Coming of age in the four years I have attended high school, even with my impressionable grades and the academic successes I have achieved over the years, one of my biggest obstacles was gaining the courage to branch out. There were times when I would prioritize academics so much that I would neglect the other critical social aspects of high school: making friends, getting to know my community, and experimenting with clubs I might be interested in. The urge to have a memorable high school experience and feeling like opportunities were passing me by gave me the courage to join clubs and make long-lasting friendships. Joining the Black Student Union council in my sophomore year truly made me appreciate and acknowledge the work leadership takes: Learning, organization, teamwork, and communication to even start putting your plans into fruition. Having joined Theater in my junior year made me understand and inspired me to know what it is like to be a part of a team that is just as passionate about a project as I am. Joining Key Club and Junior Exec. Raising money at concession stands taught me how to manage stress under pressure and work on my feet when multiple people are trying to order at the concession stands. These clubs also helped me understand the importance of communication and teamwork by allowing me to say what I need to get out orders for customers. Understanding the life-long lessons and experiences gained from my involvement in these clubs motivates me to fully branch out in college and gives me better lessons on life as an engineer. The two majors I am passionate about are Aerospace engineering and general or Applied Mathematics. I've been good at math since the beginning of first grade, finishing multiplication worksheets minutes before anyone else, even if I was the last person to get the sheet. Feeling a sense of pride and joy solving equations on the whiteboard. I have always had a great interest in the systems and facts of space ever since learning about different planets in elementary school. I began to be interested in black holes, dark matter, life on Mars, and the inner workings of space rockets, always wondering, "How were they made?" Being raised by a single mother who has sacrificed and tried to give me everything she couldn't have given me the motivation to make sure I make her proud and stress-free with the expenses university creates. This scholarship would grant me the honor of reaching my dream job at NASA, letting my math and engineering skills calculate and help the next Astronauts reach the stars. I want to become a symbol of diversity and a role model to other black women who are passionate about pursuing male-dominated STEM. To encourage other young women, the intelligence and greatness of their minds are exceptional and highly favored. The privilege of achieving this honorary scholarship will let me pursue the best quality of my education without the stress of finding ways to afford it, showing other black women they can pursue anything they please. I plan to expand my small bubble and accomplish more participation in my community and friends, wanting to help with community services and positively impact the youth of STEM, one mathematical equation at a time.

Euler's Method, created by Leonhard Euler, is a famous formula for approximating solutions to certain differential equations using a combination of line segments. To simplify, it's a mathematical way to measure the total distance of something by adding the distance a few steps at a time instead of finding the whole measurement altogether. I never really favored this Method; why couldn't I find the entire length distance using the distance formula instead of breaking it down into parts and going step by step? I never really understood the importance of this formula…well, not until recently. It's ten minutes before the end of my final AP Calculus exam, and I am nervous. I have excitedly (reluctantly) been able to answer most of these previous multiple-choice and open-ended questions except for one. "Use Five steps of a Method to approximate the solution to the differential equation with the given conditions." I pause, feeling overwhelmed with dread and inadequacy. I continuously tap my pencil on the paper, leaving black marks next to the empty text under the question. This burning, anxious feeling triggers other memories that share this exact feeling. In 9th grade, I had a panic attack after seeing my grade go down from an A to a C after a failing test grade. I broke to a lowest that I have never been before, overriding the constant signs of my declining mental health, all for a letter in a grade book. It was then that I realized that my crippling obsession with grades had put me in the wrong place where I needed to be. I should be enjoying the last moments of my teenage years, not endlessly watching my phone and waiting for an update on my grades. I want to find real friends, have picnics and movie nights, and gain a sense of found family. I want to get my driver's license and learn how to cook without burning food. I want to feel, not to be, an emotionless robot whose only contribution is grades. I put my pencil down, taking a deep breath. It's Euler's Method, calculating the solution using little steps. Coming out of that exam with an A, I finally understood that instead of looking at things on a bigger scale, I take them one step at a time. I decided to take a step back, turning off my grade notifications, understanding triggers for anxiety, and things that work for healthy productivity. I began to take small steps, like finding love in reading sappy rom-com novels, listening to podcasts, and understanding that working towards my path of greatness doesn't mean that I have to give up the joys of living. When coming into my life, I will focus on the greatness of my academics and put time and effort into creating a community I love being around. Being active with like-minded people, learning how to do specific skills, and being able to enjoy college life by making memories I'll never forget.

My favorite aspect of Minecraft is that it creates a world that enhances the enjoyment for kids and young adults everywhere and sparks inspiration and motivation for learning about and finding one’s life purpose. Starting with exploring the deep blue depths of the ocean, you can find an infinite amount of life, coral, and lost treasure. Minecraft allows people boldness and the desire to explore places many people can’t reach. Swimming with sea turtles, feeding the dolphins, encountering an unwelcome sea zombie, or finding an abandoned shipwreck helps us learn about the characteristics of sea life and also initiates a need to discover the hidden secrets, species, and history of the ocean, which would be considered the essential occupation of a marine biologist and (or) an oceanographer. If the sea is too scary for you to explore like some people (me), then I bet home crafting is something everyone enjoys. Although my only house was ever a dirt one underground, Minecraft gives an endless choice of house architecture. From a lovely brick house cottage to a modern dark spruce mansion, players can learn and experiment with building the house of their dreams based on choosing an exceptional environment, the shape of the house, and the different types of tiles; the game overall shows the fundamentals of how to create a great, structural, and stylish home. But the fun and learning do not just stop on the outside; filling the house with the personality makes a desired house desirable. Minecraft gives players all types of trinkets of art, pictures, pottery, books, carpeting, and many other personalized things to undoubtedly make each player’s house a home of their own, learning how to turn a dark house with four walls into a lively home with wise craftsmanship. I can confidently say that Minecraft has shifted many kids to become top-notch home interior and exterior designers. But for me, Minecraft has dramatically influenced my love and eagerness to uncover all the tricks and uses of engineering. Being introduced to red stone in the game opened a new place for creation and inventions. Not only does Minecraft give you the free space to learn the fundamentals of coding, but it also gives you the desire to branch outside to create things that people have yet to think about. Creating an exciting roller coaster using railroad tracks, a lever, and some red stone to zoom across the high and low depths of the map shows players simple coding to create machinery based on preferences and interests. I could create melodic tunes by researching how to make musical tiles of my favorite song based on the key of the music boxes, tiles, and the dreadful amount of red stone used. This game enhances my want for knowledge of the multitude of inventions I can complete within the game. From the beginning of Minecraft all the way to the present, this game helps players with what interests them and what they would enjoy doing as a life career. The game lets us be confident enough to make us have the desire to experience our engrossment in the natural world.