Living in a low-income community has motivated me to pursue higher education. My educational aspiration is to acquire a bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. My career goal is to continue my engineering education to one day work for a company like SpaceX or Lockheed Martin. I grew interested in engineering after participating in various STEM events and presentations. Aerospace engineering became one of my favorite fields of study after becoming inspired by Elon Musk, CEO of Space X, who amazed me with the visions, inventions, and designs he made to reality. Being a person who enjoys taking on difficult challenges, I have taken it upon myself to explore various opportunities in the STEM field.
From a young age, I would experiment with my toys as if I were an engineer. I can still remember dissecting the parts of my toy plane in my garage like a medical examiner performing an autopsy; I observed asymmetrical ailerons and a displaced center of gravity. I sketched a new design and adjusted the center of gravity, meticulously attending to every detail. After working alone in my garage on a variety of planes and cars, I wanted to share my hobby with others; thus, I co-founded the Robotics Team at school during my sophomore year. What was once a peaceful workplace, my garage had transformed into a chaotic engineering playground for six overzealous teenagers that hosted several sessions to build for my robotics club. Poorly organized build sessions resulted in a marvelous Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) that positioned 10th place in the Regional SeaPerch tournament as a first-time competitor during my junior year. To our astonishment, we were the only Hispanic team competing, yet despite our financial adversities, we were still able to outperform some of the wealthier and more resourceful teams. Currently, I am a rookie in the FIRST Robotics Competition with my club, and the same intensity has trickled over. After our most recent competition at the FIRST Los Angeles Regional competition, my team received the Rookie All-Star Award. My team and I even earned a spot at the national championship at Houston, Texas, in April. I have acquired several practical and technical skill sets from my robotics experience, which I have found to be very useful when solving challenging engineering problems. I thrive in high-demanding, fast-paced work environments, and enjoy the pressure that comes along with it. My experience has made me realize that I maximize my full potential when I am pushed to my limits.