About Me....

After graduate school, I will work to develop technology to inspire future generations and make long-lasting impacts in disadvantaged communities. I have always been intrigued by technology and how it can be used to improve communities without negatively affecting the residents. Growing up in the Old Fourth Ward of Atlanta, I’ve witnessed the harsh effects of gentrification. Although the neighborhood significantly improved from a technological standpoint, the original residents were pushed out, and the racial and socio-economic backgrounds of the residents have changed completely. The affordable housing is no longer accessible, and the families that the improvements were initially meant to help are no longer living there. As I witnessed my neighbors be forced to sell their homes, I’ve felt powerless. I believe innovation should be accessible to everyone, despite race, creed, color, gender, economic, or social status.

It was unethical that the members of my community were deprived of the necessary improvements they needed simply because they couldn’t afford them once they were implemented. I want to help combat this issue, but until recently I didn’t know how

Perseverance: Scholarship is defined by academic excellence, but I believe that it should characterized by academic growth as well. In the beginning of high school, I did not have the same academic aptitude that I exemplify today. I did not turn my work in on time, only completed the bare minimum, and did not contribute to many class discussions. During parent-teacher conferences, my teachers would always say, “Joshua is so smart, but…”, and I would always be very disappointed in myself. Eventually, I had enough; I knew I could do better. I began to participate in class more, put my total effort into anything I completed, and study for at least one hour every day afterschool. I’ve made these things into a habit that I still carry out now. My GPA has risen significantly, and I believe that I will thrive throughout my collegiate career utilizing this trait.

Morality: I define my character as being empathetic, honest, and doing the right thing always. In school, I exemplify these qualities in many different settings. For example, last week at lunch, I saw that one of my friends forgot their lunch that day and was very disappointed. Despite me being very hungry, I decided to give him half of my lunch. I felt it was better for us to both have a little food rather than him not having anything. Another example is when one of my classmates asked a question that people thought was unnecessary, I did not ridicule her like the others. I decided to stick up for her because she was legitimately confused, and I did not feel it was fair to her to make her feel bad for it. After class, I even stayed in the classroom with her and addressed her question with a sample problem. She eventually understood, and it felt great to help someone just because it was the right thing to do. I could use this same drive when completing assignments in college and working on projects in my future career.

Leadership: This trait is characterized by being someone who commands a group of people. I have much experience with being a leader, from being the captain of both my soccer teams, the lab leader at my job (Project Engages), and my group manager for my coding camp, but what I think really defines leadership is leading by example. As the captain of the soccer team at drew, I had to overcome various obstacles. One of those obstacles was that the effort put into the drills at practice was starting to decline. My teammates looked as though they were going through the motions rather than putting in the effort to improve. I took notice and decided to solve this with an unorthodox approach. Instead of criticizing them and making them feel bad; I began to try as hard as I could in the drills. As I did this, my teammates started to notice and began to follow my lead. Eventually, our work ethic improved to a higher level than it was before the decline and I accomplished this leading by example. I believe this is a strong quality that could help me when I attend a university. I must be a quick thinker and a creative problem solver. Every issue will not be able to be solved the same exact way. But most importantly, I must lead by example.

Altruistic: I have exemplified great service throughout my high school career. I’ve always loved to help the homeless and less fortunate ever since I was a little kid, but the most impactful act of service was when I went to Peru service learning trip last summer. In Peru, we were fully immersed in their culture and helped build housing for little girls who wanted to go to school. These girls had to live in a dormitory because there we no schools close to their homes. They had to travel days at a time just to get from home to school. It was so heartbreaking watching the girls come and go, not knowing whether they will have a safe trip to school. This was an extraordinary experience because I had the opportunity to realize first hand how fortunate we are. After this trip, I promised myself that if I become an engineer, that I would try my best to work on projects that benefit the lower class and less fortunate. It is not fair to them that they must worry about whether they have a roof over their head, and I would have the power to change that.