Adon Vo

The first time I entered high school, I wasn’t too worried about whether or not I would be fine in that environment. For pretty much all of my life, the people around me showered me in praise for earning high grades in school. I thought that simply acing tests again would get me through, but building a meaningful future takes a lot more than that. As I joined my robotics club and got to know the people in my grade, I saw many students working diligently and joining as many clubs as they could in an effort to become the best versions of themselves that they were inspired to be. During my robotics meetings, I watched older students confidently discuss programming while I wondered if I ever belonged there. I couldn’t help but feel like I was falling behind, and that's when I realized that pure talent alone isn’t enough to make it far in life. The anxiety I felt when I saw people going out of their way to find opportunities for themselves taught me that being successful isn’t about being a genius but also about determination and discipline needed to achieve one’s goals. I always had doubt and anxiety in my mind over whether I could help someone out or do a challenging task, and that is what made my first half in high school a fun but stressful time in my life. This is why I started a to-do list, reached out to older people, and challenged myself in 3D modeling and video game making to show my potential in the field I’m aspiring to be in.
My efforts can be seen in my academic record, where I ended up with a 5.4 weighted GPA and a score of 5 for 7 AP exams (AP Human, AP World, AP CSA, AP Calc BC, AP Chem, AP Physics 1, APUSH) because not only does taking hard classes help with your resume, but it also set for me difficult obstacles that allowed me to gain better study habits. Being part of the software team for my robotics club, the NHS, and my church band also taught me values and experience outside of school to practice in the real world. Overall, my life choices have made me salutatorian of my class and made me not the perfect version of me, but a hardworking human gradually getting closer to my final goal.
Back in my childhood days of playing video games, looking at the structure of computers and the intricate details that led to the game on the screen encouraged me to be one of the many people to know how to build these parts, and experiencing the programming needed firsthand in robotics has led me to take an interest in computer engineering for my college years. To study computer engineering will take many grueling years of studying and practice, but it is only natural for me to make everyday systems safer, more efficient, and more accessible for the people around me.
Saying that I will become a great computer engineer is one thing, but putting it into practice and getting the resources for it is a whole different trial. This is where I ask for your help with college scholarships. To gain scholarship money for me is not only to help me deal with the rough expenses for college and engineering projects, but also to help my family’s financial burden and to repay them for taking care of me my whole life and the days to come.