My favorite quote from my best friend is: “Growth lies outside the boundaries of the comfort zone”. This is the axiom I want to live the rest of my life by. Living in the same town my entire life has provided me a sort of stability where I can shop at the same stores, eat at the same restaurants, and interact with the same people. It’s the American Dream of sorts… I was a four-year varsity starter and senior captain of my lacrosse team, and now I get to go play collegiately at the next level. But, the thing about it is that I’ve staggered. It’s gotten monotonous. I meet the same problems and offer the same solutions to them over and over again. But, traveling has been and will continue to be the escape where my self-development journey grows. The key to being a great athlete is having the confidence and ability to perform in any game situation regardless of what level of importance or event it is. Traveling has given me this opportunity. There’s this extreme exhilaration I get from being thrown into foreign situations and simply just having to figure it out. Trying to order from a cafe in Haiti where the owner only spoke French or speaking to the Dominican Republic clerk who only spoke Spanish, I was in a completely new situation. Traveling gives me a new excitement to life where everything is different. I am forced into a creative version of myself where I have to use the resources around me to function. Traveling makes me a better person as it develops my conversation skills, requires constant adaptability, and allows me to act and be someone I may never have back home. There are obvious benefits like increased gratitude for the life you live and getting to experience new things. But, the true benefit is how it opens your eyes to the world around you and allows you to find yourself amidst the chaos of it all. Travel allows you to experience the entire world for what it truly is by facing new challenges and obstacles along the way. Traveling betters me athletically and spiritually by making me smarter, more interesting, and more understanding of the world around me. Studying abroad next fall will be the ultimate test of myself by allowing me to truly experience the world. Similarly, escaping the relative bubble I have lived my entire life in will allow for the greatest growth I have ever experienced. Traveling is an extreme form of self-development where I am given the blueprint to act in any way I want. I can be the person that goes up to every random stranger and greets them or be the person that gives up their seat to someone standing on the bus. The true beauty of traveling for me is I can continuously transform and become the version of myself that I’ve always wanted to be.

STEM is more than just a career for my future self. It’s a way for me to be a part of the solution that would have helped my past and younger self. Simultaneously, millions of kids and adults throughout the world suffer from the mental battle of anxiety. And I was no different, I battled anxiety for much of my high school years, it felt like I was internally destroyed. If it weren’t for the meditation books that I had read then I would have never been able to leave that dark space and finally be living a life that I am in love with. So coding and computer science is the way for me to eventually give back. Sure, the degree from a top-notch university will give me a sense of accomplishment, but the true accomplishment for me is being able to finally possess the skills to build apps, websites, and programs that could have helped the younger version of myself. Obtaining my degree in computer science would mean I have the required level of expertise to code and help kids all over the world properly learn about mindfulness and the actionable skills to change your life. The knowledge was always there for me to change my mindset, but there just was never a platform for me to access it. My computer science degree would give me the leverage to hopefully educate every kid that may eventually go through what I did. I want to teach kids through technology the actionable steps they can take to see the positive in their life and truly take control through discipline and presence. The dream is to create an app or web program that can help at least one kid out of a dark mental place like the one I used to be in. While reaching the masses would be a true blessing, as long as I can change one kid’s life for the better, the grind of a bachelor’s degree in computer science would all be more than worth it. When I was younger it felt like we were taught everything important in the world: literature, history, science, and mathematics. However, the one thing we were never taught was the power we have over our minds, and fully understanding this power can make your life the most enjoyable experience regardless of external circumstances. A perfect life is having the headspace and ability to truly enjoy the world for what it is without the clouding judgment of your past and future. In this technologically adapting day and age, STEM gives me the bearings to reach virtually anyone in the world and help them learn and unlock the key to a good life like I once did.