I took an entry level metals class my senior year of high school. Our second project in the class was called “Marriage of Metals,” in which we were to create a simple piece that required soldering two different types of metal together. The idea struck me to create a rainbow fish for my mom; she read the book to me as a kid and I would be leaving for college in a few months. I spoke to my teacher about doing this complicated piece and he warned me that it would take a lot of work outside of class time. So I began to cut all 21 different pieces of metal.

After about two months of using every minute available in class and going to the metals studio during my study halls, the fish was assembled into one piece. I spent another week cleaning up the metal and adding finishing touches. My hard work paid off when I gifted it to my mom.

Earlier this year, I went to a Cincinnati technology convention with my high school. At this weekend event, students can choose different sessions to attend ranging from “All About NASA!” to contests. My friends and I randomly chose one of these sessions and ended up winning a contest. Abre, a technology company, allowed students to use their software to design and produce apps. My team chose to create a personalized app for students at our high school that would put their class schedules and extra curriculars into a calendar. We found that our school often changed class times due to snow delays and assemblies, but this could be easily tracked through the app. Below is a picture of our proposed design, allowing students to see their classes and their extra curriculars with just one swipe.

We presented our design in front of a panel of judges and ended up winning first place. My team was recognized in front of the whole convention and gifted portfolios. This was an important contest to me because it allowed me to use my love for design to better my high school.