The career I plan to pursue is residential architecture, the design of residential structures. The entirety of middle school I have been questioning what path I wanted to follow. My mind was between being an author, being a doctor, being a marine biologist, being a SPX (special effects) makeup artist, being a hairdresser, and being a pilot for the military.  However, after being inspired by my AP Seminar project, structured around the science behind architecture (known as architectonics), I settled on wanting to become a residential architect.

The reason behind my interest in architecture stems from my artistic background. Art has always been a hobby of mine, from drawing, to painting, to 3D modeling. I have been improving my art skills since I was a toddler, and I have recently looked into the field of residential architecture due to my interest in drawing and building home models as well as the implementation of physics, which includes math skills.

I took some time to consider where I wanted to go. However, after watching some travel videos and doing some reasearch, I've come to develop a fascination for Australian Architecture. Not just the Sydney Opera House (which I really want to visit), but also the Queen Victoria Building, the Melbourne Town Hall, the Ambercrombie House, and more. Not to mention some of their modern home designs. I would love to take part in this.

In addition to this, I also want to spend my free time making music. As I am very interested in art, music has been something I have grown up with. My parents were musicians in high school just like I am, and they were very involved in pop culture and the lives of musicians. I enjoy learning about musicians as well and seeing the behind-the-scenes of how music and concerts are planned and produced. I have spent the last few years learning guitar, and I want to start a band one day to make music for fun in any free time I have outside of my career.

I had never expected to pursue a career field that was so math-based. My subject has always been English growing up, as I was an exceptional writer compared to my peers. However, my honors Algebra 2 teacher, Mr. Snyder, got me back into math with his unique teaching style, sense of humour, and genuine interest in the subject. I learned formulas and different perspectives when it comes to solving problems, which enhanced my problem-solving skills. I had grown up in accelerated classes due to my giftedness, and entering high school had introduced me to honors, pre-AP, and AP classes. Because I was ahead by taking Algebra 1 in middle school, I was able to advance into Honors Geometry starting my freshman year of high school. I took Honors Algebra 2 the following year, and this year I have entered Honors/ Duel-Enrollment Pre-Calculus. I am going to continue with Calculus in order to prepare for more math-related courses while pursing my dream career. I also believe that science plays a role in architecture, so I have taken earth/space science, honors biology, honors chemistry, and now AP Physics. My writing skills I believe will also come in handy as well as my math skills, because I can use my proficiencies to not just figure out the problem but record progress in an organized way to present to my peers and teachers/bosses.

I am an active participant in the Leonardtown High School marching band. I am entering my 5th year. Throughout my years of marching alongside many other people, I have learned cooperation, teamwork, and the value of hard work. Competitions have made me realize that all of that hard work pays off in the end, but in order to achieve that success, it requires working together, maintaining healthy relationships, and dedicating yourself to what you do.  These kinds of lessons I believe will help me in my future because engineering requires a lot of teamwork, persistence, and working together.  By cooperating and working hard, I know that my peers and I will reach our goals.

Following graduation, I have decided to attend the Tyler School of Arts and Architecture in Temple University as an Architecture Major.