Undergraduate / Simple Life - Aeronautics and Astronautics Department UW COE Personal Statement [5]

Hey all! I'm applying for the AA department at UW and need to submit a College of Engineering Personal Statement. I would really like to know your feedback as far as possible revisions and ways to shorten it would be. Also I would like to know if I answered the prompt pretty good or not. The length is a bit longer than it should be, so I will need to shorten it.

Describe how you could bring a broad perspective to the engineering classroom. Factors to discuss include, but are not limited to: multi-cultural awareness, activities, or accomplishments; educational background and goals; living experiences, such as growing up in a disadvantaged or unusual environment; and special interests or talents. (Limit to 250 words)

As an individual who came from an impoverished family that struggled to pay the bills and relied heavily on food and clothing donations to survive, I learned quickly how to be humble and satisfied with the simpler things in life.

Every year for Christmas' and birthdays, instead of receiving expensive toys and video game consoles, my family would get me clearance-sale gifts from second-hand stores such as model airplanes and National Geographic magazines about outer space and the solar system. As a child, these gifts were my life - for I spent countless hours meticulously painting and assembling my aircraft models while simultaneously learning about the universe as I flipped through the pages of the magazines. This was where I discovered that I had a thriving hunger for knowledge about the wonders of aviation and the universe around us, and had inaugurated my future goal of becoming an aeronautical engineer; driven to accommodate my part on the expansion of our knowledge of the universe.

Motivated by my scorching desire of becoming an aeronautical engineer, I've excelled in virtually every college course I have taken; and received several awards in high school for math and science. I have held an active role in society by donating to families in need - a cause that is very personal to me; and getting involved in campaigns that promote sustainability practices in the environment. Throughout my journey in my education, I met a variety of exceptional people with diverse backgrounds who have influenced me to refine the importance in my goals, enabling me to keep growing.

If there was a lesson I learned while living a life in poverty it's that sometimes the simpler ideas can yield the greatest changes in life. So take it upon yourself to be observant in your surroundings and coherent towards the people around you.