"Ew really? Math??!!" was quite likely one of the most undemanding mechanisms of which to make my ears twitch and my blood brew when dare I say that math is my favorite subject. But if someone were to be peculiar, they would instead ask me: "Why do you love math?”, to which I— as either an elementary, middle, or high schooler— would attribute my passion to my heightened mathematical abilities and the resulting praise that I would receive. "Because it comes easy to me", I'd say, "Because I am good at it and because people say I am good at it." These words were backed with higher-than-average state test scores, accelerated and AP math courses, and multiple A pluses and 5's to follow. So, I came love math because it was painless and brought, with its execution, success. And I so adored success. Of course, though, I was not exempt from the colossal blow to my ego when entering my first year of college the year prior to present. Suddenly, mathematical material became more arduous. I had begun to sink amongst the myriad of capabilities that my classmates exhibited. Not only this, but a B had been realized as my Calculus and Analytic Geometry grade. Because college had only begun, and I figured that my shallow rationale would not last me another year before I begin to see C’s and D’s, this very moment served as the genesis of my journey into unraveling the veracious, idiosyncratic reason why I was drawn to math. Frankly, I am still endeavoring to learn more about my ultimate motive for loving math. I can affirm, even so, that the more I experience, the graver the idea of mathematics becomes. No longer had math been restricted to imaginary characters like Johnny and his apple purchases but, done right, it could determine whether an individual could acquire a home for their family to dwell in, or whether a submarine would collide with a contact in the Atlantic Ocean— a happening I had the privilege of beholding. Because of my past and continued enlightenment, and for my future ordeals, I choose to love math not because I could answer fictitious problems written in aged textbooks with ease, but because trials will certainly arise where numbers and computations may be how I save lives as an upcoming U.S. Naval Officer. And that is, truly, why I love math.

Unequivocally, I do not think about the military. I ruminate, deliberate, and even fixate on the military, but I do not simply "think" about the armed forces as I would "think" about what I am going to eat for lunch or even anything else about me. If I have learned anything from my time in JROTC, and as a new midshipman in ROTC, I know that it is ultimately not about me; it never was, it never is, and it never will be. I am writing this essay in light of this fact, and in support of the military-- which has given me the opportunity to pursue a career of service to our country as a Naval Officer. As a child, my views of the military were constructed heavily on my father's anecdotes. And as he was medically discharged from the Marine Corps, his story was something that I had not quite understood. How could he be so physically strong with his injury, and mentally strong and positive with his mental disorders? It is because of this adoration I had of my father, that I was interested in joining JROTC in high school to find out for myself why my dad was how he was. It was not until I neared the end of high school that I decided to take this journey to the next level and actually work to become like my dad by participating in ROTC. At NSI, a mini boot camp that prospective NROTC students complete before reporting to their unit, us midshipmen were instructed to fold our blankets like an American flag would be folded. After, the room clutched onto their "folded flags," and were brought to tears when a Petty Officer played an audio of a girl talking to her fallen military dad throughout the years. The Petty Officer brought us future officers face to face with the probable contingency of someone's mother, father, sister, brother, or loved one being taken away from them because of our carelessness, and them receiving a flag instead of seeing their loved one. I had never felt such a burden of responsibility in my life to make the right decisions. And what horrified me even more was that I am a very emotional, indecisive person; I overthink a great deal and can have a difficult time sleeping because of the fear that something will go wrong. But it is because of this that I was even more motivated to join the military. If my dad-- who was injured mentally and physically-- continues to present with immense strength despite his adversities because the military instilled such a mindset in him, then I would like to embody this image for myself to maybe even influence someone else close to me who feels like they are weak in any way. In all, protecting our country can be something big, like establishing forward presence and deterring enemies for the benefit of our allies. But protecting our country can be achieved through little things too, like the life lessons realized via the military which my father shared to me, or even the act of checking in with others to ensure their wellbeing. For me, right now, protecting our country, is preparing myself the best I can to become a Naval Officer. Even though I feel a great deal of fear, confusion, and stress, protecting my country means that I would go through all of it to be a better leader for those I will lead, those who will lead me, and those who lead a life guarded by the United States of America.

Greetings! My name is Johanna Palmario and I am pleased to share that I will be attending UCSD for the 2024-2025 school year. In addition to this achievement, I will be participating in NROTC throughout my college career. NROTC is a program which allows college students to work towards obtaining a degree while also taking additional military classes, honing leadership skills through activities, and engaging in physical fitness so as to be ready and fit to commission as an officer in the Department of the Navy at the end of the last year of college. It would be gratifying for me to reveal that I have a heavily STEM-related hobby like 3D printing or constructing robots that do marvelous things like opening refrigerators or even writing essays. But I would be lying if I relayed such a statement, and so I am left to write this essay with my own hands and mind. What I like to do though, I believe, serves me in my STEM journey and in life in general. This overarching hobby of mine is learning, and my leisurely activities revolve around it. For instance, I tend to pick up nonfiction books. When reading them, I feel good knowing that I am doing something to better myself and my life, and even those of others as well. This leads me into the act of helping others, which I find myself partaking in as well. Before I can even think to occupy myself with my own musings, I ensure that those around me are not in need of my assistance. Because of this habit, I often learn new things such as how to cook or bake certain meals when helping my mom, or how to file receipts or change the flooring in a house because of my dad. In fact, my dad knows that he can rely on my help, so every now and then he would call out "Engineer!" from somewhere in the house and I would quickly respond "Yes?" with great enthusiasm, knowing that I was about to learn something new. In the most recent call from my dad, I aided in getting the patio approved so that our family may get solar panels installed on our house. Specifically, I drew a birds-eye view of our patio, included certain measurements, and labeled where the outlets were, to which electrical wires were added and indicated. I truly felt like I was tapping into my future self as an Electrical Engineering Major. But what delighted me the most was that I got to help out and contribute to something greater than myself, and my passion for this is why I chose to go down the path of becoming a military officer. Because my future service means a lot to me, I look at the 'field' I am entering as the military as opposed to my major: Electrical Engineering. There is no doubt that I will be utilizing my technical skills that I would have acquired from my Engineering major to perform military tasks like ensuring communications systems are up and running or fixing a piece of technology that is broken, but I am most excited for the impalpable impact I can leave in my career field. By working hard at being skilled at Engineering and at being a leader, I can further influence women to want to follow suit and maybe even consider serving their country as well. I find this contingency remarkable as both the military and the Engineering field is male-dominated. But this can change; it already is. And I am dedicated to continuing the process.