Ever since elementary school, I’ve always been interested in both mathematics and technology. I enjoyed finding solutions to math problems because I viewed them as puzzles to which I was given clues. My fifth-grade and middle school math teachers encouraged and challenged my interest in math by teaching me beyond the basic curriculum. I also appreciated the endless possibilities that technology has fabricated for us: from creating films to coding games to connecting us with faraway friends. Immersing myself in my middle school STEAM program, I was able to build a small rover, create a link using code, learn about advanced robots in Japan, and have first-hand experience about how extremely dependent we are on technology during the pandemic. During my freshman year in high school, I became more interested in coding through the Girls Who Code chapter at my school. Through this, I realized the numerous careers within computer science, but the little representation both women and historically marginalized groups have in this field. As I've learned more about coding, cybersecurity, and the computer science field overall, I knew that I wanted to have a career in this field. There was not a specific moment where I decided that I wanted to further my education in STEM; rather it was a progression of realizing how much I truly enjoyed programming and mathematics, as well as recognizing the stark inequalities in one of the fastest-growing industries. Although I haven’t had experience with diversity in the professional workplace, I have experienced the lack of representation in computer science and STEM within my school. In a session that explored AP Computer Science, I was the only female who attended. I’ve had similar experiences in STEM-related classes and events where I was one of the few girls present, making it extremely difficult to make my voice and perspective heard. As I progressed to more advanced STEM classes, the lack of representation was evident in all respects - gender, race, and background. When I became president of my school’s Girls Who Code club, numerous male students would mock us, ignorant of the true extent of this issue for so many women. This scholarship can help alleviate some of the financial impact on my parents of affording higher education for three of their children. Additionally, with further education in computer science, I hope to help close the gender gap in STEM by encouraging more historically marginalized groups and females to trust in both themselves and their abilities - despite the inevitable social and systemic challenges they will encounter - as well as helping eradicate the technology bias that this male-dominated industry has produced.

Hands firmly clutching onto the controller. Burning eyes fixed onto the living room TV. My unwavering focus was causing me to block out any noises and conversations in the background. Adrenaline fueled my every turn and power-up application. My thumb hurt from pressing so forcefully onto the tiny engine button for almost 12 minutes straight. But it didn't matter. I quickly glanced at the bottom left corner and it showed that we were on lap 3. I focused my attention on Isabelle on her Master Cycle Zero motorcycle as she drifted on the turn. It was the last lap and I had to get first place. I've encountered this situation countless times in various settings. Whether I'm playing with my older brother and younger sister, my friends, or my cousins, Mario Kart has undoubtedly been a constant medium that has fostered so many of my relationships and has been the focal point of many fond memories. I remember playing it with my older brother when I was just six or seven years old. I would traditionally be considered way too young to be playing Mario Kart with my brother's middle school friends, but I loved every second of it because I was being included in something that was "cool" and it was one of the few activities that I share with my brother even to this day. Even though I consistently landed in 10th, 11th, and 12th place (maybe 9th if I was lucky), I still enjoyed it. When my brother was in high school and became increasingly busier, I started to play Mario Kart with my younger sister, just the two of us. I began to fall in love with the game even more as I sought to get better and faster with every lap and every race. I bonded with my sister over the game as well, even more so when COVID hit and my brother was away at college. More recently, my seven-year-old cousin asked me if we could play a game on the TV (meaning that he wanted to play a game on our Nintendo Switch). Although I thought he was too young to play still, I asked him what he would like to play. Of course, he said Mario Kart. I handed him a red controller and inserted the game chip into the console. We sat down on the brown couch, one that was similar to the couch I had played with my brother all those years ago. I set myself as player 1, just like how my brother had always set himself as player 1. In my cousin's eyes, I could see the overflowing excitement and readiness as he held onto the controller and examined every wheel, vehicle, and glider that he could choose from. That unforgettable feeling that I had felt ten years ago when I played with my brother for the first time. I let my cousin pick the first course and we began. To my surprise, my cousin was quite good at Mario Kart especially considering that this was his first time playing. He placed in 8th, 7th, and even 4th. When we were finished playing, I could see how satisfied my cousin seemed. I had played countless board games with him before this Mario Kart session, but he was never as content as this moment. This indescribable feeling and experience that makes you want to play again and again, not only to get better but also to simply have fun with your favorite people, is why Mario Kart is my top choice.

I've always loved math and technology because of the unlimited possibilities they create in life. Ever since elementary school, I have loved finding solutions to "math puzzles" and applying them to reality. I also appreciated the endless possibilities that technology creates for us. In particular, I have always been interested in editing films and coding games. As I reached middle school and high school, I didn’t know exactly what occupation I wanted; however, I knew that I wanted to be in the STEM field where my mathematics and computer related interests would both flourish. I continued to pursue these interests by taking the most challenging math class in middle school. As I progressed to more advanced grades, I noticed that the number of girls in my classes decreased, substantially dropping in high school. Nevertheless, I still persevered through these classes, but it was, and still is, often difficult for me to be confident with my answer. Even though I was selected for my middle school's math team, I was still skeptical if my own math skills were adequate for the team. It became a bit intimidating to share my thoughts with the rest of my group, despite the even amount of boys and girls. I had an underlying fear of making a mistake and what others would think of it. Although I was intimidated in my middle school math classes, I also thrived in the various STEM experiences at the time. In my STEAM magnet, I was introduced to coding websites and animations, simple robotics, and going through the scientific method quite a few times. My particular interest in coding grew at this time because of this STEAM immersion, and I was eager to learn more about this subject. When I finally reached high school, I joined my school's Girls Who Code club chapter, only to find that there were only two other girls present. Realizing the large underrepresentation for women in computer science, and in STEM as a whole, I became certain of pursuing a career in this field, additionally helping to close the gender gap. I don't want other girls to feel the way I have - and still do feel - while pursuing their interests. While pursuing a degree in STEM, I expect to encounter times where I have to gather my confidence to firmly share my thoughts in a largely male dominant field. I will need to persist in making my thoughts and voice heard by my peers, professors, coworkers, managers, and countless others in both the classroom and the workplace. It will most likely be difficult for people to accept my answers or be willing to fully listen to me throughout this journey as well because of my being of minority. However, I will have to maintain my self-motivation and determination to persevere through these challenges to successfully pursue my degree. Despite the numerous challenges I will face throughout my pursuit of this degree, I will ultimately enjoy the wide range of knowledge gained from my education, as well as knowing that I am helping increase the representation of minorities and females in STEM. As I look back at my own early experiences, I hope that I can help inspire future young girls like me to become more confident in following their own interests by contributing to this field as a woman of minority, particularly in mathematics and technology.

I remember the beginning of my first geometry class in eighth grade. My teacher told us that the math we would be learning would, in fact, be rocket science. Although I didn't realize it at the time, I was being introduced to some complicated math that was instrumental for achieving unimaginable things. Math is vital for our daily lives as well as being instrumental to accomplishing many unimaginable projects. All types and levels of math are applicable for almost everything that we do. From dealing with personal finances to building and launching such rocket ships, math is essential for life. Without it, there would be no computers or cell phones for us to communicate on, no way for musicians to create wonderful melodies together, no understanding on which plays are working for athletes, no method to baking delicate pastries, and so much more. The best activities and things in life use math, making it, quite frankly, immensely important. I've always loved learning math, whether it was learning how to multiply fractions in elementary school or solving rational expressions in Algebra II. For most math problems, it's like a puzzle to me because I'm finding the missing variable or unknown after I'm given clues. Even though this sounds cliche, it's true. Learning math also means that I can apply what I've learned in reality even for simple things such as calculating a test score without a calculator and estimating how long it'll take to get to our destination. Additionally, it can help me with more complicated problems in life such as finding the surface in a rectangular prism or figuring out the length of a string based on the angle of elevation it's positioned at. I know that building upon my math skills and taking in new concepts will help me accomplish complex tasks that can be utilized in a math or science field profession. Investing in such a career could possibly allow me to assist others. The process of working through math problems is satisfying for me as well. I love that there's more than one way to get a solution, and how we can find our errors in multiple ways. It's always interesting to see how different people have various ways of solving and viewing the same problem. The different creative processes and thinking that goes into math is what makes it one of my favorite classes. All in all, math is exceptionally crucial for creating almost all aspects of life, and perhaps this vitality of this subject is the main reason for my enjoyment of it.

Hobbies provide me joy by providing an outlet from school, homework, and my daily routines. Gently plucking the strings of my petite ukulele after hours of studying or feeding my creativity through creating simple stories on the weekends are a few of my hobbies that allow me to just take a break from life. One of my most prominent hobbies is music, since it acts as stress relief. I play piano, flute, and most recently, the ukulele. I've been playing flute more seriously for the past three and a half years in my school band. While I play the flute in my school ensemble, the other two instruments are more for recreational purposes. In addition to music, I have also loved writing short stories and movies since elementary school. My favorite part of creating movies is the editing process due to the various ways I can employ creative elements. Furthermore, I appreciate its rewarding nature, especially once I have completed the film. I also enjoy writing fictional short stories, especially the ones that are inspired by real-life experiences. Recently, I have indulged in crocheting as a new hobby. At first, it was just about earning my service hours at school, but soon became something more meaningful. I was able to create something that could be of use and comfort to a person I didn't even know. Through crocheting, I also joined my school's material club, making new friends. We've made keychains, blankets, and more for charity events or just to give to our school's staff. My hobbies give me joy and happiness. Without them, life would be meaningless and filled with boredom. Quite simply, life would be immensely mundane.

My best skill is time management, both in school and in life. I utilize my planning skills to help me achieve academic success and be successful generally in life, especially in trying to avoid procrastination. From planning my study time to when I will practice my flute, I use my time management the most often, and it has shown to be an exceptionally valuable skill. During the pandemic, many of my peers struggled with submitting assignments on time without the constant support that in person school provides. However, I tried to provide myself structure as I improved upon my time management skills. I started by simply creating checklists for each day, slowly progressing to producing my own work schedules for everyday, tailored to my workload and other extracurricular events. Although I believe that my ability to organize my time is rather great, I still strive to ameliorate this skill. As I think about goals where there are no deadlines, I will need to find my strongest motivations to help me accomplish these goals. Simple desires such as organizing my room can build up to more satisfying fulfillments like reaching my dream career. These triumphs will never happen if I don't use my best skill to plan my time, realizing these aspirations. I believe that time management combines self motivation, determination, and planning skills, ultimately creating an extremely essential skill that many people have difficulty with. Today, this skill has still proved to be, not only my best strength, but also the most useful gift that I've worked towards.

Although my study strategies aren't the same as others, I utilize strategies that help me retain as much information as possible without it becoming too stressful for me to manage. From handwriting notes in various colors to making a daily homework and studying plan, I use study strategies that are tailored to me, to help me achieve academic success. Staying organized from the beginning of the school year is extremely helpful for being successful in school. So much time can be wasted trying to find your notes or assignments that you worked on for hours, only not to have it ready on the deadline. Putting documents in folders on my laptop and organizing my school binder are certainly instrumental for my success. Time management is crucial as well. I plan ahead to accomplish the majority of my work on days without many extracurriculars so I'm not stressing out late at night after two-hour rehearsals. Making personal schedules for assignments, large projects, or studying is important to ensure that everything is ready by the due date. I've also learned to set aside time each day for unforeseen assignments or tests to be as prepared as possible. Instead of studying the boring textbook that has paragraphs of information, I write notes by hand on OneNote in different colors to make things easier to read and remember. Sometimes, drawing little pictures or examples related to the topic helps me study more effectively. Additionally, there's an aspect of writing things by hand that helps me retain the information better even if this takes longer to accomplish at times. Although I'm only a freshman in high school, I believe that finding the right study habits for you is important. After all, these habits are significant in determining your success in college and beyond.

Being confident is being yourself, not worrying about how others will think of you or your actions. It's being courageously true to yourself, not ashamed about who you are. Confidence has never been easy for me. Ever since elementary school, I've doubted that my answers were correct or regretted asking questions. My friends and family always describe me as shy. I feared about what others would think about what I have to say, or their reaction. As I got older, my confidence didn’t improve much. Particularly, being a female of minority brought on many insecurities as my honors classes were being filled mostly with males and I started to feel more conscious about my ethnicity. I felt this invisible pressure to be absolutely correct when I share ideas and answers, and to constantly search for confirmation. I tried not to fulfill the typical Asian stereotype by answering the least amount of problems in math, despite my great enjoyment of the subject. However, I slowly began improving my self-confidence as I was heading towards high school, as I realized that these issues were not making me a happier or better person. To improve upon my confidence, I took minute steps. I didn't just decide to immediately be an extremely self-confident extrovert. I started by offering a few ideas or insights in classes where I was comfortable with the subject. This past year, I tried to talk to people who I didn't know very well, especially since it was our first year in high school. I'm trying to not think so much about how others will react to my ideas, but rather if I'm genuinely being true to myself. Confidence has helped me be more content. Although I'm still not a totally confident person, I’m still constantly striving to improve upon it.

1. I deserve this scholarship and I spend time playing games on my phones and Animal Crossing on our Nintendo Switch. Sometimes I just lay in bed and think about ice cream and cute stuff animals. My favorite ice cream is mint chip but I'm lactose intolerant which I found out about in fourth grade. 2.My career goals include going on vacation, and I really want to go to Disneyland during Lunar New Year with my family, but the prices are kind of expensive, and it would be fun to go in a couple years during the year of the dragon. That's Emily's year. I'm the year of the golden pig which could explain why there are so many kids in my class. 33. I overcame an obstacle when I got my ukulele. It's really fun to play the ukulele with my younger sister and I do it on my own time. Hawaii was fun with shaved ice and dole whip. Beaches had a nice view. The flight was long and tiring. I like playing my flute too.