Throughout my life, I have encountered a range of obstacles that have tested me mentally, physically, and emotionally. From personal losses to setbacks in sports, these challenges have strengthened my resilience and taught me invaluable lessons. Among them, one experience stands out: a severe knee injury during my freshman year of high school, which tested both my physical and mental strength in ways had never imagined. One significant challenge occurred during my freshman year of high school. It took place just two minutes into an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball game in Tennessee. I went up for a block on my defender and ended up landing awkwardly on my leg. In the moment, I had not yet realized how bad the injury was. I ended up dislocating my kneecap, pulling my hamstring, and spraining two ligaments in my left knee. This was particularly frightening because I had experienced knee injuries before. I had dislocated my kneecap three times before that, but none as severe as this one. The outcome of all my injuries led to a rough start for me as I entered the world of high school sports. After returning home we went to the doctor to get the official diagnosis. In my head, I had just dislocated my knee again and I would only be out for a couple weeks. Unfortunately, I was wrong as the doctor said I would need multiple months of physical therapy to recover from this injury. As a result of this injury, I spiraled into a dark place mentally and emotionally. As a person who finds most of his joy in sports and physical activities, being sidelined for that long was incredibly difficult. It was even harder to stand by and watch as my team began to show signs of success in my absence. They were playing in tournaments around the country while I was sitting at home wondering if I would ever be able to play again on the same level. These thoughts weighed heavily on me once physical therapy approached. When I first began physical therapy, I hated it. At the time everything we did felt pointless. Walking backwards on a treadmill for ten minutes made no sense until I realized I couldn’t really do much else. My leg was so weak to the point where I couldn’t even do any of the exercises. Eventually I ended up buying into what my therapist was trying to get me to do, and I ended up making good progress in the weeks that followed. After a couple more weeks I had been cleared to participate in physical activities again on my own and all the work that I did finally paid off. When I first got hurt, I was so worried about the physical aspect of the pain I would be in. I would always think about how much pain I was in or how weak my leg would feel. Little did I know, it was really the mental side that had a stronger impact on me. The lack of certainty and inability to trust my own body were the most critical aspects of recovering. Nonetheless, through my mental strength and resilience, I was able to get up every day to reach my end goal. I will take this same approach to college. Because of obstacles in my life like the injury, I will be mentally disciplined enough to overcome any challenge that may be thrown at me in the future.

I am passionate about the automotive industry because I want to secure a future for myself where I am happy with the work that I am doing and can support myself in working in various areas of the industry like design, manufacturing, and automation. I am focused, determined, and driven on an education as a Mechanical Engineering student to support my goal to be a contributing member in the automotive design and automotive manufacturing field. Throughout high school I took three years of engineering which was the highlight of my high school career. This class incorporated all the aspects of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), and provided the blueprint to the life that I want to live once I get to college and eventually graduate. I have had an interest for the area of STEM which started at an early age when my father first introduced me to Legos where I would build whatever came to my mind. He introduced me to various space and science kits that were fun for the two of us to work on. In my early teens he would then introduce me to my first radio controlled (RC) car, which was a dune buggy. I was extremely excited about this as we had to build it out of the box. I would always break it and we would visit the local hobby store to get the parts needed to repair it. During this time as I was going through Elementary and Middle school, when he did not have to keep working, he would always help me with my math and science and talk about its importance. He made sure that every time he was working on the car and fixing it to avoid having to take it to the mechanic, he was creating a new passion for me. With my interest in remote control cars and automotive performance enhancements, I have incorporated what I learned in classes and created small engineering projects by myself. I would upgrade and modify them to be faster and more powerful. The fastest one I was able to make went fifty miles per hour. Projects like this helped me solidify my interest in engineering. I have worked extremely hard in high school completing various Honors, AP, and IB level courses that will help me be successful in attaining a bachelor's degree in this area. I am a member of the National Honor Society and have been an honor roll student at every grade level. I recently completed a summer engineering camp at the University of Georgia which allowed me to work on projects real time and a get an idea for what I can expect in my future. I feel strongly with my passion, determination, and the work that I have done in school I will be successful in achieving my goals. I plan to participate in possible internships or Co-Ops, complete my 4 years of higher education in the field of engineering, and work for a company were as an engineer my focus would be to develop and support new manufacturing designs, enhancing any existing systems, and future innovations that will improve the lives of many.

My name is Noah Matthew. I am a Senior Magnet Program student at Westlake High School here in Atlanta, Georgia. I have focused my academic efforts in the schools Engineering focused track. Some of my academic achievements include being a member of the National Honor Society, an Honor Roll student throughout my entire high school tenure, and completing rigorous Honors, AP, and IB level courses. Some of my extracurricular activities include being a part of the Technology Student Association (TSA) and playing sports on the 9th grade and Junior Varsity Basketball teams and playing one season on the Varsity Tennis team. I enjoy community service and have participated in initiatives with Trees Atlanta at the First Iconium Baptist Church, multiple Toys for Tots packing drives, Westlake’s Trunk and Treat, and I continue to serve as a student volunteer and mentor at the Chattahoochee Hills Charter Elementary School. I plan to make a positive impact in the world by leveraging my education and technical skills to improve the lives of those in my community and abroad. From an early age, I have had an interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) when my father first introduced me to Legos. I would then ask for various space and science kits that were fun for the two of us to work on, then my first radio controlled (RC) car, which was a dune buggy. I was extremely excited about this as we had to build it out of the box, and I would repair it on my own. Through my experiences, I developed my passion for the automotive design industry and have a goal to be a contributing member in the automotive design and automotive manufacturing field. My academic goals are always priority one, but I have also enjoyed being a student-athlete. Participating in athletics has helped me to develop skills in time management, managing physical and emotional fatigue, being social, and taking care of any mental health challenges I experience. I have felt the pressure to excel academically and remain in good physical health which is already very difficult. An experience of adversity that stands out for me was a severe knee injury during my freshman year of high school. During a basketball game, while blocking a shot, I landed awkwardly on my leg and dislocated my kneecap and sprained two ligaments in my left knee. The injuries led to a rough start for me in high school sports. The doctor said I would need multiple months of physical therapy to recover from the injury. Being sidelined for that long was incredibly difficult for me as I watched my team have success in my absence. I sat at home wondering if I would ever be able to play again at the same level. These thoughts weighed heavily on me once physical therapy started, I felt everything was pointless. I eventually ended up buying into what my therapist was trying to get me to do, and I ended up making great progress. After a couple more weeks I was cleared and all the hard work paid off. I realized, it was really the mental side of my injury that had a most impact on me, the lack of certainty, and inability to trust my own body were the most critical aspects of recovering. Nonetheless, through my mental strength and resilience, I was able to get up every day to reach my end goal. Because of this experience it helped me to be mentally tough and will help me to overcome challenges that may impact me in the future.

I am a part of P.A.C.E which is the Post-secondary Advancement College & Career Enrichment program. With this program I have volunteered in multiple Toys for Tots Drives. During these events, I was responsible for going to each section of the warehouse and putting the toys in bags, then loading them into the trucks at the docks to be shipped off to the children. Every year since I have been in High School, I have been invited to and participated in many events at my middle school. This includes multiple school cleanups, spring and fall festivals, and setting up dances and supporting other events. I have been a mentor to many of the younger students and take the opportunity to share what High School life has been like for me. As part of my Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball team, we supported volunteer events to give back to the community. A fulfilling experience for me was my participation in a Trees Atlanta event, a local nonprofit organization, at the First Iconium Baptist Church in East Atlanta. At the Church, we had to plant large trees outside along the road and at the small park on the grounds. I planted about 7 trees myself and all together we planted around 40 to beautify the area and show community involvement and pride. In addition to these events, I have walked and jogged in the annual Atlanta Heart Walk at a younger age and have volunteered at my high school, Westlake High School, for their Halloween Trunk or Treat event this past year. It was great seeing the parents bring the young kids out and interact with all the smiling children bringing them joy and fun. I remember when I was in third grade we had a career day at my school. I remember listening to all the adults talk about their jobs and how they got there. As I looked around at my classmates, I noticed that different careers inspired different students in the class. This spark of inspiration is what I plan to bring to students when I enter the workforce. I want to tell them about my job and the college degree needed to get there. I want to inspire my community and its members the same way I was inspired over the years. In the future I plan to provide resources and support to kids who want to get into a similar felid as me. I was fortunate enough to have an engineering shadow experience to help me in my journey to becoming a Mechanical engineer. I feel that in the future bringing events like this to kids at a younger age will have a direct impact and I plan on having events of my own where kids can come and learn what we do and how we do it. These events are really important for high schoolers as they are entering their final years of childhood and entering the real world. Experiences like this help them really decide what they want to do, provide exposure, and introduce them to future career choices. In conclusion, being around and hearing from people who have done what I want to do, has helped me understand more about what it takes. I plan to pass these lessons down to the next generation and my community in general. I know how important this was in my development and maturity, and I know with all the technological advancements today, there is a need to provide the same sparks for those who need it.

There are many schools throughout the nation with opportunities for students to participate in various levels of sports like football, soccer, and basketball. In these sports, student athletes experience various challenges whether its the stress of academic work, practice schedules, or having to balance each. Student-athletes have to become good at time management, managing physical and emotional fatigue, being social, and taking care of any mental health challenges. For these young athletes the pressure to excel academically and remain in good physical health is very difficult. In my time as a student athlete there are some lessons that I have learned from my challenges that have helped me and will help other student athletes. Some of the lessons you learn as a student athlete include being disciplined, being resilient, teamwork, leadership, how to handle criticism, and how to manage through injuries and setbacks. An experience that stands out for me was a severe knee injury during my freshman year of high school. I was two minutes into an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball game when I went up for a block on my defender and ended up landing awkwardly on my leg. In the moment, I ended up dislocating my kneecap, pulling my hamstring, and spraining two ligaments in my left knee. Sadly, I had dislocated my kneecap three times before that, but none as severe as this one. The outcome of all my injuries led to a rough start for me as I entered the world of high school sports. After returning home we went to the doctor to get the official diagnosis. In my head, I had just dislocated my knee again and I would only be out for a couple of weeks. Unfortunately, I was wrong as the doctor said I would need multiple months of physical therapy to recover from this injury. As a result of this injury, I spiraled into a dark place mentally and emotionally. As a person who finds most of his joy in sports and physical activities, being sidelined for that long was incredibly difficult. It was even harder to stand by and watch as my team began to show signs of success in my absence. They were playing in tournaments around the country while I was sitting at home wondering if I would ever be able to play again on the same level. These thoughts weighed heavily on me once physical therapy approached. When I first began physical therapy, I hated it. At the time everything we did felt pointless. My leg was so weak to the point where I couldn’t even do any of the exercises. Eventually I ended up buying into what my therapist was trying to get me to do, and I ended up making great progress. After a couple more weeks I had been cleared to participate in physical activities again on my own and all the work that I did finally paid off. When I was first got hurt, I was so worried about the physical aspect of the pain I would be in. Little did I know, it was really the mental side that had a stronger impact on me. The lack of certainty and inability to trust my own body were the most critical aspects of recovering. Nonetheless, through my mental strength and resilience, I was able to get up every day to reach my end goal. Because of this experience I learned to be mentally disciplined enough to overcome this challenge and any that may be thrown at me in the future.

I have had an interest for the area of STEM which started at a very young age when my father first introduced me to legos. I would build what ever I thought came to my mind. He also introduced me to various space and science kits that were always fun for the two of us to work on. In my early teens he would then introduce me to my first radio controlled (RC) car, which was a dune buggy. I was extremely excited about this as we had to build it out of the box. I would always break it and we would visit the local hobby store to get the parts needed to repair it. So much fun. During this time, I also spent a lot of time with him when he was home working out and tossing around my football. I later asked him to allow me to play flag football, which I felt I was really developing well in until the recent pandemic. He then started to play tennis and basketball with me, and I realized that basketball would be my favorite sport, and I would fall in love with it. During the time as I was going through Elementary and Middle school, when he did not have to keep working, he would always help me with my math and science and talk about its importance. He made sure that every time he was working on the car and fixing it to avoid having to take it to the mechanic, he was creating a new passion for me. I have since developed a strong passion for the automotive design industry and have decided to become a Mechanical Engineering student to support my goal to be a contributing member in the automotive and automotive manufacturing field. I have worked extremely hard in high school completing various Stem, Honors, AP, and IB level courses that will help me be successful in attaining a Bachelors degree in this area. As a child I thought that being a mechanic was what I wanted to do, but as a got older I realized that engineering was my real passion. In today's world we are seeing how the impact of artificial intelligence and electric vehicles are changing the way we do business and how we travel. The dependency on computers, and various wireless devices continue to drive changes to how we also interact with each other. We continue to see competitive conversation on what the future will be and what form of energy will be primary. I want to also take part in these conversations and affect the world that will be left to me and my peers to support for the future. As an engineer my focus would be to develop and support new manufacturing designs, enhancing any existing systems, and future innovations that will improve the lives of many and hopefully help reduce cost and and improve the overall impact we have on making things better. Earning this Scholarship will help me pay for the education needed to propel me into the engineering world and be a difference maker.

I have had an interest for the area of STEM which started at a very young age when my father first introduced me to legos. I would build what ever I thought came to my mind. He also introduced me to various space and science kits that were always fun for the two of us to work on. In my early teens he would then introduce me to my first radio controlled (RC) car, which was a dune buggy. I was extremely excited about this as we had to build it out of the box. I would always break it and we would visit the local hobby store to get the parts needed to repair it. So much fun. During this time, I also spent a lot of time with him when he was home working out and tossing around my football. I later asked him to allow me to play flag football, which I felt I was really developing well in until the recent pandemic. He then started to play tennis and basketball with me, and I realized that basketball would be my favorite sport, and I would fall in love with it. During the time as I was going through Elementary and Middle school, when he did not have to keep working, he would always help me with my math and science and talk about its importance. He made sure that every time he was working on the car and fixing it to avoid having to take it to the mechanic, he was creating a new passion for me. I have since developed a strong passion for the automotive design industry and have decided to become a Mechanical Engineering student to support my goal to be a contributing member in the automotive and automotive manufacturing field. I have worked extremely hard in high school completing various Stem, Honors, AP, and IB level courses that will help me be successful in attaining a Bachelors degree in this area. As a child I thought that being a mechanic was what I wanted to do, but as a got older I realized that engineering was my real passion.

I have a strong passion for the automotive design industry. I am focused, determined, and driven on an education as a Mechanical Engineering student to support my goal to be a contributing member in the automotive design and automotive manufacturing field. Throughout high school I took three years of engineering which was very inspiring for me. This class incorporated all the aspects of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), and provided the blueprint to the life that I want to live once I get to college and eventually graduate. I intend to use my passion, determination, and the work that I have done in school to be successful in achieving my goals. I plan to work for a company were as an engineer my focus would be to develop and support new manufacturing designs, enhancing any existing systems, and future innovations that will improve the lives of many. I have encountered a range of obstacles that have tested me mentally, physically, and emotionally where these challenges have taught me invaluable lessons. Among them, one experience stands out: a severe knee injury during my freshman year of high school, which tested both my physical and mental strength in ways had never imagined. It took place just two minutes into an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball game in Tennessee. I went up for a block on my defender and ended up landing awkwardly on my leg. In the moment, I had not yet realized how bad the injury was. I ended up dislocating my kneecap, pulling my hamstring, and spraining two ligaments in my left knee. This was particularly frightening because I had experienced knee injuries before. I had dislocated my kneecap three times before that, but none as severe as this one. The outcome of all my injuries led to a rough start for me as I entered the world of high school sports. After returning home we went to the doctor to get the official diagnosis. In my head, I had just dislocated my knee again and I would only be out for a couple of weeks. Unfortunately, I was wrong as the doctor said I would need multiple months of physical therapy to recover from this injury. As a result of this injury, I spiraled into a dark place mentally and emotionally. As a person who finds most of his joy in sports and physical activities, being sidelined for that long was incredibly difficult. It was even harder to stand by and watch as my team began to show signs of success in my absence. I sat at home wondering if I would ever be able to play on the same level and these thoughts weighed heavily on me. When I first began physical therapy, I hated it. At the time everything we did felt pointless. Walking backwards on a treadmill for ten minutes made no sense until I realized I couldn’t really do much else. Eventually I ended up buying into what my therapist was trying to get me to do, and I ended up making good progress in the weeks that followed. After a couple more weeks I had been cleared to participate in physical activities again on my own and all the work that I did finally paid off. Through my mental strength and resilience, I was able to get up every day to reach my end goals. I plan to take this same approach to college. Because of obstacles in my life like the injury, I will be mentally disciplined enough to overcome any challenge that may be thrown at me in the future.

I have had an interest in the area of STEM which started at a very young age when my father first introduced me to legos. I would build what ever I thought came to my mind. He also introduced me to various space and science kits that were always fun for the two of us to work on. In my early teens he would then introduce me to my first radio controlled (RC) car, which was a dune buggy. I was extremely excited about this as we had to build it out of the box. I would always break it and we would visit the local hobby store to get the parts needed to repair it. As I was going through Elementary and Middle school, when he did not have to keep working, he would always help me with my math and science and talk about its importance. He made sure that every time he was working on the car and fixing it to avoid having to take it to the mechanic, he was creating a new passion for me. I have since developed a strong passion for the automotive design industry and have decided to become a Mechanical Engineering student to support my goal to be a contributing member in the automotive or transportation design and automotive manufacturing field. I have worked extremely hard in high school completing various Stem, Honors, AP, and IB level courses that will help me be successful in attaining a Bachelors degree in this area. As a child I thought that being a mechanic was what I wanted to do, but as a got older I realized that engineering was my real passion. In today's world we are seeing how the impact of artificial intelligence and electric vehicles are changing the way we do business and how we travel. The dependency on computers, and various wireless devices continue to drive changes to how we also interact with each other. We continue to see competitive conversation on what the future will be and what form of energy will be primary and will be also used to support transportation. I want to also take part in these conversations and affect the world that will be left to me and my peers to support for the future. As an engineer my focus would be to develop and support new manufacturing designs, enhancing any existing systems, and future innovations that will improve the lives of many and hopefully help reduce cost and improve the overall impact we have on making things better.

I have had an interest for the area of STEM which started at a very young age when my father first introduced me to legos. I would build what ever I thought came to my mind. He also introduced me to various space and science kits that were always fun for the two of us to work on. In my early teens he would then introduce me to my first radio controlled (RC) car, which was a dune buggy. I was extremely excited about this as we had to build it out of the box. I would always break it and we would visit the local hobby store to get the parts needed to repair it. So much fun. During this time, I also spent a lot of time with him when he was home working out and tossing around my football. I later asked him to allow me to play flag football, which I felt I was really developing well in until the recent pandemic. He then started to play tennis and basketball with me, and I realized that basketball would be my favorite sport, and I would fall in love with it. During the time as I was going through Elementary and Middle school, when he did not have to keep working, he would always help me with my math and science and talk about its importance. He made sure that every time he was working on the car and fixing it to avoid having to take it to the mechanic, he was creating a new passion for me. I have since developed a strong passion for the automotive design industry and have decided to become a Mechanical Engineering student to support my goal to be a contributing member in the automotive and automotive manufacturing field. I have worked extremely hard in high school completing various Stem, Honors, AP, and IB level courses that will help me be successful in attaining a Bachelors degree in this area. As a child I thought that being a mechanic was what I wanted to do, but as a got older I realized that engineering was my real passion. In today's world we are seeing how the impact of artificial intelligence and electric vehicles are changing the way we do business and how we travel. The dependency on computers, and various wireless devices continue to drive changes to how we also interact with each other. We continue to see competitive conversation on what the future will be and what form of energy will be primary. I want to also take part in these conversations and affect the world that will be left to me and my peers to support for the future. As an engineer my focus would be to develop and support new manufacturing designs, enhancing any existing systems, and future innovations that will improve the lives of many and hopefully help reduce cost and the overall impact we have on making things better.

I have had an interest for the area of STEM which started at a very young age when my father first introduced me to legos. I would build what ever I thought came to my mind. He also introduced me to various space and science kits that were always fun for the two of us to work on. In my early teens he would then introduce me to my first radio controlled (RC) car, which was a dune buggy. I was extremely excited about this as we had to build it out of the box. I would always break it and we would visit the local hobby store to get the parts needed to repair it. So much fun. During this time, I also spent a lot of time with him when he was home working out and tossing around my football. I later asked him to allow me to play flag football, which I felt I was really developing well in until the recent pandemic. He then started to play tennis and basketball with me, and I realized that basketball would be my favorite sport, and I would fall in love with it. During the time as I was going through Elementary and Middle school, when he didn’t have to work, he would always help me with my math and science and talk about its importance. He made sure that every time he was working on the car and fixing it to avoid having to take it toe the mechanic, he was creating a new passion for me. I have since developed a strong passion for the automotive design industry and have decided to become a Mechanical Engineering student to support my goal to be a contributing member in the automotive and automotive manufacturing field. I have worked extremely hard in high school completing various Stem, Honors, AP, and IB level courses that will help me be successful in attaining a Bachelors degree in this area. As a child I thought that being a mechanic was what I wanted to do, but as a got older I realized that engineering was my real passion. In todays world we are seeing how the impact of artificial intelligence and electric vehicles are changing the way we do business and how we travel. The dependency on computers, and various wireless devices continue to drive changes to how we also interact with each other. We continue to see competitive conversation on what the future will be and what form of energy will be primary. I want to also participate in these conversations and impact the world that will be left to me and my peers to support for future. As an engineer my focus would be to develop and support new manufacturing designs, enhancing any existing systems, and future innovations that will improve the lives of many and hopefully help reduce cost and the overall impact we have on on making things better. Earning this Scholarship will help me pay for the education needed to propel me into the engineering world and be a difference maker.

I have had an interest for the area of STEM which started at a very young age when my father first introduced me to legos. I would build what ever I thought came to my mind. He also introduced me to various space and science kits that were always fun for the two of us to work on. In my early teens he would then introduce me to my first radio controlled (RC) car, which was a dune buggy. I was extremely excited about this as we had to build it out of the box. I would always break it and we would visit the local hobby store to get the parts needed to repair it. So much fun. During this time, I also spent a lot of time with him when he was home working out and tossing around my football. I later asked him to allow me to play flag football, which I felt I was really developing well in until the recent pandemic. He then started to play tennis and basketball with me and I realized that basketball would be my favorite sport and I would fall in love with it. During the time as I was going through Elementary and Middle school, when he didn’t have to work, he would always help me with my math and science and talk about its importance. He made sure that every time he was working on the car and fixing it to avoid having to take it toe the mechanic, he was creating a new passion for me. I have since developed a strong passion for the automotive design industry and have decided to become a Mechanical Engineering student to support my goal to be a contributing member in the automotive and automotive manufacturing field. I have worked extremely hard in high school completing various Stem, AP, and IB level courses that will help me be successful in attaining a Bachelors degree in this area. As a child I thought that being a mechanic was what I wanted to do, but as a got older I realized that engineering was my real passion. In todays world we are seeing how the impact of artificial intelligence and electric vehicles are changing the way we do business and how we travel. The dependency on computers, and various wireless devices continue to drive changes to how we also interact with each other. We continue to see competitive conversation on what the future will be and what form of energy will be primary. I want to also participate in these conversations and impact the world that will be left to me and my peers to support for future. As an engineer my focus would be to develop and support new automotive manufacturing designs, enhance any existing systems, and create future innovations that will improve the lives of many and hopefully help reduce cost and the overall impact we have on making things better. Earning this Scholarship will help me pay for the education needed to propel me into the engineering world and be a difference maker.