My Major by Lavergne Joe

My Major by Lavergne Joe - February 2024 Scholarship Essay

My chosen major is aerospace engineering leaning towards the astronomical engineering side. My childhood, as far as I could remember, was made of generalities. I was like a droplet in a river, going with the flow. I had no dreams and no aspirations. And even when I did, they were all temporary - a day's worth. Due to not having a dream or aspiration, life was meaningless. I was okay with dying at any moment because, at that time, I believed my life would not amount to anything. That I couldn't make a difference in this world. I was always alone and found solace in the arms of intricate puzzles. There is one puzzle I've been working on for years in the making that I believe the answer won't truly be finalized til I am on my deathbed. Whether it be height, weight, facial structure, or personality trait, what the answer could be constantly changed. Which wasn't a problem. It kept me interested in how it would end, what I'll do, and what I am capable of doing.

In doing so, I searched for a "why" in everything that occurred around us. I searched for a meaning to life. And I found it. I found it in the cold summer night and in the darkness of my heart, stemming from a place of curiosity and a deep, unsatiated hunger for knowledge to further the advancement of space technologies and satisfy my obsession with the unknown, coming from my love of science fiction. And for future generations to establish settlements in new planetary systems, exploring the unknown, and forming new connections with possible extraterrestrials. This is my life passion. This is what I live for.

Even if this world stripped me of everything I have, my love for engineering and space travel would never be taken away. To the point that I am determined to work and pay whatever I need to succeed and achieve my goals in this life. I've already taken my first steps in this field by being a student in the PLTW (Project Lead the Way) pre-engineering program and was a scholar with the LLRISE summer 2023 program at MIT. Now, I am a student in the VESSS (Virginia Earth System Science Scholar) program and a VEX Robotics (TSA) club member. In a way, I am a potential workaholic; I never stop working until everything functions as it should.

After all, I am one of the newer generations, but I will soon be one of the older generations, and I need to lead by example. Becoming a representation of what we should strive for. Fixing the mistakes of our ancestors while building new foundations for future generations of people regardless of where they come from and their standing in society.