My name is Colin Taylor-McGrane, I currently am a senior at Science Leadership Academy and a student of the CTE Engineering Program. I hope to continue my pursuit of Engineering into college and throughout the rest of my adult life. I believe that there are three core personal attributes that make me a strong engineer. My analytical approach to solving real world problems, my knowledgeability about the issues I face, and my outspoken nature when communicating my ideas.

I believe that being analytical is the key to solving problems in all fields. In engineering, it is of particular importance. When I am first given a problem, I have a natural inclination to understand every detail about that problem. I feel that this allows me to come up with more possible solutions and not overlook major issues that I may face. Additionally, failure is inevitable in engineering, however, I always try to be thorough in my analysis of my failures in order to correct them.

However, analysis is always improved by background knowledge of the issue you are faced with. From a young age, I have always actively sought out knowledge. They say that knowledge is power and I most certainly agree. My large background knowledge has helped improve my deductive reasoning, helped me relate essential ideas. Additionally, I have a very strong memory. I can remember facts, lists of items, and moments in time very well, because of this, I have been able to retain newly acquired knowledge for much longer.

I also feel that I tend to think outside of the box when coming up with solutions to problems. I often have ideas and opinions that differ from those of my colleagues, and I am not the least bit shy when communicating them. Even under intense pressure and criticism, I am always willing to express my thoughts, and I feel that doing so is essential in group settings. It is important that all ideas be taken into account when deciding how to tackle a problem, and when I feel like I have a good one, I make sure that it is heard.

Because of these three traits, I feel that I can effectively tackle the issues faced by engineers. When I am faced with a problem, I immediately relate my previous knowledge to that issue. I then try to understand as much as possible about that issue before attempting to solve it. Once I come up with ideas, I advocate hard for them, even if they do not have much support from my peers. But, when they inevitably fail, I can always figure out why and fix the final result to fit my goal. That is why I believe I am a strong engineer.

As you may already know my name is Marcin Czapla. I am a CTE student who attends Science Leadership Academy, and I am aspiring to be an engineer in the future. As we all know, engineers have their strengths, which are key to their success in field. It takes many attributes to succeed in such a demanding field, where a new task could by lying in wait for you every day. Personally, I feel I am equipped with strengths that will help me become successful in this field, three of them to be exact. They are creativity, curiosity, and compassionate.

Creativity is the first trait I listed and probably the most important. It is hard to come by new ideas nowadays, or at least original ones.  We see ideas being marketed that are just different versions of existing ones. There are so many unsolved issues in the world that are just waiting for a creative mind to come by and say, “Hey what if we try this…” I aspire to be that person someday, that can think of  creative idea to help someone in need or solve a problem no one thought could be solved. In everything I do, I try my best to be creative when I have the freedom to be, and I hope to continue to do so but with bigger goals in mind.

Curiosity, is what killed the cat, or so goes the saying. I for one am no cat however, and I am curious all the time usually about certain topics that catch my eye. Whenever I am really interested in something, or invest my time into it, I get very curious. I think of questions that I don’t know the answer to and then try to answer them with what I already do know. That is essentially what engineers do, they concieve and solve questions people don’t know the answers to. “What happens if we use this material instead of that?,” “What if we make that 3 feet longer, how will that affect its durability.” Curiosity is important in this kind of field because in order to solve problems and help people, we must first be curious enough to explore those problems and find out more about them.

Last but not least is the ability to be compassionate. Being compassionate is especially important, not just in engineering, but in everything you do. In order to help people, and ultimately help the world, you must learn to be compassionate first. Being able to make the right and the wrong choice also falls under this for me, as I learned in the short Engineering Ethics course Mr. Kamal taught us. Maybe in the future there will be a situation where someone needs help, someone who is in need, but they don’t have the necessary funds to hire you? Would you turn that person down? I wouldn’t. I would do everything I could to help that person out, because one day you could be in that person's shoes. I do believe that focusing on yourself first is important, but being compassionate towards others is important as well.

How will these 3 strengths influence the things I pursue and do in my future? They will be there along the way with me, influencing my decisions and helping me become the engineer I want to be. These 3 strengths will be crucial in both my development as a person and as a student of engineering. They will help guide me to help make the world a better place.