Standing at a science fair board means being ready to answer every penetrating technical question a judge can throw at you. I know the math, I know the mechanics, and I have built my physical apparatuses myself from scratch in my basement. Yet, there is always one question that makes the crowded room feel quiet: "Who is your mentor?" Answering that I am an independent researcher, working without a formal mentor or traditional institutional backing, has become a testament to what can be built through curiosity and determination. It starts with an musing of wonder, "why does this happen or how does that work?" I find a book, a video, or a class. 

When I sought rigor, beyond the traditional classroom, I proactively sought out advanced online options. While attending either The CinDay Academy or Springboro High School for its physics department, I simultaneously balanced rigorous supplemental coursework through Stanford Online High School, completed multiple advanced courses through the Art of Problem Solving, and took courses online with Northwestern’s Center for Talented Development (CTD) and Johns Hopkins’ Centers for Talented Youth (CTY). This cross-educational framework has allowed me to build a unique academic profile while maintaining a 4.7 GPA across 26 credits (Ultimately, graduating with 35 credits.). I earned a Collegeboard School Recognition Award, a Rural and Small-Town Recognition Award, and have been designation as an AP Scholar with Distinction after scoring fives on AP Physics 1, AP Physics C Mechanics, AP Physics C Electricity & Magnetism, AP Statistics, AP English Language & Composition, AP U.S. Government & Politics, AP Precalculus, AP Calculus AB & BC, and AP U.S. History.

My journey began in elementary school at the Challenger Learning Center of Dayton, an inspiring space that creates custom labs tailored to my young scientific interests. Today, as Ohio State President of the Children of the American Revolution, my state service project is raising scholarship funds for that very center to ensure other children can find that same spark. That foundational experience drove me to build opportunities for other students. I founded math clubs at Incarnation Catholic School, The CinDay Academy, and later co-founded the BoroSTEM Circle that meets at the local public library. I coach students from multiple local middle and high schools, coordinate the Ohio Math League contests, where I personally earned the High School Level Cumulative High Score at the state level in 2024, 2025, and 2026, and prepared a dedicated cohort for MATHCOUNTS competitions. Under my leadership, the CinDay Academy team earned Second Place at the University of Dayton’s Math Contest, and the Incarnation math team won First Place in the Ohio Math League Regional. I also brought this dedication to competitive academics as a member of the Varsity Academic Team at Springboro High School, culminating in a trip to the National Contest in Georgia, where our high school got to Nationals for the very first time ever. My personal competitive math achievements also include First Place School finishes on the AMC 10 and AMC 12 in 2025 and 2026, alongside a National Honor Roll spot on the AMC 8, and State Level in 8th Grade for MATHCOUNTS.

My research began in eighth grade, when an online AP Physics 1 course inspired me to measure the speed of light. With no lab access, I found a creative way to do it myself, and that experience sparked my passion for research. However, since then, I have maintained a four-year consecutive streak of Superior ratings in Physics at Ohio Science Day, heading into my fifth year as a senior. My independent research modeling ion propulsion and exploring particle accelerator physics has earned the Governor's Thomas Edison Award for Excellence in Student Research, the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge award, the Society of Experimental Test Pilots Excellence Award, and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Award. Most recently, I secured a Superior rating and the Top Score in Engineering at the Ohio Regional Science Fair, alongside being named a Melvin Scholar at the Buckeye Science & Engineering Fair. To ground my simulations and experimental data, I mastered Multivariable Calculus via SOHS, electrostatics, differential equations, and vector calculus, while further challenging myself by auditing an online MIT course in physics.

These milestones led to my induction as a Sigma Xi Associate Member and my selection as an American Junior Academy of Science Fellow. These honors sit alongside a Naval Academy Science Award, a Gold Medal Congressional Award, and becoming a STEM Star recipient. Furthermore, during my tenure as president of my local chapter, our youth leadership earned the Gold Level National Award at the Children of the American Revolution annual National Program in Washington D.C. 2026. I also expanded my mathematical boundaries by conducting mentored research on chip-firing on hypergraphs through the selective MathWorks Honors Math Camp at Texas State University, after having attended two prior year. 

While local university physics lab access is frequently restricted for high school students due to safety and age protocols regarding lasers and other equipment, my physics teacher, Mr. Korzan, has been an invaluable sounding board. I am currently spending my summer immersed in the physical sciences at the St. Andrews Summer Experience program, and this upcoming academic year I will dive deeper into advanced disciplines through specialized courses in Heat & Light and Modern Physics through Stanford Online High School.

As public universities navigate program consolidations under shifting state mandates here in Ohio, finding a research home requires continuous, self-driven momentum. I look forward to my senior year as an opportunity to ultimately collaborate with a university researcher in hopes to bringing my independent background into a formal laboratory setting or having regular mentorship for guidance. As I think of characters like Malory Quinn working out of his basement, who looked at the universe and saw endless variables waiting to be solved. This isn't a story that necessarily ends with the perfect situation finally coming to pass due to personal diligence.  This is a story about what happens when you see a closed door and realize you may have to create your own passageway. Whether or not I ultimately find a mentor at this stage of my high school educational journey, like Mallory, I will slide through another gateway reaching for my goals. Though one hopes I will be savvy enough to test the system more and know my way back home.