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Submission information
Submission Number: 251
Submission ID: 956
Submission UUID: 27ce53a9-6455-4ecf-a834-82d37182fc89
Created: Fri, 04/15/2022 - 00:00
Completed: Fri, 04/15/2022 - 00:00
Changed: Tue, 05/06/2025 - 06:59
Remote IP address: 128.138.129.163
Submitted by:Anonymous
Language: English
Is draft: No
Flagged: Yes
Locked: Yes
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Mansi
Pahade
she/her/hers
Parker
Colorado
United States of America
80134
Mechanical Engineering Major
Hindi (5), English (5)
The sound of a 70s Bollywood song wafted from the box television on the shelf, different from the one we had at home. It abruptly blinked out, along with all the lights in the house, and a balmy silence replaced the music. That was also different. The house descended into a placid darkness around me, the sentences of my book blurring as I tried to position it in the trajectory of a shard summer light from a window on my left side—the only illumination left in the room.
The regular blackouts at my grandparents’ home in India were unfamiliar to me, having grown up in a comfortable American suburban life, where music plays without interruption and there is always an abundance of light for reading. I come from two different worlds: one with abundance, and one without. I think there is a difference between knowing of global inequality in the abstract, and wanting to do something to solve it — and actually experiencing it. Sometimes, it seems as if my family and I are living on different planets, because of the wealth of opportunities that I have, that they do not. Traveling to India to spend time with my family has given me the invaluable experience of global inequality in the shoes of someone who lives it everyday, rather than someone who reads about it in a class or watches it on the news. I know what it’s like to live without running water or stable electricity or any of the modern conveniences of daily life in the West and these experiences have shaped me as a person and the things that I am passionate about. I think my travel experiences to my home country will help me approach our work in the Global Engineering RAP from the perspective of an aspiring engineer who wants to give back to the people and the country that made her who she is. There is nothing that makes some of us more entitled to abundance than others, and I hope that Global Engineering will give me the opportunity to learn about real-world ways to rectify this.
The regular blackouts at my grandparents’ home in India were unfamiliar to me, having grown up in a comfortable American suburban life, where music plays without interruption and there is always an abundance of light for reading. I come from two different worlds: one with abundance, and one without. I think there is a difference between knowing of global inequality in the abstract, and wanting to do something to solve it — and actually experiencing it. Sometimes, it seems as if my family and I are living on different planets, because of the wealth of opportunities that I have, that they do not. Traveling to India to spend time with my family has given me the invaluable experience of global inequality in the shoes of someone who lives it everyday, rather than someone who reads about it in a class or watches it on the news. I know what it’s like to live without running water or stable electricity or any of the modern conveniences of daily life in the West and these experiences have shaped me as a person and the things that I am passionate about. I think my travel experiences to my home country will help me approach our work in the Global Engineering RAP from the perspective of an aspiring engineer who wants to give back to the people and the country that made her who she is. There is nothing that makes some of us more entitled to abundance than others, and I hope that Global Engineering will give me the opportunity to learn about real-world ways to rectify this.
The homogeneity and lack of diversity in the town I grew up in has always bothered me. Throughout elementary school and middle school it was alienating to be one of the few that was “different,” but in high school it became even more disconcerting that there weren’t many people I could interact with to learn more about different parts of the world and other cultures. This is why I would want the person who lives down the hall from me in the Global Engineering RAP to have a different background than me. I would hope that they would speak a different language, be part of a different culture, or a different religion so that I can learn more about the world through them and their experiences. I have always wanted to travel the world, but I hope the Global Engineering RAP will give me the opportunity to do that without needing to leave Boulder.
Another thing that I’m really passionate about are books. Once I had become proficient enough to read chapter books, there hasn’t been a hobby I’ve enjoyed as much as reading since. I love books because they can transport me to places I would otherwise have no ability to visit and it’s one of the ways that I’ve gained more knowledge about other cultures and people. I hope that I can meet people in the Global Engineering RAP that share the same passion for reading because in my experience, it makes you a more thoughtful and informed person to be around.
Another thing that I’m really passionate about are books. Once I had become proficient enough to read chapter books, there hasn’t been a hobby I’ve enjoyed as much as reading since. I love books because they can transport me to places I would otherwise have no ability to visit and it’s one of the ways that I’ve gained more knowledge about other cultures and people. I hope that I can meet people in the Global Engineering RAP that share the same passion for reading because in my experience, it makes you a more thoughtful and informed person to be around.
We often don’t understand the gravity of climate change until we are faced with everything we will lose. I experienced this epiphany for myself among the trees and mountains and under the Colorado sunset when I volunteered as a high school lead at Stone Canyon Outdoor Ed. After taking Introduction to Engineering my freshman year, I had known that I wanted to do something within the field of engineering. In that class, I realized that I really enjoyed the process of making things and solving real world problems. I think that engineering will be a cornerstone of our potential solutions to the issue of climate change in the future and going to Stone Canyon solidified for me that I want to help create those solutions. My own life experiences have also solidified for me that I want to do this in a way that is cognisant of the issue of global inequality because those living in the global south will experience the disproportionate effects of climate change.
I want to major in Mechanical Engineering because I want to use my education to improve the renewable energy infrastructure we already have and develop new solutions to the world’s energy problem, especially in the global south. I also intend to expand my education by double majoring in Environmental Science, so that I can better understand how technology can be integrated with nature, rather than being at odds with it as it often is. The Global Engineering RAP will contribute to my training in this regard because it will give me real-world, tangible opportunities to apply my knowledge and make a difference, especially in a context that requires teamwork. I hope to become fluent in more languages through the program so that I am better equipped to navigate a nuanced and ever-changing world as an engineer. The one thing that I am looking forward to the most is the fact that Global Engineering focuses on a multitude of issues like water, sanitation, infrastructure and others. While I hope to gain more hands-on experience with the issue of energy, all of these aspects of society are inextricably connected and learning about all of them will supplement my knowledge about how to problem-solve in the real world.
Throughout high school, I have learned that the most effective way for me personally to contribute to positive change is through community service. Through Youth Led Social Change, a non-profit that I joined during the summer of 2020, I got the chance to work with a large diverse team to raise awareness about the world’s issues and run social media campaigns to get more young people an opportunity to get involved. Through Stone Canyon, I got to learn more about nature by immersing myself in it and through the Parker Task Force Food Bank, I learned the essence of teamwork and collaboration. I plan to contribute my experiences with working with a diverse group of people to accomplish a common goal, serving the planet, and collaboration to the Global Engineering RAP. As someone who grew up bilingual and whose family is part of the target demographic that the Global Engineering RAP intends to serve, I hope to also give some first-hand insight when needed and improve any initiatives and projects by contributing my own and my family’s experiences.
I want to major in Mechanical Engineering because I want to use my education to improve the renewable energy infrastructure we already have and develop new solutions to the world’s energy problem, especially in the global south. I also intend to expand my education by double majoring in Environmental Science, so that I can better understand how technology can be integrated with nature, rather than being at odds with it as it often is. The Global Engineering RAP will contribute to my training in this regard because it will give me real-world, tangible opportunities to apply my knowledge and make a difference, especially in a context that requires teamwork. I hope to become fluent in more languages through the program so that I am better equipped to navigate a nuanced and ever-changing world as an engineer. The one thing that I am looking forward to the most is the fact that Global Engineering focuses on a multitude of issues like water, sanitation, infrastructure and others. While I hope to gain more hands-on experience with the issue of energy, all of these aspects of society are inextricably connected and learning about all of them will supplement my knowledge about how to problem-solve in the real world.
Throughout high school, I have learned that the most effective way for me personally to contribute to positive change is through community service. Through Youth Led Social Change, a non-profit that I joined during the summer of 2020, I got the chance to work with a large diverse team to raise awareness about the world’s issues and run social media campaigns to get more young people an opportunity to get involved. Through Stone Canyon, I got to learn more about nature by immersing myself in it and through the Parker Task Force Food Bank, I learned the essence of teamwork and collaboration. I plan to contribute my experiences with working with a diverse group of people to accomplish a common goal, serving the planet, and collaboration to the Global Engineering RAP. As someone who grew up bilingual and whose family is part of the target demographic that the Global Engineering RAP intends to serve, I hope to also give some first-hand insight when needed and improve any initiatives and projects by contributing my own and my family’s experiences.
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