Personal Life
Read below to learn more about me.
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Blog Entry #1 - Summer
I had a pretty busy summer vacation this year.
I toured Purdue University, University of Washington, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University with my family. Each had appealing programs and campuses, but I'm still not sure what my first choice is. I took a summer engineering class at UCLA where we learned the basics of rocketry. My team and I built and launched a model rocket. I visited my family on the East Coast and got to reunite with my cousins. I worked at an ice skating summer camp where I got chased around the rink by 5-year-olds. Lastly, I hosted two exchange students from Japan and showed them around LA.
Now that school is back in session, I'm looking forward to year full of bittersweet "lasts." In my Engineering class, I'm most excited for our Capstone Project.
Blog Entry #2 - JPL Challenge
Our JPL team "Low Expectations" is currently working on solidifying our design for the upcoming JPL Paper Basket Challenge. Everyone has lot of great ideas which has made it very easy to brainstorm. However, we have trouble agreeing on which ideas to move forward with in our design. We could work on being less attached to our old designs in order to being more productive.
Outside of school, I recently tried out for Los Angeles Ice Theater, an ice skating team. I'm eagerly waiting for my selection email.
Blog Entry #3 - Gingerbread Challenge
The objective of the 2023 Southern California Gingerbread Challenge was to create a house based off an iconic structure that could withstand the most seismic activity. My top two favorite structures from this event were the "Once-ler's House from the Lorax (above) and "Santa's Surf Shack." I liked how these entries put as much detail into decorating their base as they put into their house. If I participated in this challenge, I would build the Louvre Museum because I think it has a generally simple structure and its triangular shape would make it very sturdy.
Blog Entry #4 - The Aerospace Corporation
Our class recently toured the Aerospace Corporation in El Segundo, a federally funded research facility that provides guidance in multitudes of space missions. As an aspiring Aerospace Engineer, I was especially inspired hearing analogue astronaut Trevor Jahn speak about the journey to his career at the facility. My favorite part of our trip was his presentation of his newly developed augmented reality goggles, which may improve communication between astronauts during space missions.
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Another project the corporation is working on concerns the issue of space debris. Scientists and engineers there are developing a method of controlled thermal runaway using what's called a Lithium-Ion Battery Deorbited. This strategy could work without adding additional mass to satellite debris and would provide the thrust necessary to deorbit them.
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Aerospace History Journal Entry:
October 14th, 2012
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Today, I, Felix Baumgartner, stand atop the Earth. I wait for the go ahead while I observe the clouds and land masses from the Stratosphere, in which I will momentarily be barreling into. through.
I receive the signal from my friends back on the surface, and I state to all those watching, "I'm going home now," before promptly falling into the planet below. "Jumper away," they say, and my decent is only beginning.
After 34 seconds of freefall, I reach Mach 1, becoming the first human to break the sound barrier outside of an aircraft. A problem arises shortly after, that being that I am now spinning uncontrollably. If I don't get it under control, the rotational force could force my blood out of my eye sockets. To counteract the issue, I release a G-Whizz, or a decelerating drogue parachute. After some more spinning, I find my stability and continue confidently towards the ground, now a world record holder.
Blog Entry #5 - End of Year Reflection
Throughout my PLTW career, I am most proud of my contributions to my JPL Invention Challenge Project. If I were to give advice to incoming PLTW seniors, I would tell them to enjoy the class while it lasts because while everything seems like a lot of work in some moments, projects fly by and are over quicker than you think. To incoming freshman, I would offer encouragement to explore your interests, no matter how small. I joined PLTW because of my interest in planes and space, and I wish I had known that now that interest has evolved into my projected career path. If I could talk to my younger self, I would tell her to reach for the stars.