An 11-7 Hamming code means there are four parity bits and seven data bits. In communication, especially in hardware, signal disturbances often occur due to obstacles or faulty wiring. My team’s project was to simulate a Hamming code design within 48 hours. We were knowledgeable in circuit design, proficient in using LogicWorks (the software for building logic circuits), and collaborated well together. However, as we progressed, the challenge's prompts became increasingly confusing, partly due to overthinking on our part. We spent a significant portion of our time simply trying to understand the requirements. Initially, all three of us worked on the same design, which quickly led to confusion as we dealt with hundreds of crisscrossing wires. I couldn't understand what was happening and became unsure of the purpose behind some of the gates we had placed. Realizing the confusion, I paused the team and asked them to explain the circuit to me. It turned out they were facing the same issue. Despite the progress we had made, we didn’t fully understand each part of our circuit, meaning some of our wiring and logic were likely flawed, causing unintentional bugs. When we tested the circuit, it failed, as expected. We were disheartened since we had only 24 hours left, and the excitement was turning into frustration. We continued working for the rest of the day with minimal progress. Part of the problem was that our minds were exhausted from staring at the same circuit for so long, making it difficult to spot mistakes. I suggested we take a break and rest before restarting. When we returned, one of my teammates proposed that we work individually on separate versions of the circuit instead of collaborating on a single design. Initially, I didn’t understand the reasoning, but I soon realized that working individually gave each of us a fresh perspective, making it easier to spot errors. After a laborious night, working until 4 a.m., each of us had developed a version of the circuit and proposed different solutions to the issues we were facing, each presenting unique challenges. When we reconvened, debugging became much easier. We quickly identified errors, exchanged suggestions for overcoming roadblocks, and ultimately completed the project successfully. In the end, we won the challenge with the highest score possible. Leadership isn’t about a single person taking charge—it’s about collective contribution. Just like the human body relies on multiple parts working together to function optimally, our team thrived because each member played a vital role. As Ralph Nader once said, “The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.” In this challenge, we were all leaders. Each of us contributed creative solutions to the obstacles we faced and respected one another's ideas equally. No one dominated the decision-making process, ensuring every idea was valued. We made decisions quickly without unnecessary arguments, even when the results were not in our favor. If any of us had been stubborn or refused to collaborate, we might not have finished the project and could have scored zero. Success in our future careers will depend not just on our technical expertise but on our ability to collaborate and communicate effectively as a team. Strong teamwork fosters innovation, speeds up problem-solving, and ensures tasks are completed more efficiently. By working together, we can leverage diverse perspectives and skills to tackle even the most complex projects successfully.

It started as a scavenger hunt. During my freshman year of college, I was shy, inexperienced, and hesitant to try new things. To break out of my comfort zone, I joined the Cyber Defense Team at SDSU, hoping to gain new experiences, meet people, and learn valuable skills. The scavenger hunt paired us into teams of four and challenged us to solve 10 puzzles within two hours. Each solution revealed a new location on campus where the next puzzle awaited. I was fortunate to be on a team with a highly experienced cybersecurity student who seemed to know every trick in the book. To solve the puzzles, we had to apply the skills we learned in the club, including hashing, terminal usage (Kali Linux), and decryption techniques using ciphers like Caesar Cipher and even emoji ciphers. The first challenge was figuring out how to use a decoding website under intense time pressure. After trial and error, we discovered the puzzle was encrypted with an emoji cipher—something I never imagined existed. Another memorable challenge involved decrypting a message hidden inside an image using a steganography tool. After 30 minutes of frustration, we learned the puzzle was unsolvable because the coordinator had mistakenly uploaded the file as a PDF instead of a PNG. Initially, I felt this wasted valuable time, but in hindsight, I’m grateful for the experience. Even when the task seemed impossible, my team never gave up. We explored every possible tool, shared ideas, and even downloaded sketchy files—all determined to solve the puzzle. By my sophomore year, I had grown from a follower into a leader. This time, I knew the tools, strategies, and mindsets necessary to succeed. Though I didn’t take first place, finishing third was a significant improvement from the previous year. These experiences solidified my passion for cybersecurity. I love the thrill of solving complex puzzles, the excitement of cracking a challenge with my team, and even the bittersweet moments when an opponent wins but motivates me to improve. Cybersecurity is a career built on solving puzzles, demanding both critical thinking and teamwork. Without collaboration and diverse perspectives, progress would be limited. I learned this while playing the OverTheWire Bandit War Game, a Linux-based puzzle challenge. Working alone, I only reached level 10, but with a teammate of similar skill, we progressed to level 16 and beyond. It was the constant exchange of ideas that allowed us to advance. These challenges have taught me the importance of grit and teamwork—skills that have directly impacted my success in academics. In my computer architecture class, I applied these lessons while designing complex circuits using logic gates, where persistence and collaboration were key. Looking forward, I am eager to continue growing in cybersecurity. Next semester, I will be taking Unix System Administration to deepen my technical expertise and will participate in a hackathon hosted by LPL Financial on January 26th. This event will further refine my technical and collaboration skills alongside a team I truly enjoy working with.

“When we see someone in pain, our instinct is to fix things—to give advice, offer solutions, or try to make it all better. But empathy isn’t about fixing. It’s about having the courage to sit with someone during their toughest moments, even when there’s nothing you can do to change the situation.” — Brené Brown. I experienced this firsthand during my first job at Sprouts Farmers Market when I was 16. As a shy high school sophomore, I felt nervous and unsure of myself, especially when interacting with customers. My voice was shaky, and I often doubted my ability to do the job well. There was a coworker, Sophia, who noticed this. She didn’t give me advice or try to "fix" my confidence, but she showed up in a way that mattered. On difficult days, when I was struggling with personal issues I never talked about, she could sense it. Without asking, she’d step in to help with tasks, making my day just a little easier. She didn’t solve my problems, but her presence reminded me that I wasn’t alone. As a computer science major and first-generation student, I want to create that same sense of support for others through technology. I envision developing a mentorship platform where students, especially first-generation students, can connect with alumni who have faced similar challenges. This app would go beyond academics—it would be a space where students could seek guidance for navigating both personal struggles and professional development. I know from experience that a strong foundation matters. If I hadn’t worked hard in middle school, my focus in high school would have wavered under the weight of personal challenges. Often, students don’t struggle because they lack ability but because they lack guidance and support during critical moments. A mentor who has faced similar challenges can be the difference between staying motivated or feeling completely lost. Through this mentorship platform, I want to build a community where people show up for each other—not to "fix" but to offer genuine support when it’s needed most. Just like Sophia did for me. I know firsthand the power of mentorship, as I’m currently a scholar in the STEM Advantage program. This program has been an invaluable resource in my own academic and professional development, thanks to the guidance of my amazing mentor, a senior cybersecurity expert. From the moment we were paired, his support has been instrumental in shaping my approach to both my studies and career. He didn’t just give me generic advice; he tailored his mentorship to my goals, helping me refine my resume, identify areas of growth, and focus on the skills and experiences that would make me stand out in the competitive tech field. Additionally, he has been an unwavering source of encouragement, offering advice on how to approach job opportunities, internships, and navigating the challenges of being a first-generation student. In the same way I was matched with a mentor who understood my needs and experiences, I envision a mentorship platform that would match mentees with mentors based on their academic majors, personal interests, and unique challenges. The mentors, like mine, would be able to offer anything from career advice, industry insights, to emotional guidance for students who may feel lost or overwhelmed. This kind of tailored mentorship goes beyond academics—it helps students build confidence, gain clarity in their goals, and feel supported in their personal and professional growth. By pairing students with mentors who have walked similar paths, we create an environment where empathy and understanding can flourish, fostering stronger connections and a deeper sense of community.

Coming from a low-income household as a first-generation college student, I dream of providing a stable life for my mom and dad. It broke me when, on my mom’s birthday, she said she wanted to eat the waffle crackers displayed in a nearby convenience store but couldn’t afford them. To her, they were a luxury item, unnecessary for survival. Seeing the person who has cared for me with unwavering love unable to afford something so simple on her birthday caused emotional pain. That moment motivated me to excel in school, earning 4.0 GPAs and succeeding in clubs and my job to show her that her sacrifices were not in vain. When I achieve success, my first goal is to give back to those who have supported me along the way—not only my mother but also the community members who provided food in times of need, the incredible teachers who imparted invaluable knowledge, and countless others who shaped my journey. While I have volunteered over 100 hours of community service, the support my community has given me during crises far outweighs my contributions. I aspire to be a compassionate and responsible individual, one who adds value to society and inspires others to do the same. My goals include becoming an investment banker and developing algorithmic trading programs. For now, I am focusing on smaller projects showcased on my Bold profile, growing step by step. This scholarship will help me reach those goals by giving me more time to collaborate with friends on projects that will secure a career I am passionate about.

My parents have always told me: to be successful in life, you have to help others succeed first. I did not understand the logic until I started volunteering as a Summer Stride Leader in 8th grade. My daily tasks included helping families fill out applications, leading kids to spin a wheel for prizes with each hour of reading, and helping seniors with troubleshooting technology. What’s so nice about volunteering is that each family I saw, I can directly relate with their feelings, their needs, and their appreciation when they saw me help them with patience and respect. Also, I volunteered at the food bank. While training my upper body strength, I get to help communities without sufficient food for their families. At my high school’s academy, I was involved in 3D printing composite models to help underclassmen learn geometry in a tactile and visual way. Furthermore, I was involved in the construction of the Tiny House, the mission was to find homeless animals a cozy place to stay. Not only was I doing something positive, I learned many skills, such as operating power tools, framing, and lots of applicable real life math. In college, my professors made a Discord server for students to help each other with homework questions and understanding difficult concepts. I was consistently and actively participating in any way I can, answering every question thoroughly while explaining in an easy-to-understand manner. As a first year student, my programming knowledge is limited. However, I would say about 50% of my understanding in computer concepts came from helping others understand. It reworked my way of thinking, connected dots with prior knowledge, and forced me to do research. As a result, towards the end of the semester, I was able to create a Discord bot that helps new investors with different financial indicators. Growing up in a family that often relied on support from the community, I take pride in helping others whenever possible. Experiencing numerous smiles and heartfelt expressions of gratitude, I've set a personal mission to help my community succeed, as it brings a sense of fulfillment and positivity to my own life. In the future, as a computer science major, I plan to offer free tech repair services, troubleshoot software problems, and develop programs communities desperately need. To find these programs, I will be an open-minded person, volunteering in different fields to gain experience. Through this experience, I can gain insight on what and how to develop. A big part of being a leader is giving up my last piece of bread to someone in greater need even though I am starving. I learned this from my parents, who sacrificed everything they had, to give a better future to me. My parents are my role model, and I aspire to extend their values to the rest of the world.

When I was in 8th grade, I was volunteering as a computer technician, helping elderly people troubleshoot tablets and laptops. I struggled a lot. I didn't know how to resolve many of the pop-up errors, determining if it was a hardware or software malfunction or simply a faulty setting. However, I am so glad my supervisor was invested in our approach to solving the problem, not just finding the solution. I would have my own, functional laptop that I can search the internet for and watch tutorials on how to fix a particular issue. The improvement in my problem-solving skills wasn't the only upside. Seeing the elderly patiently sit through my step-by-step process, watching as I troubleshoot the problem, and then seeing their appreciative smiles and gratitude at the end inspired me to major in computer science. My long-term goal as a computer science student is to absorb knowledge like a sponge. Be it front-end or back-end development, cybersecurity, machine learning, or computer hardware, I want to learn it. I will be taking advantage of every opportunity, such as clubs and internships, and if there aren't any, I will be working on personal projects. For example, over the summer, I read books on Python programming language, completed programming exercises, and figured out the logic behind different concepts. Through grit and determination, I was able to successfully create an alien invasion game, where the player has to use the arrow keys to move left and right while using the spacebar to shoot bullets at aliens that are moving around the screen, with each level progressively getting harder while keeping track of score and health. After my first semester at San Diego State University learning Java, I am currently building a Discord bot that extracts real-time data from the stock market in the form of a JSON file through Polygon.io's API. My goal with this project is to eventually implement more accurate data from Yahoo Finance to create visual representations of the data with a great UI/UX experience on Discord similar to MidJourney. Furthermore, I will be learning web development to promote my discord bot to reach more users and, of course, implement more error-handling code to make fixing runtime errors easier. I am also working part-time at an insurance company. My goal in every job is to perform my best work for the time I am there, which means I am a very efficient person. I am someone who looks for methods to speed up a process, figuring out solutions to inefficiencies. One inefficiency I noticed while working there, was the fact that I had to create hundreds of folders for different name insured, while each folder had a similar naming structure. My goal in the future is to create a website that will accept an Excel spreadsheet from the user, read the spreadsheet, and convert it to folders for Windows and Mac OS, with the folder already labeled. Furthermore, my boss told me that the company had been hacked a couple of times, so I decided to expand my knowledge in cybersecurity by joining the Cyber Defense Team. To see new horizons, one must leave the shores behind. I am someone who will always challenge myself with new projects and find new ways to make someone’s life better.

Education is a big opportunity, and therefore, requires big goals. I am a computer science student at San Diego State University with an intention of attending graduate school. Goals are like a flight of stairs, taking one small step at a time. Working towards my dream of being the first in my family to graduate with a bachelors, first with masters, and eventually Ph.D, I am a sponge in all my classes, absorbing all the information and being open-minded to every opportunity. In the first semester of college, I have consistently networked with my peers, attended professor office hours, and seeked internship opportunities. In addition, I am currently working on a financial technology project that aims to use artificial intelligence to make educated guesses on the buy, hold, or sell status of a particular stock based on status quo, the company’s financials, uncertainty, and various other factors. Education is about challenging yourself and achieving milestones. This means exploring your interests, enrolling in challenging classes, and being comfortable in the uncomfort of being unique. In the upcoming spring semester, I will be part of the Cyber Defense and Mechatronics team, enrolling in 20 units of rigorous classes, and taking the initiative to work on a coding project for my company. Before I graduate, I will make sure to leave a positive impact on both my peers and professors, seize every available opportunity, and engage in experiences that I can share with the world. To explore new horizons, one must be brave to leave the shores behind. This means exploring careers completely unrelated to your major, challenging the status quo thinking and coming up with original, creative ideas, and understanding technology is evolving every second and requires consistent, lifelong learning. It means having the discipline to work on yourself even when you don’t feel like it, inspiring others to see the joy in learning, and to never settle for ordinary, going the extra step for extraordinary. My career goal is not about the destination, it is about the journey. I wish for the journey to be a rollercoaster, with ups and downs, highs and lows, fear and joy, and of course, failures and success. A straight rollercoaster ride is simply too boring for me. Like a rollercoaster, my career is aimed at making people smile and scream with joy. After you finish a good ride, you will most likely remember and share it with friends and family. I want my career to leave a long-lasting, positive legacy on the people I inspired along the way.

I didn't speak English. I had a GPA of 1.8. I am from a low-income, immigrant household. No, let me rephrase that. I had the opportunity to learn English. I had the opportunity to be educated. I had the motivation to continue what I started. My family did not understand English. No problem, I became an interpreter by learning English and Chinese. I am now trilingual, able to have conversational talks in Spanish. Because my English was terrible, my grades did not keep up. I had trouble making friends as I couldn't communicate well. I had trouble understanding word problems on exams. I took extra long doing homework, and received heart-wrenching feedbacks during parent-teacher conferences. No problem, this inability became a source of motivation. Before I spend 2 hours on homework, now I spend 4. Before I read books for 1 hour, now I read books for 10. I graduated top 5% of my high school with 39 college credits. Yesterday I couldn't afford a notebook, but today, I can. I accomplished this by creating opportunities for myself. From gaining work experience through 100+ hours of community service, to developing my interpersonal communication skills at Sprouts Farmers Market, my technical skills at the Manufacturing Production Technology Academy, and my professional skills at CID Insurance Programs. Each milestone has it's own set of challenges, each challenge represents an additional tool I have under my belt, and that belt will eventually have all the resources I need to build my dream. I am a computer science major at San Diego State University, and my goal is to become someone you can trust who can reliably and safely accomplish a task, like a pilot. Someone who is precise and expert in what they do, like an engineer. Someone that gives you feelings of warmth and support through their actions and simile, like our parents. As for profession, I am open-minded on the journey life takes me. I am open to learning anything new, as every experience contributes to a dot, in an ever complex connect-the-dots masterpiece. If I had to choose to rebirth in a rich or poor household, I would choose the latter. My unfair advantage is my optimistic approach at solving problems. I see every challenge as an opportunity to learn something new, making me stronger, emotionally and intellectually, day after day. I aspire to extend the benefits of technology to all parts of the world. My dream is a world where technology ensures equal access to all the opportunities that were available to me as I grew up.