When I moved back to Texas from Japan in 2018, I knew that I wanted to study engineering and pursue a career in the aerospace industry. When I got to high school, I began to focus my classes towards that goal of working in the STEM field, taking higher-level math and science courses to prepare for college, and taking classes specifically for engineering. It was my Engineering teacher, Ms. Compton, who helped me the most to help me achieve this goal. She made engineering fun and made me realize that it is not just the marriage between math and science, but it is the science of solving problems. She taught me that when there is a problem with something, it is an engineer's job to find a creative solution to fix it. Sure, engineers use math and science to do this, but what they are doing is finding ways to make life easier for everyone. Everyday things that I used to take for granted suddenly had so much more meaning. This computer that I am typing this essay on was meticulously designed to be as easy to use and productive as possible for the cheapest price. An engineer took their time to plan out the inner workings of it, and every single piece has an intended function that it carries out flawlessly. This is what I want to do for the aviation industry. Another factor that has influenced my goal to study aerospace engineering is the Navy. Ever since I was a little boy, I have wanted to serve as an officer and naval aviator, to defend my country. I feel that an education in aerospace engineering will help give me a better understanding of what I will be doing in the military and help me handle my training better than I would without this prior knowledge. While it is not required that my degree be focused in a STEM field, I do not think that it would be conducive to my success as an aviator to study another field so detached from what I want to do. While the Navy is not the final step on my path in life, it will be a very significant part of it, and I think being as well prepared for my future as possible will benefit me greatly, and I think that attending a prestigious engineering college will help me achieve that as long as I put in the work and effort to get there.

When I moved back to Texas from Japan in 2018, I knew that I wanted to study engineering and pursue a career in the aerospace industry. When I got to high school, I began to focus my classes towards that goal of working in the STEM field, taking higher-level math and science courses to prepare for college, and taking classes specifically for engineering. It was my Engineering teacher, Ms. Compton, who helped me the most to help me achieve this goal. She made engineering fun and made me realize that it is not just the marriage between math and science, but it is the science of solving problems. She taught me that when there is a problem with something, it is an engineer's job to find a creative solution to fix it. Sure, engineers use math and science to do this, but what they are doing is finding ways to make life easier for everyone. Everyday things that I used to take for granted suddenly had so much more meaning. This computer that I am typing this essay on was meticulously designed to be as easy to use and productive as possible for the cheapest price. An engineer took their time to plan out the inner workings of it, and every single piece has an intended function that it carries out flawlessly. This is what I want to do for the aviation industry. Another factor that has influenced my goal to study aerospace engineering is the Navy. Ever since I was a little boy, I have wanted to serve as an officer and naval aviator, to defend my country. I feel that an education in aerospace engineering will help give me a better understanding of what I will be doing in the military and help me handle my training better than I would without this prior knowledge. While it is not required that my degree be focused in a STEM field, I do not think that it would be conducive to my success as an aviator to study another field so detached from what I want to do. While the Navy is not the final step on my path in life, it will be a very significant part of it, and I think being as well prepared for my future as possible will benefit me greatly, and I think that attending a prestigious engineering college will help me achieve that as long as I put in the work and effort to get there.

As a military child, I know what it is like to have to move around a lot and make new friends frequently. It has become a skill that I am very grateful for, and it has helped me grow from an introverted person into someone social, who participates in school activities, and isn’t afraid to talk to new people. I have lived all over the country, and even in other countries, experiencing many different cultures and people along the way. Throughout all of this, I was also an active member of the Boy Scouts of America from first grade to the present. I crossed over to the Boy Scout troop at the end of fifth grade and took my time growing into myself and building my leadership style based on the people around me. When I reached 9th grade I was thrust into my first leadership role in my troop. As a leader in my Boy Scout troop, I have helped to develop the leadership skills and values that were instilled in me as a younger scout. This past summer, I was the crew leader of ten individuals on a two-week-long backpacking trip through the mountains of northeastern New Mexico at Philmont Scout Ranch. I was able to utilize my own experience as a crew member at Philmont before to help my new crew members succeed to their highest potential. It was amazing being able to watch them go from struggling with the chilling winds and freezing rain (not to mention the miles and miles of hiking) to being able to fly through a 3-mile hike with 50-60 pounds on their backs like it was nothing by the end of the trip. I plan to continue to participate in scouting well past my college career and into my adult life, where I wish to continue to help develop the next group of young leaders in my community. Scouting has helped instill a sense of self-confidence in me that I do not think I would have been able to feel without it. As I grow into adulthood and move to a new community, it will be one of my top priorities to find a Scout troop for me to help with as an adult leader. Scouting is an amazing organization and I want to help give kids in my community the same opportunities to learn and grow that I was given.

When I moved back to Texas from Japan in 2018, I knew that I wanted to study engineering and pursue a career in the aerospace industry. When I got to high school, I began to focus my classes towards that goal of working in the STEM field, taking higher-level math and science courses to prepare for college, and taking classes specifically for engineering. It was my Engineering teacher, Ms. Compton, who helped me the most to help me achieve this goal. She made engineering fun and made me realize that it is not just the marriage between math and science, but it is the science of solving problems. She taught me that when there is a problem with something, it is an engineer's job to find a creative solution to fix it. Sure, engineers use math and science to do this, but what they are doing is finding ways to make life easier for everyone. Everyday things that I used to take for granted suddenly had so much more meaning. This computer that I am typing this essay on was meticulously designed to be as easy to use and productive as possible for the cheapest price. An engineer took their time to plan out the inner workings of it, and every single piece has an intended function that it carries out flawlessly. This is what I want to do for the aviation industry. Another factor that has influenced my goal to study aerospace engineering is the Navy. Ever since I was a little boy, I have wanted to serve as an officer and naval aviator, to defend my country. I feel that an education in aerospace engineering will help give me a better understanding of what I will be doing in the military and help me handle my training better than I would without this prior knowledge. While it is not required that my degree be focused in a STEM field, I do not think that it would be conducive to my success as an aviator to study another field so detached from what I want to do. While the Navy is not the final step on my path in life, it will be a very significant part of it, and I think being as well prepared for my future as possible will benefit me greatly, and I think that attending a top of the line engineering school will help me achieve that as long as I put in the work and effort to get there.

As a military child, I know what it is like to have to move around a lot and make new friends frequently. It has become a skill that I am very grateful for, and it has helped me grow from an introverted person into someone social, who participates in school activities, and isn’t afraid to talk to new people. I have lived all over the country, and even in other countries, experiencing many different cultures and people along the way. Throughout all of this, I was also an active member of the Boy Scouts of America from first grade to the present. I crossed over to the Boy Scout troop at the end of fifth grade and took my time growing into myself and building my leadership style based on the people around me. When I reached 9th grade I was thrust into my first leadership role in my troop. As a leader in my Boy Scout troop, I have helped to develop the leadership skills and values that were instilled in me as a younger scout. This past summer, I was the crew leader of ten individuals on a two-week-long backpacking trip through the mountains of northeastern New Mexico at Philmont Scout Ranch. I was able to utilize my own experience as a crew member at Philmont before to help my new crew members succeed to their highest potential. It was amazing being able to watch them go from struggling with the chilling winds and freezing rain (not to mention the miles and miles of hiking) to being able to fly through a 3-mile hike with 50-60 pounds on their backs like it was nothing by the end of the trip. I plan to continue to participate in scouting well past my college career and into my adult life, where I wish to continue to help develop the next group of young leaders in my community. Scouting has helped instill a sense of self-confidence in me that I do not think I would have been able to feel without it. As I grow into adulthood and move to a new community, it will be one of my top priorities to find a Scout troop for me to help with as an adult leader. Scouting is an amazing organization and I want to help give kids in my community the same opportunities to learn and grow that I was given.