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I first learned to code using Scratch Jr., and I was amazed at what I could do. I immediately wanted to learn more and I was introduced to Python, which is the raw programming language after binary and terminal text. I learned how much power I had to manipulate the computer, and I noticed how I (and others) viewed technology as an entertainment feature, that I could never build anything like that. I am now a tech wizard because I decided to explore what I could do on the computer. This benefited me by giving me a different way to see things, a new view of my life and what I could do with what’s in my environment.

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I was in a backstroke race, and it was a big race for me. It was also one of ny first meets. I got on the edge of the pool and leapt off. My arms churned and I flew through the water. As I was nearing the opposite side, I saw the flags above me, letting me know I was close to the finish. 2 feet from the wall, I turned over mid-stroke, because I thought I was at the finish line and I ended because I was scared to hit my head on the wall. I saw that I wasn’t quite there and I immediately tried to get to the wall. I learned later that I was in first place the whole race, and I got second place because of my fear, and I lost by 90 milliseconds or 0.09 seconds. This taught me to have courage and what I could do when I decided to have courage.

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My mom’s best friend, who we called Auntie Abbie, had cancer for a while. She was doing better, then not so well, then better, and she would bounce back and forth. I had not seen her for 2 years because of COVID and her condition. One morning, my mom was crying and I asked her what happened. She said that Auntie Abby had died earlier that morning. I was very sad because I never really got to say goodbye to her. This taught me about loss and how to eventually get over grief without forgetting the person.

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I had spent the whole day getting the house puppy-proofed while my mom and my sister drove for 8 hours to pick up our new puppy. I really wanted to go with them to see Milo first but I knew the most helpful thing I could do was to remove all exposed cables and set up all the gates. When I was finished, I had time to watch Lord of The Rings and I was so happy to see Milo and immediately spend time with him because his area was set up. I was very proud of myself for both deciding to work when I could be having fun in the car and also taking work away from my mom, who had been driving for 8 hours.

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My dad was looking online and he saw a book about how to build your own cell phone that could text, call, and get cell reception in a package as tall and long as an iPhone Max and as thick as the length of your index finger. Over the summer, we pieced together a Raspberry Pi, a touchscreen, a modem, wires, batteries, and lots and lots of coding to finish with a cell phone. I had always wanted a phone to text, chat, and call friends, and in many ways, this was strengthening my knowledge and helping me grow by means similar to learning to code. I also better understood that the only reliable way to achieve— or not achieve— something is how much work and effort you dedicate to the task.

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We had decided earlier that week that my family could not care for my 2 guinea pig girls and that we were going to put them up for adoption. I was very sad, but we were traveling a lot and we could not give them the attention they deserved. This event helped me understand what loss is, and because I didn’t make time to take care of their needs we decided to give them to someone else who had more time. I learned that if I put in the work I could reap the good rewards.

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When I got COVID, we were going to travel here to Hawai’i to visit my grandparents, but my mom had got COVID the week before. We thought that we were still going to go, but then I got COVID 2 days before we were supposed to leave. We had to cancel our trip for a very long time, and I was very sad, both because we would miss the trip and a fun flea market that my school would host. That year was my year to host the flea market for my school, so I was bummed to miss it. I learned to adapt to things that happened, and learned to move around them.

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Homering In the Los Altos LL Championship

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Homering In the Los Altos LL Championship

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It was the Little League Majors Championship game. We were down 5-6, and it was the second-last inning. The only thing I had in mind was the coming at-bat. I had two strikes on me and I took 3 balls for a full count. There was a runner on second, and he was fast, so I knew he could get home with a good hit. The next pitch was a fat, juicy changeup that I knew I could hit. I swung, and a burst of pure power came from my bat and the ball sailed up, headed to the foul pole. That was the hit I needed to get the runner home! I was psyched. But I noticed the right fielder slowing down at the fence. He jumped over it to grab the ball. And then it clicked. I had homered. A 2-run shot off a full count when we were down by one in the end of the championship! I was so proud of myself because I had worked so hard to improve my hitting power! This helped me understand the value of hard work and practice, and to always remember the end goal of my struggles.

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I went with a specially picked team of 12 top players from my travel ball organization to a very esteemed tournament, Cooperstown Dreams Park, for a week. Throughout the week, I had many games, but one game spoke to me the most— the last one. We were neck and neck with the other team in terms of score, and in the last play of the game, we were down 5-4 and  there was a runner on 3rd who was very fast and a good hitter drove a long, semi-high hit to the outfield. Our coach told Tyler, the runner on third, to not tag up and to take a lead, and the ball was caught. The runner went back to the base. Now there were 2 outs, and the next player proceeded to strike out. We lost and were eliminated from the tournament. I remember 2 main things: 1), if our coach had told the runner to tag up and go home, the score would be tied and play would continue. As for the second item, I remember a different play. We were up to bat, and there was a runner on second and a ball that was smashed all the way to the wall. The runner on second, Case, safely cruised around 3rd and towards home. Then, he slid headfirst into the plate, not because the catcher was trying to tag him, but just for fun. The ump proceeded to call him out because there was a rule against headfirst sliding that Case did not know. Those were just some of the weird plays of that game, but if just those two plays went right, we would have won the game and advanced. It took me a while to find my takeaway from this, but eventually, I thought that I had to let the past be the past and learn from it, because I can’t change what happened and the best thing for me to be doing is to be practicing baseball, not lamenting over past mistakes. So I learned to let go of the past and to focus on the next thing coming.

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Before my first day at Mid-Pac, I had been really scared and nervous because I had never moved schools before and I had just moved there a week ago from California, and I felt like a fish on Mars. But after my first day, I realized that I loved this school and the people there. I made some very nice friends and met lots of people, and laughed, joked, and played. I also really enjoyed my classes. But one very memorable thing is that people kept forgetting that I was a new student and that I had never met any of the people on campus. I asked them why, and they said it was because I seemed like I had “old friends” and that I fit right into the community. I learned both not to fret unnecessarily and also to make the best of my new opportunities, and I think that I will remember my first day at Mid-Pac for the rest of my life.