<p>What do you guys think of my essay?</p>
<p>My greatest achievement occurred recently at the end of July. I earned the distinction of being
chosen as the first intern in the Robotic Surgery unit at Valley Hospital, Ridgewood, NJ. I am
thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Dr. Yiengpruksawan and his staff. He is the Director
of Surgical Oncology and became the first surgeon in the US to perform the complicated
procedure of removing tumors in the pancreas utilizing robotics. During this coming year of my
Senior Internship, I will be assisting with research, computer work and will be able to observe
robotic procedures on a weekly basis.
The personal impact of being chosen is significant because it is both recognition of my previous
achievements and a reward. I have always had a preference for hands-on activities over theory.
While I do well in classes that require presentations, persuasive arguments, written equations
and data proofs, I am more excited about classes that require hands-on projects and activities.
One of the reasons that Im so excited about the internship is that I will be able to observe
robotics on a professional level. Up to now, my experience has been limited to the most basic
robotic applications, such as building a vehicle that follows a line on its own. Exceptions to this
are the brief glimpses of the robotics labs at universities and TV documentaries that present the
broad spectrum of robotic applications. I am eager to learn how robotics can be used to help
others.
My interest in engineering began with a gift of LEGOS in pre-school. Id build the design
according to the package instructions, disassemble it and then design it my own way. I learned
about basic engineering principles such as center of gravity and gear ratios while building these
models. In middle school, I bought broken remote control cars at garage sales with my
Grandmother. I really enjoyed taking the cars apart and learning how to repair them. During
school vacations, I found myself downstairs in the basement workshop, adding features,
reworking them and tweaking the steering and suspension. I have since progressed to
transplanting circuit boards and completely repairing most of the broken cars that I had
purchased.
As a Boy Scout, I found that both my building and designing skills were useful to my Patrol and
Troop. Two examples are: designing an effective sledge in the winter Iditarod team competition
and building the Gateway for my National Jamboree troop. In high school, I joined the BotsIQ
program that builds robots in a variety of sizes for competitions in Pennsylvania, Florida and at
school. As part of the team, I have found my passion. I have enjoyed being a productive
member of this team because it combined design, theory, programming, math and engineering.
Last year, I was asked by the computer programming club advisor at school to be the clubs
hardware consultant. My job was to explain how a robots features must influence the
computer code that needs to be written. Additionally, I was sought out in the Science Olympiad
teams desperate hour. In the span of a week, I became a full-fledged member of this nearly
year-long running team and led the Build Group for the Robot Ramble event. I am enjoying the
transition from student to teacher. It is very satisfying to share my knowledge and skills. My
reputation in school as the electronics guy, is a product of my passion for hands-on activities
and my eagerness to help others succeed with their projects. Earning the Boy Scout Eagle
award has also taught me very important skills in this area.
One of my favorite quotes from a fellow classmate is, If there is one person who would be able
to build a time machine, it would probably be Scott. Being chosen for the Valley Hospital
internship validates my work and interests up to now and encourages me to gain practical skills
and new experiences in my varied areas of interest.</p>