Admission Essay: I Want To Pursue Engineering

When I was 12, I built an airplane with a wingspan that was as long as I was tall, and I even got to fly it. Seeing that airplane in flight sparked an indescribable feeling. In that moment, I realized that I was capable of innovation and that I had the potential to make amazing things, and I was stunned. Through my experiences, I’ve realized I’m passionate about teamwork in biomedicine to improve the lives of others. My enthusiasm for engineering, however, is not the only trait that defines me. I have many identities, woven together, ultimately create me. It is these same identities that make me an ideal engineering student and the ideal candidate for work in the medical field at Metronic.

As a kid that learned to love STEM at an early age,

When I first joined robotics, I wanted to quit immediately. I didn’t really see any girls and no one would really make an effort to talk to me. The next weeks were difficult as I worked to get people to respect me. While discouraged, I inserted myself into situations in which I otherwise wouldn’t be heard at all. Over time, people came to respect me-- I even became one of the first captains in the history of the team. As a captain, my role was to facilitate communication between the subteams, an experience that developed my skills as a effective communicator and teamwork skills. Additionally, I tutored many English language learners in math and science which contributed to my communication skills that will make me effective in any scenario I’m placed

Though I have to work harder than both men and other women in my major to gain the same respect, I do it tirelessly. Often,I’ve walked into classrooms as the only person or woman of color in the class. On a predominately white campus, it’s hard not to notice the differences between myself and others. I’m a board member for SWE on the newly formed Diversity and Inclusion Committee (consisting of three people). On the board of directors, there are few women of color. While it is discouraging not to see other women of color, I realized I could make the U of M chapter of SWE a more welcoming