Throughout my educational journey, my mom has been my unwavering pillar of support, guiding me with her wisdom, nurturing my ambitions, and instilling in me the belief that I can achieve anything I set my mind to. Her support has been crucial in shaping me to achieve academic success and personal growth. My mom has always emphasized the importance of education. From a young age, she encouraged me to excel in school, recognizing that a strong academic foundation would open doors to endless opportunities. She did not have the chance to graduate college, when she was my age she became pregnant with me and my twin sister, which promptly halted her plans and forced her to spin around and find a new path for her life. The practicality of having twins in college was something she knew she could not achieve. Beyond encouragement, my mom provided practical support that allowed me to pursue my goals of becoming a civil engineer. She helped with homework, patiently explaining concepts and offering guidance whenever I faced challenges. She helped with studying, making flash cards from the glossary in the back of my books to study while we eat dinner. Her dedication to my academic success led me to feel empowered to learn and grow. Moreover, my mom has been my advocate and biggest cheerleader. She attended parent-teacher conferences, actively engaged with my teachers, and advocated for resources that would support my learning. Her unwavering belief in my abilities gave me the confidence to pursue my passions and overcome obstacles along the way. She gave me the confidence to stand up for myself in college, to ask the questions I need to ask, and to squeeze every bit of learning I can out of my time in school. My mom is my rock. She provides me with reassurance during moments of doubt, celebrates my achievements no matter how small, and offers advice during my setbacks. Her unconditional love and encouragement gives me the strength to persevere through challenges I face, knowing that she believes in my potential. My moms selflessness and dedication towards my education has empowered me to be the best I can be inside and outside of school. While in school I advocate for my peers when needed, ensuring they have someone to stand behind them like my mom has always done. Outside of school I am a volunteer firefighter, I spend most weekends on duty crew at my hometown firehouse to ensure the people of our community have someone there for them in their times of need, like my mom has always been to me. Everything I do is inspired by my mom, I cannot ever repay her for the loves she's shown me throughout my life. But I can at least pay it forward.

Civil engineering, to me, embodies the movement towards growth of the physical world. It is not simply just designing structures and building roads. It's the sustainable development of the future, that prioritizes human and environmental health. The importance of civil engineering is so much bigger than you and me. It plays a crucial role in our daily lives, providing the infrastructure needed to live comfortably. Enabling transportation, communication, safe drinking water and other services we take for granted. More importantly, civil engineering has a direct impact on the environment. Keeping a sustainable mindset in civil engineering has grown to be more vital as we confront new challenges like climate change and depleting resources. As civil engineers we must minimize environmental impact through efficiently using energy, land and materials. By taking the step towards sustainability, civil engineers are investing in future generations for years to come. In high school I had to opportunity to take a short CAD class, it wasn't much, just taught by the schools engineering teacher during his lunch break. But his goal was to provide the group with knowledge they would not have been able to get elsewhere. His dedication to teaching, inspired my love for engineering. I knew from the start that the built environment was for me. I've always been the one at the restaurant looking out the window, counting points on a bridge, or floors in a building. The potential to solve real-world problems to improve the lives of people deeply intrigued me. The area of civil engineering the particularly excites me is sustainability in infrastructure development. I know as well as the next person that sustainability is key to this changing world, and I want to be there, at the forefront, designing and implementing clean and sustainable buildings for the world to admire for years to come. Having the chance to shape urban spaces to be not only functional, but also aesthetically pleasing sounds so rewarding. I am so passionate about creating communities that prioritize pedestrian friendly spaces, greenery, and public transportation. It's aspects like these that can enhance quality of life and promote environmental sustainability and social equity. Over time, my passion for civil engineering has evolved from just a small interest in the way structures work, to a strong desire for commitment to sustainability in the growing world. The potential for innovation and adaptation encourages me to work harder at my degree so I can absorb all the knowledge my professors have laid on the table for me. Starting my college career was not easy. I started my college career at a school that was not accredited for engineering, unbeknownst to me, by transferring from that school, my engineering classes would be lost and would not count towards my classes at a new school. After my first year at this school I decided to transfer to York College, it is there that I have truly found the education I desire. Unfortunately, due to the untransferrable classes, I was set back another year. Now my 4-year program has turned into 5. This truly hurt me mentally, I struggle to afford my education on my own, so having an extra $20,000 to pay off was not something I wanted to do. But, through some hard work, and a lot of trial and error, I was bale to get that extra year down to a single semester. I take summer and winter classes as they come available, and community college classes when they aren't. The classes aren't easy, but I am determined to become a successful civil engineer, and I'm prepared to do what it takes to become one. In my free time, I am a volunteer firefighter, I spend most weekends at my firehouse doing duty crews, in between calls I typically work on homework or study at the table. The immense joy I experience while fulfilling my deep-seated need to service for my community is unreal. Being a firefighter has ignited a sense of purpose and desire in me that I hope everyone gets to experience one day. I am also the president of the American Society of Civil Engineering for York College. This is a new role for me, but I am very excited to begin this journey. I hope to bring experienced and new civil engineers to our college to speak about their job and what they love most about it. The goal is to build a relationship between the students and these engineering firms to provide the students with a helpful hand as they begin their job search. Overall, civil engineering has been my dream since that CAD class I took 5 years ago in high school. The continuous learning and growth I have experienced during my time in college is like nothing I've ever experienced before. I am so excited to continue this path towards becoming a civil engineer.

Throughout high school I had convinced myself I did not want to go to college. Neither parent went through college, and frankly, we didn't have the money for it. For as long as I can remember, my parents have worked more than 60 hours per week to support their families. I definitely couldn't ask them to work any more in order to help put me through four years of college. I had already done four years of carpentry through a program at the high school, so that when it was time for me to graduate, I could join an apprenticeship program and have a head start in the industry. In my senior year I took a CADD class on a whim, I needed the extra credit, and it was taught by a teacher I liked. Halfway into the semester I started my senior project, a simple CADD drawing of a shed, the shed had to be able to withstand all types of extreme weather, including flash floods and heavy winds. I also had to come up with cost estimates, a suitable concrete mixture, and recommendations for a company that could meet all the requirements. This project sparked my love for civil engineering. I realized how much of my life truly revolves around the intricate designs civil engineers create. I started noticing the different types of roundabouts, I was pacing the distance between fire hydrants, I was even finding places where there was a need for civil infrastructure to improve the area. By the end of my senior year, I was certain I was going to college, no matter what it took. With very little engineering experience in high school, I felt as though I was a few steps behind my peers. The majority of the schools prospective engineering students went through and graduated from the Project Lead The Way (PLTW) program. This gave those students a step up in the engineering world, I’d have to make up for that gap later on during my college career. But I knew civil engineering is where my heart was, and I was going to get there by any means necessary. The summer after I graduated, I worked two jobs and babysat on the weekends in order to pay my car insurance for the upcoming school year, and hopefully have enough saved to help lower the amount I’d need in student loans. During the school year I would work another two jobs to continue to make payments on my tuition. This is how I spent my entire first year of college, then in the summer before my second year I transferred to a new school and really settled into college life. The second year was much tougher than my first. This was the year I’d be making up for that gap that all the other engineers had on me, I’d also be juggling three jobs in order to pay off my tuition. I had never taken a chemistry or calculus class before; and now I had to take them at the same time. It had been two years since I’d even touched a science or math class. I’d have to almost completely relearn everything. Through some intense study hours, lots of tutors, and a few meetings with the professors I was able to pass both classes. In the second semester I was scheduled to take the second calculus course, as well as engineering physics. These two courses were tough, but I was bound and determined to pass these classes and that I did. I’m now in my third year and I can honestly say I am so thankful for all the opportunities I have been given. I’m still working my three jobs, I’m a lot better at juggling them. I am still just as determined, if not more, to do what I’m passionate about and become a civil engineer. I now know how important civil engineers are to the world. They are the driving force behind everything we know and love. Without civil engineers we would not have safe roads to travel. We would not have safe buildings to learn in. We would not have safe water to play in or drink from. Civil engineers are large contributors to the economy through their projects, creating jobs, stimulating economic activity, investments and encouraging local economic growth. On a national level, civil engineers facilitate global connectivity through the design and implementation of transportation networks like highways, airports, and railways. These are the most necessary resources for travel, trade and the exchange of goods and services across the world. Civil engineers play a vital role in the world we know today. With this scholarship I will be able to focus more of my time on my schoolwork so I can become the best civil engineer I can be. Thank you for reading my essay and for this wonderful opportunity.