As an active member within my school and community, I am guided by the needs of those around me. I am always trying to utilize my skills and passions in math and technology to help the community. Throughout my education and career, I will keep looking for ways to help people through my research and in similar ways as I have done so far in high school. For instance, I recognized a problem when the usual competition math classes at my school had been canceled. As someone who has loved competition math since I first laid my eyes upon a math set my father bought for me in elementary school, I was dejected. So was every single member of the vibrant math community at North Allegheny. Thus, I started Mathlings, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization, to provide free competition math classes to elementary school students. However, I quickly learned that it was not so simple. Problems with student enrollment, teacher management, and chapter expansion sprouted everywhere, and only my strong drive kept me going. Thinking quickly and being resourceful, I learned to tackle each problem as it arose. Today, Mathlings is a global organization that has served 2000+ students, both online and in-person, and brought together a community of math lovers Another problem I noticed was the desperate need to utilize technology effectively after everything went remote during the pandemic and that some may have difficulty utilizing it. Thus, combining my love for technology and art, I started Palettech, a nonprofit which provides free technology and art services to individuals and organizations. To this day, I have led over 20 projects including the making of art designs, videos, animations, and websites for teachers, businesses, and nonprofits including the local fire department. In addition to starting STEM organizations, I want to contribute through research. Growing up, I always looked up to my father who inculcated in me the idea that every problem is possible to solve through careful study. As a professor, he exemplified this with his research in systems control. This spirit encourages me to turn frustration into motivation whenever I face a problem. Such a problem arose in my world when my father got myocarditis, which caused him trouble sleeping. I actively looked for technological solutions to improve sleep. My research showed that existing sleep apps lacked personalization. Recalling the power of AI usage for customizability, I envisioned a custom headset that would collect brain wave data, analyze it with AI, and produce tailored sound frequencies to promote relaxation. I took it upon myself to study machine learning, using AI to analyze features of brainwaves and compress the data, which are crucial to the creation of this helmet. Upon publishing my findings in three papers, I am working on the hardware to bring the actual product to the market. This experience made me realize I am at heart a researcher. Nothing gives me greater satisfaction than spending all my time exploring knowledge and crafting something that can help others. My constant goal of helping others has also transformed me into a leader, one capable of helping others excel. I will carry the mindset I’ve learned of being resourceful, motivating others, and to persevering through my career. I will utilize the William A. Stuart Dream Scholarship to deepen my education and provide me resources so that I may accomplish my goals. The world has a constant need for change, and I hope to make my place in it, rallying up people to foster a brighter future for us all.

As an active member within my school and community, I am guided by the needs of those around me. I am always trying to utilize my skills and passions in math, art, and technology to lead collaborations for helping the community. For instance, I recognized a problem when the usual competition math classes at my school had been canceled. As someone who has loved competition math since elementary school, I was dejected. So was every single member of the vibrant math community at North Allegheny. My solution to save the day was simple - I would start online classes to teach elementary school students competition math, and I would keep the love for math alive. Thus, I started Mathlings, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization, to provide free competition math classes to elementary school students. However, I quickly learned that it was not so simple. Problems with student enrollment, teacher management, and chapter expansion sprouted everywhere, and only my strong drive kept me going. Thinking quickly and being resourceful, I learned to tackle each problem as it arose. Today, Mathlings is a global organization that has served 2000+ students, both online and in-person, and brought together a community of math lovers Another problem I noticed was the desperate need to utilize technology effectively after everything went remote during the pandemic. I realized that, with technology advancing so quickly, it may be difficult for some people to fully utilize it. Thus, combining my love for technology and art, I started Palettech, a nonprofit which provides free technology and art services to individuals and organizations. To this day, I have led over 20 projects including the making of art designs, videos, animations, and websites. We have helped teachers, businesses, and nonprofits including the local fire department. At school, I also look for ways to brighten the student community. My new friends are often surprised when they learn that I'm a STEM enthusiast who also loves art; STEM and art were often viewed as polar opposites, one for tech-savvy nerds who code all day, while the other for creative souls wielding brushes and color. In my determination to bridge both worlds, I gathered my friends to start the Digital Art and Computer Vision Club at school to provide a collaborative learning environment for both art and technology enthusiasts to explore topics such as AI art, virtual reality art, animation, etc. We host art contests, digital animation galleries, and other fun activities. Working with students from diverse backgrounds and interests, I became a better technologist and artist. Through the exchange of knowledge, I have learned from each person’s expertise. I look forward to applying my teamwork skills in college to connect people of different ages, races, and academic backgrounds through shared passions. Additionally, I founded the Computer Club, where we teach a different computer related topic each meeting, and lead project demonstrations. We helped run a successful hackathon last year. I also drive the Math and Physics Club, increasing members and providing opportunities to them. Every week, we meet and take turns teaching a math or science topic. We host Integration Bees, math relay races, and other competitions to make practice more fun. Throughout my high school experience, my constant goal of helping others has transformed me into a leader, one capable of helping others excel. I will carry the mindset I’ve learned of being resourceful, motivating others, and to persevering through hardship in college. The world has a constant need for change, and I hope to make my place in it, rallying up people to collaborate and fostering a brighter future for us all.

As an active member within my school and community, I am guided by the needs of those around me. I am always trying to utilize my skills and passions in math and technology to help the community. Throughout my STEM Career, I will keep looking for ways to help people through my research and in similar ways as I have done so far in high school. For instance, I recognized a problem when the usual competition math classes at my school had been canceled. As someone who has loved competition math since I first laid my eyes upon a math set my father bought for me in elementary school, I was dejected. So was every single member of the vibrant math community at North Allegheny. Thus, I started Mathlings, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization, to provide free competition math classes to elementary school students. However, I quickly learned that it was not so simple. Problems with student enrollment, teacher management, and chapter expansion sprouted everywhere, and only my strong drive kept me going. Thinking quickly and being resourceful, I learned to tackle each problem as it arose. Today, Mathlings is a global organization that has served 2000+ students, both online and in-person, and brought together a community of math lovers Another problem I noticed was the desperate need to utilize technology effectively after everything went remote during the pandemic and that some may have difficulty utilizing it. Thus, combining my love for technology and art, I started Palettech, a nonprofit which provides free technology and art services to individuals and organizations. To this day, I have led over 20 projects including the making of art designs, videos, animations, and websites for teachers, businesses, and nonprofits including the local fire department. Additionally, I founded the Computer Club, and Digital Art & Computer Vision Club at school. I help teach peers different skills and concepts, all the while hosting events such as art galleries and hackathons. In addition to starting STEM organizations and clubs, I want to contribute through research. Growing up, I always looked up to my father who inculcated in me the idea that every problem is possible to solve through careful study. As a professor, he exemplified this with his research in systems control. This spirit encourages me to turn frustration into motivation whenever I face a problem. Such a problem arose in my world when my father got myocarditis, which caused him trouble sleeping. I actively looked for technological solutions to improve sleep. My research showed that existing sleep apps lacked personalization. Recalling the power of AI usage for customizability, I envisioned a custom headset that would collect brain wave data, analyze it with AI, and produce tailored sound frequencies to promote relaxation. I took it upon myself to study machine learning, using AI to analyze features of brainwaves and compress the data, which are crucial to the creation of this helmet. Upon publishing my findings in three papers, I am working on the hardware to bring the actual product to the market. This experience made me realize I am at heart a researcher. Nothing gives me greater satisfaction than spending all my time exploring knowledge and crafting something that can help others. My constant goal of helping others has also transformed me into a leader, one capable of helping others excel. I will carry the mindset I’ve learned of being resourceful, motivating others, and to persevering through my career. The world has a constant need for change, and I hope to make my place in it, rallying up people to foster a brighter future for us all.

The rapidly growing field of artificial intelligence (AI) has great potential to benefit the human experience with its multifaceted ability to perform complex, precise tasks. With more advancement, it may be able to outdo humans at tasks like performing surgeries, selling goods, and writing best-selling books. However, the true species-level transformation will come when AI becomes conscious. It is my life-long dream to create consciousness in a computer with human-like thoughts and more intelligence than AIs like Siri and Alexa. I have always been intrigued by the concept of consciousness and simulating sentience. This can not only free humans from the drudgery of lower-level work but also bring creative and innovative inspirations. Although there are limitations to our current technology in computing power and design, I want to surpass these limits and reach our greatest potential as the human species. My fascination with computer science began when as a young child, I started creating adventure games with MIT’s Scratch program. In middle school, I began coding with Python and Java. Now, in high school, I regularly take part in coding competitions, and I enjoy doing AI research. To progress toward my goal of building intelligent and conscious AI systems, I have dedicated myself to learning as much as I can about AI through online resources and classes. I loved everything I learned and wanted to share it with my school, so I co-founded my school’s AI club in 10th grade. During our club meetings, we discuss machine learning, AI projects, computer vision, reinforcement learning, and more. However, there is so much more in the field of computer science that I wanted to explore further, so I also founded the computer club in 11th grade with the goal of spreading interest across the student body and going beyond the school curriculum of computer science. This club offers the opportunity for members to share their knowledge and learn from each other no matter where their passion lies in computer science. Besides these STEM clubs, I also founded the Digital Art & Computer Vision Club for students with an artistic passion. I founded this club because I wanted to bring together my two worlds: art and computer science. In this club, we explore the interplay between art and technology through AI art, digital art, VR art, and more. Many of our meetings circled the topic of AI art because there’s so much to share about its uses, ethics, and technicalities. Through my clubs, I learned to find the topics that interest my peers and to efficiently lead a team to prepare content for each meeting. To ensure a fun time for the members, I always include a game or activity. Another of my passions is math. In the 9th grade, I founded Mathlings, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides free competition math classes for elementary school and middle school students. We now have over 150 members, over 2000 students, and multiple national chapters and international branches. My goal was to promote interest in math in young students. Many parents have described how fun the classes were for them and thanked us for providing the opportunity for their students. I soon discovered how much the volunteer teachers also benefit from Mathlings through leadership and teamwork. In the future, I hope to provide math opportunities to more students by expanding Mathlings. I also hope to contribute to the field of computer science through research. Growing up, I always looked up to my father who is a professor of electrical engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. He was the smartest person I knew, and I was always enthralled when he talked to me about his research. He inculcated in me the mindset that through careful study, the greatest problems can be solved. Since elementary school, I’ve aspired to be like him. Such a problem arose in my world when my father got myocarditis, a chronic illness that causes poor sleep. I was extremely worried for his well-being. I spent that summer speculating about technological solutions to improve sleep. All my research showed that existing sleep apps lacked personalization, which led me to envision a custom headset that would collect brain wave data, analyze it with AI, and produce tailored sound frequencies to promote relaxation. I published 3 papers under my mentors’ guidance; I used machine learning to analyze features of brainwaves, which are crucial to the design. As I have now finished my software part and work on the hardware, the actual product is not yet complete. I am excited for what comes next - the idea that one can apply knowledge in a subject domain and solve a real-world problem is exhilarating. This experience taught me who I am. I am at heart a researcher; I want to build and fix things, and nothing gives me greater satisfaction than spending all my time crafting something that can help others. I want to dive deeper into the study of computer sciences in college and use my newfound knowledge to contribute my own research to the advancement of AI technology. As it develops, I want to be a pioneer, helping to create more advanced AI systems and discovering more about the brain. I also hope to help people directly through leading teams to innovate new products which can foster a brighter future for us all.

As an active member within my school and community, I am guided by the needs of those around me. I am always trying to utilize my skills and passions in math and technology to help the community. Throughout my STEM Career, I will keep looking for ways to help people through my research and in similar ways as I have done so far in high school. For instance, I recognized a problem when the usual competition math classes at my school had been canceled. As someone who has loved competition math since I first laid my eyes upon a math set my father bought for me in elementary school, I was dejected. So was every single member of the vibrant math community at North Allegheny. Thus, I started Mathlings, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization, to provide free competition math classes to elementary school students. However, I quickly learned that it was not so simple. Problems with student enrollment, teacher management, and chapter expansion sprouted everywhere, and only my strong drive kept me going. Thinking quickly and being resourceful, I learned to tackle each problem as it arose. Today, Mathlings is a global organization that has served 2000+ students, both online and in-person, and brought together a community of math lovers Another problem I noticed was the desperate need to utilize technology effectively after everything went remote during the pandemic and that some may have difficulty utilizing it. Thus, combining my love for technology and art, I started Palettech, a nonprofit which provides free technology and art services to individuals and organizations. To this day, I have led over 20 projects including the making of art designs, videos, animations, and websites for teachers, businesses, and nonprofits including the local fire department. Additionally, I founded the Computer Club, and Digital Art & Computer Vision Club at school. I help teach peers different skills and concepts, all the while hosting events such as art galleries and hackathons. In addition to starting STEM organizations and clubs, I want to contribute through research. Growing up, I always looked up to my father who inculcated in me the idea that every problem is possible to solve through careful study. As a professor, he exemplified this with his research in systems control. This spirit encourages me to turn frustration into motivation whenever I face a problem. Such a problem arose in my world when my father got myocarditis, which caused him trouble sleeping. I actively looked for technological solutions to improve sleep. My research showed that existing sleep apps lacked personalization. Recalling the power of AI usage for customizability, I envisioned a custom headset that would collect brain wave data, analyze it with AI, and produce tailored sound frequencies to promote relaxation. I took it upon myself to study machine learning, using AI to analyze features of brainwaves and compress the data, which are crucial to the creation of this helmet. Upon publishing my findings in three papers, I am working on the hardware to bring the actual product to the market. This experience made me realize I am at heart a researcher. Nothing gives me greater satisfaction than spending all my time exploring knowledge and crafting something that can help others. My constant goal of helping others has also transformed me into a leader, one capable of helping others excel. I will carry the mindset I’ve learned of being resourceful, motivating others, and to persevering through my career. The world has a constant need for change, and I hope to make my place in it, rallying up people to foster a brighter future for us all.