From a young age, I've been driven by an irresistible urge to build. Whether it's crafting custom furniture for my room, programming robots, or designing affordable housing solutions for communities in Kenya, I find profound satisfaction in using my mind and computer to create tangible solutions to real-world problems. This fundamental drive to build shapes both my computer science aspirations and my broader engineering goals. In computer science, I'm particularly drawn to the fields of robotics and autonomous systems. I've been doing some form of robotics since high school – first on a First Tech Challenge team in high school, then on a VEX Robotics team in community college, and now on the autonomous vehicles subteam of UC Santa Cruz's robotics club. The challenge of teaching machines to perceive and interact with their environment fascinates me. I aim to pursue a PhD in robotics and artificial intelligence with the goal of developing more sophisticated autonomous systems that can augment and amplify human capability. However, my passion for engineering extends far beyond the digital realm. As a member of UCSC's Formula SAE Electric team, I collaborate with fellow students to design and build electric race cars from the ground up. This hands-on experience has taught me invaluable lessons about mechanical engineering and the intricate dance between hardware and software in modern engineering projects. Additionally, I've developed a deep appreciation for furniture design, spending my free time sketching, prototyping, and building pieces that combine functionality with aesthetic appeal. Perhaps my most meaningful engineering experience has been working alongside my father to design low-cost housing solutions for communities in Kenya. Using CAD software, we iterate on designs that must balance structural integrity, cost-effectiveness, and cultural considerations. This project has shown me how engineering can directly impact people's lives and has crystallized my belief that the act of building is fundamentally human – it's how we solve problems and improve lives. Looking to the future, my passion for robotics embodies the perfect synthesis of my varied engineering interests. Robotics demands expertise across software, electrical, and mechanical engineering - from writing perception algorithms and control systems, to designing circuit boards, to fabricating custom mechanical components. This convergence of disciplines fascinates me, which is why I plan to pursue a PhD in robotics. Through my research, I aim to push the boundaries of how robots can interact with and adapt to complex environments. But beyond robotics, I'm excited about applying computational techniques to revolutionize architectural design. I envision developing systems that combine generative AI, physical modeling, and real-world constraints to rapidly iterate on building designs - bringing together my experience with low-cost housing, my love for hands-on building, and my computer science expertise. Whether it's robots or buildings, I believe the future of engineering lies in this synthesis of physical craft and computational innovation. I believe that to build is to be human – it's how we've solved problems throughout history, from the first tools to modern robotics. Computer science, for me, isn't just about writing code; it's about enhancing our human capacity to build and create. Whether I'm programming an autonomous vehicle, designing furniture, or working on housing solutions, I'm driven by the same fundamental goal: to use technology and engineering to solve real-world problems and improve lives.

I am Njeri Gachoka, a student at Santa Monica College graduating with three Associate's degrees (Computer Science, Mathematics, and General Science) this June and transferring to a four-year university this fall. While I've loved math and science for as long as I can remember, it wasn't until I was nine years old when I began to explore the worlds of computer science and software engineering by following a build-a-webpage tutorial in an old HTML magazine my father was throwing away. It took me a week to figure out where I inserted an erroneous comma, but ever since I found my error, I was hooked. Making websites quickly became my creative outlet and opened me up to a whole new way of building. Naturally, after picking up more programming languages in middle school and exploring more software engineering opportunities (like competitive robotics) in high school, I decided to major in Computer Science in college. What made me love STEM in the first place? Whether you look at the building of networks of aqueducts that serviced civilizations, or the ending of the polio outbreak in the U.S., one can deduce that we need science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to solve problems. Being able to build solutions to problems I wanted to solve is what convinced me that becoming a scientist and engineer would be worthwhile. Along my journey, I've built autonomous robots, websites for small businesses, a browser extension for my school's students, and more. In this way, I and my fellow STEM practitioners apply science by engineering technologies to solve problems. One cannot deny the multitude of problems that have come with adopting technology, though. Technology evolves very quickly – in just over 10 years we've become more addicted to our phones and more unhealthy, while the amount of digital information present in the world grows exponentially. The hyper-saturated information environment often leads us astray; the Internet can be a distracting or emotionally triggering place. Thus, my overarching goal is to pioneer a shift in the technology industry towards designs that prioritize human well-being over exploiting our human instincts. To achieve this, I plan to innovate on existing technologies like smartphones or tablets, rethinking their design to align with healthy human practices. This includes questioning the necessity of blue-light screens, constant notifications, and isolated apps. My approach will focus on creating technology that integrates seamlessly with our natural behaviors and needs and truly enhances our productivity. After completing a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, I intend to pursue advanced studies, focusing on human-centered computing. This will involve exploring artificial intelligence, computer systems design, and human-computer interaction to develop devices that truly serve human purposes. Ultimately, I aspire to either join or start a company dedicated to humane computing, ensuring technology enhances our lives without dictating them.