Reflection Essay: How Things Work

Most of my memories of elementary school are scattered and blurred, but I have a few memories from that period of youthfulness that remain mechanically focused and clear. The most important of those unchanging, vivid memories is not my recollection of the day I scored my first touchdown, or of the night I performed in the annual school play, but rather of the day I delved into a book titled How Things Work during my third-grade class’s daily, hour-long, book reading time, a time my classmates and I thoroughly despised. It was that day while pondering inside of that large, blue-colored book that Jaylon Uzodinma decided that his future profession would fall somewhere under the realms of science and engineering. There was one problem though. Ironically,

The book was simply unsatisfying for such an investigative kid like myself. My younger self desperately wanted to understand the processes behind what allowed an airplane to fly, why computers were so “smart,” and how the Motorola RAZR phone allowed seamless communication between people miles apart. Because of that book, I developed a strong desire for the knowledge and understanding of the wonders that so many humans take for granted. This undying desire is the reason I plan to become a research scientist and professor in the field of physics. I am currently at Jackson State University majoring in physics and minoring in mathematics, which helps to compliment my overall performance in physics. Because of my department’s small size, I have had the pleasure of developing solid relationships with the chair, program manager, and many professors within the department. These pivotal relationships have driven me to heights that, prior to starting at JSU in August of 2016, I could have never imagined for myself. First off, I never imagined that I would attain junior status after just three