What is art? Now those who look at my profile may find it strange that I am applying to a scholarship that targets those who are passionate about art. However, to those people I want to know, what is their definition of art? "Art" has no exact definition because it is different for everyone and it's always evolving just like our imaginations. Art is whatever provides psychological prophylaxis or positive/beneficial mental response in the viewer. Therefore this scholarship is open to anyone. Not just those pursuing the generally accepted forms of art. And branching from that to answer the question provided, my favorite piece of art would be the Curta Calculator which was invented in 1928 by Kurt Herzstark. The Curta Calculator was a completely mechanical calculator with some designs containing over seven hundred parts. This machine was by far the most complicated mechanical feat of its time and debatably is one of the most impressive mechanical feats of all time. This is my favorite piece of art not only because I myself am an engineering major and know the level of genius that went into this machine. But because I know the story behind it is inspiring. Kurt Herzstark was the original inventor but was also a prisoner of war. For years he was kept in concentration camps and treated horribly. He went through so much and when he finally got free he was still able to recall his designs and create the most impressive mechanical feat of the era. If I could responsibly purchase an original Curta Calculator I would because this device, this absolutely perfect piece of art, isn't just something to look at. It is a complex system with a story behind it ready to inspire all who are in the face of adversity.

There is so much to talk about when it comes to finance and so much I wish more people my age knew. But if there was one lesson I could teach everyone, one piece of financial advice above all others it would be to not ever fall into debt. In todays society it is so normalized to fall into debt and people see it as an investment into themselves but what it really is, is like strapping weights to yourself. The goal in life is to run as far as you can as fast as you can in whatever direction you choose. But if your struggling with the weight of debt your not going to run very far or fast. Work hard to get through college or whatever it is you are striving to achieve. Yes some things like a house or unforeseen medical expenses might force you into debt but do everything you can to stay out of it because once you are in it you aren't running for you anymore. Those hours you put in are going towards paying for someone else's journey and I personally would rather work for my goals and not a businessman's wallet.

Hello, my name is McLain Mogel and I am from Kent Island Maryland. I am a freshman in college this year and graduated high school with a GPA of 4.06. I completed both my schools' engineering and computer science pathways and am currently studying engineering at the number one ranked community college in the nation, Anne Arundel Community College. I have always had a passion for engineering and the ability to create something from nothing except my own hands and some scrap hardware. It is not a feeling I have a word for but there is just an overwhelming satisfaction when a project comes together and I feel a sense of pride and happiness. Similarly, I receive almost that exact same feeling when I do something for someone else less fortunate than me. When I am able to help someone around me in a way that improves their life I feel a sense of pride and I know that I have made not just that person happy, but I've made my family proud of me too. One of the questions for this scholarship was "What inspires you to be a better person" and I believe the answer to that lies with my family and the missions trips I went on with their support and guidance. My missions trip to Haiti cost me around $2000 dollars of my own money. However, at the time it was summer and I had nothing else going on. My grandmother and sister and all the other members of the church who went with me were spending their hard-earned money and their vacation hours from work to stay a week helping the people of a 3rd world country. They could easily have spent that week somewhere else or saved their money but they put others before themselves and chose to help in their way. It was an amazing experience for me and I am glad I did it. Delivering food and clothes as well as working on farms and doing construction work made me proud of myself and how I was spending my time. It made my will to help people in need exponentially stronger. That is why I have combined my passion for engineering and assisting those in need with one ultimate goal. When I am through college and have saved enough money I would like to start an organization that develops and delivers clean energy generation systems to 3rd world country's. Not just solar and wind but all sorts of systems such as wave power, thermoelectric, and saltwater energy generation. These systems will provide the basis for growth in these country's and allow them to advance much more quickly than they would on their own. Perhaps these systems could even save lives by providing the means to pump and clean water from the oceans or underground wells to places in need of it such as Africa. The basis of the organization will be hard to start but if this is truly what I am meant to do then I will find a way forward no matter what.

Why is this so accurate...

The quote that has motivated me to try things I never thought possible is "I Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me" (Philippians 4:13). It has inspired me to follow my dreams and pursue goals like top-level colleges or competitive scholarships because I know that anything I try has a possibility of success. It may not work out, but I know, in the end, that I if gave it my best and I didn't succeed then it's for a reason. God will provide me with the opportunities and means to succeed how and when he wants me to. Even when the odds are stacked against me I do my best and might get surprised by what happens. But if not I know that I learn just as much through failure as I do through success.

My sister has been away at college for 6 months now and the primary way we stay in contact is snapchat. I am proud to say that our entire chat is full of memes and laughy emojis. My sister recently shared this meme with me and it was particularly meaningful and funny to us because of how closely it hit home. Our parents are always telling us to never go in debt but to get a good education, to use different apps to keep track of every penny you have, to work as much as you can but don't fall behind in sports or school. They even went through a debt free program with Dave Ramsey and now teach a class in financial literacy so when I see this meme it reflects all the important lessons my parents teach. But also how those lessons mean nothing to me because of the lack of money I have.

Just like you I have grown up in a Christian household my entire life and been an active member of my church. Sunday mornings my family gets up and goes to church. We help in children's ministry in one service and listen to the sermon the next. I've always believed in God because that's how I was raised but I didn't know what it was like to completely surrender to him until recently. I put in the motions and even got baptised, believing that I knew what faith was. My surrender was a long process and I believe that is due, in part, to how rational I am. But God isn't someone who works through rational means. It started on my first missions trip to Haiti in my freshman year of high school. The work we did down there and what I saw completely changed my perspective on life and the intense emotions I felt while helping people were unlike any I had felt at home. We were very undersupplied for the amount of need that was there and we knew it but every day we prayed for the clothes to be enough, for the peanut butter and jelly to last, for the toys to be enough, and somehow they always were. God really helped us that week to make sure we could help as many people as possible and I saw him in a new light. These feelings grew stronger on my second missions trip to a the Navajo Indian reservation in New Mexico. The needs there were not as bad as those in Haiti but they were still in need of help and once again everything seemed to work out. When we ran out of wood the locals had some spare we used, when horses escaped we found and rounded them all up, and when the people came we had clothes for all of them including the children. When on these trips there is no back-up coming or supermarket to go to. You have to put your faith solely in God and he will provide. These missions trips as well as my success in school and sports have just shown me how truly blessed I am and how God is in control. There might be an outcome that I don't like or think could have been done differently but I know that there is a reason for it all and I have to know that God has a plan and he will do what's best for me. Now I seek his blessing as I go to college and work to get out of college debt free with an abundance of knowledge that I can use for him.

I am currently working on saving the planet. It sounds a bit dramatic, I know, but that is exactly what I am trying to do. I used to spend all of my free time making robots and researching electronics but I found a new passion while researching. I design and develop clean energy generation techniques. (Solar, Piezoelectric, Thermoelectric, Geothermal, Water, etc.) These projects have captivated me because there are so many ways to generate energy and the designs don't just require knowledge in electronics. They engage my imagination and encourage ingenuity. Effective clean energy designs can save our planet from global warming, which main cause is the burning of fossil fuels. Global warming will destroy civilizations and I intend to stop it. However, I can't do that without help. The grant money will further my knowledge in clean energy production either by helping me pay for my engineering classes or by funding my research projects. One of the things I would like to study is NET's or Negative Emissions Technologies which can differentiate and take greenhouse gases out of our atmosphere. This way not only will I be reducing the usage of fossil fuels but I will be undoing the damage already done. These classes and projects are not cheap but they are my passion and the grant money would be a very helpful step towards my goal of saving our planet.