(Note: This document has been submitted with proper paragraphing! If it does not appear as such, I am happy to provide a PDF for improved legibility.) As I noted in my prior year finalist submission: Contributing to one of humanity's greatest accomplishments—the exploration of our universe and Earth—has been my lifetime dream. Being one of the "small steps for mankind" would be an honor. Each new discovery about our universe is an opportunity for growth as humans: new scientific understanding of our universe; allowing a deeper consideration of our place in the universe, and in appreciating the fragility of our planet. Beyond looking outward, aerospace engineering allows us to examine Earth —satellites to monitor our ecology; missions of peace to detect conflict and weapons and other vital services. We are in an exciting age of aerospace exploration on multiple fronts, and my hope is to make a meaningful contribution to the field, for betterment of humanity. I have been fortunate to have the support of great parents, teachers, and engineering coaches, and I am grateful to be a student at California Polytechnic. As a sophomore, I have participated in many labs as well as our rocketry club constructing models for flight. In addition, part of my collegiate experience is volunteering as a mentor for my former robotics team. assisting in evaluating designs and providing remote training with CAD. Getting to this point was not easy—my high school years saw my parents suffer significant health and financial challenges, which continue to this day. My mother faced life-threatening health issues forcing her into medical retirement, while my father lost his job during the 2020 pandemic, never regaining employment. Despite these hardships, my parents encourage me to keep faith and to excel academically, leading me to achieve my goal of attending CalPoly. As their financial situation deteriorated, in 2024 they made the difficult decision to sell their home and relocate out of state, while taking in my grandmother to conserve funds. Their current ability to support me financially is even more diminished. Nevertheless, I have been fortunate in many ways, as I am receiving an excellent college education at a great state university. While I do receive federal and state support, including the maximum Pell Grant, these mostly only cover direct educational expenses. Reality is that I must be as self-sufficient as possible by seeking scholarships and grants, as well as through my own earnings. This academic year, I was fortunate to obtain an on-campus job to help with expenses. Of course, I must maintain a balance between working and study hours to uphold my academic credentials and membership in the Honor Society. To further my goal of contributing to my own success, I have been actively pursuing summer internship opportunities. While the most important factor will be finding an opportunity that will increase my knowledge and skills, it also will help if it includes a stipend to provide that additional financial support. I’ve read several articles on the amazing life achievements of Ms. Iris Cummings Critchell. All of us seeking to be in the astronautic and aeronautic fields are in her debt, and this scholarship is an amazing gift to the students she will inspire long into the future. I am grateful to have been selected last year as a finalist for this scholarship, and would be most honored to be one of your named scholars. The financial support of this and other scholarships is truly a gift of time and advanced opportunities, and would be a deeply appreciated investment in my education and my ability to contribute to aerospace innovation.

To be a participant in what is arguably humanity's greatest accomplishment—the exploration of our universe—has been a dream of mine since childhood. As a child, I built models of rocket ships from Lego, dreaming of the possibilities. At the time I may have seen myself as the yellow plastic man in the ship, but I now know I was developing my first engineering skills—finding the combination of bricks to build a creation that wouldn't end in a pile of rubble. As a young adult now, I aspire to be a part of the great legacy of exploration and discovery. My professional career goal is to join NASA, JPL, Boeing, SpaceX or one of the great private organizations that is writing the next chapters of exploration and expansion. Just like those who built the planes of Amelia Earhart or the Voyager spacecraft, I want my engineering skills to be a part of the exploration of our world and universe. I read the story of Ms. Cummings, and find it yet another point of inspiration - behind every flight she made, was an aerospace engineer. My first real steps toward this goal began in high school as I took advanced classes in science and engineering and was fortunate to be a member and eventual leader of our robotics club. While I loved my studies and activities, it meant a lot of very late nights, as I also provided basic needs care to my medically disabled mother. But with discipline and good fortune, I made my way to Cal Poly as an Aerospace major. I started my college journey early, attending summer classes preceding my fall freshman quarter, thanks to a generous scholarship opportunity. These classes, in combination with other pre-existing academic credits, allowed me to enter my freshman year with advanced standing and honors status. In addition to the classes I take, Cal Poly students are well known for having the opportunity to enhance learning by participating in research opportunities and internships as early as their freshman summer. I have just begun exploring these opportunities and am hopeful that one will be realized. I am also reaching out with academic clubs – I am a new member of the Cal Poly Space Systems club. I have been fortunate to put my 3D modeling and printing skills to use for some sub-components, using tools such as SolidWorks. I am also looking forward to joining the PolySat club in the future, which is world-renowned for developing and executing the CubeSat concept. And finally, I am waiting a turn to take a flight with the aviation club, to see if I might want to pursue that. Part of my collegiate experience is to give back. This means volunteering as a mentor for my former FIRST robotics team. I personally visit when I have extended breaks and weekends. While at school, I work with them remotely, assisting them in evaluating designs, providing remote training and assistance with CAD. Due to my mother's medical disability and my father's job loss, it is difficult for them to provide much at this time. As a Pell grant-qualified student (SAI index -1500), I am immensely grateful for the scholarship opportunities offered. Each received helps me focus on academic needs first. I am doing my part to financially contribute to my education through work-study. My Intro to Design professor was so pleased with my fall quarter contributions in assisting fellow students with CAD that he extended me the opportunity to be a teaching assistant for his class. I am grateful to all who have assisted me on my adventure. Thank you!