Senior 13

Throughout my high school experience, I have taken leadership positions at school and at work. Through my extracurricular activities, I have been able to show leadership by doing community service and volunteering in many different events. I plan to use what I have learned in my future in order to prosper in my career as an Aerospace Engineer, and also inspire future generations to follow their dreams.

One area where I have a leadership role is as captain of my local Home Depot’s Kids Workshop. Once a month, we have a free activity for our community where parents and kids can build and paint a small project. As the captain, I am in charge of advertising the workshop to our customers, recording how many families attend, ordering more supplies if needed for next month, and setting up everything on the day. Though it is a lot of work, seeing kids have fun and families spending quality time together puts a smile on my face. I always feel proud that my hard work pays off and look forward to next month’s event.

I was raised with the mindset of giving is better than receiving. During my high school journey, I practiced this principle whenever I had the opportunity. I joined many community-focused organizations such as IMAGINE, Student Council, 20/20 Leadership, National Honor Society, and Upward Bound. As a freshman, I volunteered with Harvester’s to give food to my neighborhood. In my sophomore year, I helped start our school store which rewards students for their good behavior. Junior year I volunteered with Upward Bound and created aid packets for the homeless at KC Scraps, a local thrift store. For MLK Day, we went to the Linwood YMCA and cleaned the perimeter of the building. I have devoted more time to community service over the past few months. I joined IMAGINE and created memorable activities for the special education students such as holiday parties. I also helped paint a mural at a local elementary school with Upward Bound.

With a degree in Aerospace Engineering, I want to be able to become a role model for many other individuals who come from similar backgrounds as me. Many engineering fields are dominated by white men. In 2023, 88.8% of all aerospace engineers were men. 69.3% of all the engineers were white. As a Hispanic female, I want to be part of the group diversifying and growing the workforce. As a hispanic female, I am trying to bring diversity to these fields. I know that there are many people in the world with different upbringings whose dreams are to enter these fields. Unfortunately, many of them are afraid that they will be discriminated against or that their qualifications aren’t up to standards. If I am able to get my degree in Engineering, I will hold it loud and proud and let everyone know that if I was able to do it, then each and every one of them can do it as well.