Not being able to afford pencils, shoes, and never wasting a bit of food; I’ve heard countless stories of my parents’ childhoods. Living in poverty in Vietnam, they were barely able to afford basics and living off of rations from the communist North. Later in their teens however, they were forced to make the move to America as refugees from the Vietnam War. They had nothing, and were to start their lives anew with nothing except for the skin on their backs and their families. Their parents took on a tremendous burden, working around the clock to fund my parents’ college education. My parents each attended university, where they planned to gain traction in a completely foreign country. And it was there, they met by chance, deciding to commit to each other for life. As it turns out, college is expensive, and my parents were left with mountains of debt. Consequently, my father took on the ultimate risk by serving in Iraq to pay off what he owed from school. Finally, once all the dust had settled, they had made it. With their own medical practice, a house, and everything their younger selves could have wanted, they had built themselves from the ground up. Yet, despite all they made for themselves, my parents still decided to devote the rest of their lives to their children. They left their families to move to a city that would be better for raising me and my sister. Over the years, had poured countless hours and dollars into putting us into daycare, sports, piano lessons, and orchestra, making sure we had the freedom to choose what we wanted to do. Each and every sacrifice and care, big or small, added up to ensure that my sister and I would live the best life possible. Because of their efforts, I live every day in safety and happiness, and I can’t let that go to waste. From the day I learned how much my parents had done for me, I was determined to pay them back in some way or another. I studied hard in school to ensure I was prepared for the future, but also made sure to have fun, as my parents had wished for. And after much contemplation, I decided to study mechanical engineering, a way for me to study a field I am passionate about while also fulfilling my parents’ wishes. I aspire to work in the field of engineering not only to build up my own future, but to finance the next generation for the same opportunity in life as my parents were able to give to me. I was blessed with parents that were willing to do anything to make sure their children would live better lives than theirs, and I want others to be able to say the same for me. In this way, I would be able to relieve my parents from stressing about my future, while also honoring their beliefs by paying it forward to the next generation. It’s what my parents did after all their parents did for them. And now, it’s my turn to play the part.

Not being able to afford pencils, shoes, and never wasting a bit of food; I’ve heard countless stories of my parents’ childhoods. Living in poverty in Vietnam, they were barely able to afford basics and living off of rations from the communist North. Later in their teens however, they were forced to make the move to America as refugees from the Vietnam War. They had nothing, and were to start their lives anew with nothing except for the skin on their backs and their families. Their parents took on a tremendous burden, working around the clock to fund my parents’ college education. My parents each attended university, where they planned to gain traction in a completely foreign country. And it was there, they met by chance, deciding to commit to each other for life. As it turns out, college is expensive, and my parents were left with mountains of debt. Consequently, my father took on the ultimate risk by serving in Iraq to pay off what he owed from school. Finally, once all the dust had settled, they had made it. With stable jobs, a house, and everything their younger selves could have wanted, they had built themselves from the ground up. Yet, despite all they made for themselves, my parents still decided to devote the rest of their lives to their children. They left their families to move to a city that would be better for raising me and my sister. Over the years, had poured countless hours and dollars into putting us into daycare, sports, piano lessons, and orchestra, making sure we had the freedom to choose what we wanted to do. Each and every sacrifice and care, big or small, added up to ensure that my sister and I would live the best life possible. Because of their efforts, I live every day in safety and happiness, and I can’t let that go to waste. From the day I learned how much my parents had done for me, I was determined to pay them back in some way or another. I studied hard in school to ensure I was prepared for the future, but also made sure to have fun, as my parents had wished for. And after much contemplation, I decided to study mechanical engineering, a way for me to study a field I am passionate about while also fulfilling my parents’ wishes. I aspire to work in the field of engineering not only to build up my own future, but to finance the next generation for the same opportunity in life as my parents were able to give to me. I was blessed with parents that were willing to do anything to make sure their children would live better lives than theirs, and I want others to be able to say the same for me. In this way, I would be able to relieve my parents from stressing about my future, while also honoring their beliefs by paying it forward to the next generation. It’s what my parents did after all their parents did for them. And now, it’s my turn to play the part.

As a child, when I got asked what my future career would be, I said I wanted to be a scientist. Truly, there was nothing more enticing than working in a field where I got to research and explore the world. Yet as I got older and matured, I inevitably came across the question of “Why?” What did I want to do with all the time I had on this planet? I knew what I was interested in, but I was still a missing source of fulfillment. Upon reflection, my values pointed me towards doing good for the community and helping others, to give back to others not as fortunate. It felt unjust and selfish that I was able to learn and explore my interests at my own fancy, while others did not have the same luxury. So, I started volunteering as a way to give back. I helped food pantries after school and on weekends, gathering donations and preparing food. I volunteered my own time to teach swim lessons to generate funds for local homeless nonprofits. Yet, it seemed that the impact I made by volunteering disappeared within days; in my eyes, my efforts made no difference in the long run. After much contemplation, I landed on mechanical engineering, a bridge between my interests and purpose. I realized that I could utilize my skills to help others effectively by innovating new products or by improving existing ones. I want more and more people who are not as fortunate to have access to better quality living, and to reduce inequality in the world. I could continue to explore and apply myself in the world of science, while also giving back to others in this way. So, with a mission, I took engineering career classes in school, where I learned about CAD software, 3D printing, modeling, researching, along with many other skills. We worked on a multitude of projects, developing our own products and solutions, letting me catch a glimpse of my capabilities with even more resources and skills that I would have in the future. Wishing to explore real-life applications of the topics learned in school, I co-founded the rocketry club at my school. We explored the complexity of rockets and how far humanity has come with space travel, built and launched our own rockets, while also having the space to speak and interact with others who shared my interests. As far as my experience in high school has taken me, I know there is so much more out there to uncover and experience. College-level courses have presented their own challenges, but have only scratched the surface. I know I can do so much more to integrate myself in the field of mechanical engineering, where the things I’ve learned so far are at a much higher caliber. Yet, nothing excites me more than to have the opportunity to expand my skill set and learn more at university and in my future career.