“The world is yours for the taking, all you have to do is reach for it", said a wise man. Since the age of five when I would play with my legos, I knew that I wanted to build great things that could improve the world. I was about eleven when I looked up and saw the word engineering and realized what it meant. Engineering is the application of scientific and technical knowledge to solve human problems. I love to help people solve problems that people say can't be solved. Architectural Engineering fits me because it provides an opportunity to design and build buildings and machines that have never been built. Architectural engineering is the applied skills of many engineering disciplines to the design, building, operation, maintenance and renovation of buildings while paying attention to their impacts on the surrounding environment.

After my freshman year I accepted my first intern in the Undergraduate Research Experience in Ocean and Marine Science at Elizabeth City State University in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. My project included working closely with a team to complete our research on creating a map of the campus using remote sensing. We went out and plotted the latitude and longitude of points, took the cores of trees to find the age, and much more. The biggest thing for the group was looking at Landsat 7 data, which are pictures from satellites images. With these images we had to determine where the forests that we were documenting were located and then find the different types of species. By the end of our project, we were able to make a map of the different types of forest species found on the Elizabeth City State University Campus. Many courses were available to attend to become certified in boating safety, swimming, and Red Cross training. In addition I was given the opportunity to work with a variety of computer programs such as Macromedia Dreamweaver, Macromedia Fireworks, and ArcGIS, which are programs used in marine science research. Developing my own webpage and the intensive writing activities has really challenged me. Many magnificent professors came down to talk to us about their work they have done to give us a better understanding of the field they work in. Dr. Barry Rock, a professor from New Hampshire, which was also my mentor in the remote sensing team told us about the work he has done in Europe. Dr. Terry Hughes, a professor from Maine, came and discussed with us the work he was working on in Antarctica.

Furthermore, we had many CReSIS workshops which are Center of Excellence For Remote Sensing and Research videoconference broadcasts. Professors from the University of Kansas communicated with us through videoconferences and inform us on different things such as Matlab and .m files which are programs that students can use to find information about global warming, ice sheets, and greenhouse effect. They also gave a workshop on entrepreneurship. It was very useful to see because it gave steps on how to be an entrepreneur. One of the Mentors from Maine, Dr. Terry Hughes came down also to give a videoconference on polar climates.

During my junior year of college I plan to become a member of the National Society of Black Engineers. Getting into the National Society of Black Engineers will better prepare me out in the field. After graduating from Jarvis Christian College, I plan to further my education by getting my Masters and Ph.D. in architectural engineering. Engineering is what I want to do not just because it pays good money but, because it is what I have a passion for. Making things that better improve our community, and making buildings for children and adults to work, study, and play in. I plan to travel to many parts of the world helping the less fortunate by donating not only financially but also with my time.