Over the years, there have been many depictions of what the future will look like. Flying cars. A society integrated with virtual reality. Medical devices that can prevent diseases and genetic disorders. Nonetheless, it has been difficult for society to attain revolutionary achievements. Instead, countries constantly compete with one another, guarding their research in hopes of claiming these feats as their own. In a world divided by greed and absorbed in self-sufficiency, a truly futuristic civilization will be impossible to attain. Researchers around the world have been working on pieces of technology that with some collaboration could solve the puzzle of many futuristic ideas. As the binding force of society, the adoption and incorporation of hyperloop technology is one area of research that will lead the world into a new era of creativity and innovation. My name is Justin Smallwood and I am a current first-year at Princeton University. I plan to use my education to create a lasting impact in the transportation industry. I not only want to help build and perfect hyperloop technology, but I also want to assist in the incorporation of these vehicles within society. Although seemingly a fast and energy-efficient train, I believe that hyperloops carry more importance than just traveling from place to place. I believe that hyperloops will become a vital conduit in our economy, facilitating the spread of ideas and goods. In addition, hyperloops will help connect borders, encouraging peace between nations. By producing more means for public transportation, nations will be forced to work together to build and maintain the tunnels for these high-speed trains to travel through. With more ways for people to travel quickly to work, it would become more economically reasonable to live farther away from work. However, poor relations between countries could only hinder the travel of goods and people; people may not be able to work across countries, decreasing the possible economical benefits of a global economy. With a STEM degree, I will be able to pursue my goals, assisting in the creation of a better world. At Princeton, I will be able to gain the necessary skills to contribute to this promising sector of technology. I will be able to learn more about vehicles and their effect on their surroundings, allowing me to look at any problems that may arise in this field with an environmental and sustainable mindset. By taking vehicle-tailored STEM courses, I will gain a better understanding of the market and the possibilities of hyperloop technology, giving me the ability to add my perspective to this global initiative.

My name is Justin Smallwood, and I am a senior from Brunswick High School. I am an aspiring engineer, and I have been involved in many extracurricular activities such as track and field, recreational and AAU basketball, and my school's chamber orchestra. Although many people have had a lasting impact in my life, my mother has remained my main inspiration. From dance classes to basketball games, my mother has helped me get to wherever I needed to go and has supported me through all of my endeavors, regardless of how tired she was or how much she already had on her schedule. I work hard and better myself because I want to make my mother proud, and show her that all of the love and attention that she has given me has truly changed my life for the better. Over the years, there have been many depictions of what the future will look like. Flying cars. A society integrated in virtual reality. Medical devices that can prevent diseases and genetic disorders. Nonetheless, it has been difficult for society to attain revolutionary achievements. Instead, countries constantly compete with one another, guarding their research in hopes of claiming these feats as their own. In a world divided by greed and absorbed in self-sufficiency, a truly futuristic civilization will be impossible to attain. Researchers around the world have been working on pieces of technology that with some collaboration could solve the puzzle of many futuristic ideas. As the binding force of society, the adoption and incorporation of hyperloop technology is one area of research that will lead the world into a new era of creativity and innovation. I plan to use my education to later create a lasting impact in the transportation industry. I not only want to help build and perfect hyperloop technology but I also want to assist in the incorporation of these vehicles within society. Although seemingly a fast and energy efficient train, I believe that hyperloops carry more importance than just traveling from place to place. I believe that hyperloops will become a vital conduit in our economy, facilitating the spread of ideas and goods. In addition, hyperloops will help connect borders, encouraging peace between nations. By producing more means for public transportation, nations will be forced to work together to build and maintain the tunnels for these high speed trains to travel through. With more ways for people to travel quickly to work, it would become more economically reasonable to live farther away from work. However, poor relations between countries could only hinder the travel of goods and people; people may not be able to work across countries, decreasing the possible economical benefits of a global economy.

Don't be emotional. I have heard these words countless times but never truly took them to heart. I was foolish, blinded by the green percentages that appeared on my Robinhood account. I began investing in the fall of 2020. The tech industry and electric vehicle was booming. Drawn to craze, I dumped a large portion of my money in EV stocks, hoping for good results. My portfolio doubled. As I continued investing, my father taught me the basics of trading and warned me about the volatility of the current market. I was energized. As the market began to drop, my father taught me about the emotional aspect about investing. "Don't worry about what the market says," he would say. "Follow your heart." However, I didn't listen. I was too focused on the crazy stocks -- the stocks which skyrocketed each day. I was missing the point. Follow the basics always.

Over the years, there have been many depictions of what the future will look like. Flying cars. A society integrated in virtual reality. Medical devices that can prevent diseases and genetic disorders. Nonetheless, it has been difficult for society to attain revolutionary achievements. Instead, countries constantly compete with one another, guarding their research in hopes of claiming these feats as their own. In a world divided by greed and absorbed in self-sufficiency, a truly futuristic civilization will be impossible to attain. Researchers around the world have been working on pieces of technology that with some collaboration could solve the puzzle of many futuristic ideas. As the binding force of society, the adoption and incorporation of hyperloop technology is one area of research that will lead the world into a new era of creativity and innovation. I plan to use my education to later create a lasting impact in the transportation industry. I not only want to help build and perfect hyperloop technology but I also want to assist in the incorporation of these vehicles within society. Although seemingly a fast and energy efficient train, I believe that hyperloops carry more importance than just traveling from place to place. I believe that hyperloops will become a vital conduit in our economy, facilitating the spread of ideas and goods. In addition, hyperloops will help connect borders, encouraging peace between nations. By producing more means for public transportation, nations will be forced to work together to build and maintain the tunnels for these high speed trains to travel through. With more ways for people to travel quickly to work, it would become more economically reasonable to live farther away from work. However, poor relations between countries could only hinder the travel of goods and people; people may not be able to work across countries, decreasing the possible economical benefits of a global economy.

Music has always been a large part of my life. From participating in violin recitals to singing in my church’s choir, music has provided me with an outlet to express my artistic abilities. Although I was content with the styles of music that I was playing, I felt a connection to the rhythmic beat that accompanied rap music. Rapping had always been something I loved doing but never took too seriously. My friends and I would often freestyle and jest about creating a rap album, but none of us had the technical skills to produce music. I would often search the Internet for tutorials on how to create beats, but I would immediately give up after seeing the complexity of music production technology. After the first month of the global shut down, I wanted to do something new and interesting. I decided that I was going to become the rap star that I always wanted to be. I ran to my father’s computer, opened up GarageBand, which is a music producing application for Apple computers, and started moving buttons around … but to no avail. I knew that I had to try to understand the tutorials that I had been too intimidated to watch. After about an hour of endless scrolling, I had finally come to a basic understanding of musical production. I had successfully accomplished my first goal. For the next five months, I continued to learn about the different methods and attributes of developing music, and after seven months of experimenting I was able to create my first song. Producing rap music has helped me to relieve stress and explore my creativity in a way that I had never imagined. Through the lyrics I am able to illustrate a story -- personified through similes and metaphors. In this way, music becomes more than the notes that make it up; music becomes a living emotion and memory that can be shared for the whole world to see.

I used to think that I had my life all planned out, but sometimes God has a different plan in mind. As an African American male in a predominately white environment, I am used to being the only minority in the room. Whether it was an advanced math class or an orchestra rehearsal, I never let my discomfort stop me from pursuing my passions. Ever since I was little, I knew that I wanted to be an engineer. My love for creating traps and contraptions sparked my interest in machines and technology; I became intrigued by the ability of technology to operate simultaneously in systems separate from one another – a feat that my traps could never accomplish. As I aged, my interests shifted from the desire to build systematic traps to a craving to understand the ways in which technology operated. I knew that if I wanted to pursue my interest in technology then I would have to structure my education in a way that would expose me to this world of endless possibilities. In the eighth grade, I was accepted into the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, one of the most rigorous college readiness programs in my community. I believed that this program would not only quench my thirst for knowledge but also provide me with the exposure that I wanted. During my first two years of high school, my schedule was loaded with difficult classes. My desire to perform well within my classes became an obsession – I was determined to be the best. Junior year marked the official start of the IB program and a whole new set of challenges – online school. Day after day, I learned and worked in my room, isolated from my friends and disconnected from the flow that I had created in my first two years of high school. My lack of social interaction placed me into a depressive state in which I could find no solace. I was unhappy. The program that I had thought so highly of did not meet up to my expectations; its rigid structure limiting my creativity. I felt stuck. I knew that the best decision would be for me to drop out of the program and take classes that interested me. I came to recognize the importance of putting my own mental health before my education. After dropping out of the program, I transferred to my local school, once again determined to succeed, but with a different mindset in place.