Engineering and poetry aren’t typically things that people imagine together. If anything, the thought likely conjures a series of poorly made puns about scientific theorems and math jokes that would make even the most unserious dad’s eyes roll. However, these two incredibly unique forms of creation are what make me who I am. Throughout my life, the most valuable resources I have ever been given are the tools to make a path for myself, the most important of which have been curiosity and communication. Engineering and poetry are unique in that they are two fields with completely different focuses, both explaining the universe and the things in it. I enjoy using these tools to make change in the world around me. I’ve used my passion for engineering to help people with disabilities through 3D printed accessibility devices, designed and built customized mobile storage devices for high school teachers, and helped raise $30,000 to fund robotics programs in my district. I’ve also used poetry to help people understand the world through spoken word. Online platforms allow people to experience my art from anywhere in the world instead of restricting my impact to local event attendees. I've helped advocate and encourage people with chronic illnesses and disabilities through my work, and I've even worked in the Czech Republic teaching students English through poetry at a summer camp. Overall, I’ve spent most of my life learning how to use creativity and problem-solving skills to interpret and impact the world for the better.

800 mg/dl, 2 mEq/l, and one sick child. The average blood sugar level for a child at one year old is between 60 and 100 mg/dl, and the average bicarbonate level at that age is between 16 and 24 mEq/l. I woke up in Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, with eight times the recommended blood sugar and one-eighth the bicarbonate level. Although I can’t remember that moment, the scars are apparent: both mental and physical. My stomach, arms, and fingers are littered with red and white dots. Sixteen years ago, we were staring down the barrel of mountains of insurance bills, endless doctor’s visits, and enough medical gadgets to rival NASA. All these years later, what once was a terrifying change is now routine. My goal in saying this is not to draw pity, but rather to assist in perspective. For over sixteen years of literal highs and lows (in blood sugar), I have struggled to find the appropriate middle ground between acceptance of the normality of my plight, pride for making it this far, and wondering what I could do next. On one hand, my sense of “regular” is skewed because it’s been this way for so long. On the other hand, the work of so many other people is the reason why I can still find “normal” in my life. Reflecting on this recently has allowed me to find the balance between acceptance, inspiration, and questioning in the form of curiosity. Curiosity is my drive, my motivation. The desire to learn more, to experience the world, and to leave no stone unturned is my solution to the oddities and hiccups of my life. Curiosity alone leads to innovation, to our future, to discoveries and change. Curiosity allows me to create solutions to my problems that I can be proud of while I help others and still recognize the oddity of the situation. So this is where I began to look. For me, curiosity means experiencing everything I can and being curious about every piece of my life and some pieces of others’. It means exploring every opportunity and never dismissing an option. Trying everything that I can handle has opened my eyes to so many different wonderful perspectives and people. Whether I’m building confidence to compete in a poetry slam or building a robot, whether I’m answering questions in a scholar bowl match or working on my personal projects to make lives better for others with life-altering medical conditions, every achievement, every advancement, every awkward step in the right direction in my life has started with curiosity and the question of “what if?” If we can use curiosity to make it to Mars, then I can use curiosity to overcome any obstacle.

800 mg/dl, 2 mEq/l, and one sick child. The average blood sugar level for a child at one year old is between 60 and 100 mg/dl, and the average bicarbonate level at that age is between 16 and 24 mEq/l. I woke up in Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, with eight times the recommended blood sugar and one-eighth the bicarbonate level. Although I can’t remember that moment, the scars are apparent: both mental and physical. My stomach, arms, and fingers are littered with red and white dots. Sixteen years ago, we were staring down the barrel of mountains of insurance bills, endless doctor’s visits, and enough medical gadgets to rival NASA. All these years later, what once was a terrifying change is now routine. My goal in saying this is not to draw pity, but rather to assist in perspective. For over sixteen years of literal highs and lows (in blood sugar), I have struggled to find the appropriate middle ground between acceptance of the normality of my plight, pride for making it this far, and wondering what I could do next. On one hand, my sense of “regular” is skewed because it’s been this way for so long. On the other hand, the work of so many other people is the reason why I can still find “normal” in my life. Reflecting on this recently has allowed me to find the balance between acceptance, inspiration, and questioning in the form of curiosity. Curiosity is my drive, my motivation. The desire to learn more, to experience the world, and to leave no stone unturned is my solution to the oddities and hiccups of my life. Curiosity alone leads to innovation, to our future, to discoveries and change. Curiosity allows me to create solutions to my problems that I can be proud of while I help others and still recognize the oddity of the situation. So this is where I began to look. For me, curiosity means experiencing everything I can and being curious about every piece of my life and some pieces of others’. It means exploring every opportunity and never dismissing an option. Trying everything that I can handle has opened my eyes to so many different wonderful perspectives and people. Whether I’m building confidence to compete in a poetry slam or building a robot, whether I’m answering questions in a scholar bowl match or working on my personal projects to make lives better for others with life-altering medical conditions, every achievement, every advancement, every awkward step in the right direction in my life has started with curiosity and the question of “what if?” If we can use curiosity to make it to Mars, then I can use curiosity to overcome any obstacle.

800 mg/dl, 2 mEq/l, and one sick child. The average blood sugar level for a child at one year old is between 60 and 100 mg/dl, and the average bicarbonate level at that age is between 16 and 24 mEq/l. I woke up in Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, with eight times the recommended blood sugar and one-eighth the bicarbonate level. Although I can’t remember that moment, the scars are apparent: both mental and physical. My stomach, arms, and fingers are littered with red and white dots. Sixteen years ago, we were staring down the barrel of mountains of insurance bills, endless doctor’s visits, and enough medical gadgets to rival NASA. All these years later, what once was a terrifying change is now routine. My goal in saying this is not to draw pity, but rather to assist in perspective. For over sixteen years of literal highs and lows (in blood sugar), I have struggled to find the appropriate middle ground between acceptance of the normality of my plight, pride for making it this far, and wondering what I could do next. On one hand, my sense of “regular” is skewed because it’s been this way for so long. On the other hand, the work of so many other people is the reason why I can still find “normal” in my life. Reflecting on this recently has allowed me to find the balance between acceptance, inspiration, and questioning in the form of curiosity. Curiosity is my drive, my motivation. The desire to learn more, to experience the world, and to leave no stone unturned is my solution to the oddities and hiccups of my life. Curiosity alone leads to innovation, to our future, to discoveries and change. Curiosity allows me to create solutions to my problems that I can be proud of while I help others and still recognize the oddity of the situation. So this is where I began to look. For me, curiosity means experiencing everything I can and being curious about every piece of my life and some pieces of others’. It means exploring every opportunity and never dismissing an option. Trying everything that I can handle has opened my eyes to so many different wonderful perspectives and people. Whether I’m building confidence to compete in a poetry slam or building a robot, whether I’m answering questions in a scholar bowl match or working on my personal projects to make lives better for others with life-altering medical conditions, every achievement, every advancement, every awkward step in the right direction in my life has started with curiosity and the question of “what if?” If we can use curiosity to make it to Mars, then I can use curiosity to overcome any obstacle.