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Submission information
Submission Number: 469
Submission ID: 1605
Submission UUID: ef996ce5-9c61-4211-9f1d-d6db70e6634f
Submission URI:/center/mortenson/form/webform-1367
Created: Sat, 03/15/2025 - 15:07
Completed: Sat, 03/15/2025 - 15:07
Changed: Wed, 05/07/2025 - 20:08
Remote IP address: 2601:4b:4780:c390:2168:8dcf:455:e17d
Submitted by:Anonymous
Language: English
Is draft: No
Flagged: Yes
Locked: Yes
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Kai
Tolley
He/Him
Mount Royal
NJ
United States
08061
Electrical & Computer
English (5), Spanish (4)
Throughout my life, I have lived in five states: Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Connecticut, and New Jersey. Despite all being a part of the same country, each state in which I have lived exposed me to a unique local culture. Moving from a suburban community in Colorado to a rural and separated town in Connecticut helped me understand the difference in perspective held by people of various backgrounds. Small differences in the community in which one is raised lead to varied behaviors that make every place unique. I loved being exposed to a different community because it helped me sharpen skills in communication and in understanding others; the experience helps me tackle new scenarios by offering me the ability to adjust my perspective to that of someone else.
I also have aspirations to travel beyond the country. I hope to visit countries where I can practice my Spanish, something I am very passionate about. I have achieved the New Jersey Seal of Biliteracy for Spanish, demonstrating my ability to functionally use language. Beyond the classroom, I currently have a streak of 818 days on Duolingo, and plan to use it as a tool to continue learning the language after high school. I also recognize that learning a language is more than just about communication, however; cultural understanding is useful when learning a language, but it also gives learning a language a purpose. Communicating with others from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds is an effective way to explore viewpoints different from your own in the pursuit of knowledge. I am president of my school's World Language Honor Society, and my role allows me to explore not just languages but also cultures. Even though I have only learned Spanish, I get to work with my classmates learning French and Italian, allowing me to learn about even more rich cultures. We have planned various events such as school radio segments in foreign languages and cultural movie nights, educating my school community about new cultures.
One specific country I would like to visit is Peru. I find the history and culture very interesting, and I think it would be a great opportunity to further my cultural knowledge. I am fascinated by the way two civilizations intertwined to become one, and I would be able to visit Machu Picchu to help gain a deeper understanding of how this occurred. Immersing myself in a culture and history different from any I have previously experienced would help me gain new perspectives that I couldn't have found otherwise.
I also have aspirations to travel beyond the country. I hope to visit countries where I can practice my Spanish, something I am very passionate about. I have achieved the New Jersey Seal of Biliteracy for Spanish, demonstrating my ability to functionally use language. Beyond the classroom, I currently have a streak of 818 days on Duolingo, and plan to use it as a tool to continue learning the language after high school. I also recognize that learning a language is more than just about communication, however; cultural understanding is useful when learning a language, but it also gives learning a language a purpose. Communicating with others from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds is an effective way to explore viewpoints different from your own in the pursuit of knowledge. I am president of my school's World Language Honor Society, and my role allows me to explore not just languages but also cultures. Even though I have only learned Spanish, I get to work with my classmates learning French and Italian, allowing me to learn about even more rich cultures. We have planned various events such as school radio segments in foreign languages and cultural movie nights, educating my school community about new cultures.
One specific country I would like to visit is Peru. I find the history and culture very interesting, and I think it would be a great opportunity to further my cultural knowledge. I am fascinated by the way two civilizations intertwined to become one, and I would be able to visit Machu Picchu to help gain a deeper understanding of how this occurred. Immersing myself in a culture and history different from any I have previously experienced would help me gain new perspectives that I couldn't have found otherwise.
The marble flew up in the air, reached the peak of its trajectory, and landed in the center of the tape. Exactly where I predicted it would land.
The first lab of AP Physics introduced me to the wonderful feeling of being able to measure and predict the world around me. It became a feeling I wanted to chase. However, I do not only want to understand the world around me; I also want to use my understanding to benefit others.
Apart from physics, I also have a passion for computer science. I used my skills in coding to develop an app for my basketball team’s managers to use to easily take stats during our games. It helped those around me, both by saving time and by providing my teammates with detailed and useful stats. Another feeling I chase: helping others.
Engineering provides a chance for me to pursue both of these desires. By using my understanding of the world around me, I can create innovations that help the people around me. The best way to help others is to understand them; a deep understanding of the problems they face help to inspire innovative solutions. This is why it is so important to treat engineering as an interdisciplinary subject, one that cannot be mastered purely using math and science. An engineer's role is not just to innovate, but to use innovations to help others.
A current issue I am passionate about solving is finding sustainable energy. I am constantly seeing the effects of climate change, not just in the news but in the irregular weather patterns affecting me and my loved ones. My uncle had to fly home early during our family reunion upon watching the news show footage of forest fires just miles away from his California home. I want to be able to contribute to engineering solutions that create sustainable and clean energy, helping to fight the climate change affecting so much of the world. Because I have a personal connection to this issue, it makes me motivated to solve it. This is why it is so important to connect with those you want to help as an engineer, and it is necessary to vary these perspectives to help as many people as possible.
The first lab of AP Physics introduced me to the wonderful feeling of being able to measure and predict the world around me. It became a feeling I wanted to chase. However, I do not only want to understand the world around me; I also want to use my understanding to benefit others.
Apart from physics, I also have a passion for computer science. I used my skills in coding to develop an app for my basketball team’s managers to use to easily take stats during our games. It helped those around me, both by saving time and by providing my teammates with detailed and useful stats. Another feeling I chase: helping others.
Engineering provides a chance for me to pursue both of these desires. By using my understanding of the world around me, I can create innovations that help the people around me. The best way to help others is to understand them; a deep understanding of the problems they face help to inspire innovative solutions. This is why it is so important to treat engineering as an interdisciplinary subject, one that cannot be mastered purely using math and science. An engineer's role is not just to innovate, but to use innovations to help others.
A current issue I am passionate about solving is finding sustainable energy. I am constantly seeing the effects of climate change, not just in the news but in the irregular weather patterns affecting me and my loved ones. My uncle had to fly home early during our family reunion upon watching the news show footage of forest fires just miles away from his California home. I want to be able to contribute to engineering solutions that create sustainable and clean energy, helping to fight the climate change affecting so much of the world. Because I have a personal connection to this issue, it makes me motivated to solve it. This is why it is so important to connect with those you want to help as an engineer, and it is necessary to vary these perspectives to help as many people as possible.
My school has an academy system, which is similar to the format of the RAP. I have been in a cohort of peers with interests similar to mine, and I have found it enjoyable and useful. It has helped me focus on the specific interests I have that I want to pursue in the future, while also offering me varied perspectives that are still related to what I am interested in. In the STEM Academy, we explore the applications of our interests in broad contexts, using our learning to benefit the community through service learning projects. By creating an application to be used by my basketball team when taking stats, I was able to both explore my interests in coding and help my community. I think that this is the best way to enforce learning; caring for what you do and believing in its purpose brings motivation learn.
Global Engineering RAP seems like an opportunity similar to what I have found works well, and I am excited for the opportunity to pursue it. Connecting with peers that have interests similar to mine will help me focus on what I want to do, and the connections I make with them will be important in helping me find my place. I have found that the best way to feel at home in a large community such as CU Boulder is to find smaller groups within it. I hope to be at the very least a friendly face to everyone in the community, and for those I will get the pleasure to meet I hope to be a trustworthy and accountable friend.
Global Engineering RAP seems like an opportunity similar to what I have found works well, and I am excited for the opportunity to pursue it. Connecting with peers that have interests similar to mine will help me focus on what I want to do, and the connections I make with them will be important in helping me find my place. I have found that the best way to feel at home in a large community such as CU Boulder is to find smaller groups within it. I hope to be at the very least a friendly face to everyone in the community, and for those I will get the pleasure to meet I hope to be a trustworthy and accountable friend.
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