Personal Statement
I come from a strict Nigerian household, and I am fortunate to have a family that upholds high standards of excellence. My education was bolstered by both the amazing teachers I had growing up and the steady supply of books from the school libraries. Sixth grade signified my first glimpse into who I would be for the next few years: I recognized my love for learning after my intense effort won me all but one gold medals at the Dallas Lone Star Challenge (the primary school version of Academic Decathlon). Additionally, I gained an interest in music after I joined the introductory band as a percussionist, and I began taking art more seriously as I drew more frequently. However, elementary school also set the stage for an insidious social anxiety that would stick with me for years to come; (you know the stereotypical nerd who sits alone at lunch? That was me for a little while in middle school). Thankfully, I turned things around in high school and even more so in college.
High school is where I solidified my interests and got an idea of whom I wanted to become. In particular, Drumline and my school’s STEM Academy program helped me find close friends who strengthened my mind and skillset. Despite my partial deafness, I dedicated countless hours to becoming an outstanding marimba-player in the band–this soon developed into a profound love for all things music. For example, I began writing raps and songs with talented friends for school projects, and I picked up digital music production. I also went on a drawing spree that would underpin my passion for art. STEM classes in robotics, engineering, and computer science helped fuel my logic-oriented mindset and ultimately drove me to choose computer science as my major in college. I initially still struggled immensely with social cues and interactions, but support from my friends drove me to study self-improvement and even gain enough confidence to help others.
In summation, I have an ironically good ear for music, substantial skills in design, an affinity for academic excellence, and an unshakable resolve for self-betterment. Since high school, I have come a long way in becoming the type of person I could admire–the type that does not look at their feet–the type that others actually approach for advice. I took my desire to help others to the next level as well, creating huge group chats for classes and even helping dozens of students one-on-one in my free time (of course, I later accepted an invitation to become a peer teacher because I might as well have). Right now, my career plan combines both my passions for art and computer science: I am working towards becoming a front-end web developer—it allows me to utilize my coding AND graphic design skills. I also plan to keep my music-production hobby going strong; I am actually doing the sound for a small game dev team, so I am looking forward to presenting my work in a few years. As for my life goal, I plan to discover all I can about the inner workings of the mind so that I can continue optimizing the way I think. I have already taken the first step by being a Student Assistant, and I am also committed to a research project involving the creation of educational data visualizations for dynamic programming algorithms. I strive to push others onto their paths of improvement as well, regardless of their starting points. If I become skilled enough in design and psychology to help guide people in my own way–if I can keep touching the lives of others in ways that drive them to keep pushing when they thought they could not–then I will know that I have achieved my purpose in life.