Submission Number: 50
Submission ID: 333
Submission UUID: f8c8fd6f-9d43-44af-b282-ca8a37539175

Created: Tue, 04/27/2021 - 19:10
Completed: Tue, 04/27/2021 - 19:10
Changed: Tue, 05/13/2025 - 08:47

Remote IP address: 69.128.37.212
Submitted by:Anonymous
Language: English

Is draft: No
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Griffin
Kiesecker
he/him/his
Fort Collins
CO
USA
80524
Computer Science/Cybersecurity
English 5/ Spanish 4 / Latin 3
I am fortunate in that I was able to travel quite a lot before Covid19; my dad works internationally and because of that, I have gotten to visit Australia, India, Mongolia, China, Italy, France, and the Yucatan. We don't do the traditional tourist stuff, we venture off the beaten path. Because my dad is an ecologist, we do a lot of hiking and camping and we visit or stay in local villages. Experiencing and seeing different countries and lifestyles from a young age gave me a more global perspective. In some senses, it made me aware of how lucky I am but also made me appreciate the beauty and value in other cultures. It is also what inspired me to create my nonprofit, Lumens4Humans.com. I deliver sustainable solar powered lights to people in communities who don't have access to basic electricity. I have established distribution contacts in India and Mongolia and would love to work with people in the Global Engineering RAP to help expand my reach to impact and empower more people.
My perfect neighbor would be quick to smile, slow to judge, and would think of others before themselves. My neighbor would be smart and willing to listen to others' ideas and opinions. Hopefully, my neighbor would have ideas and skill sets different than my own, so we can learn from each other. Ideally, I would be surrounded by many neighbors like this, from different backgrounds and cultures. Imagine the possibilities if we all got together to tackle a problem. We could learn so much from each other and be successful because of our diversity. It wouldn't hurt if my neighbor also liked to play frisbee, could practice speaking Spanish with me, and laughed at my (not as corny as some might claim) jokes.
I know that to be successful in life, you must be able to work with diverse cultures, collaborate with others outside your area, know how to manage a team and have good communication skills. Being a part of Global Engineering RAP would be a perfect fit and would be powerful. I would love to be surrounded by people who also believe it's important to tackle societal and global challenges. I get excited thinking about the possibilities working with this network of people.

As for what I bring: I am known for being honest and a champion of the underdog. When I see a problem or someone in need, I am compelled to help. I am humbled to be voted as the recipient of my high school's Character Award this year; this is the highest level of recognition one student can get. I love working with computers. I also think outside the box and am good at solving complex problems. I could contribute not only with my computer skills but also by bringing my passion for community service and desire to build personal and professional relationships across academic and cultural borders. I worry about ethical dilemmas in the tech industry, including protecting people's privacy, securing their data, and addressing issues of bias in AI. I also see homelessness and climate change as enormous global issues we must address. The Global Engineering RAP matches my personal commitment to give back and help other people. We have to take care of one another and take care of our planet. Success, to me, is not measured by how well I am doing but by how many people I have impacted and helped. I truly believe our world needs to shift its definition of success from the current ego-centric view to one of bettering humanity.
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