Goals of an aspiring engineer by Marilu

Goals of an aspiring engineer by Marilu - July 2015 Scholarship Essay

Skydiving, traveling the world, riding ‘Kingda Ka’ the tallest roller coaster in the world. These are activities I see myself completing in the coming years, but these are not my end all be all goals.

I have three short term goals that I intend on reaching by the time I graduate from college. The first is to master the Arabic language and to study its roots. Apart from engineering, I am utterly intrigued with Middle Eastern culture. I’ve been slowly trying to learn Arabic script and practice its intricate writing styles. My next short term goal is to join my University's Quidditch team. After reading and watching the Harry Potter series, I see no better fun way to spend my free time in college than playing Quidditch. I would get to be one of the ‘Mudbloods’ who learns witchy maneuvers to whack the competition right off their brooms at the Quidditch World Cup each year geek out with my fellow Harry Potter fanatics. My last short term goal is to graduate with a B.S. in Computer Science with a hopeful double major in Digital Media or Business in under five years. Although the typical graduation time is around five to six years I know my persistence will help me accomplish this feat.

Like most people’s long term goals, I want to be happy. Beyond my emotional state, however, I have three long-term goals. My first is to give back to the Latino community which raised and supported me on all my ventures. Along with Google’s Head of Multicultural Marketing, Eliana Murillo, I am currently looking to start a tech webinar target towards Latinos new to tech. The Latino community is growing more than ever, but many are growing without the knowledge needed to support themselves in this technological era. These webinars will feature courses from ‘Intro to technology’ which will cover smart phone and laptop usage tutorials to advanced courses in web design and app making—all in the hopes of advancing the minds of everyday Latinos. This would be something I would want the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) and Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF) to participate in. Attending the ‘Youth Leadership Institute’, an HSF program, this past summer inspired me to continue to reach out to underrepresented minorities such as Latinos. These webinars is where my mission begins. Working and learning with E.Murillo would help me reach my second long-term goal to start my own scholarship fund, specifically for underserved girls wanting to pursue STEM. The female community in STEM is very small and I want to do all I can to support the rising number of girls interested in these fields. Scholarship have been the main reason I am able to travel to conferences and attend highly selective programs, I just want to do my part and pay it forward.

My third long-term goal consists of fulfilling a childhood dream of mine: fighting crime. I want to be the princess in shining armor, not the other way around. Little did I know that ‘saving the prince’ can come in all different shapes and sizes. For this reason I hope to work for a variety of tech companies and gain as much knowledge as I can before embarking on my ‘save the world’ mission. I dream of becoming involved in the CIA. I know its not at all how it's portrayed on TV, but it is definitely a career I want to pursue, even if only for a short time. Being able to defend my country and use my computer skills could be one of my life’s greatest adventures. Although my goals are completely different, they help me view the world from a broader lense. One thing is for sure: all of my goals’ results lead to me giving back.

I am not rushing to accomplish my goals, nor am I locked in on them. People change, goals change, life changes. Life will take its natural course and I am ready to strap in on the ride of my life.