• 3.88 GPA at the time of applying
• 154 units completed at the time of applying
• 35 units in progress at the time of applying

• Associate of Arts (AA): General Studies

• Associate of Arts (AA-T): History for Transfer

• Associate of Arts (AA-T): Political Science for Transfer
• Associate of Arts (AA-T): Economics for Transfer
• Associate of Science (AS): Pre-Engineering
• Associate of Science (AS): Physical Science
• Associate of Science (AS): Actuarial Science
• Associate of Science (AS-T): Business Administration 2.0 for Transfer
• Associate of Science (AS-T): Physics for Transfer
• Associate of Science (AS-T): Mathematics for Transfer

• AP World History: 3
• AP Computer Science Principles: 3

• AP United States History: 5
• AP English Language and Composition: 4

• AP Calculus BC: 3
• AP Calculus BC (AB Subscore): 4
• AP English Literature and Composition: 4
• AP Chemistry: 3

• UCLA Center for High Frequency Electronics Lab Intern
• El Camino College Student Trustee
• El Camino College Supplemental Instruction Mathematics Coach

• WesOnSTEM.com - Founder and Writer
• GradeFly - Co-Creator
• IEEE Trainee
• Associated Students Organization Programs Chair

• South Bay Invention Convention Winner
• Eagle Scout
• Corona Del Camino

• UCLA Accelerator Training
• MESA
• Guardian Scholars
• UCLA Center for Community College Partnerships (CCCP)/SITE

• Division Council of Mathematical Sciences - Student Member
• Student Research Caucus (SSCCC)
• Boy Scouts of America - Adult Volunteer
• El Camino College Foundation - Student Representative
• El Camino College Citizen's Bond Oversight Committee - Student Representative
• National Trustee APINA Caucus - Student Representative

Please describe how you have prepared for your intended major, including your readiness to succeed in your upper-division courses once you enroll at the university.

Scroll through assist.org, aligning mechanical engineering's requirements to my schedule.

As outlined by Assist.org, math, physics, and chemistry are the core requirements to transfer. I strongly believed following the bare minimum couldn't adequately prepare me for the future. Unfortunately, when I attempted to register for the only Engineering Statics course at El Camino College, it conflicted with my physics course. With this scheduling conflict, I looked outside the box to a college about 24 miles away: Glendale Community College.

Glendale's course catalog was a treasure trove of engineering courses. Scrolling through their schedule, I found Statics would work with my schedule. I also discovered Material Science and Engineering, a course not even offered by El Camino. Glendale became essential for engineering courses, providing Assist.org's, "Strongly Recommended Courses" which gave me the foundational skills of an engineer. Even though these courses aren't required, they translate into preparation for the upper-division coursework required for my eventual career as an engineer.

My coursework during my first year led to the unsettling realization that the classes I was taking were purely theoretical, offering no hands-on experience. To fill in this hole, I applied for and was accepted into a summer internship at the Center for High Frequency Electronics at UCLA. I was tasked with fixing E3631A power converters, with each step teaching me components of engineering. Running electricity through each unit showed me complex circuitry. Searching for the root of the problem developed my understanding of how the machine worked, and what the potential points of failure were. As I discovered the potentiometer's broken state, I understood the applied side of engineering- the missing component I was looking for.

Assist.org and my internship at UCLA served the same purpose: they gave me the experiences to make me a better engineer. By studying the theoretical and applied sides of engineering, I've become balanced in my engineering mindset. Engineering upper-division courses are notoriously difficult, but assist.org and the Center for High Frequency Electronics prepared me to thrive.

Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side.

I've always had a phobia of forgetting. The concept that one second you know everything, and the next, you're trying to recall the information you confidently held just a moment ago. To combat this, I created an outlet for me to document my journey through college which would become the unifying story for hundreds of viewers: WesOnSTEM.com.

WesOnSTEM.com is the document of my educational story. Beginning at the sunset of my senior year, WesOnSTEM's first article was the speech I gave at our Baccalaureate ceremony. From there, I would write about the different thoughts I had. The correlations of AP Calculus AB to Calculus 1, why electromagnetism is exposed to kids so much, my election to become Student Trustee. All of these topics and thoughts were something that I thought of or did and that I want to remember when I eventually begin to forget.

WesOnSTEM.com would come to serve a purpose in my job as a Supplemental Instruction Coach, where I would use the website to post problems and solutions for my students to study from that I may not permanently remember. Similar to how "The Organic Chemistry Tutor" or "Flipping Physics" YouTube channels helped me in my academics, I helped my students even if I was off the clock. As I met with the Professor, I was informed five students' grades increased. All it took was my asynchronous help, to improve the performance of some of my students.

As of today, WesOnSTEM.com has been visited over 700 times by not only my students, but by complete strangers who wanted to read my documentations. Preventing my nightmares from becoming reality led me to create enjoyment out of reporting my journey in tandem with helping my students at all times. To me, WesOnSTEM is the memory box I will have for the rest of my life.

Beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes you a strong candidate for admissions to the University of California?

"ChatGpt, define the word engineer" "An engineer is a professional who applies scientific..."- let me stop that right there. ChatGPT gave some over-defined paragraphs on the formal definition of an engineer. Being an engineer gave me the most valuable trait: problem solving. Becoming a problem solver led to my campaign to be the Student Trustee and for my promises to solve problems I was elected one of the six people making decisions impacting the 25,000 people I walk alongside everyday. One of my initial goals was to develop the engineering curriculum at El Camino. As the semester began, so did a resolution citing over 100 students' disappointment of lacking engineering graphics, material science, and solid mechanics. Compiling their opinions and analyzing the abundance of these engineering courses at neighboring community colleges, led me to inform the Vice President of Academic Affairs. Discussing the opportunity to develop the program, I was told it would be updated in the coming years. With one of my objectives done, I'll advocate for change in the last six months of my term. Inspired by the changes I brought to El Camino, I attend the Torrance Unified School District Board Meetings. The reason? To advocate for STEM advancement and opportunities for the student population I once belonged to. As a Torrance Unified student, I didn't have STEM opportunities outside of the yearly Science Fair and a $300 Lego building camp. Writing policies that create STEM programs for Torrance's future scientists and engineers provides students with opportunities to learn, developing their interest in the field. My career aspirations will always belong to engineering, and my passion for legislation and lobbying for change will remain integral to the person I am. The University of California is dedicated to public impact, and for me it will go beyond my term as the Student Trustee. During the day I'll be an engineer solving problems in society, but at night I'll be a policymaker improving the educational community I once belonged to.