From a young age I have always thought that engineering was the right course for me. I have now been in the MST (math, science, and technology) program for seven years but I have been participating in related activities my whole life. Through robotics and soccer, I have developed strong skills in collaboration, leadership, and resilience. While these may not seem connected, I would not have been able to succeed in one without the skills I learned from the other. I believe that what I have learned from these experiences has prepared me for the challenges that will come in college. 

I am rarely ever satisfied by my performance in my soccer games. But no matter how many times I fail and get disappointed, I still keep pushing for success. Soccer has taught me resilience through failure and success and by doing so, I’ve developed a crucial life habit. I have learned that to be victorious in a competitive soccer game, a team must excel in collaboration, leadership, and heart. I learned this best when I played for the varsity team my junior year. We won the regional tournament for the first time in over 14 years and beat teams that normally walk all over us. This wouldn’t have been possible without our senior class. They would show up to every game ready to lay their life on the line and accept nothing but victory. They were exceptional leaders because of the incredible example they portrayed, inspiring and strengthening the unity of the team.  I now aspire to set that same example for my team now, and be a leader to a team with many underclassmen.

I believe my strongest attribute is my creative mind. Robotics allows me to express my creativity more than anything else I do. I get to apply my abilities to a challenge with endless possibilities, competing against some of the world's most brilliant young minds. It is a blessing but also a great challenge to collaborate with others on designing a robot and competing with it. One of my most unique experiences was when my team went to the world competition and for one of the matches, we were in alliance with a team from Mexico. There was an obvious language barrier between us but we did not let that stray us from success. I was more excited than I was nervous when presented with the difficult task because I was confident in my ability to collaborate with others. 

Nothing is more important than experience when facing a challenge, and as I look toward my future as a college student, I breathe steadily knowing that I have acquired the skills necessary to succeed in a competitive environment. Being in MST, competing in robotics, and playing on a soccer team, almost my whole life, I know I am prepared for a successful career in engineering. I have developed skills such as leadership, collaboration, and resilience, and with these, I know that there is no challenge that I can't tackle.