I believe I should be considered for this scholarship because I’ve worked hard to turn every opportunity I’ve received into real progress. I’m a computer science student, a first-generation student, an underrepresented student in STEM, and the oldest of seven siblings. College has never felt like something I could take for granted. It has felt like something I have to protect, earn, and keep choosing, even when the financial pressure makes the path uncertain. My academic journey has not been perfect, but it has taught me how to recover, refocus, and keep moving with purpose. Recently, I earned a 4.0 in my coursework while continuing to grow through engineering work, research, and independent technical projects. That accomplishment means a lot to me because it reflects more than grades. It reflects discipline. It reflects maturity. It reflects the fact that I didn’t let earlier difficulty decide the rest of my story. I’m pursuing computer science because it gives me a way to turn curiosity into something useful. I’ve always wanted to understand how systems work beneath the surface, but programming made that curiosity active. A blank screen can become a tool. A strange idea can become a prototype. A confusing system can slowly become understandable if I’m willing to stay with it long enough. That feeling is what keeps pulling me deeper into technology. My strongest interests are in the places where software meets the physical world. I’m drawn to radar systems, signal processing, simulation, computer vision, and hardware-aware software engineering. I like problems where code has to deal with real constraints, like timing, sensors, noise, hardware limits, and imperfect data. Those problems are frustrating in the best way because they don’t let me pretend I understand something. The system tells me whether I do. Outside the classroom, I’ve worked hard to gain real experience in the field. I’ve completed multiple software engineering internships and a co-op, where I worked on simulation tools, hardware emulation, automated testing, radar modeling, signal classification, and system performance analysis. Those experiences helped me understand what professional engineering looks like when the work has consequences. It’s not just about writing code that runs. It’s about writing code that can be tested, maintained, trusted, and used by other people. I’ve also had the chance to contribute to research using tide gauge and GPS data to study sea-level change in Greenland and Northeast Canada. That work was accepted by the American Geophysical Union, which was a major milestone for me. It showed me that technical skills can help answer questions much larger than myself. Research taught me patience, especially when data was messy, incomplete, or difficult to interpret. It also showed me how powerful STEM can be when it’s connected to real-world problems. One project I’m especially proud of is a four-channel phase-coherent passive radar array I’m building with software-defined radios. It’s still in progress, and that’s part of why I care about it. I’m using ambient FM radio broadcasts instead of transmitting my own signal, which means the challenge is to separate the direct broadcast from weak reflections in the environment. I’ve had to work through synchronization, RF hardware, high-rate data streaming, and digital signal processing. There are cables, clocks, dropped packets, weak signals, and plenty of moments where nothing works the way I hoped. But then one small piece clicks into place, and the whole project feels alive again. My extracurricular activities have also shaped who I am. I’ve been involved in computer science clubs, open-source work, the National Society of Black Engineers, and peer tutoring. Tutoring has been one of the most meaningful experiences because I know how much one patient explanation can change someone’s confidence. Sometimes students don’t need someone to make the material easy. They need someone to make it feel possible. I want to keep being that person for others. Being the oldest of seven siblings has also taught me responsibility in a very practical way. You learn to notice people. You learn to be patient. You learn that showing up matters, even when you’re tired or unsure. That has shaped my approach to school and to my future. I don’t see my education as something that belongs only to me. If I succeed, I can create more stability for my family and become an example for my younger siblings and for other students who may not always see a clear path forward. This scholarship would help reduce the financial burden of finishing my degree. College expenses add up quickly, and financial pressure can make every semester feel fragile. Support like this would give me more room to focus on my coursework, continue building technical projects, and stay on track toward my long-term goals. My goal is to complete my computer science degree, pursue graduate study, and work in advanced technology, especially in radar systems, sensing, computer vision, and intelligent software. I want to become the kind of engineer who can understand the theory, build the prototype, troubleshoot the failure, and help a team move forward. More than anything, I want my education to become useful. Useful to my family. Useful to my community. Useful to students who come after me. I’m not asking for this scholarship because I think my path has been easy. I’m asking because I’ve kept going, I’ve kept growing, and I’m determined to make the most of every chance I’m given.

My plans for the future are centered on finishing my computer science degree, pursuing graduate study, and building a career in advanced technology. I’m especially interested in radar systems, signal processing, simulation, computer vision, and hardware-aware software. I want to work on systems that are technically difficult, useful in the real world, and connected to problems that matter. I chose computer science because it gave my curiosity a direction. I’ve always wanted to understand how things work, but technology lets me go a step further. It lets me build, test, repair, improve, and create. That is what excites me most about the field. A question can become a project. A project can become a skill. A skill can become a future. I’ve already started building toward that future through engineering work, research, and independent projects. I’ve completed multiple software engineering internships and a co-op, where I worked on simulation tools, hardware emulation, automated testing, radar modeling, signal classification, and system performance analysis. I’ve also contributed to research using tide gauge and GPS data to study sea-level change in Greenland and Northeast Canada, work that was accepted by the American Geophysical Union. Outside of school and work, I keep challenging myself because I genuinely enjoy learning. One project I’m currently working on is a four-channel phase-coherent passive radar array using software-defined radios. It’s still in progress, and it has pushed me to learn more about RF hardware, synchronization, data streaming, and digital signal processing. It is the kind of project that reminds me why I want to keep going in STEM. It is difficult, but it makes me better. My long-term goal is to become an engineer who can understand the theory, build the prototype, troubleshoot the failure, and help a team move forward. I also want to mentor students who come from backgrounds like mine. As a first-generation student and the oldest of seven siblings, I know how confusing the path to college can feel when you don’t always have someone at home who has already been through it. I want my success to become useful to other people, whether that means helping younger students find scholarships, prepare for internships, learn technical skills, or simply believe that they belong in STEM. This scholarship would help me by reducing the financial pressure that makes college feel fragile. For students from low-income or first-generation backgrounds, every semester can feel like something you have to fight to keep. Support like this would give me more room to focus on my coursework, continue building technical projects, and stay on track toward my degree and graduate school goals. More than anything, this scholarship would help me keep moving toward the future I’m working so hard to build. I want to create stability for my family, contribute meaningfully to technology, and help make the path easier for the students who come after me.

Going to college means changing what is possible for my life and for the people who are watching me. I’m not pursuing a degree just because it’s the expected next step. I’m pursuing one because education is the clearest path I have toward stability, meaningful work, and a future where my family can see more options than limitations. As the oldest of seven siblings, I’ve always felt that my choices carry weight. I want my younger siblings to see someone keep going even when the path is not clean or easy. I want them to know that struggle can be part of the story without becoming the whole story. College, for me, is a way to build a better foundation, not only for myself, but for the people who come after me. I’m studying computer science because it gives me a way to turn curiosity into something useful. I’ve always been drawn to systems, especially the places where software meets the physical world. I’m interested in radar, simulation, signal processing, computer vision, and hardware-aware software. Those fields challenge me because they require patience, math, creativity, and the willingness to keep learning when something doesn’t work the first time. Through internships, research, and independent projects, I’ve already seen what this education can lead to. I’ve worked on simulation tools, hardware emulation, automated testing, radar modeling, signal classification, and system performance analysis. I’ve also contributed to research using tide gauge and GPS data to study sea-level change in Greenland and Northeast Canada, work that was accepted by the American Geophysical Union. Outside of school and work, I’m building a four-channel passive radar array with software-defined radios because I like projects that stretch me beyond what I already know. What I’m trying to accomplish is bigger than getting a job, although that matters too. I want to become an engineer who can build technology that is difficult, reliable, and useful in the real world. I want to pursue graduate study and work in advanced sensing, radar systems, or intelligent software. I want to earn the kind of career that lets me support my family while contributing to work that actually matters. I also want to help make STEM feel more reachable for students like me. As an underrepresented student, I know how quiet doubt can be when you don’t always see people from your background in technical spaces. I’ve worked as a peer tutor, and I’ve seen how much one patient explanation can change someone’s confidence. In the future, I want to mentor younger students, share opportunities, and help them believe they belong before the world convinces them otherwise. College means hope with a plan behind it. It means building skills, earning stability, and becoming someone my family can depend on. Most of all, it means proving that where you start does not have to decide how far you can go.

My long-term goal is to become an engineer who works at the intersection of computer science, radar systems, signal processing, computer vision, and hardware-aware software. I want to build technology that is technically difficult, reliable in the real world, and useful to the people who depend on it. My dream is to complete my computer science degree, pursue graduate study, and contribute to advanced sensing and intelligent systems. My plan for reaching that goal is specific. First, I need to finish my undergraduate degree with strong academic momentum. Recently, I earned a 4.0 in my coursework, and I plan to continue treating school with that same seriousness. My focus is on strengthening the areas that matter most for my career path, including algorithms, systems programming, probability, linear algebra, computer architecture, digital signal processing, machine learning, and computer vision. I do not want to only pass these courses. I want to understand them deeply enough to apply them to real systems. Second, I will keep building hands-on projects that force me to connect theory with practice. My current independent project is a four-channel phase-coherent passive radar array using software-defined radios. The goal is to track targets using ambient FM radio broadcasts. So far, I have worked on synchronizing two Pluto+ SDRs with a shared 10 MHz reference clock, managing high-rate IQ data streams, and preparing the digital signal processing pipeline needed for cross-correlation. My next steps are to improve data capture stability, validate the synchronization, build the processing pipeline, and begin testing with real environmental signals. This project is important because it gives me direct experience with the kind of work I want to pursue professionally. Third, I plan to continue gaining industry and research experience. I have already completed multiple software engineering internships and a co-op, working on simulation tools, hardware emulation, automated testing, radar modeling, signal classification, and system performance analysis. I want to build on that experience by seeking roles connected to embedded systems, sensing, radar, defense technology, research computing, or applied machine learning. Each internship or research role is a chance to become more useful, more disciplined, and more prepared for advanced work. Fourth, I plan to prepare for graduate school. That means building relationships with professors and mentors, identifying research programs that match my interests, improving my mathematical foundation, and developing projects strong enough to show that I can handle graduate-level work. I am especially interested in programs where I can study radar signal processing, intelligent sensing, computer vision, or hardware-accelerated computing. My plan also includes giving back. I have worked as a computer science peer tutor, and I know how valuable patient guidance can be. As I move forward, I want to mentor other first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented students who are trying to find their place in STEM. I want to share what I learn about scholarships, internships, projects, and technical growth so the path is less confusing for the next person. I believe in planning my work and working my plan because my goals are too important to approach vaguely. I know what I want to build, what skills I need, what experiences will prepare me, and who I hope to help along the way. This scholarship would help reduce the financial pressure of continuing my education and give me more room to focus on executing that plan with discipline and purpose.

The impact I want to make starts with access. I want to use my education to help people who are capable, curious, and hardworking, but who may not have the guidance, money, or confidence to see a clear path forward. I know what it feels like to move through systems that were not built with you in mind. I also know how much one opportunity, one mentor, or one patient explanation can change the way a person sees their future. I’m pursuing computer science because technology gives me a way to build things that are useful in the real world. My interests are in radar systems, signal processing, simulation, computer vision, and hardware-aware software. I’m drawn to problems where math, code, and physical systems meet, because those problems are difficult, creative, and meaningful. Through engineering internships, research, and independent projects, I’ve seen how education can turn curiosity into skill, and skill into impact. My long-term goal is to become an engineer who builds advanced technology while also making the field more accessible to others. I want to work on systems that matter, especially in sensing and intelligent software, but I don’t want my impact to stop at the workplace. I want to mentor students who are where I once was, trying to figure out how to belong in STEM without always having someone at home who can explain the process. I’ve worked as a computer science peer tutor, and that experience stayed with me because tutoring is about more than helping someone pass an assignment. Sometimes it’s about helping them realize they’re not incapable. They’re just learning. The people who inspire me most are the ones who show up consistently for others. As the oldest of seven siblings, I’ve learned that care is often practical. It’s answering questions, being patient, setting an example, and continuing forward even when things are uncertain. My family drives me because I want my younger siblings to see that a future can be built from discipline and hope, even if the path is not perfect. I also think often about the students who never get to discover what they’re good at because opportunity reaches them too late. That’s one of the reasons I care about giving back. I want to help create spaces where young people can learn, build, play, ask questions, and be taken seriously. Whether through tutoring, mentorship, community programs, or sharing technical resources, I want to help students see education as something that belongs to them. This scholarship would support more than my tuition. It would help me continue becoming the kind of person who can give back with both knowledge and stability. It would make it easier for me to focus on finishing my degree, pursuing graduate study, and growing into the engineer and mentor I hope to be. The better future I want to help shape is one where talent is not wasted because of money, background, or lack of guidance. I want to build technology, but I also want to build confidence in other people. That is the kind of impact that lasts.

Higher education is the bridge between the life I’m trying to leave behind and the future I’m working to build. I’m pursuing computer science because I want to do work that challenges me, supports my family, and gives me the ability to create tools that matter beyond myself. For me, college isn’t just about earning a credential. It’s where I’m developing the technical foundation, discipline, and confidence I need to become the kind of engineer I want to be. I’m especially interested in the space where software meets the physical world, including radar systems, simulation, signal processing, computer vision, and hardware-aware software. Those fields require more than curiosity. They require advanced math, strong programming skills, research experience, and the ability to keep learning when a problem stops being straightforward. Higher education gives me the structure and mentorship to build those skills at a deeper level. I’ve already seen how much opportunity can come from education. Through my work experience, I’ve completed multiple software engineering internships and a co-op, where I worked on simulation tools, hardware emulation, automated testing, radar modeling, signal classification, and system performance analysis. I’ve also done research using tide gauge and GPS data to study sea-level change in Greenland and Northeast Canada, work that was accepted by the American Geophysical Union. Those experiences showed me that technical work can have real impact, whether it’s improving a testing system, modeling a difficult environment, or using data to better understand climate-related changes. Outside of formal work, I keep building because I genuinely love the process. I’m currently developing a four-channel phase-coherent passive radar array using software-defined radios. It’s still in progress, and it has pushed me to learn about synchronization, RF hardware, data streaming, and digital signal processing. Projects like that remind me why I’m in this field. I like the moment when something confusing slowly becomes understandable, then useful. At the same time, I know what it feels like when financial pressure makes education fragile. Low-income students often have to make every decision with money in mind. Staying in school can mean working around bills, limiting options, delaying plans, or wondering whether the next semester is realistic. That pressure doesn’t mean we lack ambition. If anything, it makes the ambition heavier, because we’re trying to build a future while carrying the present. Attending higher education will help me reach my long-term goal of completing my computer science degree, pursuing graduate study, and working in advanced technology. My dream is to contribute to systems that are technically difficult and useful in the real world, especially in sensing, radar, and intelligent software. I want to become an engineer who can understand the theory, build the prototype, troubleshoot the failure, and help a team move forward. I also plan to create a positive impact through mentorship and access. I’ve worked as a computer science peer tutor, and I know how much one patient explanation can change a student’s confidence. I want to help younger students, especially low-income, first-generation, and underrepresented students, see STEM as something they can enter and belong in. That could mean tutoring, helping students find internships and scholarships, sharing project ideas, or simply being honest about the parts of the journey that are confusing. As the oldest of seven siblings, I don’t see my education as something that belongs only to me. If I succeed, I can help create more stability for my family and a clearer path for those coming after me. Higher education is how I move closer to that future. It gives me the tools to build, the credibility to lead, and the chance to turn persistence into impact.

Being a first-generation student means learning how to move through rooms that no one in your family has had the chance to explain to you. It means filling out forms you don’t fully understand yet, hearing terms like “transfer credit,” “appeal,” “CSS Profile,” and “degree audit,” then figuring them out because your future depends on it. It means carrying hope, but also pressure. I’m the oldest of seven siblings, so college has never felt like something I’m doing for myself alone. I want my younger siblings to see that a path can be made even when no one hands you a map. I want them to know that struggle doesn’t have to be the end of the story. My path has not been perfect. Family instability, financial stress, and responsibility at home affected me deeply. There were times when I was trying to be a student while also being a steady person for my siblings. I didn’t always handle that balance well. But I also refused to let the hardest chapter define me. I came back with more discipline, earned a 4.0 in my recent coursework, and kept building experience through computer science, research, and engineering work. What drives me is the belief that I can turn curiosity into something useful. I’m drawn to math-heavy and technical work, especially radar systems, signal processing, simulation, computer vision, and hardware-aware software. I’ve worked on software engineering projects involving simulation tools, hardware emulation, automated testing, radar modeling, and signal classification. I’ve also contributed to research using tide gauge and GPS data to study sea-level change in Greenland and Northeast Canada, work that was accepted by the American Geophysical Union. Outside of school and work, I’m building a four-channel passive radar array with software-defined radios because I like projects that force me to stretch past what I already know. My dream is to complete my computer science degree, pursue graduate study, and build technology that is technically difficult, useful, and connected to real-world problems. I also want to mentor students like me, especially first-generation and underrepresented students who are capable but may not yet know how to navigate the system. This scholarship would help me move closer to that future by reducing the financial pressure that makes every decision feel fragile. It would help me stay focused on finishing my degree, continuing my technical work, and becoming the kind of engineer my family can look up to. More than anything, it would be an investment in someone who has stumbled, learned, grown, and kept going with purpose.

I deserve this scholarship because I have already shown that I can turn opportunity into real momentum. I’m not pursuing college casually or hoping that a degree alone will create a future for me. I’m working every day to become a capable computer scientist and engineer, and I’ve built a record that shows both ambition and follow-through. What gives me an advantage is the combination of technical experience, resilience, and responsibility that I bring with me. I have completed multiple software engineering internships and a co-op with Lockheed Martin RMS, where I worked on simulation tools, hardware emulation, automated testing, radar modeling, signal classification, and system performance analysis. I’ve also conducted NSF-funded research using tide gauge and GPS data to study sea-level change in Greenland and Northeast Canada, work that was accepted by the American Geophysical Union. Outside of formal work, I keep building because I genuinely love the field. I’m currently developing a four-channel phase-coherent passive radar array using software-defined radios. That project has pushed me to learn about synchronization, RF hardware, data streaming, and digital signal processing. It is difficult, unfinished, and exactly the kind of challenge that makes me better. I also bring perspective. As the oldest of seven siblings, I’ve learned how to be responsible, patient, and persistent. I understand that my education does not affect only me. If I succeed, I can create more stability for my family, become a stronger mentor to other students, and help widen the path for people from backgrounds like mine. I have earned a 4.0 in my recent coursework while continuing to grow through engineering work, research, and independent projects. That matters because it shows that I’m not just asking for support. I’m prepared to make the most of it. Many applicants are talented. My advantage is that I combine talent with proof. I have already worked in demanding technical environments, contributed to research, built ambitious projects on my own, mentored others, and kept moving forward through pressure. This scholarship would help reduce the financial burden of finishing my degree, but more importantly, it would invest in someone who is already doing the work.

I chose to pursue STEM because it gave my curiosity somewhere to go. I’ve always wanted to understand how things work, but computer science gave me a way to do more than wonder. I could build, test, break, fix, and improve. A blank screen could become a program. A messy idea could become a simulation. A signal in the air could become data I could study. That feeling still motivates me. What excites me most is the space where software meets the physical world. I’m interested in radar systems, signal processing, simulation, computer vision, and hardware-aware software engineering. I like problems where code has to interact with timing, sensors, noise, hardware limits, and imperfect real-world conditions. Through engineering internships and research, I’ve worked on simulation tools, hardware emulation, automated testing, radar modeling, signal classification, and sea-level research using tide gauge and GPS data. Those experiences showed me that STEM isn’t just about technical skill. It’s about using that skill to understand difficult problems and build things that matter. As a person of color in STEM, I also know that representation is not just a slogan. It changes what people believe is possible. When you rarely see people who look like you in advanced technical spaces, it can make success feel distant, even when you’re capable. I want to be part of changing that. I want younger students of color to see that they don’t have to fit a narrow image of what an engineer or computer scientist is supposed to look like. They can be curious, creative, imperfect, resilient, and still belong. I hope to make an impact in STEM by building useful technology and by helping make the field more accessible. Technically, I want to work on systems that connect software with the real world, especially in sensing, radar, and intelligent systems. I’m currently building a four-channel phase-coherent passive radar array using software-defined radios, and the project has pushed me to learn through trial, failure, and persistence. That kind of work inspires me because it sits at the edge of what I understand and asks me to grow. Just as important, I want to mentor. I’ve been a computer science peer tutor, and I’ve seen how much confidence can come from one patient explanation. Sometimes students don’t need someone to make the work easy. They need someone to make it feel possible. I want to share what I learn, point others toward opportunities, and help students from underrepresented backgrounds enter STEM with more confidence than I had at times. Being in STEM as a person of color means I carry more than my own ambition. I carry the hope that my progress can widen the path for someone else. I want my degree to help me become a skilled engineer, but also a visible example of persistence, curiosity, and service. Innovation is stronger when more people are invited to shape it, and I want to be one of the people helping build that future.

My background has taught me to see technology as both a skill and a doorway. I’m a computer science student, an underrepresented minority in STEM, and the oldest of seven siblings. Because of that, I’ve always felt a responsibility to take the opportunities I earn seriously. I’m not just trying to get a degree. I’m trying to build a future that can help my family, open doors for others, and prove that students from backgrounds like mine belong in technical spaces. What interests me most about technology is how many layers it has. Some people see a finished app, a simulation, a network, or a piece of hardware and only notice whether it works. I like understanding what’s happening underneath. How does the system move data? How does the software communicate with hardware? How do you make something reliable when the real world is noisy, imperfect, and unpredictable? Those questions are what pulled me deeper into computer science and information technology. My first experiences in IT started with support work. In high school, I worked as a tech support intern, which taught me that technical skill means very little if you can’t communicate clearly with the person who needs help. Later, I completed an information technology internship where I continued building practical experience with troubleshooting, systems, and workplace technology. Those early roles gave me patience. They also helped me understand that IT isn’t just about devices or software. It’s about helping people keep moving when something important stops working. Since then, my experience has grown into software engineering, research, and systems work. I’ve completed multiple software engineering internships and a co-op with Lockheed Martin RMS, where I worked on simulation tools, hardware emulation, automated testing, radar modeling, signal classification, and system performance analysis. I’ve also done research using tide gauge and GPS data to study sea-level change in Greenland and Northeast Canada, work that was accepted by the American Geophysical Union. Outside of formal work, I keep building because I genuinely enjoy learning. One of my current projects is a four-channel phase-coherent passive radar array using software-defined radios. It’s still in progress, and it has pushed me to learn more about RF hardware, synchronization, data streaming, and digital signal processing. I like projects like this because they force me to connect theory with reality. If something is wrong, the system tells you. Then you have to slow down, think clearly, and keep testing. I’ve also been involved in technical and community-focused spaces, including computer science clubs, the National Society of Black Engineers, open-source work, and peer tutoring. Tutoring especially mattered to me because I got to help other students feel less intimidated by computer science. Sometimes one patient explanation can change how someone sees their own ability. My goal is to continue growing in IT and computer science, especially in areas where software, hardware, and real-world systems meet. I want to become an engineer who builds useful technology, mentors others, and helps make the field feel more accessible to students who may not have many examples around them. Technology changed what I could imagine for myself. I want to use it to help others imagine more, too.

I plan to build a more empathetic and understanding global community by using my technical skills to make complicated systems feel more reachable to the people they affect. Computer science can sometimes feel cold from the outside, like it belongs only to people who already know the language. I want to be part of changing that. To me, technology is most meaningful when it helps people understand the world better, solve problems more fairly, and feel less excluded from opportunities. My strengths are a mix of curiosity, patience, and persistence. I enjoy working on difficult technical problems, especially where software meets the physical world. I have worked on simulation tools, hardware emulation, radar modeling, signal classification, and research using tide gauge and GPS data to study sea-level change in Greenland and Northeast Canada. Those experiences taught me that data and engineering are never just abstract. Behind every model, system, or line of code, there are people whose lives may be shaped by the decisions that technology helps inform. That is why empathy matters in STEM. A technically correct solution is not always a human-centered one. If engineers do not listen carefully, they can build tools that ignore the needs of the communities they are meant to serve. I want to bring a different mindset into my work. I want to ask who is being helped, who is being left out, and whether the system we are building makes life clearer, safer, or more accessible for others. I also want to use my skills through mentorship. As a first-generation student, I know how difficult it can be to move through college without always knowing what questions to ask or what opportunities exist. I have been a computer science peer tutor, and I’ve seen how much confidence can grow when someone takes the time to explain a concept with patience instead of judgment. Sometimes the most important thing you can give another student is the feeling that they are not behind, broken, or out of place. They are learning. Being the oldest of seven siblings has shaped the way I think about responsibility. I do not see success as something I am trying to keep for myself. If I learn something useful, I want to pass it on. If I find a door into STEM, I want to hold it open for someone else. That might mean helping younger students build their first project, sharing scholarship and internship advice, explaining technical concepts in plain language, or simply being an example of someone who kept going even when the path was not easy. A more empathetic global community will not be built by technology alone. It will be built by people who use their skills with care. I hope to become the kind of computer scientist who is not only capable of building complex systems, but also thoughtful enough to build them for people. My goal is to grow into an engineer, researcher, and mentor who makes knowledge more accessible, opportunity more visible, and technology more human.

I want to pursue a career in STEM because technology gave me a language for my curiosity. It gave me a way to ask questions, test ideas, build tools, and understand systems that once felt unreachable. Computer science especially pulled me in because it sits almost everywhere now. It can shape medicine, climate research, national security, transportation, education, communication, and the small everyday tools people rely on without thinking about them. My own interests live where software meets the physical world. I’m drawn to radar systems, simulation, signal processing, computer vision, and hardware-aware engineering. Through internships and research, I’ve seen how code can move beyond a screen and become part of something larger. I’ve worked on simulation tools, hardware emulation, automated testing, radar modeling, and signal classification. I’ve also contributed to research using tide gauge and GPS data to study sea-level change in Greenland and Northeast Canada. Those experiences showed me that STEM isn’t just about being good at math or writing clean code. It’s about solving problems that affect real people. As a Black student in computer science, I’m also aware that my presence in this field matters. There were times when I looked around and didn’t see many people who looked like me in advanced technical spaces. That can quietly make a person wonder whether they belong, even when they’re capable. I don’t want the next student to feel that way. I want them to see someone from a similar background building serious things, asking hard questions, recovering from setbacks, and continuing forward. I hope to uplift my community in both practical and personal ways. Practically, I want to use my degree to work on technologies that are useful, reliable, and connected to real-world needs. Long term, I’m interested in advanced sensing, radar, and intelligent systems, but I also care about access. Technology should not only serve people who already have resources. It should make life safer, more efficient, and more possible for communities that are often overlooked. Personally, I want to mentor. I know how much it matters when someone takes the time to explain a difficult concept, review a resume, share an opportunity, or simply say, “You can do this, and here’s how.” I’ve been a peer tutor before, and I know the confidence that can grow when a student stops seeing STEM as a locked door and starts seeing it as a skill they can build. I want to help younger Black students find internships, research opportunities, scholarships, and technical projects early enough that they can imagine themselves in the field before doubt convinces them otherwise. Being the oldest of seven siblings has also shaped how I think about responsibility. I don’t see my degree as something that belongs only to me. If I succeed, I want that success to create a wider path for my family, my peers, and students who are still trying to figure out where they fit. STEM gives me the chance to build, but it also gives me the chance to bring people with me. That is the kind of career I want. One rooted in curiosity, discipline, representation, and service.

By the time Jonah and Miles reached the library steps, the argument had already survived two crosswalks, one iced-over puddle, and the smell of popcorn drifting from the hockey rink. “It’s day-tuh,” Jonah said, pulling his scarf over his chin. “Computer science settled this decades ago.” Miles stopped walking like he’d been personally betrayed by the ACM. “You don’t get to say ‘computer science settled this’ while I’m standing here as a data science major. It’s dah-tuh.” Jonah looked at me for support. I refused to give it. I was too busy watching the campus lights flicker on, one by one, as if the whole place were becoming a low-resolution constellation. The rink glowed at the bottom of the hill. Students moved toward it in little clusters, all hats and laughter and ticket screenshots. “You study databases,” Miles said. “I study data.” “You study spreadsheets with confidence intervals.” “You write loops and call it architecture.” They kept walking. A thin wind pushed through the bare trees. Somewhere behind us, a saxophone student was practicing the same lonely phrase over and over, never quite landing it. It made the sidewalk feel like a scene from a memory none of us had lived yet. Jonah said music like that was proof the universe had a garbage collector. Miles said it was proof the universe had variance. At the science building, they passed the big glass doors and their reflections stretched across them, tall and strange. For one second, the three of us looked like figures drawn on a flat plane, sliding across a world with no depth. Miles, who had once made me read The Planiverse, tapped the glass and said, “In two dimensions, pronunciation wouldn’t matter. Words would just be shapes.” “In two dimensions,” Jonah said, “you’d still be wrong.” A flock of students surged past us toward the rink. Someone shouted that we had ten minutes until puck drop. The argument should have died there, buried under urgency, but trivial things have a way of becoming sacred if two people are stubborn enough. Miles picked up a fallen maple leaf and held it like evidence. “Language changes. Ovid knew that. Everything transforms.” Jonah took the leaf, inspected it, and handed it back. “It transformed into compost. That doesn’t help your case.” “You’re both missing the obvious,” I said. They turned. I gave myself a second, mostly for drama. Oscar Wilde would’ve wanted that. “The correct pronunciation is whichever one makes the sentence sound more expensive.” Miles laughed first. Jonah tried not to, which made it better. We reached the rink doors just as the crowd started roaring inside. The sound rolled through the lobby, warm and enormous. For a moment nobody spoke. The argument hung between them, not solved, exactly, but softened. Then Jonah opened the door for Miles and said, “After you, Doctor Dah-tuh.” Miles walked through with a bow. “Thank you, Professor Day-tuh.” Inside, the ice shone bright enough to erase every serious thought. The players circled. The crowd stamped. Jonah and Miles stood shoulder to shoulder, still pretending to be enemies over a vowel, though anyone could see they were happy. The puck dropped. For once, neither of them tried to define anything.

I first fell in love with computer science because it made curiosity feel useful. I could wonder how something worked, sit down with a blank screen, and slowly turn that question into a program, a simulation, or a tool. At first, I just liked the feeling of making something run. Over time, I started caring more about what technology could do when it met the real world. That’s where my passion is now. I’m drawn to radar systems, signal processing, simulation, computer vision, and hardware-aware software. I like projects where code has to interact with physical signals, timing, sensors, and imperfect data. Through multiple software engineering internships and a co-op with Lockheed Martin RMS, I’ve worked on simulation tools, hardware emulation, automated testing, radar modeling, signal classification, and system performance analysis. I’ve also done NSF-funded research using tide gauge and GPS data to study sea-level change in Greenland and Northeast Canada, and that work was accepted by the American Geophysical Union. Outside of school and work, I keep building because I genuinely enjoy it. Right now, I’m developing a four-channel phase-coherent passive radar array using software-defined radios. It’s still in progress, and it’s been hard in the best way. I’ve had to learn more about synchronization, data streaming, RF hardware, and digital signal processing than I would have learned from a clean assignment. The project keeps reminding me that technology rewards patience. You don’t always get the answer quickly, but if you stay with the problem long enough, the system starts to reveal itself. After earning my computer science degree, my goal is to pursue graduate study and work on advanced sensing technologies. My dream job would involve building systems that are technically challenging, useful in the real world, and connected to problems that matter. I want to be the kind of engineer who can understand the theory, build the prototype, troubleshoot the failure, and help the team move forward. I believe I’m a strong candidate for this scholarship because I’m not pursuing computer science casually. I’ve kept going through financial pressure, family responsibility as the oldest of seven siblings, demanding technical work, and the uncertainty that comes with trying to rebuild momentum. Recently, I earned a 4.0 while continuing to grow through engineering work and independent projects. This scholarship would give me more room to focus on my education and long-term goals. More than that, it would support the person I’m working hard to become, someone curious, grounded, capable, and ready to use technology in ways that help others.

One project I’m really passionate about is a four-channel phase-coherent passive radar array I’m building with software-defined radios. It’s still very much in progress, and honestly, that’s part of what makes it meaningful to me. I’m not following a clean tutorial where every step is already known. I’m trying to build something difficult enough that I have to grow into it. The idea is to track targets using ambient FM radio broadcasts instead of transmitting my own signal. In a passive radar system, the world is already full of signals. The challenge is learning how to listen carefully enough to separate the original broadcast from the tiny reflections bouncing off objects in the environment. That mix of software, hardware, physics, and patience is exactly the kind of problem that pulls me in. I’m using two Pluto+ software-defined radios to create four synchronized receive channels. One of the first major obstacles was getting the receivers phase-synchronized. If the channels aren’t tightly aligned, the data quickly becomes less useful. To solve that, I bypassed the internal oscillators and fed the array with a single external 10 MHz reference clock through RF splitters and phase-matched cables. It was one of those moments where the project stopped being an idea in my head and became something physical: cables, clocks, radios, dropped packets, weird errors, and small wins that felt huge. After that, I ran into the next wall. Four channels of 12-bit IQ data produce a massive stream, and if packets drop, the whole system suffers. So I integrated a Gigabit Ethernet switch and kept adjusting the setup until the hardware became stable enough for the next stage. Right now, I’m working on the digital signal processing pipeline, especially the cross-correlation needed to pull weak target echoes out of noise. What I love about this project is that it keeps me honest. I can’t just say I understand signal processing or synchronization. The system tells me. If a cable is wrong, if the clocking is off, if the data stream isn’t clean, the results show it immediately. It’s humbling, but in a good way. Every failure gives me a little more respect for the complexity behind the technologies people use every day without thinking about them. Working in technology inspires me because it turns curiosity into something real. A question can become a prototype. A strange idea can become a working system. Even when the project isn’t finished, the process changes you. You learn how to think more carefully, how to break problems down, how to stay calm when nothing works, and how to keep going long enough for the signal to finally appear. That’s the kind of engineer I want to become: curious, patient, useful, and willing to work through hard problems without needing them to be easy first.

I didn’t expect a broken digital signage system to become one of my favorite projects, but that’s exactly what happened. The system was called Concerto. It had been created by open-source students to display campus announcements, events, and resources on screens around campus. By the time my teammate and I started working on it, though, it had mostly fallen apart. The software was outdated, the dependencies were old, the documentation was thin, and the screens that were supposed to help students stay connected weren’t doing much of anything. That kind of problem is weirdly exciting to me. It wasn’t just “write some code.” It was part software archaeology, part hardware setup, part debugging mystery, and part community project. We had to figure out how the old system worked before we could make it useful again. That meant digging through outdated Ruby and Rails code, setting up development environments with Docker and WSL, tracking down broken dependencies, configuring Raspberry Pi devices, testing display behavior, and setting up remote access so the system could actually be maintained after we were done. There were plenty of moments where the project felt stuck. Sometimes the software wouldn’t build. Sometimes the hardware wouldn’t behave. Sometimes the only “documentation” was whatever we could piece together from old files and trial and error. But I liked that. I like problems that don’t come with a clean answer key. There’s something satisfying about chasing one small clue after another until the system finally starts making sense. The best part was seeing it work in the real world. After all the debugging, testing, and setup, we got Concerto running again on actual screens in campus buildings. Suddenly, something that had been forgotten was showing useful information again: announcements, student organization updates, campus events, and even mental health resources. People didn’t need a technical explanation to understand why it mattered. They could just look up and see that the screens were alive again. That’s what made the project feel special. We didn’t build something flashy just to show off. We took something broken, understood it, repaired it, and made it useful for other people. Professors and students were excited because the result was visible and practical. To me, that’s the best kind of hacking: using curiosity and persistence to make something better than you found it. I carry that same spirit into my other projects, including my current work building a phase-coherent passive radar array with software-defined radios. I like experimenting at the edge of what I understand, especially when software and hardware meet in messy, unpredictable ways. Concerto reminded me that tinkering isn’t only about gadgets or clever code. It’s about noticing potential where other people see a dead system. It’s about being patient enough to learn how something works, bold enough to try strange solutions, and generous enough to leave the next person with something better.