The Language of Machines: My Big Dream Growing up in a small town like Montevallo, the paths to success are built for a world of sound. I am a senior at Montevallo High School, a varsity cheerleader, and I am deaf. Because I have spent my life in a mainstream education system that was not designed for me, I have had to work twice as hard just to be at the starting line. I often find myself straddling the world of the hearing and the world of the Deaf, which is why I identify as deaf. It helps people understand the reality of my hearing loss and the effort I put in every day. My "big dream" is to become a leader in industrial automation as a Mechatronics technician. This dream is big for me because it takes me out of the "support" roles people sometimes expect of the deaf community and puts me right in the center of high-tech engineering. My inspiration for this dream comes from the machines I work with. In the robotics lab at the Career Technical Educational Center (CTEC), I don't have to worry about catching someone's tone or hearing a specific voice. Robotics is about logic, math, and precision. I found out quickly that I have a natural talent for seeing how mechanical systems fit together. This passion brought out skills I didn’t know I had, like the ability to visualize a solution for a complex machine before I even touch a tool. My dream is to prove that technical skill doesn't depend on how you hear the world, but on how you solve the problems in front of you. I’ve put in the work to make it happen. During my junior year at CTEC, I made history by earning the highest score of any first-year robotics student. I also earned my MSSC CPT 4.0 certification in April 2024. Currently, I am dual-enrolled at Jefferson State Community College. I am working toward my Mechatronics Certificate while finishing my senior year. My next step is to attend the University of Alabama through the Shelton State bridge program. This path will allow me to gain hands-on technical training and then move into my degree at UA. This scholarship would enable my dream by covering the essential costs of my education. Because I am navigating this path with very limited financial resources, winning scholarships is the only way I can afford to move forward. I would use these funds for tuition, housing, a meal plan, or the assistive technology I need to succeed in a lab environment. By removing these financial barriers, I can focus entirely on mastering the complex systems I’ll be working with in the industry. I want to show other kids from small towns and other students in the deaf community that our current situation doesn't set our limit. I want to change the way people look at disability in the workforce. I want them to see it as a different, highly focused way of looking at a problem.