When I first arrived at my university, I was ready to take the world into my hands. When I took my first semester of classes, I excelled and put little to no effort into them. I felt as though I was more than ready to work in the Computer Science field and excel naturally. I knew that I was going to continue to be at the top of my class. Well, imagine how I felt when I got to the second semester. I had to take more challenging courses for my major and they were not like the semester before. These classes, as prefaced by the professors, needed plenty of studying and review in order to do well. Despite my initial efforts, I was still struggling in the class. I struggled with the details and tended to make small mistakes that would cost me a big amount of points. My stomach would sink every time I saw a notification that read, “Assignment Graded.” I knew things had to change. I began to go to office hours, not just for a couple of hours, but for the longest I could stay. I would write my name on a queue at 9 am and continue to write my name until 6pm. I would not leave until I understood a concept completely or finished an assignment. This was difficult. Not only with having to wake up early and constantly having to ingest subtopics and concepts, but with seeing others have their things together. As a first-generation Latina student, I learned quickly that I did not have the same access to resources as some of my other classmates. Many of them took boot camps before coming into college to prepare and their parents studied the same thing they are studying right now. I quickly became scared to ask questions and looked as though I did not deserve to be in this field. However, that did not stop me from continuing to visit office hours as many teacher assistants and professors would reassure me that everyone was on a different learning pace. It would be humorous at one point as teacher assistants would call my name out and look for me as they already knew what I looked like from how often I would go. “Exam Graded.” I click on the notification. I wait anxiously for the screen to load. I see my score. I could finally breathe. I did better than my last exam score. At that moment I knew, that what makes you successful is not the obstacles you face, but what you do about them. With this, I continue asking questions and attending office hours consistently. I carry this sentiment throughout my time at my university. I volunteer with UTCS Roadshow as I represent my community when I present the possibilities of Computer Science to children of different ages. There was a time when a parent came up to me while volunteering and asked how their kid could also be a part of the Computer Science program at UT Austin and I told them my story and how persistence is key. This lesson helped me succeed in my classes and it has helped me go through challenges such as preparing for recruiting season and even friendships. Success is not about the obstacles you face, but what you do about them.

Just like Martin Luther King, I too, have a dream. My dream does not only include individuals being judged for their character rather than their skin color, it also involves using modern technology to improve our local communities. By attending the University of Texas at Austin, I believe that I will be able to create robots that are able to pick up trash from our streets and place them in their designated bins. Now you may be asking, trash robots? I understand the confusion. I have a dream that our society has a cleaner and safer environment. Studies have shown that going into nature can improve mental health and that cannot be achieved if you see a Chick-Fil-A bag dancing in the wind. These robots are the solution to our problem of littering and maintaining our streets clean. The way these robots would work is that they would have 4 cameras to distinguish their surroundings. Using artificial intelligence, we could have the robot determine what is trash. If it is trash, the robot may pick it up and place it inside its bin. Then at a later time, the robot may throw that trash away at its designated location. The robot will not resemble a human being, but more of a small bus. If the robots are a success, we will move on to robots in the water. Robots that can detect plastics in our oceans and water supplies can pick them up and protect lives. Of course, it is more complicated having these robots on water, but this is one of my dreams. To be able to make robots that can clean our oceans and preserve the life in those oceans. They would be built of a unique material that cannot break down in the presence of salt water. These robots would be harmless to any creatures that approach them and will have enough barriers that no animal life could consume them. The University of Texas at Austin has been recognized as a top 10 Computer Science college. With the surplus amount of opportunities offered at this institution, including opportunities in robotics, programming, and artificial intelligence, I believe that my knowledge and connections will expand exponentially. The technology field is growing constantly and being a part of a well-regarded institution will help me maintain the content required to be successful in the computer science field. With this, I will be able to have the information and team to create this dream of mine into a reality.

As I first walked into my new middle school, I saw the bright blue ribbon that greeted us into this new world. I was extremely nervous and did not know where to go or where my classes would be. As the oldest child in a Latino family, I genuinely did not understand what “first period” or what “the 400 hallways” meant. All I knew was that I had English and my teacher’s name was Mrs. Huneycutt. When I first walked into Mrs. Huneycutt’s room, it smelled of cinnamon apples and she had colorful bean bags at the back of her classroom. She smiled and asked me to take a seat. Her soft brown hair rested on her shoulders that was decorated with flowery ruffles. Her kind smile and light eyes made me feel at home. Compared to my other teachers, she seemed kind and understanding. Throughout the time that I was in her classroom, I would be encouraged to go outside of my comfort zone. I would write many stories in her class and I was afraid of showing them to her. However, my worry would melt away as she would look at me as though I was her favorite author and asked me questions about the process as I wrote my story after I read them to her. She assured me that the unknown is not something to be afraid of. Not only did she push me beyond my boundaries in a literary setting, but she also encouraged me in my everyday life. I would read challenging books that made me grab a dictionary and look for the meaning of a word every two minutes. I worked hard in my other classes and made sure to work harder than my classmates. In science class, we had to make a car and race against students for an assignment. I thought of Mrs. Huneycutt as I was brainstorming my car design. With her touching words, I was able to make a well-designed car that won second place. While she did inspire me to work outside of the box and work on projects that were not in my comfort zone, there was one event that truly impacted my life. One day during class, she announced to all of us that the North Texas Teen Book Festival would be hosted over the weekend. It was not required, and anyone was welcome. I was a bit scared because I have never been to a festival before, but I remembered her words about pushing myself to do the unknown fearlessly and my determination of going to the festival grew. When I went to the festival, it was a moment I could not forget. I was so happy to see Mrs. Huneycutt and she was so excited to see me. It was such an enlightening event as I met some of my favorite authors. It continued to feed my thirst for knowledge and started the initiatives I took in my passions. Even after the festival was long over, I would keep Mrs. Huneycutt's advice in mind: push yourself to be more. Throughout high school, I would apply to different officer positions I was not confident in achieving but still be able to obtain them. I would take part in intimidating classes and work to make a more impressive effort in my classes. I pushed myself enough to even make it into The University of Texas at Austin, my top school. Mrs. Huneycutt pushed me to not be afraid of the unknown and to take the initiative.

As the first Latina woman in my family to be able to go to a four-year college, I have the honor to continue to push my family's name further than what my ancestors have ever imagined. By applying to different schools, both inside and outside of Texas, I broadened my opportunities and reached new possibilities in what I could learn and how I could learn it. I want to major in Computer Science because I have been fascinated by robotics and programming since I was a little girl. The first robot I saw in real life was nothing like the movies. It was made of popsicle sticks and some plastic pieces at the edges to protect it from any collisions. It was a short, stout box with wires inside. Questions filled my young mind: How was it made? How was it programmed? Many of the schools I have applied to have well-developed computer science programs. For example, Georgia Tech has the RoboJackets, a group of students that focus on robotics and its outreach. They participate in different events that show the potential of robotics and computer science. With my education, I will improve our local communities through the use of robotics. With my education, I will lead a team of programmers and marketers to build and promote street-cleaning robots. These robots will have the capability of recognizing trash in the street and then conduct their programming which is to pick up the garbage and throw it inside of itself as a temporary solution, but once it comes into contact with a trash can, it will dump all of its trash onto the bin and it can then be taken to dumpster fills. Later on, the robot will be exposed to enough trash to know whether some of the pieces can be recycled. This is what I will work towards with my education in computer science and robotics. If I do not minor in robotics, I would work on an educational program, for schools that do not receive as much funding, to provide an opportunity for children to learn more about technology. I would provide this program in different languages such as Spanish and Portuguese to lower the language barrier in these schools. The camp would feature small robots and have the students control these robots. I want to emphasize these new opportunities to our future generation because I was restricted from these similar chances due to language barriers and lack of funding. I do not want economic or cultural differences and struggles to stop someone from being able to reach their full potential. With my education at a university, I would lead a project in developing robots that pick up trash and throw it away at their designated area. If not, I would develop and promote a coding camp for students in underfunded schools to show them the possibilities that can be achieved through technology and coding. I want to create a positive impact in my community and I believe that I will be able to achieve this through technology.