Since I was young I have yearned for the job title of engineer, From watching youtube videos on raspberry pi projects people online have made, to trying to learn how to code. I have always been fascinated by the job of the engineer to me they are an integral part of society and I wanted to help add to their contributions whether it is as a chemical engineer or as a civil engineer. It felt like yesterday I enrolled in my first engineering class in middle school. Within the course, we were taught the basics of drafting and designing different projects. From building bridges with popsicle sticks to trying to find an efficient way to roast a marshmallow using the sun as our only power source. With each project my knowledge of engineering grew and my passion along with it. As I ventured into high school the first chance I rushed to secure a spot in our school's engineering class with hopes of broadening my knowledge of the different disciplines that surround the topic of engineering. My teacher within the class through the usage of a multitude of different projects was able to efficiently teach my peers and myself about the different disciplines of engineering. While going over the course work I started to think about what discipline I would study in the future. Unfortunately, my sophomore year was cut short due to COVID-19, and due to our teacher retiring the engineering class was discontinued within our school. During the pandemic I took it upon myself to continue researching different disciplines outside the ones covered through my previous curriculum, that's when I discovered software engineering and the many jobs associated with it. I started researching more and more about the career paths associated with software engineering and I fell in love with it as a discipline. Right now, as I enter my sophomore year of college I hope to secure my first internship within the world of tech in hopes of furthering my knowledge and gaining job experience. Not only do I hope it serves as a learning experience but also as a motivator to continue to push me further and strive for more within my chosen career field. On top of that another major goal of mine would have to be finishing college, as one of my parents' older children I hope that achieving this benchmark would inspire my younger siblings after me to pursue their own aspirations.

When I was younger I always dreamed of being an engineer. The job fascinated me because it is versatile and had many different pathways allowing people to explore different options. Over time I would see myself diving into different forms of engineering. The only hurdle that stood in my way was a lack of resources to further grow my knowledge of the topic physically. This was mainly attributed to my family's financial situation. As a student, The thing that drove me toward this industry was my interest in technology which started back in 6th grade when I took my first tech class. This was my first real chance to get hands-on and in-depth experience involving technology. At the time I already developed an interest in all things that involved engineering, which I mainly attribute to Mark Rober and his videos released on the platform YouTube. The class helped me go more into depth on how to use technology in a practical sense to benefit myself and others. All of which led me to dive further into STEM. My major goal, in the long run, is to get a job in the tech industry as a way to help contribute to people's lives through software development. With BIPOC making up a small percentage of the tech industry another goal of mine would be to help push more kids who had similar interests as I properly develop their interests in a way I was not able to at times when I was younger. The main way I would want to approach this is through social media platforms. This would allow me to help share resources that could potentially make the transition into tech one that is easier and more conceivable for the average teenager. One thing that I love about the tech field is the direction that they are going when it comes to inclusivity and making sure everyone can use the medium. I feel like everyone must make sure that our product can be used by as big a group as possible regardless of any characteristics they may possess. This also serves as a way to further connect us and make life easier for many different demographics. Overall, I feel like the tech industry is one that I show great interest in as both a consumer and a future developer. Tech is something to be seen as a vessel to deliver a quality product and experience to many people and I want to be a part of that and contribute towards that as an individual.

Hello, my name is Shawn Blackwood Jr. I was born and raised in the small town of La Grange, Texas. Growing up my family lived in a local trailer park. It was never the best life but it was a good one for what we had. It was the summer after my 7th-grade year I was excited and I had the whole summer ahead of me. The first month was filled with joy as I played with friends and family. Life felt wonderful, until the end of that June when a horrific car accident stripped our family of two members. My cousin Brina would always be there for us before she passed. She was one of our oldest cousins and would always offer to babysit us while our parents were at work. She and her daughter Danielle brought joy across the family. Naturally, it came as a shock to everyone when it happened and I would be lying if I said my family was ever the same after the funeral. Sadly, that was not the only tragedy that occurred during that dread-filled summer. It was like any other day, my mom was doing my sister's hair, and my dad was out at work. Then unexpectedly we received a notice from the city to evacuate our area to avoid the flood waters that Hurricane Harvey was bringing to our area. Swiftly we all jumped to action packing and praying that no harm would come to our home. After we finish securing all our necessities we retreated to my aunt's house to stay temporarily or so we thought. Our house and trailer park were fully submerged and became unsuitable to live in. Luckily for us, a family friend's church offered up a temporary home for us to stay in for a year while we recovered. During this time I was at my worse I was unable to see any light at the end of the tunnel. Separated from my friends and miles away from my hometown all I was able to do was stay home. I started to care less about what happened to me the thought of suicide lingering around me. The only thing that stopped me where my extracurriculars which kept me connected to the few friends I had at the time. Nevertheless, everything continued and I just kept going and over time I slowly started to see the light. While our family still has never been the same, we were able to get a house that we have been living in for the past 5 years.

I would say my interest in computer science started with my love for video games. As a kid, I was infatuated with them and I wanted to design and create them. In 6th grade, I took my first official tech class. This served as an introduction to the different usages that computers can grant us as people. In our second semester of study, I was introduced to coding through the simplistic language Scratch. My teacher at the time gave us an assignment to better help us understand how code works. This unit in our class helped amplified my knowledge and understanding of how code interacts with programs and it increased my desire to create video games in the future. This continued well into my middle school years with me taking two more tech classes one being focused on engineering concepts and the other focused on more basics in computer science. In 8th grade, I took my first algebra course. In that class, my teacher would show us the different careers associated with math as a way to show us what is possible within math. During this time I started thinking of what I would like to pursue as a future career. At the time I mainly wanted to become a mechanical engineer due to that being more of an interest of mine. As I headed into my 9th and 10th-grade years I was more focused on engineering even taking classes based on the subject matter. With my teacher being the wife of a local engineer we got a more in-depth education on the different disciplines of engineering. During my education in her class, I started to look into the learning pathways of software engineering. My deep dive into the education of software engineering inspired me to commit to that being my future major. Currently, I am a freshman in college and in my quest to learn about computer science, I am self-teaching myself different concepts in preparation for my future classes. I am of the 1st generation in my family to go to college. My grandfather on my dad's side served in Vietnam. Otis James Blackwood would always try to keep in contact with me and my sister regardless of our relationship with our father. He helped keep us connected to that side of the family and I have nothing but respect for him. My cousin Alexis R. Williams is currently enlisted in the army. She was one of the first in my family to go to college. She went to play basketball but that time was cut short and with no other plans she joined the army. She was deployed a few years ago during that time there was a mass amount of uncertainty when it came to her safety due to rising tensions in the Middle East. As a result, the family was more than happy to see her safe return to the states and the stories of her time there inspire us as a family.

When I was younger I always dreamed of being an engineer. The job fascinated me because it is versatile and had many different pathways allowing people to explore different options. Over time I would see myself diving into different forms of engineering. The only hurdle that stood in my way was a lack of resources to further grow my knowledge of the topic physically. This was mainly attributed to my family's financial situation. As a student, The thing that drove me toward this industry was my interest in technology which started back in 6th grade when I took my first tech class. This was my first real chance to get hands-on and in-depth experience involving technology. At the time I already developed an interest in all things that involved engineering, which I mainly attribute to Mark Rober and his videos released on the platform YouTube. The class helped me go more into depth on how to use technology in a practical sense to benefit myself and others. All of which led me to dive further into STEM. My major goal, in the long run, is to get a job in the tech industry as a way to help contribute to people's lives through software development. With BIPOC making up a small percentage of the tech industry another goal of mine would be to help push more kids who had similar interests as me properly develop their interests in a way I was not able to at times when I was younger. The main way I would want to approach this is through social media platforms. This would allow me to help share resources that could potentially make the transition into tech one that is easier and more conceivable for the average teenager. One thing that I love about the tech field is the direction that they are going when it comes to inclusivity and making sure everyone can use the medium. I feel like everyone must make sure that our product can be used by as big a group as possible regardless of any characteristics they may possess. This also serves as a way to further connect us and make life easier for many different demographics. Overall, I feel like the tech industry is one that I show great interest in as both a consumer and a future developer. Tech is something to be seen as a vessel to deliver a quality product and experience to many people and I want to be a part of that and contribute towards that as an individual.