I settled on the study of astrophysics in a rather silly way. I distinctly remember it being two weeks after the initial lockdown in 2019, I was in my garage with a new haircut and thirteen years old when I looked up “how to become a renaissance man”. The glow of google informed me that I must master science, art and philosophy. Already having enjoyed art and avoiding the topic of philosophy I then turned to the browser once again to inquire what the hardest science to master is where it gave me the answer of physics. I first became interested in astronomy the first time I saw the Perseid meteor shower, camped out on my deck sharing a sleeping bag with my brother. It was astonishing. This was far before my personal renaissance revolution though I sought to combine the two topics. Pushing myself to study hard and take all the physics classes that were available, I became passionate about the topic and removed from the prior thought of simply wanting to achieve the hardest thing I thought of. I used to want a career in aviation and aerospace. I strived to break into that world until I finally did, and partook in two internships at Boeing. It was then I realized that the world of physics goes so far beyond large corporations and sitting at a desk making CAD designs for eight hours a day. My focus then shifted to aeronautics, the same realm though different experience, once I caught wind of Boeing’s Starliner mission, still feeling relatively safe in the arms of a big company. While I enjoy engineering to a degree, my passion lays amongst the mysteries of the universe. These career based experiences while practical taught me that the easiest answer is not always the best one. I am intensely interested in deep space astrophysics alongside the mysteries of space. After I acquire a PhD after my undergrad, I would love to work at a place like Laigo, where gravitational waves were first detected, or even on the Lux Zeplin project, where dark matter is detected under vacuum and applied to astronomy and astrophysics. I adore the field of research, especially breakthrough research or experimental research attempting to prove a theory of space. Secondly, I wish to combine my career in astrophysics research with education, whether it be as a professor or simply as a community educator; I believe my background in STEM education and leadership will assist me in this goal. Finally, my dream job is one where I may turn to my peers for collaboration. One physicist may change the world but as a team the chances and rewards are greater.

I am a woman who does not feign away from being herself for the sake of conforming to societal ideals of what I ‘should’ be like. I have taken my passion for astrophysics and aerospace related sciences and paved pathways of opportunity for myself and the youth in my community who are interested in STEM. The pastime which brings me the most joy is robotics, where I act as an engineer on my team and wield the title of Director of Administration of my private student run non-profit organization for the 2023-2024 season. The most influential part of my role inside of my club was fostering a community of engagement and education by creating lessons in coding and CAD alongside the board for students who have the desire to learn; focused on students who come from a background of economic hardship which may lack the resources for free STEM based education. I practiced robotics for 3 years, winning four judges awards and receiving two invites to state level competitions. I have taken this love of robotics and applied it to my work at Boeing in machine data analysis, electrical systems troubleshooting, and ultrasonic composite tests. Outside of the class room I may be found crowd surfing in a mosh pit at a local show, exploring a new area of town, or taking a risk by picking up a book by an author I’m not all too familiar with. I highly value one's ability to be confident in who they authentically are, this is a trait that took me a fair while to obtain. I have found that experiencing all that I may in a responsible way has provided me with practice in pushing myself out of my comfort zone. Typically at shows that I attend, the majority of fellow attendees are not women or other types of minority. In order to get comfortable, I in a way had to prove myself in the scene. I would befriend other girls and we would push into the tallest boy we could find in the mosh pit, all in good fun of course, to prove that we can throw some elbows too. The aerospace field has presented me with a place where I may express my passion for mathematics, physics, and space in a productive manner. I am currently in my second internship at Boeing. For my first internship I wrote standardized step details for engineers on the floor which described the steps in the processes in composite wing manufacturing alongside writing testing procedures in radius filler production system failure data analysis. The steps I created are still on the floor to this day and are used in quality inspections and training of new hires, secondly, the test I conducted was successful and the machining problem has been solved. This year I have created a thermostat system from scratch, fabricated wires and installed components, did lean manufacturing, and physics based tests to detect poor quality in engineered composite parts. Looking ahead, I plan to apply this knowledge as I move on from aerospace to aeronautics, I aspire to work on rocket propulsions, fueling, or leadership in rocket ship manufacturing and engineering. I feel the value of the work I did and how its being used every day when I commute home from work. I am excited to take the next steps into my future which will allow me to feel this fulfilled ten times over.