Education and Robots by John

Education and Robots by John - April 2020 Scholarship Essay

My drive to build and my education has brought me to many different arenas and hopefully I will inspire our youth to be creative and strive to attain their dreams. When I was in middle school, I was introduced to combat robots at the Maker Faire in Orlando. I came back and asked my teacher if we could build one out of recycled material that I could get from a local business. He let us develop, test, and begin to build a robot. It wasn't quite done by the end of the year, but I kept improving it and it competed in the Maker Faire in 2017 where I won 3rd place. The next year, I learned how to CAD and draft designs, then I built a much better version of the robot. In the process I had to learn how to weld, use power tools, obtain materials, and to have lots of patience. My vision became a reality with the Extinguisher as I competed once again. This time I had some video and was able to put together an application for the TV show Battlebots. The day I found out I was accepted, I was elated! That set forth my drive to develop, build, and compete with current engineers at the age of 16. In this process, I needed to raise money. So, I found and developed an online outlet for a certain type of battery that when put together can power villages. Through marketing of the batteries in my robot groups, I have helped power areas stricken with disasters like hurricanes and tsunamis. Hence, I have been able to fund my robot building desire and help others in the process. My leadership and service to the community have been demonstrated by the developing of the outlet for the batteries and helping those in disaster stricken areas. I also have volunteered at many events for Maker Spaces and Maker Faire to continue to reach students and educate them on the power of STEM related classes. It was the need to fund a hobby that led to this new resource and I hope to continue to develop new and better ways to help people in need with recycled materials as I learn more within the engineering profession. So yes college is important to further your knowledge within certain areas of expertise because if we didn't then you wouldn't have advancements in technological items, medicine, or architecture. Your scholarship will enable me to further my education to make my dram to become a reality.