Submission Number: 228
Submission ID: 931
Submission UUID: b0e5d370-6bd6-4f4b-9b25-5465becc78a0

Created: Thu, 04/14/2022 - 12:48
Completed: Thu, 04/14/2022 - 12:48
Changed: Sat, 05/10/2025 - 08:48

Remote IP address: 128.138.129.163
Submitted by:Anonymous
Language: English

Is draft: No

Flagged: Yes
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Camille
Williams
she/her/hers
Fulton
MD
United States
20759
Aerospace Engineering
English (5), French (3)
Standing out on the cliffs of Sorrento, Italy and breathing in the salty, Mediterranean air, I knew I wanted to continue traveling. Exploring new areas and learning about new cultures is something I instantly fell in love with, even though I was only thirteen years old. However, while I was traveling in Italy, I knew that I was only being exposed to the affluent areas and that the rest of the country likely did not look as beautiful or as wealthy as the touristy places in Italy. Upon my return to the United States, I wanted to research the needs of global communities in order to remove myself from the bubble I was currently in. It was during this time that I became aware of the lack of resources in underdeveloped countries to be able to support infrastructure that would lead to healthier, longer lives. While my experiences traveling haven’t directly exposed me to global engineering issues, they have inspired me to be involved in the sustainable development of communities around the world.
When I think of the person who could be living down the hall from me at the Global Engineering RAP, I think of the person who has the potential to be my closest friend at CU. Someone who I can get lost with on our way to ASEN 1320 MATLAB and C++ Programming during our first semester. The RAP will be filled with people who are like-minded and passionate about engineering, but I hope the person down the hall will be more than that.

One of the things I love to do most is explore crazy ideas and the most absurd of “what-if” questions. What if we leveled off the entire US and used the material from higher elevations to help protect areas from rising sea levels, like Galveston, Texas? What if we found a way to explore the deepest parts of the Mariana Trench, and what is the craziest animal that would be down there? I can also be found spurting off interesting pieces of information to anyone who is nearby because finding out that chameleons change color to communicate and regulate body temperature—not camouflage—is simply life changing, and well, everyone must know. The person living down the hall from me at the RAP is someone with whom I want to be able to entertain my outlandish ideas and share all of the crazy information I come across. I want to get to know people who are not just interested in the practical aspects of engineering, but the process of conceptualizing and designing, as well.
My father likes to remind me of the time I told him, keep in mind that I was no older than eight, years old, “I don’t want to have any more than ten friends.” While this statement was quite frank (and thoroughly amusing to my parents), it still is an accurate reflection of my personality. As an introvert, I value having close relationships with people and nurturing them. With that being said, the University of Colorado is a place that I will have to start over with many of my friendships, a task that seems daunting at a school filled with 30,000 undergraduate students. The opportunity to be involved in a tight-knit community that will allow me to foster close relationships with others who are interested in engineering as well is one of the biggest appeals of the Global Engineering RAP.

As a member of the RAP, I am excited to learn how to apply the skills learned in my classes to the real world and ensure that I am prepared to make tangible, positive impacts on communities. As a prospective aerospace engineering student, I am concerned with the harmful environmental effects of astronautic projects, as one rocket launch can release 300 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The Global Engineering RAP will introduce me to the applications of engineering to solve climate change—not perpetuate it.

One of the things I am excited to partake in as a member of the RAP is the aptly named Fun Committee. As someone who enjoys planning events and organizing people, I think I will be a good fit for this group. But planning events isn’t the only thing I can contribute to this community: I am someone who thrives off being around like-minded people. I am looking forward to working on homework sets with each other and being able to bounce ideas off each other. The phrase “two heads are better than one” is a cliché for a reason, after all.
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