Being a first-generation college student has shaped the way I view my education, my future career, and the type of person I want to become. Growing up, college was something I saw other people talk about, but it was not something my family knew how to navigate. I did not grow up hearing advice about FAFSA, course selections, internships, or career planning. I had to learn each step myself through research, asking questions, and making mistakes that became lessons. This process built a strong sense of independence that continues to guide my goals today. Coming from a low income background also meant that college was not guaranteed. I worked several part time jobs throughout high school and into college, often picking up weekend hours to contribute to my savings. Balancing work with school taught me how to manage my time, stay disciplined, and stay focused on long term goals even when I felt stretched thin. Knowing that I played a major role in funding my own education makes me appreciate every opportunity I earn, and it influences the way I approach my career path with determination and responsibility. Being first-generation has made me intentional about the future I want to build. I understand how many barriers can stand in the way of students who come from families without experience in higher education. That awareness motivates me to use my education to create stability for myself and for the family I hope to have someday. It also pushes me to take advantage of every experience I can, including internships, hands-on projects, and leadership opportunities, because I know that each one helps close the knowledge gap that many first-generation students face. My career goals are shaped by the possibilities I discovered in college. Studying mechanical engineering helped me realize how much I enjoy design, creativity, and problem solving. I want a career in product design or technology innovation where I can create solutions that make everyday life easier for others. Without college, I would not have known that these paths were even an option. Ultimately, being a first-generation college student has made me more driven, more resilient, and more grateful. It has shown me that I can create a future that looks different from the one I grew up with. This sense of purpose influences every career choice I make and strengthens my commitment to long term success.

Education has shaped the direction of my life in ways I never expected. As a Mechanical Engineering student at the University of Cincinnati, I have discovered not only what I want to do, but who I want to become. My path has not been simple, and balancing work, school, personal responsibilities, and my own expectations has challenged me far beyond the classroom. Still, these challenges are exactly what helped me grow into someone who sets big goals, works hard for them, and believes she can create a meaningful future through engineering and design. Although I am not the first in my family to be technically minded, my journey into engineering looks very different from the one my dad experienced. He worked his way up in the industry without a college degree, proving that dedication can create opportunity. Seeing his determination taught me the value of hard work early on, but I also knew I wanted to take a different path by earning my degree and formally studying the engineering and design principles I am so passionate about. Even with that inspiration, navigating the reality of college life has been something I have had to manage largely on my own. Supporting myself financially, keeping up with demanding coursework, and working full-time while on co-op have required discipline, organization, and resilience. There have been moments when everything felt overwhelming. Trying to succeed in a challenging engineering program while handling the pressures of adulthood, work schedules, unexpected medical setbacks, and the mental load of constantly thinking ahead taught me that growth often happens during the most difficult seasons. When I underwent surgery and needed to recover while staying on top of classes and responsibilities, I realized how much strength I had built through years of balancing obligations. It was one of those moments where I could have fallen behind, but instead it reinforced my commitment to my education and future. Through these experiences, one thing has remained constant: every obstacle sharpened my sense of direction. In high school, engineering classes sparked my love for problem solving and creative thinking. In college, I discovered mechanical design and 3D modeling, which quickly became the part of engineering that excites me the most. I love taking an idea and turning it into something tangible, functional, and purposeful. Design is where my creativity and technical mind meet. Painting and art have always been a part of my life, especially realism inspired by nature, and I have found that the skills I use in art, observation, patience, attention to detail, make me a stronger engineer as well. My education helped me understand that I do not have to choose between creativity and engineering; I can build a career that blends both. My long-term dream is to become a creative mechanical design engineer who uses design to make life better for others. I want my work to be meaningful. I imagine designing products for children that encourage creativity and learning, creating toys that help develop curiosity, or even medical devices that improve safety and accessibility. I also dream of developing my own product concepts, like I prototyped an AI drawing device, which turns kids drawings into an animated cartoon and audible story. Innovation gives me a way to connect my passion for design with my desire to help people, and that is the kind of purpose I want my career to have. To reach this future, I plan to continue building my technical knowledge and developing my design skills. My co-op experiences have shown me the importance of understanding how ideas move from early concepts to fully engineered products. I want to keep working with teams that challenge me, expose me to new ideas, and push me to think creatively about solutions. I want to explore roles in product design, R&D, and creative engineering environments where imagination and problem solving are valued equally. I am also committed to carrying the resilience I have developed into my career, because I know that engineering often requires persistence, experimentation, and the courage to believe in an idea even before others can see it. Education has not just given me a career path. It has given me purpose. It taught me that I am capable, resourceful, and committed even when the situation is difficult. It showed me that success is not about having everything figured out, but about being willing to keep going, keep learning, and keep believing in where you are headed. The experiences I have navigated throughout college have shaped my character, my ambition, and my vision for the future, and I am proud of who I am becoming. I hope to use my education to create a better future not only for myself, but for the people who will use the products I design. Whether I am building something that sparks joy, improves safety, or solves an everyday problem, I want my work to reflect compassion, creativity, and innovation. I want to design with purpose and create with heart. And I want to show others, especially young students who may feel unsure of their own path, that challenges do not diminish your dream. They shape it. Education has given me direction, strength, and a way to turn my creativity into something that can impact others. I am excited to keep growing, keep creating, and keep moving toward a future where I can use engineering to make a meaningful difference.

My “Pie in the Sky” dream is to become a creative mechanical design engineer who uses innovation to make life better for others. I want to design products that serve a meaningful purpose, whether that means helping children learn through play or contributing to medical technologies that improve quality of life. At its core, my dream is to combine creativity, engineering, and compassion to create products that truly matter. This dream began long before I realized I wanted to be an engineer. Growing up as a first-generation student, I did not have a clear roadmap for what my future would look like. What I did have was curiosity. I loved taking apart small objects, sketching ideas, and building things that existed only in my imagination. In high school, when I took my first engineering courses, everything changed. I found a field where problem solving, creativity, and impact came together. The more I learned, the more I saw engineering not only as a career but as a chance to shape how people interact with the world. As I continued my education, I realized that I wanted to bring fun, creativity, and purpose into my designs. I am passionate about 3D modeling because it gives me the freedom to bring an idea to life and watch it evolve into something real. That spark of creation is something I never get tired of. At the same time, I am motivated by the idea that engineering is not just about designing parts. It is about improving lives. Whether that means creating safer medical devices, building engaging toys that inspire children to explore their own creativity, or designing tools that make everyday tasks easier, I want my work to have a positive impact on others. To reach this goal, the first step is continuing my education in mechanical engineering and growing my design skills. I plan to pursue internships and co-op opportunities that allow me to work on real projects and understand how ideas move from sketches to fully functioning products. I want to learn from people who are already making a difference in fields like product design and medical engineering. Each experience will help me understand what kind of engineer I want to become and how I can use my creativity in meaningful ways. Another important step is staying connected to a community that encourages growth and bravery. Being a first-generation woman in engineering means I have learned how powerful it is to build your own path even when it feels uncertain. I want to surround myself with people who dream boldly, take risks, and believe that their ideas can change something. That is the type of environment where I thrive and the type of engineer I want to be. My dream may feel big and at times slightly out of reach, but it motivates me every day. It pushes me to work hard, stay curious, and trust that even the smallest steps will bring me closer to creating something meaningful. I want to design with heart, create with purpose, and use engineering as a way to brighten the world. That is my “Pie in the Sky,” and I am ready to take the next courageous steps to make it real.

I grew up with my dad by my side. He is a automotive gearhead and I loved working in the garage, getting my hands dirty, and going to the race track with him to learn automotives and different mechanical components. With this, he has always told me I was mechanically inclined and I should pursue that as a career. Growing up in middle school and high school I started getting involved into ROBOTICS and engineering courses and I found all the information so interesting and I loved seeing how different parts run. I loved all the engineering projects and I loved the mechanicals of different assemblies, I always found it so fascinating. With this, I decided to pursue a degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Cincinnati. Now I am a third-year student that has completed two co-op rotations as a mechanical design engineer and I couldn't be happier with the choice I made, thanks to him. My dad started working at an assembly line for Wayne Pumps when he was just 18 years old and worked his way up to be Lead Engineer for the company. Now I am currently a first-generation women, pursuing her degree in Mechanical engineering, and I am currently on a co-op rotation for Wayne Pumps as a Mechanical Design Engineer at 20-years old. I currently design and make edits to pumps he originally created and designed 20 years ago, which is so fascinating to me. I couldn't have been here to where I am at if it wasn't for my loving dad that taught me the in's and out's to different parts all while growing up. He was there even for non-work related items. I would be at home working on a project and while doing these projects independently, I would make mistakes, as would anyone working on an independent project the first time. This used to always frustrate me and I would be down on myself for not doing something right the first time. Every time I would mess up, instead of beating me down, my dad would encourage me that is the way of learning, and then he would tell me how to fix it properly. He has always supported me and made me realize the importance of we are all human, everyone makes mistakes, and that is how we learn and all you have to do is laugh it off and push forward.

Hello, my name is Summer and I am a third year mechanical engineering student at the University of Cincinnati. I grew up with my dad, who is an engineer, I was exposed to a lot of projects at a young age. My dad and I grew up going to Edgewater motor sports park, which is a drag strip for racing cars. He has one of his own and growing up I was always in the garage with him exposed to learning new parts on cars and his creativity with creating and fixing parts. I ended up working at this drag strip for about 5 years and I still visit while im in college because I love the enviornment, racers, and getting to see their cars. This made me interested in designing components from a young age and what made me go into engineering classes at high school and eventually robotics. With this I used 3D modeling to create parts from scratch and it was not only extremely fascinating to work with the software but to be able to physically work with the parts I create and then physically assemble them and see their functionality. With this I decided to choose a degree in mechancial engineering and have been able to gain a few years of real life experience while in classes. I have worked as a mechancial design engineer at Cincinnati incorported which is a press brake and laser manufacture. Here I was able to 3D model parts and have hands on experience with heavy machinery and gain very valuable engineering and component knowledge and experience. I am so excited to branch out and gain even more machinery and automotive experience once I graduate and apply myself to a manufacturing company.

"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken" - Oscar Wilde This is one of my favorite quotes out there because it reassures me that I am allowed to be who I am, there is no one else like me, and I don't need to spend the time worrying about what others think because nothing is going to change who I am. When he says, "everyone else is already taken" means that everyone around you is already their own person, so don't do things to try to be like them, unless it is bettering who you are as an individual. Be you.

My favorite artist is Derek Hugger, who designs organic motion sculptures. O.ne of his most known quotes is, "“Trying to come up with a system of mechanisms without being able to visualize the final outcome would be a nearly impossible task for me, so instead, I create the final motion first, and then work backwards to figure out all the mechanisms that can drive those motions". I find it extremely fascinating how his brain is wired and is extraordinary creative when it comes to his one of a kind creations. My favorite piece of his is named "Colibri", which is a wooden, organic, motion sculpture of a hummingbird in flight. I hope in the future, with my degree in mechanical engineering, I can learn and eventually create a piece that is just as extraordinary as his.

My vision is to graduate from the University of Cincinnati with a bachelor's degree in my hand for mechanical engineering and I also want to have a minor in art. No one in my family; including parents, siblings, or even grandparents, has attended college. I believe that was because of finances, which is why I am here now. I am paying for college out of my pocket and I am working 3 jobs in order to get a taste of college because I am determined to further my education. I know that I am majoring in engineering and this is scholarship is directed towards art majors; however, I believe I still am a perfect candidate for this scholarship. I spent the last 8 years of my life exploring the art field with different materials and I have to say I have grown tremendously. I have explored charcoals, watercolors, pens, oil paints, acrylics, spray paints, and several more. More recently I have discovered more of myself and what I like, and that is oil painting. With my artistic background, I was actually offered a tattoo apprenticeship, but I decided that I would rather continue my education in college and pursue engineering with a minor in art. The two oil paintings I have shared with you show a man and woman that are meant to represent me and my best friend. They are my original paintings and I chose them because they are extremely special to me. Without him in my life, I honestly wouldn't be where I am now. He's the reason I continued down this path and who has made me the person I am today. I am thankful for the opportunities I am given and hope I am able to pursue my dreams of furthering my education.

Math class has always been my favorite class ever since I was little. My first memory of math started with the quick 100 easy multiplication problems and I remember zooming through them like it was nothing. In high school, my favorite classes were always AP Calc, AP stats, AP Physics, along with other math and engineering courses. I believe I love numbers because of my dad. My dad has been a mechanical engineer for several years and growing up I would be right beside him, especially in his garage. I would help bring him tools, measure items, and I would learn a lot about cars and how they work, along with other mathematical lessons. With this experience at such a young age, I grew up loving math and engineering classes. I plan to follow in my dad’s step and become a mechanical engineer, receive my master’s, and work for a big company similar to him. Ever since I was in 8th grade I knew I wanted to pursue engineering as my career. I have changed a lot between architecture and mechanical, but due to where I want to pursue college, I decided on mechanical engineering due to the programs offered, pay, and the college location that provides these beneficial opportunities. With having this greater understanding of mathematics I see myself problem-solving, fixing items, and doing little things differently than many people. When people grow up loving mathematics then they have a different perspective on the world than a lot of people. They see the little details in life, really good at coming up with solutions for unexpected problems, and have a great understanding of complex relationships. A specific example that I used my engineering and mathematic skills is for a fun class project. We had to fly a paper airplane a distance of 20 feet and go over different obstacles. I started awful, my plane would touch the ground in like 10 feet. However, with several days of new designs, research, and several errored trials. I was capable of flying a plane that went over the obstacles and also went 80 feet outside! This was not something that occurred overnight, it took several trials and failures in order to learn from my mistakes and come up with a more effective product. This shows that having an engineering brain that you know everything right off the bat. It is important to understand that majority of problems of life won’t be fixed perfectly right away; however, by coming up with different solutions, finding the most effective, and with several trials, finally come to a proper solution. People should NOT be scared to fail, because everyone learns from their mistakes.

My name is Summer Lowe and I was recently accepted into the University of Cincinnati to become a mechanical engineer and I aim to receive a bachelor’s degree. The person who has inspired me to go in this direction is my engineering teacher, Mrs. Elsasser. I started taking her engineering courses in 8th grade and she even motivated me to join First Robotics. Ever since I joined her class, my passion for design and mathematics grew ever since. I am extremely thankful for her motivating me to join Robotics and going down an engineering path. Recently, I joined a club known as the Society of Women Engineers where we meet up every Saturday to influence young women to help pursue engineering just as I am, and I am excited to inspire young individuals the same way Mrs. Elsasser inspired me. My freshman year I was in First Robotics and I was in the Intro to Engineering (IED) course. I was honestly a little scared at first. Taking a course like this was different and challenging at first. I was introduced to Inventor, which I now use fusion/CAD, and it was confusing. However, with a lot of help and patience from Mrs. Elsasser, I learned very fast. I now know a lot about CAD and I feel very confident using the program. In my sophomore year, I took the Principles of Engineering (POE) course. Although Mrs. Elsasser was not my teacher for this class, she was always my go-to when I had questions and was always there for me when I needed her. In my junior year, I took Aerospace, and this is by far my favorite engineering course. We not only had extremely fun projects, but it was also educational all the way through. For example, we learned how to design accurate gliders and we were also able to compete by throwing them all the way across the building! Lastly, is my senior year, and I am currently in digital electronics. We are learning about complex gates, circuits, binary, and so much more. This is one of the harder classes considering everything in this class has to be extremely particular; however, with the help of Mrs. E, anything is possible. I cannot believe that my high school flew by just like that and I am sad to move on without having her in my college courses, but I am thankful to have her and I will continue to grow with my engineering path thanks to her.

Hello, my names Betty and my owner's Instragram handle is "Summerlowe918"! In this picture, I believe I told her, "Wait! Get my good angle in this sunlight! Yes! That is definitely Instagram Perfect."