I’m Rebeka Ortega a junior from the Young Women’s Leadership Academy in El Paso, Texas. As a child, I always played with Legos, and now as a young woman, I'm inspired to take that to the real world. Although modern infrastructure attempts to achieve sustainability it fails to make real change. In fact, as of 2020 construction is responsible for 38% of emissions. As a future civil engineer, I want to change the materials used for construction, such as green concrete that requires less energy and emits less CO2, and make construction more efficient creating sustainable cities. I am capable of not only making this idea a reality through my constant passion and devotion but by leading and inspiring other young women to achieve sustainability. Although I recently discovered an interest in Civil engineering I never realized how STEAM had impacted our world. But I started using STEAM in school and was able to use what I learned in my daily life. Through taking an art class in my Sophomore year I had the opportunity to expand my thoughts creatively. I was able to build my first house out of the material around me. Through my creation and art classes, I soon learned that I wanted to work hands-on in construction. Creating art pieces with my hands lets my brain think of new patterns, designs, and structures for pieces. It’s hard for me to fully explain my experience with art but there is no doubt that art has changed my life and life goals. I mostly learned how to use and expand my creativity to solve problems and I want to bring this into my career and future experiences. As I continued my art classes I built two more houses, one out of legos and another one completely out of paper and cardboard. I used the materials around me to create art, which is similar to construction. We have humans use the resources around us to build houses, buildings, bridges, and other types of infrastructure. And we have the chance to improve modern infrastructure to create a more sustainable future. But to do this engineers, scientists, and all those involved have to find unique solutions to our problems. By flexing one’s creative muscle, like using art you can use your experience in your career to create solutions. But in order to accomplish this, it's necessary that people, including myself, get proper higher education. This ensures that I understand how to implement civil engineering in a safe and proper way that ensures structures are built appropriately for people’s use. However, I want to go beyond this and make infrastructure a key component in American’s life that benefits them by creating fewer greenhouse gases and making systems of transport easier. My plans require the restructuring of whole cities around the country. In order to achieve this, I need to create relations, campaign for change, and use my creativity to solve unique problems that I will face. But I have always enjoyed solving a challenge so I will be sure to put my best in order for my vision to become a reality. But my words only scratch the surface of my vision and passion for civil engineering. Expressing myself has allowed me to further think of my goals and expand my ideas. I wish to further my thoughts once I get in college and in my career to establish sustainably modern infrastructure. I would lastly like to point out the reason why I have a passion for Civil Engineering. I believe that Civil engineering is an almost perfect example of art and STEM working together to better people’s lives. A building is a work of art. All materials were purposely placed to create what the artist/engineer envisioned. Engineering is a way for a person to create their own art form, not socially known but is there. Civil engineering is my artistic expression, a way to give back to the world, to show me. In the buildings that show my priorities, my goals, and my career. I want to leave an impact. Whether that would be the people around me or those who use my structures. That’s the whole point of engineering to learn and to improve upon.

Throughout my many years of reading, I would have to say the book that I have loved to read the most was Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert. I know what you might be thinking, an old and hard-to-read required English book? Well yes, but not for the reason you might think. I don't read books to gain some deep philosophical thinking. I read to put myself in the shoes of the characters. Their emotions are somehow indescribable to me but the author perfectly captures every single breath they make. Madame Bovary is a romance novel, unlike the rest. Despite being published during an era of romanticism it defies all other authors bu including realism. This realism breaks the romance created instead of making the characters everyday people. Reading this put my life in perspective. I realized I was much like the main character, a romantic that dreamed too big for her own good. I formed a deep connection with her. I saw myself in her. And that was something that no other book did. Make me think back on my life, the actions I made, and the future that awaits me. I felt fear in seeing her fate. Her death haunts me. But unlike her, I can change. She is a character in a book and I'm a real person. That reassurance throughout reading the book changed the way I approached what I'm doing right now. I don't want to be stuck in my fantasies. I want to push forward to create my own path. Be my own person that continues to do what they love. Bring change to the people around me. And love myself.