So, I figure that most of you have no idea what my major is at Hopkins, or what I even want to do. I talk about all my other activities, such as DSAGA, Capoeira, and admissions. But what it all boils down to is what I’m at Hopkins to study for. And that, my friends, is Mechanical Engineering.

Of course, when I say I’m studying Mechanical Engineering, most people wonder what I actually want to do. Some ask if I’m going to be a mechanic. Don’t get me wrong, I love automobiles, and I love cars, but that’s not really what I want to do with my degree. Then, some people ask if I’m going to be working on trains. I really don’t like trains, so I don’t really find that as a viable option. But, I can see why they’re asking what I want to do; Mechanical Engineering spreads over a large amount of areas, as most things we use in today’s society had a Mechanical Engineer contribute to it in some way or form. But, what do I want to do? Robotics.

Really, I knew I wanted to do robotics since the summer after my sophomore year of high school. That summer, I participated in a fellowship at Tufts University, working in their mechanical engineering department. The location featured the use of Legos to demonstrate engineering principles to younger kids through an academic day camp. In addition to being a camp counselor of sorts, I worked on my own projects for the department. I was also able to stay an additional two weeks at the end, working on a final project. Mine was a blend of art with robotics, creating a joystick that controlled a marker in 3-dimensional space, allowing for you to draw on a piece of paper and make art. It was pretty cool, and a nice blend of art and science, two of my passions.

Really, from then on, I constantly thought about robotics and how it applied to my life. Slowly, more and more robotic terms started appearing, and before I knew it, I realized how important robotics was going to be. It’s a driving force in the new digital revolution. Granted, jobs are being taken by robotics, but at the same time, more lives are being saved from dangerous situations. Robotics are constantly replacing humans in war situations to avoid unnecessary deaths, used in diffusing bombs or manning UAVs to scout the area. Plus, more and more ideas for robotic suits are appearing, providing enhanced strength to soldiers. It’s like a comic book come to life.

That’s probably why I love robotics. Growing up, I was really into comics and cartoons. They amazed me, and often got my imagination going. Sure, you can be limited by the materials you have, but often times, you’re only limited by your imagination. Your product will only be as good as your best idea. And often times, the best ideas are the most obscure ones. With robotics, the sky’s the limit; you have to solve a problem,  and you often just need to come up with some crazy idea for it. So really, I draw upon my imagination to help me solve problems. Sure, it might be some wacky idea, but really, who cares as long as it gets the job done, and in an efficient way?