An Essay I'm Proud Of

4. Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced.

I have now seen beastly machines and aluminum turn a very bright red. I have seen 2,000 pounds of carbon fiber autoclaved into 787 fuselages. I have smelled the flaky ablative off the Apollo heat shield. I have felt the drilling of the smoothest surfaces, as if you could zoom in a million times and it would still appear perfectly flat.

I have worked with engineers. I have been lectured by reincarnations of Lord Kelvin. I have seen archetypal white men with beer bellies and a combover fade. I have played streetball with upscale computer scientists. I have (very briefly) shook the hands of the Senior Vice President of Autonomous Systems.

I have seen a matrix of cubicles. I have shared Mexican chamoy with my adjacent cubiclemate as we discussed the perils of AI takeover. I have scaled Building 45 where the iconic Saturn V rockets were built. I have an official Boeing email. I have built computer vision models to detect faults on the 737 production line. I have laughed with my mentor in Huntsville, Alabama. I have learned to be flexible. I have drawn elaborate flowcharts in my favorite huddle rooms: Dubai, Mumbai, and Delhi. I have eaten the most delicious cafeteria noodles I’ve ever eaten, and during the same week, presented my final poster to California Senator Tony Strickland.

I have explored chemical cleanrooms contesting Antarctic temperatures and discussed ISS fluid mechanics on comfy Chesterfield chairs. Using only my bare hands, I have pried open 353’ high bay doors. I have bumped into more people than I would like to admit. I have mastered the delicate art of business casual.

I have taken selfies with the highly-confidential Boeing ORCA submarine. I have watched space-orbit interactions simulated in VENUS Labs. I have seen high-rise 360 window offices straight out of Suits. I have drank espresso next to A. I have acquired a lifelong supply of memories.

I have seen Boeing; I have lived Boeing.