Math is the language of the universe. From the arc of a baseball in the air to the flow of waves down a still pond, everything in nature follows a pattern, an organized symphony of phenomena that we learned to express in the symbols of algebra, trigonometry, and calculus. For all my life I have always been fascinated by nature. As a child, I would often stay awake well past my bedtime to catch National Geographic's latest episodes showcasing the wondrous diversity of life on this planet. I just couldn't get enough of the nuanced and often peculiar way that life operated in this world, and as I got deeper and deeper into its mechanics, I realized that there were principles that undergird those peculiarities. From wildlife I moved on to study biology in high school, then chemistry, then finally, physics. Each new field was an emergent consequence of the one before it. The final one: physics, is where I settled because it was truly the most elemental of all the previous topics. It describes the nature of energy, matter, and space-time. Doing so with mathematical models whose brevity often makes them seem too good to be true. With these models, we are able to take something as complex as the wandering of the planets and stars in the heavens and boil that down to three simple algebraic statements called Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion. We have observed the random buzz of air molecules in a room and formulated mathematical statements relating their pressure, volume, and temperature with each other without needing to know the state of each individual particle to perfection. We have crossed the ocean, harnessed the sun's power, and touched the stars. All because we studied the patterns and principles in our world, and discovered that they have been telling a mathematical story all along. Now, as I am studying Astrophysics as a senior in college, my reason for loving math is all the more clear. In Einstein's words: It makes an otherwise incomprehensible universe comprehensible. It allows us to make sense of the world we live in. How it works, when it got started, and what we can do to steward it and make it more fruitful. I love math because it makes a difference in our quest to understand the universe and ourselves.

I still remember when it came out. It was about an hour before noon, and my math and computational physics professor, Dr. Dittmann was about to present the results of the latest mass measurement for the W boson. He and some other professors have been working with The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) on the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) particle detector at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Geneva, Switzerland. This new result was the culmination of years of careful collection, cross-checking, and data analysis of subatomic particle collision events. I was glad to share his joy in such a tremendous accomplishment along with my classmates. The measured mass for the W boson is 80,433 million electron volts (a basic unit of particle mass). It is one of the more massive particles in the Standard Model and a carrier for the Weak Force, which governs radioactive decay, however, the measured mass disagrees with the one predicted by the Standard Model. This discrepancy may serve as a hint for new physics beyond it! And it is subtle revelations like these that end up making breakthroughs in physics in the long run. The new measurement of the W boson's mass is my favorite discovery because it shows that in science it isn't always the big "eureka" moments that change the game, it sometimes takes someone to look closely at the data and say "that's odd", following through with that clue until it leads to something truly groundbreaking.

5 minutes to the bell, my heart is racing, and my hands are moving at the speed of thought, struggling to finish the last free-response question on my AP Physics 2 test over Circuits. I'm writing, thinking, and problem-solving as fast as I can, trying ever so desperately to beat the clock, and it looked like I might not make it. Thankfully I finished enough of the questions on time, but it was only a short-term victory. I barely passed the test, and that wasn't the first of my struggles in STEM. During my final two years in high school, I struggled with AP Physics, and this was ironic because my dream as a child was to go into Astrophysics and Cosmology. I loved all things science. I watched shows, read books, and took countless online courses on as many physics topics as I could. I could never get enough of science, I was hopelessly fascinated with the immense scale of the Universe above and the deep mysteries in the subatomic realm below. Nothing could change my mind about this thing that I loved, so naturally, after getting an A in Pre-AP Chemistry as a prerequisite I believed that AP Physics would be a blast, but little did I know what I was really getting myself into. AP Physics 1 started well. Our first unit was on basic measurement techniques and units, but as time went on the topics got harder and more complex, and each topic built upon the previous one so there was no chance that I could simply forget the units that came before. Homework was a nightmare at times. Almost every question was a riddle, to answer them required a skillful grasp of Physics concepts and the mathematical fluency to express that understanding. I was often confused out of my mind. I couldn't believe how mentally rigorous Physics really was, and this rigor persisted, even up to AP Physics 2. However, there was still hope. Slowly but surely I began to grasp the concepts and principles that I was taught, building upon them bit by bit and topic by topic. It took a lot of time and effort, but it paid off. By the time I took General Physics 1 in college, I had already built up a solid foundation in high school. While it was every bit as hard as any college course is, I believe that my experience with Physics in high school softened the blow in a way. Once I got to General Physics 2, I noticed a life-saving trend: as the material approached modern physics, the course got easier, and by the time we approached contemporary topics like Special Relativity and Quantum Mechanics, the class was a breeze! So in the end, not only did I get to study the things that I love in-depth, but the course material was the easiest it had ever been all semester. Halleluja! I consider it providence. Nowadays, as I watch sci-fi shows like "The Flash", I like to nitpick at the minor errors they make in their characters' physics. It makes for an interesting pastime. I also look back at the road I took to reach this level in physics and the countless brain-racking that I had to go through to succeed, and when I look back I am reminded of the fact that being passionate about something doesn't make it easy, but it's that passion, that hope that will see you through the end. I am thankful to God for that opportunity to be passionate about something.

One of my favorite quotes is this: "I will praise you in the storm". This phrase is important to me because it answers this age-old question: "why do bad things happen to good people?". A lot of times in our world we wonder why we go through certain challenges, why disaster falls on us of all people, but the truth is that we are not asking the right questions. What we should be asking is "why do bad things affect certain good people?". Why are there kind, generous people that stay kind even in the midst of unthinkable calamities, and on the other hand, wonderful people that fall to their lowest points of character after weathering the storms of life? What separates the victims from the world changers? The answer is grit: Or, in other words, the ability of a person to press forward to victory despite their feelings of despair. Grit is that intrinsic strength that defines a person, and you cannot truly know someone without seeing it in action. When I say "I will praise you in the storm" I am saying that I will play, live, and work for God whether He removes the pain immediately or not. It is my choice to stick to what I believe in when it is not convenient, my choice to run this race of life with true strength, my choice to be a winner. There is a difference between the religious and the faithful; one of them can bend without breaking. they have endurance and can handle the stresses of life. They can persevere, and even if they fall, they always get up. Whether it be a thousand, ten thousand, or even a million times, they always recover and they always win. The religious, however, have no grit, they just go through the motions of their faith, beliefs, and their lives; never really trusting in anything. Their traditions and lifestyle are just for effect, and it can take as little as a single word, or a single let-down to put them out of the race for good. There is something special in praising Him in the storm, something undying and eternal, something that lasts, and that thing is what keeps me going strong towards the prize.

One of the greatest adversities that I have faced is when I and my brother at some point started to drift apart. I do not know how it started or what caused it, but I know that it was a major stronghold in my life for some time, especially during holidays, when he would shut me out despite my best efforts to come closer to him. Now, you might expect me to have been angry, and honestly, I was at times, however, I had a powerful lifeline that I held on to in these tough times. "But I said to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you...and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you" (Matthew 5:44, NKJV). If I am to love my enemies as a believer in Christ, then how much more my own brother. This conviction is what kept me from lashing out in bitterness like so many do, and it set me up for a life of greater things in Christ Jesus. Now I am proud to tell you that my brother is gradually warming up to me. He has started talking to me a little, and occasionally he will even say hello. There is nothing that my God cannot do with a heart that is yielded and willing to change for the better. I would like to emphasize that there was not a single part of this journey that was easy for me. Sure, it is one thing for an enemy to hurt you; you almost expect it, but it is a completely different matter altogether for that hurt to come from within. Recovery from that takes time, but the reward is more than worth the wait. I felt true power come upon me when I forgave my brother. I feel so alive. One of the greatest things that a person can do is love the one who hurts him. That kind of person is liberated from the bitterness, anger, and strife that dominates this world, and can even spread that mindset to others who are stuck in that pit. I am glad to say that this challenge has made me one of those people, and I am still increasing in that, slowly but surely, faster, and faster until I finish this race of life.

My greatest inspiration in life is a person named Yeshua. He was born in a small town by the sea of Galilee called Nazareth. Nazareth was not a very prominent place, certainly not as important as Jerusalem or Rome, but it was the home of a true king, of a lifesaver. He was faithful to His calling and never complained about having to live under a mud-roof or sleep next to animals, and now I believe that He is in heaven at the right hand of God in all His authority and power. I am encouraged by Him and by those who live after His example. I am inspired by my mom, who always tells me the truth, even when I do not like it. I am inspired by my dad, who always reminded me that I do not have to go through life trying to perform for God or people; that God accepts me for who I am, and the life I live for Him is lived out of joy, not law. All this encouragement came from that unshakeable belief in Jesus and a desire to mimic His flawless character. That is why I am in school, that is why I press harder and harder to reach the prize. That is why I am studying Astrophysics; to use my degree for the Glory of God. I want people, especially young people like me to know that they are not an accident. That they and this universe were made for a purpose, and that nothing else matters except fulfilling that purpose with the talents they have been gifted with. I want to be a world-changer, and I will be, because of Him; Yeshua. Better known in English as Jesus: The rock of ages.

My favorite scientist is Dr. Matthew O' Dowd. I like him because of his youtube channel, PBS Spacetime, where he explains some of the deepest topics in Astrophysics, Cosmology, and Quantum Mechanics. Though I sometimes find him hard to understand because he tends to use big words, I really like the topics he picks to talk about, and I really like the fact that he doesn't oversimplify the physics, even if it is complicated. He actually did a live stream with some notable professors on the Theory of Everything, the theory that is supposed to be the final, all-encompassing explanation for every natural phenomenon in the universe, I wish I could have joined, I really like his channel and hope that it continues!

Good Afternoon, my name is Onyinyechukwu Joseph Ezuma, I was born in Port Harcourt Nigeria in the summer of 2003. I and my family lived your typical middle-class lives, my mom would drop me off at school in the morning and I would stay there for some hours until they came back. We were a Christian household and we attended church regularly, sometimes even overnight for special celebrations, but I was not particularly interested in Christianity as a child. My dad got transferred to America in 2015 so we said goodbye to Nigeria and hello to the land of opportunity. At first sight, I was speechless. I never thought that a nation could have such advanced technology so soon. The place felt like Tomorrowland. Automatic doors, stairs that go up by themselves, wireless internet! Truly unbelievable. Looking back I now realize that life was actually a little bit hard in Nigeria compared to this country, I simply didn’t have all of these things at the time. The power went on and off like the wind, we had to put large nets over our beds every night because of mosquitos, and I and my siblings were even put out of school for some time because of the Ebola crisis. As a child, I was never sad or disappointed about the state of our home or anything like that. It was normal, and being no more than 10 or 11 years old at the time I was really only concerned about games, toys, and cartoons. Seeing how I live now in America I am tremendously grateful for the way that God just whisked me and my family away from those conditions. Right now I am a committed Christian, born not out of tradition, but out of a radical encounter with Jesus Christ and living for Him every day. I can’t really put it all into words, it really was and is supernatural; the things that I have felt and encountered surpass anything that this world has to offer or can comprehend, but what I can tell you for sure is that because of this, I am pursuing a degree in Astrophysics and I am convinced that it is my true calling from God: I started being interested in science when I came to America and have gradually developed a nerdy love for it, especially modern physics like Einstein’s theories of Relativity, Quantum mechanics, String Theory and black holes, so I took this as a clear sign that Astrophysics should be my career path and not just a career path, but a gateway for ministry. I want to use science to show the physics community that this world and this universe is a masterpiece skillfully crafted by Almighty God for His ultimate honor and glory, and despite it being fallen and in the process of decay all people can hope and expect a new and perfect creation to come and replace the former things when Jesus, the Messiah returns. This is the same hope that I carry in everything that I do in life.

My family, like Hailey's has always been a Christian family, we went to church every day in Nigeria, sometimes even passing the night praying on special occasions like the New Year. I, however could really care less at the time. I was concerned only with what your typical 9-11 year-old boy was concerned about: food, toys, tv. I really just wanted to do my own thing. When my family moved to America that is when things started to turn for the worse in my life. On the outside everything looked okay. We got a comfortable apartment building, and a nice school and church to attend; but I myself just got darker inside. I really would only put up with my parent's Christianity as a kid because it was just tradition. But as we all know, the beginning of high school is the end of tradition and simple adherence to the things that your parents say. I started to venture carelessly online and ended up being addicted to pornography. I was so ashamed of it. So many things went wrong, I hated God, I hated people and I just wanted this world to suffer. I was really messed up. I kept trying to get off my addictions but they just got worse as I became more and more a slave. Finally I gave up. Like a wild ox broken before its master I asked God to take me deeper into Him, to do something about my heart, and He did; at a youth retreat. When I finally came clean about my problems the Lord washed me with fire. Specifically, it happened on the bus on our way back to the church where my parents were to pick me up. It was the most powerful thing that ever happened in my life. It was not a feeling, because feelings die. It was a living encounter with the God of the Universe, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It wasn't just me finally embracing my family's tradition. It was pure Invisible Life, Power and Victory! I will never be the same cynical porn addict that I was. That day I died to my brokenness, today it is not Onyinyechukwu Joseph Ezuma that lives, the life that I now live, I live to God and His Anointed One, Yeshua, Jesus. I have seen signs, wonders and miracles. I have been taught and shown things that cannot be expressed in words. Jesus did not change my life. He completely collapsed it and made a new one for me. To this day I still remember what happened that day on the bus, and I will never forget it as I press forward, going for the Prize.

Hello, my name is Onyinyechukwu Joseph Ezuma and I really like science. I have been obsessed with it since I was 11 years old, watching Astrophysics shows, buying math and chemistry apps, and reading books about the periodic table, and while I enjoy taking good care of my mind, I also like taking care of my body. One benefit of this is that I am sometimes able to apply physics principles to my workouts, sometimes even analyzing the mechanics of gym equipment after workouts. I can contract my arms to decrease the torque needed to do lateral raises with heavy weights, or even do the opposite with light weights. Overall, these training techniques, combined with a bit of healthy eating has in a way, helped to keep me on my toes. I have a 2 foot vertical leap and an above average running speed, and this can be very handy in case I need to go on a quick sprint to my college classes when I am late, or just being able to walk quickly enough to get to my dorm room, dining halls and wherever else I need to be. I like the thrill of being fit and muscular as a young man, but overall, fitness has just helped me to be able to handle the walking demands of my college classes. I am still a bit sore from time to time, but it would definitely be less bearable if I had not invested time into deliberate training.