I am pursuing higher education because I want to become the best version of myself that I can be. Part of becoming the best version of myself is to pursue strengthening my talents and passion. From my time as a child playing with Legos and Minecraft to when I was building bridges for the community during my Eagle Scout project, I have had a deep passion for civil engineering. It has always been my dream to better the community through building. Throughout middle school, high school, and my completion of Eagle Scout, my passion for engineering has always been forefront. In middle school, I was a competing member of the robotics team. In high school, I excelled in the district's engineering program. In Boy Scouts, I built bridges, picnic tables, play areas, and many other useful and helpful things for our community and those in need. My passion for engineering also gave me opportunity to do something else that I am passionate about and that is community service. Community service strengthens not just the community, but it also gives me a stronger sense of purpose and has taught me to set goals and accomplish them. I believe that my community service has taught me to also be a better student. I have recently finished my first semester at the University of Louisville Speed School, and I can already see the benefits of higher education shaping me into a better version of myself. For my first semester, I faced some of the reputably hardest classes in the engineering program, and during this time, I learned how to keep up with school as well as my personal life. I had to become an independent person and take care of things that I would have normally turned to my parents for. I woke myself up and managed my own schedule. I finished my Eagle Scout rank, continued to volunteer for the Special Olympics, and helped at home with chores and transportation for my younger siblings. I am proud of myself for not only being prompt and maintaining a high grade point average, but also for continuing to improve in all aspects of my life. I am only one semester in, and I can already see the changes that higher education is instilling in me. Higher education is not just about learning a career; it is also about learning to become more than I already am.

While my passion for athletics did not make me an all-star collegiate superstar, it did help shape me into a better person who gives back to his community and the most vulnerable in our society. As an elementary school child, my family was already involved with serving the community. We were highly involved with our church and participated in food drives, community outreach projects, and mission trips. My older sister was also a member of beta club, and we would often participate as a family with her community service projects. At that time in my life, I did not understand why we were doing it. I did it simply because my parents were doing it and they expected me to participate. I would have rather spent that time playing with my toys. Once I became a Boy Scout, my thoughts on community service began to evolve. During my time as a scout, I went from participating in community service projects to eventually organizing and leading community service projects. I saw the impact that I could make in my community and in the lives of others. Community service was no longer just a chore or something I did because my family was doing it but now had become something that I enjoyed doing and was enthusiastic about. In high school, I found an area to give back to my community where I could make a significant impact. My mother signed up my autistic older brother for the Special Olympics. At that time, I was quite talented athletically, specifically track and field and I saw an opportunity to help. I noticed that the coach for my brother’s team was struggling to keep the special needs children and adults engaged and focused on practice and competitions. I started assisting my brother but soon began helping with all the special needs children and adults. I would help the athletes by assisting them with practice, encouraging them, and helping them reach beyond their limitations. I still volunteer with the Special Olympics to this day. Even while in college, I continue to help them grow, celebrate their successes, and help them through challenging times. The Special Olympics calls me a “peer mentor” but the team simply calls me “Peyton.” This experience has been extremely rewarding for me. I see the growth and the joy in the people I mentor. It in turn brings me joy and inspires me to continue such volunteer service throughout my life.

An environmental challenge that I would like to help solve is to create housing for lower income families while reducing energy demands on such housing. Poverty and homelessness are a threat to the safety, well-being, and health of the people. Global warming is a threat to the Earth and the more energy we use, the more we contribute to that problem. By creating sustainable housing, we can help solve both problems by providing homes for those in need while lowering energy demands and thereby reduce our impact on the environment. A project I would like to undertake is to study ways to incorporate sustainable design into affordable housing programs. Increased housing costs for homeowners and renters since the pandemic has put an increased burden on lower income families. Add increased energy costs to that and you have a crisis for those families struggling to make ends meet and maintain a residence. I believe we can find the right balance of energy efficiency and cost to create affordable communities that will have minimal impact on the environment while offering residents a safe, comfortable, and welcome place to call home. Research at University of Louisville encompasses many different areas. In the J.B. Speed School of Engineering, research spans from additive manufacturing, biomedical devices, energy and sustainability, smart infrastructure, and more. In energy and sustainability, for instance, studies are being done in alternative energy sources including using hemp as alternative energy. I find that my desire to research incorporating sustainable design into affordable housing programs is quite compatible with the alternative energy research currently being done at the Speed School. These sustainable yet affordable homes will need to make use of alternative energy to be cost effective and energy efficient. Most likely the alternative energy used will be solar, but other options currently being researched could prove effective either along with or without solar and be useful in the final design. Research in smart infrastructure and sustainable urban planning currently being done at the Speed School is also compatible with my research project as the affordable housing communities will be best located where the residents will have easy access to public transportation and reduce the dependence on private vehicles and therefore the impact on the environment. By incorporating sustainable design into affordable housing programs, we can provide much-needed housing and community for lower income families. Reduced energy consumption, utility costs, and greater overall efficiency will ease the expense burden on people living in these communities while at the same time creating less of an environmental impact than standard housing. These communities will bring all groups of people, including the marginalized, into their development. Sustainable communities, whether they are neighborhoods, towns, or entire cities, will be critical in the future to eliminating poverty and boosting shared prosperity.

As an elementary school child, I was familiar with community service as my parents were already involved with serving the community. As a family, we were highly involved with our church and participated in food drives, community outreach projects, and mission trips. My older sister was also a member of beta club, and we would often participate as a family with her community service projects. At that time in my life, I did not understand why we were doing it. I did it simply because my parents were doing it and they expected me to participate. I would have rather spent that time playing with my toys. So, when representatives of the Cub Scouts came to my school to present scouting to our class, my first thought was how this was a new opportunity to have fun and play. The idea of serving the community was not a part of my fourth grader’s mindset. Once I became a Boy Scout, my thoughts on community service began to evolve. During my time as a scout, I went from participating in community service projects to eventually organizing and leading community service projects. I saw the impact that I could make in my community and in the lives of others. Community service was no longer just a chore or something I did because my family was doing it but now had become something that I enjoyed doing and was enthusiastic about. In high school, I found an area to give back to my community where I could make a significant impact. My mother signed up my autistic older brother for the Special Olympics. At that time, I was quite talented athletically, specifically track and field and I saw an opportunity to help. I noticed that the coach for my brother’s team was struggling to keep the special needs children and adults engaged and focused on practice and competitions. I started assisting my brother but soon began helping with all the special needs children and adults. I would help the athletes by assisting them with practice, encouraging them, and helping them reach beyond their limitations. To this day, I still volunteer with the Special Olympics even while in college. I continue to help them grow, celebrate their successes, and help them through challenging times. The Special Olympics calls me a “peer mentor” but the team simply calls me “Peyton.” This experience has been extremely rewarding for me. I see the growth and the joy in the people I mentor. It in turn brings me joy and inspires me to continue such volunteer service throughout my life.

As an elementary school child, I was familiar with community service as my parents were already involved with serving the community. As a family, we were highly involved with our church and participated in food drives, community outreach projects, and mission trips. My older sister was also a member of beta club, and we would often participate as a family with her community service projects. At that time in my life, I did not understand why we were doing it. I did it simply because my parents were doing it and they expected me to participate. I would have rather spent that time playing with my toys. So, when representatives of the Cub Scouts came to my school to present scouting to our class, my first thought was how this was a new opportunity to have fun and play. The idea of serving the community was not a part of my fourth grader’s mindset. Once I became a Boy Scout, my thoughts on community service began to evolve. During my time as a scout, I went from participating in community service projects to eventually organizing and leading community service projects. I saw the impact that I could make in my community and in the lives of others. Community service was no longer just a chore or something I did because my family was doing it but now had become something that I enjoyed doing and was enthusiastic about. In high school, I found an area to give back to my community where I could make a significant impact. My mother signed up my autistic older brother for the Special Olympics. At that time, I was quite talented athletically, specifically track and field and I saw an opportunity to help. I noticed that the coach for my brother’s team was struggling to keep the special needs children and adults engaged and focused on practice and competitions. I started assisting my brother but soon began helping with all the special needs children and adults. I would help the athletes by assisting them with practice, encouraging them, and helping them reach beyond their limitations. To this day, I still volunteer with the Special Olympics even while in college. I continue to help them grow, celebrate their successes, and help them through challenging times. The Special Olympics calls me a “peer mentor” but the team simply calls me “Peyton.” This experience has been extremely rewarding for me. I see the growth and the joy in the people I mentor. It in turn brings me joy and inspires me to continue such volunteer service throughout my life.

As an elementary school child, I was familiar with community service as my parents were already involved with serving the community. As a family, we were highly involved with our church and participated in food drives, community outreach projects, and mission trips. My older sister was also a member of beta club, and we would often participate as a family with her community service projects. At that time in my life, I did not understand why we were doing it. I did it simply because my parents were doing it and they expected me to participate. I would have rather spent that time playing with my toys. So, when representatives of the Cub Scouts came to my school to present scouting to our class, my first thought was how this was a new opportunity to have fun and play. The idea of serving the community was not a part of my fourth grader’s mindset. Once I became a Boy Scout, my thoughts on community service began to evolve. During my time as a scout, I went from participating in community service projects to eventually organizing and leading community service projects. I saw the impact that I could make in my community and in the lives of others. Community service was no longer just a chore or something I did because my family was doing it but now had become something that I enjoyed doing and was enthusiastic about. In high school, I found an area to give back to my community where I could make a significant impact. My mother signed up my autistic older brother for the Special Olympics. At that time, I was quite talented athletically, specifically track and field and I saw an opportunity to help. I noticed that the coach for my brother’s team was struggling to keep the special needs children and adults engaged and focused on practice and competitions. I started assisting my brother but soon began helping with all the special needs children and adults. I would help the athletes by assisting them with practice, encouraging them, and helping them reach beyond their limitations. To this day, I still volunteer with the Special Olympics even while in college. I continue to help them grow, celebrate their successes, and help them through challenging times. The Special Olympics calls me a “peer mentor” but the team simply calls me “Peyton.” This experience has been extremely rewarding for me. I see the growth and the joy in the people I mentor. It in turn brings me joy and inspires me to continue such volunteer service throughout my life.