Submission Number: 202
Submission ID: 893
Submission UUID: 8fdf23ec-6cda-4623-8d89-fabda228a326

Created: Sun, 04/10/2022 - 20:48
Completed: Sun, 04/10/2022 - 20:48
Changed: Thu, 05/15/2025 - 16:19

Remote IP address: 128.138.129.52
Submitted by:Anonymous
Language: English

Is draft: No

Flagged: Yes
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Lindy
Zhang
she/her
Colorado Springs
Colorado
United States of America
80906
Computer Science
English (5), Spanish (4), Mandarin (3)
In 2018, my family and I traveled to China and visited the places my parents grew up. For the first time, I was directly exposed to the struggles of those without access to some basic resources. My dad grew up in the Bamboo Garden Village of ZheJiang Province. He told me about the difficulties that they encountered when trying to get clean water. Even nowadays, some families do not have access to clean, running water and have to get water from the creek. In some cases, the source of their drinking water is the same place where their laundry is done. Living where we do, I don’t often think about what a privilege it is to have access to clean running water. Seeing such a severe issue surrounding something necessary to survive is what first led me to be interested in the idea of Global Engineering.
Apart from issues of clean water, I also saw the inequality in access to education. In rural areas such as my dad’s village, kids (mostly boys) generally cease their formal education as early as junior high. It is expected that they will go get jobs in cities to help provide for their families. After finding jobs in fields such as construction or factory jobs, they will send money home to contribute to the needs of their family. School is typically seen as a chore in our society, but the idea of not having access to it still remains unthinkable to me.
I believe these experiences have prepared me for the Global Engineering RAP because they gave me insight into problems that other people face and helped me realize what I am passionate about. Educational equality has always been a passion of mine and access to clean running water is a basic necessity. I hope to be able to learn more about ways to make a difference in these issues through the Global Engineering Program and gain a deeper understanding of the world around me.
I want to meet a wide variety of people in college, but the person I would like to see living down the hall from me would have to be someone curious. Curious about the world around us and the difficulties that others face. I believe that a strong sense of curiosity leads to a feeling of passion that will shine through in every aspect of one’s life. I hope to be surrounded by people who love what they do and put everything they can into it. I would also like to live down the hall from people that want to explore new cultures and places through learning about them in a classroom or experiencing them firsthand through travel. Travel has always been one of my favorite activities because of the unique experiences and sights available in different countries, states, and even cities. I would like to be able to share my experiences and learn more about the world through the eyes of other people. Overall, there are not too many things that I believe are essential in a person living down the hall from me. As long as my peers approach situations with an open mind and are compassionate towards others, I believe that it will be no difficult task to be their neighbors.
I want to be a part of the Global Engineering RAP because it will give me the opportunity to help people with the skills I have. I always heard about my friends wanting to be doctors and lawyers because they want to help people, but this program gives me the opportunity to pursue a major that I am interested in while gaining skills to help others. Additionally, I think it will give me a chance to pursue my major with a clear goal in mind of helping people and working with others to elevate the quality of life of those living without basic necessities. This community would also expose me to a group of people that share the same interests and passions with me, which would be beneficial in both my training as an engineer and my development as a person.
The contributions that I would like to make to this community center around sharing my experiences. As I talked about previously, I was able to see some of the issues that people in the rural areas of China face, and I would like to share my passion for resolving issues like these with those around me. I want to help foster a community in which creativity can bloom and people can collaborate to come up with new and innovative ideas. Hopefully, as I gain a deeper understanding of all the new technology in computer science, I will be able to come together with the community in the Global Engineering RAP and help people.
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