Empowerly

Student profile

You have selected a major in the College of Engineering for either your first or second choice major; therefore, please address the following prompt: Describe your academic and career goals in the broad field of engineering (including computer science, industrial distribution, and engineering technology). What and/or who has influenced you either inside or outside the classroom that contributed to these goals? It is important to spend time addressing this question as it will be considered as part of the engineering review process.

I began watching Formula 1 (F1) racing soon after I started middle school; the glamour, glory, and competition was an obvious draw and the roar of the engines as they tore down the straightaway kept bringing me back for more.  A career working as a software engineer to help develop new technology for cars whether it be F1 cars or autonomous cars is my career goal. 

I enrolled in the Introduction to Engineering class at my school as a freshman and learned the basics of several fields of engineering as the class delved into various disciplines. Software engineering especially caught my interest because it was the only field that wasn’t focused on physical hardware. My interest in Formula 1 racing and the teams’ growing reliance on software further demonstrated the power of software engineering. 

During my sophomore year I learned the programming languages Javascript and Scratch online. My history teacher offered a challenge for extra credit if anyone could bring his Industrial Revolution unit game “into the new age” by making it digital. I saw an opportunity to put my skills to the test and built a digital version of the game. My teacher was thrilled! The next year I returned to my school’s engineering program to take the capstone Digital Electronics class where I learned about electronic hardware and how to build a circuit. I was impressed by the creative ways engineers compress so much technology into devices as small as our phones.

I also joined my high school’s robotics team and found the perfect environment to gain hands-on experience working with mechanical, electrical, and software teams in tandem to design and build a fully functional robot. Last summer I attended a computer science program at Santa Clara University and interned at Mentor Graphics. I am also taking an APCS class at school and am enjoying the opportunity to develop my own projects and design my own algorithms to solve problems. 

As I move on to college, I look forward to an environment where I can learn and refine my skills and apply my experiences in high school to solving problems and creating new technology in the automotive and transportation industry. 

Most students have an identity, an interest, or a talent that defines them in an essential way. Tell us about yourself. If you are submitting your essay online, it must be no longer than 120 eighty-character lines of text (including spaces and blank lines). ApplyTexas recommends that you keep your essay to between 500 and 750 words in length. We have provided a word counter below to help you keep track.

I vividly remember standing on the streets of [city] when I was 5 years old, watching a lemon yellow Lamborghini roar by me. In that moment I became captivated by the sounds, smells, sight, and energy of one of the most important inventions of the modern age. These sensations that inspired my fascination have driven me to discover the software and mechanics that power these machines, and the important role software plays not only in our vehicles but in many other aspects of our day-to-day lives. This discovery prompted my desire to study software engineering and to work in this captivating field.

There was plenty of information to feed my passion. Online searches provided mountains of information, and when that wasn’t enough I spent hours pouring over books, articles, and patents. While my peers were reading Harry Potter novels, I was reading the owner's manual for our Honda Accord. I joined my high school’s robotics team to learn more about how machines work. Much of my knowledge on self-driving car sensors came from our robot designed to move around a court while launching balls into a goal. Since the robot had to function autonomously, it was a perfect opportunity to gain hands-on experience with the sensors powering today's most advanced autonomous vehicles.

Google and Tesla self-driving cars seem ubiquitous in Silicon Valley, and they left me wondering how to safely control all of a car’s complicated functions with a computer. I contacted a family friend who worked for Tesla and was able to arrange a tour where I left impressed with the collaboration between software engineers and designers to ensure perfect harmony between software and sensors. 

Around this time I started to focus on the software side of electro-mechanical systems. As my interest in Formula 1 racing peaked, the sights, sounds, and speed were obvious draws, but I was equally excited by the cutting edge technology and potential for consumer trickledown. For example, when a rule change forced Formula 1 teams to use hybrid power plants engineers developed revolutionary technology that controlled the engine, brakes, and electric motor in tandem to simultaneously save fuel and increase power even with a smaller engine. Today, many road cars are made using a modified version of this technology, helping them become more efficient and environmentally friendly. Upon making this discovery, I saw how important software was to the industry and how we could improve seemingly mundane parts of our lives with the invisible touch of software engineering. 

With my curiosity sparked, I applied to Santa Clara University's Young Scholars Program for Engineering and Computer Science in the summer after my junior year. While code development was a major focus of the course, I was also intrigued by the ethical discussion surrounding AI in general and self-driving cars in particular. One challenging dilemma arises when an accident cannot be avoided. There are many factors to weigh when deciding whose safety to prioritize - whether occupants, other motorists, or even pedestrians - and there is rarely an easy answer. Our discussions on this topic opened my eyes to the myriad of easily-overlooked challenges engineers face, as well as the need for improved technology to eliminate as many of these situations as possible.

As I continue my education, I aim to build on the foundation of knowledge I have built over the past several years. From my experiences at Tesla to Young Scholars Program, I have grown to appreciate the complexity involved in designing different types of vehicles, whether they are for the consumer market or for a Grand Prix race. My love of cars has fueled my passion for software, and I look forward to the opportunity to develop and share that passion with my peers in college.