My interest and pursuit of a career in the field of STEM has shaped who I am today. A bit of background about me: my name is Drelan Crear and I attend I.M. Terrell Academy for STEM and VPA, which is the oldest historically black highschool in my hometown of Fort Worth. The reason I decided to attend Terrell was due to a freshman level course I took in middle school called Intro to Engineering and Design which was sponsored by Project lead the way. In the course I learned the very basics of CAD modeling, and the engineering design process, but this was only the tip of the iceberg for me. I wanted to learn so much more about not only engineering but also just STEM in general. It is for these reasons that I decided in Spring of my eighth grade year to apply to Terrell, for their STEM program of choice as an engineering major. I applied to Terrell not only because I was heavily interested in their STEM program but also due to the fact that many national figures who personally inspire me are Alumni of the school. From Opal Lee, the grandmother of Juneteenth, Ornette Coleman Jazz Saxophonist, to Lillian B. Horace who is a renowned educator. Terrell's rich century long history is filled with amazing people who shaped the world not only in their own time but also continue to influence future generations by inspiring young people such as me. At Terrell in order to mimic colleges and better prepare students for the next phase of their lives each program of choice is called a major, for the VPA academy you could apply for things such as theatre arts, dance, visual art, vocal or instrumental music, etc. For STEM however there were only two options Engineering and Computer Science, I opted for the former. In my time at Time at Terrell I have lived an enriched experience due to my STEM courses. From captaining a VEX robotics team that made it to the state championship, to becoming the first person at my school to earn an OSHA industrial certificate in only my freshman year, to this year watching on as my school made history by competing in the world robotics championships, being recognized as one of the best STEM programs on planet, my experiences here have not only been validating to me but also opens so many doors and opportunities for not only myself but also students who look just like me or come from where I'm from. Although STEM will forever be my passion, in my time at Terrell I also branched out and studied courses that aren't at all related to my engineering major. For example my sophomore year I auditioned for our schools annual winter musical, that year being “Annie.” I also took a course called theatre and media which focused not only on the stage presence aspect of theatre but also background mechanics, such as lighting, sound design, stage management. To take it even a step further this year, even though I've already earned my fine arts credit I decided to take an advanced visual arts class focusing on painting and sculpting. Even though just a moment ago I admitted that these fine art courses weren't related at all to the STEM field, I'd like to take back that statement. Even though these skills may not directly correlate with engineering it is in the principals of these skills where the logic can be found. For example, the public speaking skills, I learned in my theatre courses could help deliver information professionally in an engineering presentation, or the art skills could help me more efficiently produce a design while 3D modeling, or even using artistic principles, like color theory to improve the aesthetics of a presentation, its the art principles that elevate my passion for STEM. After graduating from Terrell I plan to attend Florida A&M University and continue to major in engineering. I am pursuing STEM not only because it is my passion but because it has shaped the person I am today and motivates me to be conscious of and improve the world around me.