In a world of uncertainty and misinformation, teachers and educators stand as the backbone of society. Throughout the past twelve years, I have attended five different schools in three different states. However, the consistent support among my numerous teachers over the years has shaped my character, goals, and ambitions. From my 4th grade math teacher, who answered every question I eagerly asked on the rainbow carpet, to my 10th grade world history and economics teachers, who allowed me to understand the past in order to comprehend the present – my teachers contributed greatly to fueling my intellectual curiosity. Moreover, they showed me the importance of passing knowledge down – starting my tutoring journey of sharing my passion for a subject with others. For the past three years, I have participated in a program hosted by my school – Midtown High School’s Saturday School Tutoring. As part of this program, I spend my Saturdays helping my peers with assignments and allowing them to understand the material that they’re struggling with. Throughout multiple sessions, I’m able to clarify difficult questions and carefully work through math problems – ranging from geometry to calculus – to ensure that they hold the mathematical foundations that will help them throughout life. By providing my mentees with a student perspective, I allow them to look at the problem from a different angle – a full turn from the one provided in class. My hope is that this teaches my fellow classmates to always look for a different solution, an approach that hasn’t been introduced yet. I believe that knowledge is the most important possession that one can hold. It allows you to comprehend the world around you in a logical and sophisticated manner, to differentiate between rational and emotional decisions. In a generation of “following the crowd”, I want to teach how to process the situation you are in to make your own, calculated, decision. As a dual enrollment student at Georgia Tech, the experiences that I have had with college professors during their office hours and teaching assistants (TAs) during studios allowed me to realize the tremendous impact that they can have on a student. This pushed me to pursue my own TA position in my first semester of college at Georgia Tech. I hope to share my own passion for one of my favorite subjects and cultivate it in others, contributing to their own intellectual curiosity. Beyond inspiring and educating those around me, I plan to utilize my degree after college to contribute to the saving of humanity’s future. This depends on our ability to both address existential threats and continue exploring new frontiers in space. By becoming both an astrophysicist and a climate activist, I believe that we can save our current generation while helping future ones get a bigger boost forward. This scholarship will support my ability to continue sharing knowledge and inspiring others while furthering my own education. Not only will it contribute to my goal of continuously learning through taking a multitude of classes, but it will help me pursue my dreams, driven by the desire to help others and bring a change to the world. I’m entering the Georgia Institute of Technology this fall, pursuing a double major in computer science and mathematics. This scholarship will enable me to build the foundation necessary to make a lasting impact on the future of humanity, through both education and action.

The summer after my sophomore year, I was hanging onto the wall of the pool, wheezing after my 23rd sprint that practice. But as I dove back into the water, frustration melted away, replaced by the rhythm of my underwater kick and the quick breath I took as I resurfaced. I have spent my afternoons and early mornings in the pool ever since I could speak. I found solace in the water – watching the bubbles rise to the surface, counting the seconds for which I could hold my breath – I grew up with the water as my second home. I truly dedicated myself to the sport when I entered high school. Having just moved, I joined a new club team, unsure of what to expect. As I grew and developed through high school, my relationships, critical thinking, and time management skills all blossomed as a result of my swimming journey. Nevertheless, I hit a wall. I was nearing my tenth year as a competitive swimmer, and thoughts of burnout were common and persistent. I had taken on a heavy course load – six AP classes during my sophomore year, and the burden of the work had taken a toll on me. Instead of spending my afternoons reading textbooks and analyzing homework, I was stuck in the pool for three hours, staring at a black line as my mind went insane. Passion kept me going. When motivation died, the fire of discipline grew inside of me. My new coach fixed my technique, and I became a butterflier. That year, I placed Top 20 in the state at one of the biggest state meets of the season. Throughout this time, I focused on prioritization. I made to-do lists, wrote down schedules, marked down assignments in my planner. My time management skills arose from the challenges that I faced as a student-athlete. Without reaching discomfort, I wouldn’t have grown as a person. My senior year, I was knee deep in college applications and rigorous dual enrollment courses. I talked to my coach about my relationship with swimming – one that has held strong over the years, that has kept me strong and motivated. He encouraged me to treat it as a ‘hobby’, putting academics first instead. That season, I not only got accepted to a big school, but I hit personal bests in almost every event that I swam. The encouragement and self-motivation that I gained through showing up every day pushed me both academically and athletically. Even though my relationship with swimming may be perceived as a ‘hobby’, the skills and lessons that I have gained through the sport will stick by my side as I go to college and beyond. I will forever be thankful for my sport. My experiences as a student athlete have had a significant contribution to my motivations and values. Swimming allowed me to analyze my priorities and goals: making time for what I actually cared about. This allowed me to find my interests: computer science, mathematics, and astrophysics became my focus outside of swimming. I want to utilize my academic pursuits to help build sustainable habitats on Mars and safeguard the future of humanity. This scholarship will support my desire to further my own education and help me pursue my future plans. My academic and career goals center on addressing the existential threats facing humanity, particularly climate change and the need to establish a multi-planetary species. I plan to pursue studies in computer science, aiming to develop sustainable technologies and contribute to space exploration efforts.

The summer after my sophomore year, I was hanging onto the wall of the pool, wheezing after my 23rd sprint that practice. But as I dove back into the water, frustration melted away, replaced by the rhythm of my underwater kick and the quick breath I took as I resurfaced. I have spent my afternoons and early mornings in the pool ever since I could speak. I found solace in the water – watching the bubbles rise to the surface, counting the seconds for which I could hold my breath – I grew up with the water as my second home. I truly dedicated myself to the sport when I entered high school. Having just moved, I joined a new club team, unsure of what to expect. As I grew and developed through high school, my relationships, critical thinking, and time management skills all blossomed as a result of my swimming journey. Nevertheless, I hit a wall. I was nearing my tenth year as a competitive swimmer, and thoughts of burnout were common and persistent. I had taken on a heavy course load – six AP classes during my sophomore year, and the burden of the work had taken a toll on me. Instead of spending my afternoons reading textbooks and analyzing homework, I was stuck in the pool for three hours, staring at a black line as my mind went insane. Passion kept me going. When motivation died, the fire of discipline grew inside of me. My new coach fixed my technique, and I became a butterflier. That year, I placed Top 20 in the state at one of the biggest state meets of the season. Throughout this time, I focused on prioritization. I made to-do lists, wrote down schedules, marked down assignments in my planner. My time management skills arose from the challenges that I faced as a student-athlete. Without reaching discomfort, I wouldn’t have grown as a person. My senior year, I was knee deep in college applications and rigorous dual enrollment courses. I talked to my coach about my relationship with swimming – one that has held strong over the years, that has kept me strong and motivated. He encouraged me to treat it as a ‘hobby’, putting academics first instead. That season, I not only got accepted to a big school, but I hit personal bests in almost every event that I swam. The encouragement and self-motivation that I gained through showing up every day pushed me both academically and athletically. Even though my relationship with swimming may be perceived as a ‘hobby’, the skills and lessons that I have gained through the sport will stick by my side as I go to college and beyond. I will forever be thankful for my sport. Swimming has been a constant in my life for the past 12 years – not just as a competitive sport, but also as a retreat. Under water, there’s no noise, no deadlines – just the soothing flow of movement and the clarity it brings. Even on the hardest days, it’s a place where I can escape and recharge – it’s my refuge. The joy I find in the simple act of swimming keeps me coming back, from sharing laughs with teammates to celebrating small victories in the pool. For every grueling set, there’s a moment of pure pleasure that makes it all worthwhile.

July 27th through August 9th, 2024. Those two weeks bring out the internal American in me, as I cheer for athletes I hadn’t known a second ago. The atmosphere of the stadium, cheering for the best and strongest in the world, brings out a unifying community seen nowhere else. Even though everyone is competing against each other, the sense of community brings different countries together as they cheer on their respective favorites. Cheering for Team USA brings a special amount of pride. Hearing the national anthem play in the giant stadium is extraordinarily different from the hundreds of times I’ve heard it play at my swim meet, yet it forges a connection between young athletes and those competing on the world stage. Swimming at the 2024 Olympics was a fireball of never ending records, cheering, and cowbells. The determination seen in swimmers to WIN brings a unique sense of pride when you’re sitting at home watching them. Torri Huske was one of Team USA’s standout athletes. She brought home multiple winning relays, including the women’s 400 medley relay, as well as the mixed 400 medley relay. Not only that, but Huske went home with 3 gold medals and way more podium finishes. Huske, only 21 years old, has set records, demonstrated immense hard work and patience, and is my favorite athlete to cheer for due to her incredible resilience and pivotal role in the 2024 Olympics. Huske had seen success in swimming from an early age. In high school, she set six Virginia State records and became the youngest member ever inducted into the Yorktown High School Fall of Fame. She broke the girls 15-16 National age group record in the 100m butterfly and won six medals at the 2019 World Junior Championships 2019. This culminated in her performance at the 2020 Summer Olympics, where she qualified as a finalist for the 100m butterfly. After a grueling race, she missed the podium by 1 ONE-HUNDRETH of a second. However, Huske used this opportunity to continue pushing and working towards her dreams. She became the first collegiate swimmer to sign a sponsorship deal as a Stanford student. She competed in the 2022 NCAA Championships, and once again qualified for the Summer Olympics - this time, in 2024. Huske exceeded all expectations at the 2024 Summer Olympics. Expected to win the 100 fly was world record holder Gretchen Walsh - but Huske pushed through the last 25, surprising everybody, and taking gold. After missing the podium by 0.01 seconds 4 years ago, she was now standing on the very top, holding her first Olympic gold medal. Her growth and resilience kept shining through, as she carried Team USA relays to two new world records in the 400 medley mixed and women relays. Her hard-working journey and achievements have inspired both me and countless other people, both within and outside the swimming community. Torri Huske’s journey, grit, and determination are seen through her improvements from 2020 to 2024. Huske will always have my respect for all the work she puts in to receive her well-deserved results. In a Team USA picture, Huske was seen standing next to Katie Ledecky - one of the greatest female swimmers of all time. These two outstanding swimmers proved themselves at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games as ones who could fight, push through, and never give up. Torri Huske’s legacy in the sport will always be remembered, as she embodies everything that Team USA stands for - grit, determination, and winning.