Engineering Student
Preschool Before and After Care, Boone Meadow Elementary School

I always loved the idea of being different and doing what people believe I cannot do. When I decided to study mechanical engineering, there were some who warned me that it would be difficult and made me almost reconsider. Some people even mentioned that this was not a major that most girls would choose. My parents, however, always persuaded me to go towards something that I would love regardless of how difficult it would be to attain. This always motivated me to continue no matter how hard the path would be because it would all be worth it in the end. I am grateful for the opportunities and sacrifices they made for me including moving to this country to give me the best life possible. I am also grateful they chose to raise me in here in Zionsville where I was able to be educationally prepared for what was to come in the future. 

Three years ago, I would have told you I would be heading to college to play D1 volleyball. However, life had a different plan for me after tearing my ACL. While this event rocked my world, and knocked out what had been encompassing a huge amount of my time and energy, I took this opportunity as a chance to grow. I grew deeper in my faith, spent more time in service, and found a passion for Spanish. I was led to bring Unified Track and Field to our school with other Student Athletic Leaders, spend weeks serving in Mexico and with our ZCHS Haiti team, and gain leadership roles in other clubs. During this time, I continued to grow more self-aware through the mentors and experiences I was given. I was connected with doctors to shadow and led to study abroad in Oviedo, Spain for six weeks with the support of our Spanish department. I will be attending college to study biology and Spanish to one day become a missionary doctor. I see myself spending years serving the people of our world in many ways from giving vaccinations to prenatal care before I settle down to start my own family. I cannot wait for the day I am able to raise my own children and bless them with the same opportunities as my wonderful parents and this town have blessed me.

I used to keep a laminated statement on the sun visor in my car. It read, “My mission in life is to work on a series of human projects each with the power to change the world.” One day while transporting my then-elementary age daughter and her friends to an academic competition, she blurted out, “Hey, Dad. Who are these “human projects?” Without a word, I turned the rearview mirror so that it allowed Kate and her two friends to see themselves. After a couple of quiet moments, in unison they said, “Ohhhhhhh, I get it!”  That my three children are successful as learners, and therefore, citizens, is a testament to great teachers who share my mission in life. #alwaysgrateful