Success comes from hard work and drive. Behind those two factors lies the motivation to push through every obstacle that attempts to obstruct your success. Growing up, my parents came to the United States in search of a better life. They faced various obstacles in a foreign country. While my mom was able to attend school and graduate with her bachelor’s degree, my dad didn’t. He didn’t come to the United States until he was 16, and learning an entire new language was a barrier much too high for him to overcome. Every morning, at 4 in the morning, he would wake up with his brothers and head to work until finally returning past 7 in the afternoon. He did this at a young age to provide for his family. They both gave it their all to give me a better life. They taught me a very valuable lesson. I could not dream of living the life my parents did, so I vowed to become someone great. I wanted them to be proud and see how their efforts continued through me. This is my motivation. Anytime that I struggle with an obstacle, I remind myself why I do what I do. I often get asked why I try so hard in school, or why my grades matter so much to me. I don’t disclose the reason why, which is that I was given such an easy life, so it wouldn't be fair not to give it my all. The discipline my parents instilled in me allowed me to succeed in school. I’ve carried this out until high school, where I achieved higher grades thanks to the discipline I’ve developed. Everything that was built up until the moment I was born was for a reason, and I refuse to let it all go to waste. Every year since I started school, I’ve strived to improve the person I am academically and personally. My motivation came from my parents and the empathy I felt for all their hard work. So far, this has worked for me, so I intend to continue until I’ve accomplished everything my parents and I have dreamed of for me. I’ve always believed that pursuing a higher education would be my only way to pave my future. My education has become a part of who I am. There is always something new to learn and ways to improve. Many people have found a different way, but my strengths don’t lie where their success was found. This is why I depend on finishing school for a secure career. This would allow me to give back to my parents, who gave up so much for me. With math being one of my biggest strengths, I grew fond of the idea of becoming an engineer. I’ve chosen to study mechanical and aerospace engineering. This field is full of growing opportunities that are only possible if I continue my education and pursue a bachelor’s degree. This is why my education has become a vital pillar in my life. Anything I’ve accomplished in this life was due to hard work. Some of that hard work was done in the generation before me, but I’ve given it all to continue that legacy of drive. Every aspect of my life has brought me here. Everything around me has motivated me to better myself. The people in my life have helped me reach a chapter of my life where I will pursue a higher education at Oklahoma State University. To every lesson I’ve learned to help me become the person I am, I am thankful.

Tennis, like any sport, is a mental game. You have moments of self-doubt and moments of pure confidence. The game itself is so complex and deep, and yet it is as simple as brushing the ball against the strings and allowing the ball to take its path over the net. My Tennis journey started very late compared to others. I picked up the racket at 17, where most started at 4. A history of volleyball helped out a lot. I understood the mechanics and the concept of the game because it was very similar to how you react and learn to redirect a ball. Once I was able to improve my swing, I used what I knew about volleyball to play smart. Finding the empty space, drawing your opponent one direction to create an opportunity, and then placing the ball was something I already knew. The one thing I didn't know, however, was how to do it all without another five on the court. I always believed that if I did my part and trusted my teammates, then that was the key to success. Now, my failure or success was due to my own actions, and more often than not, it was a loss. Even if I understood the game, I still couldn't keep up with the speed. My lack of experience was obvious. That was the hardest thing to accept. I could put hours of work into improving my skills, but someone better was putting even more hours in. I decided to change it up and play doubles. By this point, I had gotten so used to playing on my own that I couldn't stand the level of play in women's doubles. I couldn't let myself do it. Finally, I found mixed doubles. The game was fast and fun, but I still had a partner who could keep up with it and elevate my own skills. I saw the most improvement in both my game and my confidence. I wasn't scared or disappointed even after a loss. With Tennis, I learned to push myself in uncomfortable situations. I learned that it is okay to depend on others and allow them to take a toll off of your own worries. Tennis taught me to find confidence in a technical game where I wasn't the best. I learned to accept this fact and not let it affect me. Tennis came into my life during an overwhelming academic school year. I overcame it thanks to the lessons I learned from the sport, and I will carry this into my future as I start my higher education. It won't be easy, and I won't be the best, but I know it will be okay. I just have to find the right people to lean on and find confidence in myself.

When I was a kid, my mom made me play sports to stay active. When I turned 8, she let me choose the sport. I decided that volleyball looked easy, and therefore, I would play it. I was right, Kids Inc. volleyball at the age of 8 was very easy because they didn't enforce the traditional volleyball rules. One day, I went to a local park and saw a Sunday league team playing volleyball. They would jump so high and smash the ball straight down within the ten-foot line. I was in complete awe. I looked down at my volleyball and realized I wanted more from this sport. That's where my journey began. I looked into club ball and begged my mom to let me join a team. My parents' first concern was the expenses. "How are we going to be able to afford this, Karen?" asked my mom. I was destroyed thinking I wouldn't be able to play. I kept looking for better opportunities within our budget, and I found that one club offered a fundraiser that would pay off $1,000. I told my mom I would sell every single ticket to play. She agreed, and I was able to play my first club season at 13. From then until I turned 17, I started playing club with the late-night practices until 10, then school in the morning at 8. I was tired, but it was all worth it because I loved it that much. I would work on assignments during class and ask for extra credit in order to maintain my grades. Before volleyball was a thing in my world, school was all I was worth. I've always been good at math and maintained high grades, so when I got to high school, there was no way I would let that change, even with both high school volleyball and club volleyball. Because of my ego, I pushed myself to exceed my academic standards every day. Once I started my junior year, I no longer played club ball. I was bored, so I decided to play the next closest thing I could find, tennis. Tennis had similar functions to volleyball. I ended up missing 30% of school in my junior year to sports. It kept me on my toes and allowed me to learn how to prioritize different aspects of my life. I have this dependency on sports in my life. It's improved my mental health during the harsh isolation of COVID. It showed me how discipline creates structure and, therefore, success in life. It has become a pillar in my life that I am not quite ready to let go of.

The candle of creative, imaginative dreams that once existed within you as a child can sometimes withstand the strong winds of life and still manage not to be extinguished. Though at times, the candle is barely capable of flickering, that same flicker translates to a person’s pursued future. My candle had to be reignited, but it has led me to a new dream. I once wanted to be an astronaut and dreamt of sending my ashes to Mars, but now, I want to pursue aerospace engineering. I plan to design the spacecraft I once dreamt of as a child, to give inspiration and hope to little girls who doubt that they dream too big. At certain points in a person’s adolescence, you learn to doubt, to grow insecure, to lose any part of yourself you thought you figured out. Occasionally, a person can influence you to persevere, to cling onto whatever part of yourself you doubt. For me, this person was someone whose story I had only heard about. This person was a young woman who was graduating in her fourth year of university with two bachelor's in engineering, a fiance, and a secured, well-paid job in her hometown. Hearing this, hearing the kind of person she was growing up from her mother throughout an entire school year, made me believe I never dreamed too big I only failed to give it all I had. Through my experience in volunteering in science programs for younger girls, I have given myself more perspective. Inspiring others with similar interests, and giving back to my community, drive me to continue with my journey. Some day, I will give back to the community in bigger ways. I think I would start where it began, the annual WISE (Woman In Science and Engineering) conference in my hometown. The only difference is I would attend as a presenter and, eventually a sponsor. From there I plan to create a similar event to include more girls from around the country. The goal, my goal, is to eventually inspire every younger girl I encounter to walk away with hope and determination in accomplishing their outgoing dreams. Though I am ready for the road to be a rocky and troublesome one, I will continue to lay out my plan to study aerospace engineering in the following years. By doing so, there might just be a little girl out there to hear my story and push through her struggles for the sake of her dream. The future remains unknown, but the dream to reignite the millions of candles within younger girls also remains. So long as that statement rings true, I plan to pursue a career and give back to the community what it gave me by sharing what I know and the journey that brought me there to inspire those who doubt.