My name is Kaleb Montez Martinez. I am attending NC State University to pursue mechanical engineering. I am a Charlotte native and a first-generation college student. As a first-generation student, my motivation to pursue college is deeply rooted in my family’s history and the support of my mom. Growing up with a single mother who worked tirelessly to provide for us, I spent my days with my grandparents. My grandmother, a field worker who never had the chance to receive an education, was a constant reminder of the sacrifices made by previous generations to ensure a better future for the next. My mother’s dedication to teaching me the basics of math and science before I even started school laid a strong foundation for my academic journey. From a young age, I have been fascinated by buildings and innovation. Experimenting with tools in my grandpa's garage sparked my determination to pursue a career in engineering. This passion was further solidified through internships and Balfour Beatty, where I worked on projects to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in Charlotte, improve public transportation, and build new infrastructures such as car washes, restaurants, call centers, and high-rise renovations. My mom took me once to the NASA space center in Houston Texas to fan the flames of passion I have for engineering; I remember seeing the spacecraft that had years of engineering and innovation behind them. These experiences have shown me the impact that engineering can have on a community and the world. I am particularly interested in pursuing a major in mechanical engineering because of my strong foundation in math and science, which I attribute to my mother’s early teachings and my academic pursuits. My confidence in these subjects has grown over the years, allowing me to excel in them and to help others do the same. Mechanical engineering offers a unique combination of problem-solving, innovation, and real-world applications that captivate me and align with my strengths. I am drawn to the challenge and the potential to make meaningful contributions to society through technological and scientific advancements. Ultimately, my pursuit of higher education and a mechanical engineering major is driven by a desire to honor my family’s sacrifices, to serve as a role model for my younger siblings, and to contribute positively to my community. With my previous internship experience and my degree, I plan on creating or innovating a product that will leave a positive impact on the world. I want to help contribute to the energy sector, such as sustainable energy and increasing the efficiency of existing systems. With my burning passion for solving problems and my strong values, I will help make a positive impact in the world.

As water droplets raced down the car window, I gazed at my mother during our journey back home from my grandparents' house. Her face alternated between glowing and darkening as we passed the streetlights, but the sunken circles around her eyes persisted. "You are different, mijo; you are going to stand out," my mother spoke those words into existence that day, and she continued to repeat them. As the tree grew rings and new wrinkles developed in my brain, I have been conflicted with the meaning of that statement every time I hear it — how does a child even begin to deconstruct that statement? I looked at it from different angles and perspectives from my life I grew up with a full-time working single mother; thus, I had to stay with my grandparents during the day as she worked. No one in my family ever went to a university, and education was robbed from my grandmother. She was a field worker who spent most of her life picking fruits and vegetables to support the family. My mom knew the importance of education and gave me a solid foundation. My mother recognized the significance of education and endeavored to impart the foundational knowledge necessary for a child to thrive before I even donned my first school uniform. Thanks to my mother's dedication, I gained a strong foundation in math and science, leading to my consistent excellence in those subjects throughout my school years. This newfound self-assurance manifested in active class participation, honing my speaking and presentation skills. Seeking ways to further enhance my academic abilities, I found that helping my classmates learn subjects not only benefited them but also deepened my understanding. In 2009, the night sky twinkled as the wind brushed our faces at the movie theater. Inside, the scent of buttered popcorn welcomed us. As the film started, I was initially unimpressed by the dialogue. However, my interest sparked when Tony Stark was kidnapped. Witnessing his brilliant transformation of scrap metal into a suit inspired me. With every twist, I grew more engrossed, eagerly anticipating the next development. Seeing Tony Stark craft his Mark II suit ignited a passion for mechanical engineering. From then on, my grandpa's garage became my laboratory. With every imaginable tool at my disposal, I dismantled remote controls and old cameras, finding joy in understanding their inner workings. My mom was focused on raising a good man without having a father figure. Despite not being raised with the values a traditional man has, the values and lessons she instilled in me allowed me to flourish and become a good person. I will stand out, and I now know that the phrase is meant positively and negatively, and will apply to all aspects of my life; whether it was my math skills that allowed me to be at the top in some classes, or the fact that I am not fluent at Spanish that led to sticking out like a sore thumb, this all gives people a reason to remember me. I use the phrase to remind myself where I come from and what motivates me. I look back on the effort my mom puts in, and I try to be the best role model for my younger siblings by showing them the importance of being a person who values education and family. I want my family to know that we are not just hard workers, but that we also deserve to be educated. I want to be the one to break that glass ceiling to show them it is possible.

Ever since I was little, I have been determined to do two things, build and innovate. I am pursuing Mechanical engineering since there are so many endless fields I can go into and make an everlasting impact. I plan to make energy systems more sustainable and efficient, thus reducing pollution emitted, and I will be the positive change in the world!

The loud cicada-like noise buzzed across the living room as I tossed the rattlesnake magnets in the boundless blue. As a child, I have always been fascinated by magnets, for it is a force you cannot see with the human eye, yet you can feel their attraction and repel as you move them closer to each other. Even though magnetism is naturally occurring, the countless ways they have been utilized are amazing. Micheal Faraday saw the wonders in magnets and brightened the world with his ideas. With a wire and a magnet, Faraday was able to create electricity. The simplicity behind using two objects in a non-perfect lab environment to create a world-changing invention is truly beautiful. They are used to help clean the planet clean! Magnets are used in recycling centers to help separate metal from other recyclable materials. The molten iron at the earth's core creates a magnetic field around the planet, protecting the earth from solar winds and cosmic radiation. From protection to sustainability and livelihood, magnets are pushing the world forward.

Take a walk down anywhere in the world and observe everything within your point of view. Everything you see and cannot see involves calculus one way or another; From the electric fields presented in the atoms to the stress in the beams that hold the building where students go to school and inside the circuits that power the streetlamp. In the STEM field, every student will eventually run into calculus, and at first, it may be challenging, but you will learn to appreciate it and all the remarkable things you can achieve with it. Calculus changes the way you approach a problem. As a student who took Calculus I, II, III, and Differential Equations, I consider Calculus I to be the most rigorous out of them all. It pushed me to think of ways to solve a problem. What makes calculus one of the most strenuous classes for me was being introduced to the mind-blowing ways equations can be manipulated to reach the desired outcome. I still remember the time my teacher wrote x/x and explain how it is still equal to one, and the time we rearrange equations to create new bounds for u-substitution. It helps develop and strengthen critical thinking to solve complex equations. The nice thing about Calculus in the STEM field is that it is not a one-time thing students will learn, it is a concept that builds up and appears in other courses, for calculus also appears in physics when discussing mechanics, waves, thermodynamics, and electromagnetism, in Chemistry you use calculus for determining the rate law, for a business you use it to maximize profit. If a person were sent back in time with nothing but a physics textbook and the understanding of calculus, they would have the knowledge necessary to rebuild the world up until the ’70s; everything after that is quantum physics and requires high-tech labs and ideal lab conditions. All you need is wires, magnets, physics, and calculus to make things such as microwaves, basic telephones, television, and radios. All of this helps rebuild the world since you have communication, electricity, and heat all set up. A person can keep track of the food consumed, and through the rate of food eaten, they will help have a better understanding of how much food is needed to maintain a community. A person can incorporate physics, which involves calculus, to create a water wheel that relies on torque and angular velocity to generate electricity. It is beautiful all the intricate things you can make with enough willingness and knowledge.