I attend Sun Prairie East High School and will lead the rotation for the Varsity team. This year will be a little different come baseball season as our town split our high schools into two, but it's only heightened my excitement for Spring. Our season ended abruptly in the first round of state, but I was fortunate to get to pitch in that game. Never before had I been this nervous on the mound, yet I loved it. This was the most exciting atmosphere I’d ever played in, with more on the line than ever. I imagined I was in the big leagues playing for my Brewers, and to me, the crowd of a few hundred may as well have been 40,000, and that high school game, the world series. In a combination of excitement, nerves, and rage at our deficit, I even managed to throw my fastball 5mph harder than I ever had before. After a 1-2-3 inning, I was greeted with hugs and cheers from my teammates, releasing a giant ball of nerves out of my gut and the biggest smile I’ve ever had. Even after our loss, I had to try not to smile because I was just grateful to have gotten to play in that environment. However, I don't love baseball because of those experiences, albeit those were games I'll treasure for a lifetime, I love it because of what the game means to me. My entire life, the easiest way for me to connect with someone was over a game of catch. I have memories as a kid of playing catch with my dad and friends. To this day, I still call up my friend Logan, my catcher and battery mate since we were 11, to play catch in the 30-degree fall weather. Those half-hours of catch consist of lots of talking, joking, and terrible knuckleballs. There's no better relationship than that between a pitcher and his catcher, as he and I could talk baseball endlessly. From random baseball history to the Brewers or our high school team, we cover it all, all while throwing a ball back and forth, our hands growing number in the cold with each throw. It's because of baseball I met my best friend, it's baseball that continues to deepen our friendship. From music to movies, my tastes have always been old-school, and my favorite ballplayers are no exception. Given my love for things of the past, and being a funky lefty pitcher myself, it shouldn't be surprising that my favorite player is Sandy Koufax. Although I relent the Dodgers for constantly knocking my BrewCrew out of the playoffs, I've always loved watching Sandy and his legendary Curveball. I loved everything about Koufax, from his big curveball which left even Mickey Mantle flailing, to his big kick, I wanted to be like him. Although arthritis forced his retirement at 30, I still believe he's the best pitcher of all time. My youth was spent emulating his big kick and trying to spin the same devastating curveball, and while I'm not Sandy Koufax, much of my success stems from watching him. As I move on from high school this year, I will be attending the Milwaukee School of Engineering to play D3 baseball. I never anticipated playing baseball in college and am beyond excited to do so, and am glad my baseball career can live on. Between high school romances, graduation, and the future, baseball remains a constant love that connects my younger self that dreamed of playing at a higher level to myself now where that dream is coming true.

When I first began taking college courses full-time as a high junior, I went in with the idea that I would be going to med school. My motivations for becoming a doctor consisted of the obvious goal of helping people, but even more so driven by a fascination and desire the solving a problem. In this case, it would've been an issue or ailment with the human body. Further discerning the medical school path, I realized that medical school was not the path for me, and for the first time since kindergarten I was not sure of my future career field. Fortunately, I did not stay this way for long as I recognized my original interest in medicine was fueled by my love for thinking and problem solving I began to explore the realm of engineering. Although my discernment out of pursuing medicine was a long process, my passion for engineering came quickly. After getting a hands-on introduction to the field through a friend, I enrolled in the electrical engineering program at Madison College. Through the first several months of being in the program, I have no regrets and am incredibly grateful for having enrolled in it. I love electrical engineering because of the fact that I get to work both with my mind and my hands. In my classes, I get to design circuits and learn circuit theory, but I also get to solder and complete physical projects. Having a project work is one of the most satisfying feelings, especially if there was some struggle along the way, as I get tangible feedback and find I possess the ability to create. Although I could talk endlessly about how much fun I have engineering electronics, the great thing about the field of engineering is that it is a philanthropic field. I came to this realization at a job fair hosted by Madison College where several companies advertised internships. Many of them created medical products including Cologuard and radiation therapy machines. I was excited to make this discovery as for the first time I realized that just because I wasn't going to be a doctor didn't mean I couldn't improve or save the lives of others. Not only could I help others, but I could do it the way I'd always hoped, by treating cancer. I love engineering because I love creating electronics, and know that my work can change lives.

I'm Zach Brzezinski, a high school senior who has taken all college courses for the past two years. Over those two years, I have shifted my career focus. When I first enrolled in the Early College program, I wanted to be an oncologist to treat cancer patients as I'd had many friends and relatives suffer from the disease. As I began down this path, I soon found it wasn't the right fit for me, and for the first time since kindergarten I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. Fortunately, a friend of mine mentioned that he was beginning his electrical engineering courses. Having always been a more hands-on learner and having an interest in technology, I began to explore the major more in-depth. What surprised me was just how many different fields these engineers can work in from helping make electric cars, to computers, to next-generation cell towers, AI, and HEALTHCARE. Coming upon electrical engineers in the healthcare field meant I can continue to pursue my dreams of helping people in healthcare, but also follow my interest in technology and hands-on work. After talking to my academic advisor and an electrical engineer actively working in the industry, I decided to join my friend in enrolling in the classes. The college we are taking classes at has a great 2-year electronics program and lots of partnerships with local 4-year universities and companies. A great perk of this program is the fact that they have job fairs several times a month where employers come to present their company to students looking for internships or even full-time employment. The first company that came in made rugged electronics which was interesting, but it was the next company that presented that caught my eye. This company was looking for electrical engineering students to help them work on their healthcare equipment. They even build the LINAC machines that deliver radiation to cancer cells. It was a match made in heaven for a once wanna-be oncologist turned electrical engineer. Fast forward several months, and I am loving all four electrical engineering classes I am taking on top of Calculus 2, and the healthcare electronics company is coming back to present and offer interviews to aspiring interns, which I am. This summer I plan to work for them on a full-time internship before going off to university to finish my electrical engineering degree and play baseball. I hope to continue working on medical equipment and help to develop more effective equipment to treat cancer patients to help people like my grandparents and neighbors.