The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from ...

The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?

“Bumpers on!” Although I could barely hear the captain over the clamor of the pit, the team sprung into action. The programmers deployed the code, the builders scrambled to drill the bolts, and the electrician swiftly replaced the battery. I hardly realized the team already queued up to the field. From the sidelines, I was awestruck by how the team operated the pit like a well-oiled machine, without a delay or faulty part in sight. As a newcomer, I felt like the cog out of place. I assumed plentiful YouTube videos would enable me to resolve issues myself. However, I was only more confused when it came time to develop a robot for the new season. Given the upperclassmen created a robot that qualified for the World Championship the year prior, I was confident and believed the team could replicate their success with the new season’s robot. Unfortunately, my optimism shattered. Our robot stalled once we began our matches, and we lost seven of nine games in the first tournament. The pedestal I put my team members on crumbled, and I understood them for what they were: skilled peers who nevertheless could make mistakes. Although teams frowned upon novices entering “the pit” – an area reserved for teams to work on their robots outside of matches – I refused to let doubt hold me back. Curiosity now pushed me forward. To my surprise, the upperclassmen I feared welcomed me as an equal, and I discovered the culprits of our robot’s downfall: damaged sensor wiring and error-abundant autonomous (driverless) code. Although time prevented us from making a full recovery, I was determined to avoid similar mistakes at future tournaments. I spent the remainder of the year learning how to wire and program the robot, becoming the first member on the team to master both. With my new understanding of how different robot subsystems interacted with each other, I mobilized both rookies and veterans to collaborate in repairing the robot, bringing the team together. Throughout my high school years, I have cherished being a bridge between worlds. As a roboticist, I connect my theoretical knowledge to the unknown through practical experimentation and collaboration. As a dancer/actor in cultural dramas, I connect my American self to my Bengali identity through my expression and emotion. As a creator of educational platforms, I connect students to teachers through accessible domains and a shared desire for education. I believe connecting people is the key to meaningfully improving society. After all, some of the most groundbreaking technological innovations, such as the telephone, the automobile, and the internet, are considered revolutionary precisely because they have connected individuals around the world in ways that have enabled humanity to make greater leaps forward. Through my college endeavors, I hope to become the bridge that connects the present to the next innovation that will unite us closer, narrowing socioeconomic gaps and promoting a world where technology is created with a human perspective at its core. As I explore engineering, I will grapple with problems beyond faulty wiring and buggy code. How will I ensure my works are not only useful but also accessible to marginalized communities? What power structures may seek to change the intent of my work? How will I resist them? Sometimes it takes a leap of faith, or a march into the pit, to move forward. By silencing the clamor of my self-doubt, I am now prepared for whatever challenges the field throws at me, bumpers and all.