Submission Number: 8
Submission ID: 221
Submission UUID: 6a0efc91-d3fc-44b0-a7f6-86763fbd8027

Created: Sun, 02/28/2021 - 14:20
Completed: Sun, 02/28/2021 - 14:20
Changed: Tue, 05/06/2025 - 20:40

Remote IP address: 73.34.78.68
Submitted by:Anonymous
Language: English

Is draft: No
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Kevin
Lacjak
He/Him
Evergreen
Colorado
United States of America
80439
Mechanical Engineering
English
The summer of my junior year of High School, a close family friend of mine rented a house in the Bahamas, and invited my family to come visit for a week. Without hesitation, we accepted and purchased plane tickets. The months leading up to the vacation were filled with anticipation and excitement. My sister and I fantasized about all the exotic seafood we were going to eat, what we might see when scuba diving, and what exciting souvenirs we might be able to bring home. Even on the plane there we were talking about it. But when we landed in the airport, I looked around in surprise. Compared to the massive airport in Denver, the airport in the Bahamas was barely bigger than my school’s gymnasium. We gathered our luggage from the airplane, met our family friend in a small car outside the airport, and drove to our new vacation home. At the moment when I first viewed the vacation home, I was taken aback. My preconceived notions that the vacation home was going to be in a big beautiful resort with white sandy beaches like in the movies was completely destroyed. Our house was in the middle of a small town where our car was the only car in sight. I was surprised by the poverty that surrounded the area. No house was more than one story tall, most houses were rotting, and there was only one small convenience store for the entire town. However, this vacation was the most fun I’ve ever had away from home. because the rest of my time spent in this small little island town was defined by the activities that the townspeople enjoyed every night. I never met a single person that wasn’t approachable and kind, regardless of skin color, language, or cultural background. And almost every night we found ourselves playing cornhole with new friends, learning about the sea life from locals, and even cooking new meals around a campfire. And what was the most inspiring thing of all, was the art scene. No one in the town had access to the art supplies I have, nor do they have the education I was given. But the art they created was beautiful, and radically different than anything I saw before. I saw art created from tree bark made into a necklace, I saw driftwood made into plates, and of course conch shells made into decorative walkways. The ability to turn what I used to consider trash into art fascinated me, and all I could think about was the potential that these individuals had. If only I could give these people the tools given to me for free, I could imagine the beautiful murals and pottery created by these Bahamians who have already created beautiful art made from nothing. My trip to the Bahamas inspired me to use my talents and privilege to bring what was given to me for free to those who could use it the most.

While living in Kittredge Central Hall as part of the Global Engineering Program, I would like the person living down the hall from me to have a main focus in academics. This past year while learning through zoom meetings, I found myself frequently being grouped with individuals who lacked motivation to not only study, but even talk. Just today I found myself working through my calculus classwork out loud while three other students sat in silence. If I were to be a part of the Global Engineering Program, I would like to be surrounded by other students who can work with me and help the community understand how something actually works instead of just “using the formula.” In class, I usually find myself asking the teacher how something works and why it works, instead of just accepting a formula as fact. I would prefer if my community also has that same level of drive that I do, and I believe that the Global Engineering Program would offer that. On slow homework days, I would like the person living down the hall from me not only to be academically inclined, but also willing to take part in social activities. While I avoid activities such as partying or drinking, I do thoroughly enjoy “geekier” activities. Some examples include playing Catan, role playing in Dungeons and Dragons, or battling to see who is the ultimate Super Smash Bros player. I would like it if the people on the same floor as me share these passions, and are willing to take part in them with me! I believe these qualities would build a strong and kind community hard to find elsewhere on campus.
Ever since my trip to the Bahamas, I’ve been searching for a community that has the same mission statement that I have. I want to use my talents and privilege to bring what was given to me for free to those who could use it the most. I found that community my Spring Break of junior year in Santa Fe, New Mexico. There, tucked away in an old refurbished bowling alley, is an art collective called Meow Wolf. Meow Wolf started as a small group of dedicated artists who built art out of literal trash they found dumpster diving, but now runs two permanent art installations with a third currently being built in Denver. Meow Wolf’s art is other worldly, and can be better described in pictures than words. But I would describe it quite literally as walking through a portal to another world. I immediately fell in love with their art, and wanted nothing more than to know everything about the collective. As I was leaving the installation, I saw a room built off to the side of the main lobby. I found the nearest employee and asked what it was, and I learned it was a community art studio, where Meow Wolf will periodically open the doors to the public and help teach anyone who shows up how to use tools they might have never seen before. And that's when I knew I found it. An art collective that creates beautiful art experiences, is widely successful, but never forgot their roots. Even to this day, Meow Wolf donates upward of half a million dollars to non-profit organizations annually to “inspire others to create, particularly young people who might lack access to outlets.” I have been following Meow Wolf closely since that day, and dream of working with the group one day to help create these experiences to inspire others like myself to not only pursue and appreciate art, but help others who don’t have the opportunities we have. However, nothing at Meow Wolf can be accomplished without the help of multiple engineers, and that's where my expertise comes into play. Meow Wolf’s art isn’t just paintings or sculptures, but instead entire experiences that include everything from rideable vehicles to interactive and responsive animatronics. Even as I type this. Meow Wolf currently has a job application open that requires a considerable amount of knowledge in Arduino, circuity, CAD, and fabrication experience - everything a mechanical engineer like myself knows how to do. I believe that the Global Engineering Program will support my passions, and help me reach my goals in the mechanical engineering field.
Secondly, I believe that the Global Engineering Program would allow me to find a group of friends on campus after not being able to meet anyone my freshman year. At the beginning of last year, My plan was to come to campus rain or shine, covid or flu. But two weeks before the move in date, I tragically broke my ankle. While working at Home Depot, my coworker was moving a pallet of wood, and I was helping spot him. However, when he picked it up with the forklift, we found it was broken. So we placed it on a cart, with the intention of moving the individual sheets of plywood one at a time. However, when I tried to move the first sheet, the entire pallet tipped over, and collapsed on top of me. This broke my ankle, and dislocated my post-tibular tendon (the tendon responsible for stability and movement). This caused my ankle to “pretzel” and tore any other tendons not broken yet. As a result, I needed full ankle reconstruction surgery and had to spend my first year of college at home. However, I persevered through all obstacles and finished my first semester at CU with proficient grades. I'm very proud of my work, but I worry that next semester I won't be able to find the C.U. community I anticipated back in freshman year of high school. I am confident that through this program I’ll find that community and regain time I lost.
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