Coding with a Cause by Rashad Karushi

Coding with a Cause by Rashad Karushi - April 2025 Scholarship Essay

I’ve always liked “easier”. Easier is when Dad can do groceries from the couch instead of going out, freeing up time to help me with math. Easier is when Mom can order dinner in 5 minutes instead of having to cook, meaning she could relax after work. Growing up, I’ve felt the exhilarating rush of the world around me getting easier every day. These advances in technology, led by the revolution of computer science, have never failed to impact life around in some new, exciting way, and it thrills me to think about how different and more efficient life is going to be. I’ve never wanted anything more than to play a part in this charge into the future.

The hot summer afternoons when I was in first grade made it impossible for me to enjoy playing outside. Most of my time was spent perched in front of my laptop looking for things to do. Hopped up on my mom’s Sloppy Joes, I made my first game in Scratch, and I immediately fell in love. I enjoyed every part of it: the tutorials, messing around with my code until I got it, and of course, the sense of accomplishment that came with a finished project. As time went on, I developed my skills, adopting a certain “learn-and-do” rhythm, devouring pages of documentation and doing courses. My problem-solving skills grew with every line of code, as sessions unfolded like captivating puzzle games. Come high school, I decided to do more with my skills, sharpening them further. I took on a few projects and joined a hackathon. This particular step took a lot of courage, but I am glad I took it, even though I only made it to semifinals.
I was also making headway with my projects. I had made a member website for my mom’s alumni organization, easing the onboarding process for new members and allowing members to stay updated. I had also made an app that prepared kids my age for college entry exams by generating practice exams from already scanned PDFs of past exams. These projects always taught me something new, deepening my knowledge. But most importantly, I realized coding became meaningful when I used it to solve real problems—to make things work better than they did before.
A lifetime of growing alongside code has cemented itself as part of who I am. What started out as a way for 9-year-old me to pass time has flourished into a sense of purpose, a way to partake in the betterment of the world. This is why I plan on pursuing a major in Computer Science. A new chapter is starting for me, and while it is undoubtedly going to be a challenging one, I am glad I’ll be doing what I love. “Easier” isn’t about cutting corners — it’s about creating space: for connection and for creativity. That’s what computer science has always meant to me. And that’s exactly the kind of future I want to help build.