After graduating high school and anticipating my attendance at ASU, I knew I wanted to participate in activities that tackled real-world issues and offered impactful experiences beyond what homework assignments could deliver. After doing some due diligence, I came across the Grand Challenges Scholars Program, a unique experience to design the experience of an Engineering major to align with the NAE's Grand Challenges of the 21st century. Through the five competencies, I wanted to ensure I explored new topics and experiences that would allow me to be a well-rounded engineering student focused on Security to maximize my involvement at ASU. Through the Talent competency, I was able to focus on rewarding project-based work that addressed both a societal (Research Stipend) and a business (CS Capstone) need. The Research Stipend allowed me to focus on addressing correlations between supply chains and societal disruptions, while my Capstone allowed me to address and design a solution for stakeholders. From the Interdisciplinary competency, I was able to take skills from numerous perspectives such as economics and other Grand Challenges themes to address general problem solving. This was especially due to the Economics minor I pursued, as the core classes such as the Digital Economy gave me insights into the cross-applications of engineering. Using the Multicultural competency, I was able to understand the various types of backgrounds of colleagues I may end up working with, as well as understanding how conduct interactions by being open-minded. The Viable Business/Entrepreneurship competency from the FSE 301 course gave me the ability to design an engineering solution and then turn it into a start-up venture, adapting depending on user feedback. Finally, the Social Consciousness experience provided opportunities to apply my engineering skills to communities in need, making my full GCSP experience well-rounded for societal and business goals.
Overall, the GCSP experience was incredibly rewarding, which motivated me to be involved in leadership activities within the program, such as being a Student Leader and a Teaching Assistant. These experiences along with the full program will aid me in my professional goals to be involved in the consulting industry, where I can use this well-rounded problem solving ability from day one. I strongly encourage students interested in this program to give it a try, as more often than not, some experiences that apply for the program would have been done anyways, but now with the guidance of an organization to see what other similar experiences can be done. The members within this program demonstrate a clear passion for tackling Grand Challenges and professional success, and being involved in a network of like-minded individuals enables an environment for growth. Participating in the program will provide valuable skills and experiences that prepare students to tackle complex challenges in the future aspirations.