Senior 32

I’m a member of 20/20 Leadership, but, without a doubt, my most prominent leadership role was my time as the Lead Programmer of Ruskin’s Robotics team for my entire high school career. As the Lead Programmer, it’s my responsibility to work with the other members of the team and oversee the technical aspect of development, including programming and troubleshooting any technical issues that arise. After two years and counting, it has taught me the importance of collaborating with others on complex tasks and that encouraging others while being open to suggestions is the only path to success. 

During my Freshman year, I joined the team as the programmer for the robot — the only programmer. I built experience that was key for my Junior year, the next time I joined robotics. Last year, I wasn’t the only programmer. At least three other people joined to help with programming the robot, and the responsibility of teaching them fell solely on me due to my experience. 

I made mistakes along the way. A few members who had joined for programming ended up leaving, lost to boredom, teaching me the importance of delegating tasks to others. Every failure showed me how to correct my behavior — I taught the other members of the programming team how to steer and activate the robot without my help, and was forced to put my pride aside and allow a different member to drive. While I had more experience and I was still the Lead Programmer, the needs of the team were more important than my own wants. 

To win, we needed a great driver. 

It all culminated in a final few rounds where I could finally step back and watch the other members of the programming team work without my intervention. In a sense, it was my first step in passing the torch. I’m still the Lead Programmer this year, but this is my Senior year — my last year. I won’t be there to help next year, but they will be, armed by the knowledge I choose to share. Taking that first step in passing the torch solidified that day as an unforgettable experience in my mind, and I can’t wait to continue this year.

Aside from my role as the Lead Programmer, I’ve also been actively involved in community service. A particularly meaningful project was my involvement with Harvester’s, distributing groceries to local families in need. Ever since the first day I helped, the sheer gratitude radiating from every child and parent has still stuck with me. Witnessing the importance of giving back to the community inspired me to help even outside of school, by volunteering with my Grandma’s church to pass out meals to homeless folk. The resilience and kindness of the people I’ve met lit a fire in me, burning every experience into my mind as an unforgettable day.

I’m confident that these experiences will help me in my future endeavors, including my goal of graduating from college with a degree in Computer Science or Cybersecurity. However, my real career goal is to one day live full-time as a published author. I’ve been self-publishing novels since I was twelve years old, with six books currently published. Nothing tops my passion for my writing. Every day, I dedicate myself to my life goals of either filling a bookshelf with my novels, living full-time as an author, or one day receiving fan art based on my work. The term “self-publishing” is a bit misleading; it’s a collaborative process through and through. I wouldn’t be as successful without beta readers, cover designers, or other author mentors to seek advice from, and armed with the knowledge from these past experiences, I don’t plan on stopping that pattern of partnership anytime soon.