College Motivation by Tyler

College Motivation by Tyler - November 2023 Scholarship Essay

In my future, I want to become an engineer, most likely either mechanical, or in the field of robotics, I haven’t decided yet. I’ve actually known this for a while, since I was in just 5th or 6th grade. My dad used to be a carpenter, and while he isn’t anymore, he has a whole garage full of wood-working tools. Growing up, I got to help him fix and build small things, like repair a fence or fixing toys. But as I got older, we started to design, build, and create more and more complex items. For example, we have built complex end grain illusion cutting boards, a ping pong table, a murphy desk (a desk that holds a folded bed inside), and we even got to tear down and reconstruct an entirely new deck for my grandmother. I enjoyed the entire process. Not only do these projects take a lot of thinking and planning, it is exceptionally both cool and satisfying when you create that end product you've been thinking about for so long. And how could I resist wanting to destroy stuff?
In addition to my engineering class, I am taking related AP classes and honors classes to prepare me. This year, I’m in AP Calculus, AP physics, and AP computer science, in case I go into the robotics field of engineering. I maintained excellent grades, with a 4.7 GPA on a 4.0 scale last year. Additionally, I participate in an extracurricular Robotics club after school once a week. There, we are given projects by engineering teachers for their classes. We have to design and prototype them until they are approved. We have to make it easy enough for the beginner students, and cheap enough for the school. I actually recently learned how to use a laser printer because both of the projects we were assigned required it. One project we needed to complete was a bluetooth speaker shell made only from one 12x18x⅛ inch sheet of wood. The other project required us to engrave a design on frosted plexiglass, which requires a lot more skill with the printer, knowing what line thickness, engraving depth, and frequency to set it at.