I've always been very intellectually curious and persistent when it came to the realization of the goals that I had set for myself. Whether leaving my home country for the US as an exchange student at age 15 or spending a year in the blue-collar workforce to make my eventual move to America for college a reality - I'm long on ambition and determined to earn my Bachelor's degree in Computer Science at UC Berkeley. I enjoy writing as a tool to communicate ideas to a broader audience and do so actively on my blog. I am also a voracious reader. In the past, I have won the Scheffel prize, Germany's most prestigious literature prize for high school graduates, and gave my year's graduation speech on the importance of carving out our paths while prioritizing curiosity. I have spent the past year working hard to save up for my future studies. In between manufacturing and service jobs, I taught myself to program in Python, HTML, and CSS and built a Smart Mirror. I have become deeply immersed in my research on the present state and future potential of various technologies and have decided to make it my mission to have a purposeful impact in this sector. Whether it concerns the frontiers of Longevity Research, Artificial Intelligence, or Space Exploration - I regard the future with excitement and have a desire to be part of the progress-making institutions of our current times. As Peter Thiel says: "We should not outsource our own lives. In whatever capacity we can - as intellectuals, scientists, investors, voters, cultural leaders- we must take ownership of the future.”