I’ve been a fan of Sabrina Carpenter for a while now, but I don’t think I really understood how much she impacted me until I looked back at certain times in my life. Many people are under the impression that her music is a little superficial, another surface-level pop star. However, as a listener with hours of listening time on spotify, I can see how much of herself she puts into her songs. They’re clever, but also vulnerable. They hide pain and sorrow in playfulness and cheerful upbeats. I first discovered her as a kid during her Disney Channel days, as she was my favorite character in Girl Meets World. When the show ended, she slowly faded away from my life until her sudden rise in her singing career. Her songs were super catchy and fun, and I liked listening to them in the background when working or taking walks. Before I realized it, I’ve become a fan all over again for the second time. Something I connect with is the way she’s had to prove herself over and over again. People underestimated her, and instead of letting that stop her, she used it to fuel her. It reminds me of my Junior year of high school, one of the toughest times for me. I started the year already behind because I’d been in the hospital and missed the first month of classes. I remember my own teachers doubting me, and feeling like there was no way I could catch up or get good grades that year, the most crucial year of high school. Honestly, I doubted myself more than anyone else did. Listening to clips of Sabrina's interviews during that time about being okay with making mistakes and her struggles with self perception gave me a sense of reassurance, as if she could keep going even when people didn’t believe in her, then maybe I could too. Her album Singular: Act I especially sticks with me. I played it constantly while I was trying to balance make-up work and just keep my head above water. The way she can make heartbreak sound both painful and a little funny at the same time taught me that it is okay to sit in the hard feelings but also find lightness where you can. In a way, she made my journey through junior year an easier one. Now, even on my bad days, I put her music on. Sometimes it’s one of the sadder songs when I need to process, and sometimes it’s the cheeky ones that give me a spur of energy in those all-nighters right before an exam. Either way, she’s become this reminder that you don’t have to be perfect to keep moving forward. That’s why I’m such a fan! Unlike other celebrities, Sabrina feels real, like someone figuring it out as she goes, and that makes me feel like I can figure it out too.

The USS Enterprise starship enters the screen, navigating through the darkness of cosmic space, lit only by far-off twinkling stars. Captain Kirk starts his voice-over with, “Space. The final frontier.” At the end of the opening credits, a woman sings a high opera note, and the Star Trek Original Series episode begins. I remember the day, six years ago, when my mother insisted I watch a Star Trek episode with her because she had been in love with the character of Captain Kirk when she was a teenager my age. By the end of the episode, I was the one hooked. The idea of exploring unknown frontiers fascinated me -- not just through starships, but through the systems that powered them. What intrigued me most was the intricate “brain” behind them, the logic and structure that controlled vast technology with precision -- the software. The television series inspired me to enroll in online computer science classes during middle school and high school. I wanted to understand how to write my own algorithms. To my mother’s displeasure, my desk was often messy with various algorithms I wrote for different programs, like a simulation of a bank with different accounts, which my sisters and I once used to manage our finances before we got a Greenlight credit card. In high school, I studied physics, both through classes and through clubs, and participated in programs about aerospace engineering, such as the National Student Leadership Conference (NSLC) at Johns Hopkins, striving to learn how to apply computer science to rockets. At Penn State, I’ve used my major’s Computer Science resources to found Parkner, a soon-to-launch mobile app that connects amusement park visitors. Working with a small team, I’ve led its development from concept to early-stage design. The project has taught me more than just coding; it has shown me how to lead, solve real problems, and translate an idea into a working product. After graduation, my dream is to work in product development or software engineering at a company focused on building technologies that connect and empower people -- whether that’s in transportation, space tech, or civic applications. Eventually, I hope to launch my own startup, innovating cutting-edge algorithms that combine efficiency, accessibility, and creativity, and make a good impact. I believe I’m a strong candidate for this scholarship not only because of my academic dedication -- maintaining a 3.61 Cumulative GPA and making the Dean’s List -- but also because I bring initiative, enthusiasm, and a commitment to meaningful innovation. For me, choosing Computer Science means choosing to follow my passion for building digital solutions that help shape a better world for future generations. With the support of this scholarship, I’ll continue pushing boundaries and building technology that improves people’s lives. And while my final frontier might still be out there, I am grateful to have the opportunity to explore it.