I visited UIUC a few times in the past for high school events, and it always held a special place in my heart. The more I spend time here, the more I fall in love with it! I've had the opportunity to meet so many new people and have so many experiences that I wouldn't be able to have at any other school. Illinois is also home to one of the best engineering programs in the nation, so I know that it'll set me up to do great things in the future!

I went to my first (socially distanced) concert at Illinois! It was so much fun getting to dance and hang out with my friends, and I'd love to do it again!

Studying engineering is always exciting! I constantly feel like I'm being challenged and learning new things. My favorite part of being an engineering student is seeing how the concepts I learn in class can apply to the real world -- and where the future of engineering can go.

I wouldn't be a prospective engineer today if it wasn't for the enthusiastic support of my role models and outreach events like the ones EA facilitates. To me, EA is a fantastic opportunity to "pay it forward" and help inspire future engineers in the same way I was inspired to pursue engineering. My goal is to help show marginalized kids or kids who might not be considering engineering for themselves that it's a really cool career!

Engineering can be tough! Not only is the coursework difficult, but it's also hard to network with people and look for research opportunities and internships and balance all that with your social life. It's especially hard if you're part of an underrepresented group in STEM. When things get too overwhelming, remember why you became interested in STEM in the first place. For me, science and engineering are just plain fascinating, and I want to learn as much about them as I can. Even though pursuing a STEM degree is difficult, it's also incredibly rewarding!

I'm not sure yet, but I'd love to go to graduate school and pursue a PhD in physics!