The trade that I am pursuing is welding. The way I intend to do that is by attending Idaho State University to earn an Associates of Applied Sciences (AAS) in Welding and Pipefitting. Though there are many trade schools that can provide a quality education regarding welding, I view having the AAS to be more valuable as it keeps the doors open to expand into new fields like mechanical or nuclear engineering. Though I may not be welding as much in those fields, I intend to make the jobs of those who will be fitting and welding the components much easier to accomplish without sacrificing the capabilities of the structure. My interest in welding started at the end of my eighth grade year when my close friend Peter got interested in the trade and purchased a welder at Harbor Freight to kickstart his path to learning the trade. He told me and got me interested and we did a few projects together and absorbed all the information we could. Fast forward to sophomore year and I joined the Welding 1 program where I really got to indulge into the subject and hone my skills. To date I have been part of the welding program for three continuous years with the Welding I-III programs as well as a spot on the competition team and the role of Teacher’s Assistant. This experience has been the pinnacle of my high school career and one that I will treasure forever. Though my experience in high school is coming to a close, I still have at least two years ahead of me in formal education involving welding at ISU. I chose this program as it has the advantage of including an AAS degree as well as the AWS certifications that are required to work in the field. The degree is an advantage as if I decide to either continue my education or return to it after working I have two years of college finished and the ability to pursue a higher degree where I can take what I learned in welding and fuse the two worlds of welding and engineering together and make a superior end result as opposed to an engineer only perspective. Though the experience I will gain at ISU will be greatly beneficial to what I aim to do either as a welder or as an engineer, it isn’t cheap. In order to achieve these goals that I have set for myself I will require assistance from any source I can get. That is why I come to you to plead my case for your support. While the path ahead may be challenging, scholarships like this provide vital support and encouragement. If chosen as the recipient of this scholarship, I pledge to honor your investment by continuing to pursue excellence in welding, striving to exceed expectations and make a positive impact on the world around me. You will not be disappointed.

Welding is a recent but profound interest. It sparked in eighth grade when my friend Peter and I delved into it. Despite lacking top-notch equipment, our fervor compensated, driving us to complete small projects and absorb all available knowledge. The allure of welding—melding metal with electric arcs—captivated us. This passion persists; both Peter and I completed our high school's three-year welding program and participated in competitions. I aim to pursue a 2-year AAS in Welding and Pipefitting at Idaho State University, while Peter seeks CWI certification. Though our paths may diverge, our shared passion for welding unites us and fosters appreciation for the profession and other trades. Welding is a key component in our modern society. Buildings, ranging from small residential homes and trailers to the tallest buildings in the world like the Burj Khalifa, all require welders to make them structurally sound and produce their smaller components like brackets and fixtures. Vehicles and industrial equipment of all calibers require copious amounts of welds to properly perform under the stresses they endure. Power plants rely on miles of welded tubing, pressure vessels, and containment shields to function. The ships that transport all the goods necessary for the functioning of the global economy use welding as their primary method of construction. The value that welders bring to the modern world is immense, and I intend to be a part of it. Not only will I be a part of something greater than myself and indulge in a passion of mine, but I'll also benefit from the success the trade brings. Though welding is of great importance to the world at large, what is its effect on me personally? To me, it is the perfect combination of my love for creating and building things, my desire for physical and hands-on interaction, and the application of math and science in a practical manner. Welding is my passion, and no matter how many times I mess up, I keep moving forward. Looking for ways to improve my workmanship and prove myself capable of accomplishing what is put in front of me. To me, success in welding takes the form of various certifications and the pride that I have in the quality of my work. Through these, I can make a good living for myself and my family, as well as express many of my traits in a job that I love. Why will I be good at this trade? I have not only the seat time and experience but also the strong desire to learn from others and improve my work. My mind is open to the experiences of others, and I will gladly accept what others have learned and passed on so that my work will live up to any expectations. The plan for the future is to earn my AAS degree and either go straight to work as a pipeline welder or continue my studies as an engineer of some sort. Either way, I’ll be involved with welding in some capacity. As a welder, I will apply my skill and knowledge to properly construct pipelines and other structures that will contribute in some capacity to society. And as an engineer, I will take the experience as a fitter and welder and use that to draft up new designs that will be more efficient in their performance and more friendly to the welders and fitters assembling those structures. It isn’t cheap to get the proper education, and any help will be greatly appreciated. If I am selected as the winner of this scholarship, I promise you I will not disappoint with my results.

My name is Robert Zavala and as of now I have been accepted into a welding program at Idaho State University for a 2-year Associates Degree in Applied Sciences. As I have stated, I am an aspiring welder and after the completion of this course I aim to work as a pipeline welder or continue my education likely in the fields of mechanical engineering or nuclear engineering. Challenging STEM related activities and working with my hands has a been a constant throughout my life. I have never been afraid to dirty my hands nor have I been averse to anything science related from chemistry, paleontology, and most recently nuclear physics and chemistry. Besides my general interest in skilled labor intensive activities and science I also recognize the practical benefits of delving into these topics. The hands on experience allows me tinker and create while the more academic side allows me to understand how the world around me operates and how we as humans could potentially use or improve our ways of providing for ourselves and producing new technology. The energy sector is of particular interest as it has a monumental effect on our modern society. Everything is built around using different forms of energy from coal to the sun to power many essential systems that we rely on. And because of our deep seated need for the production and use of these energy sources is paramount to success and sustainability there needs to be ways that it can be improved. So what does me being a welder have to do with the energy sector? Welders play a critical and essential role in the initial production and maintenance of infrastructure relating to energy production. Oil, gas, and coal all need machinery to extract these resources and welders are a key player in the manufacturing of these pieces of equipment as well as their upkeep. Transporting these resources also requires many forms of machinery and permanent infrastructure often constructed of steel in which their assembly cannot be accomplished in factories. Pipelines are the poster child of this form of infrastructure as they are extraordinarily massive and even remote and without the crews installing them, namely welders, the efficient transportation of fluid fuels will be relegated to the whims of railroads and trucks. Additional parts to the energy equation involve refineries, boilers, turbines, piping, buildings, pressure vessels, reactor cores, and containment shields upon numerous other parts. But without welders, the harnessing of the Earth's mineral wealth for our energy production would be a heck of a lot harder and significantly more inefficient. But another thing to consider is our impact on the environment. Sure we can harness all the stored energy in the hydrocarbons we burn but that comes at the cost of air pollution by soot and heavy metals as well as anthropogenic climate change. An estimated 8.3 million people die and a multitude more suffer chronic respiratory illnesses each year as a result of our use of fossil fuels to power our world. They might be cheap, proven, and relatively efficient at the moment but should we continue to beat the price of millions of lives each year? I think not. To this I suggest our future lies in nuclear energy from both fission and fusion. The sheer amount of power they can produce at the low amount of waste that is produced plus a proven safety record are all pointing in the direction of nuclear power. Don't let the fear mongering and propaganda tell you otherwise. Humanities' source of power lies not with carbon, but the atom itself.