When I moved from Taiwan to the United States at age fifteen, I had to learn how to communicate in a new world. I found two universal languages to help me. The first was the visual art of photography. The second was the logical structure of computer science. As an Asian immigrant, my ultimate goal is to combine my creative and technical passions. I want to build software solutions that help people easily understand complex information. My main computer science goal is to use software engineering to make difficult topics accessible. I started my coding journey by teaching myself Python and completing Code in Place, a rigorous programming course through Stanford University. My objective is to design interactive websites and programs that turn heavy data into clear visual insights. I want to be a programmer who builds tools that everyone can confidently use, regardless of their technical background. My primary non-technical goals are mastering visual storytelling and team leadership. This is where my love for photography comes in. Through photography, I capture subtle details that most people overlook, which has helped me win silver awards in the New York Photography Awards. I want to use this artistic eye to understand how people process visual information. I love analyzing how human beings interact with their environment just as much as I love analyzing computer code. I am already finding ways to combine my visual creativity from photography with my programming skills. During a business competition, my team and I were researching finance terms. I noticed my teammates were spending too much time just trying to understand the basic definitions. The heavy vocabulary intimidated them, and it was slowing down our progress. To solve this, I used my coding and design skills. I built an educational real estate investment website using TypeScript and Next.js. I used my code to translate the scary financial words into simple, interactive visual designs. When I saw my teammates finally understand the concepts because of the visual layout I programmed, I knew I had found my path. In the future, my grandest ambition is to use this exact same intersection of skills to become a Formula 1 Team Principal. Modern racing relies heavily on software and data. I want to lead diverse groups of people to achieve peak performance under immense pressure. I will use my computer science background to understand the technical data, while using my visual storytelling and leadership skills to explain that information clearly to the human talent driving the cars. Pursuing these ambitious goals has been challenging. My family experienced financial pressure after my father lost his job, and I often studied under the stress of bills. The Lyndsey Scott Coding Plus Scholarship would provide the critical support I need to focus entirely on my advanced technical classes. By removing this financial burden, I can continue developing helpful software, growing my leadership skills, and proving that the best computer scientists are also artists and leaders.

When I moved from Taiwan to the United States at age fifteen, I found my voice not through words, but through the lens of my camera and the soil in my hands. I adjusted to my new home by taking photos of landscapes and planting trees on weekends with the Santa Barbara Bucket Brigade. Photography and nature became my universal languages. Like John Woolley, I believe that experiencing the outdoors comes with the responsibility to protect it. My time volunteering at local parks taught me that a true connection to our environment requires active conservation. This love for observing the world naturally led me to Computer Science and data. I see coding as another tool to understand complex systems. I taught myself Python and won the De Anza College Hackathon against about 30 teams. My team built Mars Explore, a weather application using NASA data. This showed me how technology can solve real-world problems. I brought this mindset to the NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars program. There, I managed a 400 million dollar simulation budget. I chose to prioritize astronaut health over pure technical efficiency. This taught me that technology must always serve people first. My ultimate goal is to become a Formula 1 Team Principal. Racing might seem different from nature photography, but the leadership skills are the same. Formula 1 is a complex mix of data, engineering, and teamwork. A successful team needs the same drive and sportsmanship that John showed on the tennis court. I want to lead teams that push the limits of technology while valuing strong partnerships and ethics. I am drawn to university programs that view technical management as a tool for innovation. To achieve these goals, I need to continue my education at a four-year university. However, my family previously faced severe financial pressure after my father lost his job. The John Woolley Memorial Scholarship would directly relieve this stress. I would use the funds to cover my tuition and essential technology expenses as a transfer student. This support will allow me to focus on my upper division classes, continue my award-winning photography projects, and lead community events without the constant worry of paying bills. John Woolley lived a life full of curiosity, service, and a deep love for the world around him. I strive to live by those same values. Whether I am analyzing data to improve systems, organizing cultural events, or taking photos of a quiet landscape, I want my work to leave a positive and lasting mark on my community.

My dad used to be employed in the STEM world when I was growing up, and he possessed the ability to simplify complicated things and make them fun. I remember sitting down with him while he was doing math problems based on everyday scenarios. At first, I despised doing math since it appeared to be a hip, irrelevant topic, but when he broke down a tricky idea into something concrete, then it hit me. It shifted my mind frame regarding learning. I realized that STEM is not memorization of formulas but breaking down complexity. That was something that stuck with me throughout. In college, I taught myself how to code rather than taking a class because I needed to see if I could turn logic into creativity. My first success with a large project was when my team won the De Anza Hackathon on a project titled "Mars Boba," a web application that took NASA's actual temperature data and calculated the number of cups of boba that humans would require to hydrate on Mars. The project made science human and enjoyable, and it illustrated how curiosity could turn data into something personal. Soon after, I was a part of NASA's Community College Aerospace Scholars program, in which I was the Budget Officer of a mock Mars mission and later the Financial Research Lead working on the workforce gaps in the Advanced Air Mobility industry. Collaborating with students from around the nation, I learned how collaboration and reality-based thought could help solve day-to-day issues. Through all these experiences, my desire to make information comprehensible, helpful, and meaningful increased even more. I continued to work on projects that deconstructed complex ideas. I built an interactive learning site that instructs Real Estate Investment Trusts in simple terms for young adults with no financial background. I also created a Discord bot that maintains users' birthdays in order, a tiny but practical project that demonstrated the potential of programming to bring people together and make life more enjoyable. To me, the type of best STEM work is what makes hard look easy and marvelous to everyone. As I became more involved on campus, I wished I could bring the same sense of curiosity to everyone else. I served as President of Phi Theta Kappa and the Taiwanese Student Association, and Treasurer of the Developer's Guild. I organized coding workshops, mentored students, and managed projects to empower first-year students to feel more able to explore STEM. Through these activities, I learned that leadership is about empowering others to find their potential. STEM has taught me the value of simplicity, innovation, and patience and that information should be made available. From struggling with math to coding for NASA, I have learned that knowledge grows when information is presented simply and in a straightforward manner. I desire to continue applying data science to open learning for more women, letting them know that they belong in STEM. My dad showed me that even the most difficult concepts can be simplified, and I want to do the same to others.

When I was growing up, I would envision science to be all about solutions. Yet, what I have discovered throughout my college experience is that it is instead regarding inquiring the proper questions, in addition to using data, creativity, as well as teamwork to chart a way ahead. As a woman data science student, I have decided to take it upon myself to unite individuals, data, and space through accessible and engaging science. One of the most formative experiences of my life was when I was selected for NASA's NCAS (NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars) program. Through this program, I gained knowledge about the Science Mission Directorate (SMD), studied the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), and worked with students from around the country in planning a virtual mission to Mars. My group had to make complex decisions that required balancing scientific goals, astronauts' safety, and technological constraints. I learned how much space travel relies not just on engineering, but on teamwork, planning, and problem-solving. It made me see science as a team sport where each has a role to play. At the DA Hackathon, the largest one in Cupertino, my team and I created a website called Mars Explorer, using NASA's open API. It combined actual Mars temperature data with a playful twist: we calculated how many cups of boba tea an astronaut would need to stay energized. We won the Director's Choice Award, not for a gimmicky concept, but for bringing tough science to life and making it fun and accessible. This brought home the fact that science communication can be just as potent as the science itself if it opens doors for new students. Apart from hackathons, I also ranked 2nd in the 2025 De Anza Research Symposium for my project, "From Data to Deep Space." In this presentation, I connected core concepts in data science with the missions of NASA, highlighting how the James Webb Space Telescope and the Science Mission Directorate utilize data in comprehending the universe. This opportunity cemented my ability to explain complex scientific ideas in simple, interesting language and deepened my desire to use data to further space research. I would like to use data science in the future to make space and Earth science more accessible and inclusive. I'm especially looking forward to the JWST being capable of observing galaxies that formed shortly after the Big Bang. Its data analysis techniques have analogs in Earth observation technologies, which can be applied in areas of climate science, disaster response, and others. I would want to advance the future of space missions or geospatial intelligence by developing tools that bridge scientific knowledge and public knowledge. Receiving the William Griggs Memorial Scholarship would allow me to continue my STEM education with fewer distractions and less financial worry. More importantly, it would connect me with a legacy that honors questioning, bold exploration, and the belief that women need to have an active role in math and science. As William Griggs encouraged his daughters, I wish to continue to learn, take thoughtful risks, and create opportunities for those who come after me.