Evolectric Scholarship - Top 5 Applicants

Degree: Bachelor of Science, Chemistry Chemical Biology.

School: University of California, Irvine

I started a book club during my senior year of high school in Vietnam. As the book club grew, I took the initiative to organize tutoring services. With the help of the members, I was able to provide the service and target kids who are not given enough opportunities to excel in school. In addition, I organized events to gather donations and bought books to help aid students from poverty-stricken neighborhoods. Since I came to America, I have had civic leadership roles and still participate in weekly community volunteering in Pho Hien Temple. I take the initiative in decorating for the different special occasions the temple hosts. Moreover, I am in charge of setting up activities to educate the younger generations about their culture. Besides, I was a member of the Alpha Gamma Sigma club—the Honor Society of the California Community Colleges (AGS) at Golden West College for 3 years. This club helps with donations for the elderly, children, making funds for donations through many other activities along with the club, going around the campus picking up trash, and so on. I have also been volunteering at Fountain Valley Hospital and Joseph Hospital as a Health Scholar, where I provide basic care for patients such as ambulating them and feeding them. I help guide patients and their guests to the correct departments and translate English to Vietnamese when they have trouble understanding the English language. After learning about the ecosystem and how humans interact with other species and the environment, I realized that a sustainable environment for future generations must start with our mindful actions towards preserving the earth, and hopefully, in the process, someone will take advantage of the existing technology to help keep planet Earth clean.

We can specifically aim to build smarter cities where solar and wind energy are critical to utility supply and act as cleaner energy for every aspect of the community, such as economics, mobility, health, governance, and safety. And how would we achieve such a big goal? This is where the engineering process steps in. From Chemistry 152 course which is Advanced Analytical Chemistry and other knowledge I have gained, I ended up concluding that in engineering, researchers get a list of all the many standards that must be met by the result. Then the goal is to develop a product—in this case, an entire city that is powered by solar and wind—that meets all of the standards while optimizing, and the most common optimization for a product is to lower its cost. In engineering, researchers must make educated decisions rather than be presented with an infinite number of possibilities. I believe residents and companies are increasingly seeking these renewable energy sources and are empowered to install them on their premises and structures as solutions to the problem. The first brand that I think would always come to mind for most people is Tesla, which is an American company that produces electric vehicles (EVs) and sustainable energy. Now, the utility's job that the cities have developed is to allow EVs charging to occur at periods when the grid has extra renewable energy and to enable EV batteries to discharge energy back to the grid to assist in meeting peak power demands. If the supply of this energy could meet the demand, then more people would look at such an alternative energy source to use in their cars. The batteries not only need to be recharged at a faster rate, but they also need to be cheaper, too. Or else, not many would choose this option since gasoline is still cheaper and more convenient. Then, from automobile projects, we move on to construction projects. We progress from construction projects to infrastructure projects. We begin with infrastructure projects and work our way up to an entire ecosystem powered by cleaner energy.

I believe electrification is difficult, but not impossible. As a non-researcher but an experienced volunteer in community service, I believe it is critical to assist people in shifting their mindset toward a more positive future. Who knows what genius we might discover if we guided them to the correct information and then used the engineering mindset of trial and error to arrive at the correct solution to this difficult question, just as residents and other companies have been doing. We require a community that understands the potential benefits of clean energy use. A combined force from everyone would be beneficial because it would not only reduce costs (because so much more capital will be invested in this joint project), but it would also make everyone feel like they are contributing to a solution rather than a problem.
Mother Nature deserves the same level of care as we do for our mothers, as she contains the resources necessary for our survival. Without a doubt, clean air, a healthy ocean, and sustainability are possible when each individual considers their well-being, the well-being of their loved ones, and the well-being of the community. We must begin with ourselves and then gradually inspire others to emulate our actions.

Even though I've never had the opportunity to work on an environmental project, I'm hoping that my efforts in academics, extracurricular activities, and a few work experiences will compensate for the fact that I'm lacking in other areas. I am confident in the knowledge I gained in community college and at UCI, both academic and practical life lessons. I am capable of demonstrating my worth as a good student. As a good student, I will not stop seeking assistance or asking questions. After a few years in college, I would have encountered numerous additional difficulties had I not benefited from the college's additional support. I am well aware of the critical nature of that assistance and am extremely appreciative of the support provided by the Clean Technology Fund scholarship program. I'm aware that achieving my career goal will take time. With numerous other obstacles, it would be excessively burdensome if I attempted it alone. Thus, being awarded a scholarship by the Clean Technology Fund scholarship program will not only alleviate my financial difficulties but will also increase my motivation to concentrate on my studies and achieve success.