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Introducing the Winner of the Creative Safety Supply Winter Scholarship Award 2025
Introducing the Winner of the Creative Safety Supply Winter Scholarship Award 2025At Creative Safety Supply, we believe in fostering creativity and innovation to shape a safer and more efficient future. We are excited to announce Andrew Luciano as the winner of the Winter Scholarship Award 2025! Andrew’s exceptional achievements, inspiring aspirations, and dedication to his community made him a standout candidate among many impressive applicants.
About Andrew Luciano
Andrew is a senior at Pascack Valley High School in Hillsdale, New Jersey, where he excels academically with a GPA of 3.829. Beyond the classroom, Andrew demonstrates a passion for creativity, innovation, and community service that aligns closely with our values at Creative Safety Supply.
Andrew’s journey to this scholarship is as inspiring as it is unique. His fascination with engineering and problem-solving stems from childhood experiences with his grandfather, who shared thrilling stories of his work as an engineer. These moments instilled in Andrew the drive to innovate and make a meaningful impact in the world. From building a custom DIY hamster cage to installing a kitchen sink, Andrew exemplifies determination and ingenuity.
Academic and Career Aspirations
Andrew plans to major in mechanical engineering or physics at a reputable university, with Rutgers, NJIT, and TCNJ as his top choices. His goal is to develop sustainable solutions to real-world challenges, including environmental issues, and design technologies to improve lives. He is eager to participate in research opportunities, extracurricular activities, and internships that will prepare him for a successful engineering career.
Dedication to Community and Personal Growth
Andrew’s commitment to helping others is evident through his community service and leadership roles. As the founder and administrator of a Facebook group with over 31,000 members, Andrew shares guidance on proper hamster care—a testament to his passion for problem-solving and improving lives, no matter the scale. He also volunteers at his church, contributes to his school choir, and finds joy in horticulture, where he propagates plants to beautify his surroundings and give back to his family.
A Bright Future Ahead
Andrew’s story is one of creativity, perseverance, and a desire to make a difference. We are thrilled to support him on his academic journey and can’t wait to see the innovative contributions he will bring to the field of engineering and beyond.
Congratulations, Andrew Luciano, on this well-deserved recognition. We wish you all the best as you continue to learn, grow, and innovate. Your journey inspires us all!
Andrew Luciano’s Essays
Essay 1: My Educational and Career Goals
In college, I plan on majoring in mechanical engineering and/or physics with the hope of becoming an engineer. This aspiration has been shaped by my childhood, goals, talents, and passions; in particular, my problem-solving skills, innovation, and determination.
My decision to pursue a career in engineering stems from my desire to apply my creative thinking and problem solving to address real-world issues. Whether it ultimately means doing things like developing sustainable solutions for environmental issues or designing innovative technologies to improve people’s lives, I am driven by a passion for making a positive impact through my knowledge and skills.
To achieve my educational and career goals, I plan to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering or physics at a reputable university that will provide me with a strong foundation in STEM. While I don’t know which college I’m going to yet, I’ve applied to many colleges and I am actively doing research to find which one will be the best fit for me. My top three choices are Rutgers, NJIT, and TCNJ, and I’ll make a final decision by the spring. I plan on working hard on coursework and participating in research opportunities and extracurricular activities in college that will enhance my knowledge and skills in engineering principles and problem-solving skills, and also allow me to have some fun.
In addition to this, I intend to do things like internships and other opportunities within the engineering industry to gain practical experience and insight into the field. By participating in hands-on projects and continuously looking to expand my knowledge, I aim to be very well prepared for a successful career.
In conclusion, my educational and career goals are fueled by a deep passion for innovation and problem solving, a commitment to continuous learning and growth, and a desire to contribute meaningfully to society through my work. With dedication, perseverance, and a strong foundation in STEM education, I am confident that I can achieve my goals and make a difference in the world as an engineer.
Essay 2: My General College Essay
The brightly lit room with the ‘70s wood-paneled walls and the small couch with the soft yellow blanket is where I spent most of my time, and where I always yearned to be growing up. This was my grandfather’s basement, the place where I learned my problem-solving skills, fostered my innovativeness, and developed a passion for kindness and generosity, though it is now looked at with feelings of nostalgia from the memories shared. I developed these traits not only from my special bond with my grandfather, but also from my own desire to become a good person.
Growing up, I was inseparable from my grandfather. From weekends to school nights to convincing my parents to go on a date night just so he could watch me, I always found a way to end up with him. The basement was like our playground, filled with tons of toys and endless possibilities. I made it my mission to invent new games for us to play, like the game where we threw balls at the door at the top of the stairs, aiming to land them into buckets lined up on the bottom step when they rebounded.
It was in these childhood experiences that my creativity sparked, leading to recent innovations like my DIY hamster cage made from a 50-gallon clear plastic bin. Instead of purchasing chicken wire to attach to the lid for ventilation, I used wire cookie cooling racks. In this, I aimed to create a larger cage with more floor space than what’s available on the market using cheap household items.
Recently, my dad mentioned that he was planning on calling a plumber to install a kitchen sink in my grandmother’s house. Immediately, I was convinced that I could take on the task instead, and I did just that. I declared my new title as project lead and was quickly faced with old, rusty bolts unwilling to budge and various lost pieces. With a little perseverance, I was finally able to admire the shiny new sink with clear water flowing smoothly through it, a testament to my ingenuity and perseverance inspired by the moments shared with my grandfather when I was younger.
In addition to fostering my creativity, my time with my grandfather also instilled in me a sense of empathy and courage. After we played, my grandfather and I would sit on the couch, and he would share thrilling stories of his days as a military policeman and an engineer, each with an important moral that helped shape my view of the world. These stories, such as the one where he convinced a gunman not to shoot some innocent strangers, helped shape the way I care for others today; whether it’s helping my parents by cleaning the house and doing yard work without listening to them when they claim that they have it all covered, or giving my family countless gifts on holidays no matter how many times they say I spend too much money on them.
During COVID, my grandfather passed away suddenly, which created a huge obstacle for me to overcome. Initially, the loss was painful, but I now think of all of the important qualities and lessons that I wouldn’t have learned without him. He motivated me to figure out the type of person that I want to be, which taught me to strive to exhibit good qualities such as empathy, kindness, and generosity.
My grandfather’s basement was more than just a physical space; it was a training ground for my mind and a catalyst for personal growth. It instilled in me the power of creativity, the value of empathy, and the importance of generosity, which are qualities that continue to shape who I am and who I want to be.