Olivia Rodrigo’s “all-american b*tch” stands out to me because it captures the pressure of trying to be everything people expect you to be. The song plays with the contradiction between being strong and independent while still feeling like there are expectations about how you should act, look, and carry yourself. That contradiction is something I can relate to, especially as a woman pursuing engineering while competing in wrestling. I have never followed a completely traditional path. In high school, I was homeschooled for my freshman, junior, and senior years so I could dedicate more time to wrestling. Wrestling became a huge part of my life, and competing at a high level taught me how much discipline and sacrifice it takes to reach a goal. At the same time, being a female wrestler sometimes meant being in an environment where I had to prove that I belonged. I learned not to let other people's expectations determine what I was capable of. That same mindset has followed me into college. I am now a junior studying mechanical engineering, a field where women are still underrepresented. Engineering requires me to be confident enough to ask questions, make mistakes, solve difficult problems, and keep going when something does not work. Wrestling has taught me many of those same lessons. There have been times when I have struggled academically, lost matches, or questioned whether I was capable of reaching the goals I had set for myself. Instead of letting those moments define me, I have learned to use them as reasons to keep improving. What I connect with most in “all-american b*tch” is the idea that you can be more than one thing at once. I can be competitive and hardworking while still being creative. I can be a wrestler and an engineer. I can be confident while still having moments where I doubt myself. I do not have to fit into one definition of what a woman in college, athletics, or engineering is supposed to be. My goal is to become a civilian mechanical engineer for the U.S. Navy. I want to use the skills I am developing through engineering to design, improve, and solve problems that have a real purpose. I also hope that my path can encourage other young women who may not see themselves represented in engineering to pursue it anyway. For me, the song represents more than the pressure to meet expectations. It reminds me that I can define myself instead of letting other people define me. My journey has not been perfectly traditional, but I am proud of the choices that brought me here and excited about where they can take me next.

Being the first person in my family to pursue a college degree means creating a path that did not already exist for me. I do not have a parent who has gone through the college experience and can tell me exactly what to expect, which has meant learning how to navigate many parts of college on my own. While that has sometimes been challenging, it has also made me more independent, resourceful, and determined. I see being first generation not as something that holds me back, but as an opportunity to become the person my family can look to for guidance in the future. My path to college has also been unconventional. I was homeschooled for my freshman, junior, and senior years of high school so I could dedicate more time to wrestling and pursue the sport at a high level. Balancing my education with competitive wrestling taught me discipline and responsibility from an early age. I had to learn how to manage my time, stay motivated, and hold myself accountable for my own progress. Those skills have continued to help me as I balance college academics with competing in women’s wrestling. I am currently pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering because I have always been interested in understanding how things work and finding ways to make them better. I enjoy solving problems and learning how concepts from the classroom can be applied to real situations. Engineering challenges me to think critically and keep working even when I do not immediately know the answer. My long term goal is to become a civilian mechanical engineer for the U.S. Navy. I want to use my education to contribute to the design, testing, manufacturing, and improvement of technology that serves and protects our country. I want a career where my work has a purpose and where I can continue learning while solving problems that have an impact beyond myself. Ultimately, I want my degree to represent more than a personal accomplishment. I want it to show my family that it is possible to pursue something difficult and build a future that was not already mapped out for you. I hope to become someone who can encourage younger members of my family to pursue higher education without feeling like they have to figure everything out alone. Being first generation means I am opening a door for myself, but I also hope to leave that door open for the people who come after me.

My path to college has never been completely traditional. I was homeschooled for my freshman, junior, and senior years of high school so that I could dedicate more time to wrestling and pursue the sport at a high level. Choosing that path taught me a lot about independence. I had to take responsibility for my education while also balancing the demands of training and competition. I learned early that if I wanted to reach a goal, I could not always take the easiest or most traditional path to get there. Becoming a first generation college student brought a new version of that challenge. I entered college without having a parent who could tell me exactly what to expect or how to navigate the college experience. I had to learn how financial aid, classes, professors, academic expectations, and all of the unfamiliar parts of college worked largely on my own. At times, that was overwhelming, but I also realized that I had already developed many of the qualities I needed to succeed. Being responsible for my own education in high school taught me how to be self motivated, and wrestling taught me how to keep going when things become difficult. Now, I am a junior studying Mechanical Engineering and competing in women’s wrestling. I chose engineering because I enjoy understanding how things work, solving problems, and finding ways to improve them. My long term goal is to become a civilian mechanical engineer for the U.S. Navy and use my education to contribute to the design, testing, and manufacturing of technology that serves and protects our country. Being the first in my family to attend college means more to me than simply earning a degree. It means creating a path that did not already exist in my family and proving that I can build something of my own. I want my education to become a foundation not only for my future, but for the people who come after me. I hope that one day my younger family members will have someone they can look to when they begin their own college journeys. This scholarship would help me continue pursuing my degree by reducing the financial burden of college and allowing me to focus more on my education, wrestling, and preparation for my career. More than financial support, it would be encouragement that the path I have chosen is worth continuing. I know my journey has been unconventional, but I am proud of it. Every challenge has taught me to become more independent, resilient, and determined. I am not following a path that was already laid out for me. I am building my own, and I am determined to see where it takes me.

My story is one of determination, growth, and wanting to create a future that is bigger than what I have already experienced. As a first generation college student pursuing Mechanical Engineering, I have had to learn how to navigate college and a challenging field largely by figuring things out along the way. Although the path has not always been easy, I am proud of how far I have come and motivated by how much further I want to go. I chose Mechanical Engineering because I have always been curious about how things work and how they can be improved. I enjoy solving problems and learning how ideas can become real solutions. My long term goal is to become a civilian mechanical engineer for the U.S. Navy. I want to use my education to contribute to the design, testing, manufacturing, and improvement of technology that serves and protects our country. I want my career to have a purpose beyond simply earning a paycheck. I want to know that the work I do can make a meaningful difference. My experience as a competitive wrestler has played a major role in shaping the person I am today. Wrestling has taught me discipline, confidence, accountability, and resilience. Competing at a high level has shown me that success does not come from being comfortable. It comes from continuing to work when things are difficult, learning from setbacks, and refusing to let one difficult moment determine the outcome. I carry that mindset with me into my education and my future career. Being a woman pursuing engineering has also made me want to create opportunities for other women who may question whether they belong in STEM. I want to become someone younger women can look at and see that it is possible to pursue a challenging technical career and succeed. I hope to eventually mentor and encourage other students who are considering STEM, especially those who may not have someone in their family who has gone through the process before. This scholarship would have a meaningful impact on my career goals by helping reduce the financial burden of earning my degree. As I continue through Mechanical Engineering, financial support would allow me to focus more of my energy on my education, developing technical skills, gaining experience, and preparing for my future career. More importantly, receiving this scholarship would be an investment in the future I am working so hard to build. I want to use my education to create a successful career, serve others, and show that your starting point does not have to determine where you finish. I am determined to keep pushing forward, and I hope to use the opportunities I receive to create opportunities for others as well.

Education means opportunity to me. It is the opportunity to become more capable, independent, and prepared to create the future I want for myself. As a first generation college student pursuing Mechanical Engineering, I understand that getting an education is not something I want to take for granted. College has challenged me in ways I did not expect, but it has also shown me how much I am capable of accomplishing when I am willing to work for it. I chose engineering because I want to understand how things work and learn how to solve problems that have real world applications. My long term goal is to become a civilian mechanical engineer for the U.S. Navy, where I hope to contribute to the design, testing, manufacturing, and improvement of technology that serves and protects our country. Education is what will give me the knowledge and skills necessary to turn that goal into a reality. However, education means more to me than earning a degree. It has taught me how to think critically, ask questions, learn from failure, and continue working when something does not come easily. Those lessons have been especially important as an engineering student. There have been times when I have struggled academically or doubted whether I belonged in such a challenging field. Instead of giving up, I have learned to seek help, work harder, and remind myself that struggling does not mean I am incapable. My experience as a competitive wrestler has reinforced those same lessons. Wrestling has taught me discipline, accountability, resilience, and how to keep moving forward after setbacks. I bring those qualities into my education every day. Competing at a high level has also taught me how important it is to hold myself accountable and take responsibility for my own progress. I have learned that success rarely happens overnight. It comes from consistently putting in the work, even when the results are not immediate. I also want to use what I learn to help others. Through volunteering, mentoring, and eventually my career, I hope to encourage younger students, especially young women, to believe that they belong in STEM and can pursue ambitious goals. I want to be someone who shows others that their background or circumstances do not have to determine how far they can go. To me, education is ultimately about creating possibilities. It gives me the ability to build a career, serve others, and become someone who can make a meaningful impact. I want to use the opportunities my education provides not only to improve my own future, but to help create opportunities for the people who come after me. I am grateful for the chance to learn, grow, and continue working toward a future that once seemed much farther away.

1. Please tell us a bit about yourself and what specifically motivates you. If you could do anything with your life, what do you imagine you’d do? I am a junior Mechanical Engineering student and competitive women’s wrestler. Two very different parts of my life have shaped who I am, but both have taught me the same lesson, I want to challenge myself and use what I learn for something meaningful. I chose mechanical engineering because I have always been interested in understanding how things work and figuring out how they can be improved. I enjoy solving problems and learning how an idea can become something real and functional. My long-term goal is to become a civilian mechanical engineer for the U.S. Navy. I want to use my engineering education to contribute to the design, testing, manufacturing, and improvement of technology that serves and protects our country. Outside of school, wrestling has taught me how to handle pressure, failure, and setbacks. Competing at a high level has shown me that talent only takes you so far. Progress comes from showing up, working when things are difficult, and being willing to learn from mistakes. If I could do anything with my life, I would build a career where I am constantly learning and solving difficult problems while contributing to something larger than myself. I want to become an engineer who is trusted to take on challenging problems, a woman who encourages others to pursue STEM, and someone whose work has a lasting and meaningful impact. 2. What excites you about STEM? How do you feel you could make a positive impact on the world through a job in information technology? What excites me most about STEM is its ability to turn problems into possibilities. I enjoy that engineering is not simply about knowing an answer; it is about understanding why something works, identifying what does not, and finding a better solution. Every problem has the potential to lead to a new idea or improvement. As a Mechanical Engineering student, I am especially interested in how technology can be used alongside engineering to improve design, manufacturing, testing, and complex systems. While my career goal is not specifically information technology, I know that modern engineering increasingly depends on technology, data, automation, and computer-based tools. These areas work together to create solutions that would not have been possible in the past. I hope to become a civilian mechanical engineer for the U.S. Navy, where I can apply these skills to real-world challenges involving technology, manufacturing, and systems that have important consequences. I want to contribute to making equipment and processes more efficient, reliable, and safe. I also want my impact to extend beyond the technical work itself. As a woman entering a STEM field where women are still underrepresented, I want to show younger women that they belong in engineering and that they are capable of succeeding in challenging technical careers. I hope that my career can demonstrate that STEM is not only about building technology, it is also about building opportunities for the people who come after you. 3. Please describe the greatest challenge you’ve had to overcome and how you managed to get past it. One of the greatest challenges I have faced has been learning how to keep moving forward when things do not go according to plan. As a competitive wrestler and engineering student, I have experienced setbacks that made me question whether I was capable of reaching the goals I had set for myself. Wrestling especially taught me that setbacks can happen suddenly. An injury or a difficult loss can take away something you have spent months preparing for. It can be frustrating to watch other people continue competing while you are forced to step back. I learned that I could either let those moments define me or use them as motivation to come back stronger. I chose to keep working. I focused on what I could control, stayed committed to my recovery and training, and reminded myself that one setback did not determine my future. That mindset has carried over into engineering. There have been classes, assignments, and problems that felt overwhelming, but I have learned not to interpret struggling as failure. Instead, I ask questions, seek help when I need it, learn from my mistakes, and try again. Overcoming challenges has taught me that resilience is not about never struggling. It is about continuing to move forward when you are struggling. That lesson has shaped the person and engineer I want to become. I know my path will not always be easy, but I am confident that I can face difficult moments, adapt, and keep working toward my goals.

I chose to pursue Mechanical Engineering because I have always been interested in understanding how things work and finding ways to make them better. As I have progressed through college, I have realized that engineering gives me the opportunity to turn curiosity into practical solutions and use my skills to make an impact. As a woman entering a field where women are still underrepresented, I also want to prove that there is a place for women in every area of engineering. My experiences as a competitive wrestler have shaped the way I approach both engineering and life. Wrestling has taught me discipline, resilience, confidence, and the importance of continuing to work even when something feels difficult. Those lessons have carried over into my education. Engineering can be challenging, and there have been times when I have struggled with a problem or questioned whether I was capable of succeeding. Instead of allowing those moments to define me, I have learned to keep working, ask questions, learn from my mistakes, and improve. As a woman in STEM, I hope to encourage other women to pursue fields that may not always feel like they were designed for them. I want to be an example that being a woman does not limit what you can accomplish in engineering. My long-term goal is to become a civilian mechanical engineer for the U.S. Navy, where I hope to contribute to the development, testing, and manufacturing of technology that serves and protects our country. I want my career to combine technical problem-solving with a sense of purpose and service. I also hope to help create a future where young women see engineering as an opportunity rather than a field where they do not belong. I know how meaningful it can be to see someone with a similar background succeed, and I want to eventually be that person for someone else. Whether that is through mentoring, encouraging other women in engineering, or simply demonstrating what is possible through my own career, I want to help create a stronger and more inclusive STEM community. This scholarship would help reduce the financial burden of pursuing my engineering degree and allow me to continue investing my time and energy into becoming the engineer I want to be. More importantly, it would support my goal of using engineering not only to build a career, but to create meaningful solutions, encourage others, and contribute to something larger than myself.

I chose Mechanical Engineering because I want to understand how things are designed, built, tested, and improved, and ultimately use that knowledge to contribute to something larger than myself. My long-term goal is to become a civilian mechanical engineer for the U.S. Navy, where I hope to contribute to manufacturing, testing, and developing equipment and systems that protect our country. Mechanical engineering will give me the technical foundation to turn ideas into practical solutions. Through my education, I am developing skills in problem-solving, design, materials, mechanics, and manufacturing. I want to use these skills to help make manufacturing processes more efficient, reliable, and innovative. In a field where precision and safety are critical, even small improvements can have a significant impact. I am especially interested in how new technology and engineering practices can improve the way complex systems are manufactured and maintained. My experiences outside of the classroom have also shaped the engineer I want to become. As a competitive wrestler, I have learned discipline, resilience, accountability, and how to continue working toward a goal when progress is difficult. Engineering requires many of those same qualities. When a design does not work, or a problem seems complicated, I want to be the person who keeps asking questions, learns from mistakes, and finds a better solution. I aim to make an impact through both innovation and service. Working as a civilian engineer for the Navy would allow me to apply my education to real-world challenges while contributing to the safety and security of others. I want to be part of teams that develop better technology, improve manufacturing processes, and solve problems that have consequences beyond the workplace. I want my work to have a purpose and to know that the solutions I help create can make a difference in the lives of others. This scholarship would help me continue pursuing that goal by reducing the financial burden of my education. As I continue through my engineering degree, financial support would allow me to focus more of my time and energy on developing the technical skills and experiences I will need for my career. More importantly, it would be an investment in my ability to use engineering to create meaningful solutions and serve others. I hope to build a career where I am constantly learning, solving difficult problems, and making a tangible difference. Mechanical engineering gives me the tools to shape the future of manufacturing, and I want to use those tools to make an impact that extends far beyond myself.

My long-term goal is to become a civilian mechanical engineer for the U.S. Navy. I want to use my engineering skills to help design, improve, and maintain the technology that protects our country. To me, engineering is more than solving technical problems; it is an opportunity to create solutions that have a real purpose and impact. My drive to pursue this career comes from the same qualities that have shaped me as a wrestler. Competing at a high level has taught me that success requires discipline, resilience, and the willingness to keep pushing when things become difficult. As an engineering student, I have found that I approach difficult problems the same way, I do not want to give up when I do not immediately have an answer. I want to understand the problem, find a solution, and keep improving. I value service, perseverance, responsibility, and helping others. I hope to build a career where I can continuously challenge myself while contributing to something larger than myself. Ultimately, I want my education and hard work to create an impact through engineering and allow me to serve my country in a meaningful way.