In my senior year of high school, I signed up for a class to learn about web design, cyber security, and basic coding. If I'm being honest, I was only taking that class to get all my credits so I could graduate, I didn't expect this course to bring me any memorable experiences. However, I couldn't have been more wrong about how the class would go. This class turned into one I couldn't wait to get to every day, I even spent a great deal of time studying work that we wouldn't start for months simply because I was eager to know more. By the end of the year, I was able to code my own website completely from scratch, something I didn't think I'd ever do. We started easy, working on the basics of color theory and how to keep user experience in mind when designing a program that will be utilized by the general population. Easy enough, it kept me involved but it wasn't anything mind-blowing. Then, however, we started a new program. In this section of the class, we were given the opportunity to learn about how computers functioned; from how things travel through the internet, to the literal code of programs and websites. The program also advertised that by the end of the lessons, we would get to code our own site. This intrigued me, I had been competing in a website building competition for 5 years at this point, but I had never coded one from a blank slate–I always used website editors like Weebly or Wix. I was eager to begin, and we got to move at our own pace, so I jumped right into the program. I learned pretty quickly the basics of the HTML and CSS languages, and with a little extra research, I was able to begin coding way before any of my classmates. My teacher encouraged us to design a website about something we enjoyed, and I was a music kid, so I decided to create a site that hosted a variety of my favorite songs and performances, as well as my thoughts, ratings, and recommendations about them. I spent countless hours on this project, way more than I was expected to. I planned every little detail before I began to code, and included things the lessons didn't include just so I could impress my instructor with what I had learned. When I turned in my finished product, the reaction of my teacher was priceless. She was extremely impressed with what I had accomplished, then encouraged me to help her teach other classes and students who were struggling with learning to code. This reaction hit me hard, I hadn't expected such a positive outcome. While I wanted her to notice the extra things I learned on my own time, I never expected to stand out so much as to be asked to teach other students. Yet this sparked something inside of me. I went into this class knowing nothing about coding or data, and here I was, explaining these concepts and instructions to kids who had taken the class before. I realized I might have a shot in this field, which inspired me to begin school for computer science. Technology is constantly evolving, and it's something I want to keep up with. I want to be part of the team that innovations, I want to program technologies people never thought could exist. I know technology can make tremendous differences in people's lives, and I dream to take part in creating innovative and groundbreaking technologies.