As technology becomes more and more widespread, the younger generations are becoming less interested in activities we used to enjoy as children. Playing games outside like four square and manhunt and learning how to play board games and card games have been replaced with endlessly playing games like Fortnite, Minecraft, and Roblox, or scrolling and posting videos on social media apps like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat. Activities like those often serve as distractions, hindering many kids from taking the time to explore and learn through simply going outside or actively searching for connections like I did when I was younger. I noticed this when I began helping at my mom’s childcare center in North Philly, where I worked with kids who couldn’t tell time on an analog clock, struggled with basic math, or didn’t know who the first president was, all things I had learned by first grade. As someone who was raised in North Philly before moving to where I am now, I am saddened to see the enormous disparity between the education systems of the Philadelphia school system and the North Penn School District. As such, an issue that I would like to see addressed by the Ron Brown Scholar Program is the educational disparities between underprivileged schools, particularly in cities like Philadelphia, and more privileged ones, by promoting fun, interactive, and engaging teaching methods. In my spare time, I use my education to teach the kids at my mom’s business math, science, life skills, and even cybersecurity. One challenge I face, however, is retaining their attention, so I incorporate parts in my lessons where I have the kids physically interact with what I’m trying to teach. For example, I was brainstorming fun activities to do with the kids when I decided to teach them science using ice cream. I gathered the kids together and collected bags of ice, buckets, Ziploc bags, heavy whipping cream, sugar, milk, vanilla, and salt. With these ingredients, I taught the kids how to make ice cream by combining the ingredients in a bag and then shaking that bag in a bucket filled with ice and salt. With this, I taught the kids how salt lowers the freezing point of water, thus making the ice colder and allowing for the heavy cream to thicken. Once they finally tasted their homemade treat, the smiles on their faces told me that they would remember that day for years to come. As an aspiring cybersecurity engineer, I also made it my mission to teach the kids about digital security. With technology’s growing influence, many are unaware of the risks of sharing personal information online. Noticing the kids posting sensitive data online, I dedicated a lesson to showing them the dangers of the internet. I taught them how to create strong, safe passwords and emphasized the importance of confidentiality, creating a competition where they had one minute to develop a secure password. As a Ron Brown Captain, I will continue to educate the youth and will create an organization that will work to transform the stagnant education system here in America. Instead of traditional sedentary learning in front of computer screens, I will push for outdoor lessons and field trips. This organization will also work to educate the youth on the importance of cybersecurity, which is ever more critical in this day and age. Investment in our youth is an investment in the future, and the future shines brighter when those who will inhabit it have the education they need to change it for the better.

"For this week's project, you will be creating a TicTacToe game," my AP CSA teacher announced to the class. I'd constantly play TicTacToe with my great-grandfather whenever I visited, and I would usually beat him. But I wasn't sure how I would "beat" this assignment. It seemed easy initially, but the numerous compiler, logic, and syntax errors that followed frustrated me. I had no clue what I was doing wrong, and the deadline was quickly approaching. However, whenever I became frustrated, I logged off, took a walk, and listened to my favorite Rihanna songs. Then, I would sit back at my desk, look at my code, and instantly figure out all the errors. When I finished the project, I reflected on the concepts I learned to apply, such as 2D arrays, objects, static methods, and even how to think like a programmer. With these concepts, I can solve even more complex problems and learn more skills, thus continuing the learning cycle and improving my programming skills. This excites me most about challenges: the doors that open once you overcome them. That is the beauty of an education in STEM. After completing the Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate, I became fixated on how Multi-Factor Authentication would have saved my childhood Roblox account. Because I wasn't alerted when a malicious user accessed my account, I lost five years of irreplaceable data and memories. I now strive to make a lasting impact on the digital world by becoming a cybersecurity engineer and creating an organization that will promote digital security to younger generations in a world increasingly reliant on technology, rife with exploiters and hackers. Dartmouth will help me obtain this goal thanks to its strong commitment to intellectual curiosity, thus providing me with numerous opportunities and resources as a computer science major. One resource I'll use is the DALI Lab, which will exercise my programming and problem-solving skills while allowing me to build my resume and technical skills. As a computer science major, STEM excites me because of what I will learn through the challenges I will overcome and the progression of working towards my dream career. Without STEM, our world wouldn't have a fraction of the technology and medicine we currently have. Mortality rates would still be high, and the consumerist mindset us Americans are accustomed to wouldn't be possible. This is why I hope to contribute to STEM by working on personal projects and public projects, such as those part of DALI Lab at Dartmouth, to aid in the advancement of society.

After attending my first Astronomy Club meeting in my sophomore year, I discovered I loved space–there's always more to learn! Using our school's Planetarium, we learned about the stories behind numerous constellations, the complexity of black holes, and the scale of our universe. We even used telescopes to view Jupiter, Saturn, and the Moon, and I'll never forget the excitement and awe I felt upon seeing Saturn's ring and the Moon's numerous craters. Noticing my school's lack of student-led activities, I created a space-themed Escape Room to inspire creativity and logical thinking among my peers and share my excitement about space with them. As a sophomore, it wasn't easy to create this escape room. My first challenge lay in finding reliable club members who were interested in assisting me with the planning. Many club members came to the first meeting, but most of them left midway through, while others who stayed failed to consistently attend meetings. Although unfortunate, I'm extremely grateful to have had Sarah, the programming expert, and Kailey, the arts and graphic design genius, stick with me and help me complete the escape from start to end. The next challenge we faced was brainstorming and creating the puzzles. The puzzles needed to be difficult enough to feel like a challenge, but easy enough to prevent the participants from becoming angry. After much careful deliberation and planning, we finally settled on five unique puzzles to incorporate into the escape room. After a lot of trial and error, we were able to successfully present our escape room and raise $200 for the astronomy Club. What I enjoyed most about the escape room was watching strangers work together to solve puzzles, using each other's strengths to accomplish a shared goal. From this project, I learned problem-solving, active listening, communication, and organization. I also learned that not everyone will be interested in my personal endeavors, and that's OK. As long as I remain confident and preserve, I will always find those who are passionate about what I do and will dedicate their time and resources to helping me achieve my goals. As I move on to begin my college journey, I will use what I learned from this project to continue innovating fun ways to entertain and educate my peers. This experience has inspired me to value others and their unique qualities, a lesson I'll embody as a part of Dartmouth's diverse community.