. These accomplishments, though small, proved to me that greatness can rise from vulnerability. Looking ahead, I see a horizon filled with possibilities. My aspirations stretch beyond personal achievements; I long to touch the lives of others as an engineer, to create innovations that will change the world. The accolades I earn are not merely milestones; they are beacons of hope, illuminating the path for others grappling with chronic illnesses. I want my story to resonate with those who feel confined by their conditions, showing them that perseverance can carve a path toward fulfillment. Despite the obstacles I’ve faced, asthma has never defined me. It has shaped parts of my journey, but I've refused to let it overshadow my dreams. My condition may sometimes render me unable to do what I wish, but every challenge has become a stepping stone rather than a stumbling block. I’ve learned to embrace life’s uncertainties, committed to my goals, and never surrendering to the whims of my illness. As I navigate this intricate dance between aspiration and limitation, my heart swells with hope that I can inspire others in similar struggles.

One of my favorite fashion designers, Virgil Abloh, once said, “I’m not made for a podium, but I’ll design a podium that ushers in systemic change.” This sentiment always has resonated deeply with me and is a guiding principle behind my business, 432 Vintage. Founded alongside my brother in 2021, during the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic, 432 Vintage is an online boutique dedicated to offering high-quality vintage clothing and apparel at accessible prices. More than just a business, we are committed to societal impact by donating 10% of our profits to charity. My journey as an entrepreneur has taught me invaluable lessons about resilience, creativity, and the changes that need to be made in the fashion industry. In the early stages, sales were slow, and finding our footing was challenging. However, everything shifted dramatically after our first pop-up event, where we showcased our unique selection of vintage pieces. The response was overwhelming; our online platform saw a substantial increase in traffic and interest. What sets 432 Vintage apart from other retailers in the fashion industry is our commitment to fair pricing. We refuse to inflate our prices with unreasonable profit margins, a troubling trend that has driven up costs at thrift stores where we source much of our inventory. By maintaining affordable prices, we aim to create a culture where vintage clothing remains accessible, allowing those in need to find stylish options without the burden of high resale prices. As our business grows, I am optimistic that we can foster an environment that values sustainability and affordability in fashion, directly benefiting shoppers at thrift stores. In addition to our fair pricing model, we take pride in our mission to give back. So far, we have raised hundreds of dollars for charity, supporting both local initiatives and global causes, such as fighting climate change and addressing social issues within our community. Each contribution reinforces our belief that businesses can be a force for good, inspiring others to consider the impact of their own practices. My experiences with 432 Vintage have also instilled a sense of fulfillment and independence that I had never felt before. Entrepreneurship requires hard work and dedication, but the rewards—both personal and professional—are immense. The ability to create something meaningful from scratch has empowered me and motivated me to pursue this journey long after my college years. Looking ahead, I aspire to amplify the change we are striving for in the fashion industry. By promoting a culture of sustainability and social responsibility. I am committed to designing a brighter future—not just for my business, but for the world as a whole. In a time where many are questioning the values of fast fashion and consumerism, 432 Vintage stands as a testament to what is possible when we prioritize ethics over profit. As our community of supporters grows, it reinforces the idea that change is achievable. I envision a future where people embrace vintage clothing, knowing that by doing so, they are also contributing to a sustainable and charitable cause. In conclusion, the journey of 432 Vintage has just begun, but I am filled with hope and determination. I believe that through our efforts, we are creating a podium for change, one where systemic issues in the fashion industry are addressed, and where we can make a significant impact. As I move forward, I hold onto Virgil’s words: “I’m not made for the podium, but I’ll design a podium that ushers in systemic change.” It’s a mission I am passionate about, and I am excited to see how our small business can contribute to a larger movement.

Success to me is based on my ability to change our current status quo for the better. I plan to study mechanical engineering at Texas Tech University, and I hope that I may use my degree to change the world. I want to create solutions to problems we face now, I want to use my salary as an engineer to fund my community through charity, and bring attention to problems within my community. Currently, I attend Odessa Collegiate Academy in Odessa, Texas. Odessa is a small town in west Texas with a lot of character and charm to it and a kind of boom town aesthetic. Odessa was the perfect place to raise a kid who wanted to build things. For as long as I can remember I have always wanted to be an engineer. I wanted to create technologies that changed people’s lives for the better, and my parents have always motivated me to do so. I know that with my degree, I will one day solve problems like pollution, energy loss, and climate change through technology development and progress. I don’t just hope I will, I know I will. In Odessa, one of the biggest issues we face is air quality. Much of this is caused by the oil field which produces metric tons of emissions on the daily. I hope to create affordable filters that not only improve the quality of the oil being produced but also reduce the amount of air pollution being emitted into our atmosphere. I also plan to use my salary as a mechanical engineer to donate money to charities that serve not just my community but the world as a whole. Right now, I run 432 Vintage which is a small business I made with my brother that focuses on selling vintage clothing at an affordable rate. One of the things we do as a part of our business is give a total of around 10% of all profits made, to charities that serve our community. Thanks to all of our sales we have planted 100 trees in association with Team Trees, we have also donated hundreds of dollars to local charities such as West Texas Food Bank, and we have raised a lot of money to help protect our oceans with The Ocean Conservancy. As an engineer, this charity will only increase. I also hope to spread awareness to problems we face right now within my community and the world as a whole. Right now, my business is focused on spreading awareness to textile waste as well as the bad business practices of many fast-fashion brands. Our work has been featured in the local news with Telemundo 20 and we have our own blog telling others about the same faults within the fashion industry. Success to me is not based on how much money is in my pocket, or how often my name is uttered in the history books. Success to me is how much I can give to this world before I go. I have helped my community a lot already but I want to do a lot more for it and even the world as a whole. I hope that as a Mechanical Engineer I will be able to solve the problems our generation currently faces, I hope to use my salary to help others through charity, and I hope to spread awareness to problems not given enough attention. I cannot say that what I am doing now is enough for this world. What I can say though is that as an Engineer I will.

Mr. Payan is our current mathematics teacher at Odessa Collegiate Academy. He has taught me High School Geometry and Algebra II. Mr. Payan has always had a sort of flair when it comes to teaching, every lesson plan is organized and presented well and would always make sure that everyone in the class was participating. Not only that, but Mr. Payan would often stay after school tutoring people for more than three hours at times. I would go to his tutoring often whenever we were going over a difficult topic in class. He also rewarded extra credit to those who found mistakes in his work. I remember one time I went to him after school regarding polynomial equations he assigned for us to solve, and I was able to finish it there. Before I left, he explained concepts we were going to learn later in class to me and how it can help me visualize polynomials better when solving problems. He also gave me some questions to solve regarding what he just lectured me on. Not only that, but he also has his own YouTube channel where he explains each lesson to us almost like Khan Academy. Aside from academics, Mr. Payan has been my reference for the past few years on my resume and he has also written a letter of recommendation that I use to apply to colleges and scholarships. His letter has allowed me to get accepted at UTPB and Texas Tech University. When I told him that I got accepted to each of them a large smile covered his face, and he was really proud of how far I have come. He also has been extremely supportive when it came to applying to scholarships by virtue of him just being him and his letter of recommendation. Ever since Freshman year, he has always been motivating me to become an Engineer and it has been my goal for as long as I can remember, to do so. Mr. Payan is the one teacher who has not only helped me grow academically but also has guided me when it comes to achieving my goals and dreams. Mr. Payan is the one teacher that I personally will never forget, and I am thankful for the opportunities he has given me. I use him as a reference in my own resume, I use his letter of recommendation on almost everything I can since it has helped me a lot, and Mr. Payan has always been there for me whenever I was lost on something academically and needed to be set back on my path. For that, I am most grateful.

Blue water washed over my face, its light reflecting back to me in that dark classroom as my entire class watched whales and crashing waves with utmost attention. Each word narrated by David Attenborough being followed by the next in a serene synergy. I was in awe of it all. It was a natural beauty I knew was fading away in front of my very eyes. Ever since I viewed that documentary, I became a lot more conscious of climate change as well as my own carbon-footprint. It has made me use much of the profits from my business and donate it to climate charities, it has made me promote alternatives to fast fashion through my business’ social media, and it has made me work towards creating a sustainable garden for my mom before I leave for college. Currently, I run a small online business called 432 Vintage. 432 Vintage focuses on selling thrifted vintage clothing at an affordable price while also donating much of the money we make to both local charities as well as climate charities. Currently our goal is to donate $100 to seven charities. So far, we have donated one hundred dollars to Team Trees, The Ocean Conservancy, West Texas Food Bank, and Keep Odessa Beautiful. I plan to continue my donations as I enter college as my business grows. Another thing I do with my business is promote alternatives to fast-fashion trends and companies. I am a large supporter of upcycling clothes as well as thrifting. I provide advice on both of these subjects on my Medium account connected to my Instagram as well as by sharing thrifting tips to my page’s story. I hope that as my business continues to grow, so will the knowledge I share with my community. Aside from my business 432 Vintage, I am currently working on making a sustainable garden for my mom in our backyard before I go off to college. Last month and the month before, I have focused on planting pollinators to both diversify my backyard’s ecosystem while also improving the productivity of the plants we already have. This month I plan to transplant crops prepared for the climate as well as begin composting soil in one of our empty flower beds once winter passes. Once spring arrives, I plan to plant a lot of plants while also introducing diverse life to the garden to keep the ecosystem balanced such as: ladybugs, earthworms, and hopefully bees. I also hope that as the garden develops, it will help the ecosystems of other gardens in my neighborhood also develop. I make a lot of intentional choices when it comes to climate change and my carbon-footprint. I donate a lot of money to climate charities that combat climate change, I use my business’ social media page to promote alternatives to fast-fashion brands and trends, and I am trying my best to create a sustainable garden my mom can use once I leave for college to lower her own carbon-footprint. Nevertheless, there is still much for me to do. Afterall, climate change won’t stop by itself, and my work has only begun.

I think mental health is important to me because of what I have gone through. My mental health has changed a lot over the years, and it has affected how I look at not only my understanding of the world, but also my goals and relationships as well. I remember during my freshman year of high school I was at a state where I felt that my life was falling apart in front of me. By that point, my brother was going through cancer treatment in Houston at MD Anderson, and the relationship between both of my parents was falling apart in front of my eyes. I felt quite empty. Things that I once had love for felt alien to me. I felt like a stranger in my own skin. Every day felt as draining as the last, and each interaction I held with others felt more like a facade unto myself for their sake. In that dreary lucidity, I contemplated suicide a lot. It was to a point where it was an almost everyday occurrence. In my eyes, I felt that anything I would have done in my life would leave no impact on others in the end. I was disgusted by society as a whole, as well as the way in which we are willing to kill each other over ideas and concepts that would leave no lasting mark on this world. The closest I got to ending my own life was around February of 2021. I remember coming home from school tired and heard my parents argue for hours on end outside in the backyard. I remember grabbing an old Swiss army knife my dad bought me one day and just pressing it against my wrist. I did not cut it, I just held it close. I felt its cold steel pressed against me and all I was thinking about at that moment was this sort of abyss that weighed heavily on me. Nothing I would have done would matter. No accomplishment, no idea, no work, no cause, not even my name–none of it would matter. I stared at my wrist with the knife gently kissing it for what felt like hours. What stopped me from attempting my own life, was the voice of my mom a few rooms away. She was crying. I put away the knife and went to her to try and comfort her. By the grace of God, I have not thought of suicide again. I have not told my family about what has happened. I haven’t told them mainly out of fear of what they would say and how they would act. I do not want them blaming themselves for what happened, nor do I want them to force me to go do things that won’t really help much. It is a secret of mine that I keep out of not really a shame but a protectiveness. I think that what I was thinking when I had the knife pressed up against me was true. Nothing we do will matter in the end. Then again, all of us can relate to that estrangement with ourselves and others. All of us are lost. The first thing a child born into this world will say is not a cheer or a laugh but a cry. It is a cry because this world is a place of suffering. Letting others know that they are not alone in this suffering in my eyes is how we connect with the nature of the world around us. That torment is important to me because I dealt with it and no person deserves to feel that same isolation. My goals in life have changed from leaving a mark on this world, to simply enjoying my existence. I think life can be really messy. There is no point in leaving anything behind. In time we are forgotten and estranged from this world. This existence is finite. What I have gone through made me accept that and change my perspective on how I want to live my life. The last thing I want to do on my deathbed is ponder if I did enough to be remembered in the history books. Even the largest libraries will eventually fall. My mental health has affected my relationships with people a lot. It has changed my perspective of my existence on earth. I no longer am bound to this line of thinking that in order for my life to have meaning I have to be remembered for something. I understand that our existence is finite and there is no use chasing glory in a world that forgets the glorious. I think my attempt to commit suicide, forced me to confront all of these things at once. Thankfully, I came out the other end alive and happy.

I do not derive my success in life solely on how much money is in my bank account, nor how often my name is uttered to the histories. Success to me is based on how much I can give to this world and change people’s lives. I have volunteered with West Texas Food Bank since 2021, I have raised hundreds of dollars to charities that not only help my community but the world as a whole through my business 432 Vintage, and I plan to donate a large part of my salary as an engineer to charity once I graduate college and hopefully change the world. I have volunteered with West Texas Food Bank since my freshman year of high school, and I love working with them. I believe that food is a basic human right and that no one should die starving–especially in my community–and it has brought me much joy working towards solving this issue. Much of my volunteer service with West Texas Food Bank involves organizing foodstuffs donated to them through events such as their annual peanut butter drive. I also help package and create food parcels that are sent off to people in need across West Texas. So far, I am on track to achieve around fifty hours of documented community service with them. Aside from volunteering, I have also raised and donated a lot of money to charities that both serve my community and help solve global issues with my business 432 Vintage. 432 Vintage is a small online business that focuses on selling vintage clothing at an affordable price as well as spreading awareness to textile and clothing waste. Ten percent of all profits made from our sales get donated to charity. So far, we have planted 100 trees with the help of Team Trees, and we have donated an additional $300 to West Texas Food Bank, The Ocean Conservancy Foundation, and Keep Odessa Beautiful. Our goal is to donate an additional $400 to four more charities by May 2025. I plan to continue my charity as I enter my career as a Mechanical Engineer; maintaining the 10% rule I apply to my business today. Hopefully, as time passes and my salary increases through time, so will my charity. As an engineer, I hope that I may create and design solutions to problems that we currently face today and aid in humanity’s progress forward. Doing so would be a dream come true, and I pray that my work will change the world for the better. To me, success is determined by what I can give to this world while I am here. It is the one thing that drives me to volunteer in places like West Texas Food Bank, it is what drives me to raise and donate money through my business to charity, it is what drives me to become an engineer and maintain the same charity I give now while solving the problems we face. I cannot promise that my actions as of now are enough to change the world, let alone a large part of my community, but I can promise wholeheartedly that I one day will, and I will succeed at it. I hope that this scholarship may consider me and help me achieve my goals as I journey through college.

I cannot say that currently my actions have helped our society at large. I cannot say that I have the answers to the issues my generation is forced to face. What I can say however, is that my actions have helped others tremendously. I have donated around $400 to charity with a goal of $700 by the time I graduate High School in May, I have helped local businesses in my community grow, and I am on track to have fifty documented volunteer hours by the time I graduate. I am the current owner and co-founder of 432 Vintage, which is a small online business I run that focuses on selling vintage clothing at an affordable price. 432 Vintage started as an idea made by my brother who was working towards his MBA and was originally a class project. I helped him get the business going, and, ever since our inception, we have always donated 10 percent of all our profits to charity. This year alone we have donated around $200 to charities in our community like Keep Odessa Beautiful, and West Texas Food Bank. We have also donated $200 to larger charities like Team Trees as well as The Ocean Conservancy. Apart from charity, I have also volunteered within my community. Right now I am on track to get around fifty hours of volunteer service. Much of this service was with West Texas Food Bank which serves our community by delivering food to underprivileged and underserved communities within West Texas. Last Tuesday as I am writing, I worked on packaging food that would be shipped off in boxes. I enjoy working with them due to my belief that food is a human right to have, and no one should go starving, especially in my community. I also–as a part of my business–hold pop ups with local small businesses within my hometown of Odessa, Texas. This helps not only my business grow, but also the business hosting us by drawing attention to them. My most favorite pop-up had to be with Vintage Deluxe which is a small vintage surplus store. We saw all walks of life there and we helped bring attention to Vintage Deluxe through advertising the event online to our community via Instagram. Currently, our next event will be at Cafe De Luna on November 30th. Cafe De Luna loves hosting us since we always bring in a large clientele to their cafe and we hope this trend will continue as time passes. I have helped people in my community by giving charity to local nonprofits that serve it, I volunteer my time to my community through volunteering, and as a part of 432 Vintage I help other businesses such as Cafe De Luna grow. I cannot say that my actions are changing society right now. However, I know that I have the ambition and the will to do so in the future. Because of this, I pray that this scholarship may consider me as its winner, so that I may help others further as I continue my journey into college and change the world through my work and ideas.

He laid in front of me, lifeless, and lowered in front of me, lifeless and lowered in front of my eyes. My grandfather was gone when I barely had a chance to get to know him. I don’t remember much about him–all I remember is his funeral and a brief memory or two. Because of this, I have always held a kind of shame in not knowing him as much as others. My grandfather served in the marines during the Vietnam War and served three tours over there. His job while in Vietnam was to be a tunnel rat. The job of a tunnel rat was to clear the complex tunnel systems that the Vietcong and North Vietnamese army hid in during shelling and clear them of enemy combatants. My dad told me stories about my grandpa when he came back home changed due to the war. He stayed that way for a long time until my older brother was born. He went from a man who's soul and spirit never left Vietnam, to a person who became focused on the reality of life. I don’t have a bad memory of my grandfather despite what few memories I do have of him. I remember going to the hospital during his final moments on this earth and he joked with me and asked for his sunglasses. When I gave them to him he took on this sort of Fonzy persona. Despite his final moments, he spared me the pain of his situation. There is a shame I have in not knowing him as much as the rest of my family. It’s a sort of grief. By the time I got to finally know him he was already gone. It is a grief that I don’t think I can ever heal from, yet; I try to live my life as I think he would have wanted me to. My grandfather was a good man and fought for my country willingly in Vietnam against what seemed like a major communist threat. He was kind even in his final moments trying his best to spare me the grief of a death soon to come. Because of this, I try my best to live as he would have wanted me to. I hope that in doing so, I may bring both him and I a sort of peace. A peace he would have loved for me to have.

One-hundred trees planted into the earth, funded by my own hard work and the charity I gave. That equates to nearly one-thousand kilograms of Carbon-Dioxide being absorbed each year. I define my success not by how much money or fame I get, but by what I can do for others. I use this definition of success towards my own business, and I hope that this scholarship money may offer me a chance to leave a meaningful impact on this earth through my career as an Mechanical Engineer. Ever since I was young, I wanted to change the world. I wanted to tackle the issues my generation faces and solve them. I want to fight the issues that face the world and be remembered for it whether I succeed against those battles or fail. I want to engineer machines and technology that redefine my field and act as a steppingstone towards the future. This in my eyes is success. It is a drive that I greed and envy. My ability to change the world is how I base my own success. Currently, I run a small business called 432 Vintage. My business resells vintage clothing across the United States and gives 10% of all profits to charity. So far, I and those who have helped have planted 100 trees, removed around 94 pounds of garbage from our seas and oceans, donated 100 dollars to our local Keep Odessa Beautiful, and we are on track to donate far more to not only my community but also the world. This charity is only the beginning for me. I want to make a difference in our society and help this world heal from the scars of humanity’s greed and passion. This scholarship is integral for me to go to college. Currently I plan on attending Texas Tech University and garner a master’s degree in mechanical engineering. Winning this scholarship is integral to accomplishing that goal of mine. Without that money, it would make getting my degree a lot more difficult for me to accomplish due to the difficulty it would entale to cover the cost of college. I cannot rely on either of my parents fully financially due to a recent divorce and debts that they both have gathered as a result of it. Winning this scholarship would change the course of my future. I ask whomever may read this, understand that there is a fire inside of me. A fire that cannot be quenched by burden or struggle. I have proven so with the work I have done thus far and have declared that I define my success as my ability to change the world. In that, there is greatness. I don’t just want to be great; I want to be one of the greats. I ask that I may be considered as a finalist so that those who help me pay for college may be a highlight of the journey that awaits for me and for the organizers as a whole. I will plant more than 100 trees. Far more. I ask only if you may help me sow them and lay the groundwork to inspire and aid those to come after.

I think mental health is important to me because of what I have gone through. My mental health has changed a lot over the years, and it has affected how I look at not only my understanding of the world, but also my goals and relationships as well During my freshman year of high school, I was at a state where I felt that my life was falling apart in front of me. By that point, my brother was going through cancer treatment at MD Anderson, and the relationship between both of my parents was falling apart in front of me. Things that I once had love for felt alien to me. I felt like a stranger in my own skin. Every day felt as draining as the last, and each interaction I held with others felt more like a facade unto myself for their sake. In that dreary lucidity, I contemplated suicide a lot. It was to a point where it was an almost everyday occurrence. Anything I would have done in my life would leave no impact on others in the end. I was disgusted by society as a whole, as well as the way in which we are willing to kill each other over ideas and concepts that would leave no lasting mark on this world. The closest I got to ending my own life was around February of 2021. I remember coming home from school tired and heard my parents argue for hours on end outside in the backyard. I remember grabbing an old Swiss army knife my dad bought me one day and just pressing it against my wrist. I did not cut it, I just held it close. I felt its cold steel pressed against me and all I was thinking about at that moment was this abyss that weighed heavily on me. Nothing I would have done would matter. No accomplishment, no idea, no work, not even my name–none of it would matter. I stared at my wrist with the knife gently kissing it for hours. What stopped me from attempting my own life, was the voice of my mom a few rooms away. She was crying. I put away the knife and went to her to try and comfort her. By the grace of God, I have not thought of suicide again. I have not told my family about what has happened. I haven’t told them mainly out of fear of what they would say and how they would act. I do not want them blaming themselves for what happened, nor do I want them to force me to go do things that won’t really help much. It is a secret of mine that I keep out of not really a shame but a protectiveness. I think that what I was thinking when I had the knife pressed up against me was true. Nothing we do will matter in the end. Then again, all of us can relate to that estrangement with ourselves and others. All of us are lost. My mental health has affected my relationships with people a lot. It has changed my perspective of my existence on earth. I no longer am bound to this line of thinking that in order for my life to have meaning I have to be remembered for something. Our existence is finite and there is no use chasing glory in a world that forgets the glorious. My attempt to commit suicide, forced me to confront all of these things at once. Thankfully, I came out the other end alive and happy.

Words of hellfire and anger rang out through the halls of my house. My head rang for hours trying not to listen to those toxic words being shouted a few rooms away from me. Yet, I continued on with my work trying my best to do what I love.I have been forced into extreme adversity during my Junior and Senior years of highschool thanks largely to my parents sudden divorce, despite these challenges I have never let them take away my passion to become an engineer and change the world. I hope that by winning this scholarship, college may feel more like a possibility for me. During my Junior and Senior year of high school, my parents filed for divorce. The divorce felt quite sudden for me. All I remember leading up to it were my parents arguing almost constantly both in person and over the phone. Despite the incessant fighting, I always tried my best to power through schooling without it weighing me down. STEM, although a hard subject to learn as a whole, I nevertheless tried my best to excel at it. I have gained a passion for Engineering ever since I was in Middle School. For me to become an Engineer and achieve my dreams, I realized that I had to persevere through that constant emotional and mental strain in order for that dream to happen. Ever since I came to that realization, I push myself to conquer hardship and spit in its face. My entire life I have always had this drive to change the world in some meaningful way and I know that I will. I want to be memorialized in our histories based off of my inventions, ideas, and solutions. Winning this scholarship is integral for me to achieve the education I want and make that education feel a lot less of a financial burden on both me and my family. I cannot rely on either of my parents for financial support due to the divorce. My mother amassed a massive debt in order to maintain control over the house and pay her lawyer fees. My dad, although emotionally supportive, is unreliable when it comes to finances and can at times be untrustworthy. Although I respect both of my parents, I do not seek nor can I rely on either of them when I enter college. I have experienced anger and hellfire rein in my household for a very long time, yet, I never let it conquer me. I have always been passionate about my dreams to become an Engineer and my dreams to change the world and be remembered for doing so. Despite my hardships, I never let them stomp out my dreams. Winning this scholarship is integral when it comes to achieving my dreams, and I hope that the Whiddon Memorial Scholarship may consider me for my submission.

Being selfless is important to who I am and is integral to how I define my own success. Much of my selflessness was spurred on by my experience with gun violence in the United States, how I market my business, and my own personal sense of purpose. I, like Michael Rudometkin and many others, am a victim to gun violence. On August 31st, 2019, an armed gunman drove around the city of Odessa and Midland shooting at people almost at random with a semi-automatic rifle. The entire city was in panic, and me, my mom, and my dad were driving around town doing chores witnessing the crimes that gunman performed and even almost crashing as a direct result of the panic. When I came back to middle school the next day, everyone–especially me—were in a distraught state, because we had to face the harsh reality of the dangers that come with living in the United States. As a result of that day, I and much of that class signed petitions asking for a solution to the gun violence the entire city was forced to face. I have been in support of background checks for those seeking to buy a firearm, as well as proper gun etiquette and gun safety for those who own a firearm already. I also spent around 30-40 document hours helping my community through volunteer work with West Texas Food Bank and a number of other charities that serve my community. I also send 10% of all the money I make from my business, 432 Vintage, to charities that both serve my community and seek to fend off climate change. So far, my business has currently raised around $500 in a span of around four months, and we are on track to reach our goal of $1,000 really soon. The charity I give not only helps both my community and the lives of others, but also brings attention to my business as a whole, such as getting interviewed by our local Telemundo news branch regarding it. The more media attention and sales we get as time passes means more money that can help my community and is integral to my business’ growth and success. I love serving my community and others. Helping others has always brought me an overwhelming sense of purpose and joy and it is the one thing that has motivated me to succeed. I hope that in the future, as an engineer and entrepreneur, I may be able to solve major problems our society currently faces and donate even more money to those in need. I do not base my own success off of how much money I have or how much property I own, but rather how much I can help others and serve my community. Being selfless is important to who I am, and it is the one thing that determines how I define both myself and my success. Despite the violence I saw, it has driven me to fight against the gun violence we face in the United States and help my community through charity and volunteer work. I hope that my work may honor not just Michael Rudometkin, but all those who were victims of gun violence. I hope to continue my work and help my community further, but to also inspire others to do the same with the same energy, passion, and drive that Michael Rudometkin once had.

Forests of corals filled to the brim with fishes of different shapes and sizes. Then, a decade or so later, it was no more than a bleached graveyard barren of but a handful of bottom feeders. All of this is just an example of a phenomenon called "coral bleaching," which; is proven to be caused by climate change. As of writing, I am 18 years old. Climate change is one--if not--the biggest issue my generation is forced to face. I hope to go to college and become a mechanical engineer and devise effective solutions that will decrease our carbon footprint, without having a price mark prevent a company or individual from using that product. In my eyes, climate change is like a forced timer on our existence. If we continue on the path we are currently on, there is no feasible way in which humanity shall continue on this earth. It is a sort of doomsday that is in the back of everyone's mind. Currently, I am attending an early college high school. One of the reasons why I chose to attend this school over others, was so that I could enter and finish university quickly and start working on solutions to the problems we face right now as soon as possible. As for what I am doing right now to try and come up with solutions to the issues we face, I founded a small business with my brother called 432 Vintage. 432 Vintage focuses on selling vintage clothing at an affordable cost while also giving 10% of everything we make off of our sales to charity. So far, we have planted 100 trees, as well as having removed nearly 85 pounds of waste from our oceans. We have also donated nearly $500 to local charities in Odessa, TX, that help our community. Currently, our goal is to donate $1,000 in total to both charities that serve our community as well as charities that seek to fight climate change. I cannot promise that my designs or ideas will be the end all be all to climate change. What I can promise though, is that these designs will be made, these ideas formulated, and that both will nevertheless change the world. I plan to continue towards my $1,000 charity goal to help our environment as well as my community. If I am to change the world or leave a major impact on it, however; I am going to need help paying for the education necessary to do so. I hope that this scholarship may be the answer. There is a beauty in this world, one that must be shared--from one generation to the next. Help me preserve such beauty.

I think mental health is important to me because of what I have gone through. My mental health has changed a lot over the years and it has affected how I look at not only my understanding of the world, but also my goals and relationships as well. I remember during my freshman year of high school I was at a state where I felt that my life was falling apart in front of me. By that point, my brother was going through cancer treatment in Houston at MD Anderson, and the relationship between both of my parents was falling apart in front of my eyes. I felt quite empty. Things that I once had love for felt alien to me. I felt like a stranger in my own skin. Every day felt as draining as the last, and each interaction I held with others felt more like a facade unto myself for their sake. In that dreary lucidity, I contemplated suicide a lot. It was to a point where it was an almost every day occurrence. In my eyes, I felt that anything I would have done in my life would leave no impact on others in the end. I was disgusted by society as a whole, as well as the way in which we are willing to kill each other over ideas and concepts that would leave no lasting mark on this world. The closest I got to ending my own life was around February of 2021. I remember coming home from school tired and heard my parents argue for hours on end outside in the backyard. I remember grabbing an old swiss army knife my Dad bought me one day and just pressing it against my wrist. I did not cut it, I just held it close. I felt its cold steel pressed against me and all I was thinking about at that moment was this sort of abyss that weighed heavily on me. Nothing I would have done would matter. No accomplishment, no idea, no work, no cause, not even my name–none of it would matter. I stared at my wrist with the knife gently kissing it for what felt like hours. What stopped me from attempting my own life, was the voice of my mom a few rooms away. She was crying. I put away the knife and went to her to try and comfort her. By the grace of God, I have not thought of suicide again. I have not told my family about what has happened. I haven’t told them mainly out of fear of what they would say and how they would act. I do not want them blaming themselves for what happened, nor do I want them to force me to go do things that won’t really help much. It is a secret of mine that I keep out of not really a shame but a protectiveness.I think that what I was thinking when I had the knife pressed up against me was true. Nothing we do will matter in the end. Then again, all of us can relate to that estrangement with ourselves and others. All of us are lost. The first thing a child born into this world will say is not a cheer or a laugh but a cry. It is a cry because this world is a place of suffering. Letting others know that they are not alone in this suffering in my eyes is how we connect with each other. I always check up on friends and loved ones so they know they're not alone.

As the timer groaned, each pen stroke became heavier than the last. Mr. Payan loomed over us like a vulture as we worked on each problem on the worksheet he assigned. Despite the struggle, I found a liberating joy in it. Growing up, I have always had a fascination with Mathematics. The subject itself–although a difficult one–has always been something I enjoyed understanding and learning. I love tutoring friends and classmates on material we were learning in class, since it made me feel smart while also reinforcing what I was learning at that moment. I have always had a hard time learning mathematics, but I would always force myself to learn it quickly. Each course acted as an epoch of my understanding of mathematics itself. Each “eureka” moment I had when solving a question or understanding a difficult concept, always overfilled me with a kind of serotonin. I felt smart learning mathematics because it was and still is the only course that truly challenges me. Conquering those challenges made me feel smart. I also enjoyed math because of how it made me a sort of tutor for friends and classmates. I remember always being the first person my table mates and at times even neighboring tables asking for help on questions. I would walk them through every problem and challenge their understanding of math as a whole. Each mini-lesson–at times not so mini depending on the topic–always made working through problems easier as time moved onward. Tutoring both my friends and classmates, not only helped others understand concepts, but it also enriched my own understanding of the concept.

I currently live in Odessa Texas which is a pretty small city. I currently attend Odessa Collegiate Academy which is an early college high school in association with Odessa College. I enjoy hanging out with friends, meeting new people, and sharing stories with people as they share theirs. Currently, I am set to graduate around May 2025. I am hoping that after I graduate, I could attend a public university here in Texas and become a Mechanical Engineer. The reason as to why I plan on becoming a Mechanical Engineer is how easy it would be for me to work pretty much anywhere in the engineering field and keeps my options open to opportunities. I am hoping that whatever job I do get, it will make a lot of money so that I could help my mom pay off her loans, and help my dad buy a new house for himself. Despite both of my parents making pretty good money, I do not wish to rely on them for financial aid. For one, my father–no matter how generous he is to me–Is not good with his money and given recent events it has become a lot harder for me to rely on him for help. Not only that, but as mentioned earlier, my mom has gained a large debt of around $120,000 as a result of their divorce. My mom pulled the loan in order to keep the house without having to sell it, while also to pay back my father his half of what our house’s property was worth. I have gone through hardships in my life. I have been privy to the many arguments between my parents, I have been forced to apostatize my beliefs in order to not lose the love of my parents, there have been times where I would find myself punching at the wood flooring of my bedroom with tear in my eyes till my knuckles bled, but I always persevered in the end. I persevered through my hardships not because I wanted to but because I had to. All the pain I have gone through so far has only made me stronger, as did my faith in God despite how I had to apostatize and disgrace both him and prophet Muhammed (PBUH). Despite my torment, both internal and physical, that pain has made me strong. Despite my struggles, not once have I let it define who I am. What has defined me, however, is my ability to persevere and conquer my struggles. No matter how dark life has felt, I always push past it. Not just for my sake but for the sake of others. And if life felt hopeless, or I was in a rut, I would exercise that struggle out through writing and art. It is hard for me to define myself in around two pages. I hope that if I do win this, I shall meet the person who read what I wrote so that I can tell them more of who I am and my stories as I learn about them and theirs.

I think mental health is important to me because of what I have gone through. My mental health has changed a lot over the years and it has affected how I look at not only my understanding of the world, but also my goals and relationships as well. I remember during my freshman year of high school I was at a state where I felt that my life was falling apart in front of me. By that point, my brother was going through cancer treatment in Houston at MD Anderson, and the relationship between both of my parents was falling apart in front of my eyes. I felt quite empty. Things that I once had love for felt alien to me. I felt like a stranger in my own skin. Every day felt as draining as the last, and each interaction I held with others felt more like a facade unto myself for their sake. In that dreary lucidity, I contemplated suicide a lot. It was to a point where it was an almost every day occurrence. In my eyes, I felt that anything I would have done in my life would leave no impact on others in the end. I was disgusted by society as a whole, as well as the way in which we are willing to kill each other over ideas and concepts that would leave no lasting mark on this world. The closest I got to ending my own life was around February of 2021. I remember coming home from school tired and heard my parents argue for hours on end outside in the backyard. I remember grabbing an old swiss army knife my Dad bought me one day and just pressing it against my wrist. I did not cut it, I just held it close. I felt its cold steel pressed against me and all I was thinking about at that moment was this sort of abyss that weighed heavily on me. Nothing I would have done would matter. No accomplishment, no idea, no work, no cause, not even my name–none of it would matter. I stared at my wrist with the knife gently kissing it for what felt like hours. What stopped me from attempting my own life, was the voice of my mom a few rooms away. She was crying. I put away the knife and went to her to try and comfort her. By the grace of God, I have not thought of suicide again. I have not told my family about what has happened. I haven’t told them mainly out of fear of what they would say and how they would act. I do not want them blaming themselves for what happened, nor do I want them to force me to go do things that won’t really help much. It is a secret of mine that I keep out of not really a shame but a protectiveness.I think that what I was thinking when I had the knife pressed up against me was true. Nothing we do will matter in the end. Then again, all of us can relate to that estrangement with ourselves and others. All of us are lost. The first thing a child born into this world will say is not a cheer or a laugh but a cry. It is a cry because this world is a place of suffering. Letting others know that they are not alone in this suffering in my eyes is how we connect with the nature of the world around us. That torment is important to me because I dealt with it and no person deserves to feel that same isolation. My goals in life have changed from leaving a mark on this world, to simply enjoying my existence. I think life can be really messy. There is no point in leaving anything behind. In time we are forgotten and estranged from this world. This existence is finite. What I have gone through made me accept that and change my perspective on how I want to live my life. The last thing I want to do on my deathbed is ponder if I did enough to be remembered in the history books. Even the largest libraries will eventually fall. My mental health has affected my relationships with people a lot. It has changed my perspective of my existence on earth. I no longer am bound to this line of thinking that in order for my life to have meaning I have to be remembered for something. I understand that our existence is finite and there is no use chasing glory in a world that forgets the glorious. I think my attempt to commit suicide, forced me to confront all of these things at once. Thankfully, I came out the other end alive and happy.

According to one of my most favorite authors, Jean-Paul Sartre, “the best work is not what is most difficult for you; it is what you do best.” I try my best to create my best work, no matter its composition, but I like to think that what I am best at artistic wise would have to be writing. I remember for a long time wanting to be a writer. I excelled in a lot of my English classes growing up and I still find myself writing whenever I have a chance to. Writing is really important to me. What I love about writing is it offers me the ability to express myself in ways I would not normally be able to, and I plan to carry that skill and exercise it while I am in college while also furthering my education. The more I write, whether it be journaling, essaying, or simply editing; ideas become clearer as I write. For me, I enjoy journaling the most because it forces me to confront and reflect on my thoughts and write them out. The more I journal, the more comfortable I become in my own skin, and I can only thank writing for that. There have been many times where I wanted to just shut down almost, but journaling allowed me to express whatever emotions and thoughts that I happened to be feeling that day and put it on paper and reflect on that. Whenever I enter college, I plan on continuing journaling as a way to keep up with my ideas and thoughts and just put them on paper and reflect on them. I also would like to someday get a book published by that time while I am studying to become an Engineer. Currently I am helping my dad write a self-help book and a lot of that energy has recently reflected into my own work. I hope that by the time I graduate I’ll have a novel or book done by that point. I think that furthering my education--whether it be by an institution or my own meditations--is integral to my success. I want to further my education so that way I can learn more about not just the field I wish to be in but also myself. I think education is the best way to learn about yourself. It teaches us what we are good and bad at and tells us what we are interested in. Continuing my education past high school is not only important to what I want to be when I grow up, but it keeps me in a state of learning about myself. Not only that but if I do not further my education that would be a huge disappointment for not just my parents but me as well. I enjoy writing a lot. I love it, in fact. Writing is probably the one artistic skill I am best at and I hope that I will have the opportunity to exercise those skills while in college. I also want to continue my education further because it is integral not just to my dream career, but it allows me to better understand who I am. I hope that all of these muses on writing and editing will translate to a work of my own someday. If I were to write about anything though I would make sure to do my best for it. After all, “the best work is not what is most difficult.”

One movie that probably had the biggest impact on my life is probably Interstellar by Christopher Nolan. I first watched it when I was around twelve years old. The reason why it was impactful to my life is because it was the first time I started getting interested in STEM. I will never get over how it felt watching Mathew McConaughey driving through a corn field chasing a rocket as this cascading crescendo of sound slowly rise in intensity as it abruptly concludes almost as soon as it started. I felt awe struck the entire time as the movie played. I was invested entirely in every scene. There was never a dull moment when I watched the movie. It made me interested in space and in turn engineering as a whole. Had I not watched the movie, I probably would have never gotten into engineering as a career to begin with. Sure, I would have found it interesting, but I probably would have never dived as deeply as I would have if I had not watched the movie. I remember watching videos analyzing the plausibility of the movie as a whole, as well as the science it took to make the scenes look as realistic as possible with as little CGI as possible. I think I spent hours alone researching the science behind what inspired some of the movie scenes as well as people like Adam Savage, William Osman, and Michael Reeves dominating my YouTube recommendations as a result of it all. My feed became a spiral of just videos on engineers and the STEM field in general. I even began focusing more in school, especially in my math and science classes. Due to me diving into Interstellar as a movie, I began to explore different kinds of engineering videos. I watched videos on how much work Civil Engineers and Architects put into building structures and spaces that we exist in and walk over without realizing it. I looked at Mechanical Engineers tinkering with Arduinos and machines for hours on end. Interstellar as a movie not only threw me into a world carefully crafted by the artistic and calculating mind of Christopher Nolan, but it also threw this overwhelming passion at me that I dream of on a daily basis at this point. Interstellar was impactful to my life as a whole, because it was what inspired me to work towards becoming an engineer.

I remember ever since I was in middle school, I wanted to become an engineer. In my eyes being an engineer meant being the palm bearer of change. I wanted to be an engineer so I could solve global problems we face, change the world, and I also know what my plans and goals are so far in order for me to achieve that mission. I chose engineering because engineers are the people that change the world. Ever since I was a little kid, the idea of being an engineer became ingrained in me. I wanted to be a part of progress. I saw the issues we faced such as: starvation, global warming, and pollution; I wanted to solve these issues instead of surrendering to them. This wanting to change the world stuck with me a lot. I have done the best I could to help contribute to solve these problems. I have volunteered with our local food bank as well as a local clean up organization that focuses on cleaning my city. I have also raised money to donate to both local charities and climate charities. This want for change is still in me and it is the main reason why I want to be an engineer. Currently, my main goal right now is to graduate highschool and make it to college with as little student debt as possible. When I am attending university, I would get my bachelors degree and start work as an engineer while also working towards my masters degree. I am also hoping to donate at least $700 to charity before I graduate high school in May of 2025. By doing all this I believe I would be prepared to become an engineer while also exercising and keeping that fuel of wanting to help others alive. I think the path that lays ahead of me will be a hard one. However, I believe in myself and what I am able to accomplish. As time passes I will continue to prove myself, never backing down through any of it. I want to be an Engineer and I will. As an Engineer I know that I will change the world in some beneficial way. I know I will, and I know I will succeed in my mission to do so. I will pursue my passion to the bitter end no matter what occurs, because I am willing to die knowing that I never deviated from my path nor my goals. I am willing to die for my passion.

My dad served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Gulf War and served as a reservist following the war’s conclusion. I was born about seven to six years after he was honorably discharged due to a spinal injury he sustained while moving ammo crates to a truck. My dad never really talked about what he saw unless you asked him. He never really got PTSD either. If he did, he would make sure to distance himself from the rest of the family. My experience as his child was very sheltered. When I was little, he protected me from his experiences in the military. Whenever he got heated or angry he would always just distance himself or drive around in his car for a bit instead of lashing out. He did like to joke around with us a lot though. I remember that when me or my brother were little and we were holding a glass or cup, he would always say, “keep two hands on the grenade boys.” Or whenever we got in trouble, instead of spanking us he would act as drill sergeant and make us do push-ups or jumping jacks. Each rep we did he’d make us shout, “1-2-3-4 I love the Marine Corps!” There was never really a dull moment when I was with my dad growing up. I love my dad a lot. I am thankful for having him as a father. Despite everything he went through in service to our nation, he never brought that pain back home. Nowadays, he is a lot more comfortable talking about his service, and I know why he wanted to protect us. He feared he would put us through the same situation he went through with his father. When my grandfather came home after his service in Vietnam, he changed a lot and was extremely emotionally abusive to both my grandmother, my uncle, and my dad. I am grateful for having my dad. He protected me from what he went through, he made sure to do the best he could for us, and there was never a dull moment with him. He did everything he could to prevent both me and my brother going through what he did as a kid. I love my dad and despite his service in the military, he never let it guide who he is as a person and did all he could to give me a good childhood.

According to one of my most favorite authors, Jean-Paul Sartre, “the best work is not what is most difficult for you; it is what you do best.” I try my best to create my best work, no matter its composition, but I like to think that what I am best at artistic wise would have to be writing. I remember for a long time wanting to be a writer. I excelled in a lot of my English classes growing up and I still find myself writing whenever I have a chance to. Writing is really important to me. What I love about writing is it offers me the ability to express myself in ways I would not normally be able to, and I plan to carry that skill and exercise it while I am in college. The more I write, whether it be journaling, essaying, or simply editing; ideas become clearer as I write. For me, I enjoy journaling the most because it forces me to confront and reflect on my thoughts and write them out. The more I journal, the more comfortable I become in my own skin, and I can only thank writing for that. There have been many times where I wanted to just shut down almost, but journaling allowed me to express whatever emotions and thoughts that I happened to be feeling that day and put it on paper, and reflect on that. Whenever I enter college, I plan on continuing journaling as a way to keep up with my ideas and thoughts and just put them on paper and reflect on them. I also would like to someday get a book published by that time while I am studying to become an Engineer. Currently I am helping my dad write a self-help book and a lot of that energy has recently reflected into my own work. I hope that by the time I graduate I’ll have a novel or book done by that point. I enjoy writing a lot. I love it, in fact. Writing is probably the one artistic skill I am best at and I hope that I will have the opportunity to exercise those skills while in college. I hope that all of these muses on writing and editing will translate to a work of my own. If I were to write about anything though I would make sure to do my best for it. After all, “the best work is not what is most difficult.”

Our existence is meaningless and futile, however, there is a comfort in this futility. French existentialist and founder of absurdism, Albert Camus wrote of this in his novela, “The Stranger.” One paragraph that tells of his ideas on the topic quite well is the final paragraph. The paragraph reads, “With him gone, I was able to calm down again. I was exhausted and threw myself on my bunk. I must have fallen asleep, because I woke up with the stars in my face. Sounds of the countryside were drifting in. Smells of night, earth, and salt air were cooling my temples. The wondrous peace of that sleeping summer flowed through me like a tide. Then, in the dark hour before dawn, sirens blasted, they were announcing departures for a world that now and forever meant nothing to me. For the first time in a long time I thought about Maman. I felt as if I understood why at the end of her life she had taken a ‘fiance,’ why she had played at the beginning again too. As if that blind rage had washed me clean, rid me of hope; for the first time, in that night alive with signs and stars, I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world. Finding it so– like a brother, really– I felt that I had been happy and that I was happy again. For everything to be consummated, for me to feel less alone, I had only to wish that there be a large crowd of spectators the day of my execution and that they greet me with cries of hate.” This paragraph of The Stranger, expounds Camus’ philosophy on existence as well as its innate futility, as well as why one can find freedom and comfort in it. By the end of The Stranger, Meursault is a stranger to himself and is numb to the world around him, in the face of his execution, however; he finds comfort in the futility of his situation. One of the ideas derived from absurdism is the acceptance of futility. Despite the futility of life, despite the pain and suffering this world offers, nevertheless; no matter what we do or believe we will be forgotten by time. Freedom and comfort can be found in this realization. Meursault comes to this same realization when he said to himself, “For the first time in a long time I thought about Maman. I felt as if I understood why at the end of her life she had taken a ‘fiance,’ why she had played at the beginning again too. As if that blind rage had washed me clean, rid me of hope; for the first time, in that night alive with signs and stars, I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world.” Mersault finds freedom through his futility–nothing matters in the face of death. This mentality is expanded more with Meursault saying, “Finding it so– like a brother, really– I felt that I had been happy and that I was happy again.” Muersault finds immense happiness in his futility because there is a freedom in it. In his prison cell, Meursault is free of burden and is connected to the earth. “Smells of night, earth, and salt air” filled his lungs as he awakened to the skies adorned in light. Despite being imprisoned, he was free. Albert Camus’ wrote The Stranger as a way to share his philosophy in a more grounded way; his philosophy on existence and its futility are best expressed in the last paragraph of that same famed novela. He uses Meursault’s experiences to display how one can find freedom and comfort within an uncaring futile existence, by accepting its existence. Albert Camus wanted to tell us how to live in a futile and meaningless existence.