I have a desire for seeking challenges and meeting them with the attempt to solve them the best

way possible. In all of the hobbies and activities that I do both inside and outside of school, I
seek out a lot of challenges both physically and mentally. Airsoft is a sport I play that
encompasses both aspects of mental and physical. I usually operate as the role of a sniper in
many of the games. This gives me the challenge of requiring better performance as well as
allowing me to be very effective and a potential game changer on the field. When I am on the
field I must always have a high level of awareness, be constantly thinking of my position, the
level of noise I am making, my state of camouflage to the area around me, my method of
moving, and the best position to be hidden and effective. Then another challenge arises, the
shots made. Every shot made has to be as effective as possible. This requires a lot to be
accounted for and calculated: the angle, the distance, wind direction, wind speed, power of the
rifle, the current power setting of the scope, the targets movement, any obstacles in the way,
and the awareness of the target. This is why this is one of my favorite sports and why this is my
favorite position. It requires me to be physically fit, as well as be constantly thinking and making
calculations all the time to be as effective as possible.
I also enjoy brainstorming new inventions and ideas, as well as making them a reality, if
possible. I love to design and engineer new things. For example, in my junior year of high
school, I learned a lot about airplanes and all of the aerodynamic affects that they use. I
designed an airplane wing that used a fairly simple concept that had never been done before.
The design was a relatively simple one, but what it did to the aerodynamic affects was rather
complex. I had won an award to join the America Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics
(AIAA). Through this membership I was put in contact with the United States Airforce Academy
in Colorado Springs, and was invited up to test my science fair project wings in one of their wind
tunnels. I was able to take up my wings that I had modified and 3D printed up to the Airforce
Academy to test them. This design was started to help improve the efficiency of aircraft. In my
testing, I found the design to work. It had tripled the efficiency of the standard wing as well as
improved the lift drag ratio and allowed for slower flights without stalling at all. It also helped the
performance of the wing by inducing more flow and keeping the flow attached for a longer
period of time when the angle of attack was increased, allowing the wings performance range to
double the angles of attack that can be reached before stall. With the science fair project that I
had done I was able to compete in the regional, state, and the INTEL International Science and
Engineering Fair. I was awarded first overall at regionals, first in my division at state, and fourth
in my division at INTEL ISEF. I also was awarded many special awards and some scholarships

totaling $64,000. The science fair is just another example of my desire for meeting an issue or
challenge with the intention of a solution.
This project really advanced my understanding of aerospace engineering and engineering in
general. It also revealed to me my passion for aerospace engineering and my desire to invent
and create new things. Whether it be to make something better and more efficient, to build
something to solve a problem, or to engineer something cool and ridiculous for fun, because I
am American, and thats what we do.