Colton Longobardi 

I'm a Junior at Chopticon High school and I've found interest in doing engineering. I have always wondered what I will do in the future and questioned the field of study that I want to pursue. Ever since I've been in high school, science and math have always been a passion of mine. The two fields that I intend to pursue once I get out of high school are engineering and cybersecurity. As a graduate of the Engineering Program at the Tech Center, my brother inspired me to look into and apply to the engineering program. He enjoyed the class and encouraged me to pursue it myself. For myself I have always been interested in computers and the ability to manufacture many different things. 

As a student in the JFCTC Engineering program I am able to explore my goals of going into the engineering field, which otherwise I would not be able to do at such a young age. Academically, I have excelled in all classes especially math and science. My current GPA is 4.1. While it is important for me to  excel in all of my classes, it is a priority for me to take the necessary classes required in order to perform with great skill in the engineering field. Thus is why I am taking the JFCTC Engineering class in order to gain the required knowledge. 

Participating in extracurricular activities in the past such as soccer, basketball, and lacrosse showed me how a team should work together. Now I run cross-country and track being a captain for the team has had the biggest impact on me and showed me the importance of working with a team. I have won many titles including SMAC, Regional, and state championships. My freshman year was different, I made Varsity and it shaped my view of teamwork and how it played a huge role in the success of the team. Everyday we worked with each other to become the best and the most disciplined team we could be. Then on game day, everyone did their part at the best of their ability for each other, allowing us to win our first Regional Championship. 

I plan to go to college once I graduate from high school. To prepare myself for college, I will being taking college courses my senior year of high school. Currently, I don't have a plan for what colleges I plan to apply to but my hope is to get a scholarship to help pay for college tuition.  I wish to continue my career as a runner, trying to obtain a scholarship. If I don't receive a scholarship I intend on going to community college to avoid the problem of student debt. 

Once I achieve my goal of I hope to aid and better my community with the ideas that I can come up with. While helping my community, I also strive to help people's lives and to be able to help come up with ways to improve ways of living for people. Hopefully I can help many people's lives and inspire others to follow in my footsteps.