The Road To Toy Design by Jackson

The Road To Toy Design by Jackson - February 2024 Scholarship Essay

One of my earliest memories is of me sitting on my living room couch, figuring out how to work my new toy Transformer. If I close my eyes, it’s almost as if the little 3-year-old version of myself is still here, filled with excitement, wonder, and pride. It felt amazing to suddenly understand how the pieces of the figure fit together, and it seemed magical that something could be a toy car one minute and then, with a few clicks and twists, suddenly be a fully working robot.

Now, here I sit, just a few months away from completing my high school education, and somehow I’m still that same little boy from the couch all those years ago. My bedroom shelves are filled with Transformers and Lego projects I have collected and built over the years. At some point along the way, my interest in my toy figures and projects shifted from playing imaginatively with them and feeling proud whenever I figured out how to make them work to realizing that I wanted to play a part in bringing new toy creations to life as an adult.

Today, when I buy a new collectible item, I never look at the instructions. Instead, I love to pour myself completely into figuring out the intricacies of the design all on my own. Once I am done and ready to place the completed project on a shelf in my room, the most special part of the entire process is sharing it with my brother and father. Those figures and what they have represented are a connector for the three of us—our own special language.

I want my professional life to be something that combines my love of the engineering science behind toys with my appreciation for just how powerful toys can be for children and their families. My dream job is to work for a toy design company on both the design and engineering sides, as well as the research and marketing sides. The only way to make that dream a reality is through college. So, my plan is to pursue a dual degree in mechanical engineering and business.

Although I do not yet know which college I will get to call home, I am already half-way through my applications and know this career path is the best one for me. I know I will approach my time in college in many of the same ways I have approached my time in my current high school: by taking my studies seriously, by becoming an active member of the community, and by taking steps towards my future. I see college as a connector between my past self, my present self, and my future self. College is how I can continue to hold onto the pieces of that little boy from the couch long into my adulthood and how I can learn to help others have the same kind of positive and magical memories from toys that I have been able to have throughout my life.