Science fiction films tell us tragic tales of innovative science and advanced robotics going wrong, to the point of robots taking over the earth and rebelling against humanity. Fortunately, humanity always prevails in the end. However, I have always wondered to myself, why are advancements in robotics portrayed as something to be afraid of? In addition and more importantly, why have we accepted this fear? As someone who plans to go into Biomechanics with a dream of building robotic prosthetics, this question has always confused me. Science continues to grow and everyday new steps are made toward discovery. In healthcare, this always seems to help the patients in need of new science. We are finally able to give people who are missing limbs the chance to walk without a painful limp or to not have to worry about society only being accessible to those with two functioning arms. There are countless ways robotics have helped people heal, yet we still paint them as the villains in movies. We film them with their own technology and call them evil. To be blunt, I see these science fiction movies as nothing but entertainment. When we get to the point in science where we can create independent and complex robots with their own thought systems, maybe I will be slightly nervous for the future then. However, we have a long way until then and for now, robots present countless opportunities for growth. One of the films that inspired me to continue on the pathway of robotics is called “Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.” This is a series created based on a science-fiction comic. The protagonist of this show is missing one of his arms and one of his legs. However, his cousin is a master at robotics and creates these amazing pieces of machinery called “automail.” Automail is essentially robotic prosthetics, but with more advanced mechanics. They can move and function as natural limbs and can share some senses with the person wearing them. When I rewatched this show, I had already decided I wanted to study Biomechanics in university. Therefore, when I saw this young girl create these prosthetics, I wanted to be like her. I wanted to bring this piece of science fiction to life. Robotics advanced more and more everyday. We have seen numerous robotics projects created by only high school or middle school students. These students are already creating intelligent robots who can adapt to situations around them to continue completing their designated task. Instead of being fearful when I hear this, I feel my heartbeat in pure excitement and curiosity. I want to know more. I want to create more. These are my only thoughts when I see a new development. I would love to take these new inventions and discoveries to research robotic prosthetics and robotic braces. I want to create a robot that can feel the sensations a human can feel and I want to pair these senses with a person's. While this may seem impossible, I believe it can be done in the near future. In ancient Egypt, we discovered the oldest known set of artificial body parts- specifically toes. Now, we are already creating arms and legs that can move through the power of robotics. We have come so far and I have no reason to believe that the progress will halt here. As much as I would love to only talk about the opportunities that robotics presents, I cannot deny the challenges. As a woman, I do feel nervous for my future career. I have already seen others be disrespected and disregarded, as people just view them as a "diversity hire," even if they made it that far through their own achievements. As someone who wants to create and research innovative and more advanced technology that we already have, I am afraid of not being taken seriously due to my gender. While this is no fault of robotics itself, it is a challenge associated with it. However, it only worries me. It does not discourage me. In fact, it makes me want to succeed even more. I want to be so successful in my studies that it is impossible for others to disregard my ideas. In addition, I do not want to be the first woman to complete a task in robotics. That is not what I want to be known for. I simply want to be the first. Joanna Pranksly is simply known as the world’s first robotic psychiatrist. I aspire to be like her one day, as one of the world's firsts, without any restrictions on this title.

As a middle schooler, whenever I would see someone transfer to my small school in Lucas, Texas, during their senior year, I would think to myself, "Why would someone do that during their last year of high school? Why not just stay with what you know for one more year?" Yet, during my junior year, I decided to go from a private school with thirty people in my grade, to a class of over sixteen hundred at a public school for my senior year. From 2017 to 2023, I attended Lucas Christian Academy. Overall, it was a good experience. My mother worked as a teacher here, and I was in her ASL I and II classes, as well as her Honors Physics class. At this school, I was ranked one out of thirty and was set to be valedictorian, based on the classes I was taking. I studied diligently with this goal in mind throughout my high school career. However, at the end of my freshmen year in 2021, I reported another student for recurring sexual harassment. At the time, I truly thought that the administration would simply explain to him why he had to stop since he didn't seem to understand that what he was doing was wrong. Unfortunately, I was very mistaken. At the end of the day, the school did nothing. The coordinator of discipline quit the school without informing whoever was taking his position of the incident, and student services told me it would be easier if I just didn't talk about it anymore. To make matters worse, the boy convinced nearly, if not all of, the entire grade that I lied. I tried to stay positive, but for a 14-year-old, this was all isolating. I felt alone, even when physically surrounded by others. To shorten this story, I thought things would eventually get better, so I stayed. When things didn't improve by the middle of my junior year, I began to consider switching schools. The school refused to give me a transcript with my number grades and only used "A" for each class. All of my high A's (97+) would transfer to the local public school as each course having received a 95. Because of this, I wouldn't even be in the top ten percent anymore due to my GPA dropping. I debated with myself for weeks on whether or not I should switch schools but eventually decided that happiness was more important than being valediction. I now attend Allen High School. While it was hard making that adjustment, and it was a bit of a culture shock, I can confidently say I made the right decision. While my future college and career goals stayed the same, my life has changed for the better. I have made new friendships and other relationships that I never even dreamed about having before. Every day is like a new breath of fresh air. I was afraid of being the new kid, but it wasn't as scary as people make it out to be. It made school life more difficult, but I do not know where I would be right now if I didn't have the confidence to take that step into the unknown. As a high school freshman, I thought things would never get better, but as "the new kid," I can look back at my past self and hug her, telling her that she was so wrong for thinking that.