NOTE: This statement is very outdated and was written three years ago as of today (5/10/22).
Coming into Texas A&M was the last thing I wanted to have happened. As a high school senior, I looked up to schools like Columbia, Cornell, and Stanford. I even had hopes set at UT Austin. When the rejection letters came in, and I didn’t get my major at UT, I was left with my only option, Texas A&M. It was my parents who forced me to apply, not even on my own will. I set myself up on a pedestal way above A&M, believing it to be such an insignificant school, especially when my friends were headed off to Yale, MIT, and Brown. This is why my University Honors application essay was half-assed, I believed acceptance to this program was the least I deserved. At one point while I was reviewing freshman applications to the program, I heard that those people listed as National Scholars were automatic into the program. I am a Hispanic National Scholar and at that point I realized why I was accepted, because of a quota the University wanted met. I am confident that without that title, I would not be in this program. To say the least, I owe so much to that quota. The program forced me to be humble, and realize exactly who I was. There was not a single person I met at this university that I didn’t find to be smarter than me in some way. I learned something from anyone and everyone. This experience has caused me to want to become a Sophomore Advisor to guide and hope that the future freshman have as moving of an experience as I did. In terms of the future, I truly don’t know. I’m currently heading forward with my plans to be an Aerospace Engineer, but I cannot say my heart is surely in it. I believe I can do the work and be able to achieve the degree, but to remain doing that for my entire life is an idea I haven’t committed to. To try and get an answer to that problem, I joined a research program, SpaceCRAFT, with the lead being Dr. Chamitoff, an astronaut. I was a part of the environmental models team, working on developing a generic atmosphere model that could be applied to any planet created in the program. The fire to pursue this subject burned out too quickly, and I was soon dreading the weekly meetings. I simply didn’t take after looking at research papers and multiple Wikipedia pages, at least for that subject. To continue, what I hear from the other students at my family meetings just gets me more intrigued in other careers. So technically speaking, the goal of having University Honors help me find my path has failed. But it may have done something even better, by taking me off the path I’m on.
To continue into the future, the only truly foreseeable thing I’ll be a part of at A&M is QuizBowl and the SA team. I’m very excited to have a freshman family coming into the program, and getting them enthusiastic about their new life (if they aren’t already) and motivating them to be their best selves. For I long time I did not live my best life, and I still am not today, but significant progress has been made towards that goal. I’ll have a life well lived starting when I become my best self. In the future I imagine myself as some kind of teacher. Ideally, a college professor, simply because the prestige is higher than a high school or middle school teacher. What would I teach? I really don’t know, there are too many subjects to choose from. With that statement, I realize that part of my original application was true, in wanting to learn and share what I learned. I guess this personal value is tied in with the desire to be at the top. This is where my academic choices come in, in joining University and Engineering Honors, taking Honors classes, and taking part of research. This will lead to up to what I hope is a significant capstone project. As can be indicated from up above, I don’t know what the Capstone will be about, but I am fairly certain it’ll be a teaching Capstone. In all, it’s hard to give a specific answer to all the prompts given for this personal reflection. I read through my previous assignments and while my intent in the writing was good, the emotion and passion was not present. I thought I knew what I wanted, and now I don’t. This isn’t to say I am lost, but simply starting another path, one this program put me on, that I know should guide me to be the person I am. To quote Frigga, Thor’s mother from Avengers Endgame, 'Everyone fails at who they’re supposed to be… A measure of a person, of a hero, is how well they succeed at being who they are.'
Coming into Texas A&M was the last thing I wanted to have happened. As a high school senior, I looked up to schools like Columbia, Cornell, and Stanford. I even had hopes set at UT Austin. When the rejection letters came in, and I didn’t get my major at UT, I was left with my only option, Texas A&M. It was my parents who forced me to apply, not even on my own will. I set myself up on a pedestal way above A&M, believing it to be such an insignificant school, especially when my friends were headed off to Yale, MIT, and Brown. This is why my University Honors application essay was half-assed, I believed acceptance to this program was the least I deserved. At one point while I was reviewing freshman applications to the program, I heard that those people listed as National Scholars were automatic into the program. I am a Hispanic National Scholar and at that point I realized why I was accepted, because of a quota the University wanted met. I am confident that without that title, I would not be in this program. To say the least, I owe so much to that quota. The program forced me to be humble, and realize exactly who I was. There was not a single person I met at this university that I didn’t find to be smarter than me in some way. I learned something from anyone and everyone. This experience has caused me to want to become a Sophomore Advisor to guide and hope that the future freshman have as moving of an experience as I did. In terms of the future, I truly don’t know. I’m currently heading forward with my plans to be an Aerospace Engineer, but I cannot say my heart is surely in it. I believe I can do the work and be able to achieve the degree, but to remain doing that for my entire life is an idea I haven’t committed to. To try and get an answer to that problem, I joined a research program, SpaceCRAFT, with the lead being Dr. Chamitoff, an astronaut. I was a part of the environmental models team, working on developing a generic atmosphere model that could be applied to any planet created in the program. The fire to pursue this subject burned out too quickly, and I was soon dreading the weekly meetings. I simply didn’t take after looking at research papers and multiple Wikipedia pages, at least for that subject. To continue, what I hear from the other students at my family meetings just gets me more intrigued in other careers. So technically speaking, the goal of having University Honors help me find my path has failed. But it may have done something even better, by taking me off the path I’m on.
To continue into the future, the only truly foreseeable thing I’ll be a part of at A&M is QuizBowl and the SA team. I’m very excited to have a freshman family coming into the program, and getting them enthusiastic about their new life (if they aren’t already) and motivating them to be their best selves. For I long time I did not live my best life, and I still am not today, but significant progress has been made towards that goal. I’ll have a life well lived starting when I become my best self. In the future I imagine myself as some kind of teacher. Ideally, a college professor, simply because the prestige is higher than a high school or middle school teacher. What would I teach? I really don’t know, there are too many subjects to choose from. With that statement, I realize that part of my original application was true, in wanting to learn and share what I learned. I guess this personal value is tied in with the desire to be at the top. This is where my academic choices come in, in joining University and Engineering Honors, taking Honors classes, and taking part of research. This will lead to up to what I hope is a significant capstone project. As can be indicated from up above, I don’t know what the Capstone will be about, but I am fairly certain it’ll be a teaching Capstone. In all, it’s hard to give a specific answer to all the prompts given for this personal reflection. I read through my previous assignments and while my intent in the writing was good, the emotion and passion was not present. I thought I knew what I wanted, and now I don’t. This isn’t to say I am lost, but simply starting another path, one this program put me on, that I know should guide me to be the person I am. To quote Frigga, Thor’s mother from Avengers Endgame, 'Everyone fails at who they’re supposed to be… A measure of a person, of a hero, is how well they succeed at being who they are.'