Submission Number: 323
Submission ID: 1138
Submission UUID: b04605f8-fa99-42cf-b01a-58670c91a470

Created: Wed, 03/15/2023 - 22:10
Completed: Wed, 03/15/2023 - 22:10
Changed: Tue, 05/06/2025 - 18:17

Remote IP address: 2601:285:8201:13f0:7545:d9e5:dc2:adbe
Submitted by:Anonymous
Language: English

Is draft: No

Locked: Yes
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Sahiti
Balaji
she/her/hers
Superior
Colorado
United States
80027
Chemical and Biological Engineering
English(5), Spanish(2), Tamil(3)
I am a prototype of the Asian Role Model stereotype. I was a straight A student, good at math, and had parents who pushed me to work hard in school. On the surface, it seems as though a career in engineering would be my parent’s dream. It seems like there would be no other option besides it. But stories aren’t stereotypes or surface level observations. Stories lie within. And within, the drive to pursue a career in engineering came from the realization that there were people, no matter their socioeconomic status, who had to fight tooth and nail for basic necessities. Ever since I was a baby, my parents would take my sister and me to spend a month of our summer holidays in India. Now India is well known for a number of reasons: the number of languages spoken, the number of cultural and religious groups that reside in it, the incredible food, and the location of the world’s most devastating poverty crisis. While my family was by no means poor, the people who my grandparents employed were riddled with financial hardships. Everyone from the maids, to the drivers were a reminder that people went through more hardships than I ever could even imagine surviving. On my most recent trip to India, I started to notice all of the poor living conditions, that I figured could be solved with simple engineering fixes. For example, right next to my Uncle's five star apartment building, was a series of huts and slums. Their drinking water was poor, and their housing even worse. By simply engineering proper systems for providing drinking water, and providing sustainable and cheaper housing, their lives would be improved substantially. With the experiences I gain from the Global Engineering RAP, I hope that I am able to help with these global issues.
In the past I have been describes as a "social butterfly." I need a constant stream of people, and good conversations in order to maintain my happiness. Therefore, I would not be able to stay around someone who wouldn't want to strike up a conversation whenever they could. I'm drawn to people who are passionate about their work, and are driven to do well, but are also willing to have fun. I know firsthand that not everything needs to be taken seriously. Therefore, there is a time and place where for seriousness and a different time and place for silliness. I would like someone who knows this balance, and is able to act accordingly in each circumstance.
Certain things have always been “a job for men.” When I was younger and in gym class, my teacher would ask for volunteers to move small objects, and whenever a girl would volunteer, she would get shot down. This, they would say, is a “job for men.” This kind of view extended to the subjects that girls were allowed to be interested in as well. There were a solid three men in my A.P. Language class last year, while my physics class contained only seven girls. We didn’t have teachers who taught us, or encouraged us to pursue fields in science or math, and as a result, nearly every girl in my friend group has uttered the phrase “I hate math”, and I am no exception. I would take this phrase home, to my engineering parents, and my dad would sternly tell me that the phrase was inaccurate. Math could be exciting, and easy to understand, as long as someone taught it in a way that was thrilling and engaging. At the time, I thought my father was so far removed from my generation, and I proceeded to use the common excuse that teenagers use to get their parents to quit giving them good advice: “You just don’t understand.” But later, I would realize he in fact, did understand. When I would go on to take A.P. Calculus in my senior year of High school, my view on math would soon shift.
My teacher, Mrs. Cunningham would present the topics in an easy to understand way, while promptly filling in the gaps that would be left out. She encouraged all of us to take the A.P. exam, and to come in for access times if we needed extra help. I started to really understand math, and actually fell in love with it for the first time. And for the first time, I felt encouraged to love a subject that I have vehemently hated for so long. More fields would open up for me, and I would be led down the path of engineering.
Encouragement. Whenever I think of encouragement, I not only think of cheering, but I think of support. I think of dependability, and believing in someone. When more people feel as though they have the support, and the tools for success, they succeed. When we’re given role models who inspire us, and push us to learn more, the world of engineering isn’t as scary. When more women, and minorities are shown that engineering is not only a “Job for men”, we are able to understand problems pertaining to all people and walks of life. If I am given the honor of getting into the Global Engineering RAP, I hope I am able to be a role model for young women who are interested in pursuing engineering, and to show them that their dreams are valid, and meaningful. I will use my experience as a woman, and a woman of color to help bring light to issues that can be solved by simple engineering principles and mechanics, in those communities. Furthermore, I hope to be able to take my experiences gained from Global Engineering to help communities globally, and gain a better understanding on the issues that are present in marginalized groups. All it takes is support and encouragement to ensure the success of all people.
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