One of my favorite athletes to cheer for on Team USA is Katie Ledecky, an extraordinary swimmer who has dominated the sport for over a decade. I grew up watching Katie Ledecky. She has been competing in the Olympics almost my whole life and I can not imagine a Team USA without her. Ledecky stands out for her incredible achievements in the pool and for her unwavering dedication, humility, and sportsmanship. Katie Ledecky started as a 15-year-old at the 2012 London Olympics, winning gold in the 800m freestyle. Over the years, she has set world records, claimed multiple Olympic and World Championship titles, and redefined what is possible in distance swimming. Her ability to push the limits of endurance and speed is nothing short of inspiring. What truly sets Ledecky apart is her work ethic. She is known for her relentless training, often logging grueling workouts that would exhaust even the toughest athletes. Her quiet determination and focus serve as a reminder that success doesn’t come from talent alone. It requires perseverance, resilience, and an unbreakable spirit. Katie Ledecky has never lost her love for swimming. It only continues to grow everyday. She always thanks her coaches, teammates, and family for their support. Ledecky also advocates for education and the importance of women in sports, using her platform to inspire young athletes, especially girls, to dream big and work hard. For me, Katie Ledecky’s journey is a testament to the power of dedication and belief in oneself. She has shown that barriers can be broken with hard work and that setbacks are just stepping stones to greater achievements. Watching her race is exhilarating because of the sheer grit and heart she puts into every swim. She embodies excellence, resilience, and humility, making her an athlete I deeply admire and love cheering for on Team USA. Her story encourages me to keep pushing forward, no matter the challenges I face, and to always strive to be better. Whether its in the pool, in my studies, or in life.

In the fall of 2020, I began experiencing intense back pain that persisted into 2021. Despite numerous doctor visits and tests, no one could determine the cause. The uncertainty and relentless pain took a severe toll on my mental health—I felt helpless and desperate for relief. Each day was a struggle, and I found myself withdrawing from the activities and people I loved. After months of frustration and unanswered questions, doctors finally discovered the cause in June 2021—a large, noncancerous mass pressing on my back. I was rushed into emergency surgery to have it removed. While the surgery alleviated my physical pain, my mental struggles did not disappear. I was relieved to finally have an answer, but my recovery came with new challenges. I was restricted from all physical activities, including one of my greatest passions—swimming. Swimming has always been more than just a sport to me; it is my escape, my motivation, and my community. Being unable to swim for two months was one of the most difficult aspects of my recovery. I missed training, competing, and the connection with my teammates. Since my surgery happened over the summer, I also felt incredibly isolated. Without swimming or my usual social interactions, I struggled to find a sense of purpose. Finally, after two long months, I was cleared to return to the pool which was just in time for my championship meet. However, the time away had taken its toll. I quickly realized how much I had fallen behind. My endurance, speed, and strength were not where they had been before my surgery. It was frustrating, but instead of giving up, I poured all my energy into training. Every practice was an opportunity to prove to myself that I could overcome this setback. Slowly but surely, I regained my strength and confidence. My perseverance paid off, and I was amazed at how well I was able to bounce back. Now, as a college freshman, swimming remains an essential part of my life. It keeps me physically healthy, but more importantly, it provides me with a sense of belonging and purpose. Through this experience, I have learned the importance of resilience, passion, and having an outlet for both physical and mental well-being. My journey has inspired me to support others who may be struggling, and I hope to encourage them to find their own outlets for healing and growth. I aim to graduate from the University of Toledo with strong academic performance and valuable hands-on experience. After college, I plan to enter the workforce as a mechanical engineer, applying the skills I have developed through my education and real-world experiences. My goal is to build a successful and fulfilling career that allows me to support myself while making meaningful contributions to the field. As a woman in mechanical engineering, a field traditionally dominated by men, I am determined to demonstrate that women can thrive and excel in this profession. According to The University of Toledo’s Strategic Plan for Diversity and Inclusion 2020-2023, only 18% of engineering students are female. It is essential to recognize and support female engineers as vital contributors to innovation and progress. Beyond my career goals, I am passionate about collaborating with others to address environmental challenges. I aspire to leave a lasting impact by developing sustainable solutions that contribute to a better, more eco-friendly world. Through my work in engineering, I hope to inspire others and drive positive change in society.

I am passionate about pursuing mechanical engineering because I want to help people. I want to collaborate with others to solve environmental issues in our current society. My community includes the Great Lakes. In high school, I took IB Environmental Systems and Societies. This class taught me about past mistakes humans have made and what was done to fix those mistakes. This class inspired me to take action. For example, I wrote my senior research paper on the effects of nutrient pollution on Lake Erie. I demonstrated the links between nutrient pollution, algal blooms, urbanization, farmland, and the declining fish population. I reviewed these factors to determine the causes of nutrient pollution and why it has such a harmful impact on Lake Erie. I reviewed current solutions through my literature review and discussed other options to reduce the nutrient load in Lake Erie to sustain the fish population. This paper taught me that there are many measures that people can take to protect the environment. I want to find solutions to help the environment recover and flourish. The more people I can help, the better. I intend to leave my mark on the world by making it a more sustainable place. I am so lucky to say that I grew up with incredible leaders in my life. Both my parents and older athletes (I am a swimmer) have shown me what being a good leader means. Now that I am older, I know a lot more about leadership. A good leader does not necessarily seek out the title of captain or boss, but they do what is right and help others. They show others what to do by setting a good example. In swimming, I have seen good leaders cheer on their teammates and high five their opponents after races. These things are now normal for people to do during swim meets. I have learned that it is important to show good leadership. I am a hard-working swimmer and student. However, I did not always identify with being a hard worker because I did not understand the importance of it. In 2020, I started to experience an immense amount of back pain. Doctors were unable to find a cause or a diagnosis for the pain. In 2021, it was revealed that I had a large noncancerous mass that was causing my back pain. I had emergency surgery to remove the mass. I was not allowed to swim for two months. Swimming is very important to me and it was very difficult to live without it. This caused me to struggle with my identity as a swimmer. I was able to start swimming again right before my championship meet. I realized how far behind I fell, so I worked really hard during practices to catch up. My hard work paid off and I surprised myself at how well I bounced back. I learned the importance of having a strong work ethic and what it can do for someone’s life. My work ethic has never been stronger and has carried over into other aspects of my life. I have never excelled more in school and swimming.

Famous Swimmer Olympians Many people love watching every Olympics. In honor of the 2024 Olympics, I decided to make it a category. My favorite sport to watch it during the Olympics is swimming. I have listed some of the most famous all time swimmers' last names. Phelps Ledecky Lochte Spitz Sun________ Connections likes to use categories that have words that all start or end with the same word. This category is inspired by that idea. This category starts with sun and ends with the words below. flower shine glasses screen Things People do with their Eyes This is inspired by Connections which has similar categories like this all of the time. Connections likes to do "Thing People do with _________". I took inspiration and this category is different things that people do with their eyes. Wink Focus Roll Glance Types of Transportation This category includes different types of transportation that humans use. I used unique modes of transportation to try to make it more difficult. Connections likes to have categories that are "Types of ______", so I used that as inspiration. Helicopter Skateboard Glider Yacht Here is the final scramble: Wink Screen Ledecky Focus Helicopter Flower Shine Skateboard Phelps Glance Yacht Spitz Glasses Glider Lochte Roll

My biggest problem I have overcome occurred in 2020 when I started to experience an immense amount of back pain. Doctors were unable to find a cause or a diagnosis for the pain. In 2021, it was revealed that I had a large noncancerous mass causing my back pain. I had emergency surgery to remove the mass. I was not allowed to swim for two months. Swimming is very important to me and it was very difficult to live without it. This caused me to struggle with my identity as a swimmer. I was able to start swimming again right before my championship meet. I realized how far behind I fell, so I worked really hard during practices to catch up. My hard work paid off and I surprised myself at how well I bounced back. I learned the importance of having a strong work ethic and what it can do for someone’s life. My work ethic has never been stronger and has carried over into other aspects of my life. This scholarship will help me prove that women can contribute and be successful in engineering. Mechanical engineering is traditionally a male field. According to The University of Toledo’s Strategic Plan for Diversity and Inclusion 2020-2023, only 18% of engineering students are female. It is crucial that female engineers are acknowledged as a contributing asset to the workforce. I will help empower future women to be successful in engineering. Additionally, I want to collaborate with others to solve environmental issues in our current community/society. My community includes the Great Lakes. In high school, I wrote my senior research paper on the effects of nutrient pollution on Lake Erie. I demonstrated the links between nutrient pollution, algal blooms, urbanization, farmland, and the declining fish population. I reviewed these factors to determine the causes of nutrient pollution and why it has such a harmful impact on Lake Erie. I reviewed current solutions through my literature review and discussed other options to reduce the nutrient load in Lake Erie to sustain the fish population. This paper taught me that there are many measures that people can take to protect the environment. This scholarship will help me get a mechanical engineering degree and allow me to find solutions to help the environment recover and flourish. The more people I can help, the better. I intend to leave my mark on the world by making it a more sustainable place. Young people should pursue philately because of its importance to the world because of art, history, and culture. Postage stamps are designed and created by artists to showcase history or cultural significance. Collecting them allows people to appreciate their art along with the history and culture behind it. I would encourage young people to pursue philately by using their other interests. For example, if they really like animals, I would encourage them to collect postage stamps of different animals. If they like nature, encourage them to collect postage stamps of the environment. There are so many different types of postage stamps out there and there is one for everyone. Another way to encourage young people to collect postage stamps is to compare it to something they know. For example, young people like collecting Pokémon cards. Stamp collecting is very similar in the fact that some stamps are a lot easier to find than others. Young people like a challenge and the thrill of accomplishing things.

I am proud to be an American because of our advancements in technology. American technology is very impressive and is able to help many different people. For example, Americans invented the assembly line, Global Positioning System (GPS), microwave, and many more. All of these inventions and innovations make a drastic difference in everyone's lives. I am proud to say that I am able to be a part of it. I want to continue the American legacy of creating inventions to help others. To continue the American legacy, I am attending college to obtain a degree in mechanical engineering. Mechanical engineering is traditionally a male field, so it will be a challenge. It is difficult to defy stereotypes and pursue dreams. I intend to prove that women can contribute and be successful in engineering. According to The University of Toledo’s Strategic Plan for Diversity and Inclusion 2020-2023, only 18% of engineering students are female. It is crucial that female engineers are acknowledged as a contributing asset to the workforce. I want to collaborate with others to solve environmental issues in our current society. The more people I can help, the better. The biggest change America should make is to become more sustainable. Many ecosystems are being destroyed to supplement our space and material needs. If America can become more sustainable, then less problems will occur regarding air quality, water quality, and more. I intend to leave my mark on the world by making it a more sustainable place. I have done a lot of work regarding the environment in high school. During my junior year, I took IB Environmental Systems and Societies. This class taught me a lot about the environment in different parts of the world. We learned about past mistakes humans have made and what was done to fix those mistakes. This class has taught me a lot and has inspired me to take action. For example, I wrote my senior research paper on the effects of nutrient pollution on Lake Erie. I was able to demonstrate the links between nutrient pollution, algal blooms, urbanization, farmland, and the declining fish population. I brought these factors together to determine the causes of nutrient pollution and why it has such a harmful impact on Lake Erie. I reviewed current solutions through my literature review and discussed other options to reduce the nutrient load in Lake Erie to sustain the fish population. This paper has taught me that there are many measures that people can take to help protect the environment. Pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering will allow me to help find solutions to help the environment recover and flourish. I want to continue to study the environment in college and after college. These studies will help me come up with different solutions to make America a more sustainable place. The environment is very fascinating and it is crucial that it is protected. Without the environment, America could not have become what it is today. The environment plays a crucial role in allowing countries to flourish.

I became interested in engineering when I competed in the international Mathworks Math Modeling Challenge my junior year of high school. This competition gave my team a real world problem to solve in 14 hours. The real world problem addressed e-bikes and the growth of their usage. I was able to collaborate with my team by creating math models to identify possible solutions. In the first part of the project, a model using multiple data regressions with data on gas prices, urban populations, and other variables were used to predict and show the growth of e-bike sales in the U.S. The next part of the project work determined that the used car index score and the percentage of the number of electric vehicles out of the total number of cars were the two most significant factors that affected the number of sales of e-bikes. Other factors were used to show a change in the number of e-bike sales. These factors were used in a Reduced Row-Echelon Form matrix to create an equation resulting in the total number of e-bikes sold. In the final section of the project, our model for e-bike growth is converted and equated to a shrinking number of cars on the road. We determined that e-bikes will reduce the growth of automobiles on the road by 3.647 million by 2028 which would reduce carbon dioxide and general traffic congestion by providing alternatives to busy roads. It would also increase the general health of the nation by providing the same amount of exercise as traditional biking. Our typed proposal allowed my team to finish in the top 25% internationally. It was a fantastic experience for me. It allowed me to collaborate with a very diverse team who came from multiple different backgrounds to find a solution to a problem occurring in the real world. I explored a variety of career and college majors and I found engineers get to do this all of the time. I became super interested in engineering and decided that mechanical engineering would be the best fit for me. After college, I plan to join the workforce and have a full time job in mechanical engineering with the skills I gain at the University of Toledo. I want to be able to be successful enough to be able to support myself and have a rewarding career. I intend to prove that women can contribute and be successful in engineering. I am applying for this scholarship in hope that I can help represent women in engineering. Women are very underrepresented in the engineering field. According to The University of Toledo’s Strategic Plan for Diversity and Inclusion 2020-2023, only 18% of engineering students are female. It is important that female engineers are acknowledged as a contributing vital asset to the workforce. I would be a good choice for this award because I intend to leave my mark on the world. I want to collaborate with others with diverse backgrounds and experiences to develop new innovations and create crazy new things. I want to help solve problems in our current society. The more people I can help, the better. Receiving this award would allow me to attend the University of Toledo with less college debt and obtain a degree in a predominantly male field. Scholarship dollars would remove a barrier and allow me to focus on my studies and participate in the many opportunities college life has to offer. The scholarship would empower me in working towards achieving my highest potential.

In the fall of 2020, I started to experience an immense amount of back pain. This pain continued into 2021. Doctors were unable to find a cause or a diagnosis for the pain. In June of 2021, it was revealed that I had a large mass that was causing my back pain. I had emergency surgery to remove the mass. Because of the surgery, I was not allowed to swim for two months. Swimming is very important to me and it was very difficult to live without it. I missed 2 months of swimming competitively. During this time, I attended practices in order to prevent falling even farther behind. Even though I couldn't swim, I wanted to make an effort to be present. I was able to start swimming again right before my championship meet. I realized how far behind I fell, so I worked really hard during practices. My hard work paid off and I surprised myself at how well I bounced back. I learned the importance of having a strong work ethic and what it can do for someone’s life. My work ethic has never been stronger and has carried over into other aspects of my life. I became interested in engineering when I competed in the international Mathworks Math Modeling Challenge my junior year of high school. This competition gave my team a real world problem to solve in 14 hours. The real world problem addressed e-bikes and the growth of their usage. I collaborated with my team by creating math models to identify possible solutions. In the first part of the project, a model using multiple data regressions with data on gas prices, urban populations, and other variables were used to predict and show the growth of e-bike sales in the U.S. The next part of the project work determined that the used car index score and the percentage of the number of electric vehicles out of the total number of cars were the two most significant factors that affected the number of sales of e-bikes. Other factors were used to show a change in the number of e-bike sales. These factors were used in a Reduced Row-Echelon Form matrix to create an equation resulting in the total number of e-bikes sold. In the final section of the project, our model for e-bike growth is converted and equated to a shrinking number of cars on the road. We determined that e-bikes will reduce the growth of automobiles on the road by 3.647 million by 2028 which would reduce carbon dioxide and general traffic congestion by providing alternatives to busy roads. It would increase the general health of the nation by providing the same amount of exercise as traditional biking. Our typed proposal allowed my team to finish in the top 25% internationally. It was a fantastic experience for me. It allowed me to collaborate with a very diverse team who came from multiple different backgrounds to find a solution to a problem occurring in the real world. I explored a variety of career and college majors and I found engineers get to do this all of the time. I became super interested in engineering and decided that mechanical engineering would be the best fit for me. I am applying for this scholarship in hope that I can help represent women in engineering. Women are very underrepresented in the engineering field. According to The University of Toledo’s Strategic Plan for Diversity and Inclusion 2020-2023, only 18% of engineering students are female. It is important that female engineers are acknowledged as a contributing vital asset to the workforce.

In 2022, I approached the childcare director at a local school and asked if anyone could use assistance. I picked my old elementary school because I knew many struggled to make ends meet but you would not know it. I organized a fundraiser for a young girl whose parents could not afford to buy her any Christmas presents. The girl was on scholarship for childcare. After communicating with the girl’s mom, I was able to find out what types of things she wanted and needed. I created a form that I shared on social media that had a list of all of the items. I collected the items people donated and wrapped them for the family. I was very fortunate to collect extra money that went towards food and additional gift cards to help support the family after the holidays. I was able to deliver presents to the childcare director who was able to deliver them to the family. I felt that I really made a difference. I am glad that I was able to help her when she needed it. I enjoyed coordinating and providing a fantastic holiday to the girl and her family and loved working with everyone to make a difference. Service impacts me in many ways. The biggest way it impacts me is by teaching me lessons. There are many things I would not know about if it was not for service. For example, when I organized Christmas presents for a young girl, I learned a lot. Throughout this experience, I have learned that everyone has a different story and background. I was pleasantly surprised at the number of people willing to help me provide for someone else. Some people grow up with less money than others or grow up in challenging environments. Everyone’s situation is different. No one would know about others’ situations unless they were told or took a minute to ask and understand. I found out that it is important to not judge a book by its cover. Everyone needs to be treated with respect and some may need extra help to reach their fullest potential. This year, I organized a project selling socks. For every pair sold, a pair of socks was donated to a local shelter or hospital. Additionally, all of the profits from selling socks went towards building a well in Rwanda. We sold 422 pairs of socks. This meant that we were able to donate 422 pairs of socks to our community. We donated the socks to the YWCA, the Dayton Foodbank, and the Dayton Children's Hospital. All of these places have people in need. Some people can not afford socks/clothing, so it is important for people to donate them. I really enjoyed being able to help my community. While in college, I would like to continue to help my community by participating in or leading similar projects. Service projects have become very important to me because of the impact they have on others. I want to continue to help people throughout the rest of my life.