Figure Skating:

I love to figure skate. I started skating over the pandemic as a way to get out of the house, and it just kind of stuck. I have been doing it for 2 ½ years now, and it is amazing. I’ve mastered my single jumps and basic spins, so now I’m getting into axels, double jumps and combination spins. I love it so much. Not only is it my way to unwind, but it’s also become one my ways of expressing myself. In case you are interested FMC Ice Sports is a great way to find skating near you.

I also created a Spotify playlist of the songs I like to listen to while skating.

Coding:

I’ve been coding since I was a little kid. My dad is a programmer, so I was doing "move the turtle" games before I could write. I've taken AP Computer Science Principles so I know JavaScript. I also took an online Machine Learning course and made an app in XCode, so I have a basic knowledge of the Python and Swift languages. Because of my experience, I now tutor a little kid on how to code. We’ve completed a few projects in code.org, and then recently we’ve been working on building a game in Roblox.

Engineering:

This past summer, I did a virtual STEM camp hosted by UT Austin where I completed two building projects: the first one was a Rube Goldberg machine that delivered a treat to our rabbit from six feet away, and the second one was a helping hand machine that could grab something two feet away and lift it a foot in the air. It was a lot of fun!

{ Activities / Projects }

I have participated in the Science Fair two (going on three) times. My first project was trying to find an early detection system for Alzheimer’s, taking into account someone’s predisposition to Alzheimer’s, using optical illusions. My second project was trying to create an app that would protect females from sexual assault. Using Machine Learning models, the app would analyze pictures for emotions that could indicate a potential threat.

I’ve also always loved math. In middle school I was part of a club called Math Pentathlon where we would play math games, and then for the past two years I have been on the Math Team.

{ Community Service }

I’m at about 20 hours this year for community service. I’m planning on doing a bunch over the summer once I have free time again (Free time? What’s that?), but the community service that I’ve done this year has been so much fun.

In October, there was this thing called STEM week, where we went to the Abby Kelley Foster Charter School in Worcester. I’m so glad I was able to go both weeks, because they were both so much fun. The first week, I worked with the 5th graders. My group and I taught the classes about bird beaks and how they are adapted for eating different types of food. The second week, I worked with the 7th graders, and my team and I showed them how to make spool racers. I’ve always loved working with kids and seeing their faces light up when they learn something new and interesting, which is probably why this was my favorite community service activity I’ve done so far.

Then, in January, I helped with an info session for people thinking of applying to Mass Academy. This school has been so good for me in so many ways, which is part of the reason I wanted to help out with the session. I ended up helping Mrs. Taricco in the CS room and telling people about the projects we work on in CS. On the monitors, we had a bunch of our websites open so people could look at them, and then we got to talk a little bit about the Apps for Good project that we were just starting at the time (speaking of which, you should check out my CS page under the Classes dropdown. In my completely unbiased opinion, my group had a really cool project).

I absolutely love to travel. Each place has its own culture, and I think that’s why I love travel so much. The experiences I get while traveling are experiences I will never get anywhere else. I have been to almost 25 of the 50 states of America, and just this past year, I left the country for the first time. I went to Grand Cayman in the Caribbean, and it was such an amazing experience! We went snorkeling with turtles and swimming in bioluminescent water, but the best part was the sunrises. The sunrises on an island are unrivaled by anything else (except the fresh coconuts of course).

Picture of sun shining through the clouds

Picture of my family and best friend at the falls

Picture of my family and best friend at the CN Tower

I also went to Canada over the summer. My dad has been dying to go ever since we got up here, so when we finally had the chance, we took it. It was such a fun trip! We hung out in Niagara for 2 days where we had the chance to go on the Maid of the Mist tour, walk behind the falls, and at night, see the fireworks and the falls light up. Then we went to Toronto for our last day there. The city is beautiful, but the best part was going up the CN Tower. Seeing the city from 1,136 feet in the air is breathtaking... if you can get over the fact that you are 1,136 feet in the air.

{ Hobbies }

Figure Skating:

Coding:

Engineering:

{ Activities / Projects }

{ Community Service }

{ Travel }