There are moments in life that can change the path you’re on. Sometimes they are big and sometimes they are small. For me, one of those small moments occurred last year during lunch. 

As junior year hit, I was clueless about what I wanted to do in life and what I liked. One day, during my 1st semester, my friend, Kiana Thompson, asked if I would like to hang out in Mrs. Ward’s class during lunch. I didn’t really know who Mrs. Ward was at the time or what would happen that Wednesday, but I am glad I decided to go into her class to hang out with my friend. 

I discovered that it wasn’t just a place to hang out for lunch, I had stumbled into a MESA Club meeting. The M.E.S.A. Club, which stands for Mechanical, Engineering, Science, and Achievement, allows students to use their math and creativity skills in competition. 

As I stayed in that class, I began to become interested in what Mrs. Ward was speaking about, and her explanation of what the club is about and what it has to offer, when she was talking about the different types of projects that were going to be done in the club and how the competition would be held at UC Santa Cruz, where, at the time, I wanted to attend school. 

Also, I was intrigued by the possibility of earning a stole after being in the club for 2 years, that I would be able to rock at graduation.

The club helps students expand their knowledge and skills in the sciences and math, and you use teamwork and work on projects that you can collaborate with friends on, and develop new skills. Some of these projects include engineering skills like the moon base and the glider. Others like a DNA model, coding projects, math problems, machine/Ball Thrower, and a bio breakthrough are included as well.

Personally, the club had helped me decide on finalizing what career and major to pursue. It also helped me be able to work in a group and depend on each other, since I was a pretty independent person, the club helped expand those skills. 

My creativity was also broadened since the project I did was the Moon Base. The Moon Base was a project on creating a structure strictly made out of cardboard that can withstand a varying amount of weight. It is called the Moon base because it is a structure that is supposed to withstand the conditions that a structure would have to go through as if it were on the moon. 

I worked on the Moon Base for both my years in the club. Last year I failed miserably, so I couldn’t even get my project entered in the competition. 

Fortunately, this year I redeemed myself by making a decent project and letting it last at least 4 tries against the weighted ball. 

Obviously, It would have been better if it lasted the whole way through, but I am not disappointed with the outcome and how much I have improved in my project. 

Being a part of this club has helped guide me and push me to pursue my career goal of becoming a chemical engineer. The club’s use of science and math has helped broaden my interests and knowledge of things I have never seen and experienced.

I still have much to learn from this club, so I plan on continuing my work in M.E.S.A. at Hartnell College, since they offer it there as well. Since chemical engineering is a difficult field, I will use every resource I can from M.E.S.A. and continue doing projects, hopefully something other than the moon base. 

Once I complete doing M.E.S.A. for two years at Hartnell, I am determined to transfer and continue my education at San Jose State University, where they offer my major in chemical engineering.