"Coming to the Academy...
had no idea about the world of academia or inner workings of a research enterprise."
That's how Lucy Liu describes her experience at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., where she was "a delusional freshman cadet" who "had no car, a 24-hour load, and no knowledge about the community."
She was sent home in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, but she ended up working for Colorado Springs Utilities and winning a $10,000 grant from NASA to create EnergizeCoS, a high school youth engagement initiative that helped the company reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2030 and 90% by 2050, Fortune reports.
"I had never done anything like this before and it was amazing to see our work created an impact on big decisions in the local community," says Liu, who was also awarded a critical language scholarship from the State Department.
"Not only did the Academy foster my diplomacy endeavors for engineering, it supported my diplomacy culminating when I was awarded the critical language scholarship on behalf of the State Department for an intensive language immersion program," she writes.
"What I got out of it, though, was confidence to tackle the unknown and push beyond my comfort zone, traditionally the engineering lab, and connect with like
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