I began exploring STEM fields in middle school when I begged my mom to transfer me into a STEM-focused school 30 minutes from my home. Through exploring different coursework, job shadows, and internships in various fields, I can confidently say I found my passion in engineering, particularly aerospace engineering. What draws me to engineering is the balance between creativity and logic. I have always enjoyed creating things, whether that meant assembling small projects or turning simple materials into something more meaningful. Over time, I realized that engineering allows me to take that creativity and apply it in a structured, purposeful way. My high school career has been committed to expanding my STEM and engineering knowledge in order to prepare me for college and beyond. Entering high school, I immediately signed up for the hardest courses available, even though not many were offered. Through this, I was introduced to science fair. The first year, I explored aerodynamics, then planetary science, then space weather, each year broadening my knowledge and strengthening my interest in aerospace, specifically astronautics. I adapted quickly, refining my written reports and improving my data collection and analysis. By junior year, I had taken first at my local science fair and qualified for states, where I earned a scholarship. More importantly, these projects showed me that I enjoy the process behind engineering, asking questions, testing ideas, and improving them over time. In my junior year, I committed further to engineering by joining a rookie FIRST Robotics team. I am now a mechanism lead, guiding five students through the process of designing and building a mechanism. This experience gave me a deeper understanding of real-world engineering and taught me how to work effectively in a team. It also showed me that failure is a necessary part of progress. Not every design works the first time, but each iteration leads to improvement. Learning to adapt and continue forward is one of the most valuable skills I have gained. I have continued to prepare myself for a future in aerospace engineering by seeking out opportunities beyond the classroom. I completed an internship with Northrop Grumman during my junior year and joined a model rocketry team to better understand small-scale flight systems. I also challenged myself academically by taking a math class over the summer and enrolling in two math courses this year to strengthen my foundation. These choices reflect my commitment to being fully prepared for the demands of an engineering program. My interest in aerospace engineering comes from its ability to combine imagination with precision. The idea that multi-ton vehicles can overcome gravity and travel beyond Earth is both complex and inspiring. There are many ways to approach a single problem, and each requires both creativity and careful reasoning. That balance is what makes engineering meaningful to me and what continues to motivate me to pursue this field. In college, I will take full advantage of my resources, just as I did when I transferred schools in sixth grade. I plan to participate in research opportunities, pursue internships, and join on-campus organizations to continue developing my skills. I also hope to help other students overcome barriers to STEM involvement so they can access the same opportunities that shaped my path. As I work toward becoming an aerospace engineer, I will bring creativity, collaboration, and persistence to everything I do. College is the next step in that path, and this scholarship would directly impact my ability to attend a university with greater opportunities. I am committed to continuing to learn, to take initiative, and to approach challenges with determination.

The movie that has had the greatest impact on my life is Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life. At first glance, it is chaotic, exaggerated, and comedic. But the first time I watched it, it felt uncomfortably familiar. Similar to Rafe, I experienced middle school as a time when I did not quite fit in. There was nothing especially dramatic about it, but I often felt out of place and lacked confidence in myself. Watching Rafe push back against his environment made me reflect on my own experiences. What stood out to me most about his rebellion was the creativity behind it. He took what frustrated him and turned it into something expressive, not to impress others but to define himself. Whether it was sticky notes on walls or paint on hats, he created in ways that were unconventional but intentional. For much of the film, he was bold in private, leaving his mark anonymously before eventually taking a public stand. That progression was what resonated with me. In middle school, I would try to take action without being recognized. I created faceless social media accounts where I shared tips on video games, ways to improve habits, and fun science content. Even though the impact was small, I was trying to contribute something positive. I kept it hidden from friends and family because I was afraid of failing publicly. After watching Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life, I began to see that arc as a reflection of where I could go next. Rafe’s shift from private actions to public ones pushed me to do the same. I started stepping forward instead of staying hidden. I joined and eventually led extracurriculars, something I had once avoided out of fear of not being good enough. As I took on more responsibility, I began to make a real impact. I led STEM outreach events and taught peers new skills as a robotics lead. What began as small, private efforts to create change gradually grew into something more visible and intentional. I came to understand that meaningful change requires presence and courage, not anonymity. Hiding behind a screen or faceless identity can be a starting point, but it is not enough to shape the environment around you. Like Rafe’s shift from quiet, personal acts to bold, public expression, I moved from creating in the background to contributing in ways that others could see, engage with, and learn from. The film also changed how I think about resilience. It presents failure, embarrassment, and setbacks not as endpoints, but as part of the process of figuring out who you are. That perspective has stayed with me in both academic and personal challenges. Instead of avoiding failure, I have learned to engage with it, to treat it as a necessary step in growth rather than something to fear. Looking back, I still recognize the person I was in middle school, but I am no longer defined by that version of myself. Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life did not just reflect my experiences. It helped me reframe them. It showed me that feeling out of place does not have to be limiting. It can be the starting point for creativity, resilience, and self-definition.

I grew up in a town of fewer than five thousand people, where the most exciting hangout spot was a McDonald’s next to a half-empty strip mall. Everyone knew everyone. From kindergarten to fifth grade, my classmates and I practically knew what street each of us lived on. For a long time, I was content with this small bubble until I stepped outside of it. After fifth grade, I switched schools to a public STEM school. Suddenly, I had access to anything I could imagine, and that access built my interests and career goals. As I continued my educational journey, I began to see the stark difference between my school life and my home life. My elementary peers and I were now in high school, but we were living different high school experiences. While my old classmates were being steered toward trade school and going through college applications with little guidance, I was seeking research opportunities and attending engineering camps at colleges. It made me realize how deeply environment influences what we think we can achieve. That difference became my motivation to bridge gaps in opportunity for others, especially for younger students who might not yet see their potential. I was determined to show people in communities like my own that there is more to explore and achieve through educational outreach opportunities. My first chance came when I volunteered at the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery with my school’s robotics team. I planned and led an Alka-Seltzer rocket activity for kids, guiding them through trial and error as they built and launched their creations. After the activity, I shared information about local robotics and STEM programs and showed them some next steps they could take to expand their interest in learning. By the end, students were confidently launching rockets and taking materials home to try more experiments on their own, continuing their exploration beyond the activity. This experience carried into my involvement with a small-town church’s Vacation Bible School, where I helped lead STEM-based activities for younger students while volunteering at the “imagination station,” as they called it. I made activities like turning sewing needles into compasses and making crystals out of dish soap. Every other day, we cycled through different grade levels and lesson plans, so I had to adapt the way I explained each experience depending on the age range. Most of these students lived in a small town where they had to drive 30 minutes to the nearest grocery store, limiting their exposure to STEM. I wanted them to feel the same sense of curiosity and possibility that first drew me into STEM. I hope my role as a future engineer isn’t just to build machines, but to build access in communities like the one I came from, where potential often goes unexplored. This scholarship would support my ability to pursue higher education and take advantage of opportunities such as research, internships, and outreach programs. Through these experiences, I will gain the knowledge and skills needed to not only grow as an engineer but also to give back. I plan to continue creating and expanding programs that introduce students to STEM in accessible ways, helping them see paths they may not have considered before. By investing in my education, this scholarship would allow me to continue sharing what I learn and work toward making opportunities more visible and attainable for others.

My name is Lyla Massey, and I am a senior at the Dayton Regional STEM School planning to pursue a bachelor’s, and eventually a master’s, degree in aerospace engineering. Throughout high school, I have focused on gaining hands-on engineering experience. I am a mechanical lead on my school’s robotics team, which qualified for the FIRST Robotics Competition World Championship and earned the Rookie All-Star Award. I also interned with Northrop Grumman, where I programmed drones for swarm technology, and I have conducted aerospace-related research for the past three years. However, many of these opportunities came from a decision I made in sixth grade. I transferred from my local school in a small, low-income town of fewer than 3,000 people to a STEM-focused school thirty minutes away. That change gave me access to resources like 3D printers, engineering coursework, and work-based learning opportunities that were not available in my previous school. Seeing that difference made me more aware of how unequal access to education can be. While I was able to explore engineering early, many students in my hometown did not have the same opportunities to discover their interests. This is what motivated me to start giving back. I began volunteering at a local museum, where I led hands-on science activities for elementary students. One of the main activities I developed was a rocket-building workshop, where I designed the lesson, gathered materials, and adjusted the activity for different age groups. I focused on encouraging students to test their designs, make changes, and understand that failure is part of the process. If I could start my own charity, I would expand this idea into a mobile STEM outreach lab. The goal would be to bring hands-on learning experiences directly to schools and communities that lack access to STEM resources. Many students are interested in science but do not have the opportunity to explore different fields in a hands-on way. This program would serve under-resourced schools and community centers. Volunteers would travel to different locations with portable kits and lead structured workshops across multiple areas of STEM. These workshops would include activities such as building simple machines, experimenting with basic medical concepts like heart rate and human biology, exploring animal science through environmental and ecosystem models, and learning engineering fundamentals through circuits and robotics. The goal would be to expose students to a wide range of STEM fields so they can discover what interests them. Volunteers would guide students through the process of asking questions, testing ideas, and improving their work. This would help students build problem-solving skills while also making STEM feel more approachable. Each activity would be designed to be hands-on and adaptable so students of different ages and experience levels can participate. The goal of this charity would be to make STEM more accessible and give students the opportunity to explore different career paths at an earlier stage. By providing consistent access to these experiences, the program would help students build confidence and develop interests that they may not have discovered otherwise. Over time, the program would expand through partnerships with schools, libraries, and community organizations to reach more students.

I have been interested in engineering for as long as I can remember. In sixth grade, I asked my mom if I could transfer to a STEM-focused school thirty minutes from our home because I wanted stronger math and science programs. At the time, I did not realize how much that decision would shape my future, but it opened the door to opportunities that later confirmed my interest in aerospace engineering. For a long time, I struggled to answer whether I think more with the left side of my brain or the right. Eventually, I realized that engineering works best when both are involved. Creativity and logic are often treated as opposites, but in engineering they constantly overlap. Aerospace engineering especially requires imaginative thinking combined with strict physical constraints. Designing something that flies means balancing creativity with the realities of aerodynamics, structural loads, and propulsion. That challenge is what attracts me most to the field. When I entered high school, I chose the most rigorous classes available to me, even when advanced options were limited. Those courses pushed me to participate in science fair, which became one of the most influential parts of my academic experience. Each year, my projects grew closer to my interests. I started with aerodynamics, then explored planetary science, and eventually focused on space weather and its effects on satellites. Through these projects, I learned how to analyze data, write technical reports, and approach complicated problems step by step. By my junior year, I placed first at my local science fair, qualified for the state level, and received a scholarship for my project. More importantly, I discovered how much I enjoy research and the process of solving problems through experimentation. During my junior year, I also joined a rookie FIRST Robotics Competition team. I now serve as a mechanism lead, guiding five students through designing and building one of the robot’s mechanisms. Robotics showed me a different side of engineering. Instead of carefully planned experiments, the process often involved rapid prototyping, unexpected failures, and redesigning ideas multiple times before they worked. Learning to treat failure as part of progress became one of the most valuable lessons I gained from robotics. To prepare for engineering in college, I continued challenging myself academically. I took a math course over the summer and completed two math classes during my senior year, finishing high school in College Credit Plus Calculus II. I also had the opportunity to intern with Northrop Grumman during my junior year, where I worked on a drone swarming project involving quadcopters and autonomous coordination. That experience introduced me to systems-level engineering and reinforced my interest in aerospace technologies. I also joined the National Museum of the United States Air Force’s model rocketry team to explore rocket systems through hands-on work. Transferring schools in sixth grade exposed me to opportunities I would not have known about otherwise. Because of that experience, I try to help younger students discover similar opportunities. I volunteer at a local museum where I run hands-on science activities for elementary students, including a rocket-building activity I designed so students can experiment, redesign, and test their ideas. Through museum programs and church camps, I have worked with over 100 students and encouraged them to explore STEM programs such as robotics. In college, I plan to approach opportunities with the same curiosity that led me to transfer schools years ago. I hope to pursue research, internships, and engineering organizations that deepen my technical skills while working with others and continuing outreach that helps younger students discover opportunities in STEM.