UC PIQs
UC PIQ#1, Leadership
Prompt
Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes, or contributed to group efforts over time (350)
Current word count: 342/350
Over 30,000 Indigenous Maasai live in Losimingori, Tanzania, and their women and children walk 9 hours a day to collect water. During my first visit and multiple walks with the Maasai, I saw how climate change, deforestation, and drought had destroyed the land they live on and how lack of access to water impacts thousands of lives.
That was five years ago. That year, I fundraised to deploy a 100,000-liter rainwater harvesting unit for a community of 4500 Maasai.
After deploying my first rainwater harvesting unit, I wanted to identify its impact. So, the following year, I returned, leading six high schoolers, to survey the community and deploy three more units. Through our interviews, I learned that children near the water harvesting unit attended school significantly more often and fell ill far less frequently. Women had time to create jewelry, grow crops, and could now generate income. As I gathered information, I wanted to help the remaining thousands of Maasai.
With the help of the Maasai Leaders, I organized a series of gatherings, where we brainstormed unique solutions. One of the ideas I pursued with the community was a subsidy program, allowing more families to get rainwater harvesting units placed in their homes. So far, 150 families have signed up for the subsidy program. We are on the way to deploying 100 subsidized rainwater harvesting units in 2024.
Over the last four years, I have fundraised over $100,000 and recruited 10 high and middle school students, multiple families, and industry experts to join me in the cause.
On my vacations, I wake up at 3 AM to lead discussions with engineers in Israel, Maasai leaders in Tanzania, and fund managers in California. I was even called to take a 96-hour trip to speak at a global conference when I should have been preparing for my math test. I love this job, so I continue to lead these projects. Access to clean water has a visible and measurable cascading impact on the daily life of every Maasai and their community. I want to continue working for the Maasai.
UC PIQ#4, Educational Challenge [Maybe for Prompt #6]
Prompt
Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced. (350)
Current wordcount: 281/350
Math forces us to break problems into smaller parts and think analytically; there is always an answer. Math and analytics will become even more critical as the world's data grows exponentially. I want to make sure I am prepared.
Last year, I took AP Calculus BC. I did every assignment twice and revisited class notes daily. I was open to going up on the board, showing my work, and making mistakes. I learned how to grind through a challenging course. In the months leading up to my final exams, I printed out every assignment, notes sheet, and lecture outline I received from my teacher and redid them. I also did every AP exam from 1997 to 2023 on the website. My hard work paid off; even with a A- on my transcript, I got a 5 on the AP exam.
In my UC Berkeley and UCLA courses, I learned how fast-paced and in-depth college courses can become. At UCLA, reusing my study techniques from high school helped me excel in exams, and I scored highest in the class on my final project.
As a hardware person on my robotics team, when I design the drivetrain, simple geometric principles ensure that the weight is balanced across the train, making movement much more effortless. I've used math to calculate our sigmoid curves for power for our robot motors, giving us a competitive advantage at the regional level. Understanding the relationship between torque, speed, and power allows us to select the appropriate motors and gear ratios for different tasks, ensuring our robot performs at its best under various conditions.
I look forward to continuing to pursue advanced topics in math next year and higher math beyond high school.
UC PIQ #6, Academic Subject
Prompt
Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom. (350)
Current wordcount: 340/350
I want to use technology with basic sciences to bring scarce resources, such as water, to hugely disadvantaged parts of the world.
Over the past three years, my summer courses have provided a solid foundation in remote sensing, data science, climate change, and applied machine learning. During the MIT BeaverWorks course on Remote Sensing, I learned how to manipulate large datasets from satellite images to monitor environmental changes. From my class at Berkeley, I learned how carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere impact water levels. My latest course at UCLA, Data Science, taught me how to apply various machine-learning techniques. I discovered the basics of computer vision and image processing while building robots. I learned about eco-hydrology and remote sensing in my nightly calls with Engineers Without Borders from Israel while discussing rainwater solutions for the Maasai tribe.
I combined the knowledge gained from summer courses, self-study, and industry experts to help 30,000 Maasai by planning the placement of water harvesting units. Using satellite imagery, I trained an object detection model to identify and generate a heatmap of the most populated Maasai living locations. This work identified eight zones where access to water is critical, based on a density map and the distance from bodies of water, helping us deploy 100+ rainwater harvesting units across 500 sq. miles. This can reduce time spent searching for water for over 3000 Maasai and allow for more focus on school and income.
This summer, I was invited to present my work at an academic conference in the UK on machine learning for earth observation. Of the 100 academics and industry experts in attendance, I was the only high school student. Meeting the researchers, I realized how much more can be done to help disadvantaged parts of the world through the effects of climate change.
Over 2 billion people lack access to clean water today, and the situation worsens daily. I want to pursue an interdisciplinary education that combines Earth Sciences, Data Science, and Computer Science to contribute to this global problem meaningfully.
UC PIQ #7, School or Community Service
Prompt
What have you done to make your school or your community a better place? (350)
Current wordcount: 348/350
Attending a school where 90% of the students play at least one competitive sport, I wanted to create an inclusive environment where everyone could thrive.
It all started with an old newspaper found in a classroom. My friend Cade learned that, long ago, our school had an Improv club. He had a crazy idea: resurrecting the long-forgotten Improv Club, named “Kitsch.”
We set up shop in the blackbox of the performing arts center, where we taught ourselves improv through YouTube videos. Our first practice consisted of other theater kids pulled from nearby. We soon blossomed into a team of 10-odd students.
Ms. Boesen, my religion teacher, did competitive Improv in college, so I convinced her to be our first coach. With her behind us, our numbers started to grow. I scheduled the auditorium for showcases, organized coaching sessions, and arranged rehearsals. Over two years, nearly 100 students have participated in our events. At the same time, the community has grown to 35 core students across multiple grades.
Now, we’ve hosted four improv shows. My favorite part is that we can be on stage, mess up, laugh about it, and still get claps! We can't lose!
The spirit of not taking ourselves too seriously was extended to the cafeteria, where 600+ students come daily. As a class officer, I started the Cross-grade relay race—now a legendary yearly event. I coded an automated video screen with mugshots of all 160 classmates to make them look like “Wanted” criminals.
I also started a particularly memorable tradition. Our friends have a feast in the cafeteria at the end of every hectic, adventure-filled year. I decorate a cafeteria table with a tablecloth, china, and silverware. Angelo brings Apple Cider and glasses, Curtis brings beef wellington. We show up in suits and eat our fries with forks and knives right in the middle of the cafeteria.
The magic of “Yes, and…” wasn’t just about the improv games—it was in the spirit of openness and joy that we brought to every corner of our school.