Please describe any travel or experiences that have prepared you for the Global Engineering RAP. This can include international travel and study abroad or any travel or experiences within the US that have showed you new perspectives, cultures or languages. If you have not had the chance yet to travel, please share where you would like to travel and why. I've traveled to Europe and China, as well as through a good portion of the US West and East. My maternal side of the family is Chinese, so naturally, I've spent a good portion of time in China, the longest stretch being around two years with my grandparents after I was born here in Boulder. Spending lots of time in China, as well as having numerous Chinese relatives and friends here in the US as a consequence of my heritage has definitely given me a varied perspective on a lot of things, especially culture. I was inundated with lots of Chinese cultures through TV shows or songs when I was younger, and as my grandparents lived with us, I constantly felt their cultural presence. I think that the biggest impact of this dual-cultural heritage and frequent traveling is my appreciation for other cultures. I'm deeply fond of world history, frequently find myself wanting to learn about culture and history beyond my own, and want to include that culture into whatever I create, whether it be through writing or whatever the engineering path will lead me.

One thing I have noticed in China that is also present, though less so, in the US, are technological disparity gaps. There are many villages, towns, and even pockets in cities that are technologically behind the modern world. Of course, this is also the case in parts of the US and other countries. I think a great application of 'Global' Engineering is to responsibly and respectfully bring technology and higher standards of living to places that have been technologically deprived. For example: expanding broadband Internet to people in rural communities in the US and elsewhere, or ensuring there are proper medical facilities and resources in these places, such as expanding COVID-19 vaccine access to those outside of highly-developed countries.

My love of history extends to my European travels. The most enjoyment I had while in Germany or France was going to museums or historical locations: places where I could find transportive history. While not seeking to study it, I appreciate architecture and civil engineering. Venturing through cities, and seeing monuments or chapels is visually stunning and intriguing, and the way these European cities have evolved from Renaissance and medieval cities—essentially as living relics—is in hard contrast to the US cities and towns I am used to. While these travels aren't directly bolstering my knowledge of computer science or math, they do contribute to my creative design palette, which is applicable to almost everything I do.