Submission Number: 287
Submission ID: 993
Submission UUID: f380e404-f299-42dd-abbe-7bdbe6c4bfa7

Created: Fri, 04/15/2022 - 22:49
Completed: Fri, 04/15/2022 - 22:49
Changed: Tue, 05/06/2025 - 04:26

Remote IP address: 2601:283:4002:fa90:1c5b:1499:28ae:af38
Submitted by:Anonymous
Language: English

Is draft: No

Flagged: Yes
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Natalie
Carpenter
She/Her
Littleton
Colorado
United States
80123
Biomedical Engineering
English (5), Spanish (3.5)
I haven’t had the opportunity to travel outside of the United States. However, I have enjoyed my four years of Spanish classes, including a year in Spanish Honor Society. In my third and fourth year of Spanish, our teacher provided us with many opportunities to learn about Spanish culture. I was fortunate to participate in many activities, which were remote due to COVID-19 restrictions. I was able to take a tour of downtown Denver where I got to see amazing murals, as a part of Denver CRUSH Walls, created by local culturally-diverse artists. I also was able to get on a video call with a South American woman who taught our class remotely how to make a Yerba Mate tea that is made in her native country.

Not only that, but some of my assignments in class were to read about certain aspects of the Spanish speaking world, such as a highly successful matriarchal village. Another part of this culture that I was exposed to throughout my four years of Spanish class was the literature. We read weekly stories and studied the author, focusing on the history behind each piece of literature. These are just a few examples of my immersion in the Spanish-speaking world, all of which deepened my interest in this culture.

Along with my four years of Spanish class, the books that I studied in English class also exposed me to different cultures. Books such as The Good Earth, Invisible Man, and Oliver Twist allowed me to take a glimpse at other ways of life. Despite my lack of travel, I was able to experience many cultures within my own community.
I would like to live down the hall from someone with whom I share some common interests, but I would also appreciate getting to know someone from a different background and who has different interests. Ideally, it would be someone in Engineering and Applied Sciences, so we could study together and work together to solve problems. It would also be fun to live near someone who has some of the same classes, so that we may share similar schedules. I would look forward to occasionally going to meals and classes together. Living around someone who takes school seriously and has a strong work ethic is important to me, but someone who also knows the value of taking a step back and being able to go out to eat or do other activities would be great. I’m hoping to live near classmates who would like to join clubs and try new things so that we can branch out and explore CU Boulder together.
Recently, I have had the opportunity to be a part of the Executive High School Internship program. During my internship at a pediatric therapy clinic, I encountered several children with a condition called apraxia, which is the inability for a person to perform skilled movement even when they have the desire and physical ability. Communications between the brain and the body are interrupted because the brain cannot successfully transmit messages through the nervous system. Observing many occupational, physical, and speech therapy sessions with these children helped me recognize their struggles and see how this condition must affect their everyday lives. For example, the kids whose apraxia affects their speech would become very frustrated with their inability to communicate with the people around them. Thankfully these nonverbal patients have “talkers” that help them to connect to the world around them. These devices allow kids to form sentences to communicate their thoughts even though they are unable to spell or type. Many kids around the world affected by this speech disorder may not have access to these life-changing technologies, without which they would be further isolated from loved ones and their communities.

Working with these kids has opened my eyes to the reality that many other medical conditions are improved with biomedical technologies every day. Being a part of the Global Engineering RAP could help me learn how better to help kids worldwide have access to these and many other types of devices, including new innovations created by engineers to improve their lives. I want to be a part of the Global Engineering RAP because I want to learn about ways to help people by solving problems that make a difference in the world.

I look forward to contributing to the residential community by getting involved in as many residential events as possible, reaching out and making connections with other residents, and supporting classmates when possible in academics and everyday life. I would also like to build on what I’ve learned in Spanish class by continuing to practice the language and learn more about the culture.
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