I was born in Vietnam before immigrating to the US with my mom. My dad came much earlier in an attempt to start something for us over in a new world. After coming over to the US, I've lived in New York my whole life. In the same small house around the same people who’ve watched me grow up. Growing up, I was never the smartest or gifted kid around but I had one thing that gave me the edge of many others. That was my work ethic. I always did my best no matter what it was and when I failed, I just shook it off and kept moving forward. I know I’ve struggled sometimes too. My life up until high school was fairly calm. There have been some hardships such as the passing of my grandparents and financial problems here and there, however, my family has always been a happy one.

I’ve never had to work as much as I have in high school. It was completely different from anything I’ve never handled. There were so many kids I didn’t know and challenging classes that made me study hours upon hours. I adapted and learned. I found my niche and some of the best friends I could ever ask for. I learned how to study and manage my time, even joining the track team. This led me to find my biggest passion and hobby, weightlifting. My passion for weightlifting is unmatched by anything else. It is my form of release, being able to improve myself physically and mentally was addicting to me. I don’t think I’ll ever stop weightlifting. It taught me true hard work through literal blood, sweat, and tears. I took this into the classroom as well. Working harder than I ever have before and excelling wherever I could.

One of the reasons I work so hard is because of my parents. They’ve sacrificed everything to give my brother and me the life they’ve always wanted. I know they’d give us the world and more and I work hard every day to hopefully repay them for everything they’ve done. I do everything I can to make them proud. Everything I do is for them. I want to go to college and make them smile when I tell them where I got accepted into. I want them to watch me graduate from school and set off on the road of life. I want them to watch me succeed, as it is for them and because of them I am where I am.

I don't know what the future holds for me. I do know that I want to make a splash in the huge pond that is our modern world. I do know I can guide my future in the direction I want. We all have control of our destiny, it’s merely a matter of what you want to do with it. I want to do something great, something that will change the lives of many for the better. Engineering isn’t problem-solving or mathematics. It’s how you can better society through problem-solving. No matter what I do. I want to help people and make an impact. I want to give back. I want to give back to my parents for giving me the world. I want to give back to society for molding me into the person I am today. I want to do good for the world.