My love for mathematics began at home, during warm summers where being outside was not an option and my grandfather taught me math and geometry to keep me interested. Between theorems and learning how cube numbers I started a journey that would lead to civil engineering. At school, this was built on by the gifted student’s program or B.A.D.G.E. (Balboa Academy Dragons Gifted Education) where students faced smart challenges that forced them to search for answers outside the box.

Slowly, I began to show early signs of love for construction when, again, my grandfather - a civil engineer - took me to construction sites. Here, I toured machines and awed at the grandeur of concrete slabs, columns, and steel beams. Honestly, the chance to explore other subjects and have hands on projects helped me understand my strengths and weaknesses at Balboa. Particularly, the Physics program let me face egg drops, bridge building and collision simulation experiments that... could have gone better.

All in all, I could not be more grateful to the people that have surrounded me and helped me grow. I still remember the shouts of joy my family exploded with when we opened the decision letter from Georgia, it has quickly become one of my most cherished memories. To the people at Balboa, I say nothing but - Thank you. Thank you for being a family to me, who have supported and stayed with me through rough times, and who now stand with me while I take this next step.

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow, learn as if you were to live forever." - Mahatma Gandhi.

Nicolás Schiavi Leez - accepted to Georgia Institute of Technology in Civil Engineering