Growing up in the inner city was quite the experience for me. I grew up in Jersey City, New Jersey. I can truly say my mom and grandparents did a great job of sheltering me from the chaos of the city because I didn’t know the area was considered “not so great” because it was my home. The statistics alone are not the best. The odds are against me as soon as I wake up in the morning. Jersey City has a population of almost 300,000 people. The crime rate is higher than 73% of the state’s cities and towns of all sizes. The chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime is 1 in 65. There are 39 public schools. Many the schools are ranked below average. Overall, the high schools rank five out of ten which ranks in the bottom 50% of New Jersey public high schools. Schools are underfunded and teachers are underpaid and overworked. As a kid I thought my city was normal. My mom and grandmom went to work early, so I was left with my Pop Pop. Before school my Pop Pop would sweep in front of his front door. What I learned later was he had to sweep every day because every night someone would throw garbage in front of the door. He would walk me to and from school every day. Everyday we would pass people on the streets, and we would always say hello. And like clockwork the same people were there the next day. What I didn’t know was some of those people were homeless, or just hanging out because they had nothing else to do. On the weekends my Pop Pop and I would take field trips on the bus to the park. I always wondered why we couldn’t just go to the park that was closest to the house. He told me the park we were going to was special. Once I got to middle school, I realized older kids and adults hung out at the closer park partaking in activities that were on the illegal side of nature and my Pop Pop was sheltering me from that. When I meet people and tell them I am from Jersey City immediately they think I should talk a certain way, that I am uneducated or that I am affiliated with certain groups of people. But guess what? In second grade my teacher noticed I was an exceptional student and advised my mom to have me tested for the HOPE program and I passed. Third grade to fifth grade I was a part of the HOPE gifted and talented program. In 6th grade I was accepted into Academy 1 Middle school which is in the top 5% of New Jersey. Now I will be graduating from McNair High School which is the #1 high school in Jersey City and the #5 school in the state of New Jersey. So, despite what some may think, excellent kids do evolve from Jersey City. Living in the inner city made me appreciate the little things. Never let your current circumstances stop you from achieving a better circumstance. Despite my surroundings I made the most of my situation. If someone had told me, I was underprivileged I would have probably laughed because to me I felt rich. Always believe in yourself because I did. Even if you don’t see good in your surroundings at the time, know that better is out there and you can achieve it.

Growing up in the inner city was quite the experience for me. I grew up in Jersey City, New Jersey. I can truly say my mom and grandparents did a great job of sheltering me from the chaos of the city because I didn’t know the area was considered “not so great” because it was my home. The statistics alone are not the best. The odds are against me as soon as I wake up in the morning. Jersey City has a population of almost 300,000 people. The crime rate is higher than 73% of the state’s cities and towns of all sizes. The chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime is 1 in 65. There are 39 public schools. Many the schools are ranked below average. Overall, the high schools rank five out of ten which ranks in the bottom 50% of New Jersey public high schools. Schools are underfunded and teachers are underpaid and overworked. As a kid I thought my city was normal. My mom and grandmom went to work early, so I was left with my Pop Pop. Before school my Pop Pop would sweep in front of his front door. What I learned later was he had to sweep every day because every night someone would throw garbage in front of the door. He would walk me to and from school every day. Every day we would pass people on the streets, and we would always say hello. And like clockwork the same people were there the next day. What I didn’t know was some of those people were homeless, or just hanging out because they had nothing else to do. On the weekends my Pop Pop and I would take field trips on the bus to the park. I always wondered why we couldn’t just go to the park that was closest to the house. He told me the park we were going to was special. Once I got to middle school, I realized older kids and adults hung out at the closer park partaking in activities that were on the illegal side of nature and my Pop Pop was sheltering me from that. When I meet people and tell them I am from Jersey City immediately they think I should talk a certain way, that I am uneducated or that I am affiliated with certain groups of people. But guess what? In second grade my teacher noticed I was an exceptional student and advised my mom to have me tested for the HOPE program and I passed. Third grade to fifth grade I was a part of the HOPE gifted and talented program. In 6th grade I was accepted into Academy 1 Middle school which is in the top 5% of New Jersey. Now I will be graduating from McNair High School which is the #1 high school in Jersey City and the #5 school in the state of New Jersey. So, despite what some may think, excellent kids do evolve from Jersey City. Living in the inner city I think made me appreciate the little things. My mom and grandparents worked hard for everything we had. It shaped me to be thankful for the little things in life and that I could achieve any and everything if I worked hard. They made my childhood special despite the environment. If someone had told me, I was underprivileged I would have probably laughed because to me I felt rich. Despite the surroundings we made the most of my situation. Today I am a grateful individual.

Diabetes is a common condition that affects people of all ages. There are several forms of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes happens when your body doesn’t make insulin, while Type 2 happens when your body can’t use insulin properly. My Pop Pop lived with Type 2. My Pop Pop was a big part of my daily life. which means his diabetes was a part of my daily life also. When I was 5 years old, my Pop Pop had ulcer surgery. Not sure how old he was at the time, but his recovery was long and slow. I remember this because I was there. After surgery my mom would pick me up from school and we would go visit him in the hospital. I remember the first time I saw the nurse stick his finger. At first glance I didn’t know why so I asked a question. “Why are you sticking my Pop Pop?” Her reply was “because I need to check his sugar levels”. That’s the day I started to pay attention to my Pop Pop’s diabetes. Recovery was long and slow for my Pop Pop. The surgery ended up pushing him into early retirement. It was sad that he couldn’t work anymore but it was great that, I was able to spend more time with him. My mom would drop me off to my grandparent’s house before she went to work. My grandmother still worked so I spent a lot of time with my Pop Pop. His health became a part of my daily life. Diabetes became a part of my life through my Pop Pop. When I was younger, he was Type 2. He took pills to control his levels, but he really didn’t need to check his blood sugar that often. As he got older his health declined, and he became Type 1. He then had to really be aware of his sugar levels. I would watch him stick his finger and read the tiny machine to tell him whether he needed to inject insulin. I made sure he checked his levels throughout the day to avoid getting sick. Witnessing someone close to you try to control a disease that they didn’t ask for is difficult. He always had to watch what he ate or drank. As a bystander you learn to help the best ways you can. I helped monitor his food intake and log his readings in a book. Diabetes has taught me to be conscious of my own health.

I am most interested in Aerospace/Mechanical Engineering. I have always wanted to work on or with airplanes. Along with my interest in military aircraft, I also have an interest in technology. The love of what makes the aircraft work on inside and out. My fascination is to combine the two interests and can be surrounded by aircraft but also the ability to be hands on. I have been fascinated with airplanes since I was a little kid. From the time I was a baby, my mom and grandparents would take me every year on a vacation to see my cousins in the South via airplane. I always loved the look of the planes and wondered the mechanics within the airplane. I had the pleasure of attending “Airport Day” at Newark International Airport which is an event that allows families to explore airplanes on the runway. I also experienced Intrepid Museum in New York City. I was able to explore different types of airplanes and even had the pleasure of talking to a Veteran that flew in some of them. My PopPop was an army Veteran. When I was small my mom used to take me to Home Depot workshops. There was one workshop I vividly remember because it was Veterans Day weekend, and the project was a helicopter. I was so excited to build and paint my aircraft for my PopPop. Fast forward my PopPop passed away this Spring. This summer was the first summer my PopPop did not go on vacation with us, but I knew exactly where I wanted to go. So, my grandma, mom and I went to DC to the Smithsonian Aviation Museum in Washinton, DC. Even though my PopPop was not there I know he was there in spirit because we had the best time as he would have too. I plan to major in Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in Aerospace. I will earn my Bachelor of Engineering and Masters. I love planes and plan to be surrounded by aerospace vehicles. Over the course of my career, I want to maintain aircraft, become licensed to fly charters and own a plane. This summer I attended an aviation camp. My teachers were professionals. My teachers were pilots and flight attendants, and the experience was awesome. Even with their hectic schedules they found the time to teach us about the different fields of aviation. They showed us that with time and determination we could be who we wanted to be in life. Over time as I gain aviation knowledge, I would want to pass the knowledge on. I would share my knowledge through camps and events to students just as it was shared with me. I am a leader by nature. I am a student at a magnet school in Jersey City for academics as well as a student at a Performing Arts school to play tuba in a band. Since the programs are at separate schools, I am bussed daily. My freshman year I was the only one in the program for most of the year. It was difficult balancing two schools as the schedules were often off track, but I stuck with it. Now as a senior I am the ambassador for the underclassmen. I know how it felt to be alone and confused freshman year. Now as a senior I know the ends and outs of the program. When the buses are late, I call transportation. When the buses arrive, I make sure all the students are accounted for. It feels good to know that everything is running smooth because of my help.

I am the only child to my mother. I am the youngest of four boys to my father. I have the best of two worlds. Growing up in this type of environment has enabled me to work independently as well as with groups. Both settings helped me develop social skills and relationships. I have the ability to work on projects alone as well as in a team setting. I can complete a task with no help as well as work with a group and contribute to a team. This is a life skill that is very much needed in the world today. I am a senior. I am a student at a magnet school in Jersey City for academics as well as a student at a Performing Arts school to play tuba in a band. Since the programs are at separate schools I am bussed daily. My freshman year I was the only one in the program for a majority of the year. It was difficult balancing two schools as the schedules were often off track but I stuck with it. Now as a senior I am the ambassador for the underclassmen. I know how it felt to be alone and confused freshman year. Now as a senior I know the ends and outs of the program. When the buses are late I call transportation. When the buses arrive I make sure all the students are accounted for. It feels good to know that everything is running smooth because of my help My plan is to attend a University and major in Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in Aerospace. I want to earn my Bachelor of Engineering as well as my Masters. I love planes and plan to be surrounded by aerospace vehicles. Over the course of my career I want to maintain aircraft, become licensed to fly charters and own my own plane. This summer I attended an aviation camp. My teachers were professionals. My teachers were pilots and flight attendants and the experience was awesome. Even with their hectic schedules they found the time to teach us about the different fields of aviation. They showed us that with time and determination we could be who we wanted to be in life. Over time as I gain aviation knowledge I would want to pass the knowledge on. I would share my knowledge through camps and events to students just as it was shared to me.