In UIUC's Mechanical Engineering camp we learned how a stereolithography(SLA) 3D printer cured resin liquid in layers using UV light, and built our own wood-and-metal model. What left a lasting impact on me most was learning that there’s much more to Mechanical Engineering than just physics and buildings. 3D printers and prosthetics are a huge part of the major, creating the impossible. The idea of prosthetics especially intrigued me; we can make lower-limbs and upper-limbs to help the injured walk again or perform daily activities. Research in bone scaffolds, biomaterials and biomechanics inspires me to think about using 3D printers to enhance prosthetic functions, emphasizing attention to precise details. Understanding the geometric and biological factors of bones is vital to improving the prosthetic needs of each patient–something I’m looking forward to exploring in-depth in college. I am specifically interested in inventing and innovating prosthetics.Using mechanical engineering, I want to invent and innovate prosthetics: not just a leg that stabilizes someone and helps someone walk, but arms that can play volleyball, tennis, and basketball. I want to create extremities so that someone can feel what they’re doing, as proximate to how an able-bodied human would experience sports. I see my passion for engineering and helping others guiding my future. With instructional experience and my creativity, I will benefit my community with scientific advancements. I plan to leave a lasting positive impact on the world. I’m also intrigued by research in bio-inspired robotics, specifically locomotive functions, because it aligns with another interest of mine: building life-saving robots. Taking part in the Center for Biologically Inspired Design and Biorobotics and Human Modeling Lab will help me apply everything I learn to real-world problems. From learning the physical traits of humans to extracting the design principles and implementing them in my dream robots, I imagine inventing robots that efficiently dig up immobilized people under rubble and bring them to safety or that treat patients and perform accurate surgeries. I aim to help others by developing innovative applications worldwide. This scholarship will help me attend college and utilize its profound resources and labs to help me actualize my dreams.