One of the biggest reasons I'm pursuing Software Engineering is my uncle, who has told me his stories of watching and using technology that I take for granted, from the creation of the internet as we know it to how a printer does its job. Because of this, I've always been fascinated by technology and where it's going next. As for my end goal after receiving my degree, I would like to get into game development. While this might seem laughable at first, the reality is that game development pushes technology to its edge because of what the field is always trying to do, which is to tell a story or ask a question. Because of this, we've seen game development take technology such as graphics and rendering to near photo-realism images, advanced physics simulations, and even in some cases helping educate people about complex ideas. An excellent common example in pop culture right now would be the TV show on Disney Plus 'The Mandalorian', in which they use a software called 'The Unreal Engine'. While this piece of software was and is primarily used in video game development, 'The Mandalorian' instead uses the software to create a highly realistic background and scenery that moves with the camera while also accurately lighting the environment and the people themselves. Because of this, every shot from the show looks all the more realistic and like a place one could travel to somewhere on this planet we call home. When it comes to me as an individual, there are a few reasons I can think that make me the best candidate for this scholarship. The foremost reason is that I have creative problem-solving skills. While the phrase 'creative problem-solving' might be a common term or overused, it does an excellent job describing how I go about dealing with problems that I run into. Of course, creative problem-solving by itself isn't perfect, which is why another reason that makes me the best option for this scholarship is that I'm stubborn. While this at first may look like not a good quality, another way to think about it is that it means that I won't easily give up on a difficult problem. Instead of shying away, I'll tackle it head-on and work to find a solution, even if the solution isn't conventional.

One of the biggest things I think would help encourage people to pursue science education would be more support for introductory courses at the high school level. If this were to be implemented, not only would the people have a better understanding of science and technology, but people would also be more inclined to pursue an education in these areas. While it might seem like schools already do this since science classes and some technology courses are required to graduate, the difference I'm suggesting is that instead of teaching hard facts in these classes such as 'Newton's Second Law is Force is equal to mass times acceleration because Newton said so', shift it more towards how to apply Newton's second law in real-world examples, such as acceleration for cars and throwing objects. By doing this, people will be encouraged to think about how to use the information taught and how to apply it instead of being told without being given supporting arguments. Something else that I think would help encourage people to pursue science education would be to spend time with people who work in related fields so they can get first-hand experience. By doing this, people would see how science is used and why it is needed for various areas. A good example of this would be biology and the medical field, from how to calculate the correct dosage of medication to the amount of blood loss a patient could experience during surgery before complications from blood loss could occur. Another excellent example would be understanding much fuel is needed to launch objects into space and how adding something as lightweight as a golf club and golf ball could heavily affect the amount of fuel needed. My final idea would be to make science education entertaining. A good idea for this would be to look at the TV show Mythbusters. As someone who watched this show as a child, looking back I realized that this show did a very good job of explaining scientific ideas in such a way that made sense and I could remember the basic concept, even if the math was beyond me at the time. Couple that with the cartoons that went with the explanation, this furthered help reinforce the scientific ideas that they were discussing on any given episode. Given these various ideas, implementing one or all of them I think would certainly help encourage people to pursue science education or at the very least, take time to understand certain scientific ideas that might help them in their lifetime.

The first project that comes to mind is a simple one that I still work on, which is a simple game in which the player needs to last as long as possible without letting any of the other AI touch them. The main reason that I'm passionate about this project is that it is the basis for what I want to do long-term after graduating from college, which is video game development. Of course, working with technology is still inspiring since I've had a unique opportunity to work with people who have watched various technology, such as the internet, come into existence as we know it and learn from them how and why certain technology operates. On top of that, I've been able to watch as technology can help people that would otherwise struggle or be unable to participate in any social interactions due to some handicap, such as my dad who is hard of hearing and has hearing aids that have been a great asset for him, to classmates who are confined to a motorized wheelchair and have limited control of their hands and arms using technology to speak and communicate their thoughts, desires, and needs. Another good example of this would be the late Dr. Stephen Hawking, who despite being limited to such a motorized wheelchair and devices, was able to advance our understanding of General Relativity. Without technology, Stephen Hawking wouldn't have been able to express his thoughts on the subject, which in turn would leave all people worse for it. Another way in which technology inspires me is the Hubble and James Webb Telescopes. Looking at those images, not only is the image itself impressive but having to think about how each telescope was made to survive the extreme environment that is space, but the software needed to properly process the image to the quality that we see along with sending it back to the correct location. Another technology on a similar thread would be the Discovery Mars rover that traveled the surface of Mars, a planet hundreds of thousands of miles away, sending back information and data about the planet and its history. Thanks to these various technological marvels, we now have a better understanding of the universe we live in along with the other planets in our solar system, which might one day lead to us living near or even mining for key resources we otherwise struggle to find.