Hello! My name is Lorenzo and I'm new to Georgia Tech and Atlanta. Being a life-long passionate for the worlds of aviation and space exploration, what better place to be in than the US?I escaped from Venezuela's deteriorating society, leaving my family behind, a sacrifice I made with the intentions of successfully completing an education in Aerospace Engineering.I'm a first-generation student and an aspiring Propulsion Engineer who will seek to become a visionary in my field. I want to contribute to the revolutionary area of propulsion that will continue to broaden our transportation systems and manned exploration of space.Coming from a middle-class background, and with a rough relationship with my parents, I've felt the struggles ever since my early days. I was always aware of my situation, and had to give my efforts and time to working at home for my father, to sustain us all. Now that Venezuela is undergoing its current disaster, I have no words to describe how difficult it is, considering I'm now outside of the country.When I was young, I built original LEGO designs, and airports, drew airplane and spacecraft technical drawings, and watched aerospace shows on Natgeo and Discovery such as those on Apollo, Gemini and Space Shuttle missions but also Air Crash Investigations (Mayday) and Seconds From Disaster. As I built dozens of envisioned LEGO models, it was clear to me that I wanted to be in charge of the construction and design of aircraft, and not solely in control of their motion. This increasing desire to be surrounded by flying vehicles, to work with them, and to study their technologies, is what drives me towards Aerospace Engineering.This passion that has represented me during my life has never faded, but as I grew older I became more aware of the responsibilities and demands of this desired industry. For me it has been amazing to see how wonderful Aerospace and other technologies are, how we take those for granted and how only 100 years ago they would have been UNTHINKABLE!Now that I'm here at Georgia Tech, I've finally been able to connect to this world that I've always seen myself in. I've had the chance to meet with professors that have worked in projects like the V-22 Osprey and incredible leaders that have visited us, such as Lars Blackmore (SpaceX's Principal Rocket Engineer), Dava Newman (ex-NASA Deputy Administrator) and several others. I've also been able to expand my leadership and team-work skills, as I've become an executive member of the university's AIAA student chapter and have participated in activities like the Aerospace Design-Build-Fly (DBF) and joined other student organizations like SHPE and the Astronomy Club.With AIAA, I've had the chance to reach out to and engage with companies like Lockheed Martin through F-35 simulator rides and engineering case studies and I have helped organize tours to the Delta Tech Ops facilities at the Atlanta Airport, where I got to experience what a real industrial setting feels like. Being able to observe the dynamism with which engineers and technicians work with fills me with pride as I'm able to say I'm even more familiarized with the Aerospace mindset. Building prototypes in DBF for aircraft model competitions has given me an opportunity to perfect not only my building expertise but also the way I interact with other members to problem solve.Next year will be my first year being self-sustaining and thus I need to strategically device a plan that will allow me to continue studying, despite the hardships.· I'm currently applying to scholarships and loans to help finance the expensive out-of-state tuition rates ($33,000).· I completed the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma, giving me credentials I'm using to skip one entire semester's worth of classes.· Recently, I was hired by the university's office of Conference Services where I'm now a part-time employee (and will be full-time during the summer).· Finally, I will be completing a semester abroad at Georgia Tech Lorraine in France (which offers lower tuition rates) to further reduce my expenses.Your donation to me represents an opportunity for me to strive higher, and to maintain my GPA of 3.8 at that level or above. My goal is to study so that one day I can share all my know-how and help advance the human condition. It is through Aerospace Engineering that I view such goal possible and this life project is what has led me to Georgia Tech.Feel free to ask me any questions or to show any evidence of my education and story.Thank you so much for your time and thoughts.I'm extremely grateful for the teachers and mentors that have helped me excel.