In my first year of high school, I took my very first physics class. I remember the crowded classroom and the teacher and her TA running around the room to help other students, but I still loved that class. So once I was able, I joined AP-Physics. My favorite unit was the forces unit; I was amazed by how my teacher would write F=MA on the board and then in a minute would have a whole paragraph full of math. During the forces unit we did a simple egg lab. We were given balloons, popsicle sticks, and every else we could gather to help our egg land safely from the second floor. I made an egg cage out of popsicle sticks so that they would hit the ground before the egg and added balloon parachutes to increase the air resistance so my egg would fall slower. Then I let go of my creation from the second floor and my egg survived! I was hooked on how science could solve real world problems. Soon after I found What If?, a book by Randall Monroe on using physics to answer stupid questions and explore all of humanity’s ideas. I was so inspired by the book that I started to explore physics outside of the classroom. I was fascinated by how Monroe used maths and physics to answer any question posed to him, and I wanted to be able to answer tose questions myself, but not just the absurd ones. After I was done reading it, I decided to enroll in my school's AP physics course, and once I was in I loved it. But I couldn’t help but notice that out of the 50 something students taking the class, less than a third of us were women. That’s when I knew that if I wanted to go into a STEM field, I had to work harder than anyone else and then some. That was when I found Mechanical Engineering, an engineering field that combines my love for calculus, physics, and the arts. Getting a higher education in these fields will allowing me to push my creativity. After pursuing higher education, I want to start a career in engineering clean energy systems. Specifically, I want to work with Wind Turbines, Solar power, or Geothermal energy. These forms of energy, once further developed, will be relatively inexpensive forms of energy to meet the ever growing demand of not just the United States, but the whole World. By being one of the engineers working to push the world to clean energy I will make a positive impact on the world by ensuring that the unfair placement of fracking, something that I’ve seen affect impoverished communities in my city, doesn’t affect future generations, and that instead clean energy will help make the world cleaner and less polluted.Not only that, I have the goal to improve my art. I have been drawing since I was a child. My goal is simple: grow to be proud of my art and get to the point where it can keep up with my creativity. By minoring in the studio arts, I will be able to get expert advice on how to improve my art. Both of my goals will make me a better person, helping me express myself and help others. So while I don’t know what my future career will be yet, but I know that I want to be an engineer, and that I want to major in mechanical engineering.

I am very creative and highly value this trait and outlets for creative expression because they help me grow as a person and provide a space for me to explore, create, and better understand unexpected connections in the world around me. My creativity has helped me recognize ways that my academic interests in areas such as mathematics and physics can flourish alongside my artistic interests and projects. For example, during a graphic design class last year, I combined geometric knowledge and practice to create a drawing of a girl walking inside a giant rib cage. I had to use geometric principles and calculations to successfully represent her depth and perspective, making her appear far inside the bodily space and making sure her legs were at an angle that looked like she was tilted and being viewed at a ¾ view from the camera. I couldn’t have accomplished these effects with creativity alone; they required a mathematician's eye and skill to come to life

In on Tyranny by Timothy Snyder, Snyder explains how fear is the gateway to modern tyranny, utilizing history and psychology to educate humans on how to avoid the fall of democracy. In Snyder’s 18th lesson, he states: “Be calm when the unthinkable arrives. Modern tyranny is terror management. When a terrorist attack comes, remember that authoritarians exploit such events to consolidate power. The sudden disaster that requires the end of checks and balances, the dissolution of political parties, the suspension of freedom of expression, the right to a fair trial, and so on, is the oldest trick in the Hitlerian book. DO NOT FALL FOR IT.” To start the analysis of this paragraph we first need to understand the tone of the text. Overall, the book focuses on similarities between the modern government and the Nazis' rise to power before World War II. In his text slider analyzes 20 ways to defend democracy; do not obey in advance, defend institutions, beware the one party state, take responsibility for the face of the world, remember professional ethics, be wary of paramilitaries, be reflective if you must be armed, stand out, be kind to our language, believe in truth, investigate, make eye contact, and small talk, practice, corporeal politics, establish a private life, contribute to good causes, learn from peers and other countries, listen for dangerous words, calm when the unthinkable arrives, be a patriot, be as courageous as you can. This particular paragraph is from the section. Be calm when the unthinkable rights this focuses on the idea that through fear tyranny can take over democracy. When everyone is in a panic, they will work harder to defend themselves or will completely reject the idea that it is their job, turning to governments and institutions to do their thinking for them in times of crisis. Snyder tells us that humans don’t want to think when it could bear consequences. But then warns that this fear of consequences is what eventually leads to the loss of freedom. In order to have freedom, actions must have both benefits and consequences because it is their choice to make, and if their decisions have no value in the world, then they are not making true decisions. Snyder especially focuses on how moments of crisis or in his words “state of emergency” mark the permanent imbalance of power. He explained this by stating that dictatorships are not built overnight. They often take slow approaches to eroding freedom. This includes getting rid of civic institutions, eroding the sense of truth, and setting a common enemy. The first of this, eliminating civic institutions, including courts and checks and balances against the head authority. By getting rid of these, the government can make decisions on right or wrong, which is how they serve to erode citizens' sense of truth. This is often done through slight propaganda at first, but that then rises to changes in the education system to make the youngest generation unable to question acts of government. In the case of Nazi Germany, this came to the point where many German children saw Hitler as a form of God. By making the youth trust the government without question, this government could then start getting rid of its enemies. In the case of the United States Snyder explains this as the Republicans versus the Democrats. The United States is a two-party system each one keeping the other in check throughout the years as both sides are elected into power. If one of these sides were to disappear those that disagreed from that center power would become enemies. This can be seen today in modern politics as Snyder explains through America’s current war on immigration. A figure of power, our president, started to develop fear. He made it so that American citizens were afraid of overwhelming immigration, by doing this he created an enemy for him to battle, and thereby he created a dependence on him from the American people. Snyder goes on to explain how fear is the last straw before the fall of democracy. To establish this, Snyder turns to the rise of the Nazis during World War II, focusing on how Hitler turned a small thing into a major issue. Hitler in particular took the devastating economic position of Germany at the time and used it as a resource to get people afraid and angry about where they stood in the world. As a result, he could get himself into government and then slowly create more and more crises until it was impossible to take him out of government. With most sources saying that by the time, Hitler was last elected into office most German citizens knew they would never be allowed to vote again, but still voted for Hitler anyway. Thereby giving away their freedom so they would not have to deal with the consequences of making a choice that would lead to World War II. To conclude this paragraph Snyder states five simple words “ DO NOT FALL FOR IT” warning us the current American people not to give away our freedom because of fear. The way I take this is that no matter how scary the world might be humans. The only way of fighting back is through self-agency. The ability to make our own choices and decisions over our safety and daily lives is what gives us power. Meaning that without our freedom, we would be entirely dependent on a government. That person doesn’t know us, has never met us, unlikely to have thought of us individually, even just once. By warning us, the American people, to be calm in times of crisis Snyder is informing us that while something may seem like the end of the world, while it may seem like we need our governments to defend us from our own choices, what we really need is to understand. In my thesis, I stated how Snyder is teaching the American people how to defend democracy. He does this through us. This paragraph in particular is telling us to listen to what we hear, not jump to conclusions, and understand the importance of being informed. He especially emphasizes the importance of freedom of expression and the right to a fair trial.  Later, on in the section, the text Snyder explains how freedom of expression is how we protest things we find incorrect. That was without freedom of expression. We are no longer able to voice our opinions or to be precise, we are no longer able to voice our opinions that go against the government's beliefs. Without our voices to protest what we leave wrong, we cannot make a change in the world. This is because we are no longer able to find allies. We are no longer able to group as humans and protest, what we find wrong. Creating further fear that those who stand up against the government will be shut down and unable to live a normal life, making people afraid to have opinions in the first place. This fear is further exacerbated when the government takes away the right to a fair trial. This was seen back in the days of colonization when the British outlawed United States citizens from being tried in the United States instead of having them carried to Britain where they would not be understood. While this would be different in the modern day, the premise is the same, those who speak out are punished. Making it so people who do have the courage to speak out become examples of exactly why not to do that. This is why Snyder wrote this section, be calm in times of crisis, because if you do not give your freedom away, they cannot take it from you, but if you give away your freedom, even if just for a second, it’s gone forever. Therefore by explaining how fear is the Gateway to modern tyranny, using past examples and human desire to be free from consequences, Snyder forces us to understand what it means to panic and give away our freedom as a response, reinforcing his message that to maintain our democracy, we must stay calm in times of crisis.

In my first year of high school, I took my very first physics class. I remember the crowded classroom and the teacher and her TA running around the room to help other students, but I still loved that class. Soon after I found What If?, a book by Randall Monroe on using physics to answer stupid questions and explore all of humanity’s ideas. I was so inspired by the book that I started to explore physics outside of the classroom. I was fascinated by how Monroe used maths and physics to answer any question posed to him, and I wanted to be able to answer those questions myself, but not just the absurd ones. After I was done reading it, I decided to enroll in my school's AP physics course, and once I was in I loved it. But I couldn’t help but notice that out of the 50 something students taking the class, less than a third of us were women. That’s when I knew that if I wanted to go into a STEM field, I had to work harder than anyone else and then some. That was when I first realized my love for math: how we could take numbers and transform them to answers that explain the world around us. Math allowed me to view the world as a puzzle, something I could solve, something I could change. My love for math only grew when I started a calculus class in my senior year. I love the idea of setting change through numbers. And using those results to learn more about movement and how things worked just like Randall Monroe. That was when I found Mechanical Engineering, an engineering field that combines my love for calculus, physics, and the arts. Getting a higher education in these fields will allow me to push my creativity. After pursuing higher education, I want to start a career in engineering clean energy systems. Specifically, I want to work with Wind Turbines, Solar power, or Geothermal energy. These forms of energy, once further developed, will be relatively inexpensive forms of energy to meet the ever-growing demand of not just the United States, but the whole World.

I first discovered I was Bisexual in middle school. At the age of thirteen, I realized that I was in love with my then best friend. She was loud, strong, and we had the same terrible sense of humor. But despite my new found revelation, nothing improved from there. My anxiety became worse than ever, scared that she would leave me if she found out so I stayed inside the closet, telling only my mother, my neighbor who was like a sister to me, and my second closest friend. Instead of helping me, my friends left one by one, asking why my “close friend” said she would help me. It wasn’t until the very end of my eighth grade year, when I was all alone and still in therapy, that they announced they were dating, that they had been together for the whole year. After that I fell apart. We all went to different high schools after that. I “graduated” from therapy and had been put on medication, I felt better for the first time in a long time. But even now, I struggle to open up to people, I struggle to trust friends and have never had a close friendship since the incident. I stopped using my phone almost completely and unknowingly isolated myself. Now that I am heading into college, my goal is to make friends again, to open myself up to others and find a place I belong. I want friends who not only accept me for being Bi, but also welcome me. No matter where I end up going, I know I want to join the LGBTQ+ community there, and learn more about myself along the way. After going through this mental health crisis myself, I better understood how important it is to advocate for increased mental health awareness. Many of my classmates in high school, despite having depression and anxiety, refuse to seek help from a doctor or a mental health professional. In this upcoming age where AI is replacing human connection this message is more important than ever. That is why in my life I am open about my mental health, I will talk about it to others and make sure that whenever someone has questions about it I answer, because the more people that see how I treat my mental health as a part of me and not a curse, the more they will see it that way too.

One thing that always made me a little weird to my classmates was that I loved Math. In my first year of high school, I took my very first physics class. I remember the crowded classroom and the teacher and her TA running around the room to help other students, but I still loved that class. So once I was able, I joined AP-Physics. My favorite unit was the forces unit; I was amazed by how my teacher would write F=MA on the board and then in a minute would have a whole paragraph full of math. During the forces unit we did a simple egg lab. We were given balloons, popsicle sticks, and every else we could gather to help our egg land safely from the second floor. I made an egg cage out of popsicle sticks so that they would hit the ground before the egg and added balloon parachutes to increase the air resistance so my egg would fall slower. Then I let go of my creation from the second floor and my egg survived! I was hooked on how science could solve real world problems. Soon after I found What If?, a book by Randall Monroe on using physics to answer stupid questions and explore all of humanity’s ideas. I was so inspired by the book that I started to explore physics outside of the classroom. I was fascinated by how Monroe used maths and physics to answer any question posed to him, and I wanted to be able to answer tose questions myself, but not just the absurd ones. After I was done reading it, I decided to enroll in my school's AP physics course, and once I was in I loved it. But I couldn’t help but notice that out of the 50 something students taking the class, less than a third of us were women. That’s when I knew that if I wanted to go into a STEM field, I had to work harder than anyone else and then some. That was when I found Mechanical Engineering, an engineering field that combines my love for calculus, physics, and the arts. Getting a higher education in these fields will allowing me to push my creativity. After pursuing higher education, I want to start a career in engineering clean energy systems. Specifically, I want to work with Wind Turbines, Solar power, or Geothermal energy. These forms of energy, once further developed, will be relatively inexpensive forms of energy to meet the ever growing demand of not just the United States, but the whole World. By being one of the engineers working to push the world to clean energy I will make a positive impact on the world by ensuring that the unfair placement of fracking, something that I’ve seen affect impoverished communities in my city, doesn’t affect future generations, and that instead clean energy will help make the world cleaner and less polluted.Not only that, I have the goal to improve my art. I have been drawing since I was a child. My goal is simple: grow to be proud of my art and get to the point where it can keep up with my creativity. By minoring in the studio arts, I will be able to get expert advice on how to improve my art. Both of my goals will make me a better person, helping me express myself and help others. So while I don’t know what my future career will be yet, but I know that I want to be an engineer, and that I want to major in mechanical engineering.

I first discovered I was Bisexual in middle school. At the age of thirteen, I realized that I was in love with my then best friend. She was loud, strong, and we had the same terrible sense of humor. But despite my new found revelation, nothing improved from there. My anxiety became worse than ever, scared that she would leave me if she found out so I stayed inside the closet, telling only my mother, my neighbor who was like a sister to me, and my second closest friend. Instead of helping me, my friends left one by one, asking why my “close friend” said she would help me. It wasn’t until the very end of my eighth grade year, when I was all alone and still in therapy, that they announced they were dating, that they had been together for the whole year. After that I fell apart. We all went to different high schools after that. I “graduated” from therapy and had been put on medication, I felt better for the first time in a long time. But even now, I struggle to open up to people, I struggle to trust friends and have never had a close friendship since the incident. I stopped using my phone almost completely and unknowingly isolated myself. Now that I am heading into college, my goal is to make friends again, to open myself up to others and find a place I belong. I want friends who not only accept me for being Bi, but also welcome me. No matter where I end up going, I know I want to join the LGBTQ+ community there, and learn more about myself along the way. After going through this mental health crisis myself, I better understood how important it is to advocate for increased mental health awareness. Many of my classmates in high school, despite having depression and anxiety, refuse to seek help from a doctor or a mental health professional. In this upcoming age where AI is replacing human connection this message is more important than ever. That is why in my life I am open about my mental health, I will talk about it to others and make sure that whenever someone has questions about it I answer, because the more people that see how I treat my mental health as a part of me and not a curse, the more they will see it that way too.

Though I have had many good teachers in my life, none have pushed me as far as Ms. Rust. She was my AP-Seminar teacher, she was my AP-language and composition teacher, and my Speech and debate coach. During Ap-Seminar she would always be there to help me understand the text. I remember when we read the first few chapters of Night by Elie Wiesel, I had so many questions, and Ms. Rust took the time to answer each one, to discuss ethics with me as though I was her equal. I loved that class, and when it came time to give our presentations, I knew that she would encourage me to do my best, regardless of the result. The following year, I had Ms. Rust again as my AP-Language teacher. She always treated the class and me with respect, being more patient than I ever could be. When I didn’t understand the commonplace notebook, a book where we wrote observations and analysed sentence structure, she explained it to me in detail, and walked me through how to make an entry. When I came time to write our end of semester essay, she would answer any question I had whether it was on grammar or the eight revisions of the same sentence. I asked her question after question ranging from “is this the right word for this sentence?” to “do you like tacos” and never once did she blow me off. When I was transferred out of her AP-lang class that year, I was disheartened as could be, but then she told me how amazing her coworker was, and she knew I would succeed in his class too. That being said, my relationship with Ms. Rust went past that off my classes. When I was just a freshman I joined the Greeley Central Speech and Debate team, and Ms. Rust was the assistant coach. She was there from my very first meet, to my last few. Hundreds of Saturdays, thousands of hours, on the bus by 6am, and sometimes not getting back until 8pm. Every time I'd be ready to quit after failing to place, she would tell me how I am ever improving. She would read me my feedback and walk me through how to get better. When I placed at state my junior year, she was just as excited as I was. She is who I will miss the most from my time at Greeley Central Highschool and she was the best, funniest, and compassionate teacher I have ever had. She has taught me how to be patient when I don't understand a topic. She taught me how to take my time when it comes to learning, but most importantly she taught me how to be empathetic towards others. To understand that not everyone sees the world in the same way, and to never give up on myself and the world around me. She made me see past instant gratification and look forward to the journey, the steps and not the end and I will never forget her and all she has done for me.

Though I have had many good teachers in my life, none have pushed me as far as Ms. Rust. She was my AP-Seminar teacher, she was my AP-language and composition teacher, and my Speech and debate coach. During Ap-Seminar she would always be there to help me understand the text. I had so many questions, and Ms. Rust took the time to answer each one as though I was her equal. I loved that class, and when it came time to give our presentations, I knew that she would encourage me to do my best, regardless of the result. The following year, I had Ms. Rust again as my AP-Language teacher. She always treated the class and me with respect, being more patient than I ever could be. When it came time to write our end-of-semester essay, she would answer any question I had. I asked her question after question ranging from “Is this the right word for this sentence?” to “Do you like tacos?” and she answered everyone. That being said, my relationship with Ms. Rust went beyond my classes. Her role in my experience with the speech and Debate Team has been particularly important. When I joined the team in 9th grade, I had the worst stage fright, I would go completely blank or forget pieces of my speech. For instance, during my freshman year, I wrote a rather disappointing speech on critical race theory. When I presented the speech it was only 6 minutes, because I forgot half of the material. In every round of the competition, I scored dead last. I felt defeated, but I knew that speaking in front of other people, no matter how large the group, was an important skill to have. I also recognized that I had to overcome my fears and learn how to do hard things, so I stuck with it. Each time I presented a new speech to a group was an opportunity for practice and slowly, over time, their feedback helped me improve my poise and skill. All the while Ms. Rust was there from my very first meet, to my last few. Hundreds of Saturdays, thousands of hours, on the bus by 6 am, and sometimes not getting back until 8 pm. Every time I'd be ready to quit after failing to place, she would tell me how I was improving. She would read me my feedback and walk me through how to get better. When I placed at the state in my junior year, she was just as excited as I was. Last year, at the statewide competition, I presented a speech on retinoblastoma, the type of cancer I had. I was surrounded by judges outside of my school district and 60-100 other competitors. Though I was still nervous, I was able to deliver my speech with confidence and pride, and I consistently placed first, second, or third in all rounds. Speech and Debate helped me overcome my fears by giving me practice speaking in front of others in a small, supportive space with trusted teammates. Now, I can speak assurance in front of my peers, teachers, and strangers. She has taught me how to be patient when I don't understand a topic. She taught me how to take my time when it comes to learning, but most importantly she taught me how to be empathetic towards others. She made me see past instant gratification and look forward to the journey, the steps and not the end and I will never forget her and all she has done for me.

At 13-months old, I was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a cancer that starts in the eye and aggressively spreads throughout the body. There were surgeries and chemotherapy, and my eye had to be removed and replaced with an artificial eye. While I don’t remember the surgical procedures that followed, I remember how it shaped me. My earliest memories from childhood are marked by difference: how I felt different from other children, how I was looked at differently, how adults treated me differently from other children.   In pre-school, other students would often ask me to take my eye out to prove that I was missing an eye. In third grade, though, I was still pretty extroverted somehow and, right before the end of class one day, a classmate took my spot in the line to leave. A silly thing, I know, but I told her she was cutting. It was the first time I thought of my eye as a defect; she had called me a monster because of my eye and had targeted my insecurity with needle-like precision. Those words clung to me for a very long time, reminding me to be ashamed of my eye, to not say a word about it. As I entered high school, I was still afraid that I’d be turned into a spectacle, like an animal in a zoo, with visitors asking questions and urging everyone to check out the oddity. I began to recognize the beauty in its uniqueness: red on the edges, the small veins and iris composed of different colors and lines, and its incredible realism. These realizations changed how I saw myself and how I viewed my eye, not as a defect, but as a unique part of me. I’ve learned to accept that part of myself as a resource and be more open to other people’s curiosity. Now, I think of my eye as a unique artistic achievement. My left eye is incredibly realistic because of its custom paint job. The ocularist examined my real eye(right) and mimicked its colors and patterns on my prosthetic eye, hand-painting each line, purposely mixing each color to match and creating a unique iris: an ocular masterpiece. Appreciating this gift and being proud of what makes me unique has also changed the way others see me. My vision for succeeding in college is finding ways to help others appreciate differences in all their forms.  Now that I have entered high school, I have learned to appreciate and love my prosthesis, but I am still facing the challenge of being a woman going into a STEM field. I took my very first physics class as a freshman. I remember the crowded classroom and the teacher and her TA running around the room to help other students, but I still loved that class. Soon after I found What If?, a book by Randall Monroe on using physics to answer stupid questions and explore all of humanity’s ideas. I was so inspired by the book that I started to explore physics outside of the classroom. I was fascinated by how Monroe used maths and physics to answer any question posed to him, and I wanted to be able to answer those questions myself, but not just the absurd ones. After I was done reading it, I decided to enroll in my school's AP physics course, and once I was in I loved it. But I couldn’t help but notice that out of the 50-something students taking the class, less than a third of us were women. That’s when I knew that if I wanted to go into a STEM field, I had to work harder than anyone else and then some.  That was when I found Mechanical Engineering, an engineering field that combines my love for calculus, physics, and the arts. Getting a higher education in these fields will allow me to push my creativity. After pursuing higher education, I want to start a career in engineering clean energy systems. Specifically, I want to work with Wind Turbines, Solar power, or Geothermal energy. These forms of energy, once further developed, will be relatively inexpensive forms of energy to meet the ever-growing demand of not just the United States, but the whole World.  While doing this I want to make engineering a more accessible field for women wherever I can. I know that engineering is a male-dominated field, with only around 8.5% of mechanical engineers being women. A lot of that comes from girls being afraid of entering STEM fields due to stereotypes that women are worse at math and science than men, and wanting to avoid being the only girl in their environment. When I become an engineer I want to change that by encouraging other women to become engineers and helping them find confidence in themselves, even when in a masculine field. To do this, I’d start by making groups and clubs that can be joined by female engineers all over the country to encourage teenagers and middle schoolers to join the engineering field. I’d make fundraisers to do small charity programs such as engineering workshops for children still in school, and later expand to doing large meetings virtually for female engineers to share their experiences. In other words, I would influence engineering by making it a more inclusive space for women, making sure female engineers have the support and help they need from other women, and helping them gain confidence in their skills through early learning about engineering.

I am very creative and highly value this trait and outlets for creative expression because they help me grow as a person and provide a space for me to explore, create, and better understand unexpected connections in the world around me. My creativity has helped me recognize ways that my academic interests in areas such as mathematics and physics can flourish alongside my artistic interests and projects. Now I am in AP studio art working on a portfolio over femininity and power. That portfolio won me a gold key in the scholastic art competition in portfolio works and my individual entries earned two gold keys and one silver key. Around the same time that I joined the arts magnet program, I was thrown into an introductory physics class. I loved how it explained all the questions I bottled up for so long. Once able, I joined AP- Physics 1, and while my hardest class, it became one of my favorites. That was when I found Mechanical Engineering, an engineering field that combines my love for calculus, physics, and the arts. Getting a higher education in these fields will allowing me to push my creativity. After pursuing higher education, I want to start a career in engineering clean energy systems. Specifically, I want to work with Wind Turbines, Solar power, or Geothermal energy. These forms of energy, once further developed, will be relatively inexpensive forms of energy to meet the ever growing demand of not just the United States, but the whole World. While doing this I want to make engineering a more accessible field for women wherever I can. I know that engineering is a male dominated field, with only around 8.5% of mechanical engineers being women. A lot of that comes from girls being afraid of entering stem fields due to stereotypes that women are worse at math and science than men, and wanting to avoid being the only girl in their environment. When I become an engineer I want to change that by encouraging other women to become engineers and helping them find confidence in themselves, even when in a masculine field. To do this, I’d start by making groups and clubs that can be joined by female engineers all over the country to encourage teenagers and middle schoolers to join the engineering field. I’d make fundraisers to do small charity programs such as engineering workshops for children still in school, and later expand to doing large meetings virtually for female engineers to share their experiences. In other words, I would influence engineering by making it a more inclusive space for women, making sure female engineers have the support and help they need from other women, and helping them gain confidence in their skills through early learning about engineering.

I have always valued creativity. When I entered Highschool I joined the arts magnet program for the digital arts. The arts magnet program helped me to further my art and explore media I normally wouldn’t have access to. The first class on the arts magnet track was photo 1, a class I would normally have never taken. I learned so much about light in that class. It made me understand the digital art I was working on even more. The specifically tailored arts magnet track program advanced with each step, making sure that I understood everything before I went to the next level teaching me about light composition, layering, and how to use Adobe Photoshop before getting to my capstone class. Now I am in AP studio art working on a portfolio over femininity and power. That portfolio won me a gold key in the scholastic art competition in portfolio works and my individual entries earned two gold keys and one silver key. The arts magnet program was combined with the AP capstone classes offered at Greeley Central high school. My favorite AP class was AP physics one. I loved how the class used labs and experimentation to help explain the world around us. My favorite lab was part of our unity on density. We each got a beaker and a weight. We had to fill the beaker with 300ml of water, measure how much the water rose, and then use that data to find the density of the weight. This type of hands-on learning is effective and fun for me because I see the world as a puzzle waiting to be solved in reverse. I understand our world as one that requires science and discovery to advance knowledge, and physics helps me do that by understanding the most basic principles of things like atomic movement, action, energy, and tension. I can use those foundations to learn how tension lets us move the muscles in our bodies, or I can move outward to the solar system and apply calculations using F=G(m1*m2)/r^2 to solve for gravity around the universe. I didn’t expect physics to be something I could use in my art, but learning fundamental laws of optics, motion, and force informed the ways I could draw hair, ropes, and objects broken after collisions, making everything I drew more realistic.all in all the AP capstone program and the art magnet program how to become a well-rounded individual in both academic base learning but also creativity and problem-solving through exploration with digital media and physical media. Now that I am going into college, I plan to push myself further by incorporating what I will learn in my classes to make my art more realistic all the while learning more about the hidden parts of the world we live in. After pursuing higher education, I want to start a career in engineering clean energy systems, which once further developed, will be inexpensive forms of energy to meet the ever growing demands of the whole world, using my art as a way to advocate for the things I care about including: climate change, LGBTQ+ rights, BLM, and Feminism.

In my first year of high school, I took my very first physics class. I remember the crowded classroom and the teacher and her TA running around the room to help other students, but I still loved that class. So once I was able, I joined AP-Physics. My favorite unit was the forces unit; I was amazed by how my teacher would write F=MA on the board and then in a minute would have a whole paragraph full of math. During the forces unit we did a simple egg lab. We were given balloons, popsicle sticks, and every else we could gather to help our egg land safely from the second floor. I made an egg cage out of popsicle sticks so that they would hit the ground before the egg and added balloon parachutes to increase the air resistance so my egg would fall slower. Then I let go of my creation from the second floor and my egg survived! I was hooked on how science could solve real world problems. Soon after I found What If?, a book by Randall Monroe on using physics to answer stupid questions and explore all of humanity’s ideas. I was so inspired by the book that I started to explore physics outside of the classroom. I was fascinated by how Monroe used maths and physics to answer any question posed to him, and I wanted to be able to answer tose questions myself, but not just the absurd ones. After I was done reading it, I decided to enroll in my school's AP physics course, and once I was in I loved it. But I couldn’t help but notice that out of the 50 something students taking the class, less than a third of us were women. That’s when I knew that if I wanted to go into a STEM field, I had to work harder than anyone else and then some. That was when I found Mechanical Engineering, an engineering field that combines my love for calculus, physics, and the arts. Getting a higher education in these fields will allowing me to push my creativity. After pursuing higher education, I want to start a career in engineering clean energy systems. Specifically, I want to work with Wind Turbines, Solar power, or Geothermal energy. These forms of energy, once further developed, will be relatively inexpensive forms of energy to meet the ever growing demand of not just the United States, but the whole World. By being one of the engineers working to push the world to clean energy I will make a positive impact on the world by ensuring that the unfair placement of fracking, something that I’ve seen affect impoverished communities in my city, doesn’t affect future generations, and that instead clean energy will help make the world cleaner and less polluted.Not only that, I have the goal to improve my art. I have been drawing since I was a child. My goal is simple: grow to be proud of my art and get to the point where it can keep up with my creativity. By minoring in the studio arts, I will be able to get expert advice on how to improve my art. Both of my goals will make me a better person, helping me express myself and help others. So while I don’t know what my future career will be yet, but I know that I want to be an engineer, and that I want to major in mechanical engineering.

In my first year of high school, I took my very first physics class. I remember the crowded classroom and the teacher and her TA running around the room to help other students, but I still loved that class. Soon after I found What If?, a book by Randall Monroe on using physics to answer stupid questions and explore all of humanity’s ideas. I was so inspired by the book that I started to explore physics outside of the classroom. I was fascinated by how Monroe used maths and physics to answer any question posed to him, and I wanted to be able to answer tose questions myself, but not just the absurd ones. After I was done reading it, I decided to enroll in my school's AP physics course, and once I was in I loved it. But I couldn’t help but notice that out of the 50 something students taking the class, less than a third of us were women. That’s when I knew that if I wanted to go into a STEM field, I had to work harder than anyone else and then some. That was when I found Mechanical Engineering, an engineering field that combines my love for calculus, physics, and the arts. Getting a higher education in these fields will allowing me to push my creativity. After pursuing higher education, I want to start a career in engineering clean energy systems. Specifically, I want to work with Wind Turbines, Solar power, or Geothermal energy. These forms of energy, once further developed, will be relatively inexpensive forms of energy to meet the ever growing demand of not just the United States, but the whole World. While doing this I want to make engineering a more accessible field for women wherever I can. I know that engineering is a male dominated field, with only around 8.5% of mechanical engineers being women. A lot of that comes from girls being afraid of entering stem fields due to stereotypes that women are worse at math and science than men, and wanting to avoid being the only girl in their environment. When I become an engineer I want to change that by encouraging other women to become engineers and helping them find confidence in themselves, even when in a masculine field. To do this, I’d start by making groups and clubs that can be joined by female engineers all over the country to encourage teenagers and middle schoolers to join the engineering field. I’d make fundraisers to do small charity programs such as engineering workshops for children still in school, and later expand to doing large meetings virtually for female engineers to share their experiences. In other words, I would influence engineering by making it a more inclusive space for women, making sure female engineers have the support and help they need from other women, and helping them gain confidence in their skills through early learning about engineering.

My parents have always taught me that serving our community improves the lives of all people involved, including those who serve. I first learned this at the Children’s Cancer Center of Tampa, Florida. I used to go there after school and on weekends. There I could hang out with other cancer patients my age. It was a non-profit organization, and the adults there were very supportive, selflessly providing compassion, time, and care. This experience motivated me to work with the Weld County Food Bank in my hometown. The City of Greeley has nine Title I schools, which is a quarter of the total schools in the district. These schools primarily serve low-income families, and members of the elderly community, who are living on a fixed income. Our work improves the lives of the most vulnerable in our community not simply by providing healthy, nourishing food, but also building a sense of shared responsibility and a community of care for others. I typically work several hours each week packing and sorting food donations: canned goods, glass containers, and soft/boxed non-perishable items, which are then distributed to local families. Everyone has basic human rights, and we are all responsible for helping others exercise those rights. I believe in this work because I’ve learned that not all people can enjoy these rights, whether it be due to poverty, disability, age, or any other reason. Volunteering helps me feel like I’m making a difference in my community and strengthening collective resources. After pursuing higher education, I want to start a career in engineering clean energy systems. Specifically, I want to work with Wind Turbines, Solar power, or Geothermal energy. These forms of energy, once further developed, will be relatively inexpensive forms of energy to meet the ever growing demand of not just the United States, but the whole World. By being one of the engineers working to push the world to clean energy I will make a positive impact on the world by ensuring that the unfair placement of fracking, something that I’ve seen affect impoverished communities in my city, doesn’t affect future generations, and that instead clean energy will help make the world cleaner and less polluted. All the while I want to continue my volunteer work, and potentially start my own charity. I would go back to my roots and make a charity for retinoblastoma survivors like me to take about what life with one eye has been like for them and raise money to help pay for quality prosthetics that make the child feel comfortable physically and with their looks. I would then further this charity to pay for eyelid surgery. As I have gotten older, the eyelid over my prosthesis has gotten thicker, and is harder to blink or keep fully open throughout the day; it has always been a sore spot for my self confidence, as I’m sure it has for many other survivors. My charity would help retinoblastoma survivors meet and band together, help the members of our community who can’t afford prosthetics or surgery.

Physics is essentially a science that utilizes mathematical skills such as statistics, algebra, and calculus to help us understand how the world works, so I’ve always viewed these subjects as naturally connected to each other. engineering will allow me to take the results found through physics as a framework to solve real-world problems, making this major both cohesive and practical. I’m excited to find a curriculum that combines these disciplines within one major, along with ample research opportunities and career placement. I also intend to minor in Art Practices, because of my growing interest in using principles of math and science in my own art. After taking AP Physics, I started using graphs, rulers, and protractors in my designs to correctly represent gravity and depth, and I measured geometric shapes to master perspective. Exploring these seemingly disparate fields helped me realize that I can be better at both science and art when I see them working together. Ever since I was a child, I’ve had one goal. Get a doctorate, but until last year I never knew what I wanted to study. That was when I found Mechanical Engineering, an engineering field that combines my love for calculus, physics, and the arts. Getting a higher education in these fields will allowing me to push my creativity. After pursuing higher education, I want to start a career in engineering clean energy systems. Specifically, I want to work with Wind Turbines, Solar power, or Geothermal energy. These forms of energy, once further developed, will be relatively inexpensive forms of energy to meet the ever growing demand of not just the United States, but the whole World. By being one of the engineers working to push the world to clean energy I will make a positive impact on the world by ensuring that the unfair placement of fracking, something that I’ve seen affect impoverished communities in my city, doesn’t affect future generations, and that instead clean energy will help make the world cleaner and less polluted. Not only that, I have the goal to improve my art. I have been drawing since I was a child. My goal is simple: grow to be proud of my art and get to the point where it can keep up with my creativity. By continuing to work with the studio arts, I will be able to advocate for what I believe in using art. Going beyond words and language barriers to reach people from all over the world.

One time I made a difference in the lives of others as a leader was in my AP- US History class. We would often be assigned large amounts of homework per night and me and my classmates often worked on it together. My classmates would turn to me for help and guidance on the work. I always made myself available if my classmates needed help through messages and calls. If we both didn’t understand the work, then I would step forward and work hard so I could explain it to my classmates with confidence. At the end of the year my classmates nominated me as the most helpful classmate of the year. While my AP- Us history class was a small community, I knew that working with my fellow students was how I would help the world become a better place. I discovered Mechanical engineering awhile I was applying to scholarships, and I loved that no matter where I looked I saw the students working together to collaborate on projects, often of their own design. Engineering further interests me because it allows me to express my creativity and solve real world problems such as developing more sustainable ways to store solar energy. My dream is to get a degree in mechanical engineering and I want to learn how to design more efficient and environmentally sustainable ways to collect, and conserve energy while using the least amount of power possible. Art is a powerful tool for activism, and my goal is to create innovative art that helps protect the lives and voices of the most vulnerable members of my community. In the future I hope to increase awareness around these issues through my art and college education as well as use what I have learned about engineering to help build clean energy systems. In this day and age, everyone derives access to power, using my degree, I want to make power a human right around to world, making access to clean energy cheaper and available globally for anyone who wants it and to help this goal, I will use my art to make the current standing inequalities visible and spread to word of my goals. But for now, this portrait represents what I must overcome for I need to get an education, I apply to this scholarships in hopes that it can help my dreams come true, and make the world a better place

I have always had the worst stage fright. Whenever I had to present to more than 2 people my knees would buckle underneath me and my heart would practically beat out of my chest. When I joined the Greeley Central Speech and Debate Team in 9th grade, my stage freight was worse than ever before. Every time I gave a presentation, my muscles would tense up and my brain froze; I would simply go blank completely or forget major pieces of my speech. For instance, during my freshman year I wrote a rather disappointing speech on critical race theory. When I presented the speech it was only 6 minutes, because I forgot almost half of the material. In every round of the competition, I scored dead last. I felt defeated and embarrassed, but I knew that speaking in front of other people, no matter how large the group, was an important skill to have, in life and my future career. I also recognized that I had to overcome my fears and learn how to do hard things, so I stuck with it. Going to every competition even when I knew I would fail and working hard. I stayed up late into the night thinking about how I could better my visual add. When I saw a good speech, I would remember what they did, and how I could use their techniques to my advantage. Hundreds of Saturdays, thousands of hours, on the bus by 6am, and sometimes not getting back until 8pm. Each time I presented a new speech to the group was an opportunity for consistent practice and slowly, over time, their feedback and support helped me improve my poise and skill. I would give my speech in my mind almost daily, and whenever I got on the bus I would say it out loud and work on my enunciation. Last year, at the statewide competition, I presented a speech on retinoblastoma, the type of cancer I had. I was surrounded by judges outside of my school district and 60-100 other competitors. Though I was still nervous, I was able to remember and present my speech not only with confidence, but also with pride, and I consistently won first, second, or third in all rounds. Getting better each time I gave it. Speech and Debate helped me overcome my fears by giving me practice speaking in front of others in a small, supportive space with trusted teammates. Now, I can speak with ease and assurance in front of my peers, teachers, and audiences of people I don’t know personally.

I first discovered I was Bisexual in middle school. At the age of thirteen, I realized that I was in love with my then best friend. She was loud, strong, and we had the same terrible sense of humor. But despite my new found revelation, nothing improved from there. My anxiety became worse than ever, scared that she would leave me if she found out so I stayed inside the closet, telling only my mother, my neighbor who was like a sister to me, and my second closest friend. The last of whom gave me the advice to tell her that she would help me, so I did. After that it started fine, I said I would forget my feeling and would move on, which seemed like the best decision at the time, but soon after things got awkward, i was slowly made to walk on the street instead of the side walk, my “close friend" and my crush slowly developed inside jokes between them, and my depression hit an all-time high. Instead of helping me, my friends left one by one, asking why my “close friend” said she would help me. It wasn’t until the very end of my eighth grade year, when I was all alone and still in therapy, that they announced they were dating, that they had been together for the whole year. After that I fell apart. I still defended my “close friend” even as my parents told me she was manipulated and by the time I had noticed it to, I had become suicidal and had enough anxiety to power a rocket. We all went to different high schools after that. I “graduated” from therapy and had been put on medication, I felt better for the first time in a long time. But even now, I struggle to open up to people, I struggle to trust friends and have never had a close friendship since the incident. I stopped using my phone almost completely and unknowingly isolated myself. Now that I am heading into college, my goal is to make friends again, to open myself up to others and find a place I belong. I want friends who not only accept me for being Bi, but also welcome me. No matter where I end up going, I know I want to join the LGBTQ+ community there, and learn more about myself along the way.

I am proud to identify as a member and an ally of the LGBTQ+ community. Even before I came out as gay in middle school, I recognized the importance of being an ally for the LGBTQ+ community. I grew up with a neighbor, Kat, who is close to my age and, in many ways, like a kid sister to me. They came out as non-binary and gay when we were very young, and their experience impressed on me the need to educate myself on the unique challenges and obstacles they faced, as well as learn the best ways I could support them and others in the LGBT+ community. Knowing these challenges have only worsened in recent years, bringing an ally has never been more meaningful. Part of being an ally means working with members inside and outside of the community to increase awareness, understanding, and empathy, so that we can challenge the marginalization of others who are the targets of violence and hatred. Last year I took part in the Greeley Colorado Pride fest, and it was an honor to be part of that experience. My first job at the event was to help direct cars to the right parking lots so that the vendors and the performers could easily get into the event. After they were set up I helped the director of the event set up more signs so the drivers could find the event. I loved being able to walk around and feel the support Greeley is giving the LGBTQ+ community. LGBTQ+ support has never been as meaningful as it is now, because it represents my commitment to engaging in positive conversations, change, advocacy for safer spaces, and social justice for all queer people and as a member of the LGBTQ+ community I want to do my part to help it. We are currently witnessing a new attack on the universal right to marry a partner, regardless of their gender identity, and we must find creative and accessible ways to challenge these attacks in visual, digital, and print art and media. Art is a powerful tool for activism, and my goal is to create innovative art that helps protect the lives and voices of the most vulnerable members of my community. I plan to use my art in order to advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and my own feminist stance on the world. My art will force its viewer to think about the people behind the LGBTQ movement as people not just symbols.

Though I have had many good teachers in my life, none have pushed me as far as Ms. Rust. She was my AP-Seminar teacher, she was my AP-language and composition teacher, and my Speech and debate coach. During Ap-Seminar she would always be there to help me understand the text. I remember when we read the first few chapters of Night by Elie Wiesel, I had so many questions, and Ms. Rust took the time to answer each one, to discuss ethics with me as though I was her equal. I loved that class, and when it came time to give our presentations, I knew that she would encourage me to do my best, regardless of the result. The following year, I had Ms. Rust again as my AP-Language teacher. She always treated the class and me with respect, being more patient than I ever could be. When I didn’t understand the commonplace notebook, a book where we wrote observations and analysed sentence structure, she explained it to me in detail, and walked me through how to make an entry. When I came time to write our end of semester essay, she would answer any question I had whether it was on grammar or the eight revisions of the same sentence. I asked her question after question ranging from “is this the right word for this sentence?” to “do you like tacos” and never once did she blow me off. When I was transferred out of her AP-lang class that year, I was disheartened as could be, but then she told me how amazing her coworker was, and she knew I would succeed in his class too. That being said, my relationship with Ms. Rust went past that off my classes. When I was just a freshman I joined the Greeley Central Speech and Debate team, and Ms. Rust was the assistant coach. She was there from my very first meet, to my last few. Hundreds of Saturdays, thousands of hours, on the bus by 6am, and sometimes not getting back until 8pm. Every time I'd be ready to quit after failing to place, she would tell me how I am ever improving. She would read me my feedback and walk me through how to get better. When I placed at state my junior year, she was just as excited as I was. She is who I will miss the most from my time at Greeley Central Highschool and she was the best, funniest, and compassionate teacher I have ever had. She has taught me how to be patient when I don't understand a topic. She taught me how to take my time when it comes to learning, but most importantly she taught me how to be empathetic towards others. To understand that not everyone sees the world in the same way, and to never give up on myself and the world around me. She made me see past instant gratification and look forward to the journey, the steps and not the end and I will never forget her and all she has done for me.

I am very creative and highly value this trait and outlets for creative expression because they help me grow as a person and provide a space for me to explore, create, and better understand unexpected connections in the world around me. My creativity has helped me recognize ways that my academic interests in areas such as mathematics and physics can flourish alongside my artistic interests and projects. While doing research on what I wanted to major in, I discovered mechanical engineering, a major that combined math and physics but also let me create devices to better the world. After getting my undergraduate degree, which is far in the future I know, I want to get a job in clean energy and work to make solar panels, wind mills, and nuclear energy source more accessible to everyone. But outside of work, I want to continue volunteering no matter where I end up. My parents have always taught me that serving our community improves the lives of all people involved, including those who serve. I first learned this at the Children’s Cancer Center of Tampa, Florida. I used to go there after school and on weekends. There I could hang out with other cancer patients my age. It was a non-profit organization, and the adults there were very supportive, selflessly providing compassion, time, and care. Volunteering helps me feel like I’m making a difference in my community and strengthening collective resources. I have volunteered over 90 hours in my junior and senior years, mainly at the weld food bank. And each time I bagged an onion or packed a senior box I felt as if I was a part of something bigger. My work improves the lives of the most vulnerable in our community by providing healthy, nourishing food, building a sense of shared responsibility and a community of care for others. I typically work several hours each week packing and sorting food donations: canned goods, glass containers, and soft/boxed non-perishable items, which are then distributed to local families. If I were to start my own charity, I would go back to my roots and make a charity for retinoblastoma survivors like me to take about what life with one eye has been like for them and raise money to help pay for quality prosthetics that make the child feel comfortable physically and with their looks. I would then further this charity to pay for eyelid surgery. As I have gotten older, the eyelid over my prosthesis has gotten thicker, and is harder to blink or keep fully open throughout the day; it has always been a sore spot for my self confidence, as I’m sure it has for many other survivors. My charity would help retinoblastoma survivors meet and band together, help the members of our community who can’t afford prosthetics or surgery.

At 13-months old, I was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a cancer that starts in the eye and aggressively spreads throughout the body. There were surgeries and chemotherapy, and my eye had to be removed and replaced with an artificial eye, but don’t worry–I’m not playing the cancer card! While I don’t remember the surgical procedures that followed, I remember how it shaped me. My earliest memories from childhood are marked by difference: how I felt different from other children, how I was looked at differently, how adults treated me differently than other children. In pre-school, other students would often ask me to take my eye out to prove that I was missing an eye. In third grade, though, I was still pretty extroverted somehow and, right before the end of class one day, a classmate took my spot in the leave line. A silly thing, I know, but I told her she was cutting. She just turned and called me a cyclops in front of everyone. It was the first time I thought of my eye as a defect; she had called me a monster because of my eye and had targeted my insecurity with needle-like precision. Those words clung to me for a very long time, reminding me to be ashamed of my eye, to not say a word about it. As I entered high school, I was still afraid that I’d be turned into a spectacle, like an animal in a zoo, with visitors asking questions and urging everyone to check out the oddity. But, as I matured, so did the people around me. When a close friend asked about my eye, I answered honestly. She thought it was interesting and remained respectful and, over time, this interaction repeated with other friends. I started feeling better–more confident–about my eye. I began to recognize the beauty in its uniqueness: red on the edges, the small veins and iris composed of different colors and lines, its incredible realism. These realizations changed how I saw myself, how I saw others, and how I viewed my eye, not as a defect, but as a unique part of me. I’ve learned to accept that part of myself as a resource and be more open to other people’s curiosity. Now, I think of my eye as a unique artistic achievement. It was hand-crafted by my ocularist for me! My left eye is incredibly realistic because of its custom paint job. The ocularist examined my real eye(right) and mimicked its colors and patterns on my prosthetic eye, hand painting each line, purposely mixing each color to match and creating a brand new iris: an ocular masterpiece. My eye has given me the gift of seeing many things differently: art, people, challenges, opportunities. Appreciating this gift and being proud of what makes me unique has also changed the way others see me. My vision for succeeding in college is finding ways to help others appreciate difference in all its forms.