As a child my father encouraged my brothers to become plumbers, to go into the same field he and three generations of men in our family have. For his daughters, we were encouraged to find a wealthy man to marry and be supported our whole lives. I always yearned for more out of my life than simply being subservient to a man; the stereotypes put on me my entire life only made me more hardworking. I chose to pursue both the architecture and engineering pathways that my school offered along with two university in high school classes, whilst juggling AP courses and clubs to prove that I can achieve my goals. In my technology classes I felt out of place; the classes were always filled with a majority of men. I strived to get better grades in my tech classes in order to be the person who I want to become. In my years as a CAD and pre-engineering certified student, I’ve noticed women are often made to feel uncomfortable in the technology field; socially women always have to be quiet and presentable, while men can mess around and not face judgement. On my robotics team I was able to challenge those expectations. My freshman year the robotics team was primarily filled with men, and it still is. I was nervous to join when I saw that there were almost no women there. One of my older friends became a captain the next year, and she encouraged me to join. I put all my effort in, whether it was last-minute graphic design work, CAD assignments, or building the robot; I was always there. I was promoted to a captain after many late nights at the program, and sure, I may have been a hard worker, but that isn't the only factor that goes into allowing women into the technology field. Discomfort is one of the central reasons women leave the technology field; women feel uncomfortable when they are singled out as the only women in the space. Solidarity amongst women in the workplace is one of the ways we can uplift one another. If women support each other, then the anxiety of being a woman in a primarily male-dominated field can melt away. This year as a robotics captain, one way I'm ensuring that no woman feels uneasy on my team is by training the women who may achieve leadership positions so that they can confidently fulfill those positions; I am mentoring them in everything I know regarding robotics. I never want them to feel any less than a man would feel, nor do I want them to be discredited because people assume they lack knowledge simply because of their gender. I am doing everything I can to encourage women to remain in the program and obtain leadership positions. I take these extra measures because I too have felt out of place, and I never want another woman to feel that. When women uplift one another, they can mitigate social pressures. I have taken every opportunity possible to help other women in STEM, and I aspire to grow into a role in the industry where I can make things better for women overall. Being a hard worker is a quality that is sought out and beneficial for leadership positions; however, comfort is essential to ensuring that women remain in their fields. Women are not just wives; they can become leaders. I want to earn this scholarship because I know I can uplift and advocate for the women around me, and I want to improve the technology field for women overall.

Taylor Marie Forte is my niece. She was just under two months old when she was taken away by sudden infant death syndrome. I lost her when I was 11, and she changed my life. While she was with us, she was a very joyful, quiet girl, but her life ended too soon. When my family went to the hospital in hopes that she may be okay, I was left to wait. I sobbed for hours; part of me thought she could somehow be resurrected if I waited long enough in that dreary room. I just needed her back. I prayed for the first time in my life that there was a possibility I could see her again at any price. The first year that she passed, I was filled with both anger and numbness. I tried to appear numb because I didn’t want to cry in public. A part of me was angry, angry that something so random could happen to her. Taylor didn’t deserve to die; it just happened for some reason. Over time I came to terms with the fact she was never going to come back, that she was gone forever. While all deaths are painful, it hurts to know that when babies pass, they never get to explore their passions and dreams like we can. While she was never resurrected, I still see Taylor everywhere I go. Taylor would have been six this year; whenever I see a girl around her age, I try to imagine who she would be at this point. Would she have a horde of dolls in her room the same way her brother has totes full of dinosaurs? Would she and her brother get into petty disputes? Or would she be more of a tomboy? I’ll never know, and it’s painful to think about. There's no magical cure to bring her back, so I just have to think back on the time we spent together while she was here and pray she's living a fulfilling afterlife. Grief lingers and disperses, but it never truly fades away; it just presents itself in different ways. There will be some days where you are so unfathomably angry that somebody can just be taken from you out of nowhere, days where you cry your eyes out, but the worst is when you realize your memory of them has faded. Over time you’re bound to forget details from memories no matter how hard you try; it’s incredibly painful to forget bits of memories of somebody who you can never see again. I miss her so much every day, but she's one of the main reasons I work harder. When I get to heaven and have another chance to see her, I want her to be enchanted with funny stories that I can tell. I want to be able to tell her all of the family drama she never got to hear, to be her aunt.

The pandemic distorted my confidence in myself; I liked the face masks in the way that I could feel hidden and safe. Freshman year my school entirely scrapped masks for good, and I was terrified to even come to school; I felt that if people saw my face, they would be disgusted and make fun of me. When I was in my drawing and design class, I was lost on how to use the laser cutter. Keira Soika, the robotics captain at the time, came over to help me, and I was incredibly relieved. We talked, and I realized robotics could be a safe place for me to be myself. I anxiously attended my first meeting of robotics. I was practically hiding behind my best friend, Berline Francois, during the whole meeting. Gradually I began feeling confident enough at robotics to talk to people I had never met before. Robotics gave me the courage to interact with people around my community. Eventually, after a few years as a member of team 287, I was promoted to co-captain alongside my best friend and others. To be a captain, you have to be confident under any situation and change minor things to ensure that everything runs seamlessly. The role is a lot of pressure; however, you get an opportunity to make a real difference in the community. I make efforts to help socially anxious people interact in a non-threatening way. In team-building activities, one way I do this is by letting the students get into partners before they are put into teams of four to work on. This helps students feel comfortable because presumably their partner is somebody they are acquainted with while making them meet new people in the club. Robotics has awarded me the confidence to speak in front of large crowds, to run for leadership in other programs, and to volunteer. This year I am enjoying being able to make changes in the club. I am currently reaching out to make sure our team can volunteer to help FIRST Lego League students with their competition. as a high school team, I want us to be able to inspire a love for STEM for them like the program has done for me. If it wasn't for this program, I wouldn't have been able to volunteer with strangers I've never met, I wouldn't know I want to be an architectural drafter, and I wouldn't have met all the friends I have now. Overall, robotics has changed my life for the better, and I want to continue to spread the main message of FIRST Robotics. I will be attending the University at Buffalo in the fall, and I plan to use the skills robotics has taught me to do good for my community. I will be volunteering as a tutor at Buffalo to ensure that nobody feels left behind or a lack of confidence. I want this scholarship because I want to put as much good into the world as I possibly can.

My name is Jonna Indursky, and I am a 17-year-old high school student from Mastic, New York, an impoverished community. Within my community people are stuck in a consistent struggle in their daily lives. I aspire to make an effort to rise above the struggles, along with helping others with community service as a robotics captain. Many of my friends' parents can barely afford rent or healthy food for their families. As an adult I want to be able to support my family when I grow up; going to college will give me the opportunity to fulfill this. Both my stepbrother and sister had to drop out of college because they could not afford it. I will be the one in my family and community to make a change for myself and others. My freshman year I began adoring technical drawing in my Drawing and Design classes; I explored both my school's architecture and engineering pathways to discover which one I would prefer. Ultimately, I aspire to be an architectural drafter because I get to cater to a variety of clients whilst assisting them to achieve their desires for their homes. I have always seen what my community faces, and I have made efforts to help them. As a captain of my school's robotics team, I have volunteered to help the younger teams at their competition because I want to help foster their dreams and to show them that STEM and trades are worth going into in the future. By helping organize and assist in their competitions, I hope those kids will realize that they have a future that they can be hopeful about. Another way I help my community is by tutoring. I tutor students in CAD, social studies, and chemistry in my free time to ensure that everybody is given the same chance to succeed in my community regardless of their age or education level. Recently I was accepted to the University of Buffalo, a top 40 public school. At this point I plan on going to Buffalo, and there I will major in architectural planning and drafting. I will continue tutoring in college for tech majors because there are a low number of tutors for technology-related fields. I will tutor any student who needs it because I don't want people to drop out of college like my family had to or ever consider giving up on their futures. Overall, going to college will allow me to grow out of my community into new spaces. I have made significant efforts to uplift members of my community, and I will continue doing so no matter where I end up because everybody deserves a shot at their future.