OA Robotics (FRC 4079 Quantum Leap)
As a member of the mechanical committee of my school’s robotics team, I was immediately pushed into the never-ending chaos of robot construction - and I loved every second of it. Throughout my time in the club, I was introduced to the layout of the mechanical room and built my expertise in each necessary tool, interacted with team mentors and alumni who instructed the team with authority, and attended competitions, tending to the robot in between matches and cheering the team on during them.
As the first ever club that I joined in middle school, I had to learn quickly that upholding responsibility was never easy, but if I applied as much effort as possible, it could very quickly become rewarding. Although members of the team were required to stay for nearly 3 hours after school working on the robot for 4 to 5 days a week just to keep up with competition schedule, I managed to make use of all my time there, investing significant effort into learning the ins-and-outs of robot development and maintenance as well as tool use. It was also a struggle drilling the many safety rules and procedures into my head before I was allowed to handle any tools, but an equally necessary and rewarding one.
Some highlights include assisting my team’s ascent into the position of Finalist at the 2021 Beach Blitz as well as having fun brainstorming ideas for the 2024 on-season, where my idea for our future robot managed to place second points-wise in comparison to the other ideas. Of course, the main highlight of the club was contributing to the technical development of several robots throughout the course of the three seasons I was a part of. Seeing my effort unfold into the successes of each robot brought value to my persistence.
Although getting used to working at quick paces with such precision was often not without difficulty, collaborating with the other members of the mechanical committee and closely learning from team mentors and captains made upholding the duties much easier and more fun. My time in robotics remains one of the most memorable parts of my middle and high school career as it taught me not just how to bear but embrace respect and discipline, allowing me to become the man I am today.
2021 - 2024
2022 - Present
OA Spotlight (Drama Club)
I began my acting journey in the middle of 8th grade after hearing about a relatively unpopular open audition at my school for a club rendition of the musical The Lightning Thief. After my first solo in my school’s choir program, I had become inspired to try out more performance activities and decided to audition for the lead part in the musical, eventually getting the part.
Since then, being a part of Spotlight has been one of the greatest joys of my life. I work together with my friends to train the members of the club to act and show their passions through making films, with our most recent projects being the AUHSD Festival nominated music video Lizzie’s Symmetry and the short film Syntax Error.
I often reminisce on the club’s past projects, including the many twice a week musical rehearsals where I practiced sword-fighting choreography, my dance skills, and met a ton of new friends. Although the musical was eventually canceled, there is not a single meeting I wish I would have missed. I also fondly recall our meta short film project I was slated to play one of the lead roles in, which, although never received an official release, exposed me more deeply to the audition process and play/film production.
Through my growth as a general member to secretary to now the vice president, I have gradually shifted from making a head-on appearance in our films to leading a lot of the development for our annual projects, including creating the sole idea behind our film Syntax Error, writing a large part of its script, and also leading parts of meetings and activities.
Through acting, Spotlight has brought out a raw intensity in me that I never noticed, where I am allowed to show the most vulnerable and the most joyful parts of me in order to teach others how to do the same, getting comfortable expressing themselves in their own skin. I hope that every member can leave each meeting happy at getting the chance to freely embrace who they are. I know that I do.
OA Crescendo (A cappella)
As a member of our school’s premier a cappella group, I have been able to express my passion for singing, supported by a diverse community of like-minded individuals.
During the 23-24 school year, my first year in the club, Crescendo performed Somebody to Love by Queen during the annual choir Pops Show. As our voices resonated together during powerful parts of the song, an immense pride grew within me, the realization that we all had come together to create something so special, that I had never experienced in my two years of choir.
During my 24-25 school year in the club, the same year I served as the club’s Treasurer, I had the opportunity to perform a major solo in the song Don’t Stop Believin’ by Queen. After days of practice, I auditioned nervously, but with a quiet confidence built over a year of performing in Crescendo, and secured the role. In the coming weeks, I practiced practically every day. Although I frequently doubted my singing ability, practicing with my fellow members each week and my own practice encouraged me to never stop believing. The end result was one of my proudest on-stage performances. To have experienced the crowd clapping and cheering largely because of something I had done and contributed to meant the world to me.
My 25-26 role as Historian, recording the progress of the club and watching the members grow in skill and strength over the course of a year, made me realize that, despite all of the songs I’ve sang and performances I’ve been a part of, the most memorable part of Crescendo for me has been the people who continue to make it such a memorable, supportive place to participate in: it’s members. There is a strong bond that forms through shared resilience and dedication as we tirelessly practice challenging songs week after week. In three years of Crescendo, I have rarely ever gotten a song that exactly matched or was easy for my voice part. However, I still manage to nail my parts every time, but only due to the collaboration of my fellow club members, and the will to succeed that Crescendo instills in me year after year.
OA VGDC (Video Game Development Club)
What attracted me to the Video Game Development Club was having the opportunity to express myself creatively through idea making and group contribution. I never could have imagined that I would be leading a dedicated group of team members, often by myself, to do exactly that.
During my second year of the club in the 25-26 school year, I was appointed as the primary lead for the creative development team, where I facilitated the entire creative design process, guided the creative design team through the process of coming up with the game system (including but not limited to abilities, characters, and story), acted as the primary communicator between creative design and the other committees, answering questions and gauging the most important tasks at the moment. Even before that, I had been the primary original developer of the game idea that sparked development for our project of the year: Phoenix Man.
That same year, I also acted as the Treasurer for the club, earning over $200.00 through a Back to School Night Donut Fundraiser.
This year, continuing my role as Treasurer, I hope that VGDC can continue improving and growing together along with its passionate members, and I know that I’ll be there every step of the way.
OA TSA (Technology Students Association)
During TSA’s first year of operation during the 25-26 school year, I acted as its HS Competition Director, playing a critical role in the behind-the-scenes of its weekly meetings, including managing and announcing reminders regarding the organization of 20+ approved competitions for the 2025-2026 school year, including approving and providing competition materials, acting as the primary coordinator for Chapter Team and On Demand Video competitions, and contributing in discussions regarding establishing communication with local TSA Chapters to more easily claim a spot at Nationals.
I currently serve as the secretary of the 26-27 school year, staying attentive and taking detailed notes in board meetings and discussions with local TSA chapters from Kennedy and Cypress HS concerning a planned local invitational hosted by the three chapters, as well as sending announcements to 80+ members while navigating a new eKadence classroom system.
FBLA has shown me that the path to success is open for everyone, with the only requirement being one’s level of dedication.
Despite not knowing anything about business, I was not intimidated by the wide variety of difficult events that I was free to choose before each competition. Keeping an open mind yet staying realistic, I decided to sign up for events that I was certain would play to my strengths in the humanities, such as events like HR Management.
In my sophomore year, I ended up playing twelfth in the state in the Journalism event during the 24-25 year’s state conference. Ever since then, whether I have had any notable placements or not, I have continuously enjoyed choosing, studying for, and competing in increasingly difficult events, including ones completely out of my area of expertise, like Business Law. There has never been a club where I’ve actively learned more and had fun at the same time, and can’t wait for a final year of more competitions and hopefully another win.