UC Prompt 7: What have you done to make your school or community a better place?

 

From a young age, I always knew I liked to help people. At first, I helped my parents and brother. Later, I helped my friends. And in high school, I helped people that I never knew before. I enjoyed this as a hobby, but always wondered if it could apply to my academic career. The answer was my trip to Washington DC.  My DC trip was one of the more educational trips I've ever taken. Sites like the White House, Lincoln Memorial, and Arlington Cemetery taught me much about all the people who had gone before me and tried to help our country grow. Most of all, however, I enjoyed the Capitol Building. The large marble dome, vast floor space and busy silence all brought mystery to the building. I envied the government officials there, whose job it was to think of new ideas to help people. 

Upon returning to school, I applied to be in the Student Government class. On my first day, I was ready to discuss and debate what I wanted to change about the school. Instead, we said the pledge of allegiance, approved the budget, and then the president asked for volunteers to help put up signs in the hallway. It appeared we wouldn't be revolutionizing the school that day or so I thought.  But while putting up those signs, I started to make the realization that while Student Government doesn’t set the bell schedule, or even the lunch menu, they live by the motto “Service Above Self.”  That motto is prevalent in all of the student government activities and is what I enjoy most.  Whether we are recognizing students on their birthdays, congratulating an outstanding teacher or planning the next school dance, student government recognizes that there is more to school than classes and homework.  Creating an environment where students feel that they belong and are accepted is important to their success in high school and our mission for Student Government. 

 UC Prompt 1; Describe an example of your leadership experience which you have positively influenced…

 I had never been to South Central Los Angeles, but I was ready to help. It was late December, and I was in a poor neighborhood helping hand out Christmas gifts to families that couldn’t afford them.  I was assigned to work at the check-in booth, giving out tickets to families, which they could redeem for their child’s Christmas gift. Soon after settling in, the supervisor left, leaving me in charge. Initially, I didn't feel comfortable being in charge of something so important, but I figured it would only be temporary. Little did I know, she would not be returning. Minutes turned into hours, which turned into the entire event.  At the end of the day, I was told that check-in needed to be closed, and I did, though there were still swarms of people arriving at the park. I did not make the decision, but being in charge, I still took a lot of flak, and worse, I felt bad that the children I turned away would not receive Christmas presents. But I thought there was nothing I could do. Or was there?

 I suggested we recount the tickets we had given out, then I checked it against the number of gifts that we had reported to have given out. The totals didn’t match. We had given out all of the tickets, but still had five hundred gifts. I decided then to rally the remaining volunteers and reopen check-in, and together we gave out the remaining 500 tickets to families, allowing them to get Christmas presents.At the end of the day, when the supervisor returned, she complemented me for taking charge to make sure that all of the gifts were distributed.  I learned that the suggested decision is not always the correct moral decision, and I also learned that organization is a critical component of any working team.

 UC Prompt 3; What would you say is your greatest talent or skill?...

 Imagine having a perfect photographic memory, looking at a biology textbook and being able to recite it from memory… but only when the color of the text was red. That is a good analogy for my weird skill, a semi-photographic memory. From a young age, I was always fascinated with learning. I eventually realized I had a weird and somewhat helpful skill. I was able to recall information that I had learned, almost without error, for example the names of all the United States Navy Aircraft Carriers from the Dwight Eisenhower to the John C. Stenis. Thrilled, I tried turning my skill on Calculus, but discovered that it wasn't the same. I realized that I could not memorize everything that I looked at, like a photographic memory, but I could remember information that was aligned with my interests, like learning about naval technology.  

This skill, I thought for a while, never really had any purpose for me, until I discovered how to apply it to my school work. Traditionally students attempt to remember information, possibly by repeating it to themselves or making visual diagrams, but I began to remember information by correlating it to information that I was interested in. For instance, in History class, learning about the Ancient Egyptians, I took it upon myself to research Egyptian maritime technology, and was then able to correlate it to the rest of the information we needed to know. While I hadn’t found the holy grail of knowledge, I did find a weird skill that changed my way of thinking and helped me learn.  It's a tool I look forward to further developing.

 UC Prompt 6; Think of an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside the classroom

 I was fortunate enough to be raised in one of the United States' largest aerospace cities. Starting in my elementary school, large companies such as Boeing and Raytheon brought science experiments into our classroom, stimulating my love for all things science. As a 7th grader, I was able to partake in a program funded by the major aerospace companies, which fed my desire to learn about Science, Technology, and Engineering.  

Gateway to Technology is a course to prepare selected middle school students for the high school STEM curriculum. 15 students per grade, with outstanding math and science scores, were invited to be a part of the class. I was excited to be chosen, except I had to wake up at six o’clock every morning to go to class, which was held at the high school, though I learned to live with getting up early and eventually I hardly noticed. The class taught me techniques that I would need to know for the science and engineering programs in high school. It was not easy, and at times I thought of leaving. The programs and formulas we used in class had a steep learning curve; numerous classmates dropped the class. But I persevered, completed the course as a 7th grader, and was then again invited to participate as an 8th grader. Gateway to Technology not only fed my STEM drive, but also gave me the necessary tools to be successful in my STEM pathways in the future. Additionally, my experiences in the program helped develop my love for other hobbies, such as Robotics Club, and my high school’s Engineering pathway, which I've participated in for many years.