Submission Number: 364
Submission ID: 1205
Submission UUID: c4f79bdc-1c52-407d-a5d0-0acd38bb7298

Created: Tue, 04/25/2023 - 21:20
Completed: Tue, 04/25/2023 - 21:20
Changed: Thu, 05/08/2025 - 14:51

Remote IP address: 24.9.32.48
Submitted by:Anonymous
Language: English

Is draft: No

Locked: Yes
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Vladimir
Castanon
He/Him
Denver
Colorado
United States of America
80239
Aerospace Engineering
English (5) Spanish (5)
Playing competitive soccer from the age of 10 till 16 came with both its advantages and disadvantages. Mostly the weekly conditioning where my coach would make my team run till our legs turned pale white from the blistering cold, but it would pay off when we did well in state playoffs and we’re offered a spot in the desert conference in Arizona where we would fly out and play some of the best teams in the country. Now of course this has nothing to do with engineering but I did build a bond with my teammates that till this day remains strong. I understood what it was like to be a part of a team and to rely on one another. To ask for help, and more importantly build boundaries in the hotel rooms. However wacky and wild our adventures were, there was a safe space built. I hope to build a community at Global Engineering RAP to create this same space where people feel comfortable to be themselves, and most of all ask questions so that we may fail, and more importantly learn together, because as my coach once said. Alone we move faster, but together we move farther.
A rock is how my older brother explained manhood to me. Constantly reminding me that a man was someone strong, restrained from emotion. He related the two because no matter how much you would beat on a rock it wouldn’t move. Growing up in a Mexican household, honor and pride are what made a man. A man isn’t a man if he can’t hold his head up, he would say. Unfortunately, this belief drove my older brother into a jail cell. The circumstances took a toll on my younger brother, and I had to be there for him. I knew this was a tough situation, but I held my head high and chest out- just like my older brother taught me; however, as I looked over at my younger brother, I saw a look of despair. I understood that I now had to be his rock. As I was getting ready to give him the same speech my older brother had given me, I couldn’t find the words. Instead, I embraced him and although it went against my brother's ethics and our Mexican upbringing I did it nonetheless. It was here that I got a glimpse into manhood. I hope to build a brotherhood as a member of Global Engineering RAP at CU Boulder, not necessarily to find what it is to be a man, but instead the importance of a man - to be a rock for others, or in this case a boulder. A boulder for myself and for others to lean on. Knowing that I’ll get to live alongside members in my community that share my love for science excites me because I know that I’ll get another shot with new brothers and sisters. I hope to build a safe, friendly environment, and no not like the ones where teachers say, “there are no stupid questions,” but rather one where there IS stupid questions, so that we may fail and learn together. I have always seen failure as the predecessor to success, because only at our lowest points can we truly understand the importance of reaching out for help, or in this case even asking a stupid question. I’ve come to realize while taking both AP Physics and AP Calculus that sometimes when we can’t understand a problem we automatically think every question is a stupid one, only to realize we needed another pair of eyes to see it clearer. Although I still may not know all the answers to the questions both inside and outside the classroom, I know that I’ll learn along the way as I always have, because alone we go faster, but together we go farther.



As now a senior taking incredibly rigorous classes in a school of science and technology, I find myself to be one of the few Latinos in AP Physics and AP Calculus AB. Now, finishing with a 4.5 my junior year, I see what hard work and pure intention can bring you. When the opportunity arose to begin taking college level classes, I jumped at the opportunity. I’ve always been curious with a strong affinity for knowledge. I was the little toddler who came up and asked you a million questions. As I stare up at the night sky, I can’t help but feel like a little kid again as I ask my mother what's out there? What’s beyond the stars? How long does it go on? How far can I go? My mother was a key factor in my decision to apply to CU Boulder. I’ve been obsessed with space practically since birth, but the idea of me being an aerospace engineer excites her. Of course, she wants to share with her friends that all of her hard work paid off, but she knows that I’ll finally get to research and learn about all of my unanswered questions. The class that excites my love for learning the most is AP Physics. I’m surrounded by people who are as curious and ambitious as I am. It pushes me to be better and allows me to nerd out and talk about black holes and other phenomenons. I know that I’ll be able to find that same community at RAP. I can imagine myself working in the aerospace building with a research team, proudly saying I’m contributing to research for CU Boulder. I love that I could embrace both my academic curiosity and still be able to go to a football game with my friends. I can’t wait to embrace the person I am meant to be.
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