They say hindsight is always 20/20, and when I look back on my college career thus far, I realize how much of an impact I played in my own downfall. I graduated high school in 2017, and at the time, I was starting my education at Michigan State University. I knew fairly early on that the school wasn’t a good fit for me. However, as a first-generation college student and a minority, I assumed I was defying the odds, so I stayed. Initially, I was a mechanical engineering major, but things went downhill quickly. I have always been afraid of failure, and at the time, failure seemed to be my constant companion. I sought advice and “tried” to follow it, but whenever things got tough, I gave up. I became so accustomed to failure that I switched my major three times: from mechanical engineering to packaging engineering, and finally, to sociology with a minor in cities and development. I had no clear plan for my future, but I was so caught up in my “go with the flow” mindset that I told myself, "As long as I graduate with no debt, that’s okay." Over time, I realized how much I had sabotaged my own career due to my doubts. Granted, there were instances where I felt faculty members could have offered better support, but did that mean I should just accept it? After five years of more mistakes than successes, I decided on three things: 1) I was going to transfer to a new university, 2) I was going to pursue an engineering degree, and 3) I was going to make sure I did everything differently. When I was accepted into NCAT in Fall 2022, I was determined not to let my abilities go to waste. I sought out a mentor, surrounded myself with driven individuals pursuing similar degrees, and got involved in campus organizations related to engineering, as well as some unrelated to my field. Did I have to go into debt to make this happen? Yes, but the debt doesn’t compare to all I’ve gained. I’m now one semester away from graduating, and I work as a laboratory technician for a soils and materials engineering company in North Carolina. I’ve earned awards for my school's chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers at the Carolina Symposium in 2024, including first place in the MEAD paper competition, and in 2025, third place in the MEAD paper competition and second place in the Geotechnical team competition. I secured my first internship with the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) in the summer of 2024. It hasn’t been easy, but I’ve grown both as a person and as an engineer. One important lesson I would give my younger self is that failure can be your greatest asset in achieving your goals. Receiving this scholarship will help me close this chapter of undergrad and propel me into the next stage of my career as a civil engineer. Thank you for your time and consideration.