[QUESTION #1 ~ Required]

• Please describe how you have prepared for your intended major, including
your readiness to succeed in your upper-division courses once you enroll at
the university.

For the past one and a half years, I have prepared myself for majoring in computer science and engineering by not
only succeeding in my classes, but by also taking extra measures to ensure my success once I transfer. First and
foremost, during my first semester at College of Marin, I realized very early how little I knew of the rigor and skills
expected of me to become successful once I transferred. As such, apart from designing my own road map for what
courses I would need to complete during my time at community college, I also researched what specific classes I
would need to take and when I would do so once I transferred. This proved to be immensely rewarding for not only
did I gain a much clearer understanding of what I should expect, but also highlighted to me how beneficial it is to
complete the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC). While some universities do not
recommend completing IGETC as an engineering major and instead encourage to focus on lower-division major
preparation prior to transfer, through my calculations and persistence, I was able to design a three-year plan that
incorporated me fulfilling many universities’ General Education requirements. In consequence, I have ensured
myself to be able to solely focus on my (major relevant) upper-division classes once I transfer. Furthermore, beyond
simply researching what classes I would need to take once I transfer, I also spent time meticulously pursuing studies
outside of my regular community college classes in order to prepare myself for the rigor that I would expect at a
University of California campus. I effectively did this by following the curriculum of similar classes archived on
UC Berkeley’s Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (E.E.C.S.) website. Finally, alongside preparing myself
academically for this major, I have also diligently made sure to obtain pertinent work experience that helps me in
securing a relevant job upon graduation. With this said, I have prepared myself for pursuing this major at a
University of California campus by ensuring my success not only as a student, but also as a graduate.

[QUESTION #6]
• What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?

During the summer of 2017, I secured the opportunity to intern at the SunPower Corporation office in Richmond,
California. Being employed in the Acquisitions & Strategic Development department, I was tasked to determine
potential large-scale solar customers in the Texas energy market. However, while this was my contractual
obligation, I also was personally on a mission to find how I could best utilize my skills in making the community at
large a better place; fortunately, I found my answer to be GRID Alternatives. Based in Oakland, California, GRID
Alternatives is an organization committed to bringing together community partners, volunteers, and job trainees in
order to implement solar power and energy efficiency for low-income families. For these reasons, I set aside two
five-hour sessions to help participate in their program. In short, as I hopefully expected, I found it to be the most
rewarding experience in my life so far. Not only was I able to physically install donated solar panels for
impoverished residents in my community and help bring sources of clean, local energy, but I also connected to a
community that had felt left behind regarding access to green energy. Me being there and simply volunteering to
install solar panels for them made a profound on effect on these marginalized communities by reminding them that
members of the Bay Area community still care for them and wish for their wellbeing. Nevertheless, while
volunteering my time to install solar panels was definitely impactful, it pales in comparison to the green energy
orientation sessions I did with the local elementary and middle school students. Just as installing solar panels is a
critical component to GRID Alternatives mission, so is educating the surrounding communities about the career
opportunities in the growing field of solar power. As such, I got to spend time educating kids, many who seriously
lacked role models, about the opportunity for them too to work in this field and how to do so. To summarize, my
time at GRID Alternatives helped nurture a sense of community again in these fractured neighborhoods.
[QUESTION #3]
• What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed
and demonstrated that talent over time?

In spring 2017, I was given the opportunity to take on the role as a paid tutor at the College of Marin Tutoring
Center. Having the primary responsibility to ensure my students were clarified of their confusion, I was given the
task of focusing my tutoring on the subjects of mathematics, chemistry, and computer science. However, while I
was more than proficient with the subjects assigned, it became clear to me that learning and researching were not as
easily linked. For instance, there were numerous times where I would needlessly extrapolate on theory when
presented with a simple calculus question that could be resolved by simply directing the student to the appropriate
equation. While I admittedly struggled for the first couple weeks in coming to terms with this reality, the lesson I
learned about simplifying complex issues and being able to translate them across multiple mediums proved
invaluable. Not only did me honing this skill augment my tutoring abilities, but it also drastically helped me in
becoming an effective learner. Back in high school, I would recklessly try to learn every concept from a class. As a
result, I would ultimately hinder my academic success, for I would not be strategically rationing my focus to
specific essential areas. Nevertheless, through constant practice of strategically using my time to focus on certain
areas, my success academically and efficiency in learning new material drastically improved. As mentioned,
alongside resolving this poor habit, I also gained immense exercise in being able to communicate complex topics in
different methods for whatever situation. Accordingly, with this skill now honed, I was able to secure my internship
at SunPower Corporation by impressing the interviewer with my deconstruction and concise explanation of my
understanding of the Texas energy market. This skill also proved immensely crucial in my successful pitch to the
College of Marin Technology Committee when I convincingly explained the reasons for the purchase of a 3D
printer. Overall, while I was not naturally born with these skills, over time I have effectively refined and mastered
employing them.

[QUESTION #3 ~ Required]
• Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you
have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your
academic achievement?

While I have always been passionate and determined in pursuing my studies in computer science and engineering, I
have not always been in an environment that fosters such aspirations. In the early years of my childhood, I was not
able to gain the technical computer acumen like the rest of my peers, because I did not have access to a support
network that could introduce me to such concepts. In consequence, even though I was fortunate enough to be able
to enroll in a computer science course in high school, technology until graduating from high school had always
been viewed in my eyes as a mean of entertainment, not a potential career. Worse, with my rather terrible
performance in mathematics in high school, I was notified by a community college counselor that a degree in
computer science and engineering could possibly not be in my capacity. Nonetheless, with fiery determination, I
made sure to not allow this to seal my fate. As such, over the summer of 2016, I not only enrolled in courses over
the summer to get ahead, but I also disciplined myself to study Pre-Calculus in order to successfully enroll in
Calculus I in the fall. Moreover, in regard to overcoming my lack of computer acumen, I consistently studied and
improved my knowledge of computer science by pursuing to read ahead of the syllabuses of classes I would need to
take at community college. Through all of this, I made sure to learn how to effectively adapt, learn, and overcome
obstacles by myself.