Sofia
My name is Sofia. I am the oldest of four children. Since the age of six, I have loved learning how to make balloon animals by watching YouTube videos. I loved learning the fundamentals of the art of creating something complex. Thus it's not surprising that my love for math blossomed. I have found that math allows for creativity in problem solving. Additionally why I love math is that math levels out the playing field for everyone. Regardless of someone being more economically advantaged than myself, I can be equal to or more proficient than them in mathematics.
This past April 2023, I was one of the three Dean’s List finalists for the region of San Diego, which is often regarded as one of the most competitive regions of the world. One's team must nominate you and from there regional judges interview and choose who to represent San Diego at the Worlds Robotics Competition in Houston TX. Being on my school’s robotics team has made me fascinated by the mechanics of building robots.
Furthermore thanks to my school for funding my trip and stay in Houston, visiting the Houston Space Center has made me extremely interested in studying aerospace engineering in college. This past June 2023 I was one of 22 girls around the globe who were accepted to SWiM (Summer Workshop in Mathematics) at Duke University. The program covered everything from flights to food. This program confirmed my belief that I love mathematics and would love to pursue a career in it. It also instilled in me the confidence that I do belong in a STEM field and I am capable of attending a prestigious four-year university.
I have been part of the MANA organization, which is focused on preparing Latina girls for college for the past 4 years and I am going to be the 2023-2024 MANA club president. My Mexican heritage is extremely important to me to acknowledge the past and the humble beginnings I come from.
Currently, I am working with my local library, to hold free block coding lessons in order to reach people from all backgrounds and because in my own personal experience paying for lessons is out of budget and only possible through programs similar to this one. I hope to join the less than 10% of female aerospace engineers. I will continue to take rigorous college math courses for the rest of my time in high school and hopefully attend a four-year university with a full ride.
If chosen to be a part of A Bridge for Kids, I would put those funds toward taking SAT test prep because many of the schools that I want to apply to have a test-optional position and I want to set myself up with the best possible score. As well as possibly a new computer, my computer screen is broken thus would cost $500 to fix or choose to buy a new one to use through college. I want to build my expertise in coding since engineering and coding are becoming more intertwined. And since my computer has been broken for almost a year I haven’t made the progress I would have liked to see. This scholarship would deeply help me as college application season is around the corner. I would be beyond grateful and honored to be chosen. Thank you for your time.