I am an aspiring engineer, problem-solver, and hands-on learner. As a leader on my high school FIRST Robotics Competition team, I help design, build, and compete with complex robots while mentoring younger students and supporting outreach. Through robotics, I’ve developed technical skills along with resilience, teamwork, and the confidence to tackle challenges without easy answers. Growing up with a decoding disability, I often had to work harder than my peers to process written information and keep up academically. Reading took longer and required extra focus, but over time I stopped seeing my learning differences as limitations and began recognizing them as strengths. Robotics became the place where everything clicked. In the lab, I could take ideas apart, rebuild them, and turn sketches into working machines. Mentoring teammates and working through competition deadlines taught me leadership and collaboration. My commitment to service is shaped by my family. Both my dad and grandfather are military veterans, and their example instilled discipline, integrity, and a desire to give back. I was honored to receive the Presidential Scholarship at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, where I plan to study mechanical engineering and use STEAM to design solutions that improve lives.