Not many people can say they have had so many Disney memories and experiences in their lives as much as me. I’ve been to the Disney parks multiple times, done Disney cruises, have many pins ,and have so many stuffed animals of various characters. Much of my life revolves around Disney, the connections it gives me, and part of my personality. Most importantly though, my Disney memories integrate into my friend and family bonds. Disney is considered one of the biggest and “happiest companies on Earth,” and my happiest experiences between movies, theme parks, and my various stuffed animals are held close to my heart and the significance is just as large. As my mom is a Disney specialist travel agent, I grew up surrounded by everything Disney. I grew up on the movies and had Disney clothes with matching stuffed animals. One of my earliest memories is of watching Snow White with my brother and with my cruise director Minnie Mouse stuffed animal my dad bought me. I associated my happiness with my family through Disney movies like Snow White and my Minnie Mouse. My stuffed Minnie went everywhere with me and started my Disney memories and my Disney connection to my family, a symbol of what Disney started to mean to me. Not only is my mom involved with Disney, but my older brother is also a Disney lifeguard at the resorts. I went the past summer to visit him with my best friend and I will cherish the moments we had. My best friend had never been to Disney and soon moved to Japan, so this trip was our last hooray. Although I’ve been to the Disney parks many times with my family, it was a pleasure to take her and see her look of wonder every time we did something, especially buying specialty press pennies. Even though she is now an ocean away, we will always have our Disney memories and the bond that it strengthened. Now every time we see a press penny machine we think of each other and I hope that our photos are enough to remind her of our friendship. While there is so much to love about Disney, I love what Disney has given me in the form of the people around me. I have so much to love that it is hard to express through words. I will continue to cherish the relationships and love I have because of Disney from my friends and family and all the imaginary friends in the form of stuffed animals.

I remember being in TAG math and being sent home with advanced practice tests. I would always run to my dad for help and he always found a way for me to understand the growing concepts. My math connected me deeper to my dad and gave us a more complex relationship when I was still in elementary school. Math gave me connections to others. Math is also a universal language that almost everyone speaks and understands. Being able to learn a universal language makes me feel connected to the world around me. Through both connections and being able to use numbers to explain so much while achieving much, it is a cornerstone of society. Without math, many of the things we have today would not exist, including the availability to apply for scholarships on a computer or phone through a website. For me, math has always come easy as everything is concrete, and I understand numbers to an extent. As a TAG kid, math was my "jam" and I liked math because it was easier than reading or writing. Math got harder as I progressed into high school with polar graphs, imaginary numbers, and even finding the area of cross-sectionals. I made friends to "struggle" through math with and I know whenever we need help, there is a network of people that all speak the same language of numbers. Our study sessions at different places were extremely helpful and a key to my math success. My family also stayed around when math got harder, mainly between my dad and brother. From elementary to high school, the memories of working on math at the dinner table with my family hold a special place in my heart. Thanks to the help I’ve received through my relationships, I was able to pass all my classes with A’s and I passed the AP AB Calc exam with a 4 out of 5, giving me credits for my university, Colorado State University. The connections I’ve made through math are an important part of my life that I expect to stay with me as I move on to the next chapter of my life, as well as making new connections along the way. Math, from a young age to now, is an integral part of my character and education that I continue to pursue. Overall, math is important to me because it is a language that helps humans achieve amazing things while connecting them to multiple people and I love it because of the relationships I’ve created.

When I was younger, I never thought that I would like to pursue a career or further education in engineering. As an elementary schooler, I wanted to be a dancer or even a veterinarian while my brother wanted to be a Disney Imagineer. Now he is an economist and I'm the one going for engineering. As I go off to college, I'm ready to explore what engineering is to me and what I can do to impact the world around me. Currently, I am enrolled at Colorado State as a civil engineering major, while possibly thinking of also majoring in dance to follow my childhood ambition. In general, engineering speaks to me because I like to work with numbers and solve problems. Civil engineering has more to do with the people and the society we live in today, things like bridges, buildings, and roads. As a proud Coloradan, there is definitely work to be done with some of our roads! Recently, my family and I visited a lighthouse that was moved with the help of civil engineers. I thought that one day I could be the one helping keep buildings and establishments that are important as well as create new ones. I hope through my college education I can learn to benefit society through the structures that surround us. Building better road systems, bridges, tunnels, and possibly water systems, are all things I hope to look at with my education. All parts of STEAM interest me in one way or another, mainly because of the concrete concepts and because I also enjoy the performing arts. Science is fun because there are so many things you can do with it. The investigations and conclusions are the best part and interesting to me. Technology is not my strong suit but the parts that make it up are interesting. I've taken a beginner coding class and there are so many things to do with simple words. The puzzle of finding the right combination makes me excited. Engineering is so interesting to me because I enjoy finding solutions that I can physically see and manipulate. Building and experimenting is my favorite part. Art is one of my hobbies, especially the performing arts. I love to dance, done theater, and I sometimes create digital art. Math is the basis for so many parts of STEAM and when I was younger math was my favorite subject. The numbers were easy for me in elementary school and because I was good at math, it was my favorite. Now math is much harder, but an integral part of my education. Overall, I desire to pursue and further my education in engineering while also integrating all parts of STEAM. Through my education, I hope to benefit the social structures around me and help the communities.

For me, math has always come easy because everything is concrete and I've always had support from my family. From a young age, I was told I was "gifted" at math and for many years most math came to me. As I progressed through the levels, math got harder, especially in high school with imaginary numbers, polar graphs, and areas of cross-sectionals. I hope to continue my love for math in college, but remember my basics of love and where it came from. When I was in the gifted math program, I would get sent home with these advanced math practice tests. Normally they had 6 problems, but I had to understand how to get the answers and concepts so that when the actual test came around, I would score better. I would give the problems my best attempt, but in the end, I almost always had to ask my dad for help. My dad is our family math guy and always found a way to help me understand whether it was about when the trains arrived or how much more the apples cost than the oranges. My memories of us at the table working out the problems holds a special place in my heart. Even when math got hard, my dad stayed and helped to the best of his ability, with the help of my brother. My brother Garrett is older than I am and remembers a lot more of the more complicated math so he and my dad would work together to figure out some of my struggles. I have much love for my family and the memory connections they have made through my journey so far through math. From elementary school to now, math has been an integral part of my education and my character. My love for math and my family is strong and I would not have it any other way as I continue to university.