The most significant experience anyone can have is giving their time and resources to help another person. For the last seven years, I have been cultivating children's minds to inspire them to take their education into their own hands by tutoring students in math, coaching middle school robotics teams, and teaching at STEM summer camps. I believe access to STEM education can be a great equalizer in a world full of systemic problems and can fuel individual students’ quest for knowledge. In the Spring of 2020, I started Kennesaw State University and ended up not being able to teach because of the Coronavirus Pandemic. I spent the entire year looking for teaching opportunities, but with schools being closed and programs being canceled, I wasn't able to find any opportunities. The next year, Professor Alan Shaw, a computer science professor at Kennesaw State University, offered me a position as his Student Assistant and I helped create programs and curriculums for a research project he was involved in called The Algebra Project. The Algebra Project is a program that uses mathematics literacy as an organizing tool to guarantee quality public school education for all children in the United States of America. After a summer of teaching Game Development with Professor Shaw in the KSU SummerU program, I was hired by The Algebra Project to become a College Mathematics Literacy Worker. As a CMLW, I taught mathematics literacy to the students of Roberta T. Smith Elementary in Clayton County. There I learned that the education system needs all hands on deck. Seeing the teachers pick up the pieces after Covid and trying to teach children who haven't been to school in over a year because of the difficulties of the pandemic, personally speaks to me. As a student, I have had difficulties during the pandemic that affected my grades and concentration. I have learned that there can be other mitigating factors that affect students’ education. It motivated me to give my best as a Mathematics Literacy Worker and always exhibit grace and empathy to struggling students. Over the past few years, I have realized how much these experiences have impacted my life and how important they are to me. It started as a push to be a great big brother, but as time progressed, I started teaching more and talking to kids about their passions. Even though I loved computer science, showing kids things related to their desired subject was always a good feeling and seeing the students enjoy computer science and engineering inspires me to enjoy it for myself. My plan for my future is to continue teaching STEM and to inspire students to achieve their goals. I would like to give back to the communities that taught me so much to bring me where I am today.

The most significant experience anyone can have is giving their time and resources to help another person. By 8th grade, my parents started homeschooling with the hope of providing an education that validated their childrens’ curiosity, especially my love for robotics. So, my mom started a robotics team in our family room. The team may not have done well that year, but my parents noticed my enthusiasm for teaching computer science. This led my parents on a search for a high school robotics team with community service as a core value. As I watched my parents coordinate my education to my interests, I learned that when attention is given to understanding a student’s individuality, confidence is built and a love of learning grows. The team my parents settled on was Fernbank LINKS, a team that set up robotics tournaments for the DeKalb County School System, trained coaches, facilitated workshops for new teams and created summer camps for students who wanted to learn more. I quickly gravitated towards these projects while learning more about the importance of teaching others. Soon, I was writing curriculums and planning the events as the Chief Financial Officer, and later, as the Outreach Coordinator. Simultaneously, I was coaching two homeschool teams. Teaching there taught me how to inspire kids to participate in the classroom, be amazing teammates, and make learning fun. By my senior years, these teams went on to win five awards over three years. In the Spring of 2020, I started Kennesaw State University and ended up not being able to teach because of the Coronavirus Pandemic. The next year, Professor Alan Shaw, a computer science professor at Kennesaw State University, offered me a position as his Student Assistant and I helped create programs and curriculums for a research project he was involved in called The Algebra Project. The Algebra Project is a program that uses mathematics literacy as an organizing tool to guarantee quality public school education for all children in the United States of America. After a summer of teaching Game Development with Professor Shaw in the KSU SummerU program, I was hired by The Algebra Project to become a College Mathematics Literacy Worker. As a CMLW, I taught mathematics literacy to the students of Roberta T. Smith Elementary in Clayton County. There I learned that the education system needs all hands on deck. Seeing the teachers pick up the pieces after Covid and trying to teach children who haven't been to school in over a year because of the difficulties of the pandemic, personally speaks to me. As a student, I have had difficulties during the pandemic that affected my grades and concentration. I have learned that there can be other mitigating factors that affect students’ education. It motivated me to give my best as a Mathematics Literacy Worker and always exhibit grace and empathy to struggling students. Over the past few years, I have realized how much these experiences have impacted my life and how important they are to me. It started as a push to be a great big brother, but as time progressed, I started teaching more and talking to kids about their passions. Even though I loved computer science, showing kids things related to their desired subject was always a good feeling and seeing the students enjoy computer science and engineering inspires me to enjoy it for myself. My plan for my future is to continue teaching STEM and to inspire students to achieve their goals. I would like to give back to the communities that taught me so much to bring me where I am today.