“I am very thankful for the support that Ladies of the Empire has offered me… About my experience this academic year:
I was accepted to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. I attended their orientation and really wanted to study under their Aerospace department. About a month later, I received more great news; I was also accepted at UC Berkeley! I was really excited and thankful for such an amazing opportunity. Despite not having an Aerospace department, I chose Berkeley as my final decision because I wanted to challenge myself. I decided to major in Mechanical Engineering, as it is the major that is most similar to Aerospace Engineering. Last semester was academically challenging yet very memorable. Despite struggling through all of my classes, I reminded myself of the reason why I came here and the impact that this University will have in my future. I was able to pass all of my classes and maintain a 3.4 GPA. This semester is a little more challenging, but I will not give up. Aside from the engineering classes, I am also taking a class to help me reach another of my dreams, to become a pilot. The class I am taking helps me prepare for the written component of the private pilot’s exam. I hope to receive my private pilot’s license by the time I graduate.
The biggest difficulty I am encountering is the commute. I believe that the daily two-hour round-trip commute from Fremont to Berkeley has had an impact on my grades. I often stay studying on campus with my friends until I can take the last Bart train which comes a little past midnight. Once I get home, I sometimes stay up studying until 3 in the morning. I have tried studying while on Bart, but i find the noise and motion very distracting so I try to catch on some sleep. I initially wanted to ask my family if we could move closer to Berkeley but I realized that it was best if we stayed in Fremont since my mother and brother are both attending the same community college. I am currently applying for scholarships so that I can reside on campus.
I also noticed that the books, and course materials required at the University is considerably more expensive. I am very thankful for the generous financial support that the Ladies of the Empire has offered me. I was able to purchase books, online course products, and materials required for class projects for the whole year! The Ladies of the Empires definitely made an impact in my academic life, specially this semester. I am taking a project class and my team and I hope to break the world’s record for fastest Rubik’s cube solved. We are programming and building a structure from scratch to solve the Rubik’s cube after 10 repetitions in an average time of less than 0.5 seconds. The desired outcome of our project requires that we invest time and money into it.
Again, I really appreciate the support that Ladies of the Empire have given me.
Thank You.”
Luis Mendez
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